The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

So far, X-Men DOFP and The Lego Movie are the only day-one purchase movies I've seen this year.

Captain America?

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

How to Train Your Dragon 2.

5/5. Enjoyed the hell out of it.

I really want to see this before it's out of theaters. The work schedule isn't helping.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

How to Train Your Dragon 2.

5/5. Enjoyed the hell out of it.

Watching it on Friday.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Captain America?

Uuummmmmmmmmm weeelllllllll uhhhhhhhhh I don't know, it's good and all, but I wouldn't mind waiting for a sale. Same for Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, and all that other stuff.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by bluearth

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The opening scene is entitled 'dawn of man', yet what we see is not man, rather some form of primate.

primate = man

but then we see one of the key figures in the film, the 'monolith'. Dramatic music plays as we view this black chunk of rock, as though it is suppose to be scary or mysterious. Sadly, its not.

so if you woke up and saw a monolith in your bedroom (as the characters in the film did on two occassions), you wouldn't be freaked out? I would.

we're thrown back into the 'mystery' of the 'monolith', which quite frankly isnt that interesting. Over dramatic music is played every time we see it but theres nothing dramatic about it.

again, the monolith ITSELF isn't what is meant to be interesting/dramatic. It is what IT REPRESENTS. Just like a wolf howl ITSELF isn't scary (nobody died from HEARING a wolf howl), but it is what it REPRESENTS (big fang-dripping wolf) that is scary.

Sadly the film unravels towards the end and leaves you with plenty of questions, and very few if any clues to the answers. If the film made me care more about the 'monolith' perhaps I would be interested in investigating those answers, but Im not.

it sounds like you are trying to find all the mystery in the (PHYSICAL) monolith ITSELF, rather than in the symbology of it.

Of course there is nothing scary in a black 3d rectangle. Its only when you think about stuff like "why is it here?" and "who put it here?" that you MAY start to think interesting questions and want answers.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Uuummmmmmmmmm weeelllllllll uhhhhhhhhh I don't know, it's good and all, but I wouldn't mind waiting for a sale. Same for Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, and all that other stuff.

While it's probably my second favorite film of the year so far behind The Grand Budapest Hotel, fair enough. I sometimes wait on a sale for new movies I've seen already.

[Abdrewes]

Re: 2001:

I wonder how we all would have responded to the monolith back in the day. Color Field painting (Rothko, Newman, Still, etc) and minimalism were among the most popular art movements and the monolith certainly corresponds to those. Today, those movements are not as big, so inevitably, some modern day viewers find it easy to trivialize.

It still moves me each time I see it. In the monolith, I see the unknowable. I see the link that bridges epochs of time. I see everything Rothko was trying to communicate with his soft rectangular patches of color.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Re: 2001:

I wonder how we all would have responded to the monolith back in the day. Color Field painting (Rothko, Newman, Still, etc) and minimalism were among the most popular art movements and the monolith certainly corresponds to those. Today, those movements are not as big, so inevitably, some modern day viewers find it easy to trivialize.

It still moves me each time I see it. In the monolith, I see the unknowable. I see the link that bridges epochs of time. I see everything Rothko was trying to communicate with his soft rectangular patches of color.

I see a rhinocerus.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I might still tweak my review around. The score could drop another half-point as I think about it and re-evaluate it; I probably should list the story as "Marginal." It is a pretty thin plot. But yeah, I always like Tucci's roles, and Grammer is great.

I didn't think it'd resonate much, but the film is still on my mind today, which is at least somewhat redeemable. Still not sure if I'll cave in and buy a copy; maybe on Black Friday or something.

So far, X-Men DOFP and The Lego Movie are the only day-one purchase movies I've seen this year.



Sweet!

Tucci is one of those guys where virtually the entire movie around him can be crap, but he is still awesome.

This will be the one of the four that I do not purchase personally. I may watch it once more just to see if I like it any better, but I haven't decided on that yet.

Rewatched X-Men on Monday and it is definitely a day one buy for me as it is my favorite of the series.

Captain America is still probably my favorite movie of the year though, pending a rewatch of Dragon...and the release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes next week

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

How to Train Your Dragon 2.

5/5. Enjoyed the hell out of it.

