RA Movie Thread (Read 5918 times)

RunJasonRun


    Perhaps I do protest too much. It was beautiful. But I just can't comprehend all the 100 Metacritic scores by top critics. Really?? Did we see the same movie?

     

    For me, it merits four and half stars (on a scale of five) for the reasons that I stated in my review above.  I docked Gravity a few points for the "Hollywood grief porn" back story with Sandra Bullock's character, and a couple of other weak story elements.  I did find it sort of funny that the astronauts always seemed to grab a satellite rail at the last possible opportunity after missing the rails every time before.  It would still be suspenseful to have them miss two or three times before holding on, instead of missing 18 times before holding on.

     

    The visuals alone make Gravity a home run for me, though.  This was the first time where I've watched a film with extensive digital effects without thinking about the fact that I was watching digital effects.  That has never happened to me before.  The blend of practical effects and digital effects was seamless.   I want to see this movie at the theater one more time before it goes away.

     

    This was a benchmark in special effects, and I kept thinking about the first time that I saw The Abyss or the first time that I saw The Matrix.  People are going to be trying to duplicate this for the next several years.   It'll probably be like a few years ago, when we were all rolling our eyes at all of the movies that kept trying to look just like The Matrix and not quite succeeding.

    Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.


    god hates us all

      For something completely different from Gravity...

      Tucker and Dale vs Evil.  it's on netflix.

      I knew absolutely nothing going in and had low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. It's a spoof of "cabin in the woods" horror. The lead actors were great. Hilarious fun movie.

      Jack K.


      uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

        On a whim, last night I watched "Kon-Tiki."  Wow. Great film, bit be sure to watch it with the English subtitles.

        zoom-zoom


        rectumdamnnearkilledem

          For something completely different from Gravity...

          Tucker and Dale vs Evil.  it's on netflix.

          I knew absolutely nothing going in and had low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. It's a spoof of "cabin in the woods" horror. The lead actors were great. Hilarious fun movie.

           

          We LOVE that movie!  We watched it because we're already Alan Tudyk fans from his Firefly/Serenity days, but it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise.

          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

               ~ Sarah Kay

          RunJasonRun


            The Rules of the Game

             

            This 1939 French film about social classes on the eve of WWII is comedic and tragic in equal amounts.  Director Jean Renoir uses these long camera shots with characters in the background commanding just as much attention as characters in the foreground, so it's worth seeing the film more than once to grasp subtleties that might be missed at first.  The centerpiece of the movie involves a hunting scene that eerily anticipates the slsughters of WWII.

            One of Jean Renoir's other films, Grand Illusion, about a WWI prison escape, is a favorite of mine.

            Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

            mab411


            Proboscis Colossus

              Wife and I just got back from seeing Gravity, in 3D on Jason's recommendation.  Thanks, Jason...you were absolutely right!  It's not often I say this - in fact, I don't think I've ever said this - but it is a movie for which the 3D really does add something worth the extra money.

               

              Gonna have to disagree that it was just a meaningless popcorn film.  I mean, if that's what you're looking for, it can certainly be consumed that way, but unless I'm mistaken, there is a lot of commentary on the development of human spirituality, and on God's role, if any, in our scientific endeavors.

               

              ...or maybe it's just that we saw it right after church, and sometimes George Clooney is just George Clooney.

              "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people



                Gravity is not without its flaws. Astute space enthusiasts may point out the logical shortcomings of the transport between objects in different orbits that is outlined in the film. A back story about the daughter of Sandra Bullock's character is superfluous and unnecessarily melodramatic, because we already relate to her peril without such histrionics.

                 

                Despite the contrived space debris story line, I could suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the majority of the film. And because I did let myself buy into it I found the suspenseful parts suspenseful enough...and Clooney, come on, it's George Clooney! He was awesome and Bullock was great up until that horrible daughter back story. That was just terrible and where the movie lost me...it not only hurt the movie but hurt her performance...it felt very forced beyond that point and I was ready for the movie to be over. I did see it in 3-D, and I did find it to be very pretty. I judge movies based on how many times I look at my watch...4 times this movie...that's a lot for such a short film...but if you can see if for cheap (or free like me), I would recommend seeing it in 3-D in the theatre versus waiting for home viewing.

                stadjak


                Interval Junkie --Nobby

                  The Sunset Limited (2011) - If you like dialog/conversation screenplays, this might be for you.  If you'd like to listen in on an intelligent and empathetic conversation between an atheist and a Christian preacher, you'll find this refreshing -- the typical attacks are completely avoided and undercut.  Cormack McCarthy wrote the play and screenplay.  Sam Jackson and Tom Jones probe, prod, console and try to understand each others' point of view.  The dialog is pretty good and the acting is enjoyable.  This is no Twelve Angry Men, but I sure which there were more of these out there.  (3/5) in the genre.  (4/5) because I love the genre.

