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

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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
i too used to avoid reviews. My trick was to go to the local theater in Boston, either Dalton st or inside the Prudential Center, and pick a film randomly based on the mood, the film poster, or the title. Early matinee, cheap tickets.

Got pretty good results until one day i accidentally paid to watch Independence Day.



I have since .. if not grown warmer to it, at least moderated the hate. But i was hoping for a cool "Aliens-style" Scifi film, and instead i got Will Smith punching aliens.

But, no more. From that day onwards, i want to know *exactly* what i am paying to watch.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,402
8,038
136
i too used to avoid reviews. -snip-

But, no more. From that day onwards, i want to know *exactly* what i am paying to watch.
Well, Ebert agrees with you there, it's his 1st principle:

How to Watch a Movie
Article from Roger Ebert's Video Companion

April 26, 1994—Twenty-five things you should know about going to the movies:
1. How to Prepare for a Movie
Life is short. Try to avoid, whenever possible, wasting two hours of it on a movie you will not enjoy. Do not trust the ads for two reasons: (1) Until after the opening weekend, most of the critics' quotes are from publicity-hungry lightweights who dictate them straight to the publicists. (2) Serious movies are often marketed with ad campaigns that make them sound like a jolly fun time for all. (MR. JONES, the Richard Gere film about a manic-depressive, had ads that made him look like basically just a very happy guy.) Read the reviews.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,511
29,093
146
oh god no. No.
He's weak; and old. How the hell can this thin, frail old man impersonate a believable action-hero vigilante. The guy can't even stay awake past 9pm !

Or maybe this will be Batman the same way that Bubba-Ho-Tep was Elvis.

It'll be the old retired Bruce Wayne handing stuff off to one of his minions. They've done this story a dozen times, and as DC has only rebooted contemporary Batman, oh 3 times in 10 years now? might as well do one with one of those comic batman stories.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Casablanca is the 2nd most overrated film ever made.

Roger Ebert is the most overrated critic of all time.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
And the first would be Citizen Kane?
Maybe.

Its a good movie but SERIOUSLY overrated.
Whereas Sunset Blvd. was actually better in some ways and not as horribly overhyped, much easier to enjoy.

Wait, no, I was wrong.

Gone With The Wind is the most overrated movie ever.
Its BAD. It is not a good movie. And yet millions of hardcore fans think its freakin awesome.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Wonder Woman 1984 was not good at all. Like previous D.C. films its a brutal assault on the senses but incredibly stupid and not entertaining.
If you have young daughters and think they need some inspiration or life lessons I'm betting theres better movies out there with positive role models.
No rating. Its just not good. And too long besides.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
Maybe.

Its a good movie but SERIOUSLY overrated.
Whereas Sunset Blvd. was actually better in some ways and not as horribly overhyped, much easier to enjoy.

Wait, no, I was wrong.

Gone With The Wind is the most overrated movie ever.
Its BAD. It is not a good movie. And yet millions of hardcore fans think its freakin awesome.
what? noo.
The most overrated film of all time is *literally* the most over rated film of all time. And we don't even have to argue because IMDb did all the work for us:
The Shawshank Redemption.

Gone With The Wind's only claim to fame may be "frankly my dear i don't give a damn" but at least it's got that.

TSSR is a decent film, but that's it. It has absolutely NOTHING in it that could potentially make it rated as high as it is rated today.
The only reason why it is where it is, is that people over rate. "Oh, i liked the movie TEN OUT OF TEN. A MASTERPIECE". Really?

TSSR is the McDonalds of films.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
Hah, while I'm joking about the "of all time" part, it's definitely overrated.
i know most people here put it above Star Wars which is pure and simple blasphemy, but it's a great film nonetheless. Is there something that annoys you about that film?

I'm asking because when i first saw it, as a little boy, i was left perplexed by the weird narrative structure.
1. didn't the good guys win last time?
2. why do the bad guys seem to win this time?
3. why is there no end and more importantly, no single goal set in this film?
 

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
856
126
i know most people here put it above Star Wars which is pure and simple blasphemy, but it's a great film nonetheless. Is there something that annoys you about that film?

I'm asking because when i first saw it, as a little boy, i was left perplexed by the weird narrative structure.
1. didn't the good guys win last time?
2. why do the bad guys seem to win this time?
3. why is there no end and more importantly, no single goal set in this film?
Exactly how I felt finally watching it in the '90s. I didn't see how anyone could enjoy a film where they just lose, lose, lose, and lose only to end with nothing accomplished and a ton of loose ends. It didn't even feel like half a movie since everything was a setback compared to where we started.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
I watched Superman without interruption for the first time in probably 30 years and noticed something I never noticed before.
Christopher Reeve is not seen until about 48 minutes in.
Also they dubbed his voice over the young Clark Kent and it does not fit at all.

