Movies you've recently watched

[IncantatioN]

Watched Oblivion last night, part of me wishes I got to see this on the big screen. Kosinski's got a good sense of presenting Sci-fi (Tron Legacy, this flick), but the script/ story just wasn't good and was predictable. End felt rushed. The visuals are really cool, action sequences well done, good soundtrack to back it, good enough acting by Freeman-KingSlayer from Game Of Thrones-Andrea (was cool in Shadow Dancer). 6/10 ... I wanted to like it #sigh# ... check it out though.

[Walter]

6/10 ... I wanted to like it #sigh# ... check it out though.

Rated it a 6/10, but we should check it out...?   

[Delta Phi]

It's been a while since I watched a horror movie in the theater, I try not to because of audience reactions. Been waiting for The Conjuring since teasers came out, it doesn't disappoint at all, I had a blast. Check it out.

Really? It looked alright from the trailers, but I wasn't impressed when I went to see it. I thought it stopped being scary at the start of the 2nd act (as all too many scary movies these days tend to do). Like you said, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, so maybe that's what killed it for me.

[TheBranded1]

Watched " The Wolverine"  way better than "Origins" liked most of the story, wanted a a human silver samurai

[Skeleton]

Really? It looked alright from the trailers, but I wasn't impressed when I went to see it. I thought it stopped being scary at the start of the 2nd act (as all too many scary movies these days tend to do). Like you said, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, so maybe that's what killed it for me.

It's a shame to hear that.  I thought Wan's previous film, Insidious, had the potential to be a great horror film.  The first half was fantastic.  But the second half was horrible, and ultimately it was what dragged the film down.  (I love the concept of the Further, despite the hilariously shitty name, but it's one of those things that look great on paper but doesn't work out when you do it.)  It sounds like The Conjuring has the same problem.  That's a shame.  I was hoping Wan had learned from Insidious' mistakes.

[IncantatioN]

Rated it a 6/10, but we should check it out...?   

Yep, give it a chance, maybe a casual viewing if you like sci-fi movies. It's not bad, just that I just expected a lot more from it. Has more depth that what trailers make it out to be with a bit of a mish-mash of plot and a quick end. A lot of people would shy away because of Cruise, fair enough. In this case, Cruise being attached to the film actually helped it to get made, so I'll give him credit for that.

Really? It looked alright from the trailers, but I wasn't impressed when I went to see it. I thought it stopped being scary at the start of the 2nd act (as all too many scary movies these days tend to do). Like you said, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, so maybe that's what killed it for me.

New doesn't always translate to good. Less scary doesn't make it bad Horror. They didn't bring anything new but I thought it was pretty well done with good atmosphere. Doesn't have many obvious loose ends, builds enough tension or suspense and isn't all about CG. The story gets a little slow in the middle, picks up in the end. I realize what you say about the 2nd act ... the premise at the beginning is damn cool with ghosts but in the end it turns into a big possession sub-plot and isn't about the house as much, but I think that's what makes it less predictable and the mystery worked for me. I expected an unhappy end for the Warrens with their daughter being possessed when they returned. Overall, it stands good compared with other Horror movies of this genre.



Back in June I ordered Europa Report on demand, first thing I bought on demand because the theatrical release was much later and I was stoked to check it out. 2 nights ago I re-watched it because someone mentioned it to me and you know, there're times where you go "Damn, talking about it makes me wanna see it again!". Yeah, this's one of those movies for me. A private group funds a mission to get to Jupiter's moon Europa to search for life under a thick bed of ice. You'd be less impressed if I told you it was one of those found footage films, but don't let that stop you, it's a technically sound deep space exploration flick. There are camera's set up throughout the ship and what we get to see is from that real-time perspective, well done, no hand-shake/ jerk crap. Anything can go wrong in space, little things count and the realism of what could happen is well shown. Just be warned that it's a slow-burn thriller. Nice nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey visually or when you hear The Blue Danube played when they get to space successfully.   Recommended.



Finally got around checking out Mud. It's pretty good, gonna have to check out the director's other movies. The movie centers around 2 kids who find a boat up in a tree (probably up there when the Mississippi river flooded or cos of a storm or something), they check it out and find this guy who calls himself Mud staying in the boat. He tells them he's waiting to meet the love of his life (who's in town) and that he was hiding on the island because of trouble with the cops. The kids listen and in return for something they help him out. One of the kids, Ellis, believes in Mud's cause all the more because of what he's going through. Few other things going on, wouldn't be fair to spoil it for you. Recommended.