Scored it slightly lower (4.5/5), but it is my favorite non-Disney animated movie and one of my top 10 favorite overall probably. Catching it again next Wednesday for a double date with a friend of mine.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Uuummmmmmmmmm weeelllllllll uhhhhhhhhh I don't know, it's good and all, but I wouldn't mind waiting for a sale. Same for Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, and all that other stuff.

I'm still undecided on Edge. Really enjoyed it and watched it twice, but that second viewing made me question if it was a purchase for me.

Godzilla will be a day one purchase for me however even though I scored it slightly below Edge.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I see a rhinocerus.

I suppose I do too!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Re: 2001:

I wonder how we all would have responded to the monolith back in the day. Color Field painting (Rothko, Newman, Still, etc) and minimalism were among the most popular art movements and the monolith certainly corresponds to those. Today, those movements are not as big, so inevitably, some modern day viewers find it easy to trivialize.

It still moves me each time I see it. In the monolith, I see the unknowable. I see the link that bridges epochs of time. I see everything Rothko was trying to communicate with his soft rectangular patches of color.

Plus, its not just the monolith in each scene. It is the interaction of the characters with it, coupled with the background score. The apes going facking crazy around it. The space dudes grabbing their helmets and hearing that high pitch. Couple those interactions with the background score and you have a great experience. The mononlith itself is about 1/5 of the experience.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Plus, its not just the monolith in each scene. It is the interaction of the characters with it, coupled with the background score. The apes going facking crazy around it. The space dudes grabbing their helmets and hearing that high pitch. Couple those interactions with the background score and you have a great experience. The mononlith itself is about 1/5 of the experience.

Totally! I just find it disheartening that people's ironic detachment hinders their appreciation of a work of art. A little bit of thought would reveal that the monolith is the lynchpin that ties the film together.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Godzilla (2014)

60 years ago, a monster rose up from the depths. Godzilla, a gargantuan beast borne from nuclear fire, invaded the monster movie scene in 1954 and gave us a terrifying vision of Tokyo's destruction. Godzilla's reign persisted through nearly thirty movies, seeing the titular monster as both villain and hero, pitting him against a whole universe of monsters, aliens, armies, and machines. Then, after running through a whole gauntlet of battles in Godzilla: Final Wars, the beast was given a good ten-year rest.

In 2014, Godzilla rose up again with a fresh new look and fresh talent. Even though the beast has been rebooted repeatedly before, he has never before hit the western shores as hard. In this American production, great care and detail has been given to provide a hard-hitting thrill ride that will remain true to Toho's original vision.

In a somewhat Spielbergian fashion, Gareth Edwards' vision of Godzilla purposefully builds tension before giving us the actual monster combat. Much like Jurassic Park, the film steadily builds up the suspense with tremors, sound, and focus on subtle details. Much like Jaws, the actual monsters receive limited screen-time to maximize their impact when you do see them. And much like 2005's War of the Worlds, much of the action is subdued to the background, with a firmer focus on the characters' drama. Above all, Godzilla represents an evolution of Edwards' debut film Monsters, which accomplished all these same techniques on a more limited scale.

What this amounts to is a film that builds and builds, taking its time on character-building and plotting before giving us what we really want: all-out monster bashing and city stomping. When you finally get to it, the mass destruction is modestly satisfying. Special effects are top-notch throughout, giving us an intense and epic vision of creatures smashing into each other and smashing into buildings. However, the action is not overblown or overdone, and it never overwhelms the plot.

The actual story involved is pretty much on-par with the older Godzilla films; most of these give us a handful of military and scientist characters who figure out what's going on, then behold some massive monster battle. This film stays true to this formula, but the focus is constant on the characters and their struggles, whether it be the struggle to deal with the monsters, or the struggle to save loved ones. The film definitely tries to pull at the heartstrings by showcasing a father trying to reunite with his family, while also trying to save his father and fulfill his mission. While this can be a bit contrived and sappy, the film does have a little more depth and power to it than the older kaiju flicks. All that being said, the characters are still not huge stand-outs; their emotional struggles are pretty much the only thing we can latch on to, but they remain pretty shallow and flat. Plotting suffers a little as well, given that some parts don't always make sense, and characters don't always make the best decisions. Much like the older films, the story overall conveys a strong theme about the folly of messing with mother nature and abusing nuclear power.

