Chappie. I watched it. On purpose. I've done a bad, bad thing.
[Movies] Talk about the last movie you saw 2: Electric Threadaloo
- Thread starter Dave
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Ant-Man was great. It was a lot of fun, and the casting was fantastic.
But poor Anthony.
Also, holy shit that CG work to make Douglas look younger. Insane.
Yeah that's actually what I was thinking of when I saw him,
like it was nearly indistinguishable from Hayley Atwell's old lady makeup.
Watched Ant-Man with my wife. She's not a huge fan of MCU films, she's watched them with me but they don't leave an impression on her. She was afraid there would be references to characters or plotlines from other movies that she wouldn't catch. I reassured her that Ant-Man is a new character in the franchise, and he's got his own story to tell, so there probably won't be that many connections to the other films.
I hope it's not a spoiler to say I ended up whispering explanations to her throughout lots of the film.
Still though, quite a nice film, good casting and acting, and the effects were impressive. Can't decide if the plot is a "rehash of" or an "homage to" earlier MCU films though.
I hope it's not a spoiler to say I ended up whispering explanations to her throughout lots of the film.
Still though, quite a nice film, good casting and acting, and the effects were impressive. Can't decide if the plot is a "rehash of" or an "homage to" earlier MCU films though.
fade
Staff member
Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore were funny. The rest of Sandler's career, the studios have been trying to recreate the magic formula that made those two work, and it hasn't happened. It's like the Super Soldier Formula, only more like the Popcorn Summer Comedy Formula. I think part of it was the times. That was a weird time for Gen X, who were sort of in the Boomers' shadows, and both of those movies played on that.
Speaking of which:
Wayne's World
My kids love late 80s-early 90s movies. It's weird. I never would have guessed that, and I can't really think of a good analog from when I was a kid. Maybe Westerns? This movie held up okay. Especially Garth, who kind of carries the movie. Weird to see Tobias Beecher from Oz (not sure of the actor's name and haven't googled it) and Brendan Fraser as airheaded background characters. Fun though.
Speaking of which:
Wayne's World
My kids love late 80s-early 90s movies. It's weird. I never would have guessed that, and I can't really think of a good analog from when I was a kid. Maybe Westerns? This movie held up okay. Especially Garth, who kind of carries the movie. Weird to see Tobias Beecher from Oz (not sure of the actor's name and haven't googled it) and Brendan Fraser as airheaded background characters. Fun though.
Watched Repo. Wow, that was awful. Anthony Head is the only redeeming part of the movie.
Agreed, I saw it in theaters and that sucksauce of an ending STILL plagues me.
The Mysterians: This is a low-budget alien invasion movie from Japan circa 1957, by the same company and director that made the original Godzilla.
With that information in mind--it was good. If you can ignore the effects work--actually, that's not right, because the cheapo effects are part of the charm. This movie wouldn't work if it were updated, but it's well-paced aside from when the U.N. isn't having Japanese translated into English. It's not smart, but it's colorful, has a little bit of creep value, and there's plenty of toy airships, tanks, etc melting each other. I wondered where the Godzilla movies got the maser tanks and the radar dishes with heat waves--now I know! I don't know what it is, but this only works because of it's Japanese sensibilities. The creepy shit, the weird level of sympathy. It's bizarre, but I enjoy it.
The soundtrack is fucking addicting.
With that information in mind--it was good. If you can ignore the effects work--actually, that's not right, because the cheapo effects are part of the charm. This movie wouldn't work if it were updated, but it's well-paced aside from when the U.N. isn't having Japanese translated into English. It's not smart, but it's colorful, has a little bit of creep value, and there's plenty of toy airships, tanks, etc melting each other. I wondered where the Godzilla movies got the maser tanks and the radar dishes with heat waves--now I know! I don't know what it is, but this only works because of it's Japanese sensibilities. The creepy shit, the weird level of sympathy. It's bizarre, but I enjoy it.
