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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph Film Releases & Trends of a Decade Retrospective: The Nineties A-Z. Now Disc: 1993 D-G

Discussion in 'Community' started by The2ndQuest , Apr 15, 2009.

  1. emporergerner

    emporergerner Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2005
    2007 was personally my favorite movie year in quite some time with many brilliant movies, but also some horrible duds (American Gangster, I am Legend)

    Here's my list of must sees if you're a true movie buff for the year 2007

    Zodiac
    No Country For Old Men
    There Will Be Blood
    The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
    Michael Clayton
    Eastern Promises
    Sunshine
     
  2. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    I've missed commenting on the whole year, but here's my list.

    Worth Keeping: (aka: get the DVD!)
    -Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
    -Ratatouille
    -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    -The Simpsons Movie
    -Stardust


    Worth Seeing a Few Times: (aka: maybe get the DVD)
    -Music and Lyrics
    -Elizabeth: The Golden Age
    -Enchanted
    -The Golden Compass
    -American Gangster

    Worth Seeing Once: (aka: rent it or get it in the $5 bin at Best Buy or Walmart)
    -The Astronaut Farmer
    -Ocean's Thirteen
    -Surf's Up
    -The Bourne Ultimatum
    -Shoot 'Em Up
    -National Treasure: Book of Secrets


    If It's on Cable: (aka: not completely awful, but no need to intentionally seek it out)
    -Shrek the Third
    -Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
    -Beowulf


    List of Films I Still (Probably) Want To See:

    -Wild Hogs
    -Hot Fuzz
    -Knocked Up
    -3:10 to Yuma
    -Into the Wild
    -No Country For Old Men
    -Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
    -There Will Be Blood

     
  3. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    8 down, 2 to go...

    January & February 2008

    Notable releases: (listed in release order)

    January:
    -One Missed Call
    -First Sunday
    -In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
    -The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie
    -27 Dresses
    -Cloverfield
    -Mad Money
    -How She Move
    -Meet the Spartans
    -Rambo
    -Untraceable

    February:
    -Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert
    -Over Her Dead Body
    -Strange Wilderness
    -The Eye
    -Fool's Gold
    -Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
    -Definitely, Maybe
    -Jumper
    -Step Up 2 The Streets
    -The Spiderwick Chronicles
    -Be Kind Rewind
    -Charlie Bartlett
    -U2 3D
    -Vantage Point
    -Witless Protection
    -Penelope
    -Semi-Pro
    -The Other Boleyn Girl


    T2Q Comments:

    -In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: I didn't see this, because I knew better. It's Uwe Boll- do you need to know anything else?

    -Cloverfield: A generally effective POV twist on the giant monster movie that, at it's best, makes you feel like you're in the middle of a good ride at Universal Studios or something. "Hud" also brings some good humor to things.

    -Rambo: Worthy sequel to the series and, likely, a great ending. The last battle is just crazy.

    -Untraceable: Ok cyber-thriller.

    -Jumper: Had so much potential but just never really achieves the weight it wanted. Enough there that a sequel could redeem it, but such a film is unlikely to be made.

    -Vantage Point: I forget if I saw this one.


    Movies I (probably) Want See
    -Be Kind Rewind
    -Meet the Spartans
    -Semi-Pro
    -Vantage Point

    Overall Trends:

    Will Ferell's comedies based on previous formulas are starting to wane a bit in success. Meet the Startans starts to wane on the spoofs. Cloverfield is a surprise smash that redefined what could be accomplished with a January release date. Japanese horror remakes are starting to fail pretty consistently now. Rambo sort of follows Rocky Balboa as Stallone's comeback continues.
     
  4. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    I subscribed to Netflix in late '07, so 2008 was the first year in which I've seen a huge amount of movies . . . and even so I haven't seen most of these!

