Movies you've recently watched

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
IncantatioN said:
I'd partially agree with that but it isn't the case in all movies.

No shit. But it's not like it's specific to movies. Novels, plays, folklore are similarly affected.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
I think i already talked about The Chaser here, but that movie infuriated me to no end, because i was once again tricked by the "european sensibilities" of imdb users towards asian cinema, and had to watch that contrived mess of a movie. It's sole purpose was to have a shock ending (which is as predictable as it gets, with all the current necessity to out-grit the last thriller) and the rest felt it was directed by the asian Tony Scott.
That's why i'm not getting tricked into watching similar movies like "I Saw the Devil" or "The Man From Nowhere". "Mother" was a disappointment as well (mainly because of that directors track record), a big meh, but it was pleasing on the eyes and at least it wasn't as dumb as "The Chaser".
All of these over-hyped asian thrillers get constantly compared to masterpieces like "Memories of Murder", which is a mistake of unconceivable proportions. I dare anyone to name a better thriller to come out in the last 15y that is better than that one and Mann's "The Insider".
 
Tall request, The Insider's darn good. How about No Country For Old Men, Eastern Promises, The Man From Earth, Infernal Affairs, Minority Report, Cache, Mulholland Drive, A History of Violence, Primer, Moon ... crud, gotta get back to work.
 
I finally saw The Last King of Scotland last night. I've been meaning to see it for a long while now, as I did some volunteer work in Uganda a few years back and the people there still talk about Idi Amin, the mass killings etc. In any case, the movie scared the crap out of me and there are scenes that I'm pretty sure are going to haunt me for a long, long time.

It's quite good though-Forest Whitaker is absolutely terrifying as Amin, (he really deserved the Oscar for this one) and James McAvoy is wonderful as the young doctor.


I just feel like I need to watch some light hearted brain candy now so that I don't have nightmares for a week :serpico:
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Aazealh said:
Now wait a minute mister, don't you talk bad about The Last Boyscout! :azan:

Shane Black. :carcus:

IncantatioN said:
Tall request, The Insider's darn good. How about No Country For Old Men, Eastern Promises, The Man From Earth, Infernal Affairs, Minority Report, Cache, Mulholland Drive, A History of Violence, Primer, Moon ... crud, gotta get back to work.

You forgot Memento. :iva:
I have all the love for Mulholland Drive, but besides Infernal Affairs, i don't see the rest as being in the same genre, and not even in the same ballpark in terms of quality, but well that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Cache had an interesting premise (slightly borrowed from Lost Highway), but failed to deliver as a whole. Haneke will always be too pretentious for his own good. Still, he has moments of genius in all of his movies.
 
Griffith said:
Star Trek Into Darkness... indeed. SPOILERIFIC discussion ahead. Don't read if you want to go in fresh and untainted for the experience.
Walter said:
Just got back from Star Trek: Into Darkness. Very disappointed.
The movie is not yet available in my country. I am not going to read the rest of your posts, but i am so sad to see that you guys didn't like the movie.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Joe Chip said:
The movie is not yet available in my country. I am not going to read the rest of your posts, but i am so sad to see that you guys didn't like the movie.

Get used to it around these parts.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Johnstantine said:
Get used to it around these parts.

Like my pappy used to tell me, if you don't have anything bad to say, don't say anything at all. :guts:

What did you think of Into Darkness Johnstantine? I know you were looking forward to it but I see a review comment beyond your spoiler save (hope that didn't get you). I enjoyed it as a popcorn movie and some of the cheesy stuff was fun, but it wasn't nearly as sharp as the last one and as a fan of TOS it was pretty blasphemous too.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Walter said:
He should get used to shitty movies?

Sure, why not.

Griffith said:
Like my pappy used to tell me, if you don't have anything bad to say, don't say anything at all. :guts:

What did you think of Into Darkness Johnstantine? I know you were looking forward to it but I see a review comment beyond your spoiler save (hope that didn't get you). I enjoyed it as a popcorn movie and some of the cheesy stuff was fun, but it wasn't nearly as sharp as the last one and as a fan of TOS it was pretty blasphemous too.