[Johnstantine]

Went and saw Elysium last week. For being hailed as an ultra-serious movie, I found myself cracking up in a lot of parts. The acting was atrocious, and I in no way felt like there was ever a sense of urgency to actually get to Elysium itself.

The cinematography, however, was fucking beautiful and I would see it all over again just for that.

[IncantatioN]

I missed watching Elysium on the big screen, damn. Now I'm curious, thanks John.



Recently checked out Kon-Tiki which was not too bad. It didn't wow me but that's prolly cos I'd seen a documentary on the expedition and knew what was going on. It's about a Norwegian guy who lived on Polynesian islands for his research and came about the idea that their origins were from the East via 8,000 kms across the ocean, only problem was that not a lot of people believed it could be done with primitive ways of navigation. But, he constructed the same raft as per the stories he'd heard of Kon-Tiki's journey by the locals and sets out on a 101 day journey.

[Rendarg]

So there really is a place like hell on earth. I just watched Camp 14 – Total Control Zone, a 2012 documentation about the life of Shin Dong-hyuk, a man who was born inside a concentration camp for political prisoners in North Korea.
I had to stop watching 2-3 times, because i was starting to feel sick and a bit dizzy. He managed to escape in 2005 and now lives in South Korea, where they interview him. Two former members of the North Korean Army were also interviewed.

It's hard to imagine, someone living his whole life in a prison camp, not knowing that there is a world outside. The constant beatings, torture, public executions. And how they mess with people's minds. How he describes that he didn't feel anything, when the guards beat a girl in his class to death for stealing some grains of corn, because that were the rules of the camp. It was her mistake, it was normal.

-Shin described how, at the age of 14, he was completely stripped, his legs cuffed and hands tied, and suspended from the ceiling of his cell. His torturers then lit up a charcoal fire under his back and forced a hook into his skin so that he could not struggle. He still has a number of large scars from the burned flesh and from many other abuses.

-Later Shin was forced to watch the execution of his mother Chang Hye-kyong by hanging and his brother Shin Ha-kun by firing squad.

-When Shin worked in the garment factory and accidentally dropped a sewing machine, the foreman hacked off his right middle finger just above the first knuckle as punishment.

-Shin witnessed dozens of public executions each year. Another prisoner Kim Yong witnessed around 25 executions in his section of the camp within less than two years.
   
-Shin saw a six-year-old girl in his school being beaten to death for hoarding 5 kernels of corn.

[Vampire_Hunter_Bob]

Recently watched: Hocus Pocus (my girlfriend wanted me to see it), The People Under the Stairs, and The Hole.

Hocus Pocus: I get the appeal, it's a fun watch, but this movie should have been a musical.

The People Under The Stairs: Great! I've been wanting to see this for a while and I'm glad that I have. The main character, Fool, is like the younger version of Walter White, brains over brawn.

The Hole (2009): More of a Horror-Comedy than a true horror. Wonderful characters and great visuals. I'm going to include this to future horror movie nights. 

[IncantatioN]

Are you gonna marathon horror movies all month, Bob? 31 days, 31 horror movies. I'm trying to accomplish it this year with a personal stipulation that they be movies I have not watched before. Probably use weekends to catch up to days I miss.

Anyone else doing something similar?

[Deci]

Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins as the man, about the filming of Psycho and his relationship with his wife. Was really cool!

[Vampire_Hunter_Bob]

Watched part of "My Amityville Horror," which is a documentary/series of interviews of the oldest son, Daniel Lutz. It focuses on his family, which was pretty bad, and their experience with the Warrens (the couple from the Conjuring).

Also, as for a horror documentary, I'm trying to find "Leviathan." The film follows a fishing crew. There are no interviews and there is no solid focus.

Are you gonna marathon horror movies all month, Bob? 31 days, 31 horror movies. I'm trying to accomplish it this year with a personal stipulation that they be movies I have not watched before. Probably use weekends to catch up to days I miss.

Anyone else doing something similar?