The soundtrack is fucking addicting.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Is everything really awesome? On its own? Well...no. The movie is an amazing undertaking, with the animators making sure that everything appearing in it can be made with actual Lego (or other) bricks. They got cameos from cameo people, and the comedy and jokes are right there for the adults. And if that was all the movie was, it would've just stayed really, really good. Fortunately for me, I had managed to avoid spoilers and so I was caught completely unprepared for the metamovie. Because I usually get home from work too late to spend any time with the family, we had made a special point of getting the movie and getting all the daily chores out of the way so we could watch it as a family before Cary’s bedtime, and none of us knew it was coming. Well, much like my earlier review of Inside Out, the metamovie and its portrayal of parental priorities was particularly poignant. It also works to elevate the surrounding movie to awesome status, once it hits you as to what is really going on, and then all the cliché and puerility finally make perfect sense.
--Patrick
(Actually watched this movie near the end of June, just now getting around to reviewing it)
Is everything really awesome? On its own? Well...no. The movie is an amazing undertaking, with the animators making sure that everything appearing in it can be made with actual Lego (or other) bricks. They got cameos from cameo people, and the comedy and jokes are right there for the adults. And if that was all the movie was, it would've just stayed really, really good. Fortunately for me, I had managed to avoid spoilers and so I was caught completely unprepared for the metamovie. Because I usually get home from work too late to spend any time with the family, we had made a special point of getting the movie and getting all the daily chores out of the way so we could watch it as a family before Cary’s bedtime, and none of us knew it was coming. Well, much like my earlier review of Inside Out, the metamovie and its portrayal of parental priorities was particularly poignant. It also works to elevate the surrounding movie to awesome status, once it hits you as to what is really going on, and then all the cliché and puerility finally make perfect sense.
--Patrick
(Actually watched this movie near the end of June, just now getting around to reviewing it)
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I couldn't disagree more. I absolutely loved that movie.[DOUBLEPOST=1438042112,1438042014][/DOUBLEPOST]
I very much enjoyed Little Nicky. It was stupid as hell, but it was still fun. Also, the actors knew how dumb it was and played it for all it was worth.
The scene where he falls asleep in the park makes me laugh every time I even think about it.
I had the same reaction. That moment the movie went from "really good" to "wow."
Watched Godzilla 2014 again. Even now, this movie is so frustrating, because I do like so much of it, but some parts are just trying, pacing-wise especially. It's all worth it when you get to the third act, but you gotta sit through some really unnecessary Ford Brody to get there. Come to think of it, this is probably why my favorite Toho Godzilla movies are some of the weird ones. When the monsters aren't battling, it's nice to have the other characters dealing with alien invaders, or time travel invaders, or mystical moth-worshipers.
Still, it's a good Godzilla movie. My wife's reactions were against the military being stupid, and pointing out how Godzilla had done nothing to them. Giddy squealing came up when that blue light flickered in the debris cloud. Goddamn, that last act of the movie is so satisfying.
Still, it's a good Godzilla movie. My wife's reactions were against the military being stupid, and pointing out how Godzilla had done nothing to them. Giddy squealing came up when that blue light flickered in the debris cloud. Goddamn, that last act of the movie is so satisfying.
Take any of Ford's lines and imagine Cranston saying them, and it sounds better. Just the way he speaks and emotes can carry a scene.
Me too. It's actually a lot more clever than people give it credit for.
The film doesn't actually get completely insane until after he's shot. Which was a neat touch.
Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla: I remember this one being unpopular among Godzilla fans years ago, so I'd keep quiet that I kind of liked it, despite Pokemon-looking Godzilla Jr. Tried watching it with the dub the way I used to watch it on Sci-Fi (before it became SyFy) but I couldn't put up with it and switched over. Junior's design no longer bugs me as an adult. Don't know why I was so anti-cute when I was a teenager, but I don't mind his big goofy face now; just felt bad for him while SpaceGodzilla torments him.
Even though I like it, the movie's too long. Between the telepathy project, the magic blood bullet, and the Yakuza wanting to control Godzilla, the subplots revolving around Junior's island needed cutting and trimming.
But overall, it was actually better than I remember (probbably thanks to watching it subbed). SpaceGodzilla is such an asshole. While Godzilla in the 90s was force of nature, SpaceGodzilla was really just a villainous piece of shit. I'm sure with all his psychic crap, he was telling Godzilla and Junior a lot of nasty stuff. I like his design and his whole crystal thing.
