What Movie Did You Just Watch? ...Rises

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (with Maximum Movie Mode)

It's definitely one of the best (if not the best) films of the series.

[ajmrowland]

Hugo

everything you expect from modern family entertaint is absent here. it's whimsical, historic, loosely inspired by a true story, and a cynic's worst enemy. the cast was strong, the narrative touching and fun, and the effects were nice without too much cgi. it was also well-paced and features a surprising amount of footage from silent movies.

[slave2moonlight]

Christmas Vacation, Christmas with the Kranks, and The Shop Around the Corner.

Kranks is a bit on the goofy side, but I really enjoy certain aspects of it enough to enjoy it overall. The other two are perfection to me. Even if I always wanna see the original Audrey in a Vacation movie (longtime crush of mine).

[dvdjunkie]

Super 8 (2011) Blu-ray

What do you get when you mix in a little of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and a little of The Goonies? How about a nifty sci-fi/thriller called "Super 8"!!! Director J.J. Abrams and Producer Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a great little film that features a cast of young people who have never acted in a film before, with the exception of Elle Fanning. The kids are involved in making a Super 8 movie called "The Case" and do a lot of location shooting late at night.

Mix in a little bit of humor, and teen-angst with a little bit of curiosity about why a train is derailed in their town, and you have a nice little story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The film takes place in the 1970's and the set pieces are very well done and the soundtrack keep you in place as the story moves along at a brisk pace.

Regarding the mysterious train crash, the kids have film-proof that there was something on that train that got loose and is wreaking havoc in their quiet little community. The Air Force, who owned the materials on the train, are trying to cover it up, and the kids are trying to get someone to believe them about what they saw.

Very good movie and lots of re-watchability and on the Junkie Meter it gets a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Don't miss this one.

[slave2moonlight]

Watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was playing on USA. I have to disagree with the haters for this movie. Could have been better here and there, but even though I'm a hardcore Indy fan, I really think this is a great movie. It's no Raiders or Last Crusade, but it's on par with Temple of Doom, maybe even better in some ways. Complaining about unrealistic aspects is a bit silly, as this series is full of such things, and the inspiration was those old 30's serials that were full of stretches.

[SillySymphony]

Movies viewed from last week up to today.
Ratings based on a 5 star method.
[Blue = 1st time rating]

Shanghai Knights (2003) ✰✰
HP...Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) ✰✰✰1/2
Sherlock Holmes (2009) ✰✰✰✰
Balto (1996) ✰✰1/2
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) ✰✰✰✰
The Muppets (2011) ✰✰✰✰1/2

[slave2moonlight]

Today, I saw "The Muppets", and I LOVED it! It was incredible!

I also watched "A Christmas Wish", AKA "The Great Rupert". Cute movie, and Terry Moore is sooo hot.

And Son of Paleface. Pretty decent quality for one of those cheap-o (public domain?) DVD releases. Love it, but I wish I remembered the first film better (need to get it).

[Dr Frankenollie]

@ajmrowland: I hope to see Hugo tomorrow.

I recently watched...

Mulholland Drive - A dark, brooding, film that paints a most vivid picture. Given a dream-like quality by David Lynch's deft direction and script, this eerie film haunts the mind, bursting at the seams with surrealistic and disturbing imagery. The puzzling plot twists and turns at a slow but captivating pace, before reaching an utterly terrifying conclusion. Naomi Watts offers a grand performance in the lead role, and many individual scenes offer memorable dark humour (e.g. the Espresso scene, when Adam goes home, etc.)

In sequences like the mesmerising Cafe Silencio sequence, there's a thick, spooky atmosphere that draws the apprehensive viewer in; during the scenes in Silencio, the Spanish singer's rendition of 'Crying' by Roy Orbison is especially unforgettable, not to mention absolutely beautiful. Even though it left me with a nearly sleepless night, I cannot deny that it's one of cinema's crowning achievements and one of the finest movies to be released in the 21st Century.

10/10.

