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

[Arctish]

47 Ronin

A classic Japanese tale of honor and revenge gets the Lord of the Rings treatment at the hands of uninspired Hollywood screenwriters, and comes out dull, one-dimensional, and annoying. Surprisingly, Keanu Reeves' acting wasn't the worst part.

The costumes were pretty to look at but obviously Americanized. The good guys had cherry blossoms and pretty gardens everywhere while the bad guy's castle looked like it belonged in Mordor. Some very good Japanese actors were given nothing to do but look stoic. Even the obligatory quasi-lesbian scene where the partially disrobed villainess threatens the prim damsel in distress was a let down.

On the plus side the CGI was nicely done, and the storyline was pretty good once you got past the ham-fisted cultural revision.

3/10

 

[KeepTalking]

Hobbit 3 - Battle of 5 Armies

Apart from about 5 minutes of decent footage concerning the banishment of Sauron to Mordor, nothing else really worth going to see. You know, lots of CGI, padding and generally just pointless action and story, including that utterly ridiculous subplot featuring a certain female elf. For those wishing to see the thing through only.

4.5/10 (being generous)

It can't possibly be worse than The Desolation of Smaug, can it? I plan to see it just for closure, but I don't see how they can get any farther from the source material than they already have.

 

[KeepTalking]

Adventures of Captain Marvel

Considered strictly in comparison to other movie serials: 10/10
Considered more generally: no more than 6/10

This 1941 chapter play from Republic Pictures was the first attempt to film a comic-book superhero in live-action. Movie serials are definitely an acquired taste--it helps to be in the mood for a trip down Nostalgia Lane when you watch one, and you definitely have to be willing to suspend your disbelief while doing so. What this one is noted for are the various special effects, which were pretty incredible by 1941 standards (especially for a Poverty Row outfit like Republic). Using a combination of takeoffs and landings performed by acrobatic stuntman David Sharpe, shots of a dummy suspended on very fine wires that didn't show on film, and a few shots of actor Tom Tyler's head and shoulders filmed in front of a matte painting or back-projection, the Republic team created a plausible illusion of Captain Marvel actually flying.

I love old movie serials, and haven't seen this one. Where did you find it? Is it on Hulu?

Anyway, given the date, this would have to be the DC version of Captain Marvel, who is more well known as Shazaam.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The Hunger Games - Exploitation of the Mockingjay

Exploitation of the Mockingjay is an incredible feat. It manages to keep you tied up in a film about two hours long and when you leave the theater you ask yourself, did anything actually happen in those two hours? Sure, a few actual events occurred, but did enough happen for a feature length film? As is typical in Hollywood these days, the final books in a series are turned into two films, whether the material (or screenplay writers... props to Buffy's and Gilmore Girls' Danny Strong!) can handle it or not. I have not read the book, but based on what happened on the screen, the book is probably best off as a 3.5 hour film, at most, not two 2.25 hour films. It isn't as if the film was bad, the scenes nonsensical (for the most part), any of the characters annoying. Overall, the film has a pleasant aura around it. But there isn't much that happens that couldn't have been summed up in 90 minutes.

Unfortunately we are stuck with this Hollywood model where a good product is turned into an alright product strung out over too long a period of time. You really don't have to see this film until the final one comes out. It felt a lot like the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Not bad, looks good, etc... but it just leaves you feeling being duped by Hollywood.

2.5 of 4
Looking forward to the second part. I haven't read the books, but there are some obvious issues that need to be resolved and I'm hoping they are resolved well.

Show

The big one is the Capitol. The Districts (even 1 and 2?) are aligning against the Capitol. Will anyone survive in the Capitol? They are the Eloi of the story. District 13 are the Morlock (just without the buggy eyes).

Julianne Moore's acting is not so subtly pointing to an unforgiving leader (despot?) that wants vengeance. She refers to a special weapon (EMP, nuke?).