The space effects ... are hilarious. I remembered the silly asteroid field, but I forgot about the "NASA" footage. And I forgot about the cheesy song at the end, which they apparently played in the movie's theatrical trailer for some reason. But I never really get Japanese movie trailers; they're built so differently from American ones. Even ones for Studio Ghibli, which are amazing films, the trailer just feel jarring and disjointed. Also, while this looks better on Blu Ray than DVD, Toho's use of rear screen projection shows vast differences in quality depending on which portion of the film was being viewed on a screen, i.e. lots of specks and grain. Most of the movie looks fine; just those rear projection shots are shoddy.
Even though I like it, the movie's too long. Between the telepathy project, the magic blood bullet, and the Yakuza wanting to control Godzilla, the subplots revolving around Junior's island needed cutting and trimming.
But overall, it was actually better than I remember (probbably thanks to watching it subbed). SpaceGodzilla is such an asshole. While Godzilla in the 90s was force of nature, SpaceGodzilla was really just a villainous piece of shit. I'm sure with all his psychic crap, he was telling Godzilla and Junior a lot of nasty stuff. I like his design and his whole crystal thing.
The space effects ... are hilarious. I remembered the silly asteroid field, but I forgot about the "NASA" footage. And I forgot about the cheesy song at the end, which they apparently played in the movie's theatrical trailer for some reason. But I never really get Japanese movie trailers; they're built so differently from American ones. Even ones for Studio Ghibli, which are amazing films, the trailer just feel jarring and disjointed. Also, while this looks better on Blu Ray than DVD, Toho's use of rear screen projection shows vast differences in quality depending on which portion of the film was being viewed on a screen, i.e. lots of specks and grain. Most of the movie looks fine; just those rear projection shots are shoddy.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Sony pictures takes a risk on Adam Sandler. It mostly pays off. I saw there's a sequel coming up, so I thought I should get the original out of the way.
I'm going to get my biggest gripe out of the way first. This movie tries waaaaay too hard to pander to young adults. The anachronisms are jarring and painful and feel shoehorned in. Tweens won't notice, it'll only get to people who care about things like characters, plot, continuity, and social interaction. Younger kids should love it, they don't care about plot holes and the adult jokes will probably go right over their heads. I realize that sort of immaturity is a hallmark of Sandler, so I can't really say it was unexpected, though.
The movie itself does tell a good growing-up-as-a-family story. Mavis is actually believable and acts like a real person, and we can tell that Dracula's first priority really is his daughter. There are plenty of comedy beats of varying shapes and sizes (slapstick, innuendo, puns, sight gags), and Kevin James does a spot on impression of Seth Rogen through the entire movie, enough so that I didn't realize it was James until the end credits. The biggest surprise? Sandler himself as Dracula. I was not expecting that at all. If this is how he acts in animated features, then he needs to do more animated features, because he really brought the character to life*.
I suppose I have to come down on the side of liking it (minus the parts I already mentioned for the reasons I already mentioned). It has plenty of the sort of charm portrayed by The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast, and it doesn't get so lost in "We're Sony!" or "I'm Adam Sandler" or "I'm Adam Sandler's Friend!" that it stops being entertaining. Andy could've toned it down a little, though.
Kati didn't like it. She thought it wasn't funny, there were too many tropes ("Why all the shrunken heads gotta be sassy?"), the romance was too convenient, and that Adam Sandler isn't funny any more and he knows it. Also the female characters were either matronly or nags, except for Mavis, who was the one closest to actually having a personality.
--Patrick
Sony pictures takes a risk on Adam Sandler. It mostly pays off. I saw there's a sequel coming up, so I thought I should get the original out of the way.
I'm going to get my biggest gripe out of the way first. This movie tries waaaaay too hard to pander to young adults. The anachronisms are jarring and painful and feel shoehorned in. Tweens won't notice, it'll only get to people who care about things like characters, plot, continuity, and social interaction. Younger kids should love it, they don't care about plot holes and the adult jokes will probably go right over their heads. I realize that sort of immaturity is a hallmark of Sandler, so I can't really say it was unexpected, though.
