The Movie Review and Discussion Thread - Page 1768 - Blu-ray Forum

KilloWertz · 03-08-2015, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

[Show spoiler]

The buildings crumbling, the glass shattering, the people screaming, the ship being ripped apart, everything. So clear and powerful, but none of it over done like some mixes do with big sequences like that (Man of Steel is the one in my recent memory).

Rating - 4/5

Oh, come on. Man of Steel's audio is not overdone. Just cause it blew out a speaker at the theater when I watched it doesn't mean it's overdone...

jPod · 03-09-2015, 02:53 AM

Cinderella (2015) Review

The story of Cinderella can be traced back to early Egypt, China, France, Germany and many other countries from around the world. The most well-known versions were written by Charles Perrault, Cendrillon, and by the Brothers Grimm, Aschenputtel. There have been countless film, television and stage adaptations of the iconic story, but the most well-known adaptation is Walt Disney's 1950 animated film.

I first fell in love with Walt Disney's animated film when I was just three-years-old. It was actually the first Disney film that I ever saw as a child. I can still remember being captivated by the story and singing along with the songs. It was as though a spell had been cast upon me, but the magic never wore off at midnight. There were no words to describe the level of excitement I had when I first found out that Disney was developing a live-action film of the timeless story.

Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the upcoming live-action version of Walt's most beloved animated film. What I enjoyed most about the latest "animation to live-action" treatment, is that it's a relatively straightforward telling of the iconic story. While Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent were re-imaginings, Cinderella is retold respectfully for the new generation.

Lily James (Cinderella) and Richard Madden (Prince Charming) were rightfully chosen for their iconic roles. Lily truly captured the true essence of Cinderella's charm and beauty. Richard... those eyes... ahem... was truly charming in every sense of the word. I loved the chemistry between the Prince and Cinderella -- I don't think I've seen such chemistry between two characters in a Disney film for a very long time. It's very refreshing to see a fairy tale romance blossom!

Cate Blanchett (Lady Tremaine) and Helena Bonham Carter (Fairy Godmother) were perfectly cast for their respective roles. Cate not only brought a lot of depth to her character, but you could tell she was enjoying the role as the malicious stepmother. Helena not only brought a bit of comic relief to the film, but she was definitely fun to watch -- although you can't help but wonder if Mrs. Weasley actually zapped Bellatrix Lestrange into a parallel universe. Hmm?

I personally believe that Disney made the right decision to hire Kenneth Barangh to direct the film and Chris Weitz to write the screenplay. As I was watching the film on the big screen tonight, I could tell that they both approached the story with deep understanding and, most importantly, respect. I was genuinely relieved that it wasn't ruined by some unnecessary "dark" and "edgy" plot twist. Phew!

I absolutely loved Patrick Doyle's score for the film and found it to be quite fitting with the story. It was perfectly timed and it drew you into the fairy tale world. I will definitely buy the soundtrack when it's released next month. Sandy Powell's costumes, though silly at times, were excellent. I don't think I've seen such beautiful designs in one film since the Golden Age of Hollywood. I genuinely hope Sandy will be nominated for an Oscar for those stunning costumes. Bravo!

The film itself is a visual marvel -- especially for the fairy tale genre. I was truly swept away by the lavish sets that were designed by Dante Ferretti. I don't think I've seen such a breath-taking production since the late 1930's. The special effects were equally breath-taking, with the dress transformation and the carriage-to-pumpkin scenes being two of my favourite visual highlights. I'm genuinely happy that Disney kept the magic alive in this film. Very impressive!

My only disappointment was the running time of the theatrical cut. I personally believe that it should have been 10 minutes or 15 minutes longer to flesh out the story more. The film flowed smoothly and didn't feel rushed, but there were a number of scenes and dialogue that were, unfortunately, left on the cutting room floor. Hopefully Disney will release an extended cut, or include those deleted scenes on the home media release. You hear me, Disney?!

Despite my issue with the running time, I genuinely believe that Disney did something right with their latest live-action film. While most people were probably expecting a sword-wielding action hero, I'm happy that Disney treated their most beloved character with the uttermost care and respect. The story of Cinderella is very personal to each person who has felt like the underdog, but managed to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes in the end. If Walt Disney were alive today, I'm sure he would be proud to see his most treasured little savior be retold to the new generation in a beautiful and charming way. Bravo!

RATING: 8/10

Diesel · 03-10-2015, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Oh, come on. Man of Steel's audio is not overdone. Just cause it blew out a speaker at the theater when I watched it doesn't mean it's overdone...

Al_The_Strange · 03-11-2015, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

This is my favorite movie of the year so far, I'm counting it as a 2015 movie even though it technically premiered in 2014.

Yep, I'm counting it for 2015 too, based on its widespread release moreso than festivals and such.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Granted it's only competition thus far is Kingsman, Taken 3 and Project Almanac....the highest of which is Kingsman at a 3.5/5.

I think I gave this one a 4.5 or a 4.75. I loved it.

I almost rated Am Sniper a 4.5 or so. It'll definitely be in my top 30 or so of favorite war movies. I'll have to start building that list to see how it ranks.

I liked Kingsman quite a bit more than you did (4.5/5), so Am Sniper is currently my second-favorite this year. The only other ones I've seen so far are Jupiter Ascending (which was fine), The Drop Box (which is alright), and Chappie (soon to be reviewed; I enjoyed it). I'm not expecting much out of Taken 3, and I haven't seen much hype at all over Project Almanac.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Now.....shall..we..begin.

[Show spoiler]

Rewatched Star Trek Into Darkness tonight.
Side note: it still really bugs me that there is no colon in the title, and that the title is terrible for what the film is (I know why they claimed they used the name, but that doesn't make it better).

