1941 never had a better summary prepared for it than the line Robert Stack delivers about halfway into what feels like an 8-hour-long film: What a mess. What a goddamn mess. It's a comedy that's never funny, there's a massive cast that is given nothing to do but shout at the top of their lungs, and its special effects are so numerous that they stop feeling special about 10 minutes in. If it wasn't for Pearl Harbor, I would say this is how Michael Bay would have depicted World War II: a tone-deaf calamity of loud noises and explosions.
Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| JULY 2014
- Thread starter Divius
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PhantomOfTheKnight
Member
World War Z (Unrated)
What a snoozefest. It tries to waste no time getting to the zombies, but because of that it makes no time to actually develop the situation. The characters are so flat I had to turn on the Closed Captions in order to remind myself of what their names were. The only thing the movie had going for it were how batshit insane the zombies were, especially how they'd ragdoll themselves onto victims as if they were playing an extreme version of undead football. Had they actually shown the "war" with the Zekes (...exactly why are they called that anyway?) they alluded to in the last 3 minutes, it would have been a lot more interesting. Instead we're stuck with an incredibly tired, drawn out, unimpressive movie.
1.5/5
What a snoozefest. It tries to waste no time getting to the zombies, but because of that it makes no time to actually develop the situation. The characters are so flat I had to turn on the Closed Captions in order to remind myself of what their names were. The only thing the movie had going for it were how batshit insane the zombies were, especially how they'd ragdoll themselves onto victims as if they were playing an extreme version of undead football. Had they actually shown the "war" with the Zekes (...exactly why are they called that anyway?) they alluded to in the last 3 minutes, it would have been a lot more interesting. Instead we're stuck with an incredibly tired, drawn out, unimpressive movie.
1.5/5
Lumpy Onion
Member
Thor 2 (2013)- It was fun to look at, but still kinda dumb. I did appreciate how serious the villain was. Always liked Chrisopher Eccleson. Some of the comic relief stuff made me cringe.
The caper with the professor was also really dumb.
2.5/5 seems fair I guess. Worth seeing for some neat visuals.
Particularly when Loki turns into Captain America for a few seconds
2.5/5 seems fair I guess. Worth seeing for some neat visuals.
The oddest thing about it is that it feels like Wes Anderson is getting more Wes Anderson-y as time goes by. Not sure how that happens, but it definitely happens.
Watched Enemy and thought it was interesting but also underdeveloped. The runtime is right for what it has to offer. I'll have to go for a rewatch, though, but I liked the concept of it all in the end and the overall visual treatment, which added to the mysterious side of it.
Also, The Wind Rises. Loved the message it conveys; visually heartwarming and with its own amount of wisdom.
And finally, that third watch of Under The Skin.
kurisu_1974
Banned
Watched way less than I wanted, but the two films I've seen were amazing!
Jodorowsky's Dune was completely relevant to my interests, I love Jodorowsky's movies and way of talking, and Moebius and Giger's art... this Dune would have been quite the revolution indeed.
Only Lovers Left Alive was great too, the vampire angle worked for me, loved the music and the atmosphere, some beautiful shots, great cast. I really should seek out Permanent Vacation, the only Jarmusch that I haven't seen...
Jodorowsky's Dune was completely relevant to my interests, I love Jodorowsky's movies and way of talking, and Moebius and Giger's art... this Dune would have been quite the revolution indeed.
Only Lovers Left Alive was great too, the vampire angle worked for me, loved the music and the atmosphere, some beautiful shots, great cast. I really should seek out Permanent Vacation, the only Jarmusch that I haven't seen...
I thought the best and most original parts, were actually haunting, more than heartwarming.
90TilInfinity
Member
Saw New World the other day. Shit is just great Korean cinema. Fast paced, cleverly written, sharp visuals, with one of the most intense fight scenes I've seen in a while. I suppose the initial premise isn't the most original, but it's well executed, and there are plenty of twists and turns throughout. Park hoon-Jung, who began his feature film career a few years ago by writing I Saw the Devil, did good...again.
The Way Way Back
I had been meaning to see this when it originally came out last summer but I just never got around to it. It didn't help that it wasn't really being screened anywhere close by. I finally caught it the other night on TV - and I'll definitely be ordering the blu-ray now after seeing it, I really loved it. Just a great script, complimented by a great cast all around, wonderful music throughout that really helped set the mood. Everyone was great in it, Steve Carrell was great playing against type, Sam Rockwell was a scene stealer as always and Liam James was great as Duncan too I thought, I can see myself watching this again before the summer is out. A bitter-sweet coming of age film.
