Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (3 Viewers)

[KarmaPolice]

The Help:

Thought this one was better than I expected going in. Can't quite put my finger on where it happened, but thought about 1/2 way through it got weaker. Toward the end of the movie there was too much silliness for me - the terrible awful, cat fights, etc.. It was a good, safe movie for the Academy to put in there but I wouldn't grade it was one the best movies of the year. Solid, not great. 6/10

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Also on a side note the movie did have 3 of my current girlfriends in the movie with Chastain, Bryce-Howard, and Emma Stone.

The Evil Dead 2:

Watched this one last night, and I think I have to weigh in that I prefer the original to the sequel. I prefer the creepiness to Evil Dead, it still had the campy factor, but was able to mix in the scares more than part 2 did for me. Both movies are awesome, but the first gets the slight nod.

Dawn of the Dead:

Love the movie, love the concept, and still think this one is must watch horror movie. I get sad when I watch it now because this is one from that era that seems to hold up slightly less and less with each viewing. A lot has to do with the environment - while it was cool to have them holed up in the mall, there is a lot of light in there and the subpar f/x are on full display. Borderline blasphemy, I am sure, but this is one of the few times I probably would find myself reaching for the remake more now.

 

[TylerRoseFan]

The Postman.Yeah, Kevin Costner needs to stick to baseball movies or true westerns and just leave the apocalypic stuff alone.

I like Waterworld. There. I said it.

It's a guilty pleasure of mine. :(

 

[Time Kibitzer]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Chronicle....Really liked this a lot. Initially, I was worried the first hand camera usage ("found footage" style) that is probably 75% of the cinematography would get annoying, but after the first 10 minutes or so it really just blends in with the movie and I didnt find it problematic at all. In fact with how well done it was and the connection it provided with the lead actor, I thought it made the movie better than had it just used traditional filming techniques. I found Chronicle to be unique in this aspect with how well it was pulled off, but also because (superpowers aside) the characters and their relationships felt very realistic (think Elephant, although different), likely aided by an entire cast of unrecognizable actors, with Michael B. Jordan being the lone exception, although I think anyone who hasnt watched The Wire, Parenthood, or Friday Night Lights would lump him in with the rest of the cast here. Jordan and the lead teenager do solid work acting, and although the rest is average at best, interesting dialogue minimizes this as a problem. It had a roller coaster of emotions throughout, which also was quite effective and at times, exhilirating. Special effects arent anything special (namely the flying), but again I felt like this kept in line with the rest of the movie feeling authentic. I also thought there were numerous subtle things that elevated the movie as well (for instance, getting a nosebleed when they would overextend their powers or one of the other guys was in trouble/distressed; Tibet). At only 83 minutes, I left wishing it had been longer. All in all, I guess the simplest way to praise it would be its a movie that on the surface is sci-fi/fantasy but by the end it leaves the viewer feeling like they just watched a drama about a troubled teen...4.4/5

I watched this with my son, he is 9. I'm not sure we knew what we were going to be watching. I guess I thought it would be more kid friendly since it was about teenagers who acquire super-powers yes I know it was PG-13. He said it was weird and didn't know that he liked it. My point is that it is a pretty dark movie and while I enjoyed it I think it is mostly for adults. One thing he was able to understand though was that bullying had a lot to do with how things turnout.I think I need to watch it again without him.

Yeah, I saw it with my 14 year old sister, she liked it a lot but Id agree its not appropriate for anyone under 12 in most cases. It was somewhat dark, but thats another reason I really liked it and referred to with my "roller coaster of emotions" comment. While there are dark undertones throughout and from the very beginning (abusive father, mother on her deathbed, etc) there are also highs of enjoyment with them exploring and strengthening their powers, the parties, etc. Packs much more of an emotional punch than youd expect from a PG13 movie about teens getting superpowers.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

I havent seen Bridemaids yet, but I think she gets more credit than she deserves because she's a fatty. If she wasnt morbidly obese, would she still have won an emmy for Mike & Molly?!

