April 2014 50 Movie Challenge - Favorites

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Travis

Want to see Thief...but too pricey for me.

Sounds like a good candidate for a B&N sale.

Originally Posted by jrphillips10

How was 47 Ronin? I thought it looked pretty good from the previews. Worth a buy?

I saw it in the theater and was a bit disappointed, but I can't speak for cinemaphile or anybody else. Other viewers seem to really like it. I just didn't think the movie was that special, especially compared to other samurai flicks (especially ones actually from Japan).

[jrphillips10]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Sounds like a good candidate for a B&N sale.



I saw it in the theater and was a bit disappointed, but I can't speak for cinemaphile or anybody else. Other viewers seem to really like it. I just didn't think the movie was that special, especially compared to other samurai flicks (especially ones actually from Japan).

So a person who hasn't seen many samurai flicks, other than Enter The Dragon, likes action films and isn't anti Keanu Reeves? Rent first?

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by jrphillips10

How was 47 Ronin? I thought it looked pretty good from the previews. Worth a buy?

I can't go so far as to call it a good movie, but it's far from the disaster people make it out to be. It's actually a decent film, 3/5. Its problem is it is a film with an identity crisis - If it was a straight historical epic, that would work fine. And if it wanted to be more of a fantasy movie, that would be fine as well. But it couldn't decide which it wanted to be, so it ends up a historical film with a small amount of fantasy/scifi elements mixed in and it just feels off. If they wanted to be more fantastical, they needed to just go all in and go further with it, or don't include it at all.

I wouldn't recommend blind buying it unless it was at least under $10, but worth checking out and then deciding for yourself.

I will say this: don't bother seeing (or buying) it in 3D. There's barely any 3D used in it at all, and what there is adds nothing. (seriously, I wondered at times if they accidentally ran the 2D version. I could take off my glasses for 10 minutes at a time and everything on screen was perfectly clear)

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jrphillips10

So a person who hasn't seen many samurai flicks, other than Enter The Dragon, likes action films and isn't anti Keanu Reeves? Rent first?

Yeah, I'd say rent it first if possible.

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I can't go so far as to call it a good movie, but it's far from the disaster people make it out to be. It's actually a decent film, 3/5. Its problem is it is a film with an identity crisis - If it was a straight historical epic, that would work fine. And if it wanted to be more of a fantasy movie, that would be fine as well. But it couldn't decide which it wanted to be, so it ends up a historical film with a small amount of fantasy/scifi elements mixed in and it just feels off. If they wanted to be more fantastical, they needed to just go all in and go further with it, or don't include it at all.

I wouldn't recommend blind buying it unless it was at least under $10, but worth checking out and then deciding for yourself.

I will say this: don't bother seeing (or buying) it in 3D. There's barely any 3D used in it at all, and what there is adds nothing. (seriously, I wondered at times if they accidentally ran the 2D version. I could take off my glasses for 10 minutes at a time and everything on screen was perfectly clear)

I agree with that assessment; I also graded it 3/5. I probably would have liked it better if it had more fantasy stuff in it, or none at all.

[jrphillips10]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I can't go so far as to call it a good movie, but it's far from the disaster people make it out to be. It's actually a decent film, 3/5. Its problem is it is a film with an identity crisis - If it was a straight historical epic, that would work fine. And if it wanted to be more of a fantasy movie, that would be fine as well. But it couldn't decide which it wanted to be, so it ends up a historical film with a small amount of fantasy/scifi elements mixed in and it just feels off. If they wanted to be more fantastical, they needed to just go all in and go further with it, or don't include it at all.

I wouldn't recommend blind buying it unless it was at least under $10, but worth checking out and then deciding for yourself.

I will say this: don't bother seeing (or buying) it in 3D. There's barely any 3D used in it at all, and what there is adds nothing. (seriously, I wondered at times if they accidentally ran the 2D version. I could take off my glasses for 10 minutes at a time and everything on screen was perfectly clear)

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Yeah, I'd say rent it first if possible.



I agree with that assessment; I also graded it 3/5. I probably would have liked it better if it had more fantasy stuff in it, or none at all.