The film is absolutely not as good as the original, which is among my Top 25 favorite movies of all time, but it is still entertaining and enjoyable overall. The story is not nearly as tight and there are more 'dud' sequences this time around. There is still great fun to be had though and some really great sequences. The Klingon sequence and the Spock/Harrison sequence is definitely more

than anything from the first film. (Is there anyone left that doesn't know

[Show spoiler]

?)

Cumberbatch is also FANTASTIC in his role. If the writing was better (Kurtzman and Orci have really dropped off since the original Transformers and Star Trek) then he would have been the central antagonist and the movie would have been immensely better for it. He is just completely terrifying in his cold, harsh demeanor. His scene negotiating with Spock is probably the highlight of the entire film for me.

As for the blu-ray...this is the first time I watched it since I moved in my new place and got my new HT set up about 6-7 months ago. The audio is fantastic on this disc. I tend to keep my volume at 50% (give or take one notch depending on the individual disc) when watching movies, this one was down one notch as it was mastered a bit loud. I cranked it up to about 56% for the scene when

[Show spoiler]

and it was

The buildings crumbling, the glass shattering, the people screaming, the ship being ripped apart, everything. So clear and powerful, but none of it over done like some mixes do with big sequences like that (Man of Steel is the one in my recent memory).

Rating - 4/5

Haven't seen this since the theater, but I find this accurate. Congrats on the new place and HT setup!

Diesel · 03-11-2015, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Yep, I'm counting it for 2015 too, based on its widespread release moreso than festivals and such.

I almost rated Am Sniper a 4.5 or so. It'll definitely be in my top 30 or so of favorite war movies. I'll have to start building that list to see how it ranks.

I smell another Al's Top 'X' List coming soon

Quote:

I liked Kingsman quite a bit more than you did (4.5/5), so Am Sniper is currently my second-favorite this year. The only other ones I've seen so far are Jupiter Ascending (which was fine), The Drop Box (which is alright), and Chappie (soon to be reviewed; I enjoyed it). I'm not expecting much out of Taken 3, and I haven't seen much hype at all over Project Almanac.

I was going to go and see Chappie then heard it wasn't completely mis-sold and wasn't the story the trailer portrayed at all...which is a shame because that is the story I wanted to see.

Taken 3 was better than Taken 2 in my opinion, but not nearly as good as Taken. The shaky came and editing are just so unbearable

Quote:

Haven't seen this since the theater, but I find this accurate. Congrats on the new place and HT setup!

Thanks!

My set up is perfect for my smaller sized room (about 10x15), my TV is exactly half the length of my wall flanked by my framed movie posters of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Desolation of Smaug

I might rotate other posters in soon like Guardians.

When I get a bigger place in 3-5 years, I'm going to be going with a projector instead of a TV. I've got a 100" screen in mind

Diesel · 03-11-2015, 03:37 AM

Ok, had a movie day today since my order from Disney Movie Club came in. So here's the first review:

Iron Man 3

Iron-Man-3-Wallpaper-Wide-Shot.jpg

I haven't seen this one since we screen it before it came out in 2013. It was a great night because my boss at the time banned some punk from the theatre because he took a picture of the screen during the screening

As for the movie, I was not big on the movie. Based on the trailer and marketing that they put out, the movie was very different than what I expected and wanted. Revisiting the movie two years later, a lot of my disappointment with the film is gone because I knew what to expect going in (even though I did screen it twice before it released and still disliked so much).

The movie is still not on par with the rest of the Marvel films in my opinion, but I did enjoy it more than I used to. I still hate the twist because of the fantastic

[Show spoiler]

And knowing that there is a

[Show spoiler]

makes it even more

I'm also not a fan of the lava people, but I can accept them now...just not the one random fire breath moment. That's too much.

And

[Show spoiler]

is just

We can have that but we can't have some awesome War Machine action in (likely) the last Iron Man movie we ever get

Really hope that Cheadle get's his time to shine in Avengers, Civil War, Infinity War, something.

While I do enjoy it more than I previously did, I can't help but wish we had gotten the movie that was advertised with the

[Show spoiler]

that was set up in the first two films, some awesome War Machine action and less

[Show spoiler]

It would have been amazing

Everything else that worked in the previous films still works here, RDJ, Favreau, the humor, etc.

Original rating was a 3.5/5, I'll bump that up a little but can't go any higher because of how much I dislike the things that I do dislike about the film.

Rating - 3.75/5

Al_The_Strange · 03-11-2015, 03:40 AM

Chappie

Can a machine posses a consciousness? Will a robot be able to feel, or express itself with art, or judge morality? Sci-fi has asked these questions before in everything from the books of Isaac Asimov to Star Trek. In the hands of Neill Blomkamp, who previously explored the possibility of aliens in the ghettos of Johannesburg, tackles the subject of robot sentience...once again in the slums of Joburg.

Chappie borrows a few aspects from other movies we're probably already familiar with: the idea of a robotic police force echoes RoboCop, and Chappie's exploration of the outside world immediately brings Short Circuit to mind. Chappie himself might have been inspired by Bender from Futurama, with a slimmed-down body of Briareos from Appleseed. One other robot resembles a Mechwarrior. However, the film plays with all the same textures and themes that Blomkamp previously explored in District 9 and Elysium: all these movies share common character archetypes, plot structures, and settings.

So Chappie might not be anything new, but it is a funny little animal in its own right. Most of the film focuses on Chappie, the robot created in secret by a company scientist who wanted to grant consciousness to his machines. Chappie winds up in the hands of some thugs, who try to mold him into a mean killing machine. What follows is often funny, as Chappie learns to talk all gangsta while learning the ways of the world. It can be sobering too, as Chappie is manipulated, beaten, and abused. It all builds up to a heavy-duty climax, complete with loud and bloody shoot-outs, and explosive robot fighting. The film may not have nearly as much action as Elysium or D9, but it is consistently entertaining and charming at times.

