Films Everything

Just got back from seeing Evil Dead. It was AMAZING. THAT is a remake done right! Go see it you guys!!!!

So this is the remake of Donner's Superman and Superman 2?

Okay, I'm in.

Just got back from Oblivion.

A very different film than I expected and a very better film than I expected.

Finally caught Star Trek: Into the Darkness.

It was awesome, to pick some favorite bits from it:
- Benedict Cumberbatch hamming it up. They need to put him in more things... but I'm never going to be able to watch Sherlock the same way again.
- Short, retro miniskirts and....
- ...last, but certainly not least:

Spoiler:

I.

Love.

Star Trek.

That whole movie was such a great experience. There was a lot more Spock, which I loved. <3333 The only thing that ruined it for me was dumb Cumberbatch. I hate the guy. He's SOOOOOOO ugly and he's a terrible person. His only redeeming quality is his voice. Now all the Sherlock fans are clamoring into the Star Trek fandom and saying he was be best thing in the movie. Kill me.

Alfisti wrote:Finally caught Star Trek: Into the Darkness.

Just finished it myself. Quite entertaining, but not as good as the first movie. Honestly, it felt more like a Michael Bay film than a J.J. Abrams film (well, maybe Michael Bay channeling a little Nicholas Meyer considering some of the plot elements). One podcaster referred to it as the "Transformers 2 of Star Trek movies" and I tend to find myself in at least partial agreement.

Seeing it in 3D probably didn't help since I tend to dislike the "cardboard cutouts moving in front of a background" effect such live-action movies tend to have for the first 15-20 minutes until my brain integrates it properly as well as a lot of stuff flying everywhere.


Also saw the trailer for Ender's Game. Never read the book (though I know the basic story), but I'll be there for the movie.

Kiskaloo wrote:Just got back from Oblivion.

A very different film than I expected and a very better film than I expected.

Just saw that tonight. It was okay, but once you figure out what's really going on (which happens about halfway through the running time) it becomes a bit tedious. The visual effects were well executed...interesting but used in such a way that they did not overwhelm the film.

Official trailer for the Live Action adaption of Kiki's Delivery Service:



http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-06-09/more-of-live-action-kiki-delivery-service-cast-revealed-in-costume

Have to say I'm looking forward to this one. Kiki's is my favorite Studio Ghibli / Miyazaki anime.

Kiki's delivery service? O0oooo I wanna see that!

I want to see The Purge so bad. Probably going with my bff on Saturday. :3

OMG the new Hobbit trailer!!! OMG ORLANDO BLOOM!!!!!!! I'm so happy, after all these years I get to see him as Legolas again. That was the role that made me love him. X3 <33333333

Cloud Atlas




Really ambitious...

Really long...

Really good...

Just saw The Professional. It's pretty ridiculously creepy, but in a very good way. Thoroughly enjoyable, touches upon a lot of the same tropes as GSG. Would recommend, and will purchase.

This looks AMAZING.

Alfisti wrote:This looks AMAZING.

 That... was awful. I must see it.

Alfisti wrote:This looks AMAZING.

Marisa: That...is...AWESOME!

Claes: I'm pretty sure it's a fake.

Marisa: Life is unfair.

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Alfisti wrote:This looks AMAZING.

Marisa: That...is...AWESOME!

Claes: I'm pretty sure it's a fake.

Marisa: Life is unfair.

 Jim: Ah, well; nothing can be as real as Senna or Rush. And I never liked sharks attacking people anyway.

Yeah, totally had to stop after watching 30 seconds of that Shark movie.....

Alfisti wrote:This looks AMAZING.

 YES!!! That's up there with Dinoshark, Sharktopus, and Sharks in Venice! XDDD I need to watch that movie! 

PACIFIC RIM TONIGHT, BEACHES!!!!! Y'all just don't KNOW how excited I am for this movie.

B-movie theme with Blockbuster budget? GIANT ROBOTS VS. KAIJU!!! ALL ARGUMENTS ARE INVALID FOREVER!!!!one!

Just got back from Pacific Rim, myself. If you don't want any detail spoiled, I'll just say that you should go see this movie right freaking now if you like anything that is mecha-anime inspired or if you just like action movies on any level. I would not, however, expect something completely unpredictable or on the intellectual level of Mass Effect.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. WINGSUIT.