 

[Kenny Powers]

Dawn of the Dead:

Love the movie, love the concept, and still think this one is must watch horror movie. I get sad when I watch it now because this is one from that era that seems to hold up slightly less and less with each viewing. A lot has to do with the environment - while it was cool to have them holed up in the mall, there is a lot of light in there and the subpar f/x are on full display. Borderline blasphemy, I am sure, but this is one of the few times I probably would find myself reaching for the remake more now.

I havent seen the original but thought the remake was quite good. Nice ensemble cast. Might be the best of the traditional zombie movies (exclude Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, etc) of the past decade plus.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

I havent seen Bridemaids yet, but I think she gets more credit than she deserves because she's a fatty. If she wasnt morbidly obese, would she still have won an emmy for Mike & Molly?!

I've never seen that show so I couldn't say, but she was very good in Bridesmaids.

 

[snogger]

Just returned from Act of Valor..

Loved the movie.. The action was top notch, and although some of the acting was what you would expect from Navy Seals, if you don't well up a bit at parts then you are truly heartless.

For a top notch Action film,, I can't recommend it enough.

 

[Apple Juice]

Dawn of the Dead:

Love the movie, love the concept, and still think this one is must watch horror movie. I get sad when I watch it now because this is one from that era that seems to hold up slightly less and less with each viewing. A lot has to do with the environment - while it was cool to have them holed up in the mall, there is a lot of light in there and the subpar f/x are on full display. Borderline blasphemy, I am sure, but this is one of the few times I probably would find myself reaching for the remake more now.

I havent seen the original but thought the remake was quite good. Nice ensemble cast. Might be the best of the traditional zombie movies (exclude Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, etc) of the past decade plus.

Agree with both posts. I watched the original Dawn of the Dead not too long ago and found it laughably bad. It has not aged well at all. Even things like the blindingly red blood that was purposefully cartoonish bugged me. From the acting to the music to the editing I was aghast at how much I remembered loving it. When I saw the remake I remember thinking it was the best experience I'd ever had watching a horror movie at the theater, other than Cabin Fever, which was a completely different kind of horror movie. Whenever I see the remake of Dawn of the Dead on TV I stop and watch. The beginning is fantastic and it remains solid all the way to the end.

 

[Chaka]

Ink. Horrendous acting. Mostly terrible effects. The directing gets a bit sloppy at times. Clearly it's a limited budget. But despite all that this is actually a pretty solid movie. 79% RT score. When we go to sleep there are two groups - one which gives us nightmares and one that gives us sweet dreams. Nightmare group kidnaps a little girl which sends her into a coma. As she's dragged through the other world the two sides fight over her soul. Only his second movie directed (he wrote it as well though he's won awards for short stories) and it's been compared to early Terry Gilliam/Peter Jackson movies. I agree completely - he borrow very heavily from those playbooks. But those are two great acts to work from. If nothing else I'm going to pay attention to this director's next movie. If he can hone his abilities I think he could be something special. Rave review from Ain't It Cool News.

Agreed.

 

[Daywalker]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

I'm fine with the McCarthy nod but Chastain made no sense other then to give a nod to an up and comer.Chastain's role could have been played by anyone. January Jones? Don't even think most viewers even noticed her performance until she was nominated whereas the McCarthy buzz pushed her to a nomination.Amy Ryan not getting a nod for Win Win before Chastain is puzzling.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Safe House.Slightly entertaining due to Denzel. I like Reynolds in his romcoms but he wasn't convincing as a CIA badass type. It's a standard role which most up and coming actors should be able to do in their sleep. His wise-###/pretty boy persona is just too much at this point.That being said you can see the plotlines coming a mile away and their wasn't enough savy cat and mouse tactics that you see in the better movies of the genre like Bourne/Spygame.The Denzel character had a lot of potential. We need a good Denzel spy movie and this was a wasted effort.2 out of 4 stars.

I agree that the movie's totally cliche, but it really worked for me :shurg:

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Evil Dead 2:

Watched this one last night, and I think I have to weigh in that I prefer the original to the sequel. I prefer the creepiness to Evil Dead, it still had the campy factor, but was able to mix in the scares more than part 2 did for me. Both movies are awesome, but the first gets the slight nod.