The movie itself does tell a good growing-up-as-a-family story. Mavis is actually believable and acts like a real person, and we can tell that Dracula's first priority really is his daughter. There are plenty of comedy beats of varying shapes and sizes (slapstick, innuendo, puns, sight gags), and Kevin James does a spot on impression of Seth Rogen through the entire movie, enough so that I didn't realize it was James until the end credits. The biggest surprise? Sandler himself as Dracula. I was not expecting that at all. If this is how he acts in animated features, then he needs to do more animated features, because he really brought the character to life*.
I suppose I have to come down on the side of liking it (minus the parts I already mentioned for the reasons I already mentioned). It has plenty of the sort of charm portrayed by The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast, and it doesn't get so lost in "We're Sony!" or "I'm Adam Sandler" or "I'm Adam Sandler's Friend!" that it stops being entertaining. Andy could've toned it down a little, though.
Kati didn't like it. She thought it wasn't funny, there were too many tropes ("Why all the shrunken heads gotta be sassy?"), the romance was too convenient, and that Adam Sandler isn't funny any more and he knows it. Also the female characters were either matronly or nags, except for Mavis, who was the one closest to actually having a personality.
--Patrick
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
It was okay, verging on good. The action was good, and the nods to the earlier movies were fun to spot. The plot seemed rather nonsensical at times though, and the antagonists never really felt like a serious threat. You know how the trailer called them the "anti-IMF" and they're called a "rogue nation" in the film's title? Yeah, they're neither.
The review for it seem to be pretty strong, so I guess I might be being a bit overcritical. But on the whole, I'd say it's a solid B.
It was okay, verging on good. The action was good, and the nods to the earlier movies were fun to spot. The plot seemed rather nonsensical at times though, and the antagonists never really felt like a serious threat. You know how the trailer called them the "anti-IMF" and they're called a "rogue nation" in the film's title? Yeah, they're neither.
The review for it seem to be pretty strong, so I guess I might be being a bit overcritical. But on the whole, I'd say it's a solid B.
Japanese Godziilla vs. King Kong
I didn't think it could be funnier to watch, but it was. The film crew knew ex-ACTLY what movie they were making here, especially with all the people betting on the outcome. Also I didn't the horribly dubbed American actors were just great.
I didn't think it could be funnier to watch, but it was. The film crew knew ex-ACTLY what movie they were making here, especially with all the people betting on the outcome. Also I didn't the horribly dubbed American actors were just great.
It's funny that both American and Japanese versions use way too serious of music for a movie that doesn't merit it. Though I haven't seen all of the Japanese version. I got too nostalgic for the American version I've watched since I was 3 and switched to that. I should really try going through the whole Japanese version sometime.
I need a translation over here!
Sorry, that was from my phone. There's a scene with American characters and their lines are dubbed HILARIOUSLY bad.
Ant-Man
Well, that was a whole lot of fun. I'd put it below Avengers 1, Winter Soldier, and Guardians, but not very far below.
The third act alone, where everything comes together and it's basically a non-stop ride until the end, is worth the price of admission. A lot of great special effects and some VERY clever usage of the shrinking powers. I still have to wonder how Edgar Wright's final product would've compared, but you can see bits and pieces of him throughout the movie. Especially in how it all ties in together or how throwaway lines (like Luis mentioning he was the only one who knocked out the big, tough guy in prison) actually pay off. Actually, speaking of Luis, that's probably one of the few criticisms about the movie: Scott's heist buddies are basically walking stereotypes. There's not much to them outside of the stereotypes, though Luis gets a little more to play with.
Also, while it was definitely the second best part of the movie, the bit that crosses over with The Avengers felt like a last-minute tack-on. Still a lot of fun, though.
So yeah, I really enjoyed it. It'll definitely be a repeat watch for me in the future. In fact, the girlfriend already wants to see it a second time this Tuesday.
Well, that was a whole lot of fun. I'd put it below Avengers 1, Winter Soldier, and Guardians, but not very far below.
