Official Movie Review Thread

For the talkin' of jibba jabba.
User avatar
Invictus
Posts: 1306
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 11:44 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Invictus »

"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
Coming NEVER
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

oh... dear.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

CARLOS ESTEVEZ!

:lol:
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

:lol:

I have been waiting for this movie for such a long time.
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Heretic
Posts: 1750
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 4:45 pm
Location: IN AMERICA

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Heretic »

....That's alot of big name actors/actresses (and singer), I hope it doesn't suck.
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.
-Joseph Campbell
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

well the first one did. i don't see why they would break with tradition
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

The first one wasn't good, but it was funny, and it was also the best Robert DeNiro movie in like a decade. So there's that.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

Well I thought it sucked lol. But then I thought it sucked intentionally. That sort of expendables inspired 'we're so 80s and hardcore' stylistic suck.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Arty
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:16 am

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Arty »

Saw NOW YOU SEE ME last night. This movie came completely out of left field for me, in that two days before I saw it I had never even heard of it, and the day before I saw it eight people all said "you've got to go see this movie!" The best description of the plot I was given was "OCEAN'S 11 meets THE PRESTIGE" which is accurate both in the way it sums up what kind of movie it is, and it's quite indicative of the quality of the movie.

The actors are clearly all professionals who know what they're doing and are having fun with it. Jesse Eisenberg is no longer the funny-looking Michael Cera clone he was just a few years ago, and you can see glimpses in NOW YOU SEE ME of a pretty great career ahead of him. Woody Harrelson is a very good combination of both funny and just a little spooky, which is perfect for his character as a con-man mentalist. Mark Ruffalo plays strung-out better than just about anybody these days, and he goes through this whole movie looking like he is one spilled coffee away from snapping completely. Morgan Freeman is Morgan goddamn Freeman. It is incredibly and unexpectedly fun to watch Michael Caine be a rich, mean-spirited slug of a human being.

There are some bits that really could be left cut out, I think, which would make the story both leaner and cleaner, but I want to see it a second time just to be sure. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a twist reveal in the movie, and some of the things that I think could be taken out might actually be subtle clues. Either way, the movie's just good enough to see a second time. A few weak points here and there and some slightly dodgy visual effects keep it from getting an A+, but it's a solid A. Give it a shot if you've got two spare hours.
I know it’s a mess and it’s half-taped together and it’s old and busted — but it’s mine. And you gotta make that work, right? You gotta make your own stuff work out.
User avatar
Invictus
Posts: 1306
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 11:44 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Invictus »

Has anybody here seen MANG OF STEEL yet? It seems to be getting mixed reviews everywhere.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
Coming NEVER
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

Not yet. I'm seeing it on Tuesday, and looking forward to it.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

It was competent and fun and the Krypton bits were awesome, but its par the course of the decent above average Hollywood superhero movies. Its definitely not a stinker. But it is unable to match the truly awesomengest superhero movies.
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

Man Of Steel?
I just came back from it and it's a complete mess imho. It starts off with a prologue on Krypton throwing far too much at you too quickly and mixing it in with lots of action.

Then we proceed to jump around clark's life in random flash backs, flash forwards, flash sideways. Whatever.

Then Zod arrives and clark finally puts on the suit and most of the rest of the film is special effects of them punching each other through buildings with no regards for collateral damage.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Magister Militum
Posts: 921
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: California

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Magister Militum »

Well, with so many films coming out this summer in rapid succession, I decided to see a few of them in IMAX (at $20 a pop they aren't cheap), and Man of Steel seemed like a logical choice for that after Star Trek. My reaction largely mirrors Shroom's; it's an above average superhero/SF film that is far and above better than the worst we've seen, but fails to live up to the exemplars of the genre. What really weakened the story was its direction and pacing. While I do appreciate them wanting to shake up the now generic origin story and try out a form of storytelling we honestly don't see that much in the genre, some of the cuts to Clark's past seemed positively random at times, even if they did provide valuable insight into Clark's maturation into Superman. That's probably the reason why it felt so odd having Clark accepting his new role just like that without giving it a second thought. I'm honestly not sure who's to blame here. Certainly Chris Nolan and David Goyer are accomplished writers and probably wanted to avoid Batman Begins' problem with the origin story (long buildup, everything exciting backloaded). Zach Snyder, while definitely getting better at directing, might have had problems with the pacing that led to the messy beginning. The concept is sound - Clark Kent leaving home to walk the earth as part of an epic quest to discover his origins, reminiscing on those events that defined his life and pushed him to discover more about himself, following a cryptic trail of clues (which now that I think about it, was never actually shown to us; how exactly did he know where to go?) and doing acts of good while avoiding those investigating rumors of a superhuman good Samaritan. In practice, the plot development caused this epic origin to feel like Clark was just going from job to job and ended up at his ultimate destination on a lark. Related to this is the ending. Again, there was nothing wrong with the story behind the climax and resolution, but the jump was so sudden that completely clashed with the mood set by the end of the climax with Zod.

