Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (2 Viewers)

[Daywalker]

The Conjuring- Rarely watch these type of movies. This one got some good reviews which interested me. The third act was pretty standard which was disappointing but the first half of the movie was really good and had me jumping in my seat a few times. Solid date movie. 6/10.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Two-Lane Blacktop - The Criterion Collection - Warren Oates, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. Two drivers race across the county, one in a '55 Chevy the other in a '70 GTO. Better than average road flick. The commentary on the disc with Director Monte Hellman is worth listening to because there were a lot of interesting background stories about the film. solid 7/10. Gearheads will love this.

 

[wazoo11]

I thought Up was the best Pixar movie since Toy Story 2.

 

[El Floppo]

My Favorite Year with Peter O'Toole. Never fails to bring a smile to my face

What a beautiful dress...

Do you like it? I only wore it once.

Love this movie and love O'Toole in it- right up there with my favorite of his performances.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Red 2

Bruce Willis, John Malcovich, and Helen Mirren deliver a solid action flick - despite the dumb addition of Willis' girlfriend as an integral part fo the team.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

The Place Beyond the Pines:

I have seen others state that it was 1/3 a great movie, or even 2/3 a great movie. I get that. This is the type of movie that I am naturally drawn to, and I even liked the last act. The problem I had was specifically with the AJ character (Cooper's son). In a movie that was trying to put together a theme and parallels of fathers/sons and the choices we make, etc.. that character really didn't seem to fit at all. Maybe I'll pick up on something different on a repeat viewing. 8/10.

 

[KarmaPolice]

To the Wonder:

I tried to watch this while tired, and that wasn't happening. Will try again, but what I was taking from it was that it was typical Malick without the strong acting. If you are going to have wandering cameras and little dialogue, you need actors to carry the movie, and I didn't see it. Maybe it was on purpose, but it also seemed more emotionally distant that normal Malick, and I had trouble latching onto a character. Again, I will try another time in the near future when my head is in it more.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

Spoiler

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

While I agree it was great visually, I dont see why you would hold that against Oblivion - which Im not saying you did. I thought in that aspect, it was one of the best Ive ever seen (Avatar, Prometheus, etc). I disagree that it was overly stuffed with info, I thought it was moreso info that you need to digest and think things out. I definitely thought it went somewhere. It definitely reminded me of other sci-fi films (see spoiler), but I thought it had its own identity, or at least as much as a box office movie could.

Spoiler

I havent seen Wall-E, so no comment on that, but Oblivion reminded me on Moon much more than anything. However, for me at least, Moon was much more personalized/character drama while also being sci-f. Oblivion was definitely sci-fi and the characters sort of fell into place.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Saw The Intouchables

French film, a true feel good movie if you're in the mood for that type.

Totally enjoyable for me.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

Spoiler

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

While I agree it was great visually, I dont see why you would hold that against Oblivion - which Im not saying you did. I thought in that aspect, it was one of the best Ive ever seen (Avatar, Prometheus, etc). I disagree that it was overly stuffed with info, I thought it was moreso info that you need to digest and think things out. I definitely thought it went somewhere. It definitely reminded me of other sci-fi films (see spoiler), but I thought it had its own identity, or at least as much as a box office movie could.

Spoiler

I havent seen Wall-E, so no comment on that, but Oblivion reminded me on Moon much more than anything. However, for me at least, Moon was much more personalized/character drama while also being sci-f. Oblivion was definitely sci-fi and the characters sort of fell into place.

agree with spoiler. just thought it was overly complicated, but in a stupid popcorn movie way. the look of the film was the only thing that kept my interest.

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Place Beyond the Pines:I have seen others state that it was 1/3 a great movie, or even 2/3 a great movie. I get that. This is the type of movie that I am naturally drawn to, and I even liked the last act. The problem I had was specifically with the AJ character (Cooper's son). In a movie that was trying to put together a theme and parallels of fathers/sons and the choices we make, etc.. that character really didn't seem to fit at all. Maybe I'll pick up on something different on a repeat viewing. 8/10.

I loved Blue Valentine, so I am eager to see this movie.

 

[biggamer3]

Saw The Intouchables

French film, a true feel good movie if you're in the mood for that type.

