Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (4 Viewers)

[Chaka]

Tintin is Belgian.

Part of the country is French-speaking.

I know, I travel to Brussels once or twice a year. The other part is Flemish speaking and German is the third official language.I'm just pointing out that Tintin is Belgian, not French.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Watched Hanna with next to no expectations and I genuinely enjoyed it. loved the camera-work and direction, and really liked the fairy-tale narrative and characters. Some good action thrown in too, which helped it move along and kind of cover up the cliched story-arc of the title charcter needing to get from point A to point B filling up the movie. The fairy-tale aspect also helped me forgive a ton of plausibility holes. And I would have preferred not ultimately learning who this kid was- felt like it wasn't needed at all and a bit of mystery would have helped maintain the fairy-tale... but ambiguity doesn't seem to play well in the US.

Just watched this last night. I think your review is pretty spot on. While it has certain Bourne elements to it, I didn't see it as an action/chase film but more of a fairy tale as you describe. I enjoyed the girl being isolated in the arctic woods for her whole life being exposed to the real world in dramatic and immediate fashion. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of the beginning and end of the film. There was one fight scene with Bana that was poorly executed (really looked like stage fighting) but other than that I thought the action was well timed, fast paced and exciting without being overwhelming. I thought Blanchett was great (no problem with her accent at all) and Saoirse Ronan looks to be a serious rising star. Also the Chemical Brothers soundtrack was excellent too. Whoever commented that Hanna had a Run Lola Run feel to it (which is not a bad thing IMO) was right.It was a fun film, if they make a sequel, which they could, I will watch it.

Someone commented that they didn't get the point of Bana's plan:

Spoiler

Hanna wasn't raised to be a well adjusted little girl. She was raised to kill the woman who killed her mother. Ronan getting caught and taken to see Blanchett was always the plan. After that was accomplished the plan was to reunite with her father. It's that simple, which I think is a good thing.

 

[JZilla]

Just saw 21 Jump Street

Perfectly amusing action comedy I guess, I'd put it on par with something like The Other Guys.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Sound of Noise.

at the ridiculous premise of terrorist musicians. Completely absurd but good for some fun. If the trailer doesn't make you laugh don't bother.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Just saw 21 Jump StreetPerfectly amusing action comedy I guess, I'd put it on par with something like The Other Guys.

Please say it ain't so. The trailers looked terrible.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Just saw 21 Jump StreetPerfectly amusing action comedy I guess, I'd put it on par with something like The Other Guys.

Please say it ain't so. The trailers looked terrible.

I remember youre previous post asking what crowd this was for, but the trailers make me chuckle. I dont think it will be the comedy of the year, but I think it looks decent

 

[jdoggydogg]

John Carter

Not great, but fun. Not a must-see in theaters.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Watched Young Adult. Wasn't surprised to find it to be a little overrated, given Diablo Cody's involvement, but it was pretty OK I suppose. Good characters and performances from Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. Some funny dialogue, and the premise was good. Not something I'd be eager to watch again though. Quirky and hip. I'd rate it with Juno.

I thought it was pretty good.Theron went all out with the role. Scene after scene, she brought intensity. She was also one of the more authentic alcoholics in recent times.

I thought it was very good. I didn't think it was particularly quirky or hip at all, it was too dark for that imo. It definitely wasn't near the quirkiness or hipness of Juno anyway. I agree with it being a good premise and having some funny dialogue. Also agree that Theron was excellent, and Patton Oswalt surprised me as being solid as well. I really liked the ending as well in how it avoided pretty well every movie cliche. It's definitely not a feel good movie, but my drunk ### enjoyed it.

 

[Chaka]

Watched Young Adult. Wasn't surprised to find it to be a little overrated, given Diablo Cody's involvement, but it was pretty OK I suppose. Good characters and performances from Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. Some funny dialogue, and the premise was good. Not something I'd be eager to watch again though. Quirky and hip. I'd rate it with Juno.

I thought it was pretty good.Theron went all out with the role. Scene after scene, she brought intensity. She was also one of the more authentic alcoholics in recent times.

