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

Following is a really cool little film. I've seen it twice, it was a lot more enjoyable the second time once it made more sense. First watch was kind of confusing.

12 and Holding - 9/10. Like a modern version of Stand By Me with a lot more violence, sexuality and "modern" themes about suburbia, parents, bullying, etc. Very strong performances throughout with a great script. Highly recommended if you like films exploring teenagers that don't hold anything back.
 
Finally suffered through the most recent Hellraiser film. I knew it was bad, going into it, and I knew it was a "keep the license in our hands" type film, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite as painfully bad as it was. It started out with found footage and turned into a teen slasher...what the hell? It superficially resembled Hellraiser (almost to the point of rehashing at times) while completely missing the POINT. Replacing Doug Bradley as Pinhead shouldn't have been a problem (as that Hellraiser shouldn't be about the cenobites, and Barker never even gave Pinhead a name), but like any bad Hellraiser sequel, the film focuses way too much on him. So the bad actor overdubbed by a way too over the top voice actor is beyond cringeworthy. Note to producers: maybe try focusing on a different cenobite? Or be clever, and have them only on the periphery (for reference, see Gaiman/McKean's astounding "Wordsworth" from the Epic Comics anthology series). Maybe I was just too sober for this movie, but I stopped paying attention about halfway through. Definitely the worst in the series (even worse than the painfully bad 4). I'm not sure I could give it more than a point (and that only for some passable effects/gore and the fact that they managed to take the lens cap off. Though maybe that would have improved it.....)

So basic rundown on the series:
Worth watching: 1, 2, 5, 7
Worth avoiding (at least while sober): 3, 4, 6, 9
Wildcard: 8 (I actually liked this...for the first hour it seemed like a cenobite-colored haunted house film, which I enjoyed, but was missing the point of the Hellraiser series. Then the final twist revealed that it really did fit. Because of this, it's far campier than one would hope/expect for most of the movie)
 
Zombieland

6/10


Though it was TECHNICALLY a good movie, it was a comedy that seemed to lack in having comedy in it. And with flashback scenes that take up 1/4 or more of the movie, you sit there going "god, when will they start killing zombies?"
 
mussonman said:
... you sit there going "god, when will they start killing zombies?"
Click to expand...
:lol: Drama is cheap to film. Zombie casting, training, makeup, and action filming cost a lot more.
"Too much #*@$%! drama" is the bane of low budget horror, scifi, and fantasy films and a staple of TV series. ;)
 
:lol:

Josh, I think you might have something there: a sober/wet index or tolerability scale or something.

Example: this film is a 6 when sober, and an 8 when well lubricated.

Or, an S for sober and an L for lit.

This film gets an S6 and an L8. =D

I'm sure it will be taking the film criticism industry over like a storm. ;)
 
mussonman said:
Zombieland

6/10


Though it was TECHNICALLY a good movie, it was a comedy that seemed to lack in having comedy in it. And with flashback scenes that take up 1/4 or more of the movie, you sit there going "god, when will they start killing zombies?"
Click to expand...

It had Bill f'in Murray. That alone is worth another point or two at least

:yes:
 
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts-of-the-Southern-Wild.jpg


Great little movie. The Directing is great, and it's so impressive for what is a low-budget indie film. The acting is amazing, especially of the lead girl who is a 'non-actor'.
Seamlessly blends a really naturalistic approach in all aspects with a slight magical realism notion, underlined by a really strong story

The cinematography is really shaky-cam, particularly at the start. It's pretty damn offputting at the start, especially as not only is it super shaky, but things are also completely out of focus. Whether this was a deliberate choice I don't know.
That said, it settles down a fair bit to a much more manageable, handheld film at about the 1st act turning point. You should certainly see it, even if you're not a fan of the shaky aesthetic.
Every department has done a superb job, and it's great to see film being used. The S16 is relatively grainy, especialy in the night scenes where it's underexposed 500T, but again this settles down somewhat around the same time as the shaky cam. The first act seems to be setting up a stylistic approach, and does so very heavy handedly and very aggressively, but it's almost like it's getting you used to it, as it does calm right down, even at the end there were quite a few shots that I wouldn't be surprised if they were shot on 35mm.

Overall, 8/10
 
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Bedazzled: 5/10. Brendan Fraser is a decent comic actor. Elizabeth Hurley is fun as the devil. But there are parts of this film that are played out not as good as they should have been. Could have been better Could have been worse without Fraser and Hurley.

Aliens 3: 4/10. I love David Fincher is my favorite director. But this has to be his worst film and the worst film in the Aliens franchise.

The Pianist: 10/10. Adrien Brody is a great actor. And say what you will but Roman Planski is a great director. But that together and you get a masterpiece.

The Lincoln Lawyer: 7/10. Looks like Matthew McConaughey is getting more consistent with his roles and acting. This a good movie that shows the interesting life of an interesting lawyer.
 
R - 8.5/10 - A pretty good take on the normal, stereotypical prison film. Had some good, violent scenes though I didn't care too much for the shaky cam in the scenes, still very good overall, or at least I thought.
 
Watched a few things this week

Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge ?/10
Much like another recent favorite of mine, Tokyo Gore Police, the title is a pretty good indication of whether you'll like it or not. I loved it. I was expecting more of a modern Japanese gore film, but instead it's more a live-action anime. Absolutely in no way attempting to be realistic, but very stylized wire-work. One complaint that could be made is a lot of the action is repetitive, but it seemed to fit the style (as anyone who watches a lot of anime could agree). Do you like that sort of thing? You'll have fun with this. It doesn't take itself very seriously. Again, I loved it, glad I found it, but if you aren't a fan of anime, well, this probably won't make you one.

Conan the Barbarian (2011) 4/10
+1 if you are a guy
+1 if you are a sucker for fantasy
+1d12(+3 strength bonus) for damage from a broadsword, if you've played too much D&D. Or not enough.
Finally saw it. As a film, it's kind of middle of the road. As a fan of the genre, I enjoyed it. It's not as good of a film, storywise as the first Conan film, but Jason Momoa is a way better Conan than Arnold was. The action was fun, though some shakeycam I could have done without. The score is big and epic, but doesn't hold a candle to Basil Poledouris'. Stephen Lang is an interesting villain, but he's no James Earl Jones. Did not realize it was directed by Marcus Nispel, who did the fantastically awful Pathfinder (the original Norwegian film is actually really good, but the remake has nothing to do with it), and the just plain awful Texas Chainsaw Remake. In the hands of a better director, this could have been really good.

And also, not a film, but I just watched through Comedy Central's Jon Benjamin Has A Van. Starts off as a bad news feature show, and just gets weirder and weirder from there. By the 4th episode, the sound guy gets kidnapped, resulting in 5-10 minutes of absolute silence. Some crude humor, but lots more abstract (and some intentionally bad) humor, that I absolutely loved it.
 
The Artist (9/10)

A love story that is done really well. A movie within a movie. For a film lover this is really interesting and shows that old style movies can still be made today.
 
F.W. Murnau's The Last Laugh

Amazing silent picture. Good acting, precise story, and, (thank God!) very few title cards. The score was magnificent.

Score:9

Possibly my favorite silent film.
 
Short Eyes (1977) 3/5

Early art house attempt at the kind of "realistic" prison film we take for granted now with shows like Oz. It's thoughtful and very well acted, but a bit dated.
 
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