On a side note, I think this would make a great double bill with something like The Descendants (same writing team I know), a film from recent years that's slowly but surely becoming one of my all time favourites.
4.5/5
I had been meaning to see this when it originally came out last summer but I just never got around to it. It didn't help that it wasn't really being screened anywhere close by. I finally caught it the other night on TV - and I'll definitely be ordering the blu-ray now after seeing it, I really loved it. Just a great script, complimented by a great cast all around, wonderful music throughout that really helped set the mood. Everyone was great in it, Steve Carrell was great playing against type, Sam Rockwell was a scene stealer as always and Liam James was great as Duncan too I thought, I can see myself watching this again before the summer is out. A bitter-sweet coming of age film.
On a side note, I think this would make a great double bill with something like The Descendants (same writing team I know), a film from recent years that's slowly but surely becoming one of my all time favourites.
4.5/5
theytookourjobz
Junior Member
Saw a couple people on my Facebook feed talking about Enemy in very vague terms (basically "what did I just watch") and now I'm very interested.
Fancy Clown
Member
High Plains Drifter (1973) - Directed by Clint Eastwood
This film was really enjoyable, and well crafted, on two levels: Firstly, the film serves as a really enjoyable homage to the Man With No Name films that put Eastwood on the map. If you go in expecting an excellent Spaghetti Western styled Western--replete with tons of violence, pulp--you will come away happy.
What really sets it apart however, is that in addition to being a great Western, it also manages to subvert a lot of the tropes and setups of the genre. This way it will satisfy those who want a solid western, and those who are tired of the same-old story setups.
The film leaves plenty of room for humor and the requisite oddball characters, but it's balanced by managing to be incredibly serious, grim at times, and has a downright apocalyptic climax.
The themes might are a tad on the nose--and the film's handling of female characters is kind of unsettling--but it was so refreshing to see my expectations subverted that I didn't really care. There's also some really beautiful Leone inspired cinematography (Eastwood learned well), and a score that hits all the right notes for both the traditional Spaghetti Western side, and the more creepy, surreal side to film.
4/5
This film was really enjoyable, and well crafted, on two levels: Firstly, the film serves as a really enjoyable homage to the Man With No Name films that put Eastwood on the map. If you go in expecting an excellent Spaghetti Western styled Western--replete with tons of violence, pulp--you will come away happy.
What really sets it apart however, is that in addition to being a great Western, it also manages to subvert a lot of the tropes and setups of the genre. This way it will satisfy those who want a solid western, and those who are tired of the same-old story setups.
The film leaves plenty of room for humor and the requisite oddball characters, but it's balanced by managing to be incredibly serious, grim at times, and has a downright apocalyptic climax.
The themes might are a tad on the nose--and the film's handling of female characters is kind of unsettling--but it was so refreshing to see my expectations subverted that I didn't really care. There's also some really beautiful Leone inspired cinematography (Eastwood learned well), and a score that hits all the right notes for both the traditional Spaghetti Western side, and the more creepy, surreal side to film.
4/5
I watched it last night, its a good watch. Nice and thought provoking.
Fancy Clown
Member
Watched Enemy sunday with my girl...its just amazing.
That's a great poster. I still need to see this, as I loved Prisoners.
It's a very different movie. If Prisoners is like Zodiac or Gone Baby Gone, then Enemy is more of a...Moon, I guess.
Prisoners, now that's a film that didn't get the recognition it deserved.. one of my favourites from last year.
Fancy Clown
Member
Well...I like all those movies, so that sounds good to me!
nortonff
Hi, I'm nortonff. I spend my life going into threads to say that I don't care about the topic of the thread. It's a really good use of my time.
I would say it's more like The Machinist, which is also a great movie.
Yeah loved that one.
Out of these slick Korean gangster movies, probably my favorite.
Messofanego
Banned
Those nightmares and the machine-human sound effects. Lots of focus on failures (planes, health, Japan). It's pretty grim.
Fancy Clown
Member
I'm assuming it has the same visual flair as Prisoners (even though it doesn't have Deakins, I'm guessing Villeneuve has a good eye), as well as another strong performance from Gyllenhaal though?
I really don't know much about the movie at all besides the initial teaser I saw months ago. So I'm excited to go into it not knowing a whole lot.
BiGBoSSMk23
A company being excited for their new game is a huge slap in the face to all the fans that liked their old games.
Alright...