I loved TOS, but in no way did I ever feel the need to compare this to that. That would be silly, ya know?

As for the movie, I really enjoyed it. But, then again, I didn't go in expecting it to be world-moving.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Johnstantine said:
I loved TOS, but in no way did I ever feel the need to compare this to that. That would be silly, ya know?

I don't see what's silly about comparing it to what it's purportedly portraying, which it's directly referencing and recycling popular elements from, including story lines and dialogue. It's silly to suggest one wouldn't. If the filmmakers didn't want or intend that then they wouldn't have capitalized on Kirk and Spock and all the things that inherently invite or demand comparison in the first place. Anyway, if comparing it to the original and enjoying it are mutually exclusive, then something is wrong. It certainly didn't stop me from appreciating their last attempt.

Johnstantine said:
As for the movie, I really enjoyed it. But, then again, I didn't go in expecting it to be world-moving.

Forget world-moving, how about just not mishandling the series' most famous villain (Abrams going too far to emulate Lucas =). I enjoyed the ride, but I could also see how rickety it was.

That Big Star Trek Into Darkness Reveal Wasn’t The Original Plan, According To The Writers

And I you could tell while watching it.
 
NightCrawler said:
You forgot Memento. :iva:

I have all the love for Mulholland Drive, but besides Infernal Affairs, i don't see the rest as being in the same genre, and not even in the same ballpark in terms of quality, but well that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Cache had an interesting premise (slightly borrowed from Lost Highway), but failed to deliver as a whole. Haneke will always be too pretentious for his own good. Still, he has moments of genius in all of his movies.

Yeah, I had to jet and couldn't really think of all movies that could fit as Thrillers heh but I only listed random flicks with the range of Dramas or Sci-Fi or whatever. What I'm really glad about it seeing a post from you and discussing stuff cos you're a bit of a hermit! I'd love to read your thoughts on movies you watch.

jim-sturgess_The_Best_Offer_prod_still_002.jpg


Over the weekend I checked out The Best Offer, 6.5/10. Good soundtrack (classical music) throughout the movie and it follows the story of Geoffrey Rush, a very peculiar picky auctioneer who under the surface is someone who lies about the value of paintings & to-be auctioned antiques and gets his friend - Donald Sutherland to buy them at a lower price when they're really worth much more. He gets involved with an unusual collector to prepare a catalog for items to be auctioned from an old house.
 

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
Recently watched the new Star Trek and can basically just follow suit with what's already said. Disappointing, not as good as the first, was still fun though, etc.

Pretty sure Abrams said he's done with Star Trek anyway, so I'm interested to see where it'll go from here. OH, HERE'S AN IDEA! REBOOT! I joke but I actually had a thought the other day about them rebooting The Next Generation, and ..... ya no, I sincerely hope they don't do that ever.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Got to see an early screening of Man of Steel last night. I really enjoyed it, except for when
Superman kills Zod. It goes against the very principles the character has founded since his conception
.

Visually stunning with a great first and second act, followed by an all-out amazing third one.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
If a movie isn't even out yet, I think maybe you should try to talk around the spoilers rather than relying on the tag. Otherwise half your post becomes useless to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Just my opinion, not a rule or anything.
 
Jealous you got to see it already, I've been waiting too long for it. Skipped seeing any promo's or the 2nd or 3rd trailers. What sort of score would you give the movie overall considering the visual, sound and story aspect? They're working on the sequel and Snyder's on board for that as well. Win on cinematography?

croupier-5.jpg


Croupier is pretty amazing for one - being a good thriller and two - being a movie I'd never even heard of. Owen'c character (Jack) is a burnt-out writer who's unemployed, living with his girlfriend when he gets a call from his father to go for an interview he set up at a local casino. The job works well for Jack because he gains inspiration for characters in the book he recently commenced writing but things get compromised when he gets breaks the casino's rule and gets himself uniquely involved with a good looking female gambler. You hear Jack narrate his thoughts or reflections at almost every scene/ situation which adds depth to his character. 8/10.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
frankencowx said:
Man of Steel has a lower rating on rotten than Superman Returns..
It's sitting at 68% now, and it's not out yet. I think a 50% rating is perfectly acceptable for a movie, particularly with how Rotten Tomatoes uses scoring (hit or miss). I've always felt that a good movie polarizes opinions.