Totally enjoyable for me.

highly recommend this flick, they are making an American version since this version made over 400M overseas.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Spoiler

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

Agree 100% with your spoilers. I think overall maybe there were too many characters running around and a few felt underdeveloped. I think May Pearl could have been dropped and maybe we could have done without actually meeting Juniper - maybe make that an offscreen character that Mud is trying to get to. Still a damn good movie, but I would say that I preferred Take Shelter from Nichols a little more. Something in that one connected with me differently. A younger KP probably would have liked Mud more.

With Nichols, Duncan Jones, Derek Cianfrance, Steve McQueen, et al, there are a lot of new directors to be excited about that are putting out some great films.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Saw The Intouchables

French film, a true feel good movie if you're in the mood for that type.

Totally enjoyable for me.

highly recommend this flick, they are making an American version since this version made over 400M overseas.

Of course they are.

 

[jamny]

Paranormal Activity 3 - I'm not sure why I bothered. We just were in the mood for a horror movie so I put this on. They just take too long to develop and there are so many excruciatingly slow parts. Now he adds a camera to an oscillating fan. Pan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Pan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Get on with it!

A couple of creepy scenes towards the end but over all not worth the time. 1.5/5

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

 

[jamny]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

Wow, 10 times!

I can probably count on both hands the amount of movies I've seen more than twice. I don't think I've seen any movie 10 times. Maybe the original Night of the Living Dead (loved it as a kid) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (regular house party movie when I was younger)

and yes, Bale's Batman voice makes the series almost unwatchable for me. So distracting.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Agreed on TDK. The momentum is lost in the third act when they spend all that time on the boats only to have Zeus throw a controller out the window. How epic.

 

[McGarnicle]

Watched Life of Pi last night. Meh.

Just watched a Woody Allen doc on Netflix, then watched Manhattan. This was inspired by watching Match Point for about the 6th time last week. Now added the following to my queue:

Sleeper

Radio Days

Bullets over Broadway

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (already saw)

Pissed that these aren't available on Netflix:

Bananas

Play it again, Sam

Mighty Aphrodite (one of the funniest movies I've ever seen)

Deconstructing Harry

 

[JZilla]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

Spoiler

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

Spoiler

While I agree it was great visually, I dont see why you would hold that against Oblivion - which Im not saying you did. I thought in that aspect, it was one of the best Ive ever seen (Avatar, Prometheus, etc). I disagree that it was overly stuffed with info, I thought it was moreso info that you need to digest and think things out. I definitely thought it went somewhere. It definitely reminded me of other sci-fi films (see spoiler), but I thought it had its own identity, or at least as much as a box office movie could.

I havent seen Wall-E, so no comment on that, but Oblivion reminded me on Moon much more than anything. However, for me at least, Moon was much more personalized/character drama while also being sci-f. Oblivion was definitely sci-fi and the characters sort of fell into place.

agree with spoiler. just thought it was overly complicated, but in a stupid popcorn movie way. the look of the film was the only thing that kept my interest.

Spoiler

My problem with Oblivion is there seemed to be no real logical motive to what the aliens were up to. Why did they come all this way to destroy the earth? Just for fun?

Yes, it blatantly stole from about half a dozen or more movies, particularly Moon

Visually, though, it was top notch. Plus both chicks were hot.

 

[jamny]

Watched Life of Pi last night. Meh.

Just watched a Woody Allen doc on Netflix, then watched Manhattan. This was inspired by watching Match Point for about the 6th time last week. Now added the following to my queue:

Sleeper

Radio Days

Bullets over Broadway

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (already saw)

Pissed that these aren't available on Netflix:

Bananas

Play it again, Sam

Mighty Aphrodite (one of the funniest movies I've ever seen)

Deconstructing Harry

I was going to mention that one when you said you watched Match Point the other day. Must see!

I thought To Rome with Love was pretty good.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Watched Mama last night. Good scary flick, right there. That Guillermo Del Toro guy can set a mood. 4/5

 

[hxperson]

Saw The Intouchables

French film, a true feel good movie if you're in the mood for that type.

Totally enjoyable for me.

highly recommend this flick, they are making an American version since this version made over 400M overseas.