I wasn't thinking about it, that sounds like a pretty good challenge! I haven't been keeping up with it too much, due to my girlfriend hogging Netflix to watch Breaking Bad, but I'm sneaking in some movies. What movies have you seen?

[Deci]

Also, as for a horror documentary, I'm trying to find "Leviathan." The film follows a fishing crew. There are no interviews and there is no solid focus.

Let me know what you think about that, from what I understand it's just an artsy splash of camerawork and sound capturing of fisherman doing their job, the sea monster "Leviathan" being the boat, massacring sea creatures. Part of me is interested due to the amount of horror movie aspects there are relating to, well, really any kind of "live animal" hunting, but the bigger part of me just think it'll be boring watching guys work for a couple hours.

[IncantatioN]

Also, as for a horror documentary, I'm trying to find "Leviathan." The film follows a fishing crew. There are no interviews and there is no solid focus.

Leviathan is gritty and the visual aspect with sound is incredible. It's brutal in it's honest depiction of commercial fishing. If you can't find it, I can mail it to you ^ ^.

I wasn't thinking about it, that sounds like a pretty good challenge! I haven't been keeping up with it too much, due to my girlfriend hogging Netflix to watch Breaking Bad, but I'm sneaking in some movies. What movies have you seen?

Go for it! It's a lot of fun especially cos it's such a variety of genres within Horror or styles to try out. I haven't watched a lot of classics, so I'm trying to add those to the mix. So far -

The Asphyx - about a scientist who discovers there's usually a black blob in the pictures he takes of the dead. Further probing leads him to discovery the presence of an Asphyx that manifests itself when a living thing comes close to death, to take it's soul. The film takes off from there. Decent acting and fun idea that you don't usually get to watch in movies made these days.

Phenomena - didn't know the soundtrack was by Goblin or that Argento directed it or that Jeniffer Conelly starred in it, blind watch, extremely fulfilling. Atmospheric goodness.

Paperhouse - focuses around a girl who has dreams but when she finds out her dreams are linked to her drawings, she tries to add more to the drawing, draws a boy by the window. It's a romantic adventure or horror with pots of cheesy moments. Could've cut out the last 10/ 15 mins and it would be decent.

Witchfinder General - Vincent Price alone made me want to check this one out, he didn't disappoint in his portrayed of the General. As the title suggests it involved finding witches and/ people who believe in witchcraft and punishing them. The movie's just about decent.

Les Diaboliques - more of a thriller but only found out after watching it and it's pretty good. 

Le Campana Del Infierno - a friend recommended this to me and the only thing he said was "Watch this, the director fell from a tower on the last day of filming" ... intrigued by just that, I picked it up and it's pretty atmospheric, decent horror.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - Creepy ... really enjoyed it.

So I think from this lot I'd recommend Baby Jane, Les Diaboliques, and Phenomena.

[Griffith]

The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Did this with my fiance to see her reaction and mine after so many years, like a science experiment (she did not appreciate I had her watch movies even I don't like =). And... yep, it wasn't just perception at the time, they're still bad. Although, it didn't offend my sensibilities as much this time, and yielded some different results than I previously remembered. I always thought Episode I was the best of the bunch, the most like a real movie, and while it does benefit from having sets and other practical shit, it's a horribly choppy bore clearly made by a guy that hadn't directed a movie in over 20 years. Even more strangely, Attack of the Clones, which I previously thought was the worst, was actually the most passable. It was a bad movie, but at least it flowed like a movie and not a bunch of mandatory clips and wipes (though it's almost literally a cartoon). Revenge of the Sith was about the same, just ridiculous, and the final crapper to a failed endeavor (except where money is concerned, of course).

Anyway, one significant thing did occur to me during Episode I that should be said for Lucas, which is that these were still very influential movies for better or worse. I don't think there was such a CG heavy live action movie before Phantom Menace, and Eps I and II took it to another level. Now, it's common place, it's the norm even. So, as bad as it was for Star Wars and maybe movies in general as the sterility of the 00's set in, you can't deny Lucas' technical influence as a filmmaker; even when he's otherwise stinking it out as far as story, character, and acting goes, he's still revolutionizing the industry. Fucker.