All that being said, Man of Steel does an admirable job in trying to capture the nature of Superman. It's not Silver Age camp, but it’s not trying to jump onto 'dark edgy superhero' bandwagon. All in all, it's definitely channeling the Bronze Age; it's serious in terms of the story and the threat Zod represents, but it's ultimately optimistic. The fight scenes are gloriously well done, and I'm thrilled that someone told Snyder to cool the fuck off with all the goddamn slow motion effects. Superman and the Kryptonians are flying bricks, and displaying that at the speed it should be really drives the point home. I also definitely like Henry Cavill's spin on Superman compared to that other guy that I can't be assed to remember, as well as Michael Shannon knowing when not to ham it up as Zod (which, considering the character, is a feat in itself).

In the end, Man of Steel gets a 7/10 for me. It has great visuals, pretty good performance by its cast, and many good ideas overall, but its problems with direction and pacing limit the effectiveness of those ideas
Democratic Socialist | Atheist | Transhumanist | Bright Green Environmentalist | Worldbuilder | IT Professional |


Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

Interesting review MM. What makes you think it was ultimately optimistic? i didn't really get that impression myself.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

I wholeheartedly agree with Magister's review. I think Man of Steel was a significantly above-average superhero movie. It definitely did have some pacing issues and the script could've used some more tightening up, but overall I very much enjoyed it. I never found Superman an engaging or interesting character before: this version however in my mind got it right by focusing on just how alien / last of the Mohicans Kal-El actually is. Krypton seemed a genuinely alien place (and thank god they ditched the crystal palace imagery), the alien technology seemed genuinely ridiculously powerful to the point where human weapons might as well be squirtguns, and I very much enjoyed the fight scenes: the wanton destruction actually would give someone like Luthor a point if he were to conclude that beings like Superman are far too dangerous to be left to their own devices.

On the other hand I do also agree with some of the people who I've seen criticize the fights as depicting tons of property damage and not a single casualty. By rights hundreds or thousands of people ought to have died in Metropolis, and it feels rather disingenuous to evoke shades of 9/11 yet not show a single death in order to preserve that PG-13 rating. I agree this feels like wanting to have your cake and eat it too (yet at the same time we already watched
Faora beat half a company of soldiers to pulp in the blink of an eye
, and I personally don't think watching thousands of people be crushed to death in falling buildings would have improved my enjoyment of the movie, so a point can be made that these things need not be made more explicit).

As a whole, it probably could've been improved, but it's still the first Superman movie I've genuinely enjoyed, so I'm positive!
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Magister Militum
Posts: 921
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: California

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Magister Militum »

Booted Vulture wrote:Interesting review MM. What makes you think it was ultimately optimistic? i didn't really get that impression myself.
Well, this is ultimately personal opinion, but the optimism really stems from the progression in how Superman is viewed in the world, as well as his own view of humanity. Like Siege pointed out, this is perhaps the first adaptation I've ever seen that really plays up the alien aspect of Clark/Superman to its fullest. Kal-El is the last of ancient and supremely powerful civilization that he only knows through second hand sources and the knowledge that Jor-El's upload can provide. While raised as a human, his emerging abilities caused by his alien biology cause him to be viewed as a freak and potential threat by those who witness it. Even when he saves lives, the very people Clark saves react as if he’s Christ reborn, the spawn of Satan, or simply some eldritch abomination in human form. When he finally reveals himself to the world in order to save it, the military doesn't even bother to hide the fact that they consider Superman an existential threat, even when he's actively fighting the real threats. And yet, despite all this, Superman never abandons his faith that humanity will accept him and work with him. In the end, his faith is ultimately rewarded.
Siege wrote:Krypton seemed a genuinely alien place (and thank god they ditched the crystal palace imagery), the alien technology seemed genuinely ridiculously powerful to the point where human weapons might as well be squirtguns
I also loved this fact. I never felt that the old version of Krypton was especially advanced or futuristic beyond "crystals!". This take on Krypton really drives home how absurdly powerful a hundred thousand year old civilization would be.
Democratic Socialist | Atheist | Transhumanist | Bright Green Environmentalist | Worldbuilder | IT Professional |


Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

MM wrote:And yet, despite all this, Superman never abandons his faith that humanity will accept him and work with him. In the end, his faith is ultimately rewarded
Now this part is the part that confuses me because ultimately the last scene we see, is him having to smash up spydevices to try and get the US Military off his back because they still don't trust him.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

That is the US backing off though. Quite apart from TROLOLOL references to this week's news, the military going from pounding you with every gun it can muster in short order to just trying to keep track of you constitutes them backing off. To me, it would have been silly if after the insane muder death killing of downtown Metropolis they wouldn't even attempt to stay aware of Superman's whereabouts.

(This in turn kind of begs the question of why they're trying to track a dude who can go supersonic in under two seconds with a subsonic drone instead of a satellite, but whatevers.)

(Thinking about this some more, investigative reporter Clark better remember to ditch his telephone every time he goes supersonic, or Verizon Wireless will be on top of his crazy fast movements in under three minutes!)
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

Star Trek Into Darkness was everything I hoped for and more: funny, gorgeous, tightly scripted, well acted... It's a great movie. Best one I've seen this summer!
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »

Anybody else seen Olympus Has Fallen? I watched it with a friend yesterday and I kind of don't know what to think. On the one hand it's a better Die Hard movie than the last two Die Hard movies, on the other hand it struck me as taking itself far too seriously for a movie about evil North Koreans storming the White House. Maybe it was all the flag-wavery (sort of inevitable I guess) or the baddies' silly ultimate goal, but I couldn't help think this movie would probably have been better if it hadn't been the White House.

Then again, half the fun is seeing Gerald Butler kung fu-ing people in the Oval Office.

I dunno. It was a very competent action movie, the pacing and all that was neat, and in a time where lots of movies shy away from showing the dead this one was very explicit about the effects all those bombs and machineguns had on people... But it still felt kind of awkward at times.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Siege
Site Admin
Posts: 2563
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Siege »



Sylvester! Arnie! Black ops Jesus from Person of Interest!

I'm so in.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

So Elysium. From the same guy that did District 9. (spoilers inbound. only warning)

I liked it. it had lots of high tech boom-boom going for it. In the future, an AK-47 will be a full-auto XM25 and MANPADS will reach orbit. The very rich will living a huge ass space station will robots and clarketech all healing medical beds. And the poor people are unemployed and living on slums on earth. Until one guy gets a fatal case of radiation poisoning. At the same time an immigation minister is making a power play. And shit goes down.

Like i said there's lot of creative weapons, vehicles and it chockful with asshole robots at least at the start. It's a fun ride but to be honest the story is pretty basic. And the rich vs poor/immigration/healthcare analogies are pretty heavy handed. And I muttered 'just get on with it' when the hero was making his great sacrifice to save everyone at the end, because the flashbacks and 'you have a destiny' bits were soo obnoxious.

Still definitely worth one watch at least. If only for Kruger, the brutish, thickly accented cyborg ninja.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Booted Vulture »

Prepare for yourself for the weeping of nerds.



*cries* Nah, its only trailer one I don't want to read too much into it. I was suprised how remniscent the suit is of the the original though when its in its chrome form.

OCP actually look slightly less evil. They are asking for consent and everything! And it looks like Murphy might maintain relationship with his family after suiting up.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
User avatar
Heretic
Posts: 1750
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 4:45 pm
Location: IN AMERICA

Re: Official Movie Review Thread

Post by Heretic »

That looks amazing...I hope it turns out as good as Dredd (which is now one of my favorite movies of all times).
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.
-Joseph Campbell
Post Reply