NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

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KeithTalent

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Nov 30, 2005
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Rumble in the Bronx has been on lately. So fucking hilarious lol

Damn, have not seen that in ages. Classic.

I missed Alias.

Any good?

First couple of seasons are awesome. It goes downhill after that, but I was addicted to that show in the first two seasons or so. I actually was about to re-watch it, but I started NewsRadio again instead. ^_^

KT
 

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
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The Expendables 5.5/10

I was highly disappointed with this movie. Pretty much an all-star action movie cast and even a lot of the action sucked or was retarded. Plus the parts in-between the action were not good at all. Plus there was almost no reason to have anyone else in the movie other than Jason Stathom and Stallone. The rest of them were just thrown in and could have been played by anyone. Plus the only chick in the film wasn't wearing anything good to make you want her.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
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Unknown - 7/10 Liam Neeson is in an accident then his identity is stolen -- even his wife claims not to know him. Pretty good slower-paced action film, and if you liked him in Taken then you'll probably like this too.
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
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I want to see Take Shelter this wekeend but it's only playing in NYC from what I see. Damn
 

KeithTalent

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slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
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I don't want to read that review, as it seems like it might give away a bit more than the trailer(which doesn't really give away anything at all, but is still very awesome if you haven't seen it). I rather go in without knowing as much. Gotta hope it gets a wider release though.
 

busydude

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2010
8,793
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Udaan - 9.5/10

Probably the best family drama about a father and his son.. after In the name of the father. This movie is about a 16YO kid who gets expelled from a boarding school and has no other option than to live with his abusive father.

It has been a really long time since I enjoyed a movie from India.. even more than I would like to admit. But this movie is absolutely terrific and truly a masterpiece. The picture really captures the great generation gap between Parents and their kids growing up in a middle class Indian family.

I guess they used only natural lighting.. and the atmosphere the director managed to capture is really amazing. Overall, a fantastic movie.. and it has been a really long time I felt happy watching an Indian movie.

Available in Netflix for anyone interested.

The man from nowhere - 7/10

This felt like a standard thriller. It has a few redeeming qualities.. but overall I felt meh after watching. To me, the movie reeked of cliches. The action sequences are good.. and the cinematography is fantastic. Other than that.. it was quite ordinary.
 
Nov 7, 2000
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True Grit - 7.9 / 10 - Im not a huge Coen brother's fan, nor am I hater. Sometimes the dialog comes off as awkward to me, trying a bit too hard to be quirky. Wasn't too bad in this film though. I really enjoyed the two overhead scenes
la Beef (sp?) getting jumped at the first cabin, then the 1v4 showdown at the end
. Didn't care for how the main characters seemed to basically
be invincible, matt damon's character had a hole through his body and a semi-detached tongue, but it didn't really faze him.
. Overall, good movie and I enjoyed it.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
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Drive - 6/10 - I was looking forward to this perhaps more than any film in recent memory. I was tremendously disappointed by many elements, while very pleased at others. Overall the letdowns broke the film for me though, even with the outstanding performances by Gosling and Brooks.

I understand that at it's heart it's a psychological thriller with splashes of action, and it exceeds in most areas.

Spoilers to follow, as going into detail would give away too much to those who haven't seen it yet :

The opening chase sequence is nearly perfect. It's more of a chess game, and the 'driver' character really shows a lot of thought and complexity in how he deals with the challenges he goes through in succeeding in his plan. It really met my expectations for the quality that I wanted from the rest of the film, and set the bar very high. So, where it totally lost me was the pawn shop heist. I loved how they kept the focus outside, the tension, the anticipation. But as soon as Standard got shot, it all went out the window. Chick in the backseat starts overacting, and I thought well cool, get to see this '10 Mustang GT in action.

UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Okay. I'm a car nerd, admittedly. But this was just plain terribly done. For those who do not know, 'Driver' wisely selected a 412hp absolute beast of a car to steal for this heist job. This car is no joke, it turns 0-60 a hair over 4 seconds, and is in the realm of Porsche 911, BMW M3, and Vette in overall performance. In short, it's a damned monster. And the whole premise of the film is that 'Driver' is just that, one holy hell of a good driver. So .. when I saw the mid-trim Chrysler 300c not only catch up to the 'Driver' after he had an obviously decent head start, but weaving in and out of traffic like a ninja, I just wanted to throw something at the screen. Imagine writing a screenplay where you have Usain Bolt running from a bad guy played by a fat man with one leg, yet somehow the fat man with one leg is always magically right on Bolt's ass. It's just lame and preposterous. The third and final 'car' themed sequence was a letdown as well. Cool styling on it with the night / stalking angle, but after 'Driver' rams the baddie's car so hard that it flies through the air like a pinwheel and gets out, his headlights and front clip are magically perfectly intact. Augh. And that brings me to my final complaint, which ultimately sunk the film for me. It's clear that 'Driver' isn't an idiot as a character, but suddenly he becomes one. He shows great adaptability and the ability to 'hunt' and kill the murderous mob character played by the big guy. That makes sense, right? You know who the bad guy is, you know where to find him, you're obviously not afraid to straight up kill the people you want, so WHY in the fucking WORLD does he make some stupid arrangement to go meet this middle-aged wannabe slimeball on his terms? He didn't do that with the previous guy, because why? It's fucking retarded. Did his brain fall out? Surely he already saw that there were no 'deals' to be made with those people.

Rant over. I really was impressed with much of it. In the end I think his previous works in 'Bronson' and 'Valhalla Rising' are vastly superior though. 'Driver' is the most overrated film of 2011.
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
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The plot is secondary for Refn, which makes the actual details and facts even less important. I understand your criticism, but I'm not sure why you like Bronson more, as I'm sure that one isn't very historically accurate.
 

KeithTalent

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Refn does not even have a driver's license, so maybe that is why some of the car stuff is inaccurate. :D

I always respect your opinion Ark, but pretty much all of those criticisms really sound like nitpicking. I know nothing about cars, so cannot comment on the accuracy of that stuff; all I know if it felt real to me and the tension was palpable throughout, particularly in the driving scenes.

KT
 

thedarkwolf

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Oct 13, 1999
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Feast 7/10
A creature feature from 2005. This is by no means a good movie but it was a fun movie. Basic premise is a bunch of local yokels are hanging out at a redneck bar when it is attacked by a group of monsters with lots of blood being the outcome. It has some comedy mixed in but they didn't over do it.
 

KeithTalent

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Nov 30, 2005
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Southland Tales - ???/10: I honestly have no idea what this movie was about. In many parts it felt like satire, in others like straight up comedy, but in even other parts it felt quite earnest. It all added up to a muddled clusterfuck of a movie. The Rock was seemingly awful, but the more I watched it almost seemed like he was trying to be awful? It appeared to me Kelly was telling him to over the top and ridiculous, as I have not seen The Rock be quite that bad in a film before, no matter his acting shortcomings. Honestly I do not know what else to say about this thing. Was left a bit bewildered by this movie.

jackie-chan-MY-BRAIN-IS-FULL-OF-FUCK.jpg


Funnily enough I may revisit this when I'm not so tired and can focus better.

KT
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
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Refn does not even have a driver's license, so maybe that is why some of the car stuff is inaccurate. :D

I always respect your opinion Ark, but pretty much all of those criticisms really sound like nitpicking. I know nothing about cars, so cannot comment on the accuracy of that stuff; all I know if it felt real to me and the tension was palpable throughout, particularly in the driving scenes.

KT

Hehe yeah being a car guy it really hurt my enjoyment of the film. I guess my three criticisms can be shortened as follows :

(1)- That 300c wasn't even the SRT-8 version (which would be be at least vaguely believable). Sub a Cadillac CTS-V in there and that scene would be fixed.

(2)- No real damage to the front clip of the car after that ~40?mph ram? This is almost unforgivable.

