Movies you've just watched

[Sinful]

Just finally seen Blade Runner. After the first person getting shot, there's a scene of a flying (police?) car flying over this jumbotron like screen with this Asian chick on it. And I right away craved me some Einhander.

[Mischief Maker]

Just finally seen Blade Runner. After the first person getting shot, there's a scene of a flying (police?) car flying over this jumbotron like screen with this Asian chick on it. And I right away craved me some Einhander.

The only movie that influenced the look of more videogames than Blade Runner was Aliens.

[KindGrind]

Safety not Guaranteed

Had 0 expectations, was pleasantly surprised. It could have been so much worse - very happy with the way it all turned out. Light entertainment, good performances of the leads. On the short side, but that's fine. Highly recommended if you want something light.

[boagman]

And I right away craved me some Einhander.

Oh, nice call!

[emphatic]

Safety not Guaranteed

Had 0 expectations, was pleasantly surprised. It could have been so much worse - very happy with the way it all turned out. Light entertainment, good performances of the leads. On the short side, but that's fine. Highly recommended if you want something light.

It's a very pleasant watch.

[GaijinPunch]

Safety not Guaranteed

Had 0 expectations, was pleasantly surprised. It could have been so much worse - very happy with the way it all turned out. Light entertainment, good performances of the leads. On the short side, but that's fine. Highly recommended if you want something light.

Yeah -- this was a hidden gem for me. I mean, a modern movie that with such finesse works in the Konami code? Brilliant. Mark Duplass seems to be doing a lot of great stuff that sits right in the middle of Indie & Mainstream, and successfully being funny. The One I Love might be the best date flick ever.

[JBC]

I guess Sunday is horror movie day for me.

Session 9 - Not bad, but it's another cast of characters who are terrible to each other in words & deed. They do this in horror quite a lot without seeing that it leaves you with almost no one to like or relate to. David Caruso is cool, but not enough to carry along a pretty boring plot. You end up watching a bunch of roughneck types walk around a dirty building for an hour & a half with no real payoff. The title references some audio tapes found in the asylum they are renovating, creating a pretty tenuous link to the actual plot. These tapes are also populated by terribly cheesy voice actors. I feel this one was overrated, & its ratings aren't even that good. Snoozer.

The Wolfman (2010) - Benicio is great in this one, as well as the supporting cast. Good sfx with a few exceptions (dream sequences are pretty cheap looking). I put this one on the level with Coppola Dracula & consider it underrated. Kickass night scenes, great sets, good pacing.

[JBC]

Add Edge of Tomorrow to today's list. Better than I expected it to be but by no means ultimate. The film's gimmick has been done a lot but it's handled in a pretty interesting way. I enjoyed it well enough & would put it alongside the other recent Cruise SciFi Oblivion. The aliens would look cooler without the glowing parts, but the tech stuff looks pretty great.

EDIT - Add Byzantium to the list. Really great vampire movie. Very classy & never made me roll my eyes even once. I'm totally in love with Saoirse Ronan now.

[Sinful]

Yeah, Edge of Tomorrow & Oblivion are two Tom Cruise flicks I really enjoyed. Yesterday I seen another Cruise flick that was much better then expected (except for this way too cheesy impossible bike stunt which is way too unbelievable even for this movie). It's called Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz. And this movie actually works for Cruise very well because he practically doesn't have to act. That is so Tom Cruise, lol. So it's great because it fits Cruise, it's got some great action, and it's got just a dash of humour that's not overly jokey (main reason I thought it was going to suck, but went for it because it still said it was an action flick too + it had Tom Cruise and wanted to see what Diaz was looking like these days now that she's 42, and just pre-40's in that flick... man, she was dynamite in the Mask at age 21 & Something about Mary. But after that she never looked that good again).

Also seen Starship Trooper. Wasn't in a hurry to watch this movie... but then seen while searching the wiki for genre's and names, I seen the name of the Total Recall & Robocop 1 director and knew it was going to be special. Man this movie was great, lol. Too bad these are like the only movies buddy has ever done. Guy made very unique flicks.

[drauch]

Too bad these are like the only movies buddy has ever done. Guy made very unique flicks.

Are you talking about Verhoeven or someone else? If you're talking about the director, he's made a ton of amazing movies outside the three satirical sci-fi ones.

[Sinful]

Yeah, Verhoeven. I only said it like because those are like the only high budget flicks he has. I think he does really well with sci-fi and big budget, a la Total Recal/RoboCop1.

[drauch]

For Sci-Fi, yes, but he was a very established director in Germany with some big pictures before he started directing in the states. He made plenty of other large budget pictures besides those three in the states as well. Basic Instinct was huge when it came out in '92. You don't get Sharon Stone to flash her cooter for a low budget, or get Michael Douglas to lead, even. Black Book in 2006 had a budget of 21 million...

