Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (6 Viewers)

[jdoggydogg]

Disappointed in Mama, especially after some good reviews in this thread. I thought it was going to be a more realistic story about deranged kids not the fantasy horror tale it turned out to be. I thought it started out great but as soon as I saw what happened to the father...

Spoiler

I knew there was a mysterious creature involved.

Spoiler

and I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wound up fast-forwarding through much of the ending. 2/5

Spoiler

For a PG-13 horror, I thought it was better than average, which IIRC I gave it something like 3/5, but I dont think I thought it was as good as others as well. I thought Chastain was very strong. You probably fast forwarded thru some of the solid storyline parts, not sure why you'd do that. The ending was a little hokey for me. I liked the idea of feral kids for a horror, and would agree if it was less "spirit" related they couldve had a really good old school horror based on that aspect.

As an aside, do most of you seriously fast forward thru movies youve never seen? Ive turned off a terrible movie here and there, probably less than most, but anything I stuck with and have never seen Ive never fast forwarded at any point. Besides "saving time" - which you can save more of if you just turn it off - I dont see the point.

Spoiler

That's like my wife...when she gives up on a movie, she's done. Turn it off. Even if I don't like the movie, I usually will fast-forward through it to see what happens at the end or to catch some cool FX. Like John Carter. Hated it but fast forwarded to check out FX. Or even just some impressive cinematography.

I used to do that, as well. Now, if the movie stinks, I'd rather re-watch one of my favorite DVDs than watch something new that isn't good.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Now that summer is essentially over, it's finally time for some good movies to come out. Here's a list of 15 that look pretty interesting. That film Gravity sure is getting a tonne of love from critics.

This is the trailer I saw of Gravity on Saturday, gave me goosebumps. Really looking forward to it

Didn't see 12 Years a Slave on that list. Early buzz is off the charts, just hand it the Oscar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiw1cYXQw4g

The list only shows films that were at the Venice Film Festival, hence 12 Years A Slave not being on it. It does look like it's going to be very good though.

 

[jamny]

Disappointed in Mama, especially after some good reviews in this thread. I thought it was going to be a more realistic story about deranged kids not the fantasy horror tale it turned out to be. I thought it started out great but as soon as I saw what happened to the father...

Spoiler

I knew there was a mysterious creature involved.

Spoiler

and I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wound up fast-forwarding through much of the ending. 2/5

Spoiler

For a PG-13 horror, I thought it was better than average, which IIRC I gave it something like 3/5, but I dont think I thought it was as good as others as well. I thought Chastain was very strong. You probably fast forwarded thru some of the solid storyline parts, not sure why you'd do that. The ending was a little hokey for me. I liked the idea of feral kids for a horror, and would agree if it was less "spirit" related they couldve had a really good old school horror based on that aspect.

As an aside, do most of you seriously fast forward thru movies youve never seen? Ive turned off a terrible movie here and there, probably less than most, but anything I stuck with and have never seen Ive never fast forwarded at any point. Besides "saving time" - which you can save more of if you just turn it off - I dont see the point.

Spoiler

That's like my wife...when she gives up on a movie, she's done. Turn it off. Even if I don't like the movie, I usually will fast-forward through it to see what happens at the end or to catch some cool FX. Like John Carter. Hated it but fast forwarded to check out FX. Or even just some impressive cinematography.

Spoiler

I used to do that, as well. Now, if the movie stinks, I'd rather re-watch one of my favorite DVDs than watch something new that isn't good.

Well, I'm just talking about like 5-10 minutes to flip through the rest of the movie.

 

[cstu]

The End of the World

It's good. Go see it.

First 30-45 minutes funniest of any film in a while. 2nd half falls off a bit but overall worth the watch.

Took a while to get rolling to me, I liked the second act best, when it seemed to hit stride. Agreed that the third act began to fall apart.

Pretty good comedy, but disappointing, considering the talent that made it.