Pacific Rim: Plot was formulaic. Writing was chock full of tropes. Acting was so-so.

Didn't.

Fucking.

Care.

I spent half of it cackling with glee with every new little bit, and several of the one-liners were fantastic. I loved this movie. Seriously, go watch this movie. AWESOME!

Just make sure that the theater you're in has a decent sound system - ours failed to project the awesomeness of kaiju-scale combat.

Tomorrow.

Officer_Charon wrote:Pacific Rim: Plot was formulaic. Writing was chock full of tropes. Acting was so-so.

Didn't.

Fucking.

Care.

I spent half of it cackling with glee with every new little bit, and several of the one-liners were fantastic. I loved this movie. Seriously, go watch this movie. AWESOME!

Just make sure that the theater you're in has a decent sound system - ours failed to project the awesomeness of kaiju-scale combat.

We are so getting a Voltron movie now...

Rico: I want a Jager!  Can you imagine how I could...

Claes: Remember, for each doubling of height, it would be an eightfold increase in mass.

Rico: So?  I want a Jager!

Claes: ...

Today [20 July] marks the premiere of the latest film produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Titled Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises), it is a fictional biography of the aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter of World War II.

An extended trailer for the film starts at about 1:20 in, though I recommend you watch it in YouTube in 1080 HD:



Long live ink and paint. 

A review of the film in English may be found here.

Kiskaloo wrote:Today [20 July] marks the premiere of the latest film produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Titled Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises), it is a fictional biography of the aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter of World War II.

An extended trailer for the film starts at about 1:20 in, though I recommend you watch it in YouTube in 1080 HD:



Long live ink and paint. 

A review of the film in English may be found here.

apparently it's not doing so well as far as the kids go, to long and hard to understand, and given what the story is about I'm guessing it will have poor sales if any in China and Korea !

Slow off the mark I know, but finally got around to seeing Pacific Rim.

That was a terrible movie. I still have no idea what accents they were going for in most cases and I swear I felt my brain shrinking at moments...

...and I absolutely loved every second of it. I might have to go see it again.

I finally saw Pacific Rim, and the only way I could describe it to my family to explain why they should have gone to see it too without giving anything away was a series of childlike sound effects for explosions and fighting with equally childlike arm waving. It blew my mind right in front of my face! I didn't even not-pick (you know, that gun fired too many bullets, no way someone could react that fast, that part of the plot seems a tad contrived, etc.), which is something I almost always do. Good movie. If you haven't seen it, the only acceptable excuse is that it isn't in cinemas near you yet.

Why so serious?

Kiskaloo wrote:Why so serious?

Behold brave Sir Robin, the power of ..... Editing..... 

Jim: Bakame! How dare you use the power of editing? Watashi no densetsu wa 1200-nendai ni hajimarimasu. (My legend begins in the 12th Century.)

Quoted for Truth:

Rush

Kara: "Great film, but in terms of pure racing footage, Grand Prix did that better. Reminded me more of Le Mans, to be honest."

Kiskaloo wrote:Rush

Kara: "Great film, but in terms of pure racing footage, Grand Prix did that better. Reminded me more of Le Mans, to be honest."

Frederic: You do have to admit; the actors bear a similar resemblance to the real people. Well done, Ron. Oh, and Le Mans was good too.

topgearbrzgt86 wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Rush

Kara: "Great film, but in terms of pure racing footage, Grand Prix did that better. Reminded me more of Le Mans, to be honest."

Frederic: You do have to admit; the actors bear a similar resemblance to the real people. Well done, Ron. Oh, and Le Mans was good too.

Heck, I'd watch it, as long as it is better than the tragedy that was Speed Racer the movie... 

MarkRosewater wrote:

topgearbrzgt86 wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Rush

Kara: "Great film, but in terms of pure racing footage, Grand Prix did that better. Reminded me more of Le Mans, to be honest."

Frederic: You do have to admit; the actors bear a similar resemblance to the real people. Well done, Ron. Oh, and Le Mans was good too.

Heck, I'd watch it, as long as it is better than the tragedy that was Speed Racer the movie... 

