I finally got around to watching Cabin In the Woods. I liked it and thought it was a great concept, but I don't think it was nearly as great as people have purported it to be.
The end was just... really? really???
I'm going to doom the whole world because I don't want to die, even thought I'll die anyway. WTF? Also, why are they going through all this sacrifice business if they could just line them up and shoot them and it would be all cool.
I finally got around to watching Cabin In the Woods. I liked it and thought it was a great concept, but I don't think it was nearly as great as people have purported it to be.
The end was just... really? really???
I'm going to doom the whole world because I don't want to die, even thought I'll die anyway. WTF? Also, why are they going through all this sacrifice business if they could just line them up and shoot them and it would be all cool.
The idea behind the sacrifice is mentioned in the movie. Basically the Old Gods need a show and this is how it's done. They want to see kids punished. They want to see them tested, and when they fail the test they want to see them run for their lives as the villain of their choosing chases them down and offs them one by one in brutal manner. They only resorted to shooting them when there was absolutely no other choice. This is kind of the same for every ritualistic sacrifice in human history. They always had to be performed exactly the right way for it to "count". And you're questioning why a paranoid technophobe with a weed habit would want to end the world?
Wow, I really liked this one. While it's not the most spectacular movie I've ever seen, I have pretty much zero complaints about this one. You had some great allegories about memory between Frank and his robot. I didn't even know that the movie was taking a certain turn; I thought it was just a feel-good kind of movie between a guy and his robot, but no, it took a hilarious and clever turn with it. Not an M. Night Shamalyan twist, but just where the plot turned. Although there was one thing that happens late in the movie that I didn't see coming at all and really should have, which just shows how well this movie played with the secret.
But yeah, anyone who likes a good sci-fi movie should definitely, definitely, definitely check this one out.
Oz The Great and Powerful.
Finally caught this one. Unfortunately it didn't pass the "I've been up for more than 24 hours test" and I dozed off through parts of it. So I guess it wasn't very interesting. It had its moments. Quite a beautiful movie. Although it reminded me how much I miss the dark and forbidding feel of "Return to Oz". In comparison OTGAP is clearly Disney's attempt to revitalize the Oz series with a movie that is more readily appreciated by children than it's dark counterpart. I may have been one of the few kids who really enjoyed RTO, greatly appreciating the puppet effects, visuals and even some of the darker themes. I think OTGAP suffers the most in its script, as it's a very predictable underdog story. The visuals, while beautiful, also seem so surreal and imaginative that I felt more like we were watching an Alice in Wonderland film. Yes both Oz and Wonderland have that sort of fantastical and imaginative setting, but Oz comes off as having specific reality rules whera-as Wonderland gets away with whatever it wants because that's just the point of Wonderland. OTGAP had that "gets away with whatever it wants" feel, while Return to Oz clearly shows a world that is bound by basic reality such as the concept of consequence. Evil acts have a huge effect on Oz. It does to a degree in Wonderland as well, but shit is just as likely to sprout wings, fly away, and fart out happiness in Wonderland.
Oz The Great and Powerful.
Finally caught this one. Unfortunately it didn't pass the "I've been up for more than 24 hours test" and I dozed off through parts of it. So I guess it wasn't very interesting. It had its moments. Quite a beautiful movie. Although it reminded me how much I miss the dark and forbidding feel of "Return to Oz". In comparison OTGAP is clearly Disney's attempt to revitalize the Oz series with a movie that is more readily appreciated by children than it's dark counterpart. I may have been one of the few kids who really enjoyed RTO, greatly appreciating the puppet effects, visuals and even some of the darker themes. I think OTGAP suffers the most in its script, as it's a very predictable underdog story. The visuals, while beautiful, also seem so surreal and imaginative that I felt more like we were watching an Alice in Wonderland film. Yes both Oz and Wonderland have that sort of fantastical and imaginative setting, but Oz comes off as having specific reality rules whera-as Wonderland gets away with whatever it wants because that's just the point of Wonderland. OTGAP had that "gets away with whatever it wants" feel, while Return to Oz clearly shows a world that is bound by basic reality such as the concept of consequence. Evil acts have a huge effect on Oz. It does to a degree in Wonderland as well, but shit is just as likely to sprout wings, fly away, and fart out happiness in Wonderland.
I watched this recently also, to me it is more in the vein of the original stories by Baum. What rather bothered me about the movie was the "forced" usage of 3d effects. I watched in 2d and was able to pick, I'm fairly sure, most of the areas that they said "We gotta use 3d for this!" (tornado, area of OZ we first see...) and found it off-putting. I'm reading the OZ series right now, and this movie felt like it could fit tight into the writings of Baum.
As an aside, either Dorothy Gale is one of the stupidest characters ever written (forgetting something in several books that would have gotten her out of trouble) or Baum just flat out kept forgetting what he put into place. UGH.
Pretty good for the most part. This was written and directed by the same guy that did In Bruges and definitely shares a similar style. It's quirky like a Tarrantino movie in that you have these mentally unhinged people conversing about unusual stuff (though in this case, still related to the plot). Definitely a dark comedy. Plus, you get to have Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken on the same screen sometimes, which is just amazing.
There are points in the movie where it sort of drags, like a particularly long speech by one character that just goes on way too long. I wouldn't say it's as good as In Bruge, but it's still pretty good.
Pretty good for the most part. This was written and directed by the same guy that did In Bruges and definitely shares a similar style. It's quirky like a Tarrantino movie in that you have these mentally unhinged people conversing about unusual stuff (though in this case, still related to the plot). Definitely a dark comedy. Plus, you get to have Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken on the same screen sometimes, which is just amazing.