The film is competently made, with quality photography and editing. It is especially noteworthy in the way it masterfully reveals just what it wants to when it wants to, to draw out the suspense and make each monster's presence more powerful. Acting is okay from the whole cast; Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a pretty average everyman hero character, Elizabeth Olson is a pretty average as the guy's wife, Ken Watanabe is an average scientist dude, and Bryan Cranston steals the show in an all-too-small part. Writing is so-so. This production has some great-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Sound design is phenomenal, with monster roars that's guaranteed to make the entire theater shudder. Music is pretty interesting.

Finally, this has got to be the most intense and hard-hitting Godzilla movie since the original. Storytelling and characters aren't a big standout here, but never were in the older movies anyway; this version still offers a phenomenal build-up and a satisfying payoff, and anybody wanting a good monster-movie fix should be pleased. It'll be thrilling to see what directions modern film-making like this will take Godzilla next.

4/5 (Experience: Good | Story: Average | Film: Good)

Just want to lend an alternative view on that movie:I found it abyssmal.Maybe the worst movie I've ever seen,although that would be against some pretty stiff competition.Found it monotonous,characters were card board,effects I wish could have been used in a(n infinitely) better movie,it was dark and the actors looked like they were just hired to go through the numbers.

[Show spoiler]Why did Godzilla come out of retirement to fight out those badly drawn CGI monsters (anybody thought of quake when seeing those) for it to just go into the sea and back into what I'd guess would a rather long hibernation,until-maybe-needed for the sequel?I almost thought Godzilla would make a salute as it waded into the sea again

.There was one scene I found to be very well made

[Show spoiler]where they ascended san fransisco where the characters were hiding from the monsters in the fog

.Apart from that,it was a travesty really.Considered suggesting to walk out half way through...

Anybody besides me hoping that there would be slapstick humour when

[Show spoiler]Godzilla and the freaks were going at it in the streets of san fransisco?

Would have lifted the movie IMO.

PS:Put in spoilers since it still goes in cinemas (atleast here in norway)

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Just want to lend an alternative view on that movie:I found it abyssmal.Maybe the worst movie I've ever seen,although that would be against some pretty stiff competition.Found it monotonous,characters were card board,effects I wish could have been used in a(n infinitely) better movie,it was dark and the actors looked like they were just hired to go through the numbers.

[Show spoiler]Why did Godzilla come out of retirement to fight out those badly drawn CGI monsters (anybody thought of quake when seeing those) for it to just go into the sea and back into what I'd guess would a rather long hibernation,until-maybe-needed for the sequel?I almost thought Godzilla would make a salute as it waded into the sea again

.There was one scene I found to be very well made

[Show spoiler]where they ascended san fransisco where the characters were hiding from the monsters in the fog

.Apart from that,it was a travesty really.Considered suggesting to walk out half way through...

Anybody besides me hoping that there would be slapstick humour when

[Show spoiler]Godzilla and the freaks were going at it in the streets of san fransisco?

Would have lifted the movie IMO.

PS:Put in spoilers since it still goes in cinemas (atleast here in norway)

Yeah, but I see it as just more of the same, so a lot of these issues didn't affect me much. Cardboard characters exist in all the Godzilla movies. The story is pretty much by-the-numbers (which is why I listed the story as "average"). Being dark and humorless is a benefit imo, since the last 20+ movies are pretty goofy (especially the '98 film).

The

[Show spoiler]MUTOS didn't make me think of Quake at all. My dad actually thought they looked like one of the older monsters, and after a quick search, I figure they were based off of Gyaos from the Gamera movies...maybe

. Godzilla fights them for the same reason as he fought other beasts in the past: because humanity needs him to protect them. In cases like this, he's the hero, but a very impartial and dangerous one. In the new movie, he's like a force of controlled chaos being unleashed on the enemy, much in the same way was nuclear power itself is used.

In the end, I can see why people don't like it, but I just see more of the same. Great for kaiju nerds, iffy for casual audiences. It's the presentation that makes it good though, at least imo.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Just want to lend an alternative view on that movie:I found it abyssmal.Maybe the worst movie I've ever seen,although that would be against some pretty stiff competition.Found it monotonous,characters were card board,effects I wish could have been used in a(n infinitely) better movie,it was dark and the actors looked like they were just hired to go through the numbers.