    Of those I have, I though Cloverfield was awful, Rambo was a surprisingly engaging and brutal action movie, 27 Dresses was a generally inoffensive romcom, Definitely, Maybe was pretty boring, Jumper was quite dull, Step Up 2 The Streets was enjoyable in the way that dance movies tend to be -- awful, but the choreography made up for it. Spiderwick Chronicles was okay as such things go. Be Kind Rewind had some glimpses of wonder but was a disappointment. Charlie Bartlett I'd forgotten I saw. Penelope was better than expected, though I recall Ricci was prettier with the prosthetic nose than without. The Other Boleyn Girl was worse than expected.

    Of this crop the winners are probably Rambo and Penelope, with Spiderwick, SU2TS and Be Kind Rewind all worth seeing once, but overall it's a pretty weak selection.

    EDIT: Looking back at my Netflix ratings it broke down like this
    ****
    Rambo
    Spiderwick
    Charlie Bartlett
    Be Kind, Rewind

    ***
    Penelope -- although I said in my review that it was nearly ****
    SU2TS
    27 Dresses

    **
    Definitely, Maybe
    The Other Boleyn Girl
    Cloverfield
    Jumper

    So clearly my feelings at the time don't quite align with how I remember the movies in retrospect.
     
  5. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    That's sometimes an interesting effect, of how we initially react to the film and how we eventually regard it with the passage of time (even without repeat viewings).

    Which makes reccomending a movie to someone else odd at times- they might have a similar, more heightened response initially watching it, even if I don't consider it that good now.

    And, also, given the selection of titles there, I'm not surprised you haven't seen many of those- that seems like a pretty bad selection what with Veggietales, Uwe Boll, bad churned-out spoofs and concert films.

    Then again, I suppose a few of those would qualify for passing "in the mood for a bad movie" interest.
     
  6. The_Four_Dot_Elipsis

    The_Four_Dot_Elipsis Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2005
    Cloverfield: A nifty film that I think people ultimately expected too much from. Or... something different, because to me it's exactly what it says on the packet. A gimmick, sure, but a fun one delivered with knack and polish. The characters aren't operating at a James Joyce level - big deal.

    Also, I would like Lizzy Caplan. For myself.

    Rambo: The other Rambo sequels are loud, idiotic, boring, and colourful. This one's just loud, idiotic, and boring.

    Jumper: Hayden Christensen: marketable star. Doug Liman's faith in this concept sealed his reputation as either a dimwit or Hollywood's biggest troll.

    Be Kind Rewind: Gondry's 80s obsession reaches a fever pitch that is strangely uninteresting. The script is about as watertight as a sieve, which in this case is something of a problem, since it's a comedy built around concept rather than character.
     
  7. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    -Jumper

    It had potential. There were a lot of interesting things going on, unfortunately the main plot wasn't done good enough. I agree on that some sequels could redeem it.

    -The Other Boleyn Girl

    A nice costume drama, if you like these kinds of historical dramas it's well worth seeing.

    I still want to see Rambo.
     
  8. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I don't think Hayden was the primary fault of Jumper. It's the story that failed that film's premise. Without good word of mouth or reviews, though, Hayden (even paired with SLJ) isn't enough to pull in audiences despite all that, I'll grant.

    (compared with, say, Hancock, where Will Smith's draw managed to make a film that was only slightly better than Jumper a big hit)




    March & April 2008

    Notable releases: (listed in release order)

    March:
    -10,000 BC
    -College Road Trip
    -The Bank Job
    -Horton Hears a Who!
    -Doomsday
    -Never Back Down
    -Drillbit Taylor
    -Meet the Browns
    -Shutter
    -21
    -Run Fatboy Run
    -Stop-Loss
    -Superhero Movie

    April:
    -Leatherheads
    -Nim's Island
    -The Ruins
    -Never Forever
    -Prom Night
    -Smart People
    -Street Kings
    -The Visitor
    -88 Minutes
    -Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
    -The Forbidden Kingdom
    -Forgetting Sarah Marshall
    -Baby Mama
    -Deception
    -Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
    -Son of Rambow


    T2Q Comments:

    -The Forbidden Kingdom: Jet Lit and Jackie Chan. It may not be a classic- but it's enough.