There are points in the movie where it sort of drags, like a particularly long speech by one character that just goes on way too long. I wouldn't say it's as good as In Bruge, but it's still pretty good.
Yes.
I enjoyed Seven Psychopaths.
Colin Farrel ruins films for me.
Despite his usual ruining, I was able to enjoy Seven Psychopaths.
Therefore, I REALLY liked it more so than I normally like a film because of the barrier it was able to cross.
Yes.
I enjoyed Seven Psychopaths.
Colin Farrel ruins films for me.
Despite his usual ruining, I was able to enjoy Seven Psychopaths.
Therefore, I REALLY liked it more so than I normally like a film because of the barrier it was able to cross.
I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object.[DOUBLEPOST=1372355831][/DOUBLEPOST]And speaking of movies that have Ralph Fiennes and Clemence Poesy, I just rewatched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the other night.
V/H/S: Found footage horror anthology. I wasn't interested at all, but the trailer for the sequel was getting some good buzz, and looked interested when I watched it, so I decided to check out the original.
Overall message of the film: guys are douchebags.*
I'm not really discussing the wrap-around story because it's the one we get the least info for what's happening. To me, the sequences started great and then dropped as the movie went on. I wouldn't say any of them were bad except the third one, just some were less good. But they each had something to offer, a twist or interest special effect or scare. The first sequence was the most complete package though. It had a mystery to it, and interesting course of events ... I loved it the most. Second was good. Third, no. Fourth was interesting, good Paranormal Activity kind of thing for most of it. A little sad too**. The last one was off the wall. I liked how in some of them, there were details early on that felt off, and initially I thought the filmmakers had made a mistake, but nope, the details turned out to be hinting at what would happen later.
*
Until the end of the last sequence.
**
I feel like the reveal was out of a Goosebumps book though.
Oz The Great and Powerful.
Finally caught this one. Unfortunately it didn't pass the "I've been up for more than 24 hours test" and I dozed off through parts of it.
I didn't really like VHS that much. I'm not a huge fan of the found footage genre. It has it's place and there are a few movies that definitely surprise me. VHS looked great via trailer, but finally sitting down to watch it I was rather disappointed. I was hoping the sequence with the "glitch" killer would have been my favorite, but that one turned out to be so poorly acted, written and directed that I just couldn't get past any of that to appreciate such an interesting monster. The sequence at the motel room with the creature chick was creepy certainly. A lot of unnecessary build-up for what the payout lead to. And the final sequence in the house was cool only because of how "HOLY WHAT THE FUCK" it turned out to be. But even that kind of situation needs a good set up, which it lacked. And the ending was just sort of stupid.
I've been seeing it for rent on itunes.
Some indie movies have an early rent option. So instead of waiting to see it via limited release theaters, you can rent it for $9.99
I've been seeing it for rent on itunes.
Some indie movies have an early rent option. So instead of waiting to see it via limited release theaters, you can rent it for $9.99
Probably will be more than a few. Also, I have a thing you can only dream of: time and energy to go the movies when I want . But, you may have a point.
Even better the second time around. I don't know what it is about this movie, but I found it to be one of the best Bonds ever. It was intriguing. Silva is such an ambiguous character. I wonder if his name was chosen because of Long John Silver's similar moral ambiguity.
Much Ado About Nothing - B. This was cute enough. The acting was pretty good and the directing was just a notch above "standard". It was shot in 12 days and cost less than one frame of The Avengers, which is kind of cool. Also, this is easily Whedon's best-shot feature film. I was pleasantly surprised to see it in Black and White, which kind of worked.
The Heat - A. Everything about this movie landed really hard for me. It was a really well-done throwback to 70s-80s buddy cop things. And it definitely addressed the whole... sexism elephant in the room without being obnoxious at all.
White House Down B- Olympus Has Fallen was better. It was probably better shot and more coherent, but this was just a little too self-serious. But whatever, keep roland roland roland roland.
Warm Bodies - not really the romantic comedy it's billed as. It's got romantic elements, and funny moments, but it's really kind of an interesting look at humanity, relationships, and hope against despair. Extremely well acted and at times very emotionally resonant. The characters all worked, and while there was one character who displayed some "too stupid to live" tendencies, they rightly didn't, and as you learn more about the character, you start understanding that they were basically looking to go down fighting. The Boneys were very creepy and shows what happens when the last vestiges of humanity are lost, forgotten, or forsaken.
Warm Bodies - not really the romantic comedy it's billed as. It's got romantic elements, and funny moments, but it's really kind of an interesting look at humanity, relationships, and hope against despair. Extremely well acted and at times very emotionally resonant. The characters all worked, and while there was one character who displayed some "too stupid to live" tendencies, they rightly didn't, and as you learn more about the character, you start understanding that they were basically looking to go down fighting. The Boneys were very creepy and shows what happens when the last vestiges of humanity are lost, forgotten, or forsaken.
Agreed completely, I loved the hell out of this movie. I found it interesting hearing how whole a person R still was under the zombie, like he was stuck in a coma while still being cognizant.
Warm Bodies - not really the romantic comedy it's billed as. It's got romantic elements, and funny moments, but it's really kind of an interesting look at humanity, relationships, and hope against despair. Extremely well acted and at times very emotionally resonant. The characters all worked, and while there was one character who displayed some "too stupid to live" tendencies, they rightly didn't, and as you learn more about the character, you start understanding that they were basically looking to go down fighting. The Boneys were very creepy and shows what happens when the last vestiges of humanity are lost, forgotten, or forsaken.
. But, you may have a point.
