Which movie did you watch today and how would you rate it?

[MarkW]

Gangster Squad

5.5/10

This heavily fictionalized version of the Los Angeles Police Department's attempts to take down mobster Mickey Cohen is a pale imitation of L.A. Confidential. It lacks the moral complexity and rich characters of its role model, and even as a straight good cops against evil gangsters tale, it has problems--the final shootout, in particular, lacks plausibility. A terrific cast--Josh Brolin as the lead, Sean Penn as Cohen, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pena, Anthony Mackie, etc.--is trapped in a very pedestrian script. A few supporting players manage to stand out--Nick Nolte as LAPD chief Parker, Robert Patrick as a veteran cop, Mireille Enos as the wife of Brolin's character.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Song of the Sea

Yeah, umm... when I was watching this with my daughter who rarely stops to see anything that isn't on Nick Jr, I was thinking this is what Frozen could have been if Disney actually tried. Amazing animation, an enveloping soundtrack, a warm touching story that doesn't feel contrived (I'm looking at you Bing Bong!).

This film proves that mesmerizing animation is still possible. How this didn't win for animated film of the year is beyond me. I haven't seen an animated film this good since Wallace and Gromit and the Wererabbit which I hold in very high regard.

An absolutely great film about loss, wonderment, and possibility that'll enchant young children and adults.

4 of 4


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[none]

Ghostbusters

Good solid performances from the gals
Nice flow and pace

4 of 5 definitely

 

[repoman]

Song of the Sea

Yeah, umm... when I was watching this with my daughter who rarely stops to see anything that isn't on Nick Jr, I was thinking this is what Frozen could have been if Disney actually tried. Amazing animation, an enveloping soundtrack, a warm touching story that doesn't feel contrived (I'm looking at you Bing Bong!).

This film proves that mesmerizing animation is still possible. How this didn't win for animated film of the year is beyond me. I haven't seen an animated film this good since Wallace and Gromit and the Wererabbit which I hold in very high regard.

An absolutely great film about loss, wonderment, and possibility that'll enchant young children and adults.

4 of 4


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check out The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. which is based on a very old folk tale. It was also nominated at the same time. Don't look up the folk tale, the outline is very short and will ruin some of the surprise even with one or two sentences read. Would say the Japanese language is way better. At least for a couple minutes watch in Japanese to get feel of how good the voice casting and directing was.

Actually this reminds me of a good anime that is very mildly similar to Princess Kaguya, but set in China called "Like the Clouds, Like the Wind". Hard to find except by the "eyepatch" method (wink wink). Good for kids and teens, I think.

I haven't seen The Song of the Sea, but the trailer is gorgeous.

 

[DBT]

Tarzan. 7/10 Reasonably well done, I thought.

 

[James Brown]

Tarzan. 7/10 Reasonably well done, I thought.

I laughed at this review of Tarzan

I saw Tarzan and this is my review after some wines


Ok so I don’t know what the plot is or who is in it other than Alexander Skarsgard and Alexander Skarsgard’s magnificent holy abs...But like 1/3 of the way in Alexander Skarsgard is going to fight a gorilla for some reason and he takes off his shirt and OMG LIKE I ACTUALLY GROANED LOUDLY.

And his eyes. He has such puppy dog eyes. If I was with Alexander Skarsgard I would be like what’s wrong Alexander Skarsgard because he always looks so sad. And then he would say – nothing because you’re my wife. And then we would bang.

:laughing-smiley-014

 

[CJW]

Black Mass, 7/10: Stars Johnny Depp playing the lead role of James "Whitey" Bulger an organized crime kingpin in Boston. It's watchable because it is quite interesting and the acting was good. But it's not particularly dramatic or has much in the way of suspense but it is a story well told.

I would rate it the same - But I wonder if it might have been a better movie if John Connolly - the FBI agent was the main character instead of Depp's Bulger.

 

[none]

Ghostbusters

Good solid performances from the gals
Nice flow and pace

4 of 5 definitely

Okay, I was so moved to wake up early today to seen this movie a second time
Yes, I think it is a wonderful film, you gotta check it out
8.5 out of 10
Woo hoo

 

[bleubird]

Stan
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0791338/
imdb gave it 7.7.
I liked the flash backs.
Learned that the personalities on screen were the opposite of the real life actors.Stan was a dominating asshat and Oliver was a big lovable guy.

 

[DBT]

Might go and see the new Bourne movie. The ABC movie reviewer criticised the action scenes....but critics can be overly harsh.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Like I've said before, everything that makes J.J. Abrams perfect for Star Wars makes him wrong for Star Trek.

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Like I've said before, everything that makes J.J. Abrams perfect for Star Wars makes him wrong for Star Trek.

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

Abrams must be the world's most boring and safe director in the galaxy. He never takes any chances in any way ever. His films are never interesting. He never has anything to say. All his films are, person 1 "I want this" for some retarded reason that makes no sense. Person 2 "No" for some other equally contrived reason. And that's it. All the tension is pointless and contrived. All his plot drivers are random McGuffins. You'd have to be seriously brain-damaged to not see his "twists" and surprises a mile off.

 

[DBT]

Might go and see the new Bourne movie. The ABC movie reviewer criticised the action scenes....but critics can be overly harsh.

The whole movie done in shaky cam, from start to finish, bah. Nearly walked out half way through.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Like I've said before, everything that makes J.J. Abrams perfect for Star Wars makes him wrong for Star Trek.