    -Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Solid Atapow-related comedy, though more of a chick flick than I had initially anticipated.

    -Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: Not the instant cult classic that the original was, and though it loses something towards the end, the increased presence of NPH compensates thoroughly (him being forced to let his drug-induced vision of himself leave him behind to avoid a cop check point slays me).


    Movies I (probably) Want See
    -21
    -10,000 BC
    -Baby Mama
    -The Bank Job
    -Doomsday
    -Horton Hears a Who!
    -Leatherheads
    -Nim's Island
    -The Ruins
    -Run Fatboy Run
    -Shutter
    -Son of Rambow
    -Stop-Loss
    -Street Kings
    -Superhero Movie

    Overall Trends:

    They packed a lot of spoofs into a small window this year. We're also seeing the Iraq War films surge start to peter out. Drillbit Taylor is the last movie John Hughes wrote before his death. Sarah Marshall kinda kicks off a trend of increased amounts of wang in R rated comedies and would also lead to a pseudo spinoff via Russell Brand's character down the road.
     
  9. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    I haven't seen any of those films, and the only one I'm interested in is "Horton hears a who".

    And I actually think that Jumper was better than Hancock, and it definitely had more potential for sequels and spinoffs.
     
  10. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    10,000 BC - garbage

    Horton Hears a Who! -- surprisingly good movie, with surprisingly excellent score.

    Doomsday -- Didn't care for the trailers, but really enjoyed the movie. Marshall is a b-movie director who brings a-talent to his endeavours. Even when his movies are silly, even when they wear their influences on their sleeves, they're well-made and engaging.

    Run Fatboy Run -- Enjoyable, predictable, forgettable. I like Pegg but this isn't his best.

    The Ruins -- One of those stupid teens survival horror things that is enjoyable enough on its own terms but ultimately completely forgettable.

    Smart People -- Quite the disappointment. Part of the post Little Miss Sunshine/Juno wave of oh-so-indie flicks.

    The Visitor -- I assume you're talking about the Tom McCarthy film? Not as strong as The Station Agent, plus it came out in 2007. But very good nonetheless. I love McCarthy.

    The Forbidden Kingdom -- Another big disappointment. I expected much more from a movie with Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

    Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- Not a disappointment! Very enjoyable, very personable. Put Jason Segel on the map, Mila Kunis was the most lovable she's ever been. One of the best of the Apatow comedies.

    Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay -- I can remember almost nothing about this one.

    Son of Rambow -- Surprisingly good family film from the director of the awful Hitchhiker's Guide.

    I'd like to see:
    -Leatherheads -- Mostly because I like George Clooney
    -Nim's Island -- Actually, I don't know why I want to see this. Mostly to hear Doyle's score, I think.

    The winners here are The Visitor and FSM, followed by Horton and the above average b-movie Doomsday.
     
  11. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    According to it's wiki listing, it was released in the US in 2008, but debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007.
     
  12. The_Four_Dot_Elipsis

    The_Four_Dot_Elipsis Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2005
    The Bank Job: Excellent, low key thriller. Very old-fashioned. A good example of why Roger Donaldson should do a Bond film. David Suchet is awesome. And it has Peter Bowles in it!

    Stop-Loss: Early in the second act, we have a scene where Channing Tatum is in his underwear and digging a bunker in Abbie Cornish's front yard, while Ryan Phillipe tries to console him. Meanwhile, Joseph Gordon-Levitt crashes his car into a telegraph pole in front of the house, and then wakes up at the wheel after a night of binging.

    I don't know why I kept watching on from this point.

    Leatherheads: Terrible. Clooney lacks the nous to tackle this kind of material, and everything that Renee Zellwegger touches turns to turd.