I think This is the End was quite a bit funnier.

I liked This is The End quite a bit. So while the Rogan movie was funnier overall, so few comedies are worth seeing, I really enjoyed The World's End.

Watched this last night. Pegg and Frost have never let me down.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

District 9

Oof. Thought this film was terrible pretty much from start to finish in large part due to a just dreadful script. CGI was well done though, especially given the films relatively modest budget.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Disappointed in Mama, especially after some good reviews in this thread. I thought it was going to be a more realistic story about deranged kids not the fantasy horror tale it turned out to be. I thought it started out great but as soon as I saw what happened to the father...

Spoiler

I knew there was a mysterious creature involved.

Spoiler

and I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wound up fast-forwarding through much of the ending. 2/5

Spoiler

For a PG-13 horror, I thought it was better than average, which IIRC I gave it something like 3/5, but I dont think I thought it was as good as others as well. I thought Chastain was very strong. You probably fast forwarded thru some of the solid storyline parts, not sure why you'd do that. The ending was a little hokey for me. I liked the idea of feral kids for a horror, and would agree if it was less "spirit" related they couldve had a really good old school horror based on that aspect.

As an aside, do most of you seriously fast forward thru movies youve never seen? Ive turned off a terrible movie here and there, probably less than most, but anything I stuck with and have never seen Ive never fast forwarded at any point. Besides "saving time" - which you can save more of if you just turn it off - I dont see the point.

Spoiler

That's like my wife...when she gives up on a movie, she's done. Turn it off. Even if I don't like the movie, I usually will fast-forward through it to see what happens at the end or to catch some cool FX. Like John Carter. Hated it but fast forwarded to check out FX. Or even just some impressive cinematography.

Spoiler

I used to do that, as well. Now, if the movie stinks, I'd rather re-watch one of my favorite DVDs than watch something new that isn't good.

Spoiler

Well, I'm just talking about like 5-10 minutes to flip through the rest of the movie.

That seems totally pointless to me. Like I said, either shut it down or finish it. Whats the point of fast forwarding thru 1/3 of a movie to catch a couple minutes here and there? I realize you said to check out FX (which is something Mama didnt really have in the first place) or cinematography, but when youre FFW how do you know when you missed something, or do you play it for 10 seconds then continue to FFW for a minute?

Sorry, but that just doesnt make sense to me and I dont care if you compared my movie watching abilities to your wife.

 

[sports_fan]

Riddick - 3/5

Decent action flick for a modest budget. Better than the 2nd film. It's open-ended and Vin Diesel seems to like the character. Another movie to wrap up the series seems likely.

 

[jamny]

Disappointed in Mama, especially after some good reviews in this thread. I thought it was going to be a more realistic story about deranged kids not the fantasy horror tale it turned out to be. I thought it started out great but as soon as I saw what happened to the father...

Spoiler

I knew there was a mysterious creature involved.

Spoiler

and I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wound up fast-forwarding through much of the ending. 2/5

Spoiler

For a PG-13 horror, I thought it was better than average, which IIRC I gave it something like 3/5, but I dont think I thought it was as good as others as well. I thought Chastain was very strong. You probably fast forwarded thru some of the solid storyline parts, not sure why you'd do that. The ending was a little hokey for me. I liked the idea of feral kids for a horror, and would agree if it was less "spirit" related they couldve had a really good old school horror based on that aspect.

As an aside, do most of you seriously fast forward thru movies youve never seen? Ive turned off a terrible movie here and there, probably less than most, but anything I stuck with and have never seen Ive never fast forwarded at any point. Besides "saving time" - which you can save more of if you just turn it off - I dont see the point.

Spoiler

That's like my wife...when she gives up on a movie, she's done. Turn it off. Even if I don't like the movie, I usually will fast-forward through it to see what happens at the end or to catch some cool FX. Like John Carter. Hated it but fast forwarded to check out FX. Or even just some impressive cinematography.