[dvdjunkie]

What's Up Doc? (1972) Blu-ray

Peter Bogdanovich's slapstick comedy starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal and introducing Madelyn Kahn comes to Blu-ray with lot of extras to go along with it.

This fabulously funny movie written by Buck Henry is about a crazy mix-up with look-alike plaid carry-on bags. What starts out as a mystery arrival of a man with a plaid hand-bag, turns into a "uh-oh" moment when a second, and then a third and then a fourth turn up in the hands of different people. Featuring a list of 'who's who' in supporting roles which includes Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Randy Quaid, John Hillerman and many, many more, this film is endlessly funny. It features a hectic chase through San Francisco's Chinatown and pause-for-thought moment in a courtroom in the "I didn't see it coming" courtroom climax. Very funny, and if you haven't seen this, I'm sorry. On the Junkie Meter this film gets a 'rare' 5 out of 5 stars.

[PixarFan2006]

A Christmas Carol (A.K.A Scrooge) (1951)

Forget the Jim Carrey version, I think that this is one of the best versions of A Christmas Carol (Even if I have not admittedly read the original Charles Dickens novel). Alastair Sim brings his own charm to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and makes it a worthwhile performance.

[Lazario]

What's Up Doc? (1972) Blu-ray

Peter Bogdanovich's slapstick comedy starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal and introducing Madelyn Kahn comes to Blu-ray with lot of extras to go along with it.

This fabulously funny movie written by Buck Henry is about a crazy mix-up with look-alike plaid carry-on bags. What starts out as a mystery arrival of a man with a plaid hand-bag, turns into a "uh-oh" moment when a second, and then a third and then a fourth turn up in the hands of different people. Featuring a list of 'who's who' in supporting roles which includes Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Randy Quaid, John Hillerman and many, many more, this film is endlessly funny. It features a hectic chase through San Francisco's Chinatown and pause-for-thought moment in a courtroom in the "I didn't see it coming" courtroom climax. Very funny, and if you haven't seen this, I'm sorry. On the Junkie Meter this film gets a 'rare' 5 out of 5 stars.

Completely agree. I love the hell out of that movie.




Warlock (1989 / directed by: Steve Miner)



Steve Miner (1986's goofy but surprisingly entertaining House) is already an underrated horror director but this is easily his finest hour in the genre. There are a few nagging problems but a lot of surprises too. One of the problems is that the film can't seem to pick a genre. It darts all over the place: both slasher and occult styled horror sequences, alien visitor adjusting to 80's Earthling quirkiness cliches while the Kassandra character (Forrest Gump's Lori Singer) spouts a steady stream of unintelligible Californian slang, and mythological adventure mode. That being said, this is miles ahead of the likes of Army of Darkness for the fact that neither of the male leads (good guy: Richard E. Grant - The Player, Withnail and I, Henry & June; bad guy: Julian Sands - Arachnophobia, Naked Lunch, Boxing Helena) feel the need to play hero. And Grant sports a whip, so you know the temptation was there (to go Indiana Jones with this). Also, better use of effects than Army- even if the movie is really trying to keep the old Child's Play / Poltergeist II doomsday sky thing fresh with audiences. On that front, it bests Child's Play but both Poltergeist II and Ghostbusters 2 made creepier use of it. The more substantial problems lie in getting adjusted to what the movie wants to do: we start out in colonial witch burning times and we're expected to side with the witch burners. Later, this same scenario repeats when the bimbo and sensitive gay guy get into a discussion about compassion which leads to the gay guy getting a most unfortunate kind of French kiss from cannibalistic baddie Sands painting his kitchen red. Repeat yet again when bimbo Kassandra is dragged to the police station to argue with police over more "misplaced" prejudices: she assumes they're suggesting he had it coming because he was gay and they start doing just that until they find a perfect position to undermine her concern and make her look like a flake. She proves shortly thereafter that she isn't and - this is where the movie really kicks into gear - she not only becomes a formidable sidekick to Grant's Animal Skin Warrior but also gets the honor of dispatching the Warlock herself just when he's about to destroy the entire world, using both her wit and phyiscal strength. When you get a whiff of just what this sick son of a bitch has planned too, you realize this is no small feat. So... you could say the movie was being sexist or unrealistic, or that they were just setting audiences up. Either way, I count this as being an excellent surprise. Neither her nor Grant can stop Sands alone, so the film finds several ways to make each one essential to the other. Since the film focuses mostly on this triangle, it's important that all 3 characters are extremely intelligent. And it turns out that they are. Which in terms of presenting an equal playing field also puts this ahead of Wes Craven's absurdly WTF-Scale Defining trilogy of the time (The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, and The People Under the Stairs). Great movie, deserves to be rediscovered.