[GaijinPunch]

Also seen Starship Trooper. Wasn't in a hurry to watch this movie... but then seen while searching the wiki for genre's and names, I seen the name of the Total Recall & Robocop 1 director and knew it was going to be special. Man this movie was great, lol. Too bad these are like the only movies buddy has ever done. Guy made very unique flicks.

Yeah, it's indeed awesome for all kinds of reasons. I'm a little jealous of you. YOu get to see all these greats in like... a month. Most of us had to wait months/years in between the hits.

[emphatic]

Next time, watch it with the commentary track.

[Vexorg]

Haven't updated with stuff I've been watching recently, but having recently watched a number of the various Batman movies I thought I'd compare and contrast a bit:

Batman (1966): ***1/2

I'd characterize this film as something of a "guilty pleasure" type movie, mostly because I don't think anyone involved in it took any of it seriously. It was a low-budget (less than $2 million, less than $10 million in 2014 dollars) cash-in on the popularity of the 60s Batman TV series, and it shows. Even so, it still manages to hold up pretty well as long as you shut your brain off first. Adam West is, well... Adam West.


Batman (1989): **1/2

It took me this long to actually get around to watching this movie for some reason. By 1989 standards this was a big-budget blockbuster ($48 million, equivalent to about $91 million these days) but when you watch it now there's a lot in it that just looks painfully dated. In particular, the Batcave in this one looks pretty pathetic, basically a wall of TV monitors and a parking spot for the Batmobile. The Batwing scenes use a not-very-convincing model, and even the big set pieces seem kind of flat when you start to look at them more closely. Michael Keaton actually makes for a decent Batman, but at the same time doesn't really make a good Bruce Wayne for some reason. The plot also seems pretty slow, and the whole thing feels unnecessarily long (which became something of a theme in the later Batman movies.

Batman Begins (2005): ***1/2

And then there's the mega-budget ($150 million) CG-fest that is Batman Begins. To be perfectly honest I don't really like the whole Grimdark Bstman thing, and this film cranks it up to 10 (they didn't hit 11 until The Dark Knight Rises) but overall I thought this was fairly decent, and Christian Bale actually makes a pretty good Batman. Unlike the 1989 film that felt slow and loaded with filler this one seems to actually keep moving reasonably well. To be honest, I'm not sure if I care to see the other ones in the recent trilogy (in particular The Dark Knight Rises just sounds like three hours of wallowing in misery) but I ended up liking this one more than I expected to.

[Mischief Maker]

Batman (1966): ***1/2

I'd characterize this film as something of a "guilty pleasure" type movie, mostly because I don't think anyone involved in it took any of it seriously. It was a low-budget (less than $2 million, less than $10 million in 2014 dollars) cash-in on the popularity of the 60s Batman TV series, and it shows. Even so, it still manages to hold up pretty well as long as you shut your brain off first. Adam West is, well... Adam West.

There are several public opinions about famous movies that baffle me. First is people who think Ghostbusters was a kid's movie. Second is people who look to villain Gordon Gekko for inspiration. Third is people who think the 60s Batman movie and TV show were being serious. When Batman gets pulled out of the water and has a shark dangling from his leg, Robin pulls out the clearly-labeled "Bat Shark Repellant," and after Batman sprays the shark it explodes, it should be clearly evident to everyone that the show was intentionally silly!

F-yeah Adam West is Adam West!

Batman Begins (2005): ***1/2

And then there's the mega-budget ($150 million) CG-fest that is Batman Begins. To be perfectly honest I don't really like the whole Grimdark Bstman thing, and this film cranks it up to 10 (they didn't hit 11 until The Dark Knight Rises) but overall I thought this was fairly decent, and Christian Bale actually makes a pretty good Batman. Unlike the 1989 film that felt slow and loaded with filler this one seems to actually keep moving reasonably well. To be honest, I'm not sure if I care to see the other ones in the recent trilogy (in particular The Dark Knight Rises just sounds like three hours of wallowing in misery) but I ended up liking this one more than I expected to.

I think Batman's fighting style in that movie was to wait for the badguy to throw a punch, then do rapid-fire camera angle switches, resulting in the badguy hitting himself. For an action director, Nolan really sucks at filming action scenes.

The Dark Knight was a huge improvement that replaced the CGI with actual location shoots. It's my favorite of the three not just because of the Joker performance, but the fact that it features Batman at the height of his powers, whereas 1 & 3 are all about Bruce Wayne, who's not that interesting a character. Give it a shot!