The story could have used some refinement, as parts of it are condensed or left unexplained. There are a few contrivances or plot holes that can undoubtedly be found. However, the story does succeed in making Chappie a character we can care for, and his evolution from a newborn to a troubled and conflicted soul makes the story worth telling. In spite of this, the film unearths fascinating themes of morality and the nature of consciousness. I'd even go so far to say that the film has implicit parallels between Chappie's growth and the growth of all human beings, and it suggests that there's more to our short lives than mere money.

As expected, this film captures its scuzzy crime-ridden settings with decent photography, plentiful amounts of slow-motion, and quality editing. Sharlto Copley's voice acting is quite lively and playful, matching the character well. In place of his usual villainous archetype, Hugh Jackman stands in and does a pretty good job playing a jerk. Sigourney Weaver is as great as ever, but her role is minimal. Yolandi and Ninja, of the band Die Antwoord, play themselves and are okay at it. And Dev Patel is not bad. Writing probably could have been fleshed out more, but it gets the job done. This production uses highly-detailed and real-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Die Antwoord's music is featured throughout, and fits the movie well. The score by Hans Zimmer is pretty cool.

This movie probably could have used refinement, but it is a satisfying sci-fi flick that offers a fair amount of thought food and a fair amount of action. It's probably best recommended to fans of robot sci-fi and fans of the director.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good)

Recommendation: Rental.

Diesel · 03-11-2015, 03:47 AM

Review #2:

Brave

Can I just start off by saying this movie should be more well liked simply because of the fact that it has a

[Show spoiler]

I mean come on, what's more awesome than that?

It's a pretty by the numbers picture, which puts some people off, which I don't really get. A movie doesn't need to be surprising or anything to be good. If a film follows the genre's general formula and does it well it can be a great time to me and that's what this movie is.

It's also interesting that the villain of the film is not central at all, the movie is very much focused on the Merida and her mother's relationship with the ancillary characters to provide laughs (the King is just hilarious

).

The movie has the very Pixar feel. Beautiful animation, likable characters, a moment or two that will punch you in the feels and of course John Ratzenberger

I'm not as big a Pixar fan as many around here, but I do enjoy most of their films to some degree. The Toy Story series is far and away their best work in my opinion, but I would place this up there with Incredibles and A Bug's Life (Note: I have not seen either of those in a while, so opinions are a little out of date).

All in all, it's a fun, light hearted but also heartfelt film that I quite enjoy watching. I don't really have any negatives about the film that I can think of off hand

Rating - 4.25/5

I'll be watching Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Tarzan and Hercules over the next 1-3 days followed by the new Cinderella likely on Friday. I'm in a reviewing mood for the first time in a very long time so I'll probably do a write up for each

This will honestly be the first time seeing Nemo since I was about 12 or 13, so we'll see how that goes. I wasn't a fan when I was younger.

Al_The_Strange · 03-11-2015, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

I smell another Al's Top 'X' List coming soon

If I can find the time to work on it, my next list will probably be the Top 100 Favorite Action and Adventure movies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

I was going to go and see Chappie then heard it wasn't completely mis-sold and wasn't the story the trailer portrayed at all...which is a shame because that is the story I wanted to see.

I always figured the trailer wouldn't do it justice. It's definitely nothing light or emotional, it's very much the same type of movie Elysium and D9 were. I think I like Chappie the least of the three, but it's still a pretty awesome triple feature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Taken 3 was better than Taken 2 in my opinion, but not nearly as good as Taken. The shaky came and editing are just so unbearable

Taken in the top 10 in favorite action movies.

I saw only half of Taken 2. I was enjoying it, but I thought it was incredibly stupid

[Show spoiler]

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Thanks!

My set up is perfect for my smaller sized room (about 10x15), my TV is exactly half the length of my wall flanked by my framed movie posters of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Desolation of Smaug

I might rotate other posters in soon like Guardians.

When I get a bigger place in 3-5 years, I'm going to be going with a projector instead of a TV. I've got a 100" screen in mind

Oooh, nice.

Diesel · 03-11-2015, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

If I can find the time to work on it, my next list will probably be the Top 100 Favorite Action and Adventure movies.

Now THAT'S my kind of list

Quote:

I always figured the trailer wouldn't do it justice. It's definitely nothing light or emotional, it's very much the same type of movie Elysium and D9 were. I think I like Chappie the least of the three, but it's still a pretty awesome triple feature.

Based on your review, it sounds like what I heard but that you enjoyed it more so than them. I think it'll end up being one I catch on cable one day in a year or two (seems like that window is getting shorter and shorter)

Quote:

Taken in the top 10 in favorite action movies.

I saw only half of Taken 2. I was enjoying it, but I thought it was incredibly stupid

[Show spoiler]

.

Thankfully that does not happen in this one

It's very much the Liam Neeson show again and the few scenes he gets to interact with Forest are great. Would have loved more of that and a more stable camera

There's some story issues as well, but honestly the draw for the series was never the perfect writing.

Quote:

Oooh, nice.

I love my new stuff, but you gotta plan ahead

Astro Zombie · 03-11-2015, 03:55 AM

The Conjuring (2013)

Quote:

As a big horror junkie, it's refreshing to see a horror film that's actually scary. Don't get me wrong, a horror film can be good and not necessarily be scary, and it's true that once you reach a certain age, it becomes harder to genuinely frighten you. That's what's so great about The Conjuring, it manages to create a fantastic atmosphere and deliver genuine chills without the use of cheap tactics like jump scares.