    The Visitor: Superb little film. Intelligently written and directed. And great to see Richard Jenkins given such a meaty role, which he plays perfectly.
     
  13. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    May & June 2008

    Notable releases: (listed in release order)

    May:
    -Iron Man
    -Made of Honor
    -Redbelt
    -Speed Racer
    -What Happens in Vegas
    -The Fall
    -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
    -Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    -Sex and the City
    -The Strangers

    June:
    -Kung Fu Panda
    -You Don't Mess with the Zohan
    -The Happening
    -The Incredible Hulk
    -Get Smart
    -The Love Guru
    -Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
    -WALL*E
    -Wanted

    T2Q Comments:

    -Iron Man: An almost perfect superhero origin film. RDJ owns the role, taking a B-list Marvel character and achieved the rare superhero that, unlike Batman or Superman, is someone more entertaining/interesting for the audience outside of the costume- a feat even more impressive given how damn cool that costume is and how unlikeable Tony Stark was in the comics (RDJ's performance in this movie even retroactively improved the perception and characterization of Stark in the comics past present and future).

    And so many of the small details were just done so right (or were reinterpreted in new ways that, while different, were completely consistent with the core of the concept)- even down the very specific choice of words SLJ uses at the end that were obviously finely carved for maximum fan impact.

    It's also supported by one of my favorite scores of recent years (the Mark I hammer/anvil vibe, Driving With the Top Down and the music played during Tony's rescue and return are my favorites, but the middle east flavor added to those themes later on are also neat).

    It's only real flaw is the last act with the Iron Monger, which doesn't quite live up to the rest of the film and kinda throws away a very good villain, reducing him to bad one liners. But the greatness of the preceding material (and the epilogue scenes) more than makes up for it (especially the Mark III's debut debut defense against the Ten Rings terrorists).

    -Speed Racer: Car-fu! A zany retro-anime brought to life in a way that is both hilariously quirky (I can't decide if the "Was that a ninja?" "More like a non-ja. Terrible what passes for a ninja these days..." exchange is the funniest bit or the sugar-induced frenzy that has the kid plowing down engineers on a segway [face_laugh]) ) and visually stunning (even if, at times, overwhelming). It was a film that, after seeing it, I instantly knew that, once I got an HDTV down the road, it would be the first movie I'd have to get on blu-ray to watch on it.

    Not for everyone, as it's definitely aimed/skewed towards a younger audience as far as plot and tone goes, but far above the quality of most kids films and certainly one can enjoy if you let go for a bit and enjoy the fun.

    -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: A darker toned film that generally improves upon it's predecessor in almost every way. Most notably the supporting characters are fleshed out much better (so that we actually feel something for them as opposed to the blank slates we were supposed to care about in Wardrobe) and the FX are consistent (comared to Wardrobes insistent flip flopping in quality).

    Though, much like the Father Christmas scene in Wardrobe, the Neptune/God scene is quite random (and setup even less than Father Christmas) and Aslan's role feels tacked-on and kinda renders him in a poor light, character-wise.

    -Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: The first hour or so of this film is just as good as the classic Indy films, and even the jungle chase and ant swarms are really good, exciting, sequences (Shia LeTarzan not withstanding :oops:). The cast is likewise quite fun and the returning members fall back into their roles well.

    But once Marian drives the truck off the cliff into the river, two things happen: 1) The film throws in some very cartoony elements (the tree branch is not as bad but the triple waterfalls get tedious and are even more over-the-top than the raft parachute from TOD) and 2) The film goes into autopilot with Indy not having any real effect on the climax. These kinda overlap once you g
     
  14. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    Iron Man - Good fun. Don't think it needs much discussion or endorsement from me.

    Speed Racer - One of my favorite films of the year. I absolutely adore this film, and have watched it more times than any other film from '08 (Iron Man and Let the Right One In share second place).

    The Fall - A beautiful movie. I've been meaning to watch it again.

    The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Dull. A big step down from the first one (or at least from my initial impression of the first one).