I thought it was very good. I didn't think it was particularly quirky or hip at all, it was too dark for that imo. It definitely wasn't near the quirkiness or hipness of Juno anyway. I agree with it being a good premise and having some funny dialogue. Also agree that Theron was excellent, and Patton Oswalt surprised me as being solid as well. I really liked the ending as well in how it avoided pretty well every movie cliche. It's definitely not a feel good movie, but my drunk ### enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed it too. Don't get the Juno comparison at all, there was almost nothing quirky or hip about it.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

The Keep - This one was mentioned, by me I think, when we were discussing Michael Mann films earlier in the thread. I remembered enjoying this film when I was younger so decided to revisit it. Oof. IMDB says that Mann had 3h 30m of film but ended up chopping it down to 96m. I think this explains why the film has pretty much zero flow and regularly cuts from one major plot development to the next without explanation for the intervening time gaps. The resulting pacing and poor narrative really kills the film. The low special effects production values don't help either.

But darn it if I don't think that there is a really good creepy film in there somewhere, very, very deep. With all that extra footage I wonder what Mann would do with a director's cut. It's a shame that they couldn't do better with what could be an interesting story backed by such a talented cast (Ian McKellen, Gabriel Byrne, Jurgen Prochnow, even Scott Glen).

I would like to see this remade, maybe change the scene to present day Afghanistan.

I haven't seen that one in so long - it's time to watch it again.

 

[Kenny Powers]

The Keep - This one was mentioned, by me I think, when we were discussing Michael Mann films earlier in the thread. I remembered enjoying this film when I was younger so decided to revisit it. Oof. IMDB says that Mann had 3h 30m of film but ended up chopping it down to 96m. I think this explains why the film has pretty much zero flow and regularly cuts from one major plot development to the next without explanation for the intervening time gaps. The resulting pacing and poor narrative really kills the film. The low special effects production values don't help either.

But darn it if I don't think that there is a really good creepy film in there somewhere, very, very deep. With all that extra footage I wonder what Mann would do with a director's cut. It's a shame that they couldn't do better with what could be an interesting story backed by such a talented cast (Ian McKellen, Gabriel Byrne, Jurgen Prochnow, even Scott Glen).

I would like to see this remade, maybe change the scene to present day Afghanistan.

I haven't seen that one in so long - it's time to watch it again.

Save yourself 96 minutes and dont

 

[Apple Jack]

Watched Young Adult. Wasn't surprised to find it to be a little overrated, given Diablo Cody's involvement, but it was pretty OK I suppose. Good characters and performances from Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. Some funny dialogue, and the premise was good. Not something I'd be eager to watch again though. Quirky and hip. I'd rate it with Juno.

I thought it was pretty good.Theron went all out with the role. Scene after scene, she brought intensity. She was also one of the more authentic alcoholics in recent times.

I thought it was very good. I didn't think it was particularly quirky or hip at all, it was too dark for that imo. It definitely wasn't near the quirkiness or hipness of Juno anyway. I agree with it being a good premise and having some funny dialogue. Also agree that Theron was excellent, and Patton Oswalt surprised me as being solid as well. I really liked the ending as well in how it avoided pretty well every movie cliche. It's definitely not a feel good movie, but my drunk ### enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed it too. Don't get the Juno comparison at all, there was almost nothing quirky or hip about it.

How was this "overrated?" It barely hit the radar at all. I liked it and my Charlize Theron crush was thrown into overdrive again. Been a huge Patton Oswalt fan for years, so it's great to see him get a role like this and drill it. Great acting, decent writing/direction, nothing all that remarkable, just a well-told story of arrested development. With a couple quality cringe-inducing moments.

 

[JZilla]

Sorry nerds, I said it was OK

 

[Chaka]

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

How was this film overlooked? I guess I shouldn't say anything because if it weren't for /Filmcast it would have likely passed me by too. Easily one of my favorites from 2011, how a film like this gets completely ignored by the Oscars is shocking to me. Acting, screenplay, direction, camera work, editing were all exceptional IMO. Very much worth a watch.

 

[Chaka]

Bridesmaids - It had moments, Melissa McCarthy was solid, but it was only okay as a home viewing and definitely too long (130 minutes? Really?). To be fair, had I seen it in theaters I probably would have laughed a lot more. Then again most comedies are helped by watching them with a good crowd.

Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

 

[Daywalker]

Just saw 21 Jump StreetPerfectly amusing action comedy I guess, I'd put it on par with something like The Other Guys.

Please say it ain't so. The trailers looked terrible.

I remember youre previous post asking what crowd this was for, but the trailers make me chuckle. I dont think it will be the comedy of the year, but I think it looks decent

Trailer does nothing for me but the reviews have been pretty solid. The Other Guys cracked me up so if people are putting it on par with that I'll check it out. On dvd.