The thing you come to appreciate most as the film goes along is just how incredibly well-constructed it is. Everything comes together perfectly, and it's all thanks to director James Wan. He definitely appears to be a huge horror fan, and The Conjuring evokes the feel of classic 1970s horror films, and evokes it wonderfully. The slow-burn pacing, the long-take cinematography, and the moody score all contribute to this. Speaking of score, Wan elects to bring it up only when it enhances the mood, instead using silence to great effect. Many of the best scenes in the film have little to no music, and this only adds to the intensity.

The movie's terror builds slowly, starting with a brief prologue involving the famous Annabelle doll that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the film. No matter how crazy things get, it always feels grounded with a sense of reality, and all of this builds towards a hell of a climax. And best of all, the horror actually works. Horror is one of my favorite genres, but I'm not usually the kind of person that scares easily. And despite the fact that I've already seen the movie before, I still found myself genuinely scared at some of the stuff that goes on, in particular one scene where one of the little girls is staring at nothing. That's it. She's in bed staring at a dark corner, we see nothing, and yet her face is filled with absolute fear, and our imagination is left running wild. That's the kind of film The Conjuring is, and that's why I don't hesitate to call it one of the greatest horror films of this or any decade.

4.5/5

Diesel · 03-13-2015, 03:40 AM

Cinderella (2015)

Caught this tonight and must say, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I did not watch any of the trailers, have never seen the animated movie and barely knew anything about the movie in general going in on purpose. I knew Blanchett and Carter were in it, which is about it.

I thought the movie was going to be an absolute cheese

fest based on the guy who played Ella's father. He was so bad for 90% of his short amount of screen time. Thankfully after that besides him everything else felt very natural for the movie. Blanchett is a fantastically b****y step-mother, the sisters are sufficiently annoying and the Prince is serviceable. By far the best components are Helena Bonham Carter and Lily James. Both are perfect in their roles and Carter is especially hilarious. The Captain was also pretty funny in his limited role.

I'm not sure how much is changed from the animated version and how much is retained since I haven't seen it, but obviously everyone knows the broad strokes of the story of Cinderella, and I think the movie did very well telling the story and making it interesting even for people like myself that are the opposite of the target audience (20-30 year old male without a daughter).

It isn't something I usually comment on for movies, but I thought the costuming in this was very good. Clearly a lot of work went into designing the dresses that the female characters wear. I'll be surprised if it doesn't receive a Oscar nomination.

This is not an amazing movie nor did I love it, but I did highly enjoy it and thought it was very well made.

I am surprisingly going to be buying this when it comes out on blu-ray, which is definitely not what I expected to be doing going in.

Rating - 4.25/5

Diesel · 03-14-2015, 10:40 PM

Maleficent

Well...Disney is now 1-2 with me for the live action remakes (did not like Alice In Wonderland).

Sleeping Beauty, like Cinderella, is another Disney animated movie that I have never seen, so I know the broad happenings but not the specifics, so I went into this movie about as knowledgeable as I did with Cinderella...too bad the movie didn't fare nearly as well.

I can honestly say I came away with only one positive about the film and that is Jolie herself. She was fantastic in the role. When she wasn't having to ham it up because of the hoaky script and directing she was positively menacing. She does great with the range of emotions and situations she goes through in this film and I just wish that she had been given a better movie around her to work with because it could have been fantastic.

Everything else in the film missed the mark in my opinion. This really felt like a kids movie made with only kids in mind to me what with the cheesy looking effects and creature designs and the story as a whole. Disney is fantastic at producing movies that are mostly aimed at kids that can also be great for everyone, but they missed big time on this one. But who can blame them that much...the movie made over $750M worldwide, so clearly the kids enjoyed it.

As for the story...having Maleficent end up being wronged to turn evil is completely fine for me and provides an interesting twist on an existing character. The execution of that is what is all wrong for me. Even though I haven't seen the original animated movie, but

[Show spoiler]

is just perplexing. Not to mention that the weakness of the backstory they added to explain why she was the character everyone knows. Such a missed opportunity with this script.

The fairies were incredibly annoying and portrayed as the stupidest of characters. I was shocked that I didn't enjoy Sharlto Copely. It could be chalked up to his material being atrocious I suppose.

At least it was super short so I didn't waste too much time on it

Rating - 2.75/5

Now...let's get Beauty and the Beast made as well as Cinderella Disney

Diesel · 03-14-2015, 10:43 PM

I forgot to write my reviews for the other Disney movies I mentioned watching...so I'm not going to as its been a few days now and they aren't fresh in my memory anymore

But, my ratings would be:

Hercules - 4/5
Tarzan - 4/5
Incredibles - 4/5
Finding Nemo - 2/5

Foggy · 03-14-2015, 11:54 PM

Not a fan of Finding Nemo?

Like I'm sick of the film after watching it a thousand times when my nieces where young, but I never thought it was bad.

Diesel · 03-15-2015, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foggy

Not a fan of Finding Nemo?

Like I'm sick of the film after watching it a thousand times when my nieces where young, but I never thought it was bad.

I wouldn't say it is 'bad', just nothing about it hits for me (except Willem Dafoe and Geoffrey Rush). I didn't laugh a single time, didn't really care about any of the characters at all. Just an all around apathetic feeling from the film.

So it's more of a 'bleh' 2/5 than a "this blows hard' 2/5

Funny you mention your nieces because I kind of had the same exposure to it for a little while after it was out as my younger cousins would come over and watch it all the time.

Al_The_Strange · 03-15-2015, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Maleficent

[Show spoiler]
Well...Disney is now 1-2 with me for the live action remakes (did not like Alice In Wonderland).