Death Becomes Her (1992 / directed by: Robert Zemeckis)



I was in a real TV mood when I decided to pull this one out again. An old favorite, finally in fucking widescreen thanks to Netflix- Universal's fucking lazy ass decided to finally do the work to make it look halfway decent likely elsewhere in the world on DVD rather than region 1 (this is actually an old looking "HD" - their word, not mine - print full of problems), where we've been forced to watch the shitty fullscreen version if we wanted to see the movie at all, and imported this to us. Like 14-ish years late for anyone else to give a damn. And, so, I think nobody does give a damn anymore. Way to drive down your own product's property value, Universal! My enjoyment of the film has wavered a bit over the years but my interest in owning it was very strong sometime ago when I was extremely adamant about seeing it in widescreen. Now that it's available in widescreen, I'm tired (even more than than the movie's rundown Mad and Hel zombies are as they paint each others' asses into their decrepid golden immortalities) and can't be bothered to try talking it up for anyone anymore. I had quite a bit of fun with it when I gave it a spin on Comcast's On-Demand 3 years ago when that was a big deal. Netflix's Watch Instant is still a big deal and... it's okay TV watching. But as a film, the bloom is definitely off this rose. Meryl Streep is very good, Goldie Hawn is scary, Rosselini is... well she was a more amusing in her (and Zemeckis's) 6th season episode of Tales from the Crypt, Bruce Willis has one great scene (opposite Zemeckis's ex-wife and star of Crypt's fantastic pilot episode) but is wasted in the rest. As for the rest... well, I should really ask is Zemeckis meant to recruit 2 Dr. Giggles cast members (Michelle Johnson - who also did an episode of Crypt - and Nancy Fish) or if that was just a delightful coincidence. Sidney Pollack's cameo is another highlight. My biggest problems are Willis's lousy character and the movie's ultra-lame celebrity impression (among those I recognized: Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis) fetish. It could have been worse, it could have been this (warning - I know you've seen it already but I rather enjoy saying this: do not click if you've eaten in the last 6 hours).

[Dr Frankenollie]

The Trouble With Harry (1955)

This very unusual film is absurd in both concept and detail, yet as director Alfred Hitchcock's tongue was firmly in his cheek throughout production, the absurdities are fortunately intentional. Perhaps Hitchcock's most unique film, this masterpiece doesn't have any grand set-pieces or traditionally thrilling scenes like other Hitchcock movies; instead, it features practically nothing but marvellous, marvellous acting. Edmund Gwenn (aka Kris Kringle) steals the show as Captain Albert Miles, who despite appearing to be a killer at the beginning of the film, is rendered extremely likable thanks to both Gwenn and the delightful script.

The icing on the cake is Bernard Herrmann's utterly wonderful score (his first for a Hitchcock film and one of his best), comprised of light-hearted little tunes that are fun to listen to. Hitchcock's comedic genius hasn't dated in the slightest, and while it may not be a riot like it surely was upon release, it still provokes a chuckle regularly. The shots of the film's primary location in Autumn aren't anything special but rather lovely nonetheless, and the gentle pace to the film gives it a quaint and charming atmosphere.

Despite the fact that the focal point of this film is a corpse (which is buried and reburied over and over again) and despite the occasional innuendo, The Trouble With Harry is a sweet and innocent film, one that is reflective of its director's personality.

10/10.