Spoiler

I used to do that, as well. Now, if the movie stinks, I'd rather re-watch one of my favorite DVDs than watch something new that isn't good.

Spoiler

Well, I'm just talking about like 5-10 minutes to flip through the rest of the movie.

Spoiler

That seems totally pointless to me. Like I said, either shut it down or finish it. Whats the point of fast forwarding thru 1/3 of a movie to catch a couple minutes here and there? I realize you said to check out FX (which is something Mama didnt really have in the first place) or cinematography, but when youre FFW how do you know when you missed something, or do you play it for 10 seconds then continue to FFW for a minute?

Sorry, but that just doesnt make sense to me and I dont care if you compared my movie watching abilities to your wife.

To each his own. I don't think there's anything wrong with either way. I get just giving up on it but I prefer to FF. You can FF and still get a sense of what's going on in the movie. I don't think it's pointless since I gave a couple of reasons why I do it. Whatever. Btw - the comment about my wife wasn't a negative to either of your viewing preferences.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Disappointed in Mama, especially after some good reviews in this thread. I thought it was going to be a more realistic story about deranged kids not the fantasy horror tale it turned out to be. I thought it started out great but as soon as I saw what happened to the father...

Spoiler

I knew there was a mysterious creature involved.

Spoiler

and I knew it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wound up fast-forwarding through much of the ending. 2/5

Spoiler

For a PG-13 horror, I thought it was better than average, which IIRC I gave it something like 3/5, but I dont think I thought it was as good as others as well. I thought Chastain was very strong. You probably fast forwarded thru some of the solid storyline parts, not sure why you'd do that. The ending was a little hokey for me. I liked the idea of feral kids for a horror, and would agree if it was less "spirit" related they couldve had a really good old school horror based on that aspect.

As an aside, do most of you seriously fast forward thru movies youve never seen? Ive turned off a terrible movie here and there, probably less than most, but anything I stuck with and have never seen Ive never fast forwarded at any point. Besides "saving time" - which you can save more of if you just turn it off - I dont see the point.

Spoiler

That's like my wife...when she gives up on a movie, she's done. Turn it off. Even if I don't like the movie, I usually will fast-forward through it to see what happens at the end or to catch some cool FX. Like John Carter. Hated it but fast forwarded to check out FX. Or even just some impressive cinematography.

Spoiler

I used to do that, as well. Now, if the movie stinks, I'd rather re-watch one of my favorite DVDs than watch something new that isn't good.

Spoiler

Well, I'm just talking about like 5-10 minutes to flip through the rest of the movie.

Sure. Totally.

 

[jdoggydogg]

The End of the World

It's good. Go see it.

First 30-45 minutes funniest of any film in a while. 2nd half falls off a bit but overall worth the watch.

Took a while to get rolling to me, I liked the second act best, when it seemed to hit stride. Agreed that the third act began to fall apart.

Pretty good comedy, but disappointing, considering the talent that made it.

I think This is the End was quite a bit funnier.

I liked This is The End quite a bit. So while the Rogan movie was funnier overall, so few comedies are worth seeing, I really enjoyed The World's End.

Watched this last night. Pegg and Frost have never let me down.

Yep. I need to see Paul.

 

[Daywalker]

Infernal Affairs - 7.5/10

It may have been the inspiration for The Departed...but IA is the better movie by a long shot.

Could have done without the psychologist subplot that existed only to tidy up the ending though.

IA was good but The Departed was much more polished and flushed out. The characters in The Departed were more memorable. IA is all plot with little dialogue. Half way through IA I wanted to turn The Departed on.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Infernal Affairs - 7.5/10

It may have been the inspiration for The Departed...but IA is the better movie by a long shot.

Could have done without the psychologist subplot that existed only to tidy up the ending though.

IA was good but The Departed was much more polished and flushed out. The characters in The Departed were more memorable. IA is all plot with little dialogue. Half way through IA I wanted to turn The Departed on.