(3)- Late film main character stupidity as discussed. Grr. I can understand the need for it from a framing perspective for the filmmaker to set a scene, but it is wildly stupid for a character who has shown that he isn't stupid.

I preferred Bronson, which didn't even pretend to be anything but lusciously stylized and unique, and Valhalla Rising, which seemed to be very much a complete product of the director's vision. 'Drive' could have used some QA consulting with some car guys, particularly considering the subject material and that it depicts a stuntman who specializes in car chases/wrecks.
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,682
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^
The netflix synopsis already makes my cringe

Set in a dystopian near-future, director Richard Kelly's visionary tale of doom and destruction mines post-Sept. 11 angst and paranoia as Los Angeles teeters on the verge of social, financial and ecological catastrophe. While a heat wave blasts the sprawling metropolis, one man foresees the coming apocalypse -- but can he prevent it? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson heads a star-studded cast that includes Sarah Michelle Gellar and Justin Timberlake.

Our best guess for rick:1.7 stars

Average of 334,787 ratings: 2.7 stars
 

DaveSimmons

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Aug 12, 2001
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Southland Tales - ???/10: I honestly have no idea what this movie was about. In many parts it felt like satire, in others like straight up comedy, but in even other parts it felt quite earnest. It all added up to a muddled clusterfuck of a movie. .. . Funnily enough I may revisit this when I'm not so tired and can focus better.

I liked it (mildly), as something similar to a David Lynch or David Cronenberg helping of weirdness. Not as good as Blue Velvet or even ExistenZ, but more memorable than the latest Jason Statham popcorn movie.
 

KeithTalent

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Nov 30, 2005
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My Little Princess - 7.5/10: A French film by first time director Eva Ionesco about a troubled Mother/Daughter relationship that takes a peculiar turn when the Mother begins taking erotic photos of her underage Daughter. A pretty interesting, if not painfully awkward and uncomfortable, look at not only the ins and outs of the relationship, but also what truly constitutes art. The greatest strength of this film is the Mother/Daughter relationship played wonderfully by the two leads; Isabelle Huppert is fantastic as the erratic, possibly schizophrenic, Mother and first time actress Anamaria Vartolomei is perfect as the young girl. There was one plot twist that I honestly am still having trouble understanding (we discussed it after the film last night and both of us were unsure) and it kind of threw earlier parts of the film into confusion as well, but the actual main storyline and the two lead actresses made it a very worthwhile watch. One thing that really annoyed me was the guy's head in front of me that happened to smack square in the middle of the subtitles; I had to ping-pong my head back and forth to read what the hell was going on most of the time.

Tyrannosaur - 9.5/10: This film has just vaulted into my top 3-5 films of the year so far. Such a dark, disturbing, yet strangely uplifting film. It's about a troubled older man and a troubled woman who cross paths and end up trying to save each other. Peter Mullan is awesome as a true anti-hero; I knew I had seen him in many things, but I remembered him most from Boy A and while he was great in that, this role is probably the best I've seen him. However the true standout is Olivia Colman; she is an absolute revelation and there is one scene in-particular where she floored me. All of the performances are great and Paddy Considine's writing/directing are superb; I really felt like I lived in this dishevelled little English town for the 90 minutes, on a journey with two very troubled and complex individuals. What an amazing debut from Considine.

KT
 

KeithTalent

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I liked it (mildly), as something similar to a David Lynch or David Cronenberg helping of weirdness. Not as good as Blue Velvet or even ExistenZ, but more memorable than the latest Jason Statham popcorn movie.

I can see that, but Lynch and Cronenberg do not, at least to me, go weird just for the sake of being weird. Kelly seems to trip over himself trying to be interesting and unique. It just became a mess and I had no idea what was happening and I honestly am not sure Kelly did either. I will re-watch it at some point, because there is the definite possibility that I missed something, but I can't think I'm alone in thinking this was a bit of a disaster.

KT
 
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