[Walter]

Whew, Griff. This is like when I went back and listened to the 9/11 tower phone calls just "to see how it made me feel." (terrible)

Anyway, one significant thing did occur to me during Episode I that should be said for Lucas, which is that these were still very influential movies for better or worse. I don't think there was such a CG heavy live action movie before Phantom Menace, and Eps I and II took it to another level. Now, it's common place, it's the norm even. So, as bad as it was for Star Wars and maybe movies in general as the sterility of the 00's set in, you can't deny Lucas' technical influence as a filmmaker; even when he's otherwise stinking it out as far as story, character, and acting goes, he's still revolutionizing the industry. Fucker.

I think that shift was more a function of Lucasfilm having an endless pot of gold rather than any true innovation. If every studio at the time could have afforded such a "luxurious" focus on CG, they probably would have.

To me, the biggest milestone it achieved was that we're still talking about this hot garbage, more than 14 years after its release. I still recall with vivid detail the fantastic time me and my friends had leading up to the premiere—skipping class to buy advanced tickets, waiting in line to be among the first screenings, and then that sinking feeling as the disappointment slowly dawned on us.

Really, I've never had such an experience before. So thanks, George!

[Griffith]

I think that shift was more a function of Lucasfilm having an endless pot of gold rather than any true innovation. If every studio at the time could have afforded such a "luxurious" focus on CG, they probably would have.

In the following sentence I originally included this, "Episode I was... a horribly choppy bore clearly made by a guy that hadn't directed a movie in over 20 years but had limitless resources."

So yeah, that's a factor, nobody else could have done it because nobody else had that combination of money, creative credibility, and power. Though I don't hold that against him too much since he made himself that guy, innovation is innovation however it's achieved, and doing it at all was completely his prerogative. He could have just continued resting on his laurels, which might have been better for everybody, but he wanted to make insane two hour CGI Star Wars tech demos for some reason. So, credit/blame where it's due, his influence on film-making, the modern blockbuster, and the industry in general, from the original Star Wars to The Phantom Menace, cannot be escaped.

"Execute order 66."

BTW, some insight on Lucas' obsession with improving/ruining Star Wars

I sat behind Lucas at a screening of the 1977 film at the Egyptian theater once, and as he realized that the print they were showing was the original unaltered version and not a special edition, he began to sink lower and lower in his chair, his discomfort visible.  He was in physical agony by the end of the screening, and he spoke afterwards about how hard it is for him to look at that version of the film.

So yeah, I guess he's not just trolling everybody, but I never had a problem with his desire to change his movies, just his insistence on disowning and denying access to the original cuts.


Also, this revealing piece on original Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz can't be re-read enough as far as I'm concerned:

Did ‘Star Wars’ become a toy story? Producer Gary Kurtz looks back

Makes me want to see a "Revenge of the Jedi" fan edit based on his notes.

[Deci]

In regards to watching Star Wars, I'm interested in trying this, particularly with someone that has never seen any of them before:

Machete Order

It's basically watching the trilogy in Ernst Rister order (IV, V, I, II, III, VI), but with episode I removed. He does a really good job explaining how and why this works so well, here's an excerpt.

"How can you ensure that a viewing keeps the Vader reveal a surprise, while introducing young Anakin before the end of Return of the Jedi?

Simple, watch them in this order: IV, V, I, II, III, VI.

George Lucas believes that Star Wars is the story of Anakin Skywalker, but it is not. The prequels, which establish his character, are so poor at being character-driven that, if the series is about Anakin, the entire series is a failure. Anakin is not a relatable character, Luke is.

This alternative order (which a commenter has pointed out is called Ernst Rister order) inserts the prequel trilogy into the middle, allowing the series to end on the sensible ending point (the destruction of the Empire) while still beginning with Luke’s journey.

Effectively, this order keeps the story Luke’s tale. Just when Luke is left with the burning question “how did my father become Darth Vader?” we take an extended flashback to explain exactly how. Once we understand how his father turned to the dark side, we go back to the main storyline and see how Luke is able to rescue him from it and salvage the good in him.



The prequel backstory comes at the perfect time, because Empire Strikes Back ends on a huge cliffhanger. Han is in carbonite, Vader is Luke’s father, and the Empire has hit the rebellion hard. Delaying the resolution of this cliffhanger makes it all the more satisfying when Return of the Jedi is watched."

