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Post by dupersuper on Sept 30, 2015 20:58:18 GMT -5
Looks like Pacific Rim 2 has been taken off the schedule and postponed indefinitely by Universal, which pretty kills chances of it ever getting made. Del Toro passed on a lot of projects to put his time and energy into that projects, so I wonder what he will do next. -M D'oh! |
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Post by spoon on Oct 3, 2015 16:21:51 GMT -5
I saw The Visit today. It's the latest M. Night Shyamalan movie. It's been out for a while, so it's now down to two showings a day at my local theaters. I'd definitely recommend it if still playing where folks live. I know many critics and movie-goers dislike his more recent films, but I think this one is of similar quality to his well-like films. Then again, I haven't seen the last few films he directed, and I liked The Village, so maybe I'm not the best judge.
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Post by coke & comics on Oct 3, 2015 16:43:22 GMT -5
I absolutely loved The Martian. Great movie based on a great book. Movie stuck well to the book's story, and held on to its scientific plausibility as far as I could tell. I'd be curious to hear better scientists weigh in. It leaves out details the book includes. When something explodes in the book, you learn why down to the chemical level. In the movie, things tend to just explode.  My favorite film of the year. Highly recommended. I'd like to note a couple nonspoilery things about it that stand out in contrast to a lot of recent films. 1) No bad guys. Every character in the movie is as far as we can tell a genuinely good and even heroic human being. There is still lots of conflict, because the right course of action is perpetually unclear, but nobody is wrong. An ensemble cast bursting with great actors, all playing good people. Too rare in film. 2) It's the answer to what has been a pet peeve of mine these past few years. It bugs me the most in historical movies, where I find the discrepancy glaring. Movies like Argo, Imitation Game... all feel the desperate need to reduce and simplify team efforts to the efforts of a single individual who does everything. It was very refreshing to see a movie where there are a lot of people to help solve the problem at hand, each with their own expertise and ability to contribute. To me, the movie was going to live or die on this point. I was so afraid it was going to combine characters from the book in order to simplify things and have fewer heroes. But it did not. It was unafraid to show science and heroism as a team sport. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 9, 2015 14:24:21 GMT -5
Most of my movie viewing is in the "classic" time period but a few lately have been seen by me that are not quite that old
Slow West (2015) An American western filmed in New Zealand. Very good and recommended. Any time a western is made for the silver screen is a cause for celebration and this one should be watched
The Overnight (2015) A modern version of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. Raunchy (the original chickened out) and quick at 79 minutes.
Mad Max-Fury Road (2015) I've seen many praise this film but I'm put off by movies that are predominately CGI video games. Yes, non-stop action but adds nothing to the original trilogy. Absolutely nothing.
My Blueberry Nights (2007) Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman Norah is heartbroken and leaves NYC for a change of scenery. Very good cast, somewhat decent film. It will disappear from memory after 30 days
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Post by spoon on Oct 10, 2015 21:33:57 GMT -5
I absolutely loved The Martian. Great movie based on a great book. Movie stuck well to the book's story, and held on to its scientific plausibility as far as I could tell. I'd be curious to hear better scientists weigh in. It leaves out details the book includes. When something explodes in the book, you learn why down to the chemical level. In the movie, things tend to just explode. My favorite film of the year. Highly recommended. I'd like to note a couple nonspoilery things about it that stand out in contrast to a lot of recent films. 1) No bad guys. Every character in the movie is as far as we can tell a genuinely good and even heroic human being. There is still lots of conflict, because the right course of action is perpetually unclear, but nobody is wrong. An ensemble cast bursting with great actors, all playing good people. Too rare in film. 2) It's the answer to what has been a pet peeve of mine these past few years. It bugs me the most in historical movies, where I find the discrepancy glaring. Movies like Argo, Imitation Game... all feel the desperate need to reduce and simplify team efforts to the efforts of a single individual who does everything. It was very refreshing to see a movie where there are a lot of people to help solve the problem at hand, each with their own expertise and ability to contribute. To me, the movie was going to live or die on this point. I was so afraid it was going to combine characters from the book in order to simplify things and have fewer heroes. But it did not. It was unafraid to show science and heroism as a team sport. I just saw The Martian today and I definitely agree with your recommendations. Those are two great points. It could have gone a cliched route on the "bad guy" thing, but chose a better path. The movie did a great job at balancing the solo parts with Matt Damon's character with use of the ensemble. Especially with something like space travel, it only makes sense to give credit to the huge team effort. And the moment that really got to me was a moment with the rest of the crew (which I won't spoil), rather than with Damon. I also disliked the way Argo gave all the credit to one character. Affleck's character was such a know-it-all that I was hoping he'd get beaten to death by an Iranian mob. You may remember Argo was criticized for ignoring the efforts of the Canadian embassy. I also think The Martian compares very favorably to Gravity, which I found extremely overrated. One of the things that bugged me about Gravity was the claim that it was somehow feminist. I think that's because it's a survival story with a female protagonist. But if you actually think about the story Bullock's character is a ditzy novice who doesn't remember her training and faces problems based on being portrayed as a fish out of water (as an astronaut in space). Lewis and Johannsen (played by Jessica Chastain and Kate Mara) in The Martian compare so favorably to Bullock's Gravity character. They're competent and level-headed. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 10, 2015 23:10:59 GMT -5
Still not completely sold on the Martian but agree that Gravity was vastly overrated. Very silly movie and even the visuals weren't as great as advertised. And yes, Bullock's character was anything but a step forward for female roles in Hollywood movies. This is the first I heard it was being spoken of as such.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 10, 2015 23:25:44 GMT -5
Probably going to take the boy to see The Martian tomorrow. The book was the best SF I've read in a good long time. And probably the best book I've read this year...maybe in a couple of years. I have seen precious little bad about the film, so I'm absolutely looking forward to it.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 11, 2015 20:19:31 GMT -5
We went and saw The Martian today. And honestly...it was fantastic. My favorite SF book of the last decade or so has been turned into my favorite movie of...at least the last couple of years. Ridley Scott returns to form and the cast is universally excellent.
