Amph What was the last movie you saw?

Man of Steel
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Mommie Dearest

 

Unknown - I thought this was a good movie, plus Neeson was awesome

 

The Wolverine,

it gets an awful lot right. The problem is it gives into every easy comic book cliche to propel the lackluster action forward. Mangold does an inspired job however. The fight sequences are absolutely incredible.

It needs a rewrite or two and a stronger villain. Wolverine obviously works better as a darker tortured character but the problem is Marvel films and Twentieth Century Fox only want a superficial bad ass. I'd love to see a movie that takes place entirely in the interim of X-Men The Last Stand and this film

 

No perhaps about it. Watch the original! Swayze > Hemsworth... Actually, Swayze > the entire cast of the remake... In fact, Swayze > the rest of mankind.

I'm still waiting for a Wolverine movie that's up to level of Hugh Jackman. Whatever else I may think about Origins and The Wolverine, I've come to believe he absolutely owns the character. If they dared to go darker, I think he could knock it out of the park.

 

Django Unchained.

Being as I am a fan of spaghetti westerns, Leonardo DiCaprio, exploitation cinema, and Quentin Tarantino (in that order), I'm pretty late to the party on this one. And being as I am a fan of these various items, there really was no possibility of my not loving this film. That is, indeed the case.

For good or ill, it's a hodgepodge of spaghetti western and exploitation tropes thrown together in a proverbial blender with Tarantino and splattered against a wall - a crude mixture of Se Sei Vivo Spara, Boss ******, Addio Zio Tom, and Pulp Fiction. It shouldn't work in a broader context, but it does. It's well shot, with great dialogue and possibly even greater action sequences. The latter owe more, undoubtably, to an erroneous interpretation of Sam Peckinpah than anything that ever came out of Italy, but I like this kind of hyperviolent - hell, borderline ****ing unwatchable in parts - cinema. It's hypnotic in a sick way that real world violence most decidedly isn't.

Really, that's okay, since this is the kind of film that willingly acknowledges that the medium allows forays into the utterly fantastic. The surprisingly maligned scene where a woman is sent flying backwards by gunfire is, in my view, Tarantino's acknowledgement of just how many conceits are flying. I give him too much credit, sometimes, since interviews make it plain he's a borderline savant, but I think that one was intentional. On the human side, basically everyone is giving a stand-out performance; in particular, while Christopher Waltz is rather obviously the modern audience sensibilities stand-in character, I'm just kind of okay with that. At some point we're supposed to be having fun, goddammit, and he's fun. Even the way in which he dies is fun.

At this point in my assessment my head is probably a good six or seven inches right up my own backside, I'm navelgazing about a film that isn't actually that deep. So I'll conclude by saying there's a cameo by Franco Nero where he says he knows how to spell Django, and were everything else in this entire enterprise to fail miserably, I would love this movie for that alone. Fortunately, that isn't the case.

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I always forget how great this movie is. Too bad the new one is going to be garbage.

 

I saw Frozen Monday, I actually want to see it again, talk about a stealth hit, i thought it was just another stupid dreamworks-esque comedy. I would have missed the movie if not for the reviews.

 

Captain Phillips (2013)

A tremendous action thriller with the best performance that Tom Hanks has done since Cast Away. The breakdown scene at the end was difficult to watch.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

A powerful, ugly, unflinchingly brutal, and sometimes very beautiful film. I feel like I have blood on my hands after watching it. Fassbender was fantastic playing an utterly despicable and irredeemable character.

 

Was Edward Norton in Never Let the Right One Go In?

 

The Watch (2012) - Sort of like The 'Burbs meets Evolution, but not as good as either... Well, not as good as The 'Burbs anyway. There are some funny bits, but it's all held together by a pretty lifeless, poorly paced script. - 5.5/10

 

How is that set? Are the special features any good? I'll probably be picking it up

 

How unbearable is Ben Stiller in that?

 

It's an ensemble, but Stiller is the lead by default. His character is so bland though that he actually kind of faded into the background and was overshadowed by Vince Vaughn, who plays... well, he plays Vince Vaughn.

 

You just VERY NEARLY made me Google 'Frozen Monday'. I feel so stupid

Thor 2 was the last film I saw, in part because I have a lot of 'Marvel: Agents of Shield' to catch up on...

Spoiler

...and I am aware that there will be some crossover at some point

I enjoyed it, seeing more of Asgard was cool, Heimdell seemed less intimidating in this one, but his scenes spotting the incoming enemy was nice. Loki was Loki, which, again, was nice... I felt sorry for Dr Selvig though. End credits scene sealed the deal though...

Spoiler

Infinity Gauntlet here we come

 

Vince Vaughn works better with a dash of Faverou.

 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - surprisingly better than the last film (and I enjoyed the last film). I even wrote a review for my website that you can check out at http://www.g-pop.net/catchingfiremovie.htm

 

Well, I was up late and looking through my DVR when I saw Little Women (1933), remembered you had watched the 1994 version and decided to give it a go. I didn't have the 1994 version, but I think I'll look for it and compare the two just for fun.

My mom said the 1994 version is crap, but we don't really have the same taste. She said she likes the 1933 version, but I think she means the 1949 version with Elizabeth Taylor.

Anyway, as for the movie, I don't have much to say other than it was a nice little slice of life. The characters are all very likable, from top to bottom.

I've never been a fan of Katherine Hepburn, but she brings a ton of energy, enthusiasm and quirky individuality to the character Jo, really brings her to life early in the movie. I thought she was lacking in the more sobering emotion, and I don't think that's the way the character was supposed to be. The script is probably partially to blame for this as well. Still, a very likeble character and a likable performance.

The movie casts aside most of the other characters, especially Beth and Meg. I thought Joan Bennett did a little better in the more dramatic aspects as Amy, while giving every bit the energy Hepburn did in the earlier portion of the movie.

Other than the enjoyable characters, I thought the movie was sorely lacking in plot, emotion and drama. Beth's death couldn't have fallen more flat. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be sad or something. Jo hardly seem affected, hell none of the girls did. Jo's romantic life couldn't have been less dramatic. There was no real tragedy between her and Laurie. Nothing at all, really, a complete lack of conflict. She came off kind of cold and I really don't think it was intentional. That was probably on both Hepburn and the script, Hepburn seemed to disappear in the latter part of the movie.

I'm almost certain this movie ditched a ton of detail in terms of plot and drama, almost makes me want to read the book. I think I'm more likely to give one of the other versions a try.

Then again, I'm not a Little Woman nor have I ever been, so this probably isn't anything for me. DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T GIVE IT A TRY.

 

The live remote of the Rifftrax version of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians", along with the off-kilter short "Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen".

 

Yeah this is his best film (although I like kickboxer and hard target though), this is Van Damme at his best. To be fair though he did try to recapture its glory through The Quest... And yeah lets not talk about that.

 

I liked The Quest simply because it was a retread of Bloodsport.

For those of you who are Van Damme fans, you know he got away from his strengths for some time starting in the late 90s. I've seen most of his movies, even the post-2000 ones, and AFAIK he never really recaptured the old magic, except in The Expendables 2.

But if you want some classic, but newer Van Damme, check out The Order (2001). Give it a chance, if you're a fan you'll probably recognize the old tropes and moves. It's not a tournament movie, but it's very much like Double Impact, without the twins. Yeah, it's terrible, but also terribly amusing.

 

I liked JCVD, although you can't really put it in the same category as the rest of his filmography.

 

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - To be prepared for Desolation of Smaug, I decided to have a marathon of the Rings and yea pretty great movie