Thanks for the input you guys! I'll rent or pick up from the library first and check it out. I was really hoping for a more fantasy/sci-fi movie type movie.

Regarding 2D/3D I hear ya cinemaphile. I watched the first Thor in 3D IMAX and left wondering why the hell did I pay extra for 3D.

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by jrphillips10

Regarding 2D/3D I hear ya cinemaphile. I watched the first Thor in 3D IMAX and left wondering why the hell did I pay extra for 3D.

3D can be awesome and really add something. Avatar, Dredd... surprisingly RIPD used 3D very well. Most recently I thought 300: Rise of an Empire looked spectacular in IMAX 3D. But too often they're just cash grab conversions when a film doesnt really benefit from it.

Back on topic, watched a couple more myself:



Man, Spider-Man has not aged well. It's definitely from a previous era of comic book movies, where they really felt the need to embrace the cheesiness. It feels more akin to Burton's Batman than modern day comic films.

Blade Runner I keep rewatching every few years thinking I'll finally see what everyone else seems to see. I enjoy it, but it's far from great for me. Maybe a 3.5/5.

[cinemaphile]

Hey, I actually watched another to cross of my list! Out of Sight
Also watched Looper, which I like but isn't Top 50. I just wish they didn't put JGL in that hideous makeup to try to make him look like Bruce. It didn't - it just made him weird-looking and fake. Couldn't we all have just accepted him as young Joe without the bad makeup? I know I could have.

[Travis]

Got a Zavvi Disney Buy 1 Get 1 order. Watched one not in the list.


Kid left after they got to the farm house. A little scary for her.

[Al_The_Strange]

(Musashi Miyamoto)

Pretty decent samurai drama. Very well-made. Won't be a top 50 though.



Pretty fun flick. There are just a few parts that are unbelievable, a few shortcuts, and the camera work gets a bit jittery, but the action is still great. Loads of awesome fight scenes. Not a top 50 favorite though.



It's awful.



Saw half of it last night, and will see the rest tonight. Definitely a different film, not even sure what to make of it at this time.
--------------------
The List:

[Show spoiler]
01: The Grandmaster
02: 1984 (1984)
03: A Clockwork Orange *
04: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship if the Ring *
05: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers *
06: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
07: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
08: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
09: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith *
10: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
11: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (with commentary) *
12: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (with commentary)
13: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (with commentary) *
14: Repo Men
15: Fight Club
16: Thief
17: Finding Nemo *
18: Trances
19: Mushashi Miyamoto
20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
21: Nazis at the Center of the Earth
22: Breaking the Waves

22 films, 8 qualified as top 50 favorites

[Travis]

Got to #22. And need to watch an old fashion DVD.



Need this on Blu-Ray.

[Travis]

Watched

Great movie; forgot how much I love it! Moving it up the list. From #23 to #14.

[Al_The_Strange]

Last bunch of films I've seen:



It's alright. A few good laughs, but I think Mel Brooks has done better since.


(Duel at Ichijoji)

Once again, pretty decent samurai film with a few good fights.



Great story, but I still think parts of it (especially the first hour) could have been cut.



It's awesome. Could almost be a top favorite, but not quite.



Despite theological concerns, I think it's great.

Ugh, no favorites since last weekend, but tomorrow I will probably tackle one or two of them.
--------------------
The List:

[Show spoiler]
01: The Grandmaster
02: 1984 (1984)
03: A Clockwork Orange *
04: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
05: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers *
06: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
07: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
08: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
09: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith *
10: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
11: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (with commentary) *
12: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (with commentary)
13: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (with commentary) *
14: Repo Men
15: Fight Club
16: Thief
17: Finding Nemo *
18: Trances
19: Mushashi Miyamoto
20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
21: Nazis at the Center of the Earth
22: Breaking the Waves
23: The Twelve Chairs
24: Duel at Ichijoji
25: The Deer Hunter
26: The Ten Commandments (1956)
27: The Last Temptation of Christ

27 films, 8 qualified as top 50 favorites

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by Astro Zombie

Well, here's my Top 100 list on Letterboxd

I haven't updated it in a couple of weeks, but I've only watched one favorite so far.