Sleeping Beauty, like Cinderella, is another Disney animated movie that I have never seen, so I know the broad happenings but not the specifics, so I went into this movie about as knowledgeable as I did with Cinderella...too bad the movie didn't fare nearly as well.

I can honestly say I came away with only one positive about the film and that is Jolie herself. She was fantastic in the role. When she wasn't having to ham it up because of the hoaky script and directing she was positively menacing. She does great with the range of emotions and situations she goes through in this film and I just wish that she had been given a better movie around her to work with because it could have been fantastic.

Everything else in the film missed the mark in my opinion. This really felt like a kids movie made with only kids in mind to me what with the cheesy looking effects and creature designs and the story as a whole. Disney is fantastic at producing movies that are mostly aimed at kids that can also be great for everyone, but they missed big time on this one. But who can blame them that much...the movie made over $750M worldwide, so clearly the kids enjoyed it.

As for the story...having Maleficent end up being wronged to turn evil is completely fine for me and provides an interesting twist on an existing character. The execution of that is what is all wrong for me. Even though I haven't seen the original animated movie, but

[Show spoiler]

is just perplexing. Not to mention that the weakness of the backstory they added to explain why she was the character everyone knows. Such a missed opportunity with this script.

The fairies were incredibly annoying and portrayed as the stupidest of characters. I was shocked that I didn't enjoy Sharlto Copely. It could be chalked up to his material being atrocious I suppose.

At least it was super short so I didn't waste too much time on it

Rating - 2.75/5

Now...let's get Beauty and the Beast made as well as Cinderella Disney

I would agree with the score, but I have a bias for the character, so I dug it a bit more than you did. I agree that the tone is off (is it kiddie-like, or gothic, it doesn't even know!), but I definitely enjoyed Jolie's performance and how they flipped the characters around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Finding Nemo - 2/5

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foggy

Not a fan of Finding Nemo?

Like I'm sick of the film after watching it a thousand times when my nieces where young, but I never thought it was bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

I wouldn't say it is 'bad', just nothing about it hits for me (except Willem Dafoe and Geoffrey Rush). I didn't laugh a single time, didn't really care about any of the characters at all. Just an all around apathetic feeling from the film.

So it's more of a 'bleh' 2/5 than a "this blows hard' 2/5

Funny you mention your nieces because I kind of had the same exposure to it for a little while after it was out as my younger cousins would come over and watch it all the time.

Well, fair enough. If I had relatives playing the movie non-stop, it might grow old on me too. As it is, it's just been my parents playing it often, so it's a classic in our family.

spiderfan1985 · 03-15-2015, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Review #2:

Brave

[Show spoiler]

Can I just start off by saying this movie should be more well liked simply because of the fact that it has a

[Show spoiler]

I mean come on, what's more awesome than that?

It's a pretty by the numbers picture, which puts some people off, which I don't really get. A movie doesn't need to be surprising or anything to be good. If a film follows the genre's general formula and does it well it can be a great time to me and that's what this movie is.

It's also interesting that the villain of the film is not central at all, the movie is very much focused on the Merida and her mother's relationship with the ancillary characters to provide laughs (the King is just hilarious

).

The movie has the very Pixar feel. Beautiful animation, likable characters, a moment or two that will punch you in the feels and of course John Ratzenberger

I'm not as big a Pixar fan as many around here, but I do enjoy most of their films to some degree. The Toy Story series is far and away their best work in my opinion, but I would place this up there with Incredibles and A Bug's Life (Note: I have not seen either of those in a while, so opinions are a little out of date).

All in all, it's a fun, light hearted but also heartfelt film that I quite enjoy watching. I don't really have any negatives about the film that I can think of off hand

Rating - 4.25/5

I'll be watching Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Tarzan and Hercules over the next 1-3 days followed by the new Cinderella likely on Friday. I'm in a reviewing mood for the first time in a very long time so I'll probably do a write up for each

This will honestly be the first time seeing Nemo since I was about 12 or 13, so we'll see how that goes. I wasn't a fan when I was younger.

Brave is alright to me, but I just felt it wasn't as epic as it should have been, or at least as epic as the trailers seemed to promise. It felt very confined in terms of location. It is gorgeously animated as all Pixar films are, but it still doesn't quite hold up to a lot of their other work to me. It's by no means awful, just not what I was expecting based on what the previews promised. I feel about this the way you felt for Iron Man 3. My expectations were for something entirely different. I'm proud to own it though and maybe a second viewing someday will warm me to it.

Al_The_Strange · 03-15-2015, 02:56 AM

From Russia With Love

In the midst of the Cold War, it's inevitable that they'd send James Bond on some kind of mission that would pit him against the Soviets. In his second official film, the man goes to even more exotic locations with even bigger stakes, in a spy adventure that would set even more trends for future films to follow.

The film starts off rather dry - a collection of standard scenes where Bond gets his mission and jets to Instanbul. Even then, these scenes are pretty eye-catching, and fans will geek out at seeing Q and the members of SPECTRE for the first time. In the film's last act, however, a bunch of huge twists emerge, and it becomes one thrilling action scene after another. There is a pretty neat train fight, followed by the characters being run down by a helicopter, followed by an explosive boat chase, and just when everybody seems safe, there's one more henchman to fight. It adds up to a complete and satisfying action film.

The story always felt rather random to me throughout the first half, but the second half pulls out some interesting twists that put it in a pretty neat perspective, and helps keep the film in line with others in the series. A few conventions are introduced that will carry over in future films, such as the introduction of gadgets, and having one final fight scene before the credits roll. Overall, the film is a pretty twisty thriller with plenty of action, but it's still well-grounded and satisfying.