He goes into further details, like about Luke's descent into the dark side actually hitting harder because of the insertion of the prequel trilogies, and so on. Also explains removing episode I from the order in more detail,

"Name as many things as you can that happen in Episode I and actually help flesh out the story in any subsequent episode. I can only think of one thing, which I’ll mention later.

Every character established in Episode I is either killed or removed before it ends (Darth Maul, Qui-Gon, Chancellor Valorum), unimportant (Nute Gunray, Watto), or established better in a later episode (Mace Windu, Darth Sidious). Does it ever matter that Palpatine had an apprentice before Count Dooku? Nope, Darth Maul is killed by the end of Episode I and never referenced again. You may as well just start with the assumption that Dooku was the only apprentice. Does it ever matter that Obi-Wan was being trained by Qui-Gon? Nope, Obi-Wan is well into training Anakin at the start of Episode II, Qui-Gon is completely irrelevant.


Really good read, I thought.

[Aazealh]

Really good read, I thought.

Laudable effort, but defeated by the simple truth that not watching the prequels at all remains a better option.

[m]

I saw Gravity this weekend and I really enjoyed it. I'm actually a bit surprised no one has mentioned it around here (except for one mention in the Movies to look forward to thread).

[Aazealh]

I saw Gravity this weekend and I really enjoyed it. I'm actually a bit surprised no one has mentioned it around here (except for one mention in the Movies to look forward to thread).

I'd like to see it but haven't had the opportunity. Not that I post what I watch all that often anyway...

[IncantatioN]

I've been meaning to update this topic with stuff I've been watching as part of that horror movie challenge I'm trying to do, anyway there were other movies and Gravity was one of them. Watched it in IMAX 3D and to me it looked like damn good. The movie is enjoyable for any fan of sci-fi movies and it's got those long shots similar to what the director did on Children Of Men. Wasn't expecting to hear a music but it was used differently. There were a few flaws that you can catch outright - how did Sandra catch Clooney at that speed with his weight and everything into consideration and even if she caught him the way she did, she could've pulled him back, one pull and the inertia of it would carry him to her or put him in dead speed. The threat of debris depicted like that was amazing. In the end, I was expecting her to get caught in that sea-weed or get eaten by a shark haha. I think another thing that got me curious was the ease in flying other pods made by different countries, language barrier and all ... if we look at her case.

[Griffith]

Recently saw the The Hobbit, and considering I didn't have enough interest to bother with it before... I actually quite enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I think I liked it more than any of the Rings movies. Maybe it was because I was watching it in the comfort of my own bed with zero expectations (other than it would be technically well made), but it was one of the best fantasy/adventure movies I've ever seen. The fact that it's a children's book probably helped temper Jackson's penchant for the epic and vice versa, so it occupied a nice middle ground. I recently saw the Fellowship of the Ring again and there's really no comparison between the two, both in terms of special effects and directing; The Hobbit is much better (Martin Freeman is a better hobbit than anyone in the trilogy too). I'm glad Jackson got a chance to make these, even if they're unnecessarily bloated and ridiculous (pretty sure they still could have done this better in two movies), but we'll see. So far so good. Maybe I'll stay home again and wait until I can watch it from the comfort of my hobbit-hole.

[Aazealh]

Recently saw the The Hobbit, and considering I didn't have enough interest to bother with it before... I actually quite enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I think I liked it more than any of the Rings movies. Maybe it was because I was watching it in the comfort of my own bed with zero expectations (other than it would be technically well made), but it was one of the best fantasy/adventure movies I've ever seen. The fact that it's a children's book probably helped temper Jackson's penchant for the epic and vice versa, so it occupied a nice middle ground. I recently saw the Fellowship of the Ring again and there's really no comparison between the two, both in terms of special effects and directing; The Hobbit is much better (Martin Freeman is a better hobbit than anyone in the trilogy too). I'm glad Jackson got a chance to make these, even if they're unnecessarily bloated and ridiculous (pretty sure they still could have done this better in two movies), but we'll see. So far so good. Maybe I'll stay home again and wait until I can watch it from the comfort of my hobbit-hole.

That surprises me. I saw it in the theater with friends and while I had no expectations I still felt it wasn't very good. Maybe I'm just jaded.