rate the last movie you saw

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Eric Paddon
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#511 Post by Eric Paddon »

Matango (1963) 7.5 of 10. One of the lesser known Toho sci-fi films that relies on horror rather than giant monster stuff though it's not too far removed from the genre. Once one gets past the amusing similarities to "Gilligan's Island" of a group of shipwrecked castaways that include a skipper, a sailor, a professor, a Ginger type and a Mary Anne type (even though this was made several years earlier!) it's a really scary affair with mysterious mushrooms leading to some horrific results.

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#512 Post by Paul MacLean »

I watched Angel Heart again the other night. Hadn't seen it in many years.

I really haven't liked any of the other of Alan Parker films that I have seen, but this was an extremely well-written thriller/mystery, and beautifully rendered as well. It's surprising that a film with so many abstract and ambiguous scenes was permitted a mainstream theatrical release in the era of Top Gun and Dirty Dancing.

Michael Seresin's photography for this film is some of the best of the 80s, and Trevor Jones' music enshrouds the film in an aura of unease and a sultry "film noir" flavor, (although it is a little more "atmospheric" and less "dramatic" than I would have liked -- Parker uses the score almost like library music; it doesn't seem tailored to specific scenes).

The film is also gratuitous -- and probably needlessly so. It could have as effectively built the same atmosphere of suspense and creepiness without the excessive gore and sex (although the sex scene in which the rain turns to blood is quite arresting, but not easy to watch, especially as originally edited).

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AndyDursin
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#513 Post by AndyDursin »

INCEPTION 7.5/10

Very solid, visually impressive, stylish and entertaining -- though overall a bit bogged down in its own "mythos" so to speak and, ultimately, for me a little too redundant, with gobs of great looking action that became just a bit tedious after a while. (At one point I thought the dialogue resembled a FAQ for a piece of electronics equipment, it was so dense!). And the last shot was just totally predictable, I figured it would end on a "Total Recall"-like kind of ambiguous blackout and it did.

On the flip side, the visuals were impressive, and Ellen Page is adorable as always, so I liked it. Didn't love it, but respected it. In a summer filled with not much else it's no surprise it's doing well, but I do think there's been a tendency to overrate it simply because there's nothing else out there.

mkaroly
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#514 Post by mkaroly »

THE ONLY SON (1936): 9/10. One of Ozu's "darker" films (and his first talkie), this film is about a sacrificing mother whose son doesn't quite end up being the "great man" she had hoped her sacrifices would inspire him to do. Touching and moving and somewhat depressing, Ozu once again delivers the goods in his own inimitable style. While I didn't find it to be as emotionally moving as LATE SPRING or TOKYO STORY, it is still, a very solid film.

mkaroly
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#515 Post by mkaroly »

THE GHOST WRITER (2010): 4/10. I admit that I was interested to see how everything wrapped up, but three things really bothered me about it. First, by the middle of the film you could tell who was behind everything. Second, Kim Cattral cannot act worth a crap. Her British accent sounded strong early but faded into obscurity by the end of the movie...why she gets acting jobs outside of Sex and the City (which is about her level) is beyond me. Third, the dialogue was so banal and just plain bad throughout most of the film. The conversations were dull, and honestly it sounded like B-movie dialogue in a movie with A-list actors. **SPOILER AHEAD**I didn't read too deeply into subtext as my mind was dulled by the bad dialogue, but at one point it turned sort of towards a JFK thing (with the gunman) and I just rolled my eyes. Disappointing on several levels, especially since there several good actors in the film.

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AndyDursin
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#516 Post by AndyDursin »

THE EXPENDABLES - 8/10

After reading some of the reviews I was a bit worried this wouldn't deliver, but fortunately my fears evaporated after a few minutes of this ridiculously good-natured, over-the-top action vehicle which coasts along on the goodwill of the cast and more of Stallone's muscular action helming. Sure, there's too much shaky cam which renders some of the fight choreography hard to comprehend, Brian Tyler's music is too much (it's not bad, there's just too much of it), and yes, the 103 minute run time (like RAMBO) is cut too tight -- I'm guessing there will be more on the video release to beef up the story.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the picture; the insane amount of fisticuffs; the humor; and very much the chemistry between Stallone and Statham, who seemed more relaxed in this movie than anything I've seen him in before.

Very entertaining -- even my wife liked it. So there, Julia Roberts!!

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#517 Post by Paul MacLean »

No one's added to this thread in almost three months? Aren't you guys watching movies?

Anyway...

I inaugurated my new 42" screen by watching the Blu-ray of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood last night.

Ridley Scott is my hero, and certainly my favorite living film director, and I feel bad saying this, but the whole film felt very perfunctory. Scott reinvented the the entire style of movies more than once in his career, with Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

But Robin Hood's visual style doesn't really offer anything new, and the film looks like someone trying to imitate Ridley Scott, and features the same hand-held camera work and "strobing shutter" effect we saw in Gladiator (though Robin Hood is a less stylized film overall). Beyond that, there have been so many Robin Hood movies that, despite some alterations to the story, the script really didn't seem like anything new. And coupled with a visual style that likewise didn't offer anything new, I was mostly left feeling like "What was the point of this movie?"

