Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) IV

[corianderstem]

You are beyond right.

And his brother is a better director than an actor.

 

[corianderstem]

Dan In Real Life

I'm not exactly sure why I wanted to watch this movie - did I just want to see it because it was a new release? Because I like Steve Carrell? I didn't know much about it.

I was bored and couldn't care less about anyone or anything going on in the movie.

If I recall correctly, wasn't this movie marketed as kind of a romantic comedy? Um. Not so much.

Plus, if I'd known Dane Cook was in this, I wouldn't have even put it in my Netflix queue.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Dan In Real Life

*deletes from queue in the knick of time*

 

[Auhiz]

I had some time to watch some DVD's in my bro-in-law's collection, all older movies that I'd been interested in but never gotten around to watching. Unfortunately the overall experience wasn't very positive.

I'll string these out otherwise it might be a list or something.

The Day After Tomorrow (4/10)

I'm a sucker for apocalyptic movies, but this one was a real stinker. For one thing it didn't even fully deliver on the all-out apocalypse, which I realise is probably unfair grounds for nitpicking but then it did go out of its way to promise lots of mayhem and destruction: visions of a submerged, frozen over Statue of Liberty, crazy storms, city-levelling tsunamis, opportunistic wolves hunting people along corridors, ice doing the same, Bilbo declaring doom and gloom. Sucker that I am I was successfully courted by all of that albeit years later. And, the movie did have plenty of mayhem and most of it did look very awesome. The main problem was that behind those pretty visuals the story itself was boilerplate blockbuster tripe, and suspension of disbelief was too much to ask. I remember thinking at one point late in the movie that there'd hardly been a dialogue exchange or plot sequence that didn't seem awfully familiar from other movies. Once upon a time I could somehow stomach films like this but the formula is just too tired and cheesy and you know that the movie is targeted at folks who can't get enough of it. No surprise that this movie was written & produced by the same guy behind Independence Day.. AND 10000 B.C. which looks to be equally ridiculous.

My own damn fault for not doing enough background checks on the movie of course..

 

[corianderstem]

I love The Day After Tomorrow, partly because of the cheese. But mostly for the OMG WEATHER!!!!! stuff.

Which is also why I like Independence Day, up until everything's done getting blowed up. Sometimes I like some good

 

[lazarus]

Sometimes I like some good

Are we supposed to fill in the blank there?

 

[corianderstem]

I must have been interrupted by something at work. I don't even know what I was going to say.

 

[Auhiz]

I love The Day After Tomorrow, partly because of the cheese. But mostly for the OMG WEATHER!!!!! stuff.

Which is also why I like Independence Day, up until everything's done getting blowed up. Sometimes I like some good

.... old fashioned indiscriminate carnage? Oh me too. No doubt there was plenty of that to be had and to be fair I also had some fun with ID4 when I originally saw it, aside from the cheesiness and the overbearing patriotism. I wanted the aliens to force Bill Pullman onto his knees and have him say "I am Mr Prez, the lowly dog." In a dog's voice!

Anyway I recently saw another bad movie:

Van Helsing (4/10)

I also don't mind the odd monster flick, enough to turn a blind eye to the ominously low IMDB rating as well as the generally negative things that had been said about this one. I should have paid attention and given it a miss though, 'cause it sucked. Sure it could have been a bit of mindless fun with the odd mishmash of the cult horror figures, but the story just wasn't very interesting and the movie seemed to drag on forever. It worked better as a sort of special effects showcase than as a coherent film. And it really seemed as if David Wenham (Carl, the wimpy monk) was trying to channel Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

Dan In Real Life

I'm not exactly sure why I wanted to watch this movie - did I just want to see it because it was a new release? Because I like Steve Carrell? I didn't know much about it.

I was bored and couldn't care less about anyone or anything going on in the movie.

If I recall correctly, wasn't this movie marketed as kind of a romantic comedy? Um. Not so much.

Plus, if I'd known Dane Cook was in this, I wouldn't have even put it in my Netflix queue.

Thanks for posting this. I was just about to add it to my Netflix queue and bump it close to the top.

 

[elevation2u]

Dan in Real Life was by no means "oh my god the best movie of the year", but it works. Personally, I enjoyed it and thought Steve Carrell and Juliette Binoche worked very well together, their characters were believable and acting was good.
It had its sad and funny moments, a Sunday afternoon kind of movie, it certainly wasn't a masterpiece nor had an element of surprise but when I finished watching it, I was pleased in a strange way. I normally don't care for these kind of movies, but I was glad to have watched it, it was a nice contrast to movies I usually watch.

I would give it a B

 

[anitram]

Gone Baby Gone. 8/10.

I really, really liked it and not just for Casey Affleck. Felt like it was two movies in one, and was very effective that way. There was some fantastic acting from the supporting cast and I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[deep]

I liked it a lot , too


do you think he made the right choice?

 

[anitram]

Yes.

Because I don't necessarily think that the correctness of your choice is dependent on the good of the outcome.