I enjoyed this as well. Nothing complicated, artistic or even that original, but a good story with fun characters that I felt a lot of empathy for.

 

[Chaka]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

10 times suggests that it probably is among your top movies of all time.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Paranormal Activity 3 - I'm not sure why I bothered. We just were in the mood for a horror movie so I put this on. They just take too long to develop and there are so many excruciatingly slow parts. Now he adds a camera to an oscillating fan. Pan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Pan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Get on with it!

A couple of creepy scenes towards the end but over all not worth the time. 1.5/5

While I don't think that Paranormal 3 is the end all beat all horror movie (anything with a 3 on the end typically gets skewered by this proud movie snob), but I disagree with you steadfastly on the scene that you described. I thought that part was wonderful. The tension was just right, and it was done very well. I think the film is worth it for that scene alone. The ending, however, not so much.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

10 times suggests that it probably is among your top movies of all time.

Nah, just watch a lot of FX so if a movie is on once it's on 50 times. The only DVD's I own are Caddyshack and Godfather 1 and 2, and the rest are kids stuff.

 

[jamny]

Paranormal Activity 3 - I'm not sure why I bothered. We just were in the mood for a horror movie so I put this on. They just take too long to develop and there are so many excruciatingly slow parts. Now he adds a camera to an oscillating fan. Pan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Pan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Get on with it!

A couple of creepy scenes towards the end but over all not worth the time. 1.5/5

While I don't think that Paranormal 3 is the end all beat all horror movie (anything with a 3 on the end typically gets skewered by this proud movie snob), but I disagree with you steadfastly on the scene that you described. I thought that part was wonderful. The tension was just right, and it was done very well. I think the film is worth it for that scene alone. The ending, however, not so much.

They used that shot 3 or 4 times throughout the movie. Only once was it effective, imo.

Spoiler

when the ghost in the sheet was standing there

The rest was just too long. Ohhhh! The light just got brighter!

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

What people are saying The Dark Knight is the greatest movie ever made? People have probably called it the best superhero movie ever, and given how ####ty that genre is they're very possibly right. But I can't imagine anyone besides some geek who writes a Batman blog or something calling it the greatest movie ever.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Spoiler

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

Spoiler

Agree 100% with your spoilers. I think overall maybe there were too many characters running around and a few felt underdeveloped. I think May Pearl could have been dropped and maybe we could have done without actually meeting Juniper - maybe make that an offscreen character that Mud is trying to get to. Still a damn good movie, but I would say that I preferred Take Shelter from Nichols a little more. Something in that one connected with me differently. A younger KP probably would have liked Mud more.

With Nichols, Duncan Jones, Derek Cianfrance, Steve McQueen, et al, there are a lot of new directors to be excited about that are putting out some great films.

Agreed that Take Shelter is Nichols' best film so far. Not as action filled, but it's a tighter script than Mud and I think Take Shelter is the more poignant film, the ending to it keeps you thinking about the film long after you've seen it, whereas Mud doesn't really have that aspect to it. I also thought Nichols' first film Shotgun Stories was great too. He and McQueen's films are must watches for me as well.

 

[cstu]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Spoiler

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

Spoiler

Agree 100% with your spoilers. I think overall maybe there were too many characters running around and a few felt underdeveloped. I think May Pearl could have been dropped and maybe we could have done without actually meeting Juniper - maybe make that an offscreen character that Mud is trying to get to. Still a damn good movie, but I would say that I preferred Take Shelter from Nichols a little more. Something in that one connected with me differently. A younger KP probably would have liked Mud more.

With Nichols, Duncan Jones, Derek Cianfrance, Steve McQueen, et al, there are a lot of new directors to be excited about that are putting out some great films.

I think you may have missed the entire point of the movie.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Paranormal Activity 3 - I'm not sure why I bothered. We just were in the mood for a horror movie so I put this on. They just take too long to develop and there are so many excruciatingly slow parts. Now he adds a camera to an oscillating fan. Pan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Pan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the left zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPan to the right zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Get on with it!