2 is good. But the original is scarier and Army of Darkness is funnier.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Anyone plan on seeing "Act of Valor", opening this weekend? It's that movie that stars real life SEAL team members.

I'd like to see this just because I've been interested in the SEAL teams ever since I read Richard Marcinko's books. That said, I think once you get past the novelty of seeing real SEAL members acting in a film, the movie doesn't seem to be all that exciting. Clearly, the dialogue is very authentic. But I bet that's not enough to lift this movie beyond being another pedestrian action flick.

Im more intrigued to see it for the reality of there tactics to enter buildings, secure areas, kill targets, etc than the dialogue.

Oh I'm totally into that.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Going to see Safe House tonight. I don't have high hopes.

See Chronicle dude

I gotta say that Safe House was a solid thriller.

 

[snogger]

Anyone plan on seeing "Act of Valor", opening this weekend? It's that movie that stars real life SEAL team members.

I'd like to see this just because I've been interested in the SEAL teams ever since I read Richard Marcinko's books. That said, I think once you get past the novelty of seeing real SEAL members acting in a film, the movie doesn't seem to be all that exciting. Clearly, the dialogue is very authentic. But I bet that's not enough to lift this movie beyond being another pedestrian action flick.

Im more intrigued to see it for the reality of there tactics to enter buildings, secure areas, kill targets, etc than the dialogue.

Oh I'm totally into that.

You won't be disappointed. Great tactical action. And while the acting isn't great it is not all that bad considering they are seals not actors. Pretty good and frightening story as well.

 

[TylerRoseFan]

Just watched Cropsey. Not much to see here. Documentary surounding missing kids on Staten Island back in the 70's and 80's. Not much to see here. 2/5

 

[jdoggydogg]

Anyone plan on seeing "Act of Valor", opening this weekend? It's that movie that stars real life SEAL team members.

I'd like to see this just because I've been interested in the SEAL teams ever since I read Richard Marcinko's books. That said, I think once you get past the novelty of seeing real SEAL members acting in a film, the movie doesn't seem to be all that exciting. Clearly, the dialogue is very authentic. But I bet that's not enough to lift this movie beyond being another pedestrian action flick.

Im more intrigued to see it for the reality of there tactics to enter buildings, secure areas, kill targets, etc than the dialogue.

Oh I'm totally into that.

You won't be disappointed. Great tactical action. And while the acting isn't great it is not all that bad considering they are seals not actors. Pretty good and frightening story as well.

Speaking of tactics, fans of Modern Warfare should check out this sweet live action tribute to the Call of Duty franchise. Better made action sequence than many movies I've seen.

 

[Chaka]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

I'm fine with the McCarthy nod but Chastain made no sense other then to give a nod to an up and comer.Chastain's role could have been played by anyone. January Jones? Don't even think most viewers even noticed her performance until she was nominated whereas the McCarthy buzz pushed her to a nomination.Amy Ryan not getting a nod for Win Win before Chastain is puzzling.

I left The Help thinking that Chastain gave one of the more notable performances in an otherwise mediocre film. I don't think anyone could have played that role, and certainly not January Jones who I have yet to see do much more than look good and annoy me in Mad Men.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

I havent seen Bridemaids yet, but I think she gets more credit than she deserves because she's a fatty. If she wasnt morbidly obese, would she still have won an emmy for Mike & Molly?!

I've never seen that show so I couldn't say, but she was very good in Bridesmaids.

Sure she was the funniest part of Bridesmaids, but why is that good enough to win an acting award? Although funny, I thought she was quite one-note during the whole thing. To me Wiig gave the more better performance since she had to display more emotion.

 

[Daywalker]

Going to see Safe House tonight. I don't have high hopes.

See Chronicle dude

I gotta say that Safe House was a solid thriller.