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I realized from the opening scene that this would not be my cup of tea. It was moderately amusing, but the only Indy film I ever revisit anymore is Raiders.

    Kung Fu Panda - Like Horton, not top-notch, but colorful and entertaining.

    You Don't Mess with the Zohan - Fairly typical Sandler comedy. Maybe the last one I saw.

    The Incredible Hulk - Almost-solid adventure film.

    Get Smart - Amusing but forgettable comedy.

    WALL·E - My least favorite Pixar film to date. Way too sentimental and obnoxious, but with some good eye candy.

    Wanted - Loathsome. One of the worst movies of '08, and certainly the most disappointing. Ugh.
     
  15. Champion of the Force

    Champion of the Force Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    Iron Man - as T2Q pointed out, it pretty much opened (along with The Dark Knight) the 2nd resurgence of the superhero genre following the disappointment left over by Spider-Man 3 (which had arguably helped launch the initial resurgence with the original film in 2002). Great fun, Downey Jr owns the role.

    The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - decent I suppose but admittedly a tad dull. I never got into this one like I had the original (though to be fair, I don't think the original has aged so well either).

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    - some good scenes (the post-fridge scene with Indy staring at the mushroom cloud is an awesome visual) but never comes together well enough to truly satisfy. Lucas & Spielberg should have left it as a trilogy.

    Kung Fu Panda - surprisingly fun Dreamworks effort, I have to check out the sequel.

    The Incredible Hulk - decently enjoyable superhero film (never saw the Eric Bana original so don't know how it stacks up).

    Get Smart - I concur with Mastadge's verdict. Which is a shame - the trailers were hilarious, but as usual it was a case of showing off all the funniest jokes. I think the big problem with the film is how Max is treated by the other characters - in the old series Max was a bumbler but everyone else just went a long with it and took him seriously which made all the situations Max ended up in hilarious; here though Max is openly called out on numerous occasions for being hopeless - by 99, the Chief, even other agents. I think this breaks the illusion and makes Max seem even more useless and robs some of the comedy out of the character. Again, a real shame - especially considering how much of a ringer Steve Carrell is for the late Don Adams, and Anne Hathaway does well as 99.
     
  16. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I would say X-Men (or, to a lesser extent, Blade- though that could be considered transitory in nature) would be the start of the 1st resurgence, which I would consider to be the genre breaking free of the campier nature of the 80's/90's superhero movies like Superman, Batman, Spawn, etc. But Spider-Man 1 was certainly when it exploded.

    However, I definitely agree that SM3 really marks the end of that 1st resurgence.
     
  17. Merlin_Ambrosius69

    Merlin_Ambrosius69 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    I must say I'm enjoying seeing Speed Racer getting the love it so richly deserves! Where were you people opening weekend? The movie bombed HUGE at the box office, drawing only incredulous stares from my various friends whom I tried to convince to see it with me. Probably my favorite movie of 2008, and I loves me some Iron Man and Prince Caspian.
     
  18. Champion of the Force

    Champion of the Force Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    You could argue either way, without a doubt though the mammoth success of the original Spider-Man saw the the initial resurgence in full bloom. I tend to see X-Men as a more of a 'pre-resurgence' film.
     
  19. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I was (one of the few) in a theater watching Speed Racer :D
     
  20. The_Four_Dot_Elipsis

    The_Four_Dot_Elipsis Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2005
    Iron Man: A fun, decent actioner. Doesn't hold up on repeat viewings so much - the film falls almost entirely on Downey's shoulders. He's more than up to the task, but Favreau's direction isn't exactly inspired. Or even marginally interested. Still, better than a lot of other films of its ilk.

    Speed Racer: I'll stop short of calling it wonderful, but this is a nice little cinematic confection. Critics complained that it was too cartoonish. No ****. A misunderstood film that provides consistent thrills and memorable set-pieces. Everyone involved with the film knows what it is, and guns for that creative vision, and it certainly comes off. The climax in particular is really stunning. Also, Roger Allam makes everything better.