A couple of creepy scenes towards the end but over all not worth the time. 1.5/5

While I don't think that Paranormal 3 is the end all beat all horror movie (anything with a 3 on the end typically gets skewered by this proud movie snob), but I disagree with you steadfastly on the scene that you described. I thought that part was wonderful. The tension was just right, and it was done very well. I think the film is worth it for that scene alone. The ending, however, not so much.

They used that shot 3 or 4 times throughout the movie. Only once was it effective, imo.

Spoiler

when the ghost in the sheet was standing there

Spoiler

The rest was just too long. Ohhhh! The light just got brighter!

That was the one I was referring to. I don't remember it being used 2 or 3 more times, but it's been a while since I've seen it.

 

[Gr00vus]

If you get the chance, see 20 Feet From Stardom, particularly if you are pop/rock music lover. I think it has taken the top spot for best movie I've seen this year over Mud, but I've always been a sucker for female vocalists. The way those ladies can sing sends chills up my spine. Lots of interesting/sad insights into the backup singer vocation, and by extension the pop musician vocation. The backup singers, most notably Lisa Fischer, Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Claudia Lennear and Judith Hill get the most screen time - don't be fooled into thinking this is about Bette Midler, Springstien, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Sting, etc. - those people just pop in for brief (but interesting) comments occasionally.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

Spoiler

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

Spoiler

While I agree it was great visually, I dont see why you would hold that against Oblivion - which Im not saying you did. I thought in that aspect, it was one of the best Ive ever seen (Avatar, Prometheus, etc). I disagree that it was overly stuffed with info, I thought it was moreso info that you need to digest and think things out. I definitely thought it went somewhere. It definitely reminded me of other sci-fi films (see spoiler), but I thought it had its own identity, or at least as much as a box office movie could.

I havent seen Wall-E, so no comment on that, but Oblivion reminded me on Moon much more than anything. However, for me at least, Moon was much more personalized/character drama while also being sci-f. Oblivion was definitely sci-fi and the characters sort of fell into place.

agree with spoiler. just thought it was overly complicated, but in a stupid popcorn movie way. the look of the film was the only thing that kept my interest.

Spoiler

My problem with Oblivion is there seemed to be no real logical motive to what the aliens were up to. Why did they come all this way to destroy the earth? Just for fun?

Yes, it blatantly stole from about half a dozen or more movies, particularly Moon

Visually, though, it was top notch. Plus both chicks were hot.

Spoiler

To use/harvest Earth's water supply, no?

 

[JZilla]

Oblivion:

Fun-ish movie that was actually quite beautiful to look at. I think the problem with the movie was two-fold: 1 it seemed overly stuffed with info, but didn't seem to go anywhere 2. more so than most popcorn movies, it didn't seem to have an identity of it's own and just seemed to be a cocktail of every sci-fi movie that came before it. I had problems from the get-go when

Spoiler

Wall-E

Spoiler

came to mind. For my money it was below average, but I am sure people will enjoy it for the mindless movie that it is. 4/10

Spoiler

While I agree it was great visually, I dont see why you would hold that against Oblivion - which Im not saying you did. I thought in that aspect, it was one of the best Ive ever seen (Avatar, Prometheus, etc). I disagree that it was overly stuffed with info, I thought it was moreso info that you need to digest and think things out. I definitely thought it went somewhere. It definitely reminded me of other sci-fi films (see spoiler), but I thought it had its own identity, or at least as much as a box office movie could.

I havent seen Wall-E, so no comment on that, but Oblivion reminded me on Moon much more than anything. However, for me at least, Moon was much more personalized/character drama while also being sci-f. Oblivion was definitely sci-fi and the characters sort of fell into place.

Spoiler

agree with spoiler. just thought it was overly complicated, but in a stupid popcorn movie way. the look of the film was the only thing that kept my interest.

Spoiler

My problem with Oblivion is there seemed to be no real logical motive to what the aliens were up to. Why did they come all this way to destroy the earth? Just for fun?

Yes, it blatantly stole from about half a dozen or more movies, particularly Moon

Visually, though, it was top notch. Plus both chicks were hot.

Spoiler

To use/harvest Earth's water supply, no?