[yamiiguy]

Hugo

Film of the Year (so far anyway). Has a magic that is increasingly rare in movies nowadays and is the best artistic use of 3D thus far. My full review[/b]

[UmbrellaFish]

Over the weekend, I've watched:

Sansho the Bailiff
Pandora's Box
The Scarlet Letter (1926)
The Blue Angel

[SillySymphony]

Movies seen from last week up to today. All Christmas movies are listed in the Holiday Viewing thread.

Ratings based on a 5 star method.
[Blue = 1st time rating and/or viewing]

Newsies (1992) ✰✰✰1/2
Jurassic Park III (2001) ✰✰✰
The Land Before Time (1988) ✰✰✰
Spider-Man (2002) ✰✰✰1/2
Spider-Man 2 (2004) ✰✰✰1/2
The Muppet Movie (1979) ✰✰✰1/2

[jpanimation]

For those who don't know, I rate movies based on the IMDB standard and what I feel it should have on that site.

The Fall (2006) 6/10 - After the brilliant opening, it kind of looses me. In many ways, it’s similar to The Princess Bride, only much darker and less comedic. It’s the real world stuff I’m more interested in, as I didn’t enjoy the fantasy bits at all as narratively it seemed all over the place. It has some nice visuals but there just wasn’t enough there story wise to captivate me.

In Bruges (2008) 7.5/10 - This was a fun movie. Like Pulp Fiction, it makes you love these two hitmen but here it’s because you see their humanity, as opposed to their style / attitudes. The plot is nice and simple. Really enjoyed it more then I was expecting.

Walt & El Grupo (2008) 5.5/10 - Painfully dull. I found this review on IMDB and it pretty much sums up my feelings exactly: “The film is not so much a documentary as a dry recitation of the itineraries of the people involved, often read by surviving family members, with little or no perspective into what the trip meant (save for allowing legendary design artist Mary Blair to blossom professionally) and what it ultimately accomplished. Some of the footage is interesting, but rarely does any of it contain the energy of the poster image of Walt swinging a lasso.” It really does feel like this was a personal video made more for the family members than anything the public would appreciate. I really hope The Boys is more interesting then this was.

District 9 (2009) 8/10 - I haven’t seen this since theaters but I think I enjoyed it even more the second time. I really like how real the director tried to make this real, even though it’s sic-fi and features aliens. I watched the extras and gained an appreciation for the accuracy in how South Africa is presented here. My only gripe is Christopher Johnson and Wikus’ lame-ass cliched exchange at the end (something like “Go on without me, save yourself” “no, I’m not leaving you” “think of your kid” yada yada you get gist) and that I would love to have a little more closure with the ending. So between this and Moon, 2009 was a good year for sci-fi.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) 4.5/10 - I watched this for two reasons: Free trial of Starz HD this week and I wanted to see all the animated features up for Oscars. This movie was god awful. It would take too long to list what was bad about this movie so I’ll list what was good; the technical stuff (modeling, lighting, rendering, etc.). That’s all I can think of. The movie starts off by telling you that the story has been done to death but that this movie will do it “different.” If you think “different” means West Side Story, then prepare to be disappointed. It’s exactly the same as Romeo and Juliet has always been, only that it adds terrible songs and takes out all the tragedy (NO ONE DIES) to make it a mediocre Playhouse Disney equivalent. Avoid this mess.

The Change-Up (2011) 6/10 - The whole premise has just been done to death (either a parent and kid switching bodies or a single man and married man switching bodies only to earn an appreciation for each other). There are some pretty funny moments throughout but it really hurts your enjoyment when you know how the whole thing is going to play out from the start (is there a playbook?). There just isn’t anything new in this and I can honestly say that I’ve never really cared for this premise.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) 6.5/10 - This one gets points for originality. The characters are interesting, with some very nice performances throughout, and they all feel fairly sincere. It was definitely a little more heartfelt then I was expecting. I just wish it were a little more funny then it ended up being and I also wish it didn’t end with the speech / realization combo.