    The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: An improvement on the dull original, but only because Adamson seemed to have a better grasp of how live action works. It's still not a very impressive feature, but there's at least a hint of variety, and a handful of memorable set-pieces. I always feel like I'm being charitable towards this film when I say that I like it, though. I doubt I'll give it a second look.

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Not as terrible as people have made out. Not exactly good on the other hand. A mixed bag, I think, with certain sequences working well, and others just falling flat. I actually think that LaBeouf is one of the few who is actually pulling his weight, and I have no problem with his turn. Blanchett, however, is a problem - Spalko is comfortably the worst Indy villain. And I still think of it as the "Indiana Jones trilogy."

    Kung Fu Panda: Not bad. Understands basic story beats and development, which gives it a leg up over a lot of other kids films. It's relatively funny, with some handsome design... I give it a pass. The fact that it was heralded as "DreamWorks' Best!" says more about the studio than it does the film.

    The Incredible Hulk: Stupid, dull film that lacks any sort of cinematic panache, or any real thematic drive. I'll admit that it starts well, but as soon as Tim Roth (Consistently crap since 1995!) gets involved, it goes to pot. The film's idiocy is evident - William Hurt is cast as an authorative, shouting General. Mind-blowingly bad casting. And Liv Tyler is cast as an apparently sassy AND sexy girl. Also bad casting. And Edward Norton is supposed to be sympathetic. Again, bad casting. The only casting that the film got right is the mug they got to play Tony Stark at the end...

    In short, give me Ang Lee's heavily flawed effort every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

    Get Smart: I refuse to believe that whoever wrote this film ever sat through one whole episode of Get Smart. Max is supposed to be an arrogant windbag. 99 is supposed to let him think he's a great agent, not make him feel guilty about screwing things up. And most importantly, the Chief is not a raging psychopath, which means that Alan Arkin failed miserably. Also, there are no fat nerds at CONTROL. Also, Siegfried is a crazy Nazi, not a bored Terence Stamp. And Shtarker is a lean, idiotic Nazi, not Borat's manager. I mean, damn, the only thing they got right was Hymie. And that was a cameo!

    WALL*E: Splendid film. Well-written, and possibly the best-directed CG feature to date. Stunning visuals. Great score. Even the lefty politics don't bother me in the slightest, not if they're presented in as clean and sharp a package as this. A high watermark in Pixar's lineup.

    Wanted: Morgan Freeman's "Shoot this **********!" aside, there's not much going on here.
     
  21. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    -Iron Man
    I knew nothing of the comic character, and in fact I saw the film just because me and a friend needed something loud in order not to fall asleep. It turned out to be one of my favourite superhero films. I love RDJ in it, but I agree on that the final showdown with the Iron Monger isn't as interesting as the rest of the film.

    -Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    I was really afraid when I went in to see this film. I had avoided all spoilers for it, but I couldn't help to think that it would be a big letdown. In the end I watched it twice on the big screen. Indy and Marion well makes up for the Mutt parts. In fact the one thing I found most annoying with the film was Cate Blanchett.

    -WALL*E
    Saw it way later on DVD. It is one of the cutest animated films ever made.

    I still want to see
    Don't mess with Zohan
    Kung Fu Panda
     
  22. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    July & August 2008

    Notable releases: (listed in release order)

    July:
    -Hancock
    -Hellboy II: The Golden Army
    -Journey to the Center of the Earth
    -Meet Dave
    -The Stone Angel
    -The Dark Knight
    -Mamma Mia!
    -Space Chimps
    -Boy A
    -Brideshead Revisited
    -Step Brothers
    -The X-Files: I Want to Believe

    August:
    -The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
    -Swing Vote
    -Pineapple Express
    -The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
    -Beer For My Horses
    -What We Do Is Secret
    -Tropic Thunder
    -Fly Me to the Moon
    -Mirrors
    -Star Wars: The Clone Wars
    -Vicky Cristina Barcelona
    -The Rocker
    -Death Race
    -The House Bunny
    -The Longshots
    -Hamlet 2
    -Traitor
    -Babylon A.D.
    -College
    -Disaster Movie
    -Goal! 2: Living the Dream

    T2Q Comments:
    -Hancock: The first half of this movie and the second half are practically two entirely different movies in terms of tone. The first half is the drunk superhero comedy that earns his respect back. The second is a more girtty survival thing and the two just don't gel well or have much of any transition.

