movies What's the last film you watched? And rate it!

I just saw Warrior last night. A solid 9/10!

There were a few editorial issues that made me sigh hard (like the split/screen training montage), but all in all the directing was solid and the actors were incredible. Tom hardy never disappoints.

Also, I just realized that Joel Edgerton is Nash Edgerton's brother -- that's one legit family.
 
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 20th Anniversary Cut. 8/10
My little kids laughed through it, but as is with contemporary "home theater etiquette" they felt quite at liberty to add viewer commentary and ping off each other's synergistic energies. They just blab right over the story. They don't care.
No suspended disbelief here.
I think that's becoming a quaint item of nostalgia right up there with scenes depicted in Norman Rockwell paintings.

I found the beginning bordering on tediously slow (likely a product of watching my kids NOT get carried away with a ten minute beginning of zero dialog).
There were plenty of trademark funny Spielberg moments (like the metal can rolling down the steps).
And it was odd seeing just what passed for "good enough" for 1982 audiences.
Know your audience.

The movie is a classic.
 
Rewatched The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert tonight. Such a great film. I give it 8/10. Although I kept thinking to myself how weird this version of the Matrix is. ;)
 
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Valhalla Rising - in context 7.5/10, amid everything in the film universe 5/10
What an odd film.
Visuals are sublime.
The production quality was terrific.
The graphic novel-to-film look perfect.

I understand both its criticisms and acclaim.
I'd like to swipe this approach for a work of my own since I enjoy these Terrence Malick style visuals (not story telling!)

Fun trivia!

PS, don't let the first ten minutes of violence deter you from the remainder of the film which is without such and mostly just excruciating brooding.

PPS, It was shot with a Red One.
Red freaks please keep your physiological responses to this news to yourself! :D
 
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I just saw "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling and it's a tight little crime drama with an 80s feel. What I like is you could probably cut Gosling's dialogue together and it would only run around 7 minutes. I like spartan dialogue from your leads.

Scott
 
Revolver:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365686/

Once it got rolling I really liked it. Textbook Ritchie in terms of the style and pacing of shots and dialogue. One of those movies that if you didn't care for the directors other work, this one will probably strike you the same way. Not as solid as Snatch, but definitely bolder.

I think they could have eased into the VO, rather than introducing it immediately.
As the story progresses, the reason for the heavy VO becomes apparent, but in the first few minutes of the film it is so persistent as to be distracting without the story context to back it up.

B+: Interesting and fun, if a little loose/rough in some places. Excellent cinematography though, and very tight editing. I also liked the theme, alot so that raises the score somewhat.
 
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S.W.A.T 5.5
The Invention of Lying 7
The Men Who Stare at Goats 7
Vampires Suck 4
The Kingdom 6.5
Black Death 7
Eagle Eye 3 (The most disappointed one this week )
Happiness 7
 
All these movies were seen on our 73" HDTV with surround sound and in BluRay format (Netflix). We watch movies, NFL and only a few TV shows (Breaking Bad, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy, etc.).

Limitless B+ (could been better without all the background narrative, but well worth the watch)
Alien (40th time I have seen it since it was a theater release in 1979) still a solid A+
Paul C- (I am being kind)
Thor 3D C (but I loved the 3D)
A Perfect Getaway B (a re-watch -- love the views)
Source Code C+ (the deja vu got old quick)
The Mechanic C (seen one Statham, seen 'em all)
The Adjustment Bureau C (Damon always creates an interest)
Morning Glory D (not even a good chick flick)
True Grit B+ (Coen Bros. always creates an interest)
Cedar Rapids (surprised me) B
Sucker Punch (didn't surprise me) D
Season Of The Witch (don't ask why) D+
The Lincoln Lawyer C (seen better and seen worse)
The Fighter A (watched it twice)
Hereafter B- (Damon AND Eastwood always creates an interest)
Winter's Bone A (very good across the board)
Black Death B- (Game of Thrones on HBO had just ended)
The King's Speech B (why not)
The Next Three Days B (manipulative but fun)
Black Swan B (once was enough)
The Tourist C- (figured out the ending very early)
 
I Am Love - 6/10
#17 on my 2010 Independent Film Distribution & Revenue Analysis list.
Umm... It's gorgeous.
Beautifully shot in an almost casual oppressive luxurious environment.
Acting is very nice.
The story is... unremarkable.
The pacing is slow.
It's a wonderful exposé of a wealthy family's internal dysfunctional dynamics of secrets and divergent interests.
It's just nothing new or notable or interesting.
Neglected wives have affairs. Kid turns up homosexual. Father being modern and kid wanting to preserve the past are hardly twists of role reversals.
Meh.


Solitary Man - 4/10
#30 on my 2010 Independent Film Distribution & Revenue Analysis list.
Another exposé on what a f#ck-up philanderer's life is like: poisonous dysfunction in the wake of all he ruins in pursuit of pu$$y hounding.
Nice, eh?
Camerawork was unremarkable.
Acting was fine.
Nothing worth stopping and looking at.
This is what I call "Jackin' off the critics": Critics 81% liked it, Audiences 47% liked it (if you could generously call it that).
Hmm... Lesson, maybe?