Spoiler

"fleshed" out

 

[Kenny Powers]

I love The Departed. Pretty sure I have no interest in seeing Infernal Affairs because there is no chance I like it as much.

 

[Chaka]

I love The Departed. Pretty sure I have no interest in seeing Infernal Affairs because there is no chance I like it as much.

That's the same reason why I only eat chicken nuggets.

 

[bonesman]

District 9

Oof. Thought this film was terrible pretty much from start to finish in large part due to a just dreadful script. CGI was well done though, especially given the films relatively modest budget.

District 9's dialog was all improvised, IIRC.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I love The Departed. Pretty sure I have no interest in seeing Infernal Affairs because there is no chance I like it as much.

That's the same reason why I only eat chicken nuggets.

MMmmmM...chicken nuggets

 

[cstu]

Simon Killer

College graduate with no job goes to Paris after a bad breakup with his girlfriend - what could go wrong?

Slow paced movie but I liked - 7/10 for the 'visuals' alone.

 

[jdoggydogg]

The Wolverine

About what you'd expect.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Mud - 7/10

It was pretty good. Didn't need to be that long though.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

District 9

Oof. Thought this film was terrible pretty much from start to finish in large part due to a just dreadful script. CGI was well done though, especially given the films relatively modest budget.

Completely disagree and think it's one of the best recent movies.

 

[cstu]

Sweet, gonna watch After Earth tonight!

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Sweet, gonna watch After Earth tonight!

Can you give us a hint as to your location or are your captors monitoring you? STAY STRONG CSTU, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!!!

 

[cstu]

Sweet, gonna watch After Earth tonight!

Can you give us a hint as to your location or are your captors monitoring you? STAY STRONG CSTU, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!!!

My dominatrix* is out of town tonight and I'm feeling a little masochistic.

No, really, my wife is gone for the night.

 

[NCCommish]

Caught both WWZ and Oblivion last night. Both kind of seemed been there, done that. I could see pretty much every plot twist in Oblivion coming from a mile away. Some interesting moments but by and large meh.

WWZ was pretty standard fare as well. Some different takes on the genre but not really anything that jumped out and made it special. I was a bit disappointed. I guess I expected more. Oh well at least I only paid rental for them.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Caught both WWZ and Oblivion last night. Both kind of seemed been there, done that. I could see pretty much every plot twist in Oblivion coming from a mile away. Some interesting moments but by and large meh.

WWZ was pretty standard fare as well. Some different takes on the genre but not really anything that jumped out and made it special. I was a bit disappointed. I guess I expected more. Oh well at least I only paid rental for them.

Yes, they are "comfort food" type movies. You know exactly what you're going to get with them...and you get it.

They're entertaining even if they're not groundbreaking.

 

[NCCommish]

Caught both WWZ and Oblivion last night. Both kind of seemed been there, done that. I could see pretty much every plot twist in Oblivion coming from a mile away. Some interesting moments but by and large meh.

WWZ was pretty standard fare as well. Some different takes on the genre but not really anything that jumped out and made it special. I was a bit disappointed. I guess I expected more. Oh well at least I only paid rental for them.

Yes, they are "comfort food" type movies. You know exactly what you're going to get with them...and you get it.

They're entertaining even if they're not groundbreaking.

True. Although my metaphor would be cotton candy. Full of air confection that gives momentary satisfaction and then is forgotten.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Saw World War Z

Very exciting film that was better than I expected.

 

[Statorama]

I love The Departed. Pretty sure I have no interest in seeing Infernal Affairs because there is no chance I like it as much.

Infernal affairs was awesome, and I prefer it far more than The Departed. Different kind of flick, even though they touch on similar themes.

The Departed was a little more light-hearted in comparison, Infernal Affairs was edge of the couch intense.

 

[Statorama]

You're Next - Good old fashioned 'yell at the characters when they do stupid things' horror.

Sure, I saw everything coming a mile away, but couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Got some genuine jumps, and the action was well done and believable.

The key to all of these kinds of movies, going all the way back to Halloween, is caring for or having a rooting interest in the main victim. I thought the lead in this one filled both of those qualities, and reacted the way I feel I would have reacted in a similar situation.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Someone needs to shoot this zombie fad in the head.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Zombies are popular villains because they're the perfect politically correct enemy. There aren't any zombie activists around to cry foul.

 

[NCCommish]

Someone needs to shoot this zombie fad in the head.

I don't know. Walking Dead is pretty good right? It just needs to be come at from some different angles.

 

[cosjobs]

The Family

There was a time when I would have been anxious and excited to see a mob movie with DeNiro, Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee.

Yesterday it was with great trepidation.

I was pretty sure it was going to suck, but wanted to give it a shot.

Relative to my expectations, it was a success. It was kind of a fun romp. No laugh out loud moments, but a bemused smile most of the time.

Pretty good, not bad, can't complain. You could do worse.

The biggest surprise to me was that the actors playing the kids (Diana Agron, John D'Leo) were far more entertaining than the big three.

2.5/5

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Thought Behind the Candelabra was pretty good. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace. Kinda thought Matt Damon was miscast, they should have had someone much younger in that role imo, but he was his old serviceable self. I remember reading some praises of Rob Lowe in his minor role in this, but I thought he was terrible and totally out of his league in trying to do what was asked of him.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Someone needs to shoot this zombie fad in the head.

I don't know. Walking Dead is pretty good right? It just needs to be come at from some different angles.

I know people love Walking Dead. But I was sick of zombies before that show even began.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Thought Behind the Candelabra was pretty good. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace. Kinda thought Matt Damon was miscast, they should have had someone much younger in that role imo, but he was his old serviceable self. I remember reading some praises of Rob Lowe in his minor role in this, but I thought he was terrible and totally out of his league in trying to do what was asked of him.

I wanted to like this. Problem is, I could not get past Douglas' affectation.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Thought Behind the Candelabra was pretty good. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace. Kinda thought Matt Damon was miscast, they should have had someone much younger in that role imo, but he was his old serviceable self. I remember reading some praises of Rob Lowe in his minor role in this, but I thought he was terrible and totally out of his league in trying to do what was asked of him.

I wanted to like this. Problem is, I could not get past Douglas' affectation.

Why is that? I thought it was a more than reasonable imitation of Liberace's affectation.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Thought Behind the Candelabra was pretty good. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace. Kinda thought Matt Damon was miscast, they should have had someone much younger in that role imo, but he was his old serviceable self. I remember reading some praises of Rob Lowe in his minor role in this, but I thought he was terrible and totally out of his league in trying to do what was asked of him.

I wanted to like this. Problem is, I could not get past Douglas' affectation.

Why is that? I thought it was a more than reasonable imitation of Liberace's affectation.

I like Douglas, and I'm not saying the accent was terrible. But much like Bale's hiss in Dark Knight, it was distracting.

 

[Chaka]

Thought Behind the Candelabra was pretty good. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace. Kinda thought Matt Damon was miscast, they should have had someone much younger in that role imo, but he was his old serviceable self. I remember reading some praises of Rob Lowe in his minor role in this, but I thought he was terrible and totally out of his league in trying to do what was asked of him.

I wanted to like this. Problem is, I could not get past Douglas' affectation.

Why is that? I thought it was a more than reasonable imitation of Liberace's affectation.

I like Douglas, and I'm not saying the accent was terrible. But much like Bale's hiss in Dark Knight, it was distracting.

Sorry you felt that way. I know several people who knew Liberace well and they said Douglass really did an excellent job with the voice and mannerisms.

I also thought Lowe was fantastic but that is just my opinion.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Saw World War Z

Very exciting film that was better than I expected.

watched this a couple nights ago and I am on the other end of the spectrum. every bit as bad as I was expecting it to be.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Someone needs to shoot this zombie fad in the head.

I don't know. Walking Dead is pretty good right? It just needs to be come at from some different angles.

I know people love Walking Dead. But I was sick of zombies before that show even began.

curious why that is. was there that msny coming out? 28 days later and the comedy movies- shaun of the dead/zombieland. maybe I was just glad yo have something besides all the ####ty vampire movies and shows that were coming out. next up, werewolves???

 

[jdoggydogg]

Someone needs to shoot this zombie fad in the head.

I don't know. Walking Dead is pretty good right? It just needs to be come at from some different angles.

I know people love Walking Dead. But I was sick of zombies before that show even began.

curious why that is. was there that msny coming out? 28 days later and the comedy movies- shaun of the dead/zombieland. maybe I was just glad yo have something besides all the ####ty vampire movies and shows that were coming out. next up, werewolves???

Loved 28 Days Later. I just don't think that a mindless nemesis is all that interesting.

 

[cstu]

Sweet, gonna watch After Earth tonight!

Can you give us a hint as to your location or are your captors monitoring you? STAY STRONG CSTU, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!!!

My dominatrix* is out of town tonight and I'm feeling a little masochistic.

No, really, my wife is gone for the night.

It took me two nights to get through this. First, what was up with the accents? Annoying and distracting. Second, Jaden Smith should never act again.

 

[badmojo1006]

I don't say this about many movies, but Paul is a sweet movie

 

[simsarge]

October Sky 4.5 / 5. Been meaning to watch this for years and found it on Netflix. Gyllenhaal and Cooper were excellent in this. Not too smarmy and just the right touch of sentiment without over doing it.

Wyatt Earp. Holy crap this was loooong (3+ hrs). Not a bad movie and interesting to the point of it seeming like it wanted to be truthful compared to Tombstone. I think I liked Costner's Earp better than Kurt Russell's. But the story, soundtrack, scenery, the length and the supporting cast ("I'm your Huckleberry") were infinitely better. I really found myself comparing the two at nearly every scene. 3/5

 

[Daywalker]

World According to Garp.

Is the book a lot better? The movie did not do much for me. Kind of all over the place. Had good reviews. Thought it was a movie I should see that came out a bit before my time.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favs. Should I read Garp? Simon Birch is nothing compared to the book is Garp the same way?

 

[badmojo1006]

World According to Garp.

Is the book a lot better? The movie did not do much for me. Kind of all over the place. Had good reviews. Thought it was a movie I should see that came out a bit before my time.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favs. Should I read Garp? Simon Birch is nothing compared to the book is Garp the same way?

Garp is one of my favorite books of all time. And was really disappointed when I heard Robin Williams was going to be Garp. Did not like the movie at all first time I saw it. But it has grown on me

It is a great read

 

[Chaka]

World According to Garp.

Is the book a lot better? The movie did not do much for me. Kind of all over the place. Had good reviews. Thought it was a movie I should see that came out a bit before my time.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favs. Should I read Garp? Simon Birch is nothing compared to the book is Garp the same way?

Garp is one of my favorite books of all time. And was really disappointed when I heard Robin Williams was going to be Garp. Did not like the movie at all first time I saw it. But it has grown on me

It is a great read

At this point I absolutely love the movie but it definitely took a few viewings for it to grow on me (although Lithgow made it watchable from the first viewing IMO, just a brilliant performance by him).

Didn't much care for the book, I found none of Irving's characters to be really all that likable and I find that Irving tosses around progressive themes of adultery and abortion rather haphazardly and without much consideration for my taste. I get the feeling that he really doesn't have a high opinion of humanity in general.

 

[badmojo1006]

Instructions not Included -

Holy Crap, what a gut punch

 

[avoiding injuries]

Disconnect

One of the better movies I've seen in a while. Very powerful, well written and the acting was good.

I just finished it and could watch it again.