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Post by UncleJager on Jul 12, 2007 9:19:15 GMT -5
I can't say that I liked this movie as much as I enjoyed 300= but it was still worth the admission price for the ticket. My suggestion is if you have a IMAX - go there- it is proably even better on a bigger screen. Imax was our first thought as well, but strangely enough there is no Imax version of Transformers...go figure? It's been so long but i think some of the Autobots were just generic car shapes, except of Bubblebee and Optimus I can't remember if any of the rest were a specific car.
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Post by UncleJager on Aug 9, 2007 8:28:00 GMT -5
Pathfinder One of those films that seems interesting on paper, but the lack of story/acting just really ruined it. The basics: A viking boy with a soft heart for Indian children is disowned and left alone in the new world, he is raised by the Indians ( seems like a story you have read/seen many times before) Vikings comeback to raid some more, 15 years later, but our Vik-Indian hero fights them to protect 'his people'. Many things are wrong with this film, manly that the plot is not given enough of a chance to develop and I had a hard time wanting to care for the characters. The film did nothing to advance the sword fighting movie genre. If you want to see Vikings I would recommend watching 13th Warrior.
Host I am not sure what the host part of the plot was in this Korean monster flik. I was also unsure if this was a genuine monster movie or a satire of one (a-la Shawn of the dead). Like many films these days the general message of this film was about pollution which is this case creates a mutant 'thingie' which is battled by a family of possibly the biggest idiots in recent history. I don't mean idiots like "let's go and poke this giant monster we just 'knocked out' with a 2x4" but people whom the film painstakingly emphasized were bumbling and possibly 'slow'. Or maybe they reacted like normal people would and we have been so skewed by films that they seemed retarded? None the less the film was entertainingly strange.
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Post by T. Miller on Aug 9, 2007 12:54:59 GMT -5
It's been so long but i think some of the Autobots were just generic car shapes, except of Bubblebee and Optimus I can't remember if any of the rest were a specific car. Nope, every one of them was a pimped out product placement.
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Post by Sucosa on Aug 10, 2007 10:40:04 GMT -5
Transformers was sponsored by General Motors- was not a surprise. I was thrown off by the "all Spark" aka the energon cube wanna be! Just not true to the cartoon but it was still a good action movie. The Simpsons rocked. I want to see it again to see all the stuff I may have missed the first time, but that was well worth the admission price to see it on the big screen
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LEGION
Canonised Regular Joe
Posts: 189
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Post by LEGION on Aug 10, 2007 19:43:56 GMT -5
Yeah thats what i was umm..huh...i forgot what i was gonna say..odd.
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Post by UncleJager on Aug 18, 2007 0:38:52 GMT -5
Renaissance Paris 2054 A film I picked up because of its cover, with is traditional Graphic Novel blak and white. Not tottaly evident from the cover box, but this film takes the Sin City style to the extreme, the entire film is in two colors black and white, with absolutly no shades of grey. There is only about 1/2 a minute of color in the hour and a half plus film. The story like many graphic novels revolves around crime fighting, and the plot borrows heavily both visualy and storywise from graphic novels, and neo-punk, neo-noir anf film noir. My only gripe with the film was the faces where sometimes hard to tell apart, especialy in fast scenes and the style doesn't lend itself well to showing emotions. The film is also rather slow for a futuristic crime fighting film much like Blade Runner, but the plot is all there with no obvious giant holes.
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Post by Sucosa on Sept 5, 2007 14:18:30 GMT -5
If anyone read my myspace or live Journal reveiw- skip this:
We did watch a movie called "the covenant" last night- it was one of those teenage "horror" movies- this was not even remotely scary at all. I was so let down because the previews made it look pretty good, but apparently it was one of those movies where all the good scenes were in the trailers. The only remotely scary thing was what they called a "darkling" which looked like special effects borrowed from another disappointment in film, "White Noise". I was glad I DVR'ed this one because if I had actually paid good money to rent this POS I would have been mad. The only redeeming Quality the movie might have had is a good looking cast, despite their acting being mediocre at best. lesson Learned- If you want to see a horror movie- see a horror movie, anything " I know what you did last summer-ish" you better by pass- there is no good horror there to be found.
Official Reveiw/Synopsis:
Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2, DEEP BLUE SEA) directs this supernatural thriller about descendants of powerful New England families. The sons of Ipswich are legendary at Spenser Academy, the local boarding school. Handsome and popular, these four teenage friends can trace their roots to the founding families of the Ipswich Colony, settled in the late 1600s. For years these Massachusetts families have harbored the secret that they possess supernatural powers. Their descendants--Caleb (Steven Strait), Reid (Toby Hemingway), Tyler (Chace Crawford), and Pogue (Taylor Kitsch)--have inherited magical powers that first manifested themselves when the boys turned 13 years old. In a nutshell, they can do anything. As they approach their 18th birthdays, they are preparing to "ascend," which means their powers will grow stronger. The downside? The magic is seductive and addictive, and causes premature aging with each use.