                  2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                  RunJasonRun


                    The Sunset Limited (2011) - If you like dialog/conversation screenplays, this might be for you.  If you'd like to listen in on an intelligent and empathetic conversation between an atheist and a Christian preacher, you'll find this refreshing -- the typical attacks are completely avoided and undercut.  Cormack McCarthy wrote the play and screenplay.  Sam Jackson and Tom Jones probe, prod, console and try to understand each others' point of view.  The dialog is pretty good and the acting is enjoyable.  This is no Twelve Angry Men, but I sure which there were more of these out there.  (3/5) in the genre.  (4/5) because I love the genre.

                     

                    I've never seen the movie, but I've read the Cormac McCarthy play.  It's excellent!

                    Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

                    Joann Y


                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlOxlSOr3_M&hd=1

                       

                      even if the movie doesn't turn out that great, this promo is awesome

                      RunJasonRun


                        A long-winded review of 12 Years a Slave that I wrote for my Facebook wall...

                         

                         

                        12 Years a Slave is based on the memoir by Solomon Northup, a free New York man who was kidnapped in Washington D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery to work on Louisiana plantations under a false name until his rescue in 1853. After hearing great things about this third film from British director Steve McQueen, I hurried to see it at a pre-noon matinee after my workout this morning.

                        Like McQueen's first two movies, 12 Years a Slave features some unflinchingly brutal and uncomfortable moments, but the movie is also graced with beautiful cinematography and a superb attention to detail. This is the best screen depiction of slavery that I have seen to date, and it handles the unsettling subject matter with a sense of authenticity that placed me into the psyche of each character like no other such film has done. The scenes of violence are horrifying, but this movie's real unease comes to light from the casual attitudes of the characters from a time when these atrocities were endemic in pre-Civil War culture.

                        Chiwetel Ejiofor faced a difficult task with his portrayal of Northup, since the depiction of a talented and educated man who struggles to maintain hope while concealing his intellectualism from slave masters to avoid additional cruelty required a complex approach. Ejiofor's believability in the role is commendable, and Northup's gradual descent into resignation and despair is heartbreaking, but never heavy-handed. Michael Fassbender, who played Bobby Sands, the Irish prisoner who led a hunger strike in McQueen's 2008 debut film, Hunger, and who also played the New York City professional struggling with sex addiction in McQueen's 2011 film, Shame, delivers a chilling performance here as the slave owner Edwin Epps, whose despicable cruelty is all the more disturbing because Fassbender shows us the human frailties and inadequacies of the character all the while. Lupita Nyong'o earns my utmost admiration with her tragic role as Patsey, a young slave who endures the unwanted attention of Epps without any remote hope of salvation. Brad Pitt, who also produced this film, appears in a brief role that offers sympathy without being overly didactic for the purposes of the story.

                        12 Years a Slave improves on McQueen's already-impressive earlier films, because Chiwetel Ejiofor's Solomon Northup provides the emotional centerpiece needed to counter the director's artistic, but detached, visual style. That said, this movie offers some incredibly beautiful camera shots that convey a realistic sense of antebellum life in Louisiana. 12 Years a Slave is just over two hours long, but not a single second is wasted, and I was riveted by the story and the sights. This movie is cinematic majesty at its finest, and it deserves all of the awards that it will inevitably win.

                        Many reviews are complementing 12 Years a Slave as a movie that every American needs to see. I do not believe that people should see this film out of a sense of duty, though. I believe that people should see it simply because it is a great movie.

                        Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

                        FSocks


                        KillJoyFuckStick

                          Rented "Before Midnight" from the Redbox over the weekend.  Apparently this is the third installment of a trilogy, "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset."  What the hey, I thought, I'll try it and see if I like it.  My wife was less enthused insisting that we watch the first 2 before watching "Before Midnight". I convinced her otherwise or rather, she was distracted doing some worked and I watched it anyhow.