I'd skip part 3 if I were you. I'm convinced the positive buzz it generated was just leftover goodwill from Dark Knight. People complain a lot about liberal politics in Hollywood screwing up movies for the sake of making a political point. Well Dark Knight Rises is a great example of conservative politics screwing up a movie, adding plot holes and throwing the pacing off for the sake of making jabs at Occupy Wall Street.

[GaijinPunch]

And then there's the mega-budget ($150 million) CG-fest that is Batman Begins.

Nolan is definitely a hold out on gratuitous CG. He uses it to to glue together scenes which are mostly done w/ practical effects. The infamous plane scene in The Dark Knight Rises (which you can see in the trailer) is 90+% practical. This series is a far cry from CG-fest.

To be perfectly honest I don't really like the whole Grimdark Bstman thing, and this film cranks it up to 10 (they didn't hit 11 until The Dark Knight Rises)

Fair enough, but it's pretty obvious the series is based on Year One, The Dark Knight, and maybe even the Cult in some ways, which are/were about as dark as a mainstream comic could be for their time. I don't follow that closely, but I'm pretty sure The Dark Knight is what breathed life back into the comic franchise. Someone feel free to chime in here.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I care to see the other ones in the recent trilogy (in particular The Dark Knight Rises just sounds like three hours of wallowing in misery) but I ended up liking this one more than I expected to.

If you like the first one there's a chance you'll like the third. It is indeed long though, so if you're not into a slow burn, you're likely to lose interest. There is some self-loathing in it but it makes sense as it's not a simple third act.

[dspoonrt]

I watched John Wick last night, and I have to say I'm a little surprised by all of the glowing reviews. I thought it was a mediocre movie that could have been great but was marred by a number of flaws: chiefly, it's all style over substance. It seemed much more like a PS3/PS4 game than a feature film. The whole movie has a shiny, fake look to it, and the cheap-looking CGI gunshots really took me out of the action sequences. The story is ultra-light, none of the characters were at all likeable, the dialogue was cringe-worthy, and the acting wasn't much better (even from the non-Keanu cast members).

I enjoyed that the character is a total badass (although I didn't really buy Keanu in the role) and the body count was ridiculous fun, but is there something I'm missing with John Wick?

[BIL]

That's about my opinion of it too. Fun videogamey action movie, but lacking the grit and catharsis a would-be revenge flick needs. Ironically the best point (Wick's mad Mozambique drillin' skills and the mountains of goon corpses left in his wake) is what defuses it, since even its biggest cunts get dispatched with the same icy precision.

[dspoonrt]

That's about my opinion of it too. Fun videogamey action movie, but lacking the grit and catharsis a would-be revenge flick needs. Ironically the best point (Wick's mad Mozambique drillin' skills and the mountains of goon corpses left in his wake) is what defuses it, since even its biggest cunts get dispatched with the same icy precision.

I would agree with that sentiment. There's very little feeling of catharsis even after the bad guys have all been killed. I've heard that a sequel is in the works. I'll probably watch it when it hits the home video market, but I don't have very high hopes for it.

[Ixmucane2]

Two films with unusual amounts of grunting.

Mr. Turner
Timothy Spall as J.M.W. Turner, the great English painter, in the latter part of his life.
Given Turner's relatively uneventful biography (the main "developments" in the plot are the illness and death of Turner's father, falling in love with a widow, and going out of fashion), the script mostly chains together significant or documented episodes and examples of interesting or recurring activity (e.g. painting in the studio, meeting with the Academy, traveling with a sketchbook); the result is accurate but not very dramatic.

The main attractions of the film are Spall's performance, with a character who doesn't feel the need to talk when a grunt suffices, the costumes and scenery, and the awesome photography which manages to make the beauty of light and nature a central theme that dwarfs the human shortcomings of the characters.

The Way of the Dragon
Bruce Lee as Tang Lung, kung fu consultant: just what an overstaffed and underperforming Chinese restaurant in Rome needs against mobsters. Featuring Chuck Norris as one of the bad guys.
Excellent action scenes; I particularly liked the kitten watching the epic fight in the Colosseum between Lee and Norris.
A milestone of violent cinema.

[drauch]

The Way of the Dragon
Bruce Lee as Tang Lung, kung fu consultant: just what an overstaffed and underperforming Chinese restaurant in Rome needs against mobsters. Featuring Chuck Norris as one of the bad guys.
Excellent action scenes; I particularly liked the kitten watching the epic fight in the Colosseum between Lee and Norris.
A milestone of violent cinema.