Ringleader Caleb tries to keep his friends from using magic recklessly, but as the school year begins, strange events and a strong gut instinct convince Caleb that someone is using very powerful magic. Meanwhile, Caleb is exploring his newfound affection for transfer student Sarah (Laura Ramsey). To Caleb’s dismay, Sarah becomes a pawn in a power struggle with a descendant of the fifth founding family of Ipswich, a line thought to be lost during Salem’s witch trials. Is Caleb strong enough to maintain his power and keep his family and friends safe, or will he yield to this new threat and sacrifice himself? The film draws interesting parallels between the luring, addictive power of magic and the addictions real teenagers face. The sufficiently creepy setting echoes New England and sets the stage for supernatural phenomena. THE COVENANT also stars Sebastian Stan as Chase Collins, a wealthy newcomer to Spenser, and Jessica Lucas as Kate, Sarah’s roommate and Pogue’s girlfriend.
Meh... Pretty disappointing for the people who came up with Underworld. I want my hour and 41 minutes back.
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Post by T. Miller on Sept 6, 2007 12:37:59 GMT -5
I saw "Invasion" - Nicole still looks like a Bobble-head Barbie, and it was as mediocre as expected as far as acting and plot development go, but I did like how the infected people were handled in the film.
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Post by Sucosa on Sept 17, 2007 7:11:17 GMT -5
Hoorah! We saw some movies this weekend- If you have read my blog, this is a cut and paste, so move along! for those who have not- here you go:
Blades of Glory is hilarious- Hilarious in a stupid sort of way. For those who don't care for Will Ferrell's type of comedy- you would hate it, but for those who do just enjoy a movie that doesn't take a lot of deep thought ( meaning if you are into dick and fart jokes) it's for you.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse- LOTS of Zombie fun here!! Zombie kids, Zombie Dogs, and Zombie adults running a muck through the streets of Raccoon city due to Umbrella corporations bad decisions. Was it scary as the orginal Resident Evil? No. But it was a thrill ride to watch. I am looking forward to Resident Evil Extinction if it is as good as this one was.
And Finally....Stardust. I am a Neil Gaiman fan totally and I will say that this movie did not disappoint me in the least. This is one of those movies you can get lost in. A story about a magical world where witches, warlocks, and royal family antics rule along with some idealistic romance thrown in for good measure. Well worth the admission price and something I will be owning when it comes out on video. A real must see.
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Post by Sucosa on Oct 16, 2007 8:30:04 GMT -5
( cut and pasted from my blog for laziness)
In the midst of my recovering we have been watching movies like nothing else- so to make the time worth it, Here are some reviews:
Blood and Chocolate
The Synopsis-credit Rottentomatoes.com: A good-looking pack of werewolves that has ruled Bucharest for 5,000 years becomes threatened when one among them begins to question the traditions they have adhered to over the centuries. Vivian (Agnes Bruckner, DREAMLAND) is a teenage werewolf whose destiny has been tied to her pack since she was orphaned at a young age. The pack's menacing leader, Gabriel (Olivier Martinez, BEFORE NIGHT FALLS), has designs on Vivian, and hopes to make her his next wife, while the rest of Vivian's "family" keeps a close watch on her every move. This makes things difficult when Vivian, against her better judgment, begins a tentative relationship with Aiden (Hugh Dancy, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB), a graphic artist who has come to the city to study the mythical loup-garou for his next book. Vivian tries to keep her growing love a secret, but when Gabriel discovers that she has feelings for a human, he sets off a chain of events that threaten to destroy the pack--or change its bloodthirsty ways. Vivian and the extraordinary Aiden--who manages to outwit the loup-garou in ways they never thought possible--are forced to go on the run, but they must eventually face Vivian’s pack in a confrontation that forces all to examine what keeps man and beast constantly at war. The film’s setting in moody, beautifully dilapidated Bucharest adds an air of mystery that the special effects struggle to match. Hugh Dancy is a charmer, and the tale is a mixture of Gothic myth and teenage romance that will appeal to fans of UNDERWORLD and THE CROW.
My View: I was excited about this one when I first saw the preview's- but when It flopped in theaters I figured I could wait to see it. It was better than what the critics said, I thought, but still kind of a mediocre movie. The scenery was nice- Romania, but the concepts of the werewolves hunting I thought was skewed a bit and the CGI did look really cheap. Otherwise it had a nice romantic plot where girl is mythical creature that tries to save unknowing boyfriend from certain death by her own kind and the ending is left wide open for a sequel. It has all been done before though- all based on a formula these days and from this movie you can see that clearly. This was adapted from a book- I would suggest maybe the book would be better, but it was entertaining if there isn't anything else to watch.