 

[MarkW]

Adventures of Captain Marvel

Considered strictly in comparison to other movie serials: 10/10
Considered more generally: no more than 6/10

This 1941 chapter play from Republic Pictures was the first attempt to film a comic-book superhero in live-action. Movie serials are definitely an acquired taste--it helps to be in the mood for a trip down Nostalgia Lane when you watch one, and you definitely have to be willing to suspend your disbelief while doing so. What this one is noted for are the various special effects, which were pretty incredible by 1941 standards (especially for a Poverty Row outfit like Republic). Using a combination of takeoffs and landings performed by acrobatic stuntman David Sharpe, shots of a dummy suspended on very fine wires that didn't show on film, and a few shots of actor Tom Tyler's head and shoulders filmed in front of a matte painting or back-projection, the Republic team created a plausible illusion of Captain Marvel actually flying.

I love old movie serials, and haven't seen this one. Where did you find it? Is it on Hulu?

Anyway, given the date, this would have to be the DC version of Captain Marvel, who is more well known as Shazaam.

I still watch old-fashioned DVD's and this one has been out on DVD since about 2003. I got mine from Movies Unlimited. And the serial was actually based on the Fawcett version of the character--they published Captain Marvel comics until 1953 when a copyright infringement lawsuit from DC made them stop. DC licensed the character from Fawcett in the 1970s and acquired him outright in 1991.

 

[repoman]

The 1962 Japanese version is 47 Ronin is called Chushingura. It is very nice. Straight no fantasy version of the event.

But for a similar type story i recommend Harakiri.

For a similar movie to 47 Ronin watch 13 Assassins.

 

[marc]

The Hunger Games - Exploitation of the Mockingjay
2.5 of 4
Looking forward to the second part. I haven't read the books, but there are some obvious issues that need to be resolved and I'm hoping they are resolved well.

Show

The big one is the Capitol. The Districts (even 1 and 2?) are aligning against the Capitol. Will anyone survive in the Capitol? They are the Eloi of the story. District 13 are the Morlock (just without the buggy eyes).

Julianne Moore's acting is not so subtly pointing to an unforgiving leader (despot?) that wants vengeance. She refers to a special weapon (EMP, nuke?).

Loved the books. As for the issues

Show

1. Districts 1 and 2 are where they get the recruits for the military (in hopes they may be assigned to the capitol some day I would expect) Some fighting does go on there as they try to convince the people which side they should be on. However, the Capitol has plenty of loyal troops, military hardware, and impressive city defenses. They didn't go into it in the movies, but they also have quite advanced genetic engineering. There are a few nasty beasts they got ready for invaders.

2. The books outright state that District 13 has nukes. One reason they do not use them is that if they wiped out the Capitol, the human population will be reduced so much that as a species we might not be genetically viable. As for vengeance, oh yea, there is serious discussion to continue the Hunger Games using children of the Capitol.

 

[angelo]

A Night at the Museum. the 2006 original. The hilariously named actor "Dick Van Dyke" stars alongside Ben Stiller who is suited to this kind of comedy role. I've seen this for the third time now and still makes me laugh.
7/10

 

[prideandfall]

It can't possibly be worse than The Desolation of Smaug, can it? I plan to see it just for closure, but I don't see how they can get any farther from the source material than they already have.

two things:
1. the source material is a crock of shit, so the fact they're deviating from it is largely irrelevant.
2. the extent to which there are very direct comparisons between the hobbit movies and the star wars prequels, to the point where they're basically identical conceptually and existentially, hits that perfect sweet spot between being amusing as hell and fucking terrifying.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Annie

I saw the preview to Annie. Oh gawd no! And I'm not talking the racial shift in the story. I'm talking about how, from the preview, they appear to be completely changing the story, other than the poor girl, big hair, rich guy devices.

0.5 of 4

Wait... are we allowed to review films that aren't out yet and the user has only seen a preview?

 

[bilby]

Wait... are we allowed to review films that aren't out yet and the user has only seen a preview?

Star Wars VII

For fuck's sake stop milking it already - there were three great films made three decades ago. You couldn't recapture the magic in the last three horrible 'sequels', so why do you think you will this time?

