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Post by Elphaba on Jun 28, 2009 18:05:13 GMT -5
The X-Files: I want to Believe
This movie was way better than I expected. I am a huge X-Files fan. It's probably one of my most favorite shows ever! I was excited when this came out, but heard terrible reviews from critics and friends. Actually, I don't think I heard anything good about it at all. This is why I waited so long to watch it...I was afraid it was going to stink. However, I thought it was very good. It seemed like a long X-Files episode to me. I hope they make more!
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Post by tenebrae99 on Jun 28, 2009 20:23:29 GMT -5
Oldboy
Put this on your must-rent list. Freakin' awesome!
A guy gets locked up by unknown captors and is released 15 years later. He then sets out to find his captors and get revenge.
Sounds simple, yes?
It's not. Not by a long shot. But to reveal more would be unforgivable. The less you know going in, the better. I will say it requires some patience, but the off-the-wall moments come together sooner rather than later, leading to a doozy of an ending.
It's Korean, but for you subtitle-phobes, it is available in...ick...a dubbed version. Either way, give this one a chance ASAP.
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Post by Akasha on Jun 29, 2009 15:32:39 GMT -5
The X-Files: I want to Believe This movie was way better than I expected. I am a huge X-Files fan. It's probably one of my most favorite shows ever! I was excited when this came out, but heard terrible reviews from critics and friends. Actually, I don't think I heard anything good about it at all. This is why I waited so long to watch it...I was afraid it was going to stink. However, I thought it was very good. It seemed like a long X-Files episode to me. I hope they make more! I watched this recently and wasn't that impressed at all. Didn't seem like an xfile at all but a case about missing humans and one psychic dude. Nothing strange about the case just the guy passing out tips.
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Post by tenebrae99 on Jul 15, 2009 22:36:24 GMT -5
Harry Potter and the Half-Baked Adaptation
"Hey, Charlie! We gotta get this sixth movie made!"
"Gotcha, Frankie! Here's the checklist of the main plot points."
"What about the little characters and moments that gave the book its charm?"
"Fuck 'em. Cut 'em out and add a new scene where a character's home is blown up."
"Sounds good, Charlie. It'll give that character a new emotional..."
"Nah, we'll just have him pretty much act like it never happened. That way, people will know we added it."
"That makes...wait, what?!"
"Oh, and cut the hugely emotional funeral from the end, too. You know, the heartwrenching moment that precipitates the big decision that ends the book? Yeah, gone. Kaput. Toss it out."
"Anything else, mein herr?"
"Yeah, keep the great cast we got. Throw in Jim Broadbent so Slughorn will be done right. But to even things out, tell the chick playing Ginnie Weasley to not emote one bit."
"Uh...I'm the writer, not the director. I can't tell an actor not to emote."
"Play along, moron. We need to squeeze what little laughs we can get out of this 'review' concept."
"Well, okay. Can we at least finally have a decent Quidditch segment? I mean, we haven't exactly made this as thril-- I see you shaking your head no. *sigh* Oh, well. Either way, I get paid."
Yeah. It's like that.
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tim
New Member
Posts: 24
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Post by tim on Jul 29, 2009 16:47:35 GMT -5
In the theaters Transformers 2 because of my daughter. Watched an indy feature "Fort Doom" starring Debbie Rochon last night.
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Post by tenebrae99 on Aug 2, 2009 20:19:21 GMT -5
Punisher: War Zone
Ray Stevenson replaces Thomas Jane, Dominic West jumps on as Jigsaw (the disfigured mobster, not the Saw jagoff), and heads and limbs explode like overripe watermelons. Sure, they try to shoehorn emo crap with ol' Frank Castle feeling guilty over a mistake he makes and his heart warming to a widow and child, but luckily, this crap stops just before it turns unbearable. Then it's back to 'splosions and West simultaneously channeling Tony Soprano and Nicholson's Joker...and that's a compliment!
Wanted
Oh, Wanted, so close and yet...
It's the ending. Just felt flat to me. But up to that point, hell yes, I loved this! It's like they took The Matrix, threw out the computer stuff and philosophy, then turned what was left over to Chuck Pahlaniuk and let him go to town. (Well, not quite all the way to town. There is still the MPAA to deal with.) Makes a great double bill with War Zone because both pretty much go for sheer insanity with little to no pretension and both take great advantage of that R rating.