Knocked Up: The Synopsis-credit Rottentomatoes.com: Katherine Heigl (GREY'S ANATOMY) and Seth Rogan star in this hilarious and touching comedy as two mismatched people brought together by a one-night-stand that results in an accidental pregnancy. Using many of the same actors from his previous film, THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, and his cult television series' UNDECLARED and FREAKS AND GEEKS, director Judd Apatow once again finds fresh humor in relationships and sex. Young, bright, and talented, Alison (Heigl) has everything going for her. After being promoted to an on-camera role at E! Television, Alison goes out to celebrate with her older sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann). Not long into the evening Debbie is called home to her kids, leaving Alison in the eager company of charming slacker Ben (Rogen). In the dark of the nightclub and in the ensuing drunk hours, Ben seems like a great guy. But in the sober light of day, Alison quickly discovers the man in her bed is nothing more than an overgrown child with no job, no money, and the social habits of a teenager. Brushing him off politely as a one-time affair, Alison goes on with her life, until two months later she realizes that the unthinkable has happened.
Apatow establishes the differences between his protagonists early in the film, bringing their contrasting worlds to life with stellar performances by secondary characters. Paul Rudd has never been better in his role as Alison's bitter brother-in-law, whose somewhat dysfunctional marriage to Alison's feisty but insecure sister unfolds in parallel to Alison and Ben's story. Meanwhile, Ben's home resembles a frat house, and his friends (Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, and Martin Starr), while hilarious, are hardly role models. KNOCKED UP will have audiences cracking up from start to finish, and it also deals with some serious issues about commitment, life choices, and becoming an adult. The film asks universal questions in a sweet and touching way, achieving a sad humor that distinguishes it from other films of its genre.
My thoughts: Pretty damn funny and has a few moments of reality for any of us who have ever been in shoes of a parent to be. I would definately reccomend it.
Death Proof: The Synopsis-credit Rottentomatoes.com: Master director Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION) indulges his inner fanboy by paying homage to his favorite B-movies in DEATH PROOF. Stunt man Mike (Kurt Russell) stalks beautiful women with his deadly vintage car, but when he picks a trio of tough girls (Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, and Zoe Bell), he learns they aren’t such easy prey. As with any Tarantino film, there are plenty of nods to pop culture. Most of the scenes are deliberately short on plot development, the dialogue comes thick and fast throughout, and the film stock is often cleverly manipulated to perfectly replicate the B-movie aesthetic. DEATH PROOF was originally released as part of the GRINDHOUSE double feature with Robert Rodriguez's PLANET TERROR.
My thoughts: I thought over all Death Proof was pretty good. The intention hits the mark with the B movie replica down to the scratches in the film and sudden black and white shots. The part that I didn't get was the first murders that stunt man Mike does is to a bunch of girls in Texas were the scene was set to look like a seedy bar in the 70's- 70's music, some of the cars, ect- but one of the main characters is texting on her nokia and there are newer model cars in the backgrounds. It gave it a muddled feeling of time- but maybe that was the intention. It was neat to see how methodical Stunt man mike was in stalking these girls and then not looking like such a threat to them, even offering another girl a ride home and explaining why his car has a roll cage and no seat. Then he was a funny guy for a killer. The best part is in the end really- but I'll leave you to see that. It definitely is a Tarantino film.
Ok enough boring movie reviews. Have a great day everyone!
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Post by UncleJager on Oct 16, 2007 12:14:15 GMT -5
The part that I didn't get was the first murders that stunt man Mike does is to a bunch of girls in Texas were the scene was set to look like a seedy bar in the 70's- 70's music, some of the cars, ect- but one of the main characters is texting on her nokia and there are newer model cars in the backgrounds. It gave it a muddled feeling of time- but maybe that was the intention. ! Since Spooks is such a B-movie buff I will leave her room to give thoughts on this. I will just say....think old timesy vampire movie villager wearing a watch.
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Post by UncleJager on Dec 6, 2007 10:05:23 GMT -5
It's been awhile since I got a new release from netflix that I knew nothing about that actually turned out good. Last night I watched Public Enemy a Korean 'hard-boiled' cop movie about a crocked cop with a concence who battles against a sadistic killer. For some reason some of the characters were given a Southern/Cowboy twang to their english voices so I watched the entire thing in Korean with subtitles. There is a lot of sarcasm and word play in the dialogue (think sorta American film noir/hard-boiled ditective book film lines but in Korean), as well as a fair amount of physical humour aka slaps to the head, which seems to be common in alot of asian films across the board. The main character is by no means a good cop, he gets involved in the main crime in the film cause he has diareah and is forced to take refuge in an alley. He is also quite short tempered which gets him in alot of trouble. I was not overly impressed with the film, I would not say it's the best thing since sliced bread, but as far as gritty cop movies go this one has a different slant to the old formula. 3.5 out of 5
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Kratos
Canonised Regular Joe
Posts: 166
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Post by Kratos on Dec 12, 2007 8:56:11 GMT -5
the other night we tried to watch PERFECT BLUE on ifc or fuse or something like that. idk what it was but the story just didn't pull me in much. maybe it was because of comercial breaks or what but i just did feel compelled to watch the entire thing. the animation is rough looking and the voices were awful i thought. i did however dvr the movie and will attempt to watch it again later.