That being said, this is a popcorn flick, not Kubert :ganishka:
 
Johnstantine said:
Critics love to hate Zack Snyder.

He should stick to making trailers. Trailers for his movie raise the hairs on my spine. The movies themselves.. do not.

IncantatioN said:
John, are there slow motion sequences like you get to see in Snyder's other movies?

I hate that shit. I always felt that if 300 was played at a normal speed, it would be 30 minutes long.
 
frankencowx said:
I hate that shit. I always felt that if 300 was played at a normal speed, it would be 30 minutes long.

Zack uses it a lot during fight sequences and as a viewer, it either tells me I'm not smart enough to understand what went down or that it's a pretty important part of the fight (not the case if it's used all the time). I'm sure there's a huge audience that loves a lot of slo-mo so we'd be in the minority.

Johnstantine said:
What do you think?

Goddamnit =_=' ... I know what that means.

tumblr_mddk8zomIj1rkt1w2o1_1280.jpg


Last night I checked out a fellow member's recommendation - The Sylvian Experiments (or Kyofu). It's starts off pretty promising with a sort of unusual plot - two doctor's are home watching a 16 mm movie about manipulating the sylvian fissure in the brain of humans. There's a white light at the end of the film and that's when they notice their young daughters standing behind them, watching the light with them. The doctor's continue to experiment on suicide victims but things get complicated when one of the daughters commits suicide and becomes a patient of this experiment. There's a sort of profound meaning to the end result of the film but it's kinda puzzling, not very well executed and best not to ask too many questions about it. Overall, I like the fact that it isn't a run-of-the-mill Japanese horror story or full of shock-scenes, instead it's got decent atmosphere. Enjoyed it. 6/10.
 

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
Just got back from Man of Steel in 3D. I was very much pleased, I actually didn't notice any slow-mo, so not sure what scenes you're referring to Johnstantine... when he falls away from the spaceship in orbit? I think he was just pushing off toward Earth dramatically, as opposed to any motion being slowed down.

Anyway, I approve of the changes made to the character and his backstory. They weren't too liberal with it, to the point of pretension, but did enough to leave an air of unexpectancy in the plot, which was cool. The fight scenes (particularly with Faora and the other henchman vs Superman and the military) were incredibly entertaining. Faora is probably coming out as my favorite character - she had all the best one-liners and shit. Zod was more than amusing, at points to the degree that he seem a bit miscast, but I enjoy Michael Shannon enough to let these slide across as very minor, in my opinion.

From a story perspective it plays out as an Alien Invasion movie as much or more so than a Superhero movie. I liked that angle a lot, and it played into the character perspective they went with Clark being torn with always trying to help people but having to remain a secret because he was, in fact, an alien whom the people would most likely reject. The childhood scenes can seem as though it was going for an emotional pull standpoint, but just short of making me nauseous with the cliche mommy/daddy-knows-best side of it. To me, it seemed they played this angle mostly right, except
for him not saving his father, I felt that he would've ignored his fathers wishes, if for no other reason so that his mother wouldn't lose her husband
. He did enough revealing saves that I didn't understand that one, though the point is driven home that he
was abiding to his fathers wishes
well enough. I just disagreed with how that played out. Sorta silly.

That's really my only complaint though, even some of the ridiculous yelling parts were just fine with me. Probably because I've seen enough yelling scenes in other movies that are so much worse, though a by-comparison is usually a terrible way to give a pass. This is a Superman movie for chrissakes, I expected it to be a lot more boring, even with Snyder directing.

Keep in mind I've enjoyed all of Snyder's work, even Sucker Punch (I just took as it was intended, as one big FPS junkie/anime nerd's fantasy), so that plays some part. I also like the "darker tone" in movies. Period.

I say even to the biggest Snyder/comic book hero critics out there, it's worth the price of admission to draw a conclusion. I doubt anyone will feel like they wasted money on this one. That's a pretty big endorsement on these boards! :griffnotevil:
 
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