My lukewarm opinion of Safe House aside, I'd love to see a a Tobin Frost trilogy that delves into his earlier career leading up to his disappearance. Definetly a cool character.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

I'm fine with the McCarthy nod but Chastain made no sense other then to give a nod to an up and comer.Chastain's role could have been played by anyone. January Jones? Don't even think most viewers even noticed her performance until she was nominated whereas the McCarthy buzz pushed her to a nomination.Amy Ryan not getting a nod for Win Win before Chastain is puzzling.

I left The Help thinking that Chastain gave one of the more notable performances in an otherwise mediocre film. I don't think anyone could have played that role, and certainly not January Jones who I have yet to see do much more than look good and annoy me in Mad Men.

Maybe my annoyance with the character was clouding my judgement of Chastain. Just think it's a very weak category this year, but I suppose I am still hazy on the distinction between lead and supporting acting noms.

 

[Daywalker]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

I'm fine with the McCarthy nod but Chastain made no sense other then to give a nod to an up and comer.Chastain's role could have been played by anyone. January Jones? Don't even think most viewers even noticed her performance until she was nominated whereas the McCarthy buzz pushed her to a nomination.Amy Ryan not getting a nod for Win Win before Chastain is puzzling.

I left The Help thinking that Chastain gave one of the more notable performances in an otherwise mediocre film. I don't think anyone could have played that role, and certainly not January Jones who I have yet to see do much more than look good and annoy me in Mad Men.

I meant anyone could have played the role, even January Jones, because it was filler and I don't think any actress would have left an impression. Viola Davis the only one who stuck out IMO.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Evil Dead 2:

Watched this one last night, and I think I have to weigh in that I prefer the original to the sequel. I prefer the creepiness to Evil Dead, it still had the campy factor, but was able to mix in the scares more than part 2 did for me. Both movies are awesome, but the first gets the slight nod.

2 is good. But the original is scarier and Army of Darkness is funnier.

Agree with this 100%. I think it is 2 that gets the praise/gets mentioned the most from the series though.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Was going to see this tomorrow afternoon

 

[Daywalker]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Avatar in a quality theater in 3D was boring?

 

[cstu]

Martha Marcy May Marlene:

What a damn impressive movie for being a 1st film for the director and basically the same for the Olsen twins' younger sister. Without giving too much away, the movie is about Elizabeth Olsen getting away from a situation and reconnecting with her estranged sister. Got a Polanski vibe as the psychological tension builds up in the last half of the movie. This movie is a glaring omission from the Oscar nominations - I would say it's the best movie I've seen so far of the 2011 releases. I think the ending will put some off though. Highly recommended - 8.5/10

I love movies like this so I really dug it. Had me on the edge of my seat even though not much was really happening. Wonderfully acted, especially by Olsen ( ). Not sure it was my favorite from last year but it's up there. I felt the ending was perfect.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Avatar in a quality theater in 3D was boring?

Sort of. Sorry if I worded this incorrectly. Both these movies are all about the visual experience. I am very glad that I saw Avatar in the theater, but no way would I watch it now at home, as the actual movie was bad. Yes, I would have been bored if I didn't have cool 3D stuff to look at. I did not like Hugo, but I could see how seeing it in the theaters would greatly enhance the experience, and I should have gone this route.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Was going to see this tomorrow afternoon

Do it up in 3D and enjoy.

 

[Daywalker]

Martha Marcy May Marlene:

What a damn impressive movie for being a 1st film for the director and basically the same for the Olsen twins' younger sister. Without giving too much away, the movie is about Elizabeth Olsen getting away from a situation and reconnecting with her estranged sister. Got a Polanski vibe as the psychological tension builds up in the last half of the movie. This movie is a glaring omission from the Oscar nominations - I would say it's the best movie I've seen so far of the 2011 releases. I think the ending will put some off though. Highly recommended - 8.5/10

I love movies like this so I really dug it. Had me on the edge of my seat even though not much was really happening. Wonderfully acted, especially by Olsen ( ). Not sure it was my favorite from last year but it's up there. I felt the ending was perfect.

90% on Rottentomaoes. Nice. Definetly want to check it out. Nothing on DVD right now.

 

[Daywalker]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Avatar in a quality theater in 3D was boring?