This film is crafted with good-looking photography and editing. Sean Connery continues to excel as James Bond. Pedro Armendáriz shows exceptional dedication to his role (he was battling cancer at the time of shooting). Daniela Bianchi and Tatiana Romanova look great in their roles and are quite playful in their roles. Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw are good villains we love to hate. I think the script could have been more focused, but parts of it are really good. This production uses good, real-looking sets, props, and costumes. John Barry's music score is decent.

From Russia With Love is one of the essential classics in the series, and it deserves to be seen at least once.

4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)

Recommendation: Yes.

KilloWertz · 03-15-2015, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel

I forgot to write my reviews for the other Disney movies I mentioned watching...so I'm not going to as its been a few days now and they aren't fresh in my memory anymore

But, my ratings would be:

Hercules - 4/5
Tarzan - 4/5
Incredibles - 4/5
Finding Nemo - 2/5

If you rated The Incredibles the same as you did Finding Nemo, you would be dead to me for not liking both...

03-11-2015, 03:37 AM	#35346
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	Ok, had a movie day today since my order from Disney Movie Club came in. So here's the first review: Iron Man 3 Iron-Man-3-Wallpaper-Wide-Shot.jpg I haven't seen this one since we screen it before it came out in 2013. It was a great night because my boss at the time banned some punk from the theatre because he took a picture of the screen during the screening As for the movie, I was not big on the movie. Based on the trailer and marketing that they put out, the movie was very different than what I expected and wanted. Revisiting the movie two years later, a lot of my disappointment with the film is gone because I knew what to expect going in (even though I did screen it twice before it released and still disliked so much). The movie is still not on par with the rest of the Marvel films in my opinion, but I did enjoy it more than I used to. I still hate the twist because of the fantastic [Show spoiler] And knowing that there is a [Show spoiler] makes it even more I'm also not a fan of the lava people, but I can accept them now...just not the one random fire breath moment. That's too much. And [Show spoiler]Super Pepper saving the day is just We can have that but we can't have some awesome War Machine action in (likely) the last Iron Man movie we ever get Really hope that Cheadle get's his time to shine in Avengers, Civil War, Infinity War, something. While I do enjoy it more than I previously did, I can't help but wish we had gotten the movie that was advertised with the [Show spoiler] that was set up in the first two films, some awesome War Machine action and less [Show spoiler]Super Pepper. It would have been amazing Everything else that worked in the previous films still works here, RDJ, Favreau, the humor, etc. Original rating was a 3.5/5, I'll bump that up a little but can't go any higher because of how much I dislike the things that I do dislike about the film. Rating - 3.75/5

03-11-2015, 03:47 AM	#35348
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	Review #2: Brave Can I just start off by saying this movie should be more well liked simply because of the fact that it has a [Show spoiler]FREAKING BEAR ON BEAR SMACKDOWN! I mean come on, what's more awesome than that? It's a pretty by the numbers picture, which puts some people off, which I don't really get. A movie doesn't need to be surprising or anything to be good. If a film follows the genre's general formula and does it well it can be a great time to me and that's what this movie is. It's also interesting that the villain of the film is not central at all, the movie is very much focused on the Merida and her mother's relationship with the ancillary characters to provide laughs (the King is just hilarious ). The movie has the very Pixar feel. Beautiful animation, likable characters, a moment or two that will punch you in the feels and of course John Ratzenberger I'm not as big a Pixar fan as many around here, but I do enjoy most of their films to some degree. The Toy Story series is far and away their best work in my opinion, but I would place this up there with Incredibles and A Bug's Life (Note: I have not seen either of those in a while, so opinions are a little out of date). All in all, it's a fun, light hearted but also heartfelt film that I quite enjoy watching. I don't really have any negatives about the film that I can think of off hand Rating - 4.25/5 I'll be watching Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Tarzan and Hercules over the next 1-3 days followed by the new Cinderella likely on Friday. I'm in a reviewing mood for the first time in a very long time so I'll probably do a write up for each This will honestly be the first time seeing Nemo since I was about 12 or 13, so we'll see how that goes. I wasn't a fan when I was younger.

03-13-2015, 03:40 AM	#35352
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	Cinderella (2015) Caught this tonight and must say, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I did not watch any of the trailers, have never seen the animated movie and barely knew anything about the movie in general going in on purpose. I knew Blanchett and Carter were in it, which is about it. I thought the movie was going to be an absolute cheese fest based on the guy who played Ella's father. He was so bad for 90% of his short amount of screen time. Thankfully after that besides him everything else felt very natural for the movie. Blanchett is a fantastically b**y step-mother, the sisters are sufficiently annoying and the Prince is serviceable. By far the best components are Helena Bonham Carter and Lily James. Both are perfect in their roles and Carter is especially hilarious. The Captain was also pretty funny in his limited role. I'm not sure how much is changed from the animated version and how much is retained since I haven't seen it, but obviously everyone knows the broad strokes of the story of Cinderella, and I think the movie did very well telling the story and making it interesting even for people like myself that are the opposite of the target audience (20-30 year old male without a daughter). It isn't something I usually comment on for movies, but I thought the costuming in this was very good. Clearly a lot of work went into designing the dresses that the female characters wear. I'll be surprised if it doesn't receive a Oscar nomination. This is not an amazing movie nor did I love it, but I did highly enjoy it and thought it was very well made. I am surprisingly going to be buying this when it comes out on blu-ray, which is definitely not what I expected to be doing going in. Rating - 4.25/5** Last edited by Diesel; 03-13-2015 at 06:22 AM.