                           

                          The movie tells the story of a 40ish year old couple who accidentally met years ago on a train.  The man, Jesse (Ethan Hawk), has a teenage son from a previous marriage.  The woman, Celine (Julie Delpy) is French.  They are now married and they have twin 9 years old daughters.  As I hadn't seen the first 2 movies the first 30ish minutes of the movie drug on and I was somewhat struggling to hold interest.  About the time I think "if this doesn't get better I'm turning it off," it switches scenes to some very witty and engaging dialog between the main characters on other couples around a dinner table.  The last 30 minutes take place in a hotel room where our 2 main characters engage in more dialog as they realize that life is far from perfect (themselves, their marriage, their jobs, their lives).

                           

                          I'm sure I'm doing a horrible job of describing this movie but I round it engaging in a very anti-Hollywood way.  Most of the movie takes place in 3 primary scenes.  It is a movie that exclusively on dialog and how the actors use that dialog to engage the viewer.  I found it very refreshing and, yes, I will watch the first 2 of the series.

                           

                          9.5 out of 10 socks

                          You people have issues 

                          RunJasonRun


                            Rented "Before Midnight" from the Redbox over the weekend.  Apparently this is the third installment of a trilogy, "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset."  What the hey, I thought, I'll try it and see if I like it.  My wife was less enthused insisting that we watch the first 2 before watching "Before Midnight". I convinced her otherwise or rather, she was distracted doing some worked and I watched it anyhow.

                             

                            The movie tells the story of a 40ish year old couple who accidentally met years ago on a train.  The man, Jesse (Ethan Hawk), has a teenage son from a previous marriage.  The woman, Celine (Julie Delpy) is French.  They are now married and they have twin 9 years old daughters.  As I hadn't seen the first 2 movies the first 30ish minutes of the movie drug on and I was somewhat struggling to hold interest.  About the time I think "if this doesn't get better I'm turning it off," it switches scenes to some very witty and engaging dialog between the main characters on other couples around a dinner table.  The last 30 minutes take place in a hotel room where our 2 main characters engage in more dialog as they realize that life is far from perfect (themselves, their marriage, their jobs, their lives).

                             

                            I'm sure I'm doing a horrible job of describing this movie but I round it engaging in a very anti-Hollywood way.  Most of the movie takes place in 3 primary scenes.  It is a movie that exclusively on dialog and how the actors use that dialog to engage the viewer.  I found it very refreshing and, yes, I will watch the first 2 of the series.

                             

                            9.5 out of 10 socks

                             

                            I have not seen this one, but I've seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  In Before Sunrise, the two meet on a train in Europe and spend a night walking around the city of Vienna.  In Before Sunset, the two meet again nine years later.   They're both outstanding movies, in the sense that it's fun to watch the dialogue flow between the character.

                            Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

                            Birdwell


                              I saw Ender's Game last night. (no comment on O.S. Cards political/moral views. I choose to separate the art from the artist)

                               

                              Some punk kid pulled the fire alarm 20 minutes into the movie and the entire theater was evacuated for half an hour.

                              (there may be spoilers in here, sorry)

                              The movie: (I apologize, I'm not nearly as good as most when it comes to movie reviews)

                              I didn't read this book in my formative teenage years. In fact, I didn't discover it until I was in my mid-20's. Once I read it, I was hooked. I read it over and over again. I read all the sequels multiple times.

                              As with any movie based on a book, the book is always better.

                              I went into the theater with no expectations at all about the movie. I knew they wouldn't be able to cover all the storylines in the book.

                              I had hope that they wouldn't try to "soften" some of the key parts though. They did.

                              I understand why they did it (I guess). Having Ender kill some kid 2 minutes into the movie wouldn't have gone over well.

                              One of the pivotal part of the book (for me at least) was Ender's answer for why he did what he did to the kid 2 minutes in. They changed his answer slightly, but enough that it didn't carry the same meaning.

                               

                              Most of the movie was focused on Battle School. That was awesome. It was what I imagined Battle School to look like (with a few minor complaints. Battle School was in clear view of Earth the entire time, I never picture it like that) The battle's in the center of school were a bit different from the book.

                               

                              Command school was set on a planet, not an asteroid in the movie.