I find sex scenes in film superfluous in general. They don't do anything for the plot or story, and the scenes in this movie are so unnecessarily explicit I had to skip through them when I watched it on Netflix. I understand that intimacy is a thing, and there's a general unrest at the thought of homosexuality but if they're expecting to somehow desensitize or accustom the massses to the concept of LGBT intimacy with raunchy ass porn, they're not gonna get anywhere. The movie was very good, but again, it's a study on how unbridled emotions can lead people down less-than-virtuous paths, and the film addresses this at a point with the whole "water's only vice is gravity, and gravity is inescapable", but I just don't agree with that whole French hedonistic/romantic mentality. I feel at this point writers and film makers disappear up their own asses when addressing human nature. Principles, values and discipline are not wholly separate from love, passion and attraction. I don't know why it's so hard to portray a non-religious character who operates on these concepts when faced with a similar situation. Is it too much to ask to see the relationship of a couple (be it homosexual or hetero) pondering the imminence of sex and deeper discoveries one can make about their special someone if you don't succumb to the motions of "humanity". It almost always boils down to infidelity, the stagnation of personal aspirations, temptations (think Blue Valentine, Revolutionary Road...etc). And yet they never show the potential of a true "power couple", not in the sense of material achievement, but simply of pure enlightenment. It's like there's this assumed ceiling for human life experience that these movies never really bother to break through and always end on a big ambiguous note.
I'm always reminded of that scene in Good Will Hunting with Robin Williams shares his definition of a soul mate. Hell, this film even gets a little philosophical in the beginning and toys with the idea of predetermination but that went nowhere quick.
Yeah, i thought the whole "dream at the cost of lives" theme was the most interesting and grim part.
Yep. I don't think I even bothered watching the trailer they give too much away these days. Good director, good actor, interesting idea - insta watch
Dwarven Defender
Neo Member
I love that movie. Specially the way Redford is dressed.
The movie I've seen most recently is Under the Skin. I loved its oppressive atmosphere and the feelings of detachment. Also I thought it was illustrative of how our needs make us vulnerable.
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Usually not a fan of Anderson's films, they're a little too quirky for me sometimes. This one was no exception but for some reason....I just really, really enjoyed it. Ralph Fiennes as Gustav was hilarious, I would've never thought he had it in him to do a character like that. The visuals and set design was mindblowing, but that's one thing I've always respected about Anderson's films. Loved it. 9/10
Submarine - Started out a little slow and wasn't feeling it, but I just really liked the atmosphere and idea of the movie. It picked up after about 20 minutes in, and I started to enjoy it. The kid who played Oliver Tate is an impressive actor. He was really good. Negatives for me were the actresses in the movie, particularly Oliver's mom and Jordana. I don't know if it was the way the characters were written or if it was the actresses, but they were just really unlikeable. The story was cute, but overall a little ridiculous. It had its moments. Alex Turner's songs for the soundtrack made this though; easily my favorite part of the film. 7.5/10
Edge of Tomorrow - I know people always hate on Tom Cruise, but I personally have always enjoyed his movies. Can't remember the last bad movie I saw with him in it. Truth is, the guy delivers. This one was no different. An intense ride from start to finish and a unique take on your normal sci-fi flick. Probably one of the most memorable action films I've ever seen. Emily Blunt was fantastic as well. 9/10
Submarine - Started out a little slow and wasn't feeling it, but I just really liked the atmosphere and idea of the movie. It picked up after about 20 minutes in, and I started to enjoy it. The kid who played Oliver Tate is an impressive actor. He was really good. Negatives for me were the actresses in the movie, particularly Oliver's mom and Jordana. I don't know if it was the way the characters were written or if it was the actresses, but they were just really unlikeable. The story was cute, but overall a little ridiculous. It had its moments. Alex Turner's songs for the soundtrack made this though; easily my favorite part of the film. 7.5/10
Edge of Tomorrow - I know people always hate on Tom Cruise, but I personally have always enjoyed his movies. Can't remember the last bad movie I saw with him in it. Truth is, the guy delivers. This one was no different. An intense ride from start to finish and a unique take on your normal sci-fi flick. Probably one of the most memorable action films I've ever seen. Emily Blunt was fantastic as well. 9/10
There's one where I live in San Jose, CA
It receives a TON of business on Fridays and Saturdays too. It's got all the new releases, and for the price of one ticket, you get three movies (New release, a movie that's currently between being out of theaters and releasing on home video, and then a repeat of the New releases). It also doubles as a fairly big flea market on the weekends, which is pretty damn smart. There used to be an actual theater on the lot as well, but that closed down about a year ago. The drive in lives on though. There's another one about an hour and a half away from me, and I think it's owned by the same people.