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Post by UncleJager on Feb 22, 2008 11:50:14 GMT -5
In recent times I have watched several movies of various caliber. Child Of Man There has been plenty of hype about this movie but I found it to be and average 'how humanity is going to fuck up' movie. The best quality in the film was the shot lengths something that is highlighted in the extras on the disc. Some films strive for long takes but in doing so simplify the character interaction, scene action etc, however Child Of Man did no such thing instead they practiced and practiced to create two extra ordinarily long shots that were as full as most other films' using short takes. The story itself was interesting enough but I never really felt drawn in and was wishing in some parts for something to happen. Maybe I need a second viewing to see if I missed anything. Fires On The Plains A Japanese WWII film made in 1959 originally titled Obi. The entire film takes place in the Philippines '45 as the Japanese army is being pushed back and soldiers are low on supplies mostly food. The main character is a lowly infantry man who is Suffering from TB (which seems at inconsistent levels through out the film) He is constantly bounced back and forth between his unit and the hospital which will not take him since he can walk and they need to only treat the 'truly' injured. On one such trip his unit is bombed and he escapes into the hills before finally joining his comrades on a long march back to some base to be pulled off the island. Their march is intermixed with bombing and strafing runs as well as soldiers dying of starvation. He meets two soldiers who are trying to sell tobacco leaves for food. One guy is the seller the other is an injured soldier who is the keeper of the leaves. After a disastrous road crossing the main character is lost again and ends up wondering around foraging for food and meeting scattered soldiers who are in various states of sanity and starvation. He finally meets up with the two tobacco sellers who are bogged down in a valley and have survived on eating 'monkey' meat. Which of course turns out to be other soldiers . The film ends with one of the most unsettling scenes involving an Asian man... we close with a starved man black/hollowed eyed with black blood streaming from his face. Something about him is very creepy! Lady Snowblood Based on a manga of the same name. This is a mid-70s (filmed) Japanese vengeance story about a girl born to avenge her family. The plot of the film is partially accurate to the manga but some of the major plot elements are different and the timeline is also significantly altered. Many would agree that Lady Snowblood was a major influence on Kill-Bill although the former is less stylized. I would suspect to meet broadcast laws much of the extreme sexual violence of the book is also removed from the film. Overall a very good film for what I suspect is a low budget and working with material that is hard to convert to film. There is a sequel which I expect has no connection to the manga since its story is wrapped up within the first movie.
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Post by UncleJager on Mar 19, 2008 10:51:45 GMT -5
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade A love story wrapped in a Japanese wire-fu, sword play action film. Unlike some films in this genra that I have seen recently, Azumi comes to mind, this film has not just entertainment but has a plot that was without major holes and was engaging, not just filler btw fights. I do not want to give too much of the plot away since this film is easily rentable at Blockbuster stores. Basics: Japan is in a time of peace in about 1620 thus it has no use for the Shinobi, who are tribes of men/women hidden in the mountains (think Naturo) who have special matial arts skills/techniques that the average human can never posses. There are now only two villages of Shinobi and they are sworn enemies, often choosing/joining sides in national/regonal battles depending on which their enemy village is on. However, in this time of peace the emperor to whom both sides are loyal has ordered a peace treaty between the villages that has been active for 400yr. The government/emperor fears the Shinobi because of their awsome power and has secretly devised a plan, which sets the two villages at war once again. This comes at a time when the two villages' chiefs' grandchildren have fallen in love and are secretly wanting to marry. The oncoming battle forces the lovers apart and causes them to pottentialy have to kill one another as both become chiefs to their people. Each village has different techniques and have outstanding warriors each with special attacks (think Ninja Scrolls, Naturo although their is sadly no giant rock warriors). The film's action is combination wire-fu and digital fx but suprisingly there is a distinct lack of fountains of blood. The digiatl fx are quite impressive but not really on the level of large scale hollywood, chinese films. Very much along the lines of the sudden obviously 3d sequence in the middle of an otherwise traditional anime If you are in a mood to watch a Japanese live action anime this would be a good choice. There is no english bub available so you have to read, not that that's a problem for anyone.
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