[Movies] Talk about the last movie you saw 2: Electric Threadaloo

drawn_inward

drawn_inward

Again, I disagree with all of you. I thought DoS was merely, ok. It was better than the first, but wholly and sadly less engaging than LotR. I probably wouldn't mind Tauriel and Legolas if there wasn't the ridiculous dwarf love triangle. Come on, that's just dumb. I don't care for the over-CGI'd stuff either. It's just boring to me. The titular character seems to be a minor role for a lot of the film, and a sort of boring character at that. I don't get how a book that hooked me and stills hooks me is so boring on the big screen. I don't get it. I thought Martin Freeman was brilliant casting. Is it lazy direction?

The positives:
Some of the action was a lot of fun. It was cool to see Legolas kick ass again, I admit it. The barrel scene might be a bit better than the book. I dig Stephen Fry. Smaug was great.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

drawn_inward said:
Again, I disagree with all of you. I thought DoS was merely, ok. It was better than the first, but wholly and sadly less engaging than LotR.
Click to expand...
You're right, you do disagree with most of us, it was (in most opinions) superior to the first.

I probably wouldn't mind Tauriel and Legolas if there wasn't the ridiculous dwarf love triangle. Come on, that's just dumb.
Click to expand...
Why is that exactly? Seems a bit racist no?

I don't care for the over-CGI'd stuff either. It's just boring to me.
Click to expand...
Would you prefer wire-fighting ala Crouching Tiger?

The titular character seems to be a minor role for a lot of the film, and a sort of boring character at that. I don't get how a book that hooked me and stills hooks me is so boring on the big screen. I don't get it. I thought Martin Freeman was brilliant casting. Is it lazy direction?
Click to expand...
Um, they're pretty identical. Bilbo is meant to be boring. He was boring in the books too for the majority. How you like the book version and not the screen version is a personal issue but it's definitely not the direction.
 
Dei

Dei

Wait did you just call not liking an added love triangle that was tacked on for no reason racist? Or did you decide to take over for Charlie? :p
 
drawn_inward

drawn_inward

Gilgamesh said:
You're right, you do disagree with most of us, it was (in most opinions) superior to the first.


Why is that exactly? Seems a bit racist no?
Click to expand...
I hope that's a joke.

Gilgamesh said:
Would you prefer wire-fighting ala Crouching Tiger?
Click to expand...
No, but some restraint would be nice. The barrel scene was fun, but way too long. We get it, Legolas is a badass.

Gilgamesh said:
Um, they're pretty identical. Bilbo is meant to be boring. He was boring in the books too for the majority. How you like the book version and not the screen version is a personal issue but it's definitely not the direction.
Click to expand...
Bilbo's actions may be boring in the book (he's not an action hero), but his character wasn't boring.
 
IronBrig4

IronBrig4

Consider that Warner Brothers has a huge investment in this film. They probably insisted on the constant roller coaster sequences because they have ideas for new rides at Six Flags. Smart money says that barrel ride sequence will find its way into the Fiesta Texas water park.

Gotta admit, though. Bombur in the river fight was *puts on sunglasses*... a barrel of laughs.
 
Gusto

Gusto

Guys I saw Frozen tonight and it's -20C and it was a very visceral experience for me.

But seriously that movie was dope as hell and I loved the climax and cried twice. I don't know where I'd match it against Tangled but I'll only end up liking it more as time goes on, I think. :)
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Pretty good, though I liked the first one a little more. Can't really say why, but maybe the shoehorning of Legolas the Badass of Whom Must Look Better Than All the Capable Dwarf Warriors was part of it. The action was great, though, I will say.

Everything involving Smaug, however, was awesome. Fantastic animation and well worth seeing in 3D for that alone.
 
Mathias

Mathias

Jay said:
I liked how Bilbo gave his sword a name when Balin told him in the 1st movie that his blade had no name because it achieved nothing.... but he never got more than a pat on the back for saving their asses time and time again. Furthermore, Thorin is a shitty leader, there I said it.

I hope for a much better 3rd movie but I won't complain more than I already have.
Click to expand...

Yeah. That's kind of the whole point. He's a greedy son of a bitch who learns (on his deathbed) from Bilbo that life isn't all about hoarding gold. You can see Thorin starting to unravel with just the thought of receiving the arkenstone. Things in the next movie are going to get more obvious when Thorins greed almost causes a war between the Dwarves and Laketown/Wood Elves.[DOUBLEPOST=1387253280,1387253165][/DOUBLEPOST]
SpecialKO said:
Admittedly, that's basically the point.

I haven't seen DoS yet, but that was the case in the book as well. Thorin is deeply flawed as a leader, and his pride, resentment, and desperation are what really set the events of the story in motion. Thorin can't let go of that stuff, and so his ability to lead is completely compromised.
Click to expand...

Do we honestly need to spoiler The Hobbit? The book's been out for 75 goddamn years! I know I always get on about the spoilers, but I personally think it's stupid.
 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Mathias said:
Do we honestly need to spoiler The Hobbit? The book's been out for 75 goddamn years! I know I always get on about the spoilers, but I personally think it's stupid.
Click to expand...
Normally I wouldn't have, but Jay specifically said he never read the book, so I gave him an option.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
The thing that rubs me the wrong way about the hobbit movies isn't the added content so much as it is the shift in tone from the book. The Hobbit was light hearted. This movie series is trying to push it into dark LotR territory.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Saw this as a sneak preview. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a movie every introvert and shy guy will identify with. It is beautifully photographed, even if you don't like the story. It also has a rather nice acoustic rendition of Major Tom. Recommended.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

fade said:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Saw this as a sneak preview. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a movie every introvert and shy guy will identify with. It is beautifully photographed, even if you don't like the story. It also has a rather nice acoustic rendition of Major Tom. Recommended.
Click to expand...
I've been curious about this one since the preview. Given that YOU of all people like it, then it must be the greatest movie of all time. :p
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Elf: Peter Dinklage kicks the crap out of Will Ferrell, directed by Jon Favreau.