Spoiler

Seemed like they were just using the water to power their own operation. Not sure. It all seemed pretty unclear to me. Decent mindless action/scifi anyway.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Just watched a Woody Allen doc on Netflix, then watched Manhattan. This was inspired by watching Match Point for about the 6th time last week. Now added the following to my queue:

Sleeper

Radio Days

Bullets over Broadway

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (already saw)

Pissed that these aren't available on Netflix:

Bananas

Play it again, Sam

Mighty Aphrodite (one of the funniest movies I've ever seen)

Deconstructing Harry

That Woody Allen doc was excellent. Love Manhatten. I really need to see Bullets again. Very good. It's a shame those other films aren't on Netlfix.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Spoiler

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

Spoiler

Agree 100% with your spoilers. I think overall maybe there were too many characters running around and a few felt underdeveloped. I think May Pearl could have been dropped and maybe we could have done without actually meeting Juniper - maybe make that an offscreen character that Mud is trying to get to. Still a damn good movie, but I would say that I preferred Take Shelter from Nichols a little more. Something in that one connected with me differently. A younger KP probably would have liked Mud more.

With Nichols, Duncan Jones, Derek Cianfrance, Steve McQueen, et al, there are a lot of new directors to be excited about that are putting out some great films.

Spoiler

I think you may have missed the entire point of the movie.

How so?

I think the movie worked better at the beginning when we first meet Mud and are trying to figure out what is going on. I thought there was a good tone to the movie as we decide how much of what he is saying is the truth. They easily could have kept that up and maybe we see him interact with Juniper at the end or something. I realize there were parallels with Mud and Ellis and the women. They seem to be the only ones in the movie who had any interest in/belief in love. However, May Pearl could have been handled a similar way - maybe Ellis was passing notes, having Neck give messages, etc.. and not actually have to spend so much time with the character to relay the same thing to the audience. Just think they were the weakest parts of the movie.

 

[Chaka]

If you want to explore Woody Allen a little more I strongly recommend his first film What's Up, Tiger Lily?

In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.

Hilarious.

 

[cstu]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Spoiler

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well.

Spoiler

Agree 100% with your spoilers. I think overall maybe there were too many characters running around and a few felt underdeveloped. I think May Pearl could have been dropped and maybe we could have done without actually meeting Juniper - maybe make that an offscreen character that Mud is trying to get to. Still a damn good movie, but I would say that I preferred Take Shelter from Nichols a little more. Something in that one connected with me differently. A younger KP probably would have liked Mud more.

With Nichols, Duncan Jones, Derek Cianfrance, Steve McQueen, et al, there are a lot of new directors to be excited about that are putting out some great films.

Spoiler

I think you may have missed the entire point of the movie.

Spoiler

How so?

I think the movie worked better at the beginning when we first meet Mud and are trying to figure out what is going on. I thought there was a good tone to the movie as we decide how much of what he is saying is the truth. They easily could have kept that up and maybe we see him interact with Juniper at the end or something. I realize there were parallels with Mud and Ellis and the women. They seem to be the only ones in the movie who had any interest in/belief in love. However, May Pearl could have been handled a similar way - maybe Ellis was passing notes, having Neck give messages, etc.. and not actually have to spend so much time with the character to relay the same thing to the audience. Just think they were the weakest parts of the movie.

It may have been the weakest part but it was the major theme of the movie - guys blaming women for their problems (Mud, Ellis, Ellis' dad) when in fact it's simply their poor choices in women.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

I really like the film but can't get over the miscasting of Maggie Gylenhall which is the weakest part of the film.

 

[rodg12]

Watched The Dark Knight once again. After now having seen this movie at least 10 times I am comfortable saying this - it's overrated. Not so much because it is bad. It isn't. It's a very good movie. It's just not the greatest movie ever made, the "Batman Voice" is so grating and annoying that it's now comical, and I have to be honest - Heath was good as the Joker. Very good. But, I'm not falling over myself to drool over it either.

And did I mention the Batman Voice. God that is awful. How did I not realize how bad that was before.

I really like the film but can't get over the miscasting of Maggie Gylenhall which is the weakest part of the film.

Agreed.