03-14-2015, 10:43 PM	#35354
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	I forgot to write my reviews for the other Disney movies I mentioned watching...so I'm not going to as its been a few days now and they aren't fresh in my memory anymore But, my ratings would be: Hercules - 4/5 Tarzan - 4/5 Incredibles - 4/5 Finding Nemo - 2/5

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03-09-2015, 02:53 AM	#35342
jPod Active Member Member since:Aug 2014 Location:Sydney, Australia	Cinderella (2015) Review The story of Cinderella can be traced back to early Egypt, China, France, Germany and many other countries from around the world. The most well-known versions were written by Charles Perrault, Cendrillon, and by the Brothers Grimm, Aschenputtel. There have been countless film, television and stage adaptations of the iconic story, but the most well-known adaptation is Walt Disney's 1950 animated film. I first fell in love with Walt Disney's animated film when I was just three-years-old. It was actually the first Disney film that I ever saw as a child. I can still remember being captivated by the story and singing along with the songs. It was as though a spell had been cast upon me, but the magic never wore off at midnight. There were no words to describe the level of excitement I had when I first found out that Disney was developing a live-action film of the timeless story. Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the upcoming live-action version of Walt's most beloved animated film. What I enjoyed most about the latest "animation to live-action" treatment, is that it's a relatively straightforward telling of the iconic story. While Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent were re-imaginings, Cinderella is retold respectfully for the new generation. Lily James (Cinderella) and Richard Madden (Prince Charming) were rightfully chosen for their iconic roles. Lily truly captured the true essence of Cinderella's charm and beauty. Richard... those eyes... ahem... was truly charming in every sense of the word. I loved the chemistry between the Prince and Cinderella -- I don't think I've seen such chemistry between two characters in a Disney film for a very long time. It's very refreshing to see a fairy tale romance blossom! Cate Blanchett (Lady Tremaine) and Helena Bonham Carter (Fairy Godmother) were perfectly cast for their respective roles. Cate not only brought a lot of depth to her character, but you could tell she was enjoying the role as the malicious stepmother. Helena not only brought a bit of comic relief to the film, but she was definitely fun to watch -- although you can't help but wonder if Mrs. Weasley actually zapped Bellatrix Lestrange into a parallel universe. Hmm? I personally believe that Disney made the right decision to hire Kenneth Barangh to direct the film and Chris Weitz to write the screenplay. As I was watching the film on the big screen tonight, I could tell that they both approached the story with deep understanding and, most importantly, respect. I was genuinely relieved that it wasn't ruined by some unnecessary "dark" and "edgy" plot twist. Phew! I absolutely loved Patrick Doyle's score for the film and found it to be quite fitting with the story. It was perfectly timed and it drew you into the fairy tale world. I will definitely buy the soundtrack when it's released next month. Sandy Powell's costumes, though silly at times, were excellent. I don't think I've seen such beautiful designs in one film since the Golden Age of Hollywood. I genuinely hope Sandy will be nominated for an Oscar for those stunning costumes. Bravo! The film itself is a visual marvel -- especially for the fairy tale genre. I was truly swept away by the lavish sets that were designed by Dante Ferretti. I don't think I've seen such a breath-taking production since the late 1930's. The special effects were equally breath-taking, with the dress transformation and the carriage-to-pumpkin scenes being two of my favourite visual highlights. I'm genuinely happy that Disney kept the magic alive in this film. Very impressive! My only disappointment was the running time of the theatrical cut. I personally believe that it should have been 10 minutes or 15 minutes longer to flesh out the story more. The film flowed smoothly and didn't feel rushed, but there were a number of scenes and dialogue that were, unfortunately, left on the cutting room floor. Hopefully Disney will release an extended cut, or include those deleted scenes on the home media release. You hear me, Disney?! Despite my issue with the running time, I genuinely believe that Disney did something right with their latest live-action film. While most people were probably expecting a sword-wielding action hero, I'm happy that Disney treated their most beloved character with the uttermost care and respect. The story of Cinderella is very personal to each person who has felt like the underdog, but managed to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes in the end. If Walt Disney were alive today, I'm sure he would be proud to see his most treasured little savior be retold to the new generation in a beautiful and charming way. Bravo! RATING: 8/10