The third act alone, where everything comes together and it's basically a non-stop ride until the end, is worth the price of admission. A lot of great special effects and some VERY clever usage of the shrinking powers. I still have to wonder how Edgar Wright's final product would've compared, but you can see bits and pieces of him throughout the movie. Especially in how it all ties in together or how throwaway lines (like Luis mentioning he was the only one who knocked out the big, tough guy in prison) actually pay off. Actually, speaking of Luis, that's probably one of the few criticisms about the movie: Scott's heist buddies are basically walking stereotypes. There's not much to them outside of the stereotypes, though Luis gets a little more to play with.
Also, while it was definitely the second best part of the movie, the bit that crosses over with The Avengers felt like a last-minute tack-on. Still a lot of fun, though.
So yeah, I really enjoyed it. It'll definitely be a repeat watch for me in the future. In fact, the girlfriend already wants to see it a second time this Tuesday.
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Dave
Staff member
I'm surprised and happy to see the Little Nicky love here. It's one of my guilty pleasures. It has so many callbacks to other earlier (better) Sandler movies and characters that crossed over that it's just dumb fun.
"I will eat your heart!"
"Popeye's Chicken's fucking awesome!"
(On how to eat said chicken) "You put it in your mouth and let the meat slide down your throat hole!"
"The DEEP South!"
Just stupid, stupid fun.
"I will eat your heart!"
"Popeye's Chicken's fucking awesome!"
(On how to eat said chicken) "You put it in your mouth and let the meat slide down your throat hole!"
"The DEEP South!"
Just stupid, stupid fun.
Still on a kaiju kick.
Frankenstein Conquers the World: With the DVD being out of print, I watched this through sources. Last time I saw it was probably 10 years ago on Youtube, so this was better--at least as good as the American version can be, with its audio and editing glitches. At least the dub for this movie is solid; the actors are at least giving a shit and emoting. As for the movie itself, most of it's fun with lot's of weird and crazy shit happening. Unfortunately the plot's momentum dies for a while just before the climax and the final battle is less interesting than the rest of the film, probably because Baragon is there like "let's just toss in a random dinosaur!"
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1992): My brain must have gone fuckety back in 2007, because I have imagery of this movie that isn't in the damn movie, and a different memory of the plot too. And no, I didn't confuse it with the 1974 movie. Or the 2002 movie. I also remember not liking it much, but that wasn't the case here. In a lot of ways it's a better movie than vs Spacegodzilla, but for some reason I still like that one more. But this one's busy, silly stuff early on, cool stuff later. I still prefer Showa Rodan to Heisei/Fire Rodan, but at least he got to be in the Heisei movies.
Frankenstein Conquers the World: With the DVD being out of print, I watched this through sources. Last time I saw it was probably 10 years ago on Youtube, so this was better--at least as good as the American version can be, with its audio and editing glitches. At least the dub for this movie is solid; the actors are at least giving a shit and emoting. As for the movie itself, most of it's fun with lot's of weird and crazy shit happening. Unfortunately the plot's momentum dies for a while just before the climax and the final battle is less interesting than the rest of the film, probably because Baragon is there like "let's just toss in a random dinosaur!"
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1992): My brain must have gone fuckety back in 2007, because I have imagery of this movie that isn't in the damn movie, and a different memory of the plot too. And no, I didn't confuse it with the 1974 movie. Or the 2002 movie. I also remember not liking it much, but that wasn't the case here. In a lot of ways it's a better movie than vs Spacegodzilla, but for some reason I still like that one more. But this one's busy, silly stuff early on, cool stuff later. I still prefer Showa Rodan to Heisei/Fire Rodan, but at least he got to be in the Heisei movies.
Yup, you are correct. I must've typed Godzilla vs Mothra 1992 so many times in my playlist organizing this morning that I stamped in the date. Now to go update a couple Tumblr posts. Thanks.
I thought maybe you meant the 1977 version, but then I discovered that the one I saw in the theater in 1977 was just the 1974 version but rereleased.
--Patrick
Yours was the only U.S. release; I go by Japan's dates, so '74 for them was '77 for us. They also named it three different things, which led to the Sci-Fi channel running a marathon that consisted of multiple entries of the same movie.