[Show spoiler]Why did Godzilla come out of retirement to fight out those badly drawn CGI monsters (anybody thought of quake when seeing those) for it to just go into the sea and back into what I'd guess would a rather long hibernation,until-maybe-needed for the sequel?I almost thought Godzilla would make a salute as it waded into the sea again

.There was one scene I found to be very well made

[Show spoiler]where they ascended san fransisco where the characters were hiding from the monsters in the fog

.Apart from that,it was a travesty really.Considered suggesting to walk out half way through...

Anybody besides me hoping that there would be slapstick humour when

[Show spoiler]Godzilla and the freaks were going at it in the streets of san fransisco?

Would have lifted the movie IMO.

PS:Put in spoilers since it still goes in cinemas (atleast here in norway)

Man, this review make me so angry.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Man, this review make me so angry.

This angry:



or this angry:



or maybe this is more appropriate to your level:



Is it me,or does conformity spread like a virus these days?

(In the very likely off-chance it was ironic,this:

[Show spoiler]

[Foggy]

Angry in the same way that I had to pace around a bit to avoid lashing out. I like the film, it's certainly no masterpiece, but the tone is wonderfully pulled off, it's not po-faced serious thanks to score that plays to the monster movie trappings, but not frothy and hollow, there's weight to the destruction, there's scope to the creatures. And thanks to the literary influences, and ideas borrowed from the original film and other monster flicks, there's a atmosphere to it, a sense that we would genuinely be screwed in a situation like this, instead of the modern trope of emulating 9/11, it elevates past that and creates something that both works as spectacle and horror.

[Al_The_Strange]

But deep deep down, Foggy is really this angry:

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Angry in the same way that I had to pace around a bit to avoid lashing out. I like the film, it's certainly no masterpiece, but the tone is wonderfully pulled off, it's not po-faced serious thanks to score that plays to the monster movie trappings, but not frothy and hollow, there's weight to the destruction, there's scope to the creatures. And thanks to the literary influences, and ideas borrowed from the original film and other monster flicks, there's a atmosphere to it, a sense that we would genuinely be screwed in a situation like this, instead of the modern trope of emulating 9/11, it elevates past that and creates something that both works as spectacle and horror.

Did we see the same movie?!...

I will say this:When I heard the score from 2001-that at the monolith-chills ran down my back,and I had vaguely high hopes,but I still stand by my assessment.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

But deep deep down, Foggy is really this angry:

I'll be working on my apology then

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

I will say this:When I heard the score from 2001-that at the monolith-chills ran down my back,and I had vaguely high hopes,but I still stand by my assessment.

I was surprised, and ultimately pleased, that they kept that music in the movie. I think it worked well and was genuinely chilling. It also made the trailer awesome.

[Astro Zombie]

Independence Day (1996)

There are few movies as exciting as 'Independence Day'. Released July 4th Weekend in 1996, this is a true event film, with state-of-the-art special effects (for the time, although they still hold up), an all-star cast, and plenty of alien action to keep people satisfied. It's one of the finest examples of summer blockbuster filmmaking, in a decade filled with great blockbusters.

The plot concerns a group of aliens who attack the planet on the Fourth of July. That's basically it, but even at 2.5 hours, the film is a breeze, and that's thanks to a great cast. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and a star-making performance from Will Smith help to bring these characters to life and make you root for them to save the day. That's one of the great things the film does, it makes you care for these characters, and the added drama makes the film that much better. The film has plenty of memorable moments, especially the first attack, which includes the famous shot of the White House being destroyed, as iconic a shot as any in film history. And I can't forget what is probably one of the greatest movie speeches of all time. As cheesy as it is, it's a cheer-worthy moment.

So what else can be said? 'Independence Day' is fantastic entertainment, an event film that begs to be seen on the big screen with an enthusiastic audience. Is it a bit bloated? Maybe. Is the movie perfect? Probably not. Is the idea that the alien ships run on Windows completely absurd? Sure. Is it a total blast from start to finish? Hell yes.

4.5/5