You want tragedy, try Driven. Saw that one on an airplane and it was so bad I gave serious thought to trying to leave the theater...

Remember that Rocky XXXVIII poster from Airplane 2?

I think that film just was green-lit...

Kiskaloo wrote:Remember that gag Rocky XXXVIII poster from Airplane 2?

I think that film just was green-lit...

Please, not another one... 

Kiskaloo wrote:

MarkRosewater wrote:

topgearbrzgt86 wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Rush

Kara: "Great film, but in terms of pure racing footage, Grand Prix did that better. Reminded me more of Le Mans, to be honest."

Frederic: You do have to admit; the actors bear a similar resemblance to the real people. Well done, Ron. Oh, and Le Mans was good too.

Heck, I'd watch it, as long as it is better than the tragedy that was Speed Racer the movie... 

You want tragedy, try Driven. Saw that one on an airplane and it was so bad I gave serious thought to trying to leave the theater...

It was supposed to be F1-themed, but they completely ruined the movie, Driven! Worst motorsports movie ever!

Rush:
I was pretty impressed...but with a few caveats.
The racing sequences were a bit of a let down...too jerky, shaky, with too many quick camera changes.  Maybe I was just hoping for a better look at the cars.  You can see what the cinematography crew was going for, trying to convey the impression of speed, but for my money the best photographed racing film is still Le Mans.

In the pursuit of making a better movie for the masses Ron Howard invented a good deal of the rivalry he shows in the film.  There is no mention of the fact that Lauda & Hunt once shared a one-room flat in London, or that they always considered each other good friends. 
Don't go into the theater expecting a documentary.

Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is terrific, as are the special effects sequences that had to depend on CGI.  There is one overhead shot of the start-line hairpin at Nurburgring which is incredible...especially considering it hasn't existed for 30 years.

I could ramble on for another 10,000 words, easily.  I don't think Rush is the "perfect" motor racing movie; that remains elusive.  But it's as close as we've gotten and I hope it inspires other studios to tackle the subject.

topgearbrzgt86 wrote:Driven! Worst motorsports movie ever!

It's certainly a candidate for that title.  Rene Harlin should not be trusted with a Fuji disposable camera, much less a motion picture camera.

Professor Voodoo wrote:Rush:
In the pursuit of making a better movie for the masses Ron Howard invented a good deal of the rivalry he shows in the film.  There is no mention of the fact that Lauda & Hunt once shared a one-room flat in London, or that they always considered each other good friends. 
Don't go into the theater expecting a documentary.

You can thank screenwriter Peter Morgan for that. He's known for taking real people and events and using them as jumping off points for scripts delving into the human psyche. Though that has served him well - he received Oscar nominations for The Queen and Frost/Nixon - the latter being a strong influence on how he approached Rush, which he took in no small part because the story is personal to him - his wife is Austrian and knows Lauda. It was Morgan who actually launched the project, later convincing Howard (whom he worked with on Frost/Nixon) to direct after the original director, Paul Greengrass, left to helm Captain Phillips.

It is said Ron Howard watched 'Senna' before doing work on 'Rush' and I feel like that did help him do his homework on this movie, so while Rush is no documentary, it is nonetheless a solid product that has the right amount of authenticity without getting lost in the details.

10/10 would watch again.

Finally got around to watching Pacific Rim. Interesting, like how it was not very serious. Kinda cheesy. but a fun summer film.

GRAVITY

In IMAX 3D, it is as awe-inspiring and epic as space itself.

Kiskaloo wrote:GRAVITY

In IMAX 3D, it is as awe-inspiring and epic as space itself.

I can see why. That seemed like the kind of movie that 3D and surround sound would actually improve.

You know, JJ Abram's Star Trek reboot may have been lauded for being "actually watchable," but I think I actually prefer some of the older Star Trek films.  I just saw Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country recently, and I liked it better than either of the two Abrams Trek films.

Given my history studies it also strikes me that The Undiscovered Country must have been a very timely film when it was released back in 1991, though perhaps some of you who are old enough to actually remember 1991 (I was around, but I was also four) are in a better position to judge that than I am.