 

[Daywalker]

Bridesmaids - It had moments, Melissa McCarthy was solid, but it was only okay as a home viewing and definitely too long (130 minutes? Really?). To be fair, had I seen it in theaters I probably would have laughed a lot more. Then again most comedies are helped by watching them with a good crowd.Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

Felt the same way in all respects. The Wiig character was just miserable.Talking about The Other Guys again, but I'd much rather watch that again then Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids relies too much on that annoying drag things out for a laugh premises. Like the maid-of-honor speech. That exasperating humor that Fred Armisen has made a career off of.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Sorry nerds, I said it was OK

 

[Usual21]

M. Night takes a beating and I can honestly see why. He sets himself up by trying to out think the audience. The problem is just like with many TV shows we become familar with the formula. I like most of his movies. I really liked that in Devil he got away from the "formula" just enough that it wasn't a distraction or a parlor trick.

I haven't liked anything he's done since the Sixth Sense. Although I found The Village less objectionable than Signs, just because Signs was so insulting to the intelligence.

Havent seen The Village, but I would agree for the most part. Unbreakable was ok but left me unsatisfied really. I agree with Papa G with Devil though, it wasnt as MNighted up as his other movies but still had a twist. It was a pretty good thriller.

I really like Unbreakable - it's the only MNS movie I can watch more than once.

I have friends that really like it, just didn't do it for me. It's not as actively bad as most of his movies, though.

M. Night didn't direct it. He's just the second writer on this. He's putting out movies as part of his Night Chronicles. Basically other people's ideas for movies, then he comes in and adds some writing, but when they put it out in theaters, they post his name all over the place. Basically what James Patterson does for his books that he co-writes. Oren Peli does this now too since Paranormal Activity did so well.

 

[JZilla]

Just saw 21 Jump StreetPerfectly amusing action comedy I guess, I'd put it on par with something like The Other Guys.

Please say it ain't so. The trailers looked terrible.

I remember youre previous post asking what crowd this was for, but the trailers make me chuckle. I dont think it will be the comedy of the year, but I think it looks decent

Trailer does nothing for me but the reviews have been pretty solid. The Other Guys cracked me up so if people are putting it on par with that I'll check it out. On dvd.

That's probably fine. It had a handful of LOLs and was interesting enough to keep my attention, so for me that's a decent action comedy. I'd say it's mostly geared towards people the main actors' age - twenties - but it's got broad enough appeal for most. Got good reviews. It's nothing like the TV show was and I don't think it makes any real effort to appeal to fans of that show.. women who are in their 40's now? It does make a good point of contrasting teen life today in the social networking generation with teen life of ten years ago and beyond.The comic acting from Messrs Tatum, Hill and Cube was excellent. I was disappointed they seemed to set up for a sequel at the end,, it skewered itself as a "remake" enough during the film that may have just been part of the joke, but I doubt it.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

Not just you, but I thought she was better than her dooshy love interest.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Carnage:

Had to try this out with the talent involved. Directed by Polanski and based on a play the movie is about 2 couples (Kate Winslet/Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly/Jodi Foster) meeting after their kids get in a fight and one gets hurt. The parents in the crowd will probably get something out of this if they ever have had one of those uncomfortable conversations with over-zealous parents you don't see eye to eye with. Movie starts off with snarky remarks and subtle uncomfortableness, and escalates as the 90 mins move on. You can tell it was based on a play, as it was essentially all in one apartment so if that would bug you stay away, also if you are not a fan of the uncomfortable situation humor. I would say it was a above average, but wouldn't recommend it to everyone. I think I would have liked it more if Foster wasn't involved - can't remember the last thing I have seen that I liked her in, but I love the other 3 in this. 6/10

 

[Chaka]

Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

Not just you, but I thought she was better than her dooshy love interest.

The cop? Didn't think he came off like that at all. Maybe he played the wounded boyfriend thing a little too long but otherwise I thought he was fine.Jon Ham was a total jerk but that was intentional and I thought he was one of the funnier characters in that role.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

Not just you, but I thought she was better than her dooshy love interest.

The cop? Didn't think he came off like that at all. Maybe he played the wounded boyfriend thing a little too long but otherwise I thought he was fine.Jon Ham was a total jerk but that was intentional and I thought he was one of the funnier characters in that role.

Not a good word on my part. How about uninteresting, unfunny, boring, etc... Just a terrible match up. Seemed like they tried to hard to find the anti-Jon Ham for the character.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Hugo - 7.5/10

I liked this one a lot and the only thing keeping it from an 8 is that it's rather slow.

But it looks gorgeous (especially on BluRay) and I enjoyed the performances all around.