Now you're playing with power! Love the kitten as well. One of the best cinema cats. Have you seen Fist of Fury, AKA The Chinese Connection yet?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Finally checked out the sci-fi flick that goes by the name of Jupiter Ascending today 2/10/2015...got to see it for free (can't get any better than that, folks). Considering that this particular sci-fi film was slated for a possible May/Summer 2015 theatrical release, Warner Bros. studio decided to release it earlier than usual on February 6, 2015 (rather than go head-to-head against some of the other major film studios' movie summer blockbuster releases). It has plently of that CG EFX combined with the practical effects for a seamless look that works/gels in the Windy City of Chicago, IL (standing in for some of the background scenery shots). Clocking at a whooping two hours and seven minutes in overall duration, be sure to use the loo beforehand as not to miss any of the (action) scenes. At some theaters, JA is presented in Real D 3D format with the new Dolby Atmos surround sound upgrade (for a real audio treat, indeed).

Just before JA started, was treated to the full length theatrical trailer of Terminator: Genisys with the obligatory Time Field Generation scene (that was notably absent from the T2 flick hailing from 1991) is there for completeness. With a July 1st, 2015 debut date, am curious to see how it'll fare/compare to the first two original Terminator flicks. And get this, it'll get the 3D upgraded treatment (a first for a Terminator flick).

Dolby Factoid: Dolby's headquarters is based out of Potereo Hill in San Francisco, CA and they've been working on the latest audio recievers for both the home theater and movie theaters with their newest Dolby Atmos A/V gear lineup. Sure, some movie theater chains in the States still use the ol' Lucasfilm branded THX theatrical surround sound format standby (and that's good enough for them, assuming if they can afford it -- which periodically requires a THX audio technician to professionally calibrate each theater is up to THX's theatrical audio specs from time to time) but if you want your films to to have the latest and greatest in surround sound, then an upgrade to the latest Dolby Atmos surround sound format is considered the "gold standard" nowadays. Of course, the Dolby Atmos home theatrical A/V gear is already out in retail stores but commands a hefty price these days (which means having to upgrade to the ol' obsolete surround receiver and use it as a hefty doorstop).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Mischief Maker]

Just before JA started, was treated to the full length theatrical trailer of Terminator: Genisys with the obligatory Time Field Generation scene (that was notably absent from the T2 flick hailing from 1991) is there for completeness. With a July 1st, 2015 debut date, am curious to see how it'll fare/compare to the first two original Terminator flicks. And get this, it'll get the 3D upgraded treatment (a first for a Terminator flick).

It's weird to me how everyone optimistic about this trailer talks about the Terminator and T2, but seems to have complete Terminator 3 amnesia.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yes, I do recall when Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines made it's theatrical debut...it was a bit self-parodying unto itself in some scenes (whereas with the first two, they were more serious in terms of overall pacing and whatnot). At least with the TX-1 Terminator used the same mimetic poly alloy technology like that of the T-1000 series of Terminators (but with some new added wrinkles or "tricks up the sleeves" to get the job done).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Obiwanshinobi]

Beasts of the Southern Wild with my mom. So I keep thinking off-screen narration is't good, but it's a goodie.

[Ed Oscuro]

(but with some new added wrinkles or "tricks up the sleeves" to get the job done).

sex appeal

Well, I'd be lying if that wasn't the major reason Ahnuld got the original role too. Guess there is a dark side to traditionalism / sexism here. That said, I never have really been able to take maroon leather jackets to amplify menace.

[JBC]

A quick rundown of everything I've watched in the last few days -

Grave Encounters - Crap, no matter what an obscure horror rundown article says.
The Facility - Pretty boring & lifeless, dumb characters making a series of bad descisions
Lake Mungo - Better. Well faked documentary about a drowned girl haunting her neighborhood. A lot of buildup with no payoff
Spider-Man 2 (2014) - Cheesy & over-dramafied for the girls. Good action but overall not Spidey enough to be what I want as a lifelong fan of the comics. Still better than SM3 2007 but not even close to SM2 2004

I tried to watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon but I just wasn't feeling it halfway through & flipped it off. Really didn't like the lead actor, just wasn't selling the humor on me.

[jonny5]

I tried to watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon but I just wasn't feeling it halfway through & flipped it off. Really didn't like the lead actor, just wasn't selling the humor on me.

It gets better towards the end.

[Sinful]

I knew it was going to be bad, but had no idea it was going to be as bad as this. Transformers Extinction. 2h45min of boredom, nonsense, sillyness, cgi crapfest... I'm actually typing this while cgi mindless crapfest scenes are playing past the 2 hour mark... to think so much money is being wasted on this garbage for 2h45min is very insulting to the human race...

Yeah, it's indeed awesome for all kinds of reasons. I'm a little jealous of you. YOu get to see all these greats in like... a month. Most of us had to wait months/years in between the hits.

I haven't been watching TV since the late 90s. So I pretty much missed anything from around late 90's onwards. Combine that with movies I missed from my time, and yeah. Lots of flicks to catch up on when I feeling bored like I am now...