Friends with Benefits (2011) 6.5/10 - I like the leads and I found their characters entertaining. It’s main problem is that it’s so formulaic, with the same plot already having been used earlier this year in No Strings Attached but at least the leads are more likable this time round. I found their relationship built around fast talk and sarcasm a little less then believable but as I’ve said, the whole movie was just likable. Outside of the peeing with a hardon bit, there wasn’t many laughs, and a little more nudity would’ve been appreciated (why not, it already has an R rating).

Super 8 (2011) 7/10 - Still makes a better trailer then a movie. Not much has changed since my initial review here, although I don’t hold E.T. in as hight regard anymore. There is just only so much suspension of disbelief within me.

Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury (2011) 5.5/10 - Nobody should waste their time with this holiday themed short. It takes everything that sucked about the ending to the movie and builds a short around it.

The Muppets (2011) 6.5/10 - I originally didn’t want to see this for two reasons: The previews look terrible and I’m not a fan of The Muppets (I love MuppetVision 3D but hate all their movies and only somewhat enjoy the television show depending on which characters and sketches). I only gained interest when I saw this movie has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.3 on IMDB and I heard all the positive word of mouth. So I took the plunge and totally regret it. This movie was just flat out boring. To start, none of the new human characters are the least bit interesting and most of the movie is focused on them. Next, the plot has been done to death. If you’re going to try to revitalize the franchise, then do something new with them. Don’t just take plot from previous Muppet movies and mix it with your crappy Country Bears movie. I was annoyed to find myself checking my phone, I usually don’t do that. The songs are a pointless addition and they’re sure to turn some people off. Some of my favorite character have been minimized here too, like Statler and Waldorf, Rizzo the Rat, Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, which leads to my next problem with this film, it’s largely a misfire on all comic aspects. I probably only laughed once or twice throughout the entire movie and to be honest, Kermit’s despondent attitude found in this movie was really irksome, it just didn’t set the right tone for a character that’s being reintroduce to a new audience. There was really no character moments for any of the Muppets or any point to them being there (only that they wanted the whole gang back). Not that it matters but the cameo celebrity lineup for this movies is really pathetic, and only emphasizes the fact that The Muppets are from a different generation, when celebrities actually mattered (not to mention this movie was filled with B-grade television and overused movie actors). It’s unfortunate for Disney that they decided to make a movie that pretty much relies on nostalgia blindness to even be enjoyed. I’m really disappointed, as I was hoping this would revitalize the franchise and that good things would come of it in the parks. Too bad.

[Dr Frankenollie]

Hugo

Film of the Year (so far anyway). Has a magic that is increasingly rare in movies nowadays and is the best artistic use of 3D thus far.

I agree completely. I watched it a few days ago and I adore it.

Anyway, I just watched:



A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Dark, harrowing character study focusing on a violent, almost primitive man from New Orleans and his delusional, desperate and mentally decaying sister-in-law; these intriguing characters are brought to life by the great Marlon Brando and the equally stellar Vivien Leigh. Notorious for its controversial rape scene and the physically imposing character of Stanley Kowalski, this is a powerful piece of drama strengthened by a highly intelligent and complex script.

10/10.

[Goliath]

^ One of the most boring, uninteresting, dull snoozefests I ever had the displeasure to have sat through.

Buried (2010)

Now this was an excellent movie. Just one actor, one location and that's all there is, but boy, was this exciting! Ryan Reynolds gives an amazing performance as a truck driver who wakes up, buried alive in a coffin out in the Iraqi desert with only a lighter and a cell phone. He desperately tries to get help, but whatever he tries to do, nobody seems to be able to help him in his race against the clock. At first, I didn't think it could be pulled off. Concept sounded promising, but I couldn't see it work. But it did work and I'm in awe at the result. Truly an amazing achievement.

[Dr Frankenollie]

^ One of the most boring, uninteresting, dull snoozefests I ever had the displeasure to have sat through.

It's not the movie's fault you have a low attention span.

[Goliath]

It's not the movie's fault you have a low attention span.

It's not my fault that you feel the need to praise every piece of drivel just because you think you're "supposed to" because it's a "classic" and it makes you look so "mature and interesting" to say you like them.