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Post by saucefox on Aug 3, 2009 13:11:35 GMT -5
appaloosa. deadwood is just so damn awesome that it has ruined all other westerns (except ones with clint eastwood & peckinpah's of course). nobody should even try. this movie's ahistorical treatment of language & emotional displays pissed me off. however, viggo mortensen looked very nice, so i tolerated it. the best thing about this movie was the fucking historically-appropriate wallpaper, prints & lighting fixtures.
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Post by Iron Rich on Aug 3, 2009 13:19:08 GMT -5
Vision Quest. It was on Encore late last night. Matthew Modine preparing for the biggest wrestling match of his life and trying to get laid by an older woman. The formulas for movies in the 80's was great. I enjoyed seeing this film as an old man as much as I did in my early teens.
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Post by tenebrae99 on Aug 9, 2009 18:00:50 GMT -5
Election
Not the one where Ferris Bueller tries to ruin Legally Blonde. The other one.
The other one being a film from Hong Kong about the Triads electing their new chairman and what happens when the loser of said election, um, doesn't concede gracefully. Instead of hanging chads (ha! outdated political joke!), we get people stuffed in crates and rolled down hills ala HG Lewis, another dude getting squished into a trash can via stomping, and other assorted mayhem you'll never see on Meet The Press.
Seriously, though, this is a great watch. It almost feels like a Triad version of Goodfellas except for the fact that the action spans maybe a week as opposed to decades. Double and triple crosses abound, yet it never gets too bogged down so it's impossible to follow.
If you're still not convinced...early on in the movie, a guy eats a spoon. Breaks it up, crushes it to chunks (it's ceramic), and chows down.
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Post by tenebrae99 on Aug 19, 2009 18:43:06 GMT -5
Two over the last two weeks. They couldn't be more different from each other, I loved them both, and one of the recommends may actually floor you.
Let's start with District 9. Awesome! Smart, thoughtful sci-fi that lives up to its hype. Yes, it treads familiar ground -- one plot twist that thankfully hasn't been given away yet is straight out of The Outer Limits -- but the approach is unique. It starts off as a documentary, and our lead character almost comes off like a South African version of Michael Scott. Slowly but surely, though, it moves to a straightforward narrative. That may sound like it wouldn't work, but it happens so gradually that by the time you catch it, you're involved enough that it won't matter.
Be forewarned, though: this isn't the action movie the commercials are making it out to be. In fact, most of the action stuff being shown is from the climax (nothing's spoiled, though). Think along the lines of an anti-apartheid drama as written by Rod Serling and you'll get the general idea.
Great film, and so far, it's the first 2009 release that comes closest to equalling Dark Knight's successful mixture of fantasy and reality.
Now...the other movie.
I'm gonna take a lotta shit on this one. I just know it.
But dammit...I enjoyed it. And if I'd have been 11 or 12 when this came out, I'd be in a fanboy coma.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Yes, it has the IQ of a rock. Yes, they make some rather stupid changes to characters (one villain's actions are blamed on brainwashing; bleh).
But unlike a certain other movie based off an '80s toy line that I won't mention, GI Joe is beautifully unapologetic about what it is. That other movie tried to be realistic in some moments and cornball in others, like they were trying to appease fans but ashamed of a lot of the stuff they liked. Joe embraces its source's cheesy sci-fi stuff with no attempt to explain how it could really happen in real life. It's the kind of movie that has sonic guns, ninjas, missle-packing SUVs, and motorcycles that can land perfectly from bridges because it knows sonic guns, ninjas, missle-packing SUVs, and motorcycles that can land perfectly from bridges are just too freakin' cool!
Heads-up for those with youngsters, though: it earns its PG-13 quite fairly. One character gets a nasty (and impressive) facial burn, another melts, and the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow fights -- yes, I said fights, as in plural -- are a little more intense than expected.