Half a point for the preview, which actually looks pretty good; but I have no confidence that you can extend this feeling to a full length movie.

0.5 of 10

 

[angelo]

Young Adult starring the truly delicious Charlize Theron. Also starring Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt. A divorced fiction writer returns to home town and attempts to rekindle a romance with her happily married ex-boyfriend.

Great drama actually and Theron does an excellent character likeability.
8/10

 

[bradw]

Young Adult
Great drama actually and Theron does an excellent character likeability.
8/10

Do you mean that the character portrayed by Theron was likeable? Or just that you liked Theron's performance?

I thought the key to this dark comedy was Theron playing a horribly self-centered and manipulative mess of a human being who was unable to get beyond her high school days.

I also thought that Patton Oswalt put in a good performance.

 

[Thomas II]

The Skeleton Twins 8/10

Well acted. Sibling drama...Best lip-synching scene...

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_skeleton_twins/

 

[MarkW]

The New Centurions

7/10

An interesting but uneven adaptation of Joseph Wambaugh's first novel. Wambaugh's realistic depiction of police work translates pretty well to screen; his episodic plotting does not fare so well. George C. Scott as a veteran cop gives an excellent performance, but when his character drops out of the story a little after the one hour mark, the remaining third of the film sort of fizzles out.

 

[bradw]

Woman in the Dunes (1964)

The third movie I've watched from director Teshigahara.

I really liked Face of Another. I enjoyed Pitfall but felt it had some weaknesses.

Woman in the Dunes was engaging at first, but meandered, resulting in a very unsatisfying ending.

6.5/10

 

[thebeave]

I thought I was the only one who has ever watched Woman in the Dunes. Weird movie. Spending your days trapped in a giant sand pit? Who comes up with this stuff?

 

[angelo]

The Time Machine [again] with Rod Taylor starring. H G Wells tale almost done to perfection. No match for the later versions visual effects, but remains one of my all time favourites. Gawd, I must've seen it at least ten times over the decades. 8.5/10

Groundhog Day starring the very good and funny actor Bill Murray and Andie MacDowel.

8.5/10

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The Hobbit 3 - 6/10

This movie was pretty much just one battle after another and some were pretty good and some were kind of lame. The main characters were all fairly unstoppable unless a dramatic death was needed and were suddenly superhuman death machines who coudl slaughter a dozen orcs simply by waving their swords in their general direction. Bilbo even killed a couple of heavily armored orcs by tossing small rocks into the sides of their helmets from twenty feet away.

Show

Also, those stupid eagles really do need to go and fuck themselves since they are the worst deus ex machina that I've ever seen. A half hour of intense battle and then "The eagles are coming!" and all the bad guys are dead thirty seconds later. They even dive bombed a bunch of frigging pikemen and none of them set their pikes to intercept the charge the way every pikeman would have learned to do against a cavalry charge on their first frigging day.

Additionally, what was with those tunnelling monsters the orcs had? They wanted to capture the mountain but came out above ground a half mile from the mountain. Why not just tunnel directly into the mountain?

The dragon thing was kind of cool, but I still don't see why that wasn't the end of the second movie instead of the beginning of the third, since it would have worked far better as a climax to a movie as opposed to the opening of one.

All the Sauron crap just didn't belong in the movie at all. I also don't see how the nine black rider ghosts can fight three super-wizard to a standstill in their spirit form but then as they get stronger an take on bodies, Aragorn is able to run the lot of them off by waving a torch around.

All in all, it was an entertaining popcorn movie, but the kind that you'll completely forget about a week later.

 

[Daioh]

Did you know that there are 5 Home Alone movies?
I sure didn't until yesterday

Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist
5/10
Honestly this movie is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be
The main characters are acted well enough, even if the kids roles are a bit annoying
The villains are kinda generic but never really "bad"
and the story is simple and doesn't try to be anything complicated
It's biggest failure is probaly the "Trap House" at the end which wasn't as cool as the original
But you could do worse for a Home Alone sequel