 

[deep]

I disagree

it seems

kind of like

when one

"just follows orders"

 

[elevation2u]

it was difficult, it would have been "wrong" not just by law but morally if he had left her there, it would have plagued him his whole life...
that being said, his actual choice will probably cause turmoil as well ..especially since nothing really changed. people seldom change. so, part of me thinks his decision was wrong.

the movie was great, it stays with you once it's over, and casey affleck is a tremendous actor.
i hope to see him more in films to come.

 

[deep]

it was difficult, it would have been "wrong" not just by law but morally if he had left her there,

her mom took her to a bar and left her with drunks when she was in the bathroom having sex for drugs


in real life
that kid would have been molested if left with her mother.

nothing difficult about it at all

 

[elevation2u]

i dont know, i certainly dont think he did the "right" thing by returning her, but you dont think if you were in his situation ..after seeing a mom break down ...it would haunt you later? i think both decisions would regardless. it's not simple either way.

 

[Lancemc]

Has anyone seen Funny Games yet? Either the original or the remake? Saw it last night with two friends. Got some interesting reactions. One of them absolutely hated it, the other one hated it until we discussed it and it started to make more sense, and I thought it was fascinating, though obviously purposefully not made to be enjoyable. I may post a fuller review later if anyone wants one.

Also, the Bond-a-thon is nearing its close. We're at Goldeneye now, and I have a feeling we'll be finished by next weekend. Not sure what we'll do after that. May need to come up with something new.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Yes.

Because I don't necessarily think that the correctness of your choice is dependent on the good of the outcome.

That is a thought-provoking response. I think I agree but I'm not sure.

Thought it was a great movie, too.

 

[lazarus]

I don't think a decision in which you're essentially playing god is the right one. Besides, it's not like he can't keep an eye on the mom; if necessary he can call child & family services on her later.

Continuing along that line, he doesn't just make the decision to give her back and walk away. He's willing to follow through with what he does by actually sticking around, which is why the final scene of him babysitting is so important.

One last point, from an ethical perspective, is that, were he to leave the child where he found her, he certainly wouldn't be able to remain a detective. It's against every code of that line of work. You can't take jobs for people and then not complete what you've been hired to do because you don't morally agree with something. He knew the mother was bad news before he even took it on, and should have backed off at that point. But once you're in, you have an obligation to your client.

 

[joyfulgirl]

The Darjeeling Limited

This is my favorite Wes Anderson to date. I am sure it is flawed in many ways but being one of three sisters I could really appreciate the dynamics, though the ways in which sibling tension plays out with sisters is quite different than with brothers. In any case, I found each of the brothers to be endearing in their own way, the acting was great, it was delightfully colorful, and the farce that usually wears thin for me in Anderson movies didn't here. I was amused and interested until the credits rolled, and loved the soundtrack as well. Again, I'm sure there's much to criticize but it worked for me.

 

[lazarus]

Also, the Bond-a-thon is nearing its close. We're at Goldeneye now, and I have a feeling we'll be finished by next weekend. Not sure what we'll do after that. May need to come up with something new.

How about girls?

 

[corianderstem]

Dan in Real Life was by no means "oh my god the best movie of the year", but it works.

I posted my gut reactions to it, but it might be one of those movies where if I'd watched it while in a different mood, I might have liked it.

Still no excuse for hiring Dane Cook, though.

 

[anitram]

I don't think a decision in which you're essentially playing god is the right one. Besides, it's not like he can't keep an eye on the mom; if necessary he can call child & family services on her later.

I agree.

The idea that individuals should be free to dispense justice as they see fit leaves me uneasy.

 

[Pearl]

I just bought Troy - the Director's Cut.

I know some people are not too crazy about this movie, but I like it. Then again, I'm a sucker for historical/period movies. The Director's Cut is much better than the original version. Some scenes are extended, giving way to more character and story development. The only complaint I have is the music. In some scenes, the music was changed completely from the original. For example, the fight between Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana) had really cool percussions in the original. But in the director's cut, it was all string music, taking away the intensity of the fight scene.

But all in all, I liked it. It doesn't bother me that it wasn't true to the Iliad. I see the movie as more of a historical approach to the Trojan War. Whether that war happened or not, is another story.

7/10

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

Just saw No Country for Old Men, probably the last person in this thread to have seen it

Was very good,strong on the symbolism, I'm sure a second viewing would be necessary to fully grasp it...

I thought there would be a thread discussing the movie but couldn't find one

 

[LMP]

It's probably dug somewhere into the Random Talk thread.

 

[anitram]

The Darjeeling Limited

I am going to see this one tonight.

 

[anitram]

The Darjeeling Limited. 6.5/10.

Disappointing, IMO. The acting was good (fun actually), there were some really beautiful shots, and I didn't think the gags were over the top (like I sometimes do in his films). But it just felt like a film trying too hard and still coming across as aloof. Worse yet, it made me want to check my e-mail about 4 or 5 times while I was watching it, so that tells you how much it managed to hold my attention.

It wasn't horrible or anything, but it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

 

[RedRocksU2]

The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

Well, I got so distracted with the cinematography that I kept on losing track of who was who......

Good movie, but 6.5/10

Afleck was great and he was the second best thing about the movie.

Btw, I thought that James Carville did a great job.