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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 19, 2018 17:19:11 GMT -5
Not super new but I saw the Tom Cruise Mummy flick and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard. It wasn't a true horror film persay but it was a decent action flick. That they went action focused over horror and that the movie was more about Tom Cruise than Mummy oriented is likely what sunk the movie and any future Universal Monster connected Universe. Kind of the same for the Dracula Untold 2014 movie with Luke Evans. I'm an oddball as I liked Untold as well. Again, it didn't blow me away but it was interesting enough. |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 24, 2018 8:48:22 GMT -5
Saw the House with the Clock in its Walls this Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great start for this year Halloween movies (Hellfest next week and Halloween following week) at the big screen. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett make a wonderfully magical comedic duo (yes i am "pun"ishing you) here in Eli Roth's first ever PG rated Kids horror movie. There is a cleverness and depth to this movie that draws you in quickly and you find yourself gazing at all the incredible backgrounds of the House set itself. Inventive and a good start to what may become an ongoing movie series. Not as heavy emotionally as the Potter world and yet I still had tears at moments during this movie. Truly charming romp that takes us back to when horror was not all about the blood and screams but about the tone and setting and chills and thrills. The effects are done well and tons of eerie spookiness permeates the movie. A must see on the movie screen (they way it is meant to be seen) for kids and adults. I will be getting a bag of popcorn and seeing again before all Hallow's Eve comes around.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 24, 2018 9:25:06 GMT -5
I watched both Rampage and Spiderman Homecoming yesterday. Rampage was a really great fun and exciting film. While very different from the video game origins it was still really good. I would recommend it for a fun action film when you are in the mood.
Homecoming I found very underwhelming. Not bad by any means, but nothing I'd care to see again, and to be honest I was kind of wanting it to end. It was just pretty boring to me, and nothing really stood out. It seemed no one was really into wanting to play their roles. Maybe that was just my impression because my son had watched it earlier and was all hyped to watch it again with me. So I dunno.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 24, 2018 9:51:39 GMT -5
Funny, I just watched Spider-man: Homecoming again last night and found it just as fun and entertaining as I did the first time I saw. For me, it hit all of the right notes for a superhero movie in general and a Spider-man movie in particular.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 29, 2018 18:24:58 GMT -5
H.P. Lovecraft said “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown“.
The endless is a movie that understands that. It’s amazing how it’s always low budget movies that best manage to get the Lovecraft mindset right!
“Show, don’t tell” isn’t even right in this case. “Barely show, don’t actually tell, suggest” is a better piece of advice!
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Post by brutalis on Oct 1, 2018 8:24:45 GMT -5
You can save pennies by waiting for Hellfest rather than seeing upon the big screen. There are many nice and good things about this one but it lacks any heart, soul or real scares. It looks gorgeous and is very well made. Good actors but they aren't given anything to work with. Lots of good false scare/jumps which can make it a fun date movie. The atmosphere of the movie at the Hellfest is splendid and well done (most likely because Six Flags bought into the movie to make the mazes and rides part of their own Halloween set up) with great backgrounds for the movie. Tony Todd is given some pomp as his horror movie roots are recognized. The "kills" are some of the weakest and uninspiring (several seen before) with a lack of general fear or shock to them. The killer is given no reason or background or characterization (wishing to create another Michael Myers the "shape" sensation) or motivation as to why he kills, he just does. There simply isn't enough here to sell it as a must see at any theater. Wait for a cheap rental or $5 bin at Wal-Mart for next Halloween...
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Post by Jesse on Oct 10, 2018 12:29:24 GMT -5
I don't usually look forward to remakes but John Lithgow in the role of Herman Munster I'm in.
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Post by brutalis on Oct 22, 2018 8:10:06 GMT -5
Saw the 2018 Halloween (or is it Halloween 2 now?) and had a funderful time. This one captured the essence of Carpenter/Hill's original movie while taking it into new places. Some plot holes of course (this seems to be a "major" issue of movies these days?) but not truly noticeable until after the movie is over and you have time to think upon all you have seen. The Shape is in fine killing form after 40 years and they make every effort to show that he is "more" than just a slasher with some interesting and creative kills throughout. Many scenes and killings evoke (i.e.: reinterpreted) his kills in the other Halloween movies over the years and kids are seen in Silver Shamrock holiday masks during the trick or treating. Laurie and her family are characterized quite strongly and yet the teens as always are the dumbest around waiting to be slaughtered. That the prey becomes the hunter and the hunter becomes the prey everyone knows yet the scares and build up to the final confrontation remain fresh and interesting. Overall a very superb re-imagining that works well and promises for more scares to come.