03-11-2015, 03:40 AM	#35347
Al_The_Strange Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Apr 2009 Location:Out there...past them trees... Home Theater Gallery:126 4K collection:1144 Blu-ray collection:4961 DVD collection:530 Digital collection:1013 Blu-ray reviews: 132 Trading Score:32	Chappie Can a machine posses a consciousness? Will a robot be able to feel, or express itself with art, or judge morality? Sci-fi has asked these questions before in everything from the books of Isaac Asimov to Star Trek. In the hands of Neill Blomkamp, who previously explored the possibility of aliens in the ghettos of Johannesburg, tackles the subject of robot sentience...once again in the slums of Joburg. Chappie borrows a few aspects from other movies we're probably already familiar with: the idea of a robotic police force echoes RoboCop, and Chappie's exploration of the outside world immediately brings Short Circuit to mind. Chappie himself might have been inspired by Bender from Futurama, with a slimmed-down body of Briareos from Appleseed. One other robot resembles a Mechwarrior. However, the film plays with all the same textures and themes that Blomkamp previously explored in District 9 and Elysium: all these movies share common character archetypes, plot structures, and settings. So Chappie might not be anything new, but it is a funny little animal in its own right. Most of the film focuses on Chappie, the robot created in secret by a company scientist who wanted to grant consciousness to his machines. Chappie winds up in the hands of some thugs, who try to mold him into a mean killing machine. What follows is often funny, as Chappie learns to talk all gangsta while learning the ways of the world. It can be sobering too, as Chappie is manipulated, beaten, and abused. It all builds up to a heavy-duty climax, complete with loud and bloody shoot-outs, and explosive robot fighting. The film may not have nearly as much action as Elysium or D9, but it is consistently entertaining and charming at times. The story could have used some refinement, as parts of it are condensed or left unexplained. There are a few contrivances or plot holes that can undoubtedly be found. However, the story does succeed in making Chappie a character we can care for, and his evolution from a newborn to a troubled and conflicted soul makes the story worth telling. In spite of this, the film unearths fascinating themes of morality and the nature of consciousness. I'd even go so far to say that the film has implicit parallels between Chappie's growth and the growth of all human beings, and it suggests that there's more to our short lives than mere money. As expected, this film captures its scuzzy crime-ridden settings with decent photography, plentiful amounts of slow-motion, and quality editing. Sharlto Copley's voice acting is quite lively and playful, matching the character well. In place of his usual villainous archetype, Hugh Jackman stands in and does a pretty good job playing a jerk. Sigourney Weaver is as great as ever, but her role is minimal. Yolandi and Ninja, of the band Die Antwoord, play themselves and are okay at it. And Dev Patel is not bad. Writing probably could have been fleshed out more, but it gets the job done. This production uses highly-detailed and real-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Die Antwoord's music is featured throughout, and fits the movie well. The score by Hans Zimmer is pretty cool. This movie probably could have used refinement, but it is a satisfying sci-fi flick that offers a fair amount of thought food and a fair amount of action. It's probably best recommended to fans of robot sci-fi and fans of the director. 4/5 (Entertainment: Good \| Story: Pretty Good \| Film: Good) Recommendation: Rental.

03-14-2015, 10:40 PM	#35353
Diesel Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Digital collection:- Blu-ray reviews: 31 Trading Score:10	Maleficent Well...Disney is now 1-2 with me for the live action remakes (did not like Alice In Wonderland). Sleeping Beauty, like Cinderella, is another Disney animated movie that I have never seen, so I know the broad happenings but not the specifics, so I went into this movie about as knowledgeable as I did with Cinderella...too bad the movie didn't fare nearly as well. I can honestly say I came away with only one positive about the film and that is Jolie herself. She was fantastic in the role. When she wasn't having to ham it up because of the hoaky script and directing she was positively menacing. She does great with the range of emotions and situations she goes through in this film and I just wish that she had been given a better movie around her to work with because it could have been fantastic. Everything else in the film missed the mark in my opinion. This really felt like a kids movie made with only kids in mind to me what with the cheesy looking effects and creature designs and the story as a whole. Disney is fantastic at producing movies that are mostly aimed at kids that can also be great for everyone, but they missed big time on this one. But who can blame them that much...the movie made over $750M worldwide, so clearly the kids enjoyed it. As for the story...having Maleficent end up being wronged to turn evil is completely fine for me and provides an interesting twist on an existing character. The execution of that is what is all wrong for me. Even though I haven't seen the original animated movie, but [Show spoiler] is just perplexing. Not to mention that the weakness of the backstory they added to explain why she was the character everyone knows. Such a missed opportunity with this script. The fairies were incredibly annoying and portrayed as the stupidest of characters. I was shocked that I didn't enjoy Sharlto Copely. It could be chalked up to his material being atrocious I suppose. At least it was super short so I didn't waste too much time on it Rating - 2.75/5 Now...let's get Beauty and the Beast made as well as Cinderella Disney

03-14-2015, 11:54 PM	#35355
Foggy Blu-ray Grand Duke Top contributor Member since:Dec 2008 Location:UK 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:3613 DVD collection:47	Not a fan of Finding Nemo? Like I'm sick of the film after watching it a thousand times when my nieces where young, but I never thought it was bad.

03-15-2015, 02:56 AM	#35359
Al_The_Strange Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Apr 2009 Location:Out there...past them trees... Home Theater Gallery:126 4K collection:1144 Blu-ray collection:4961 DVD collection:530 Digital collection:1013 Blu-ray reviews: 132 Trading Score:32	From Russia With Love In the midst of the Cold War, it's inevitable that they'd send James Bond on some kind of mission that would pit him against the Soviets. In his second official film, the man goes to even more exotic locations with even bigger stakes, in a spy adventure that would set even more trends for future films to follow. The film starts off rather dry - a collection of standard scenes where Bond gets his mission and jets to Instanbul. Even then, these scenes are pretty eye-catching, and fans will geek out at seeing Q and the members of SPECTRE for the first time. In the film's last act, however, a bunch of huge twists emerge, and it becomes one thrilling action scene after another. There is a pretty neat train fight, followed by the characters being run down by a helicopter, followed by an explosive boat chase, and just when everybody seems safe, there's one more henchman to fight. It adds up to a complete and satisfying action film. The story always felt rather random to me throughout the first half, but the second half pulls out some interesting twists that put it in a pretty neat perspective, and helps keep the film in line with others in the series. A few conventions are introduced that will carry over in future films, such as the introduction of gadgets, and having one final fight scene before the credits roll. Overall, the film is a pretty twisty thriller with plenty of action, but it's still well-grounded and satisfying. This film is crafted with good-looking photography and editing. Sean Connery continues to excel as James Bond. Pedro Armendáriz shows exceptional dedication to his role (he was battling cancer at the time of shooting). Daniela Bianchi and Tatiana Romanova look great in their roles and are quite playful in their roles. Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw are good villains we love to hate. I think the script could have been more focused, but parts of it are really good. This production uses good, real-looking sets, props, and costumes. John Barry's music score is decent. From Russia With Love is one of the essential classics in the series, and it deserves to be seen at least once. 4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good \| Story: Good \| Film: Very Good) Recommendation: Yes.

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