Sort of. Sorry if I worded this incorrectly. Both these movies are all about the visual experience. I am very glad that I saw Avatar in the theater, but no way would I watch it now at home, as the actual movie was bad. Yes, I would have been bored if I didn't have cool 3D stuff to look at. I did not like Hugo, but I could see how seeing it in the theaters would greatly enhance the experience, and I should have gone this route.

I agree. Avatar is not something I would dial up at home. But in theaters I was mesmerized. Hard to overstate the technologic advance IMO and was giddy thinking of movies to come. Haven't seen a movie since come close to the experience.

 

[Chaka]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Was going to see this tomorrow afternoon

FTR I completely disagree with him. Not my favorite film from last year but I think it is the most complete one. Beautiful, well acted, well told story, funny, entertaining. I guess overall it did not create much genuine tension and the resolution scene with Cohen, Butterfield & Kingsley felt a contrived but these were minor flaws in a beautifully told story.

 

[cstu]

Here's my back-to-back depressing film night from a few days ago.

Tyrannosaur* - Hard to say I 'enjoyed' a movie like this but it had amazing acting and a great story. Tough to watch in parts but worth it.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - I thought this was going to be a normal movie about a woman dealing with the aftermath of her son's school shooting (ala Beautiful Boy) but it was far more disturbing. I don't want to give away too much about it but the movie stuck with me for a long time after.

*Sorry, no dinosaurs.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Going to see Safe House tonight. I don't have high hopes.

See Chronicle dude

I gotta say that Safe House was a solid thriller.

My lukewarm opinion of Safe House aside, I'd love to see a a Tobin Frost trilogy that delves into his earlier career leading up to his disappearance. Definetly a cool character.

Certainly.I don't think Safe House was in any way unique or groundbreaking. But I think it did well within a very cliche genre.

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Evil Dead 2:

Watched this one last night, and I think I have to weigh in that I prefer the original to the sequel. I prefer the creepiness to Evil Dead, it still had the campy factor, but was able to mix in the scares more than part 2 did for me. Both movies are awesome, but the first gets the slight nod.

2 is good. But the original is scarier and Army of Darkness is funnier.

Agree with this 100%. I think it is 2 that gets the praise/gets mentioned the most from the series though.

I understand. 2 is a solid all-around movie.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

I havent seen Bridemaids yet, but I think she gets more credit than she deserves because she's a fatty. If she wasnt morbidly obese, would she still have won an emmy for Mike & Molly?!

I've never seen that show so I couldn't say, but she was very good in Bridesmaids.

Sure she was the funniest part of Bridesmaids, but why is that good enough to win an acting award? Although funny, I thought she was quite one-note during the whole thing. To me Wiig gave the more better performance since she had to display more emotion.

I don't remember any character displaying enough emotion in that film to make me feel anything, but I saw it in the summer so maybe it's just my bad memory. I definitely wouldn't say Wiig's performance was better than McCarthy's though; simply showing more emotion doesn't equate to a better performance imo, particularly for a comedy film. McCarthy was hilarious in pretty well every scene she was in in that movie, that's all you can ask for from a comedy performance. I'm sure some would argue that best actor/actress nominations should be reserved for drama films, but I disagree with that.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Take Shelter - Taut psychological drama. It's very well done but the pacing is somewhat slow and there is one scene where the tension feels contrived (but it leads to a great rant by Michael Shannon). Michael Shannon seems to have legitimate acting chops, though I wonder if he could pull off a non-dramatic role. Ultimately I enjoyed it because it is very well acted and keeps you guessing whether Shannon is having true premonitions or slowly losing his mind.

I know it would totally change the movie but I wondered what the movie would've been like if shown from the wife's point of view. I kept wanting to slip into the "madness" but never really got there. I also felt like much of the tension was forced. The acting is very nice and I like the movie but it didn't pull me in the way a great psychological movie should.

I agree, something was missing. But still, I thought Shannon was excellent and with Chastain was enough to hold my interest. Shannon seems to have a natural quiet seething just under the surface that he uses to great effect.