 

[Chaka]

Really thought Wiig's character was pretty much unlikeable for most of the film. Was that just me?

Not just you, but I thought she was better than her dooshy love interest.

The cop? Didn't think he came off like that at all. Maybe he played the wounded boyfriend thing a little too long but otherwise I thought he was fine.Jon Ham was a total jerk but that was intentional and I thought he was one of the funnier characters in that role.

Not a good word on my part. How about uninteresting, unfunny, boring, etc... Just a terrible match up. Seemed like they tried to hard to find the anti-Jon Ham for the character.

Yeah I can see that. He wasn't terrible IMO, not great either, just kinda there. I kept thinking that they were going for Paul Rudd and missed.

 

[cosjobs]

Carnage:

Had to try this out with the talent involved. Directed by Polanski and based on a play the movie is about 2 couples (Kate Winslet/Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly/Jodi Foster) meeting after their kids get in a fight and one gets hurt. The parents in the crowd will probably get something out of this if they ever have had one of those uncomfortable conversations with over-zealous parents you don't see eye to eye with. Movie starts off with snarky remarks and subtle uncomfortableness, and escalates as the 90 mins move on. You can tell it was based on a play, as it was essentially all in one apartment so if that would bug you stay away, also if you are not a fan of the uncomfortable situation humor. I would say it was a above average, but wouldn't recommend it to everyone. I think I would have liked it more if Foster wasn't involved - can't remember the last thing I have seen that I liked her in, but I love the other 3 in this. 6/10

I loved this film, but I saw it in the theater and it made much more of a difference than I would ahve imagined. Tried to watch the dvd with my wife the other day and it was not nearly so good.As far a Jodie, i don't think you were supposed to like her very much in this role. I thought she did a fine job of portraying an extremely flawed (and self-rightous) character.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Carnage:

Had to try this out with the talent involved. Directed by Polanski and based on a play the movie is about 2 couples (Kate Winslet/Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly/Jodi Foster) meeting after their kids get in a fight and one gets hurt. The parents in the crowd will probably get something out of this if they ever have had one of those uncomfortable conversations with over-zealous parents you don't see eye to eye with. Movie starts off with snarky remarks and subtle uncomfortableness, and escalates as the 90 mins move on. You can tell it was based on a play, as it was essentially all in one apartment so if that would bug you stay away, also if you are not a fan of the uncomfortable situation humor. I would say it was a above average, but wouldn't recommend it to everyone. I think I would have liked it more if Foster wasn't involved - can't remember the last thing I have seen that I liked her in, but I love the other 3 in this. 6/10

Id probably have to go all the way back to Taxi Driver.In all seriousness, I think she's a decent actress but something about her really bothers me. Since Silence of the Lambs, her only movie Id call better than average is Panic Room, although it appears she was in Inside Man, which I dont remember.

 

[Daywalker]

Hugo - 7.5/10

I liked this one a lot and the only thing keeping it from an 8 is that it's rather slow.

But it looks gorgeous (especially on BluRay) and I enjoyed the performances all around.

Perhaps it was great on the big screen with the full effect but at home I was completely bored.

 

[Daywalker]

35mill opening for the R-rated 21 Jump Street. Hill and Tatum can write their own ticket now.

 

[jdoggydogg]

This is pretty cool, and I don't know where else to post it, so:

Wes Ball, a graphic artist best known for his work with HBO and his award-winning student short A Work in Progress, has spent the last two years working with his company, OddBall Animation, on a “passion project” called Ruin, described as “an animated short set in a post-apocalyptic universe.” Words can’t do this stunning feat of CGI justice, which is probably why the entire short is completely free of dialog. Do yourself a favor and set the next 8 minutes aside to watch something truly remarkable.

[/film.]

 

[Chaka]

This is pretty cool, and I don't know where else to post it, so:

Wes Ball, a graphic artist best known for his work with HBO and his award-winning student short A Work in Progress, has spent the last two years working with his company, OddBall Animation, on a "passion project" called Ruin, described as "an animated short set in a post-apocalyptic universe." Words can't do this stunning feat of CGI justice, which is probably why the entire short is completely free of dialog. Do yourself a favor and set the next 8 minutes aside to watch something truly remarkable.

[/film.]

 

[saintfool]

"in the loop" last night. moments of wit but little else.

 

[Kenny Powers]

So Three Stooges is going to bomb at the box office, right?? Not only looks terrible, but kids have no idea who the Stooges are and its not like 50+ year old guys who watched it as a kid will be going out in droves to catch it at the theater.

