Give a small review of the last movie you watched.

[Exile]

what? im serious. If he actually said that and meant it im going to have tim revoke his ability to post on this board. Thats just scary. Thats like saying, ya know i really liked glitter for the character development and rich layered writing and nuanced performances.

[Tim-Æ]

agreed.


Repo Men - Not as bad as I thought it would be. Never saw the "musical" and the reviews are rotten for it, but I was entertained. It won't blow you away but for mindless violence, and an intriguing premise, I thought Repo Men was a sleeper hit for me.

7/10

[Exile]

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE

http://www.ingobwetrust.com/?p=1583

[Sally Screw]

Well i just say THE WATCHMEN and I was blown away...

Fabulous... terrific...something to watch again and again. WHY?

Because I don't fall into that "I read the graphic novel first trap" Why is that important? let me get on my soapbox and explain...

People that have been introduced to a story or character and like that story or character in one form, will almost never accept that story or character in another form. A perfect example is the James Bond Films. People that first saw Sean Connery as James Bond, will not accept anyone else in the role. But those that first saw Roger Moore, or Pierce Bronson can not fathom anyone else being Bond, calling the others, old, outdated or such. The story or character has already made it's imprint on you and any variations is seen as a travesty of creative license. So those that read the graphic novel will of course, rebel against the movie.

But you have to realize one thing with action movies... they are not venues for storytelling. they are filmed for "action" if you want story-telling, go watch "Shindler's List" THE WATCHMEN movie was filmed to maximize visual effects and keep the audience watching the screen. In order to do that, certain scenes had to be reworked or portrayed... that's the realm of moviedom.

Books, be they graphic or type-written do not have to cater to an art director or scene director... they can go off on any tangent they wish in order to tell the story. That's why they are more in-depth, and that's why they take more than 90 minutes (the length of most movies) to read. Movies, limited by time constraints have to pick and choose what they will include with usually the most visually appealing scenes remaining and the long drawn out dialogues, left out (even if that hinders the story).

But back to THE WATCHMEN...

I do admit thou, I could have done without the gory bone-breaking.

I loved the ending, it caught me by surprise a little, which is what I love in a movie. Thou the Rorschach journal thingy at the end seemed like something the "world's smartest man" would have had covered.

[Exile]

I dont think thats true. I think that Connery is the best Bond but i loved Brosnan and think Daniel Craig is great. The problem with the brosnan bond films outside of goldeneye and parts of die another day were that the writing were terrible. However on the whole the Craig versions are probably the best complete films of the bunch.

I think thats an easy way to white wash something. I liked George Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Zach Synder's Dawn of the Dead. Two completely different films with the same concept (though the latter was less about social commentary.)

The thing that as a movie I felt was lacking in the Watchmen movie was a consensus tone for the world they created, I felt like the ending and the characters weren't as developed as they should have been and that in the end style won out over substance.

I dont have issues with creators taking liberties with projects. I thought V for Vendetta was extremely well done and it is not like the graphic novel at all. However League of Extraorindary gentlemen is one of the worst movie adaptations in 20 years. Wanted was completely different from the graphic novel, however was still a very good movie and in ways could be superior.

its not about caring about if something came first or not. I liked the american Ring over the japanese Ring. Its about is it a good product. I did not feel like the Watchmen, even on its own legs, stood well enough.

[Sally Screw]

its not about caring about if something came first or not.

Thou you may not be effected by the "First seen-best loved" aspect of entertainment, it's still a well documented trend and I have seen hundred of examples over the years from tons of people. It's even a big trend here at EFK as a lot of disillusioned wrestling fans keep quipping, "things were better...(back in the times they first started watching)".

[Tim-Æ]

this discussion again?


I'm frankly sick to death of hearing "if you want good story, watch *insert serious movie*"

Gunn had that as the defense for the epic piece of shit called Transformers 2.

Some people consider entertainment to be a good story. Action movies, can have great stories. "Die Hard" is in my top FIVE films of ALL time. Why? Because its action, and its a memorable character, and its got a good story (it was also a book).

I'd also recommend a different reference for "good story" rather than Schindler's List. of all the movies with great stories, that doesn't rank up there as one of my go to films.

As far as Watchmen? It was alright. My qualms weren't with story, they were with presentation. Manhattan's dong flapping  back and forth was pointless. Soundtrack? Atrocious. Too much of it was rendered goofy b/c of atmosphere. The only redeeming quality of Watchmen was the always stellar Jackie Earl Hayley as Rorschach. And no, I didn't need to read the graphic novel to enjoy it. What I care about is paying 12 bucks for IMAX, and walking out saying "what the fuck did I just wasted my money on?" I won't demand my money back from Snyder, I'll give him props on his perseverance through fanboy hatred, and developmental hell. What I don't like is the lack of seriousness to the film. most of it was just lazy and boring. I put it on par with Avatar. Entertaining. But value? Not very high.

Toss me to the dogs, b/c I enjoy Craig more than Connery. I think people systematically prefer Connery b/c he was the first and often have zero frame of reference because they're conditioned to prefer Connery. I disagree with the popular choice. I think he was good, but I prefer Craig, as I found most of the original Bond films to be boring and goofy (especially the Roger Moore years). Casino Royale is one of the best films of the decade, and the only Bond film that I own. Craig portrayed Bond at his earliest, at his most vulnerable. That gets more credit in my opinion, than playing a playboy for 6 movies in a row. He had an uphill climb to make, and he met it, and kept going.