I do commend Russell Crowe, who handled the physical aspects of the role convincingly (and his accent was flawless), but at the same I felt the characterization was something I'd seen before in Gladiator. Cate Blanchett was good, but it was hard not to wish that Sienna Miller had played the role...

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The score was not very good, and why do Robin and Marian dance to the tune "Women of Ireland" (especially in an arrangement with decidedly modern harmonies)?

I also found the film slow-moving -- even the action scenes lacked energy. But the bottom line is I was never emotionally drawn-in to this movie. I love medieval history, and am always up for a Robin Hood adventure, but this one didn't deliver for me.

The best Robin Hood is still Errol Flynn (and the best Robin Hood score is still Korngold's)!

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Last edited by Paul MacLean on Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

mkaroly
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#518 Post by mkaroly »

I have no time to watch movies right now...I've felt bad that I can't contribute to this thread. However, one I get the new TV and BR player I plan on watching the Alien movies and soaking it all in.

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Monterey Jack
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#519 Post by Monterey Jack »

Hereafter (2010): 5/10

Sleepy drama has little if anything new to say about what might lie Beyond (hell, Eastwood had more eloquent things to say about death and loss in his Amazing Stories episode "Vanessa In The Garden" 25 years ago), and the Crash/Babel "unrelated storylines that interconnect in a contrived way in the last act" screenwriting tool has gotten really old by this point. There's a legitimately spectacular opening with a terrifying tsunami sequence that puts all of those "disaster porn" movies from Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay to shame, but it seems like a lot of effort for little dramatic payoff (Cecelie de France's character could have just slipped on the sidewalk and gotten a knock on the head and had roughly the same near-death experience). All-in-all, one of Eastwood's weaker recent films (although not as bad as Changeling).

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#520 Post by Paul MacLean »

Finally gave Slumdog Millionaire a look last night.

A very captivating story and well-acted, well-made film. Obviously done on a fairly low-budget, and shot on video but it looks great (Danny Boyle obviously decided to use a better camera than he did on 28 Days Later!).

In some ways the film bothered me, because at the outset it gives you a very gut-wrenching look at the deplorable conditions in which the very poor have to live in India. However much of the film is so far-fetched and fanciful that it almost cheapens whatever statement it is making about poverty (nevertheless it is very watchable and dramatically satisfying overall).

mkaroly
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#521 Post by mkaroly »

THE COWBOYS (1971) - 9/10. I have been hard on John Wayne in the past, but after watching this film (and a few others, like THE SEARCHERS) I have to admit that he's not as bad as I thought he was. There is a lot of really good acting in this film, and Rydell's coming of age movie, like THE REIVERS, just really hit me. I was very entertained from start to finish, and Wayne's presence and acting (especially in the final scene) was very moving. Bruce Dern was extremely convincing as the bad guy and probably scared that kid half to death who he dunked under the water. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I was really impressed and moved with this film; I thoroughly liked Williams' score and will enjoy it more on further listenings now that I have the visuals to match things up with. Good acting, good music, and good cinematography make this film....good! :)

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AndyDursin
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#522 Post by AndyDursin »

Great Williams score Michael, I agree!

Good movie as well. Rydell's "country" films like THE REIVERS, COWBOYS and THE RIVER are all excellent (with terrific Williams scores in them all)

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Coriolanus Quince
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#523 Post by Coriolanus Quince »

Iron Man 2. Fairly uninvolving, formulaic superhero flick. Better score than than first one though, that's for sure!

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AndyDursin
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#524 Post by AndyDursin »

Monterey Jack wrote:Hereafter (2010): 5/10

Sleepy drama has little if anything new to say about what might lie Beyond (hell, Eastwood had more eloquent things to say about death and loss in his Amazing Stories episode "Vanessa In The Garden" 25 years ago), and the Crash/Babel "unrelated storylines that interconnect in a contrived way in the last act" screenwriting tool has gotten really old by this point. There's a legitimately spectacular opening with a terrifying tsunami sequence that puts all of those "disaster porn" movies from Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay to shame, but it seems like a lot of effort for little dramatic payoff (Cecelie de France's character could have just slipped on the sidewalk and gotten a knock on the head and had roughly the same near-death experience). All-in-all, one of Eastwood's weaker recent films (although not as bad as Changeling).
Some of Clint's movies definitely qualify as "Sleepy." This one, which I haven't seen, basically died a quick death at the box-office and has already been forgotten...

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Monterey Jack
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#525 Post by Monterey Jack »

Jonah Hex (2010): .5/10

Not since Superman IV: The Quest For Peace have I seen such an ineptly-edited movie. And can anyone justify the national obsession with Megan Fox? :? Disgusting, and so skinny she makes Vampira look like Kathy Bates. :shock:

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