Spoiler

I don't need a true resolution (crazy or prophetic) but I am not sure what we got in Take Shelter, which I imagine was probably intentional. And it sucks for them that they built that nice shelter in Ohio only to have the storm hit while they were in Myrtle Beach. DOH!

Spoiler

Yeah I had similar thoughts. When thinking about it, I can't think of anything that happened in the film that would suggest that the apocalyptic storm at the end was "real".

Michael Shannon's mom in the film said she started having psychotic fits once her life got really stressful, and I'm guessing Shannon's fits were due to stress from his daughter recently becoming deaf. Trying to make sense of the last scene, I was thinking maybe Chastain's character was starting to have psychotic fits of her own due to stress from the psychiatrist saying Shannon should start receiving treatment full time. Otherwise I don't know what to think.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Anyone plan on seeing "Act of Valor", opening this weekend? It's that movie that stars real life SEAL team members.

I'd like to see this just because I've been interested in the SEAL teams ever since I read Richard Marcinko's books. That said, I think once you get past the novelty of seeing real SEAL members acting in a film, the movie doesn't seem to be all that exciting. Clearly, the dialogue is very authentic. But I bet that's not enough to lift this movie beyond being another pedestrian action flick.

Im more intrigued to see it for the reality of there tactics to enter buildings, secure areas, kill targets, etc than the dialogue.

Oh I'm totally into that.

You won't be disappointed. Great tactical action. And while the acting isn't great it is not all that bad considering they are seals not actors. Pretty good and frightening story as well.

Speaking of tactics, fans of Modern Warfare should check out this sweet live action tribute to the Call of Duty franchise. Better made action sequence than many movies I've seen.

Watch it!

 

[Luke Skywalker]

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

This movie is ####. Why am I even watching it? Jessica Biel is OK looking and Ving Rhames is gay. I almost laughed once. Also, I am stupid drunk.

2/10

There was another movie on earlier. Twilight? Something like that. Paul Newman is in it and Reese Witherspoon is naked at the beginning. I DVR'ed just to slo-mo her bouncing boobs.

10/10 (admittedly based on one scene)

 

[Chaka]

Take Shelter - Taut psychological drama. It's very well done but the pacing is somewhat slow and there is one scene where the tension feels contrived (but it leads to a great rant by Michael Shannon). Michael Shannon seems to have legitimate acting chops, though I wonder if he could pull off a non-dramatic role. Ultimately I enjoyed it because it is very well acted and keeps you guessing whether Shannon is having true premonitions or slowly losing his mind.

I know it would totally change the movie but I wondered what the movie would've been like if shown from the wife's point of view. I kept wanting to slip into the "madness" but never really got there. I also felt like much of the tension was forced. The acting is very nice and I like the movie but it didn't pull me in the way a great psychological movie should.

I agree, something was missing. But still, I thought Shannon was excellent and with Chastain was enough to hold my interest. Shannon seems to have a natural quiet seething just under the surface that he uses to great effect.

Spoiler

I don't need a true resolution (crazy or prophetic) but I am not sure what we got in Take Shelter, which I imagine was probably intentional. And it sucks for them that they built that nice shelter in Ohio only to have the storm hit while they were in Myrtle Beach. DOH!

Spoiler

Yeah I had similar thoughts. When thinking about it, I can't think of anything that happened in the film that would suggest that the apocalyptic storm at the end was "real".

Michael Shannon's mom in the film said she started having psychotic fits once her life got really stressful, and I'm guessing Shannon's fits were due to stress from his daughter recently becoming deaf. Trying to make sense of the last scene, I was thinking maybe Chastain's character was starting to have psychotic fits of her own due to stress from the psychiatrist saying Shannon should start receiving treatment full time. Otherwise I don't know what to think.

Spoiler

I don't think Chastain was having fits. I think either the storm was real or it was another one of Shannon's hallucinations and his family was in it.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Take Shelter - Taut psychological drama. It's very well done but the pacing is somewhat slow and there is one scene where the tension feels contrived (but it leads to a great rant by Michael Shannon). Michael Shannon seems to have legitimate acting chops, though I wonder if he could pull off a non-dramatic role. Ultimately I enjoyed it because it is very well acted and keeps you guessing whether Shannon is having true premonitions or slowly losing his mind.