I wouldn't call myself particularly a Riddick aficionado, but I enjoyed Pitch Black and while The Chronicles of Riddick wasn't great, the attempt to create a grand sweeping fantasy mythology deserves a nod for the effort at least. I saw the new Riddick in the cinema last week and I enjoyed it too. Tying continuity into the story beyond just references through the Jones character was smartly done, and while the CG backdrops were a bit ropey in a few places I'd say that it's well put-together as a solid action flick.

I watched Barbarella for the first time today - the experience was... intriguing. For a start, I was surprised at just how restrained and tasteful the film turned out to be; its reputation led me to expect big-budget porn, rather than a playfully psychedelic space fantasy. It's not a great film, though, even if we forgive it much as a "cult classic" - I was willing to give Jane Fonda a lot of rope as a girl of childlike wide-eyed naivete in a new sensual world, but in the end... sorry lass, you're just wooden. Also, for a story that's supposed to be a light-hearted adventure it had a real grim downer of an ending, full of slaughter and destruction with an angel being borne aloft on a column of pitch soot... it's actually not a little horrifying! Still, it undeniably had a kitschy sense of style (also some of the sets were visibly creaking) and I liked the soundtrack, whose songs did have a mesmeric quality. Still, Flash Gordon did the kitsch-schtick better.

Robert Frazer wrote: Still, it undeniably had a kitschy sense of style (also some of the sets were visibly creaking) and I liked the soundtrack, whose songs did have a mesmeric quality. Still, Flash Gordon did the kitsch-schtick better.

This is probably the reason I like Barbarella so much, it so wonderfully... 60s. It's terrible, but in the best way possible. Would I personally rate Flash Gordon over it? I don't know, I like Flash Gordon too but... then again, I'm probably looking for different things in a movie.

12 Years a Slave:

   Anyone interested in this film already knows it's pretty heavy subject matter.  As testimony to the pre-US Civil War slavery period it's every bit as brutal & unflinching as Roots or Amistad.  Obviously there are scenes that are difficult to watch, but they are all historically accurate and rarely get gratuitous.  You know your own personal tolerance for that sort of thing...plan accordingly.  

What's notable about this film is the photography.  It's stark, raw, and brilliant.  Unencumbered by excessive musical score it manages to convey passage of time by clever use of focus & lighting changes...while holding extremely long shots between cuts.  Shallow, out of focus horizons convey a sense of being trapped while still showing wide-open space & distance.  I could keep rambling on...the photography in this is terrific.

New trailer for the live action Kiki's Delivery Service movie. As a fan of LA adaptions of anime, I'm really looking forward to seeing this one when it is released, though I expect it will be much closer to the book than Miyazaki's film (which I preferred over the book).

Squeeee!!!

I liked the touch of them using the choral music from 2001: A Space Odyssey as David Bowman travels through the Jupiter Monolith in the background during the HALO drop.

I liked Gareth Edward's Monsters and after the monster work in Pacific Rim, I have a good feeling about this one. At worst, it has to be better than that 1998 turd released by Emmerich and Devlin.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Well that's three hours of my life - and $12.50 - I won't be getting back.

Not recommended at all - especially in high-frame rate 3D. I kept wondering what it reminded me of and it came to me once Sylvester McCoy appeared - a 1980's Doctor Who serial shot on video tape. Seriously, it looks like an HDTV broadcast of a live performance and nothing at all like film.

Disney's Frozen is excellent.  It's probably the emotionally-effective film that is not made by Pixar (and surpasses some of Pixar's outings as well).  While it is supposedly inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen, that's at best an "inspired by" and is in no way an attempt to render the classic fairy tale to screen.

Taken on its own, it's a wonderful tale of siblings not as rivals, but being faithful to each other in spite of ill fate and darker human intent.  Oh, and like most Disney stories, it has an amazing soundtrack and top-notch vocal talnts.  Here is one of the blowout songs from it, performed by the one-and-only Idina Menzel.

Frozen is on my Netflix Blu-ray rental list (once it is released). I adored Tangled, so I have high hopes.
 
Next up for theatrical viewing will be 47 RONIN and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

 
Speaking to the power of a good trailer, I didn't know what this was about, but I was bummed to learn I would have to wait a year to see it: