Recently viewed movie thread - Rental Edition (8 Viewers)

[Daywalker]

Lord of War. 6/10. Borderline rental, entertaining but eft me looking for a real conclusion.

It wasn't great but I was entertained. Probably one of those movies I'll get caught up into again as I surf the movie channels over the next few months. Those African hookers were hot.

 

[broncofan13000]

I just watched 40 Year Old Virgin. I thought it was supposed to be funny.

it was.

 

[ratpfink]

I just watched 40 Year Old Virgin. I thought it was supposed to be funny.

it was.

it was also at least 45 minutes too long.

I saw A Very Long Engagement last night. Fans of Jean-Pierre Jeunet(Amelie, City of Lost Children) will enjoy it.

 

[Statorama]

Saw a few movies tonight...

Ice Harvest - John Cusack dark comedy about a mob ripoff that might just be going a little wrong. I laughed quite a bit, especially at a very drunk and very obnoxious Oliver Platt. I dug it, but don't rent it if you aren't going to be able to pay attention. If you've got kids running around or it's in the background while you're doing housework, you'll miss quite a bit.

Munich - Very well done, but waaaaay too long. Isn't there anyone in hollywood that says no to Spielberg? At a certain point it comes off as indulgent. Intelligent movie with very powerful subject matter relating to the Munich 72 Olympic games (where Israeli athletes were executed by Palestinian terrorists). Tells a story and asks you to make your own judgements (or possibly change your pre-judgements).

Derailed - With the exception of two very good endings, this movie is a total bomb. Good looking married (not to each other) people Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston meet on a train, they hit it off, and then the whole thing gets kind of complicated. Sounds pretty good so far...why do I think it's a bomb? The Clive Owen character behaves with such single minded stupidity that I felt insulted as a movie watcher several times during this dud. How dare the makers of this movie ask the viewers to invest in a character that over time we HOPE has more trouble because it's his own fault. This film will make you angry that you're watching it. There are two scenes where he puts his family in danger (his daughter in particular) and then gets mad when it happens. It's infuriating to even think about the cavalier attitude he takes with his family's welfare. Let's put it this way, if you had a 14 year old daughter who likes to sleep in the bathroom (because the floor is nice and cool), and R. Kelly is staying over at your house, don't you think you owe it to your daughter to inform her of R. Kelly's (alleged) proclivities? Or if you were a girl going out with O.J. Simpson and some waiter started flirting with you and suggested driving you home, don't you think the guy is owed an O.J. warning? Just a horrible, ridiculous movie.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I just watched 40 Year Old Virgin. I thought it was supposed to be funny.

it was.

Best flick I saw in 2005. And endlessly quotable: http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...opic=235845&hl=

 

[Elway Lives]

Man On Fire

Absolutely phenominal movie. Story has been done a thousand times...girl is kidnapped, man goes on a rampage to get her back. But this time the story is extremely well done. The camera work is exceptional...lots of quick flashbacks add a lot to the effectiveness of the scene being shown. Dakota Fanning was amazing as the kidnapped girl. And I got a great sense of gratification after seeing each of those responsible getting mowed down.

One of the best movies I have seen so far this year. Well worth the rent.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Man On Fire

Absolutely phenominal movie. Story has been done a thousand times...girl is kidnapped, man goes on a rampage to get her back. But this time the story is extremely well done. The camera work is exceptional...lots of quick flashbacks add a lot to the effectiveness of the scene being shown. Dakota Fanning was amazing as the kidnapped girl. And I got a great sense of gratification after seeing each of those responsible getting mowed down.

One of the best movies I have seen so far this year. Well worth the rent.

Good flick. Denzel is always solid, and Fanning really tugs at one's heartstrings, especially if you're a parent.

 

[whoknew]

The Ringer -- It was pretty funny, though I thought it could have been funnier. Not the Farrelly's best effort, but not terrible either. There are some laughs.

 

[whoknew]

11:14 -- Eh. It had 5 stories that all were tied together and revolved around 11:14pm. It was slightly humorous. Not great, but if you're bored, it's worth a little while.

 

[Statorama]

Saw "The Last Holiday", and it was very good. I had my misgivings about renting this movie, as Queen Latifah's characters don't usually gel with me. I'd recommend this movie in a big way though. It's funny and genuinely touching. Latifah's mild mannered sales clerk that suddenly finds the zest in really living was about note perfect. I don't like what they did with Timothy Hutton's character, which came off a little cartoonish. Good rental.

Also saw "Duane Hopwood" with David Schwimmer playing a drunk. Can't recommend this one. I know what they were trying to do, but it just didn't resonate with me. Something seemed missing. GREAT performance from David Schwimmer though. Completely surprising that he could pull this role off, as it could go in any number of different campy ways if handled incorrectly. Maybe it's just that I've been around some drunks who've hit total rock bottom who called up from the hole to see if anyone had a jackhammer so that they could go a little lower. The script just never had him going deep enough for me to connect.

Fell asleep three times during "Bloodrayne", but I'm going to give it another look today. Any movie with Ben Kingsley playing the top dog vampire is worth watching at least once.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

I camped out with my two sons in the backyard last night, and the wife rented 'chick flicks' as she and my daughter wanted no part of it.

I came back in the house to take a whiz around 11PM and they were both konked out and snoring... So I take it "New World" =

I purchased this DVD/CD though... and it's top notch!

 

[IvanKaramazov]

11:14 -- Eh. It had 5 stories that all were tied together and revolved around 11:14pm. It was slightly humorous. Not great, but if you're bored, it's worth a little while.

I saw this a while back, too. It was so-so. Good review.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

A few movies I've rented recently:

Paradise Now

One of the best movies I've seen in quite a while. I didn't get the impression that the film makers wanted to impose a particular point of view on the audience, so whatever impression of terrorism you bring to this movie will probably be the impression you leave with as well.

Wolf Creek

Takes sucking to a whole new level.

Two for the Money

It was watchable and mildly okay overall. It also had some profoundly stupid moments (like where the guy predicts he'll go 14-14 against the spread and then proceeds to do so), but whatever.

Hoodwinked for kids, for adults

Some kids movies are well-made and will entertain a sophisticated adult audience (Toy Story, Shreck, Lion King, etc.). This isn't one of those movies. The animation is terrible, the dialogue blows, the last half hour of the movie is totally unnecessary, and the general idea isn't nearly as clever as the writers seem to think it is. Obviously it is fine for kids since it features a singing goat.

Hostel

I had seen this in theaters too, but decided to give it a second look. It was still good except for the last 10 minutes. Aside from the ending, this is a much better movie than it got credit for.

 

[CrossEyed]

The Family Stone -

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Just saw Capote. Excellent movie. Great acting, photography and story.

 

[Elway Lives]

Sideways

Wasn't too bad. Probably a lot better if you are a wine snob, but it definately had some funny scenes. On the downside, some of the un-prettiest full frontal male nudity I've ever seen in a non-prono flick. Give it maybe a 7 out of 10. Reminded me very slightly of a toned down, somewhat more subtle version of Dumb and Dumber (which I'd give 9.5 out of 10, just so you have some perspective on my rating).

 

[jdoggydogg]

Two films:

Bad Santa

- This is even funnier than I remembered. I wanted to watch the whole thing over again when I was done. Hilarious.

Sometimes in April

- About the Rwandan massacre. This film killed me. I knew about the genocide, but the details are excruciating. A must-see, but this one will make you angry.

 

[Buckna]

Been on a tv show dvd kick the last few weeks:

The Dead Zone - Season 1 is very solid, and season 2 is great stuff. In the 2nd season they don't have to worry about explaining Johnny's powers as much and go away from the mystical aspect to focus on telling better stories. I'm a Sean Patrick Flannery fan as well, and he figures prominently in the 2nd season so

Forever Knight - Was a fan of this show back when it originally aired, it's still really solid. If you are into vampires or crime drama's I'd say check it out. It has some antiquated early 90's-ness low-budget to it, but most of plots rise above that. 1st season is uneven, but the 2nd season is better than I remember so far.

Stargate: Atlantis - Entertaining show. It's more of the same of SG:1, but the characters are more varied and the story a little more fresh, whereas SG:1 has been dragging the last few years. The actors playing McKay and Sheppard are funny and good in their roles.

Batman: The Animated Series - Can't say enough good things about this show. It was one of the best animated shows I've ever seen and remains that way. Don't know why this was shown for kids, most of the episodes are much more adult centered. I'm getting to the later seasons now where it's slowly turning more and more into a lighter kids show, but still some solid stuff.

Saw the director's cut dvd of Boondock Saints in the theaters last Monday. Still one of my favorite films ever, but the new cut has next to nothing new in it. Basically the death scenes are all bloodier, which is entertaining, but doesn't really add a lot to the film. I'm surprised the MPAA made them cut out the extra blood splatters to get down to an NC17 rating. Seems pretty silly to me.

 

[shadyridr]

Skeleton Key- Surprisingly good.

 

[ThisGuy]

Batman Begins may have been the best movie from all of last year

 

[patrickmcgroin]

Batman Begins may have been the best movie from all of last year

I wasn't even expecting it to be so good.

 

[ThisGuy]

Batman Begins may have been the best movie from all of last year 

I wasn't even expecting it to be so good.

I've watched every night on every one of the 47 HBO's I get during the week and I'm still geeked everytime I watch it. Extremely well done.

 

[buddyboy]

I just saw Big Fish. I wasn't expecting more than an average movie, but I really liked it. Highly recommended, especially as a Father's Day rental.

 

[patrickmcgroin]

I just saw Big Fish. I wasn't expecting more than an average movie, but I really liked it. Highly recommended, especially as a Father's Day rental.

 

[whoknew]

Avenging Angelo -- Oh my this is a bad movie. Sly plays a bodyguard protecting Madeleine Stowe in what is supposed to be an action/comedy. It's just horrible. What happened to Sly??

 

[Daywalker]

I was pleasantly surprised by Spanglish.

Really didn't have any interest in watching it but stumbled upon it on cable.

I thought Sandler was great in it. Had some really heartwarming scenes.

The maid's daughter was terrific. The scene where she was translating for her mom was a riot.

Definetly worth watching. The ending wasn't a bit anticlimatic but I appreciate it the more I think about it.

 

[perry147]

I watched Dark City last night and loved it. A very atmospheric film an almost film noir if you will. Visually the film is unlike most any film I have seen but something like a combination of the Matrix (Which came out a year after this film) and Hellraiser with a twist of Bladerunner. It was definitely worth the rental.

 

[mr. furley]

Sideways

Wasn't too bad. Probably a lot better if you are a wine snob, but it definately had some funny scenes. On the downside, some of the un-prettiest full frontal male nudity I've ever seen in a non-prono flick. Give it maybe a 7 out of 10. Reminded me very slightly of a toned down, somewhat more subtle version of Dumb and Dumber (which I'd give 9.5 out of 10, just so you have some perspective on my rating).

thought this movie was awful. 3/10. SERIOUSLY.===============

saw Stay this weekend. gf's pick.. which usually means "thriller" or "zombies" are somewhere in the description.

starred Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling.... 1 out of 3 ain't bad.

"Plot Outline: This movie focuses on the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide, while trying to maintain his own grip on reality."

having not heard anything about it... and figuring it to be a straight to DVD release i thought it was going to be awful but i came away pleasantly surprised. it's actually pretty good. well shot. well acted. visually interesting. tense. interesting story. tugs at the heartstrings a little.

7.75/10

 

[QUEZILLA]

Munich-

i thought it was a great movie, my gf and my friend griped that it was too long, and too much of the same thing. Hector pretty much tracked down like 7 Arab terrorist leaders and blew them all up. I liked it, but my complaint was about the flashbacks to the actual killing of the terrorist. They showed little clips here and there, and finally showed the scene of the Olympians getting killed while Hector was having sex It was pretty weird to go from sex to killing hostages, poor taste IMO for Speilburg

 

[tri-man 47]

Munich-

i thought it was a great movie, my gf and my friend griped that it was too long, and too much of the same thing. Hector pretty much tracked down like 7 Arab terrorist leaders and blew them all up. I liked it, but my complaint was about the flashbacks to the actual killing of the terrorist. They showed little clips here and there, and finally showed the scene of the Olympians getting killed while Hector was having sex It was pretty weird to go from sex to killing hostages, poor taste IMO for Speilburg

* Spoilers re: details and subsequent events *I just finished reading a very good book, Striking Back, about Israel's efforts against the Munich terrorists specifically and Palestinian terrorism in general following Munich. I don't know how they could make a good movie on Munich. The responses were botched throughout - the Israeli team had no security, and then the West Germans did not have authority to act at the Bavarian site, the West Germans were incredibly incompetent and unprepared, the Israelis authorities (also rather unprepared) were kept at a distance throughout the ordeal. The botched rescue at the airport was almost unbelievable (five snipers for, oops!, it's eight terrorists). The aftermath was undramatic - the three terrorists were ultimately released by the Germans, and the Israelis spent years just methodically hunting terrorists who had marginal links to Munich. The real drama was years later when Israel penetrated Beirut and killed three Palestinian leaders in their apartments. The above story about the "sex" thing is totally insignificant to anything - other than highlighting that Israel was not guarding their athletes at the games.

 

[fierce_corgi]

Finally got around to seeing Kung Fu Hustle - outstanding. The scene that starts with Stephen Chow and friend trying to attack the landlady with throwing knives and ending with a Roadrunner homage is probably the funniest thing I've seen in a couple of years.

 

[Kraft...]

I watched The Game for the first time in a while last night. Highly reccomended for anyone that hasn't seen it.

 

[Elway Lives]

Finally got around to seeing Kung Fu Hustle - outstanding. The scene that starts with Stephen Chow and friend trying to attack the landlady with throwing knives and ending with a Roadrunner homage is probably the funniest thing I've seen in a couple of years.

That scene you mentioned was the first time I was literally on the floor laughing at a movie in a looooooong time. Great flick, especially if you can tolerate any kind of martial arts movie. I haven't watched Kung Pow - Enter the Fist in awhile but I seem to think I liked KFH actually a little better, although KP is also really funny.

 

[QUEZILLA]

Munich-       

i thought it was a great movie, my gf and my friend griped that it was too long, and too much of the same thing.  Hector pretty much tracked down like 7 Arab terrorist leaders and blew them all up.  I liked it, but my complaint was about the flashbacks to the actual killing of the terrorist.  They showed little clips here and there, and finally showed the scene of the Olympians getting killed while Hector was having sex   It was pretty weird to go from sex to killing hostages, poor taste IMO for Speilburg

* Spoilers re: details and subsequent events *I just finished reading a very good book, Striking Back, about Israel's efforts against the Munich terrorists specifically and Palestinian terrorism in general following Munich. I don't know how they could make a good movie on Munich. The responses were botched throughout - the Israeli team had no security, and then the West Germans did not have authority to act at the Bavarian site, the West Germans were incredibly incompetent and unprepared, the Israelis authorities (also rather unprepared) were kept at a distance throughout the ordeal. The botched rescue at the airport was almost unbelievable (five snipers for, oops!, it's eight terrorists). The aftermath was undramatic - the three terrorists were ultimately released by the Germans, and the Israelis spent years just methodically hunting terrorists who had marginal links to Munich. The real drama was years later when Israel penetrated Beirut and killed three Palestinian leaders in their apartments. The above story about the "sex" thing is totally insignificant to anything - other than highlighting that Israel was not guarding their athletes at the games.

Thew movie wasn't so much about the specific hostage situation in Munich, as it was about Israels reaction to the event. The majority of the movie was Hector(I don't know his name, and am too lazy to look it up so I call him Hector, the guys character in Troy. Also played Hulk) hunting down terorist leaders in Europe. The movie started out in Munich, and continued to show flash backs to remind of why he was doing the killing.

 

[Nigel]

I was pleasantly surprised by Spanglish.

Really didn't have any interest in watching it but stumbled upon it on cable.

I thought Sandler was great in it. Had some really heartwarming scenes.

The maid's daughter was terrific. The scene where she was translating for her mom was a riot.

Definetly worth watching. The ending wasn't a bit anticlimatic but I appreciate it the more I think about it.

Please tell me you're a woman.

 

[QUEZILLA]

I was flipping back and fort to 2 Fast 2 Furious during the NBA game. Lets just say I am not going to hold my breath for Tokyo Drift

 

[QUEZILLA]

I was pleasantly surprised by Spanglish.

Really didn't have any interest in watching it but stumbled upon it on cable.

I thought Sandler was great in it.  Had some really heartwarming scenes.

The maid's daughter was terrific.  The scene where she was translating for her mom was a riot.

Definetly worth watching.  The ending wasn't a bit anticlimatic but I appreciate it the more I think about it.

Please tell me you're a woman.

 

[guru_007]

I spent 40 minutes in my local Hollywood video desperately trying to find something/anything worth renting. When all was said and done, there is nothing out that looks remotely interesting. I took out Saw 2 and my wife took out the Brothers Grimm. The movie industry is pathetic.

 

[General Malaise]

The Family Stone -

I actually liked this movie.

 

[hobbes4]

Stealth not bad. 3/5 stars - A little long.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I watched Dark City last night and loved it. A very atmospheric film an almost film noir if you will. Visually the film is unlike most any film I have seen but something like a combination of the Matrix (Which came out a year after this film) and Hellraiser with a twist of Bladerunner. It was definitely worth the rental.

Good film. Ebert loves it, and he does a great commentary on the DVD. He points out a lot of the references to classic film that the director used.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Munich-

i thought it was a great movie, my gf and my friend griped that it was too long, and too much of the same thing. Hector pretty much tracked down like 7 Arab terrorist leaders and blew them all up. I liked it, but my complaint was about the flashbacks to the actual killing of the terrorist. They showed little clips here and there, and finally showed the scene of the Olympians getting killed while Hector was having sex It was pretty weird to go from sex to killing hostages, poor taste IMO for Speilburg

I thought it was outstanding. A film is rarely too long for me when it's good.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I watched Dark City last night and loved it.  A very atmospheric film an almost film noir if you will. Visually the film is unlike most any film I have seen but something like a combination of the Matrix (Which came out a year after this film) and Hellraiser with a twist of Bladerunner.  It was definitely worth the rental.

Good film. Ebert loves it, and he does a great commentary on the DVD. He points out a lot of the references to classic film that the director used.

I need to watch this one again. The first time I just didn't "get" it.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I watched The Game for the first time in a while last night. Highly reccomended for anyone that hasn't seen it.

David Fincher rules.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Finally got around to seeing Kung Fu Hustle - outstanding. The scene that starts with Stephen Chow and friend trying to attack the landlady with throwing knives and ending with a Roadrunner homage is probably the funniest thing I've seen in a couple of years.

Make sure you watch his previous film "Shaolin Soccer." Hard to be upset about anything when you are watching a Kung Fu Soccer film.

 

[mistersmith]

I was flipping back and fort to 2 Fast 2 Furious during the NBA game. Lets just say I am not going to hold my breath for Tokyo Drift

2 fast 2 furious was awful...but man, i'm am anxiously waiting for tokyo drift. i guess i'm a sucker for the cars and the women....i definitely can't blame you tho, cause i'm a bit embarrassed to be admitting this.

 

[mistersmith]

I spent 40 minutes in my local Hollywood video desperately trying to find something/anything worth renting. When all was said and done, there is nothing out that looks remotely interesting. I took out Saw 2 and my wife took out the Brothers Grimm. The movie industry is pathetic.

Switch to netflix or blockbuster online...the selection in those stores are pretty pathetic.

 

[QUEZILLA]

I spent 40 minutes in my local Hollywood video desperately trying to find something/anything worth renting. When all was said and done, there is nothing out that looks remotely interesting. I took out Saw 2 and my wife took out the Brothers Grimm. The movie industry is pathetic.

I just lowered my BB Online package from 3 out at a time to 1 for the same reason. For the last few years I have had these services, this has been my main gripe. Holywood just doesn't put out enough good films. Maybe 1-2 a month worth renting IMO. And, I have noticed the good movies seem to come in waves. I will go 2-3 months without seeing something good, and all of a suddent there are like 4 movies I want to rent.

 

[Steve Tasker]

L4yer Cak3 (pronounced Layer Cake)

My rating - 8/10

I rented this one earlier this week, and I thought it was a very good flick. I'm not usually a huge fan of mobster films, but this one was very well done with an intriguing story. Daniel Craig (the next James Bond) gives a preview of his future Bond performances in the role of Mr. X, and let me just say I was impressed. Another character that I thought was very believable was that of Gene, played by Colm Meaney.

If you like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, then this is for you.

And sorry if it's already been mentioned in this thread, I haven't read it all.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Finally got around to seeing Kung Fu Hustle - outstanding. The scene that starts with Stephen Chow and friend trying to attack the landlady with throwing knives and ending with a Roadrunner homage is probably the funniest thing I've seen in a couple of years. 

Make sure you watch his previous film "Shaolin Soccer." Hard to be upset about anything when you are watching a Kung Fu Soccer film.

Watched both with my kids and they enjoyed them as much as me.