Anyways, I watched Sleepaway Camp last night. Technically, the movie is pretty terrible across the board. Visually, it looks like an after school made for TV film (although that definitely kind of fits). The acting, outside of the actress who played Angela, was laughably cheesy, but once again... it adds to the charm. The writing is horrific, even as far as low-budget 80's Slashers are concerned, and yet that too kind of works in its favor. The kills were somewhat inventive, but the execution wasn't quite up to par for a lot of them. I mean, I could analyze the movie to hell and back, and my negatives would probably outweigh my positives 2:1, but it doesn't really matter because the sum of its admittedly shit parts somehow amounts to something quite... enjoyable?
Kind of sucks that I couldn't go into the ending unspoiled, considering it's quite infamous, but I still found it to be brilliant. It was legitimately unnerving to boot. She looked creepy as fuck. I also found it hilarious that the most shocking thing to the camp councilors at the end was the fact that Angela was a boy, and not the fact that she was a psychotic serial killer holding a decapitated head.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Fargo: We're not a bank, Jerry
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Wolf Creek 2 was offensively terrible.
I thought it was decent. It was kind of a Nightmare on Elm Street to Dream Warriors like transition for the film, in terms of the underlying tone of the film and John Jarratt's performance as Mick.
From up on Poppy Hill.
It was a decent effort i thought, visually was stunning, and i especially appreciated the character design, more lean and dinamic than usual (i'm especially comparing it to Wind Rises, having watched that recently) and incredibly detailed and colorful backdrounds.
The story however just felt very straight forward and uninteresting.
Cherish and face the past to face the future and all that jazz, but there wasn't one single scene that fired up my imagination, like the best Ghibli movies usually have, so i doubt i'll even remember the movie a month from now.
And it felt small in scope, as opposed to something like, say, Kiki Delivery Service, which has a great sense of adventure to it.
I'd put it pretty low in my Ghibli ranking, close to Arrietty, but you know, still miles above Earth & Sea, so a good improvement for Goro.
It was a decent effort i thought, visually was stunning, and i especially appreciated the character design, more lean and dinamic than usual (i'm especially comparing it to Wind Rises, having watched that recently) and incredibly detailed and colorful backdrounds.
The story however just felt very straight forward and uninteresting.
Cherish and face the past to face the future and all that jazz, but there wasn't one single scene that fired up my imagination, like the best Ghibli movies usually have, so i doubt i'll even remember the movie a month from now.
And it felt small in scope, as opposed to something like, say, Kiki Delivery Service, which has a great sense of adventure to it.
I'd put it pretty low in my Ghibli ranking, close to Arrietty, but you know, still miles above Earth & Sea, so a good improvement for Goro.
SliceSabre
Banned
Escape
Crepe s this movie was so by the numbers and predictable my friend, who had already seen it, was laughing her ass off at the fact I started nonchalantly predicting everything that would happen in the movie and swore I was lying when I said I hadn't seen it. That said I'm not going to say it was a bad action hero movie, but very by the numbers.
47 Ronin
Extremely disappointed. I want fighting in my feduel Japan samurai movies, not all this damn talking and soul searching stuff. Also what fights there were were extremely short lived.
Glad we rented these movies.
Crepe s this movie was so by the numbers and predictable my friend, who had already seen it, was laughing her ass off at the fact I started nonchalantly predicting everything that would happen in the movie and swore I was lying when I said I hadn't seen it. That said I'm not going to say it was a bad action hero movie, but very by the numbers.
47 Ronin
Extremely disappointed. I want fighting in my feduel Japan samurai movies, not all this damn talking and soul searching stuff. Also what fights there were were extremely short lived.
Glad we rented these movies.
yeah man, powerful
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I liked, but didn't love Under the Skin.
Fantastic atmosphere and sound design.
Fantastic atmosphere and sound design.
Net_Wrecker
Member
Black Narcissus (1947) (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
Sister Ruth/10
That's the review. Go watch this beautiful movie to see Kathleen Byron steal every scene she's in. Plus it's a classic and everyone else is great too, y'know, whatever.
Sister Ruth/10
That's the review. Go watch this beautiful movie to see Kathleen Byron steal every scene she's in. Plus it's a classic and everyone else is great too, y'know, whatever.
Charles Foster Kane
Rosebud
Agreed. She was a goddess in it. That look.
Femmeworth
Banned
The Chaser
Fuck this movie. It is so obviously designed to frustrate the viewer but it's too easy to look up and see the director/writer pulling the strings and looking like a jackass.