                              Peter Wiggin was in the movie for 30 seconds. Nothing about the struggles on Earth (Locke and Demosthenes) were included in the movie.

                               

                              I thought the casting was pretty good all the way around. The kids did about as well as they could. Harrison Ford was the perfect Graff.

                              Ben Kingsley did a good job as Rackham

                               

                              All in all, I still don't know if I liked the movie. I've been thinking about it for a day now and I'm still undecided. I think it was good, but I was comparing it to the book while I was watching it. Some of the relationships with the other students that Ender had weren't accurate (IMO). Bean was on the shuttle to Battle School with Ender (didn't like that).

                              In the Command School training Ender was in the same room with all his toon leaders, with Rackham looking down from a control room above (I didn't like that either. It didn't convey how alone Ender felt in the book)

                               

                              I need to see it again. I think people who have never read the book will enjoy it.

                               

                              (wow, that was really random and vague. sorry folks. That's what the movie was like to me)

                              mab411


                              Proboscis Colossus

                                I saw Ender's Game last night. (no comment on O.S. Cards political/moral views. I choose to separate the art from the artist)

                                 

                                Some punk kid pulled the fire alarm 20 minutes into the movie and the entire theater was evacuated for half an hour.

                                (there may be spoilers in here, sorry)

                                The movie: (I apologize, I'm not nearly as good as most when it comes to movie reviews)

                                I didn't read this book in my formative teenage years. In fact, I didn't discover it until I was in my mid-20's. Once I read it, I was hooked. I read it over and over again. I read all the sequels multiple times.

                                As with any movie based on a book, the book is always better.

                                I went into the theater with no expectations at all about the movie. I knew they wouldn't be able to cover all the storylines in the book.

                                I had hope that they wouldn't try to "soften" some of the key parts though. They did.

                                I understand why they did it (I guess). Having Ender kill some kid 2 minutes into the movie wouldn't have gone over well.

                                One of the pivotal part of the book (for me at least) was Ender's answer for why he did what he did to the kid 2 minutes in. They changed his answer slightly, but enough that it didn't carry the same meaning.

                                 

                                Most of the movie was focused on Battle School. That was awesome. It was what I imagined Battle School to look like (with a few minor complaints. Battle School was in clear view of Earth the entire time, I never picture it like that) The battle's in the center of school were a bit different from the book.

                                 

                                Command school was set on a planet, not an asteroid in the movie.

                                Peter Wiggin was in the movie for 30 seconds. Nothing about the struggles on Earth (Locke and Demosthenes) were included in the movie.

                                 

                                I thought the casting was pretty good all the way around. The kids did about as well as they could. Harrison Ford was the perfect Graff.

                                Ben Kingsley did a good job as Rackham

                                 

                                All in all, I still don't know if I liked the movie. I've been thinking about it for a day now and I'm still undecided. I think it was good, but I was comparing it to the book while I was watching it. Some of the relationships with the other students that Ender had weren't accurate (IMO). Bean was on the shuttle to Battle School with Ender (didn't like that).

                                In the Command School training Ender was in the same room with all his toon leaders, with Rackham looking down from a control room above (I didn't like that either. It didn't convey how alone Ender felt in the book)

                                 

                                I need to see it again. I think people who have never read the book will enjoy it.

                                 

                                (wow, that was really random and vague. sorry folks. That's what the movie was like to me)

                                 

                                Thanks for the review...it's perfectly serviceable!

                                 

                                The part I bolded is the part I was concerned about.  Surprises me a little that there's not much about Peter in there, but as I listened to the book (yes, listened - I admit, I downloaded the audiobook in preparation for the movie), I had a bad feeling the Locke and Demosthenes stuff wouldn't make the cut.  Even in the book, that storyline, interesting as it was, felt like it was pasted in from a completely different novel.  I mean, yes, it was connected to Ender's struggle in more ways than the obvious familial ones, but not in a way that would have been at all easy to relate in a 90-minute popcorn movie.

                                 

                                Glad to know Harrison Ford didn't disappoint.  I didn't know he was playing Graff when I started the book, and when I found out, I think I peed a little.  Sounds just about perfect.  And I've been a fan of Abigail Breslin since Little Miss Sunshine.

                                 

                                ...which reminds me, I guess they also added a little to the kids' age for the movie?  Because in the trailers, I'm not seeing anyone that looks like a preteen.

                                "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people