Amph What was the last movie you saw?

Went to see Batman v Superman last night. The first half I enjoyed as a dark thriller. I thought Affleck was very good in it, I really liked the introduction of Batman as a much darker vigilante and his first appearance in the film was very cool. In fact the best stuff of the film was Batman and how brutal he was in his action scenes. Gal Gadot is absolutely stunning btw and suitably mysterious and very good, but overall shes only there to set up her own spin off film. Lois Lane to me is a wasted character and didn't do much. I liked the trying to make Superman answer for his actions scenario, (isn't that what is also happening with the Avengers in the next Captain America film too). Lex Luthor didn’t work either, too off the wall weird.

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But, its not the best story ever, and it ham fistedly sets up the next comic book team up movie in the Justice League, by email of all things. I just thought that was ridiculous and a terrible way to set up the next films. I didn’t get the dream sequences either, I’m not sure if some of it was real or not.

I have no idea of the comic book events this film is based on, but overall I was enjoying it up until the second half and the cliched scene where they fight. It then changes from a more gritty style with lots of background plot stuff going on to become a run of the mill effects mess. In fact I’m not sure why Superman doesn’t like Batman, whilst Batmans motives are clear. Theres lots of plot conveniences and coincidences and it turns into your typical comic book movie 'look at our special effects' last 30mins. And speaking of the ending,

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if they go back on that then it ruins all peril and jeopardy in future movies.

Overall what I take from this film is that I’d look forward to a Batman film in this tone featuring Ben Affleck more than anything else in it.

 

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The movie tried to hamfistedly mesh two of the greatest stories for Batman and Superman even though both by definition are completely incompatible. The Batman v Superman scenario is listed from Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Superman's death at the hands of Doomsday comes from the 1993 event suitably called The Death of Superman.

The problem is, this Superman did very little to EARN that sacrifice; that moment. And of course he's going to return and, yes, leave the character without any stakes whatsoever to overcome.

 

Macbeth 2015:

Macbeth is my personal favorite of The Spears plays, and this was another good adaptation. Um..but I think you'd have to know the story to really appreciate it. Lot of he play is cut, especially dialogue wise, and I question the decision to whisper Shakespear. Great performances from Fassbender and Cotillard Macbeth went a little to crazy to early for my taste though. It was an automatic, "**** it," after he killed the king in this one.

There are much better adaptations, but this was was pretty good too.

 

Britney ?

 

My Big Fat Greek Weeding 2 (2016)

Passable entertainment. It forgets what made the first one a hit, but it still has its moments. Certainly not the unwatcable trainwreck that My Life in Ruins was.

The Divergent Series: Allegient (2016)

As awful as the critics say it is.

 

Of course

 

Good lord have you seen all of Nia's stuff or what.

I actually liked My Life in Ruins if only for Dreyfuss' character. ... Come to think of it, if he weren't in it I probably wouldn't have finished it.

 

I haven't seen Connie and Carla which is supposed to be terrible. Did Nia give up? She's basically Kate Hudson, only starring in romcoms that are so unwatchable, you beg to watch Holocaust footage in color instead.

 

Connie and Carla might be terrible if you don't realize the whole story is told basically like dinner theater. It's ridiculous on purpose.

As for Nia herself, probably. Like I kinda want to see MBFGW2 but mainly for my sis' sake. Hell most romcoms I've seen are because my sis isn't interested in much else. To be fair if it weren't for her I'd have missed out on William Hurt's fantastic Jane Eyre performance.

 

A friend came over and we watched Young Sherlock Holmes and Superman the Movie. We enjoyed both films, but the DVD of Young Sherlock Holmes had a really bad video transfer, definately needs a better version.

 

'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'

It's kind of a close and personal favorite. I've seen it just about as much as I've seen any other movie. I'll tell you what it gets right. It's a genre bender that so adeptly mashes genres. The comedy and horror are never intermingled to the point where they lose their individual effectiveness. It literally feels as if Bud and Lou are transported into a horror film from this era. I still say it is the standard for the horror comedy. The monsters still have their dignity and effectiveness. All though just symbolically one wishes they actually tried to get Karloff as the Monster just to end the Universal horror cycle on a high note.

'A Night at the Opera'

It may be the most effective Marx Brothers movies although I am still new to them. The funny thing about it is the skewering of the high class snobbery by Groucho. In that regard Sig Ruman is a perfect foil to the brothers. It's always the one where the romantic subplot is the least nauseating because there is actually chemistry between the brothers and Kitty Carlisle and Allan Jones.

'At the Circus'

One of their lesser films. It just seems sort of odd to place the Marx Brothers at a place like the circus. They are at their best when they cause chaos with the upper classes. That being said when Groucho goes to Margaret Dumont's mansion it is as good as ever. They actually blast her out of a cannon at the end of it. LOL

'Pulp Fiction'

You all know how good it is.

'Kill Bill Vol. 2'

It is just interesting comparing the two films. This one is almost entirely different from the first one. The entire film is almost entirely dialogue based and surprisingly this maybe the most subtle movie Tarantino ever made. David Carradine is terrific. He just oozes charisma to the point where you actually identify with and kind of like Bill despite yourselves. It makes the dissection of their relationship and this final encounter all the more tense.