    -The Dark Knight: Amazing film. Ledger's performance was a real surprise. People raved about him before it ever came out, but I don't believe they were truthfully excited about it because you just couldn't be so based on just the moments from the trailers, as what makes the performance so strong is the overall work stretched across multiple scenes showing various facets of the character- and that's just not something you could get from the trailers.

    Outside of the "ok, that's NOT good" cops, the rest of the cast continues to be excellent, from Freeman to Bale (though his Batman voice doesn't really work for long speeches) to Gyllenhaal (who looks close enough to Holmes to make the character while being a better actress).

    Still wish there could have been more for this series as far as theme music goes, but the one march-like theme it does have at least feels like it's building up to Batman music enough to kinda work.

    -The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Awful. After it seemed like they learned their lessons from the first film and produced the superior second movie, this just generally falls flat on most accounts.

    -Pineapple Express: Very funny mix of genres.

    -Tropic Thunder: Hilarious- and it's not just RDJ's well known blackface character or Tom Cruise's infamous role.

    -Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 3-4 episodes of the show are merged together into a movie about as best as could be expected, but it has a very stop-start nature that makes it feel like it has an ongoing storyline (with the Dooku/Jabba stuff more of a running C-plot until the end). There was also way too much Battledroid humor.

    To it's credit, though, it did feel like a story set in the SW universe (even the small touches like the references to the B'Omarr monks, etc) which is more than can be said about large stretches of the prequels. It also looks absolutely gorgeous on the big screen (moreso the material down the road that has had limited big screen presentations at conventions or charity events like that Savage Opress Trilogy last year).

    The series itself improved greatly as it went along (though it's had a bad habit of taking other movies/stories and just doing a SW version instead of more original material), despite some irresponsible continuity issues that are best left discussed in LACWAC or Literature.

    Still, the movie isn't that bad if you try to view it as 4 separate episodes and just imagine the end credits popping in after each obvious episode end point.


    Movies I (probably) Want See
    -Babylon A.D.
    -College
    -Death Race
    -Disaster Movie
    -Hamlet 2
    -Hellboy II: The Golden Army
    -The House Bunny
    -Mirrors
    -The Rocker
    -Step Brothers
    -Swing Vote
    -Traitor
    -Vicky Cristina Barcelona
    -The X-Files: I Want to Believe


    Overall Trends:
    Cripes, how many spoofs did they release this year?
     
  23. corran2

    corran2 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 16, 2006
    The Dark Knight remains on my top ten list, and Ledger's performance belongs among the very best in all of film. Nolan's best, an excellent screenplay and even a better score make this the best film of 2008.
     
  24. Jediflyer

    Jediflyer Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2001
    I took a bunch of friends with me to see Speed Racer. I had an absolute blast, but as we were walking out, I noticed that none of my friends "got it". They thought it was one of the stupidest movies they had ever seen.

    Needless to say, I no longer pay any mind to what movies they think are good.

     
  25. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    -Hancock
    I agree on that the first part was OK, the second one not so much.

    -Mamma Mia!
    Wonderful film, I think in the end I saw it three times, eventhough two of the times were the karaoke version. Very few films make me as happy as this one.

    -Star Wars: The Clone Wars
    Ok, but I still can't stand Ahsoka. I actually thought the battle droids were among the best part of this film.

    I still want to see:
    -Tropic Thunder