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

 

[credoconsolans]

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

Ditto. JJ always said he never understood Star Trek, so he wasn't 'right' for it. Claimed to be a Star Wars fan. So all the anticipation was for a Star Wars movie better than what GL put out by a big director 'Star Wars fan'. And then his Star Wars movie sucked blue donkeys. It was no homage, just a B-movie ripoff of various Star Wars OT movies.

 

[Underseer]

Like I've said before, everything that makes J.J. Abrams perfect for Star Wars makes him wrong for Star Trek.

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

I loved episode 7. It's everything I wish the prequel trilogy was.

- - - Updated - - -

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

And that's different from any other Star Wars movie, how?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

I loved episode 7. It's everything I wish the prequel trilogy was.

A labored remake/remix of Episode 4?

- - - Updated - - -

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

And that's different from any other Star Wars movie, how?

Not much. Lucas could start and finish a movie strong, but after Episode V, he had real trouble with the middle.

Episode VII was a lazy cash grab and officially made me ban Star Wars films like Edge of Darkness caused the ban of "Star Trek".

 

[Underseer]

Metropolis (1927)

Not sure how to even begin to rate it.

However, I will say it creeped me the fuck out. It was released in 1927, just 7 years before the Nazis took power during what would have been the Weimar republic. I kept wondering if some of the ideas and themes of the movie reflected German attitudes of the time, or even influenced German attitudes of the time. For example, it recognized the unfair treatment of the lower classes by the upper classes, which the Nazis exploited in their rise to power. Further, it presented worker uprisings as somehow bad, and I wonder if that is related to Nazi anti-communist and anti-union rhetoric. According to the movie, the "answer" to the problem of socioeconomic stratification was a "mediator" to go between the wealthy and the workers. I can't help but wonder if the German public might have thought of Hitler and/or the Nazis as their "mediator" who would make everything better without having to resort to worker uprisings (metaphor for communism).

 

[Underseer]

I loved episode 7. It's everything I wish the prequel trilogy was.

A labored remake/remix of Episode 4?

- - - Updated - - -

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

And that's different from any other Star Wars movie, how?

Not much. Lucas could start and finish a movie strong, but after Episode V, he had real trouble with the middle.

Episode VII was a lazy cash grab and officially made me ban Star Wars films like Edge of Darkness caused the ban of "Star Trek".

That's different from the original movies how?

I'm dead serious. Lucas used the monomyth as a template in the same way episode 7 uses episode 4. Heck, Lucas wasn't even clever enough to use some of the elements of the universal hero's journey as metaphors, everything is depressingly literal and by-the-numbers. The dialog is atrocious and the script is full of plot holes, but you overlook all of that because the action and pacing are well done, and the use of the monomyth virtually guarantees it will pull at your heart-strings as long as you can turn your brain off and go with the ride. Add to that the derring-do feel of the old Buck Rogers serials and liberal theft of the works of Kurosawa, add space ships and laser-swords and voi la! Star Wars!

Episodes 5 and 6 pretty much followed the same brainless template. Episode 5 was just darker because it was the second act of a trilogy and it did what second acts are supposed to do.

I enjoyed the original trilogy for the brainless ride, but let's not pretend there was anything all that innovative about it.

 

[credoconsolans]

A labored remake/remix of Episode 4?

- - - Updated - - -

If JJ is "perfect" for Star Wars, then can someone please explain what the hell happened? I can't think of anything about the recent Star Wars movie that was better because of JJ's involvement.

I have higher hopes for Rogue One.

The last Star Wars movie sucked. Yes, one suspends a certain amount of disbelief at the door, but it was an all out assault on credulity. There have been lots of horrible big budget movies, but I don't think I've ever seen a lazier script than the one Abrams shat out onto the screen the last Star Wars movie. Even though the prequels sucked and were dumb, they at least seemed to put some effort into originality.

I won't watch another Star Wars movie until it hits Netflix or Hulu or until I can buy it for $2.99 on Fandango.

And that's different from any other Star Wars movie, how?

Not much. Lucas could start and finish a movie strong, but after Episode V, he had real trouble with the middle.

Episode VII was a lazy cash grab and officially made me ban Star Wars films like Edge of Darkness caused the ban of "Star Trek".

That's different from the original movies how?

I'm dead serious. Lucas used the monomyth as a template in the same way episode 7 uses episode 4. Heck, Lucas wasn't even clever enough to use some of the elements of the universal hero's journey as metaphors, everything is depressingly literal and by-the-numbers. The dialog is atrocious and the script is full of plot holes, but you overlook all of that because the action and pacing are well done, and the use of the monomyth virtually guarantees it will pull at your heart-strings as long as you can turn your brain off and go with the ride. Add to that the derring-do feel of the old Buck Rogers serials and liberal theft of the works of Kurosawa, add space ships and laser-swords and voi la! Star Wars!

Episodes 5 and 6 pretty much followed the same brainless template. Episode 5 was just darker because it was the second act of a trilogy and it did what second acts are supposed to do.

I enjoyed the original trilogy for the brainless ride, but let's not pretend there was anything all that innovative about it.

Because GL's Star Wars movies weren't a cash grab. He was telling a story that harkened back to the serials he watched as a kid. Whatever GL did by mushing together the traditional hero tale, Westerns, Flash Gordon and Japanese samurai tales, he did it out of the sincere desire to tell a tale from his childhood.

JJ Abrams just copied him.