... Okay, beyond that awesome part, the beginning and ending were my favorites. The middle was more man-child antics than I would've liked, but still had some funny bits. I liked seeing Zooey Deschanel playing against type.
 
WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

Saw The Hobbit: DoS tonight. I liked it, but I was not thrilled with the additions. I did like Tauriel, but the movie would have been just as good without her or Legolas or the love triangle. Also, it could have used more Beorn!
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

WasabiPoptart said:
Saw The Hobbit: DoS tonight. I liked it, but I was not thrilled with the additions. I did like Tauriel, but the movie would have been just as good without her or Legolas or the love triangle. Also, it could have used more Beorn!
Click to expand...
More Beorn? Yes.
No Legolas? Yes.
No love Triangle? Yes.
No Tauriel? No.
No love interest between Tauriel/Filly? No.

It seems we're mostly in agreement!

Seriously though, I'm commenting so much on this movie cause even as a Hobbit fan as a child, I really am enjoying the films and the direction they're going. I'm so ridiculously excited for the third.
 
Piotyr

Piotyr

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, and it was fun to see some of the Silmarillion stuff incorporated (mostly the Dol Guldur stuff). Goes a long way to explain why Gandalf wasn't around.

Legolas was definitely added to tie the two trilogies together. It makes sense that he'd be there, but I do have a feeling Legolas is PJ's favorite character. Tauriel, again, just someone else to give the elves more personality than "Thranduil and his dickish wood elves". Love triangle, eh, could have done without, but they had to give them a reason to help the dwarves if they were going to be likable and in that much of the film.

I've seen people have issues with the big dwarves vs Smaug ending sequence as pointless, which...yeah, it was basically made up, but without that the dwarves would have had basically nothing to do the entire film except be saved by Bilbo repeatedly.
 
Espy

Espy

I enjoyed the first Hobbit and I expect to enjoy part 2, my biggest beef(s) is that Jackson doesn't seem to have the ability to self-edit anymore. We saw this with his last few movies, the man seems to have forgotten that less IS more. Doesn't mean they are bad movies but they desperately need someone with some perspective to tighten them up a bit. My other beef is they feel (and realize my background is in VFX/Production so this probably won't bother other folks) far "cleaner" than the LOTR films. I think part of it is the higher frame rate (which I overall like) but the biggest issue is that they are using far more CGI than miniatures and I think those miniatures (or "biggatures" as the LOTR team called them) helped to gritty stuff up.

But nitpicking aside I'm looking forward to seeing the next 2 parts.

My list for films to see is:

Her
Hobbit 2: Hobbit Harder
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle

Gonna be a good winter.
 
Dei

Dei

This is the thing about the dwarves. They basically *did* do nothing but bitch and make people's lives harder for the whole book. They were never really the protagonists of the story, and it irritates me when they get made out to look like they are heroic. But whatever.

And yes, it makes sense for Legolas to be there since he is Thranduil's son. I accept him being there. I get irritated by "Legolas is awesome" hour though. ;)
 
Piotyr

Piotyr

Dei said:
This is the thing about the dwarves. They basically *did* do nothing but bitch and make people's lives harder for the whole book. They were never really the protagonists of the story, and it irritates me when they get made out to look like they are heroic. But whatever.

And yes, it makes sense for Legolas to be there since he is Thranduil's son. I accept him being there. I get irritated by "Legolas is awesome" hour though. ;)
Click to expand...
That is every hour, though.[DOUBLEPOST=1387468680,1387468465][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, Smaug is the best CGI character in film history. Sorry Gollum, you had a good run.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

One of the biggest complaints of the general media idiocy was that in LOTR there was too much walking/overshoot scenes (as obviously made fun of in Clerks 2), which while for the fantasy lover made the journey truly feel epic, DID bore the common audience member as @stienman clearly points out.

It's because of them the journey to the Lonely Mountain was more action that enviroment. Which was one of the things I loved about LOTR. Here's hoping they filmed those type of scenes and are saving it for the Box set extended edition.
 
Bowielee

Bowielee

I agree fully with the concept that the ADD pacing of movies is a negative thing. Even in books and other forms of media, it seems like people aren't able to deal with anything that's not constant action nowadays.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
Bowielee said:
I agree fully with the concept that the ADD pacing of movies is a negative thing. Even in books and other forms of media, it seems like people aren't able to deal with anything that's not constant action nowadays.
Click to expand...
It has long been a common complaint about Tolkien's writing style in the books as well.
 
Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

Saw Frozen in the theater with my daughter the other day. Loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the animation.

10/10 A+++++ would watch in theaters again. Rhiannon loved it too, she kept talking about Queen Elsa (which was good in and of itself, as she usually has a hard time pronouncing names. And she didn't act up too much, either. Not bad for her first time going to the theater OUTSIDE of a tummy. *grins*
 
fade

fade

Staff member
I have read up to about the 3rd chapter of return aloud to my son. He lost interest at that point and we never made it back. To much description and not enough happening he said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top