April 1st
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996) - 4/5
Hard Boiled (1992) - 4.5/5

April 2nd
True Romance (1993) - 4.5/5
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - 4.5/5

April 3rd
The Avengers (2012)* - 5/5

April 4th
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - 5/5

April 5th
None

April 6th
Hard Boiled (1992) - 4.5/5

April 7th
None

April 8th
Serenity (2005)* - 4.5/5

April 9th
None

April 10th
The Killer (1989) - 4.5/5

April 11th
None

April 12th
The Raid (2011)* - 4.5/5
The Raid 2 (2014) - 5/5

April 13th
Gremlins (1984)* - 4.5/5

April 14th
None

April 15th
None

April 16th
Clerks II (2006)* - 4.5/5

April 17th
None

April 18th
None

April 19th
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)* - 4.5/5

* - Favorite

Update. I know some of these are not in my list up there, but I don't care, I still count them as favorites

6 so far.

[jrphillips10]

Originally Posted by Travis

Watched

Great movie; forgot how much I love it! Moving it up the list. From #23 to #14.

I agree! One of the finer Pixar movies, good action and story! My daughter can't stop watching the Jack-Jack movie short in the Disney Movie Anywhere app.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by jrphillips10

I agree! One of the finer Pixar movies, good action and story! My daughter can't stop watching the Jack-Jack movie short in the Disney Movie Anywhere app.

Cool. Just looked for the app. Not available in the Taiwan store.

[Al_The_Strange]

Got back to watching favorites this fine Sunday.




Both are pretty darn powerful. Both still worthy of being top 50 favorites.
--------------------
The List:

[Show spoiler]
01: The Grandmaster
02: 1984 (1984)
03: A Clockwork Orange *
04: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
05: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers *
06: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
07: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
08: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
09: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith *
10: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
11: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (with commentary) *
12: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (with commentary)
13: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (with commentary) *
14: Repo Men
15: Fight Club
16: Thief
17: Finding Nemo *
18: Trances
19: Mushashi Miyamoto
20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
21: Nazis at the Center of the Earth
22: Breaking the Waves
23: The Twelve Chairs
24: Duel at Ichijoji
25: The Deer Hunter
26: The Ten Commandments (1956)
27: The Last Temptation of Christ
28: The Passion of the Christ *
29: The Fountain *

29 films, 10 qualified as top 50 favorites

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Got back to watching favorites this fine Sunday.




Both are pretty darn powerful. Both still worthy of being top 50 favorites.
--------------------
The List:

[Show spoiler]
01: The Grandmaster
02: 1984 (1984)
03: A Clockwork Orange *
04: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
05: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers *
06: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
07: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
08: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
09: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith *
10: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
11: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (with commentary) *
12: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (with commentary)
13: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (with commentary) *
14: Repo Men
15: Fight Club
16: Thief
17: Finding Nemo *
18: Trances
19: Mushashi Miyamoto
20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
21: Nazis at the Center of the Earth
22: Breaking the Waves
23: The Twelve Chairs
24: Duel at Ichijoji
25: The Deer Hunter
26: The Ten Commandments (1956)
27: The Last Temptation of Christ
28: The Passion of the Christ *
29: The Fountain *

29 films, 10 qualified as top 50 favorites

Wanted to watch The Passion but couldn't get the kid to bed early enough last night.

Watched half of the 50 so far.

Gonna move Scarface down. Not as good as I remembered. After the first hour, I actually thought I was gonna have to move it up. But by the time it finished, I wasn't thinking to same thing. Still top 50 though.

Moved Jaws from #25 to #20.

[Travis]

3 days without a movie. Getting to 50 ain't looking good. Getting 30 favorites done will be tough.

[cinemaphile]

I'm currently watching #34 for the month (Odd Thomas), but only 5 have been from my favorites.

watched since my last update here:

[Travis]

Friday night! Time for a movie.