Please Give - 6.5/10
#29 on my 2010 Independent Film Distribution & Revenue Analysis list.
This was almost a darling little movie except for when the writer/director futzed it up with the cliché infidelity thing.
Yeah yeah yeah how novel. Can we move on, now?
It's low and slow, but in a almost good way.
It's some more dysfunction as entertainment.
Quite a few good female roles, young and old, which was very pleasant.
 
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Planet of the Apes (new one) - 8/10

Overall good job. Good acting, fantastic VFX, it had a very nice natural look to it. Pleasing to the eye. I wish it hadn't been so tame in the gorilla attacks part but I guess that's what you get for pg-13. Also, Freida Pinto needed more screen time. Solid action movie. I think the political and moral message of the original was a bit lost in this one, but hey, it was fun.
 
Drive. Maybe a 7 or an 8.

It's a good movie. It has less action than I was for some reason expecting. But I think that's because they quite rightly put story first. I noticed (in a good way) the lighting and thought that it was very well done. I noticed (in a good way) the score and thought it worked well. I paid some attention to the framing and found it interesting and well done. Good, solid cast doing fine work. Overall a well put together film. =)
 
Lost in La Mancha.

For a general audience I don't know what number to give it. For an audience of filmmakers and enthusiasts, I think a 9 or a 10. It's a real shame. You look at the brief screen tests or rushes that they show and it looks like it could have been quite brilliant. I like Terry Gilliam even more having watched this. Thanks for recommending it, WalterB.
 
'Killer Elite' 5.5/10
Typical Jason Statham movie except that he didn't show his ass (much to my wife's dismay). The action was good but the story was as weak as dishwater. There was an entire love interest side story that felt out of place and slowed the movie down quite a bit without any meaningful development. It makes me wonder if there was extra footage shot that would have paid off that entire story arc.
 
50/50
10/10

I'm a young cancer survivor(21), and the movie captured the story very well.
My only critisizm is that the story was predictable.
 
The Wrong Man (1956)

A fine movie by Alfred Hitchcock. I really like the camera work even if it is not really noticeable. Good solid acting. Most important: The story is based on a true story. Yes, they play up the drama but overall it is a very good movie. Go see it!
9/10
 
The Green Hornet - 4/10. In fact, just... skip it.
No redeeming qualities at all.
It's slow. There's a lot of weenie running around and some fight sequences that are okay.
I turned it off after forty minutes.
Somehow, the last half probably wasn't going to save it.
Even the director/actor/producer commentary sucks.
The last time I listened to such suck-ass dir/prod commentary was that of Predators.
Here's the b!tch of it: Even with critic rating of 44% and a public rating of 48% this limp d!ck still banked some serious cash from moviegoers.
$120m budget (gag! cough!)
$227m WWBO

>$100m. Pretty cool cabbage for a POS.

On the other hand...

INSIDIOUS - FWIW or is 7/10, but 10/10 considering the production budget.
The annoying-as-h3ll camera angles/lenses aside, this was a pretty decent little contemporary version of Poltergeist, which I'd rate 10/10 hands down.
I wish the "Horror" genre could be relabeled the "Spook/Fright" genre.
Is anyone ever "horrified" by anything anymore, (other than winter utility bills)?
Lead's a professional thespian idiot.
Tit's are passé, apparently.
The little kid doesn't really do much.
But I'm impressed so many theater owners took this in with a debut on April Fool's day, and no really big actors.
Did the director of Saw bring in all those moviegoers? I think maybe he did.
And what a return on that investment! Woot! That's how you do it!
$1.5m Budget (this is quite a step back down from his two previous $20m films)
$92m WWBO

That is one nice ROI.
Amazing especially considering neither audiences nor the public particularly liked it.
 
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City Island - 6/10
#6 on my 2010 Independent Film Distribution & Revenue Analysis list.
This was almost cute, but the arguing NY Italian American family trope dysfunction as entertainment schtick wasn't doing it for me. Again.
Andy Garcia's actor/producer commentary with some of the crew was very nice.
Not wildly informative, but nice.
Another actor/producer commentary I enjoyed was that of Sandra Bullock in All About Steve, albeit a flop of a movie. As these things go, they're frequently better with commentary on than by just watching them straight. Terrible thing to have said about your film, eh?! :lol:


Cyrus - 3/10
#7 on my 2010 indie film list.
Turned it off maybe 10min in.
I don't know how this banked any BO return.
The camera work... Sheesh!
The subject material about an adult dufus and his schlepped-up life is just repugnant.
This isn't entertainment.
This is digging through a baby's dirty diaper to identify what it was previously fed.
Ugh.
Not that "fascinating".



After having seen a half dozen of these indie films back to back I'm getting a pretty good feel as to why either studios never picked these up or why the preponderance of writer/directors knew better to even ask.


Next up on quewe: Get Low (#11) and Mother & Child (#26).
 
Just watched Below.

I was looking for a Halloweeny kinda movie to watch. I didn't even know this movie existed. I've been a Twohy fan since The Arrival, though I haven't seen all of his films. It has a ghost story. But it probably could have done without it. But I think it's a pretty solid WWII subarine drama kinda thingy. Plenty of good talent on the cast.

I guess it's about a 6 out of 10.
 
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