They even managed to "show" a few things that the book didn't convey as well as the film.
Highest recommendations. Go see it if you get the chance.
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Post by coke & comics on Oct 12, 2015 3:54:50 GMT -5
I like Gravity a lot, better than others here it seems. But the Martian is better than Gravity at being everything Gravity tries to be. It gets the science better. It tells a better survival story. It has better visuals. And yes, the experts seem more expert.
Gravity was basically a warm-up movie for The Martian.
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Post by dupersuper on Oct 13, 2015 0:20:23 GMT -5
I shame myself by admitting I have yet to see Gravity, Interstellar or Gravity...but I shall, oh yes...I shall.
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Post by berkley on Oct 13, 2015 5:03:43 GMT -5
I forgot about Interstellar - missed that one too.
Actually, I've missed almost all the movies I was interested in to one degree or another the last 6 months or so. Not too long ago I would just walk to a nearby theatre and see anything I felt like by myself if no one else wanted to or no one could co-ordinate schedules or whatever, but now that there's nothing but the big plexes you have to take a bus to get to I find I don't go in that casual, spur-of-the-moment way anymore.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Oct 13, 2015 8:52:36 GMT -5
Recent movie viewings on Netflix instant...
Trollhunter (2010) I had quite a few recommendations to watch this movie. I found it to be quite entertaining, and while being a found footage movie, not being near as, excessive, in that aspect, as some others. The gist of the movie was entertaining and it reminded me a bit of the covert government ops aspect of say X-Files. As long as you either know Norwegian or don't mind subtitles, I'd recommend it myself.
Animal (2014) I just took a chance at this right after watching Trollhunter, just to watch another creature feature. It wasn't by any means a stand out film. It was pretty much a run of the mill modern slasher monster movie. I was entertained enough, but the ending was really ridiculous. I watch a lot of monster flicks new and old, and this wasn't even close to bad, but with the ending it had, it kind of soured the viewing of the whole thing. Just really badly tacked on.
Divorce Corp (2014) While I've never felt in 15 years that I would want to take this route. After watching this, provided there isn't a bias or lean to it (as many documentaries do) and I am not a lawyer like Slam, I'm fairly certain I'd rather live with someone I don't love/hate then go through a divorce in the good ole USA. Other countries are looking sweeter every year I get older.
John Denver: Country Boy (2013) I grew up listening to John Denver. Besides my mother I had to aunts (my father's sisters) that were huge fans, so his music, along with his returning appearances on the Muppets Show, I am quite familiar with his music, and enjoy much of it to this day. However, having been so young at the height of his music career and his political activism, I never really knew much about him as a person. I remember hearing on the news when he died in that plane crash. So this was some interesting information that really gave some insight into his music, and give you a great appreciation for the words he was trying to express. Annie's Song, is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful expressions of true love for a person.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 13, 2015 12:43:46 GMT -5
Recent movie viewings on Netflix instant... Trollhunter (2010) I had quite a few recommendations to watch this movie. I found it to be quite entertaining, and while being a found footage movie, not being near as, excessive, in that aspect, as some others. The gist of the movie was entertaining and it reminded me a bit of the covert government ops aspect of say X-Files. As long as you either know Norwegian or don't mind subtitles, I'd recommend it myself. Animal (2014) I just took a chance at this right after watching Trollhunter, just to watch another creature feature. It wasn't by any means a stand out film. It was pretty much a run of the mill modern slasher monster movie. I was entertained enough, but the ending was really ridiculous. I watch a lot of monster flicks new and old, and this wasn't even close to bad, but with the ending it had, it kind of soured the viewing of the whole thing. Just really badly tacked on. Divorce Corp (2014) While I've never felt in 15 years that I would want to take this route. After watching this, provided there isn't a bias or lean to it (as many documentaries do) and I am not a lawyer like Slam, I'm fairly certain I'd rather live with someone I don't love/hate then go through a divorce in the good ole USA. Other countries are looking sweeter every year I get older. John Denver: Country Boy (2013) I grew up listening to John Denver. Besides my mother I had to aunts (my father's sisters) that were huge fans, so his music, along with his returning appearances on the Muppets Show, I am quite familiar with his music, and enjoy much of it to this day. However, having been so young at the height of his music career and his political activism, I never really knew much about him as a person. I remember hearing on the news when he died in that plane crash. So this was some interesting information that really gave some insight into his music, and give you a great appreciation for the words he was trying to express. Annie's Song, is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful expressions of true love for a person. Troll Hunter was a lot of fun, and I usually dislike found footage films. |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Oct 13, 2015 13:10:18 GMT -5
Troll Hunter was a lot of fun, and I usually dislike found footage films. I'm pretty indifferent too them. I've never seen Blair Witch, I guess the start of it all, because the subject seems unappealing. I did however forgive Alien Abduction (2014) for excessive camera circle jerks as those types of movies are my horror movies. I remember Lunopolis (2010) not being too excessive in that department either, and the story interesting enough to hold my attention. But as far as found footage those seem to be the only two I can remember. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2015 14:28:19 GMT -5
I'm going to see THE WALK with a group of friends today and I will try to give a review of it tomorrow.
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