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Post by Iron Rich on Aug 19, 2009 20:17:22 GMT -5
Two over the last two weeks. They couldn't be more different from each other, I loved them both, and one of the recommends may actually floor you. Let's start with District 9. Awesome! Smart, thoughtful sci-fi that lives up to its hype. Yes, it treads familiar ground -- one plot twist that thankfully hasn't been given away yet is straight out of The Outer Limits -- but the approach is unique. It starts off as a documentary, and our lead character almost comes off like a South African version of Michael Scott. Slowly but surely, though, it moves to a straightforward narrative. That may sound like it wouldn't work, but it happens so gradually that by the time you catch it, you're involved enough that it won't matter. Be forewarned, though: this isn't the action movie the commercials are making it out to be. In fact, most of the action stuff being shown is from the climax (nothing's spoiled, though). Think along the lines of an anti-apartheid drama as written by Rod Serling and you'll get the general idea. Great film, and so far, it's the first 2009 release that comes closest to equalling Dark Knight's successful mixture of fantasy and reality. Now...the other movie. I'm gonna take a lotta shit on this one. I just know it. But dammit...I enjoyed it. And if I'd have been 11 or 12 when this came out, I'd be in a fanboy coma. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra Yes, it has the IQ of a rock. Yes, they make some rather stupid changes to characters (one villain's actions are blamed on brainwashing; bleh). But unlike a certain other movie based off an '80s toy line that I won't mention, GI Joe is beautifully unapologetic about what it is. That other movie tried to be realistic in some moments and cornball in others, like they were trying to appease fans but ashamed of a lot of the stuff they liked. Joe embraces its source's cheesy sci-fi stuff with no attempt to explain how it could really happen in real life. It's the kind of movie that has sonic guns, ninjas, missle-packing SUVs, and motorcycles that can land perfectly from bridges because it knows sonic guns, ninjas, missle-packing SUVs, and motorcycles that can land perfectly from bridges are just too freakin' cool! Heads-up for those with youngsters, though: it earns its PG-13 quite fairly. One character gets a nasty (and impressive) facial burn, another melts, and the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow fights -- yes, I said fights, as in plural -- are a little more intense than expected. GI Joe was almost as good as the Transformers movies.
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Post by tenebrae99 on Aug 23, 2009 20:10:48 GMT -5
Inglorious Basterds
First things first: the trailers and tv ads. They make the promo material for District 9 look honest. In fact, our title characters are only in the movie about, say, half the time. Most of the action has been shown in the ads (the stuff that isn't will never run on prime-time TV spots).
In short, if you're walking in expecting and wanting two and a half hours of 'splosions and Nazi scalpin', you may be disappointed.
Instead, IB is two and a half hours of cat and mouse, of lies and waiting for the inevitable reveal, of the power of cinema, and of tragedy and unexpected outcomes. It's talky, but there's always some possible secret waiting to be revealed. Also, these drawn out moments make the violence even more shocking and (at times) funny. Let's be honest. Tarantino has made an almost 20 year career out of swift, blinding, comic violence. That's tough to maintain, and it's impressive that he's gutsy enough to switch from his usual high energy to a much more deliberate pace. But it's amazing that he makes it work so, so well.
It's a World War II movie that takes away the high class of espionage and leaves the tension and suspense. Half of the movie is subtitled. It's also the first World War II movie to A) use a David Bowie song on the soundtrack, B) use it to great effect, and C) radically rewrite history. Only Tarantino would have the guts to do this, and he's one of the few directors to make this insanity actually work.
Acting props to Brad Pitt (wait till you hear his Italian via Tennessee; comedy gold), Christoph Landa as Col. Landa aka "The Jew Hunter" (deserves the Best Supporting Actor nod and win...NOW), Til Schweiger as ultimate badass Stiglitz, and even Eli Roth as The Bear Jew.
Slight demerit for Mike Myers' cameo, though fault lies with both him and Tarantino. Really? Neither one of you noticed how Austin Powers he was? 'Cause the entire theater I saw this in caught it.
An amazing movie, and I'm almost tempted to rank it as Tarantino's best. Just be aware that it's being advertised as Kill Bill Vol. 1 but it plays out more like Kill Bill Vol. 2.
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Post by Akasha on Aug 24, 2009 10:17:59 GMT -5
Inglorious Basterds
Average. The beginning and end were good, the middle more downs than ups. Caught myself looking at my watch in the middle, it started to feel really long.
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Post by saucefox on Aug 24, 2009 10:43:13 GMT -5
Inglorious Basterds Average. The beginning and end were good, the middle more downs than ups. Caught myself looking at my watch in the middle, it started to feel really long. are there boobs? i'm seeing it with my dad tomorrow & i'd like to be prepared if there's boobs or anything like seriously out there sexy.
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Post by Akasha on Aug 24, 2009 11:03:00 GMT -5
Inglorious Basterds Average. The beginning and end were good, the middle more downs than ups. Caught myself looking at my watch in the middle, it started to feel really long. are there boobs? i'm seeing it with my dad tomorrow & i'd like to be prepared if there's boobs or anything like seriously out there sexy. Um, I don't think so. Boobs do not come to mind at all. Nor anything sexy. I think your good. Double check with Rich or Tim to be on the safe side.
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