Fuck this movie. It is so obviously designed to frustrate the viewer but it's too easy to look up and see the director/writer pulling the strings and looking like a jackass.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Absolutely awesome. A real masterpiece with tons of epic moments and even some sad, heartbreaking moments (spoiler:
).
General applause at the end of the movie (it's not that common in France).
Go see it if you didn't.
When Stoick sacrifices himself to save Hiccup from dying to a controlled Toothless
General applause at the end of the movie (it's not that common in France).
Go see it if you didn't.
That candle kick.
Ssshhh no tears now, only dreams.
Most frustrating movie i've seen in the whole year, but i enjoyed the torture
Secret Fawful
Member
The movie WC Fields passed on the Wizard of Oz to make. It's interesting to see Fields and Mae West spoof each other and their signature lines, and they make a good team, but holy shit did West ham up her performance here.
Fields plays up his alcoholic character yet again with a memorable line: "Once, on a trek through Afghanistan, we lost our corkscrew...and were forced to live on food and water for several days!"
Eh, it's a fun movie.
Sleepaway Camp - 7/10 kooky mix of lazy summer camp comedy and super lo-fi psychosexual horror, one of the rare cases where I think already knowing the ending truly did rob the moment of some power (though it's heeavily telegraphed anyway).
Neighbors - 6/10 Byrne is so so good, and it's a minor miracle that Stoller is able to blend relentless juvenility with mature, respectful characterization. not as well as Sarah Marshall, but still each of the three leads is built very well. and, it may be kinda cheap, but I like that it goes out of its way to be more progressive. It's definitely liberal pandering but it's also a forward-thinking for a mainstream comedy to have moments like
. not revolutionary, but being even casually progressive is a bright spot in this lane
Neighbors - 6/10 Byrne is so so good, and it's a minor miracle that Stoller is able to blend relentless juvenility with mature, respectful characterization. not as well as Sarah Marshall, but still each of the three leads is built very well. and, it may be kinda cheap, but I like that it goes out of its way to be more progressive. It's definitely liberal pandering but it's also a forward-thinking for a mainstream comedy to have moments like
Pete seeing what's supposedly a gay couple and just saying "come on guys let's clear out" instead of "dudes gross take that outside", or Teddy during the hazing ritual basically telling the pledge that they do all this for ritual and image but if he ever feels actually unsafe he should let him know because he doesn't want anyone to be genuinely hurt
megamerican
Member
Tammy was a horrific pile of shit. Just pure, utter shit.
I saw Snowpiercer the other day. Here are my thoughts from the thread:
I really liked this movie. It was refreshingly original, had some cool set pieces, and was paced pretty well. Acting wise the performances were mostly solid. Always good to see actors like John Hurt and Ed Harris, and rarely do we see big name actors acting alongside great Korean ones like Kang-ho Song. Evans's performance was surprisingly subdued, and I think he did a good job here.
I really appreciated that the movie wasn't afraid to venture into some dark themes as well.
I guess my main complaints would be
Overall a very entertaining movie. I'd rate it something like 8/10.
I really liked this movie. It was refreshingly original, had some cool set pieces, and was paced pretty well. Acting wise the performances were mostly solid. Always good to see actors like John Hurt and Ed Harris, and rarely do we see big name actors acting alongside great Korean ones like Kang-ho Song. Evans's performance was surprisingly subdued, and I think he did a good job here.
His big reveals later in the movie had me thinking about the peculiar/depressed ways he was acting throughout most of the movie, making it all the more effective.
I guess my main complaints would be
some of the action sequences were a little too unfocused/shaky for my liking, making it hard to tell what was going on. There were also maybe a few too many plot twists crammed into the last 20 minutes or so of the movie, lessening some of their impact. Also a few spotty CGI moments that made the movie feel low budget.
Delta Assault
Member
Not surprising, considering the last Melissa McCarthy movie "Identity Thief." I swear to god, I had to stop that movie after about 30 minutes because I could not take anymore of that horrible monster. That is legitimately one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Seventh Code directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
The story started out with interesting premise, but suddenly when the plot twist all the sudden took place without any prior explanation or apparent Chekov's gun at all, the whole movie went down straight into the toilet bowl.
Plus, Maeda Atsuko is not a good actress.
And WTF with that music video promo interspersed in it?
The story started out with interesting premise, but suddenly when the plot twist all the sudden took place without any prior explanation or apparent Chekov's gun at all, the whole movie went down straight into the toilet bowl.
Plus, Maeda Atsuko is not a good actress.
And WTF with that music video promo interspersed in it?
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