I know it would totally change the movie but I wondered what the movie would've been like if shown from the wife's point of view. I kept wanting to slip into the "madness" but never really got there. I also felt like much of the tension was forced. The acting is very nice and I like the movie but it didn't pull me in the way a great psychological movie should.

I agree, something was missing. But still, I thought Shannon was excellent and with Chastain was enough to hold my interest. Shannon seems to have a natural quiet seething just under the surface that he uses to great effect.

Spoiler

I don't need a true resolution (crazy or prophetic) but I am not sure what we got in Take Shelter, which I imagine was probably intentional. And it sucks for them that they built that nice shelter in Ohio only to have the storm hit while they were in Myrtle Beach. DOH!

Spoiler

Yeah I had similar thoughts. When thinking about it, I can't think of anything that happened in the film that would suggest that the apocalyptic storm at the end was "real".

Michael Shannon's mom in the film said she started having psychotic fits once her life got really stressful, and I'm guessing Shannon's fits were due to stress from his daughter recently becoming deaf. Trying to make sense of the last scene, I was thinking maybe Chastain's character was starting to have psychotic fits of her own due to stress from the psychiatrist saying Shannon should start receiving treatment full time. Otherwise I don't know what to think.

Spoiler

I don't think Chastain was having fits. I think either the storm was real or it was another one of Shannon's hallucinations and his family was in it.

Spoiler

Yeah it could have been another Shannon hallucination. If the storm was real than that's some bad storytelling imo. It'd be like having a 2 hour sci-fi movie and then ending it with a scene where a kid wakes up and the previous 1:59 was just a dream

 

[KarmaPolice]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Was going to see this tomorrow afternoon

FTR I completely disagree with him. Not my favorite film from last year but I think it is the most complete one. Beautiful, well acted, well told story, funny, entertaining. I guess overall it did not create much genuine tension and the resolution scene with Cohen, Butterfield & Kingsley felt a contrived but these were minor flaws in a beautifully told story.

It's gotten a lot of praise, so my grumpy ### is probably in the minority, but I will give you the first two and not the rest. Part of my problem was that I just didn't know who this was for or what it was trying to be. If it was a kid's movie it had the old timey feel that wouldn't interest them. If it was a mystery, it lacked much build up and a lot of stuff came pretty easy to the kid as far as what was going on. If it was a drama, like you stated the resolution of the movie seemed contrived. I really liked the fist 40 minutes or so of the movie before it broke down into a commercial about the magic of cinema. Felt like the story was secondary to pushing technology forward and making a great looking movie, and I didn't see it in the theater to take advantage of that.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I wanted to get this watched before doing my Oscar contest. I am really starting to scratch my head over the supporting actress nominees. I have no idea how Melissa McCarthy or Jessica Chastain got the nod for an acting award.

Really? McCarthy was pretty fantastic, best role in a comedy film from the last few years that I can think of. The Bridesmaids nomination I don't understand is for Best Original Screenplay.

I havent seen Bridemaids yet, but I think she gets more credit than she deserves because she's a fatty. If she wasnt morbidly obese, would she still have won an emmy for Mike & Molly?!

I've never seen that show so I couldn't say, but she was very good in Bridesmaids.

Sure she was the funniest part of Bridesmaids, but why is that good enough to win an acting award? Although funny, I thought she was quite one-note during the whole thing. To me Wiig gave the more better performance since she had to display more emotion.

I don't remember any character displaying enough emotion in that film to make me feel anything, but I saw it in the summer so maybe it's just my bad memory. I definitely wouldn't say Wiig's performance was better than McCarthy's though; simply showing more emotion doesn't equate to a better performance imo, particularly for a comedy film. McCarthy was hilarious in pretty well every scene she was in in that movie, that's all you can ask for from a comedy performance. I'm sure some would argue that best actor/actress nominations should be reserved for drama films, but I disagree with that.

