DuracellEnergizer said:
Mondess122 said:
Mulholland Drive (2001) - ?. ?, ? ? ? ?. ?: ? ?. ? ?! ? ? ? ? ?? ?, ?. ? out of ?.
I agree. Mulholland Drive's pretty conventional compared to some of Lynch's earlier, better work, so this is a pretty fair rating.
One of the worst pictures I've ever seen. I still don't get it, nor do I really want to. Never will I understand people's admiration for it.
I loathe his films but Lynch himself always seems like a really nice and interesting person. Go figure.
The Avengers
Preface: I'm not a Marvel guy.
It may be just me, but the whole Marvel universe has just left me cold so far. I appreciate the efforts put in to appease fans and audiences alike, but to me these films never really convalesce into anything truly cohesive. There is a continual feeling of "made by committee" that has been stuck there since the dull Iron Man 2. I think that the first Iron Man holds up better because it was their first effort and thus was allowed to take many more chances.
(How else could a Shane Black superhero film be so dull?)
This one is perhaps the most disengaging for me. Far too long, and ultimately exists to setup the final battle. The individual threads are eventually tied up together, but by that point one starts to lose focus. And the characterizations suffer due to the overloading of elements. This makes the film feel a touch empty which is a shame.
(I HATE the modern trend of making character origins etc. all interconnected to onscreen characters. It is not only beyond coincidental; it breaks the believability and is truly lazy writing. EX: Beast's origins in the newer X-Men films, and Hulk's origin in this.)
All in all, not a bad movie, and certainly watchable-but never does this feel truly inspired. And I'm the guy who sticks up for plenty of typically disregarded superhero pictures like The Phantom, The Shadow, The Rocketeer, and Batman Forever.
2.5 balls out of 4.
*I still think the single best thing in the Marvel films is the shot of the hungover Stark in the Doughnut shop sign sans helmet in IM2.
Do you guys think I should try the Captain America films?
Die Hard Quadrlogy
DH-The first, the now-classic, and unequaled. Not perfect admittedly, but in this day an age completely wonderful in its maverick sense of risking it all. They flew by the seat of their pants and turned a dull B-picture premise into a truly human-driven work that spawned a thousand imitators.
When Fox will deliver the 4K restoration is unknown. The BD isn't bad and the soundmix is the same as the THX LD. Hopefully I can get the older Laser and try out the 35mm original mix.
4 balls out of 4.
DH2-Fox need to put out the unrated cut some day. I really like this picture, and it was the first DH I ever saw. Despite the rehashing, and over-coincidental bits, it is the only sequel that plays in the same universe. Dark, more violent than the first, heavy snow, what's not to love?
Best line in the series: "How can the same s*** happen to the same guy twice?
4 balls out of 4. The BD changes the color a bit, but sounds the same as the THX LD.
DH with a Vengeance
Where it really starts to go downhill for me. While not bad, the film is very disjointed as they began with a spec script and then began trying to cram in a Die Hard film. Despite McTiernan returning, it doesn't really have the same spark, and only the three principals light up the screen. Jeremy Irons is so woefully underused that you beg for him to come back onscreen. The ending is really tacked on and the originally shot version is wonderfully brutal.
A bit messy but it still gets the job done. Very 90's action thriller oriented, and less Die Hard feeling.
3.5 balls out of 4. BD vastly improves on the worst case of Edge Enahncement in DVD history. That disc was a travesty. Soundmix is similar to THX LD.
Live Free or Die Hard
Shocking how well this worked. It didn't need the huge teal boost, nor the overplaying of McClane is an old guy not good with technology, and certainly not Kevin Smith, but somehow it just worked. Bits of fun and energy throughout though the R rating is sorely missed. The unrated version has hit BD in a few territories and on DVD adds back some cursing and blood terribly needed. Problem is it was a rush job and very sloppy in places. Additionally it drops at least two of the theatrical's best lines.
Hmm...I think a fan cut is needed!
3.5 balls out of 4-especially when thinking of a hybrid rated and unrated edit.
That supposed "fifth film" was such a crock of straight to video nonsense that it should have gone straight to Redbox under a different generic name.