 

[jdoggydogg]

"in the loop" last night. moments of wit but little else.

Really surprised to read this. I thought it was good.

 

[Chaka]

"in the loop" last night. moments of wit but little else.

Really surprised to read this. I thought it was good.

Me too. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was very clever and Pete Capaldi reminded me of a British Ari Gold.

 

[jdoggydogg]

"in the loop" last night. moments of wit but little else.

Really surprised to read this. I thought it was good.

Me too. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was very clever and Pete Capaldi reminded me of a British Ari Gold.

Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

The Sitter: Terrible even by Jonah Hill standards. .5/5

 

[saintfool]

"in the loop" last night. moments of wit but little else.

Really surprised to read this. I thought it was good.

Me too. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was very clever and Pete Capaldi reminded me of a British Ari Gold.

he was really one of the only consistently funny characters. the rest had moments here and there. it just never seemed to come together as a satire or ensemble comedy.

 

[belljr]

Friends with Benefits - the wife and I watched this Saturday. Overall a decent movie for a "chick flick". Kunis is hot, want to know if the walk away was a body double.... Timberlake was pretty solid.

Really drug along in the middle. Had some decent humor. Not sure how I would rate such a chicky flick but it was enjoyable. 6 or 7 out of 10

 

[jamny]

The Square - Australian film recommended in this thread. Not bad, worth checking out. No major twists or turns just a good realistic, gritty thriller. 3/5

 

[saintfool]

The Square - Australian film recommended in this thread. Not bad, worth checking out. No major twists or turns just a good realistic, gritty thriller. 3/5

i saw this a week or so back and liked it. i think someone in the thread described it as almost Coen Bros-eque. i would agree that it has a similar sort of feel.

 

[Chaka]

The Sea Inside - This is a very well done film and the acting is top notch across the board. Javier Bardem is one of the best in the business without question, he portrays his limited joys and frustration as a quadriplegic with aplomb. It is also beautifully filmed. It deserved it's best foreign film Oscar win (although Downfall was great too).

That being said it loses some originality points from me because I saw this film in 1981, it was called Whose Life Is It Anyway? starring Richard Dreyfuss and I revisited it last year and still enjoyed it a great deal.

 

[Chaka]

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - A must watch for anyone who has followed the nearly two decade case of the West Memphis 3; three teenagers who were accused and convicted, despite what appears to be a serious lack of any evidence, of brutally killing three eight year old boys in 1993. They have been in prison fighting the conviction for the past 17 years and this is the third HBO documentary profiling the case.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - A must watch for anyone who has followed the nearly two decade case of the West Memphis 3; three teenagers who were accused and convicted, despite what appears to be a serious lack of any evidence, of brutally killing three eight year old boys in 1993. They have been in prison fighting the conviction for the past 17 years and this is the third HBO documentary profiling the case.

Spoiler

ETA - Released back a few months ago, after entering an Alford plea.

 

[Chaka]

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - A must watch for anyone who has followed the nearly two decade case of the West Memphis 3; three teenagers who were accused and convicted, despite what appears to be a serious lack of any evidence, of brutally killing three eight year old boys in 1993. They have been in prison fighting the conviction for the past 17 years and this is the third HBO documentary profiling the case.

ETA -

Spoiler

Released back a few months ago, after entering an Alford plea.

I omitted that for a reason.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - A must watch for anyone who has followed the nearly two decade case of the West Memphis 3; three teenagers who were accused and convicted, despite what appears to be a serious lack of any evidence, of brutally killing three eight year old boys in 1993. They have been in prison fighting the conviction for the past 17 years and this is the third HBO documentary profiling the case.

ETA -

Spoiler

Released back a few months ago, after entering an Alford plea.

I omitted that for a reason.Ahhhhhh. Bein national news and all, didn't think it was a spoiler. My bad.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

For those of you who are big fans of Michael Haneke's work, I suggest checking out the Quebecois film Curling.

 

[Kev4029]

Friends with Benefits - the wife and I watched this Saturday. Overall a decent movie for a "chick flick". Kunis is hot, want to know if the walk away was a body double.... Timberlake was pretty solid.

Really drug along in the middle. Had some decent humor. Not sure how I would rate such a chicky flick but it was enjoyable. 6 or 7 out of 10

She did use a butt double.

 

[saintfool]

For those of you who are big fans of Michael Haneke's work, I suggest checking out the Quebecois film Curling.

i'll be adding this to the queue.