Little me: "Oh cool, Godzilla vs the Bionic Monster, I've never seen that one--oh, wait, it's just Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla. Wait, Godzilla vs the Cosmic Monster? That's new, I can't wait to--oh, it's just Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla too. Oh boy, Godzilla on Monster Island, I wonder what he does in--it's Godzilla vs Gigan ..."
Innocence died that day.
They only tacked the II onto the 1993 movie to avoid confusion, except Terror of Mechagodzilla is the real sequel to the original, which isn't even in continuity with the 90s films. If they'd just differentiated, I could've said the title without dropping a date and thus avoided shaming myself.
Ant man
Damn good Marvel movie, with a great climax .
Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F
WELL *CLAP* scratch seeing a dragon Ball film in theaters off my bucket list. I really loved it, the action, the humor, the fact that Crillin's ringtone was the greatest easter egg of all time, just a fun flick.
Damn good Marvel movie, with a great climax .
Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F
WELL *CLAP* scratch seeing a dragon Ball film in theaters off my bucket list. I really loved it, the action, the humor, the fact that Crillin's ringtone was the greatest easter egg of all time, just a fun flick.
War of the Gargantuas: I don't know what to make of this one. I only saw it once when I was 9 on Sci-Fi channel, so I had very little memory of it. The pacing is strange; they spend a good deal of movie trying to figure out if this is actually a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World, so I have no idea what they discuss in the dub for those scenes. It's more than halfway through the movie before the other gargantua shows up. I love Akira Ifukube, big time, but I don't know what he was thinking with the theme of this movie, because the blaring trumpet sounds silly as hell and the movie replays those notes over and over, so scenes of Gaila eating people or being menacing have "Waaa-ee-aaa-ee-aaaaaa" playing and kills the mood.
On the plus side, the monster fights felt more emotional than they usually do, definitely moreso than Frankenstein fighting random Baragon. That said, that ending ... really comes out of nowhere. I feel like if you skip the Baragon stuff and end of the first movie, and then watched all of this one, it makes for a good single movie together (just pretend Kumi Mizuno is playing the same character). As it is ... I don't dislike it exactly, but I'm glad I bought the DVD set for Rodan and not this one.
Godzilla vs Destoroyah: First time getting to watch it subbed. Holds up from my memories as a teen. Still get teared-up at the end, every time.
On the plus side, the monster fights felt more emotional than they usually do, definitely moreso than Frankenstein fighting random Baragon. That said, that ending ... really comes out of nowhere. I feel like if you skip the Baragon stuff and end of the first movie, and then watched all of this one, it makes for a good single movie together (just pretend Kumi Mizuno is playing the same character). As it is ... I don't dislike it exactly, but I'm glad I bought the DVD set for Rodan and not this one.
Godzilla vs Destoroyah: First time getting to watch it subbed. Holds up from my memories as a teen. Still get teared-up at the end, every time.
I wonder: am I the only one who, except for Zero Esc here, was pretty much unaware there were more than, say, 2 or 3 Godzilla movies and remakes? I mean, Godzilla's Godzilla, right? He's a big monster, attacks the city, gets defeated, or, whoops, he's a big monster, protects the city.
Not saying I'm not interested or complaining, to be clear, I'm just honestly surprised how many of these were made and how much of a difference there seems to be between them.
Not saying I'm not interested or complaining, to be clear, I'm just honestly surprised how many of these were made and how much of a difference there seems to be between them.
Just wait until you find out about the Heisei Gamera films...
I gotta watch the other five G-films I haven't seen, as well as straight up buy the original "Gojira" on DVD.
I also saw the original suit-actor at Monster Mania, as well as the original Ultraman suit-actor, both of them were freaking great. My favorite bit from Nakajima was how every other Godzilla actor uses HIS movements for reference, while the only reference the directors gave him was- "Walk like a mysterious creature." And I found it funny how for the several weeks working on the film he still had no idea what the monster was called, it still being the G-project.
I also saw the original suit-actor at Monster Mania, as well as the original Ultraman suit-actor, both of them were freaking great. My favorite bit from Nakajima was how every other Godzilla actor uses HIS movements for reference, while the only reference the directors gave him was- "Walk like a mysterious creature." And I found it funny how for the several weeks working on the film he still had no idea what the monster was called, it still being the G-project.