 

The Hobbit: Battle of 5 Armies, Extended Edition. I have mixed feeling on it. There are character moments that are wonderful, but they are nearly buried among bloated excesses. The EE added some moments that really improve the movie, such as individual hero moments for all the dwarves (remember them?). And I liked seeing Alfrid Lickspittle get what's coming to him; on the other hand, that meant more screen time for a character I'd gladly cut from the whole film. The pre-credit scene that resolved the Smaug storyline from DoS's cliffhanger is still my favorite part of the movie.

 

That scene in the trailer with Hawkeye.

 

Batman vs Superman.

100% agree!

 

Anomalisa, featuring the best puppet sex scene since Team America: World Police.

 

Everybody Wants Some!! Me and a buddy drove almost two hours to see this one since it hasn't opened in our hometown yet, which was probably a mistake because I want to hop back in the car and go again. And again. This movie is an all-timer for sure. The opening scene to My Sharona pops a big fat grin on your face that doesn't quit until the movie ends (by far the quickest hour fifty-seven of my life). It's hilarious, endearing, and authentic, with memorable character moments in every scene and a predictably outstanding soundtrack. It surpasses Dazed and Confused as my favorite Linklater movie, and I don't think it's a stretch to call it one of my favorite movies of all-time. So damn good.

 

Ransom. It's a decent thriller, that has a fairly underrated actor, Gary Sinise, in it as the villian.

 

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – Dan Trachtenberg



I’m sorry, but no one’s looking for you.

Let me just say from the outset that I’m going to say almost nothing about this movie because I think going into this movie knowing nothing at all is probably the ideal way to do it. The trailer gives away too much, I’d say. Anyway, desiring to say very little about the meat of the movie, I’ll just say a couple of things. The Cloverfield reference in the title is pretty awful and smells like nothing but marketing of the crassest kind, since this film has nothing to do with the previous movie. But without that marketing tie-in, I’m not so sure this movie would have gotten to theaters, so I guess good decision because I am glad this movie exists and was released. I wouldn’t mind seeing “Cloverfield” turned into the new “Twilight Zone,” or something so that movies that are otherwise unrelated would reference Cloverfield in the title and thus we would know that they’re going to be strange thrillers. But whatever.

As to the movie itself, I’ll say that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fantastic. She’s a genre favorite of a lot of people, but I’d only seen her in a small supporting part in Kill the Messenger last year. In this movie, she’s front and center and her performance holds the audience spellbound. Hang a movie on her; she’s up to the task. And then there’s John Goodman, better, I’d say, than he’s been in . . . decades. Maybe ever. I know I have to go all the way back to Lebowski to find a performance that’s worth being discussed with this one. The film has plot-twists galore and spoilers can be found everywhere (even in the genre listing on IMDB and Wikipedia), so go in knowing as little as possible. I will say one thing about the ending of the film: I would recommend you just buy in. Just accept the movie for what it is and, by the time you get to the ending, you’ll be ready to just ride with it. The ultimate ending to the film is the kind of thing that infuriates some people, but don’t let it do it to you. Just go along; the movie has a vision and you shouldn’t fight it. If you let the movie do its thing, it’s a taut, almost magical genre experience. It kept me riveted from start to finish; it’s filled with suspense and mystery and horror and I loved every minute of it. If you’re going to hate it for not being the movie you think it should be or want it to be, then you’ll be miserable. But let the movie make its own decisions; you’ll be very glad you did. 4 stars.

tl;dr – wonderfully acted genre piece is a thrilling, entertaining exercise in slow-burn tension; go in knowing nothing and surrender to the movie; it has a whole world to show you. 4 stars.

More Movie Reviews!

 

Eye in the Sky: I had almost given up on films, but this was a genuinely good one. Even if you stepped back from the topic matter, it was well-constructed as a drama. The tensions between the characters were well-expressed in dialogue. The actors were serviceable. Add back in the topic matter, and it becomes an interesting meditation on modern warfare. By turns brutal and absurd, it really drove home its point effectively. I would recommend this film to all of you.

 

Ant-Man - did not like except for the 10 seconds with

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Bucky

. If Ant-Man works in Civil War, that is is all I need (just like Spidey. If they work and don't get in the way, fine.) .

 

Batman vs. Superman

A flawed film, but i still found things to enjoy. Definitely starts off stronger than it finishes. Affleck is solid as batman, but Keaton still tops my list. I liked Eisenberg's performance a lot more than I thought I would, based on reviews.

It didn't exactly get me pumped for Justice League, and I won't be rushing to the store for the 3-hour cut

 

Shame what happened to Gibson but Sinise is definitely the kind of actor that instantly elevates anything when he appears on screen.

Master_Lok Yeah he's better as part of an ensemble, but the film had moments. Like the "this isn't just a keychain."

 

Rogue1-and-a-half

I have a hard time understanding why Winstead hasn't had a bigger career. She's a flawless actress. Genre typecasting? Bad luck?

I should try to watch that PBS thing.