I don't think it should be only drama movies. When I think about great acting, I think about either range and being able to go through emotions well, or being so far into a character that the actor brings you into the movie. These things usually happen in drama films. It's more on the drama side, but I think something like JGL in 50/50 would be more fitting.

 

[Papa Georgio]

Brake

Stephen Dorff movie. IMDB desciption - A Secret Service Agent is held captive in the trunk of a car and endures high-speed mental and physical torture as terrorists attempt to extract needed information for their sinister plot.

The whole trapped thing has been done before. Someone said it is like Buried + Saw not sure it has that much to do with Saw. I really only gave it a view because I like Dorff.I liked it more than most probably will. You could see certain things coming from a mile away, and some parts of the plot I wasn't buying. I saw the trailer while looking at another movie and decided to give it a shot. You know what you're going to get in a movie like this so its hard for me to be overly critical. Trying to figure out how I feel about the ending.

2.5/5

 

[Kenny Powers]

Hugo:

Wow what a beautifully boring movie. I should have listened to a review that said it was the Avatar of 2011 (not quite as bad storywise as Avatar), and seen it in 3D at the theater. Absolutely stunning movie to look at, but I was checking my watch quite a bit during this one. Just too many plot holes and filler side characters for this one to really stick with me. Recommend watching this one once because it is great to look at, but that's it. One too many top movies this year about the good old days.

Avatar in a quality theater in 3D was boring?

Sort of. Sorry if I worded this incorrectly. Both these movies are all about the visual experience. I am very glad that I saw Avatar in the theater, but no way would I watch it now at home, as the actual movie was bad. Yes, I would have been bored if I didn't have cool 3D stuff to look at. I did not like Hugo, but I could see how seeing it in the theaters would greatly enhance the experience, and I should have gone this route.

While I would agree the storyline and dialogue in Avatar is cliche, I still enjoyed it when I watched it again at home a few months ago

 

[JZilla]

I agree with KP on Hugo, it was just kind of a dud for me. The boy can't act, the girl from Kick ### does OK muddling through a phony British accent but there's nothing inspiring here. Sasha Baron Cohen and Emily Mortimer are wasted. Aside from the visuals it seemed like a big waste of time, even moreso than Avatar, which at least had giant smurfs on pterodactyls. All of us in this house loved The Artist, but none of us liked Hugo.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Here's my back-to-back depressing film night from a few days ago.

Tyrannosaur* - Hard to say I 'enjoyed' a movie like this but it had amazing acting and a great story. Tough to watch in parts but worth it.

Just looked it up. So it stars Peter Mullan? In. Which reminds me of a movie I watched last week...The Claim....Great acting from Peter Mullan as the mayor of a frontier town in the Sierra Nevadas, and this was beautifully shot, but thats about all I can say about it. Extremely slow, the 2 hours felt like 3. No particularly likeable characters or interesting dialogue. I felt like I was watching Ricky Fitts in the Manifest Destiny era from Wes Bentley, and Milla Jovovich was really miscast. The storyline of the rise and demise of Mullan's character was well done, but ultimately it had an ending that should have packed a punch yet felt anticlimatic....1.75/5

 

[Kenny Powers]

There was another movie on earlier. Twilight? Something like that. Paul Newman is in it and Reese Witherspoon is naked at the beginning. I DVR'ed just to slo-mo her bouncing boobs.

10/10 (admittedly based on one scene)

This is actually a solid, overlooked neo-noir film. Excellent ensemble cast - Newman, Hackman, Sarandon, James Garner, Witherspoon, Liev Schreiber

 

[Kenny Powers]

Five Fingers...Papa G's last review reminded me of this psychological thriller I saw a couple months ago about a businessman who gets kidnapped by a terrorist organization and questioned/tortured as the viewer tries to figure out who is telling the truth. Pretty much non-stop tension from the get go and keeps everything tight with a running time under 90 minutes. Ryan Phillippe and Larry Fishburne were both very good. Great dialogue. I would put this in the category of movies I love that take place in essentially 1 location for the entire film but remain entertaining thanks to the dialogue. Loved the ending, I'll leave it at that...4/5