 

[17seconds]

The Place Beyond The Pines

This is a pretty good crime drama. Hard to say much about it without causing spoilers. There are things I liked about it and things I didn't. Thought it was good in the beginning but also overly dark and borderline melodramatic. It picked up in the middle when a change of direction occurred and I was really getting into it. But the 3rd act was weak and too long. Added in some new characters and events that were not entirely necessary, spending the last 45mins rounding out the story. why? The movie is well over 2hrs so it wasn't necessary. Overall I recommend it though. 3.5 / 5

 

[wazoo11]

Terminator 2

Haven't since this film in roughly 10 years and it still holds up well.

Great film.

 

[SproutDaddy]

Mud:

Really liked this one. As others have stated, there are a lot of strong acting performances. I just had a little problem with the last 15mins or so, but it makes sense based on how some of the characters were presented. One of the best movies of the year that I have seen so far. 8/10

Yeah the acting was really great all the way round. The 2 lead kids were both outstanding (particularly Neckbone) and this is the first time I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey where I wasn't distinctly aware I was watching Matthew McConaughey, am pretty shocked that he actually had a good acting performance in him.

Couple issues I had:

Spoiler

The Ellis/May Pearl relationship subplot was super unbelievable and underdeveloped, film would have been much better off cutting the 10-15min of pointless screentime given to that. Also, the whole Ellis falling into the snake pit plot device was incredibly dumb and eye roll inducing, Jeff Nichols should have thought of a better way to show Mud cares about the kids than that.

I also don't get how Ellis was able to knock on Juniper's door twice in broad daylight without being noticed by 2 of the King's thugs that are supposedly watching her door 24/7, but whatever there.

Still quite liked the film though, and would prob give it an 8/10 rating myself as well. This is one of the best things I've rented in a while. LOVED that Neckbone was wearing a Fugazi tshirt at the beginning. I was a big fan of that band as a teenager. The average viewer probably doesn't even know who the band is.

 

[Bob Magaw]

my neighbor had three recs, he has eclectic taste, which i appreciate, added to my queue...

upstream color - i think this is the second movie from director of the impressive for underground time travel movie, primer...

i saw the devil - from director of old boy (?), about serial killer, revenge flick, sounds horror genre, may not be a good feelin family film...

enter the void - from the director of irreversible, which i've never seen in full, just the infamous scene (plot synopsis states hallucinatory odyssey of a dying drug dealer)...

second and third movies about 2:20, first closer to hour and a half...

i'll try and report my impressions after i see them... anybody else seen them (some movies you can't unsee - saw a few minutes of lars von triers antichrist, and it was sufficiently disturbing to get a sense this would be one of those movies i'd wish i could unsee! )...

 

[KarmaPolice]

my neighbor had three recs, he has eclectic taste, which i appreciate, added to my queue...

upstream color - i think this is the second movie from director of the impressive for underground time travel movie, primer...

i saw the devil - from director of old boy (?), about serial killer, revenge flick, sounds horror genre, may not be a good feelin family film...

enter the void - from the director of irreversible, which i've never seen in full, just the infamous scene (plot synopsis states hallucinatory odyssey of a dying drug dealer)...

second and third movies about 2:20, first closer to hour and a half...

i'll try and report my impressions after i see them... anybody else seen them (some movies you can't unsee - saw a few minutes of lars von triers antichrist, and it was sufficiently disturbing to get a sense this would be one of those movies i'd wish i could unsee! )...

I have seen enter the void. messed up for sure, but it's one of my favorite movie experiences of the last few years. (not to be confused with favorite movie)

 

[wazoo11]

An Education

Not sure why critics thought this was Oscar worthy. Solid acting all around but the plot felt kinda eh.

3/5

 

[cstu]

An Education

Not sure why critics thought this was Oscar worthy. Solid acting all around but the plot felt kinda eh.

3/5

I remember liking it but now I don't remember a damn thing about it.

 

[cstu]

i saw the devil - from director of old boy (?), about serial killer, revenge flick, sounds horror genre, may not be a good feelin family film...

It's by the director of A Tale of Two Sisters (also worth seeing) and it's excellent.

Thanks for reminding me since I'd forgotten about his 'A Bittersweet Life'.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Also thanks for reminding me that Upstream Color is out. Added that, Holy Motors, and West of Memphis to my library list.