I thinks its funny, because there have been other characters portrayed by multiple actors, and Bond is the only one where they make such a huge comparison to. What about Batman? Christian Bale is way better than Kilmer, Keaton, Clooney, or West, because embodies the character more. If we look at Bond though, who embodies the character more? None of them. Read one of Ian Flemming's novels. If any of them, Dalton would be. People just warm up to Connery b/c he was first (technically 2nd) and that's what everyone says.

[Flins.]

Watched Clash of the Titans tonight, in 3D. If i'd of paid more than a quid extra i'd of been pissed, as the 3D element is pretty much non-exsistent.

On to the actual film, it wasn't all bad. It is what it is, a kind of Transformer's esque visual over story film. The lead character is hard to warm to, and ts quire fast paced so it doesn't leave much time for character development. Perseus goes from family fisherman to an all conquering demi-god warriour, to be fair to the movie he isn't put over as too powerful, its just the transition just didn't sit well with me.

Its a decent action movie, but i preffered the original, though this version is more appealing visually. If there is an extended version available i might get it on DVD.

[Hondo]

I was gonna post this last week, but for some reason I never got around to it.

We took my oldest girl to see How to Train Your Dragon last weekend. It was OK I guess, it really didn't have that usual zing that Pixar movies have, like Toy Story or whatnot (on a related note, I've yet to see Up. I am not proud of this.)  It was more or less average in every way. Average story, average voice acting, average ending, yada yada yada. In the end, it was OK, but nothing memorable. Everyone will probably forget about this one in five or six years.

[jagilki]

Just bought the DVD for "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

I have no idea why, but it's a fun lil flick

[Fnord]

Just reviewed "Bitch Slap" in my blog!

http://discordicadventuresoffnord.blogspot.com/2010/04/bitch-slap-2009.html

[Duckman]

I saw Up a few weeks back on blu ray at my brothers.

First off, incredible looking film.  The animation is absolutely stunning.  One of the best looking animations I've ever seen.

Secondly the story is brilliant.  It's constructed so well.  There's a 5-10 minute sequence at the beginning of the film that uses no speech, just music and 'acting' and it's stunning.  If you've seen the film you'll know what I'm talking about.  It's absolutely amazing, so effective and so heartbreaking.

The film as a whole is very much worth watching.  I found it incredibly moving, well written, well acted and even with the final act 'chase and run' stuff which is usual in these films I still loved it.

One of the best films I've ever seen - never mind animation.

Go and watch this film now!

Peace

Duckman

[Rob.B]

 "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Excellent, Carey shows that he's so much more than just a comedy actor and puts in what I believe is the best performance of his career, Kate Winslet is also brilliant. For anyone who hasn't seen it I strongly reccomend it.


Zodiac- Truly excellent psychological thriller, it really showed the lengths a man was willing to go when in the grips of obsession. The story of the Zodiac murders were well told.

Memento- Loved this film, it was so different from anything I've seen before, I wasn't sure about the movie being in reverse at first but I really got into it.

American Beauty- The best film I've ever seen. There is so many compelling stories in a single film, there isn't one weak performance. The entire cast was excellent.

Superbad- It was decent but I was expecting more after all the hype surrounding it. Funny in parts but not as good as I thought it would be, meh overall.

Sex Drive- Much better than Superbad, imo. Not quite American Pie good but it was still a very good film. Definately worth a watch.

[Duckman]

State of Play - I watched this last night.  It stars Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck and is based off one of the greatest drama series EVER on the BBC.  It's about politics, journalism and loads of other stuff.

The movie paid great tribute to the original series.  The storyline was pretty similar with only a few things pushed aside due to time constraints.

Crowe owned the movie.  Affleck was watchable for the first time since...well...  Rachel McAdam and Helen Mirren also provided great support although Bill Nighy OWNED the original series in the role Mirren played.  In fact she could have done with some more screen time.

Still a very enjoyable thriller with some good performances and very well shot and edited.  I enjoyed it a lot.

Peace

Duckman

[Black Death]

Undisputed III Redemption
  Directed by Isaac Florentine


Starring Scott Adkins , Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Mark Ivanir


Russian inmate Boyka, now severely hobbled by the knee injury suffered at the end of Undisputed 2. No longer the feared prison fighter he was, he has declined so far that he is now good only for cleaning toilets. But when a new prison fight tournament begins - an international affair, matching the best fighters from prisons around the globe, enticing them with the promise of freedom for the winner - Boyka must reclaim his dignity and fight for his position in the tournament

It was great film . I am fan of the undisputed films and you don't really have to seen the other ones to get into this film .   The actions scenes are intense and Scott Adkins shows why he is the new shit ...and should be in more action movies .   He takes a character that I like in the second one and expands him enough that you don't see him as a bad guy just a man that can fight better then anyone else , trying to beat the odds . It proves to be a better fighter it not how many matches that you won , it how you handle yourself after a lose .   if you like martial arts films and mma , which is incorprated nicely into in the fighting also. I recomend you watch this film   I give it 5 kicks in the mouth out of 5