Gene Hackman isnt seen for a full hour.
 
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shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
The boys at RedLetterMedia just released part 2 of their Twin Peaks reView.

Reminds me I need to finish that series one day. Its the kinda thing I've started like a dozen times and keep drifting off.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,442
136
Counterpart Season 1 - Amazon - kind of cool parallel dimension sci fi thriller that takes place in the present day. The main actor is an academy award winner and it shows. Only ran 2 seasons and season 1 definitely leaves you wanting to know more so I hope the next wraps up things well.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
The boys at RedLetterMedia just released part 2 of their Twin Peaks reView.

Reminds me I need to finish that series one day. Its the kinda thing I've started like a dozen times and keep drifting off.
i enjoyed this one even more than the previous, and it actually gave me a bit of motivation to go back and attempt again the Twin Peaks marathon.

See, i am .. well you probably know this already, but i am not a lover of the kind of "we'll see what happens" narrative that Lynch does here. Keep in mind that Dune is one of my all time favourite films.
I started TP with season 1 and it was ok if a little slow, a police story with a bit of supernatural thrown in, but by the end of S1 i had no idea what was going on. By S2E01 i was defeated and deleted it.

According to the RLM reviews, if you're down to watch all of S1/S2, Fire Walk With Me, and S3, everything finally ties up in a mostly-comprehensible story, despite RLM also saying "Lynch seems to be making a statement to the idea that a fully-wrapped-up story isn't necessarily something you want".

Maybe if we ever come to actually implementing the ATOT Virtual Theater thing, the Twin Peaks Marathon can be one of the things we watch.



(back in the late 90s i came up with the idea of remote bands - people on their PCs record their track to a metronome and then it gets mixed together - which are a thing now, but i didn't get much enthusiasm back then. So hop on the Virtual Theater idea now when you can still be a pioneer)
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
David Lynch HATED Dune.
Hated it. In fact I think he tried to give it the Alan Smithee branding and bad-mouthed it before it hit theaters.

So, theres that.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,084
126
David Lynch HATED Dune.
Hated it. In fact I think he tried to give it the Alan Smithee branding and bad-mouthed it before it hit theaters.

So, theres that.
i dont care. David Bowie hates Never Let Me Down, which is maybe his 2nd best album. Often when you are an artist, you do not have the same impression of your work as everyone else does. Idk, George Lucas "fixing" Star Wars.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I finally got around to watching The Babysitter: Killer Queen on Netflix. It's a sequel to the movie The Babysitter where a kid discovers that his babysitter is actually part of a Satanic cult that needs an innocent to sacrifice to attain their wildest dreams... and it's him! So, it was kind of like Home Alone meets a slasher film in a way, but what made it work is that the movie knew that it was B-level shlock, and it never took itself too seriously. I kind of want to compare it to Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but to be clear, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is definitely the better movie.

Anyway, the sequel is pretty much about the same, and it follows the kid two years after the events of the first movie. (Albeit, the kid definitely looks more than two years older!) Overall, I liked the second one for the same reasons. It's kind of a dumb, gore-filled "horror" movie that knows how to have a bit of fun. Although, there was one scene closer to the end that I just thought was a really bad idea... and it dragged on for far too long. Albeit, once I saw that McG directed it and was one of the writers (out of four)... it made a bit more sense. On the flip side, the first movie only had one writer who had no part in this movie.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip is basically the lost third season of Sports Night. If you've seen Sports Night, you will recognize every stock character reused in Studio 60.
Aaron Sorkin must have had some leftover ideas he needed to try out. He made it right after The West Wing ended. It only got one season.
I didnt love it. But you can pirate it right now and see for yourself.

Or pay for it, if you can find it.
 

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
17,575
9,265
136
The Raid (2011)

Entertaining action flick, cert 18 rating so it doesn't skimp on the action. My only criticism of it is I found it odd the way the main character didn't try to retrieve his weapons or pick up discarded weapons at every opportunity.

I wonder if 'Dredd' was inspired by this, though I'd say 'Dredd' is the better movie by a long shot.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,244
10,748
136
wow, really? 9/10 for one of the worst Bond films ever made? :D


I'm going with the George Lazenby Bond as the worst myself. On Her Majesty's Secret Service I believe?

I also thought Thunderball kinda sucked .... I actually enjoyed Diamonds are Forever a lot.
 
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