And you know there will be sequels. With a cost of around 10 million to make and making almost 80 million in US and International sales a sequel will be approved. Money talks!
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Post by brutalis on Nov 5, 2018 14:00:25 GMT -5
Watched 2 at the theater this weekend.
1st up was Bohemian Rhapsody the Freddie Mercury/Queen bio-pic. Considering all the troubles and time this movie went through over the years to getting made it turns out to be a fairly entertaining and semi-accurate telling. The cast are all damn near perfect in their portrayals and Rami Malek captures Mercury extremely well and should get an Oscar nod. The picture itself evokes the 70's and early 80's pop culture blasting Queen's music whenever possible without delving too deeply into the issues. Brian May and Robert Taylor were creative consultants so there is some authenticity to the actions within and respect is given to every band member of Queen even though this is primarily about Mercury. Rather than dig deep and go with a more speculative vision of Freddie's flamboyant lifestyle and eccentricities they chose to keep this as a "family friendly" movie focuses on the lighter story of the band forming and Mercury being the outspoken and show stealing front-man of the group. Yes they could have done a more thorough "adult" exploration of Freddie's life and antics and eventual death from Aids but instead deliver an entertaining romp. The movie ends on a high feel good note with a complete recreation of the 20 minute Live Aid set that makes you feel like you are seeing the concert in person. What could have been a spectacular flop or a highly motivating movie instead is a really good movie which plays it safe. It cost approximately 50-55 million to make and it has made that cost back for the weekend opening. So it may be considered a successful movie. If you don't know anything about the group Queen and Freddie Mercury then the movie makes a great introduction. Yes it plays fast and loose in the timelines and only lightly touches upon the despair of Mercury's life but it's very much worth seeing.
The 2nd movie of the weekend was Disney's the Nutcracker and the Four Realms. A gorgeous and truly exquisite visual delight to behold without much else. Not an adaption of the musical ballet but based on a short story there is only one ballet scene used within the movie and the music is used through as some background/incidental music. There is very little characterization, acting or plot within the movie. It is all spectacle over quality. There are some nice moments but lots of getting lost and non-connecting where you ask what just happened or why did that happen? No real depth or personality or soul is given to any of the characters and you really don't find yourself feeling anything for most of them. You walk away in the end wishing for something more. Keira Knightley steals the show as the Sugar Plum fairy. Costing in the $125 million range this is another big loss for Disney at the theater.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 7, 2018 12:20:43 GMT -5
Watched 2 at the theater this weekend. 1st up was Bohemian Rhapsody the Freddie Mercury/Queen bio-pic. Considering all the troubles and time this movie went through over the years to getting made it turns out to be a fairly entertaining and semi-accurate telling. The cast are all damn near perfect in their portrayals and Rami Malek captures Mercury extremely well and should get an Oscar nod. The picture itself evokes the 70's and early 80's pop culture blasting Queen's music whenever possible without delving too deeply into the issues. Brian May and Robert Taylor were creative consultants so there is some authenticity to the actions within and respect is given to every band member of Queen even though this is primarily about Mercury. Rather than dig deep and go with a more speculative vision of Freddie's flamboyant lifestyle and eccentricities they chose to keep this as a "family friendly" movie focuses on the lighter story of the band forming and Mercury being the outspoken and show stealing front-man of the group. Yes they could have done a more thorough "adult" exploration of Freddie's life and antics and eventual death from Aids but instead deliver an entertaining romp. The movie ends on a high feel good note with a complete recreation of the 20 minute Live Aid set that makes you feel like you are seeing the concert in person. What could have been a spectacular flop or a highly motivating movie instead is a really good movie which plays it safe. It cost approximately 50-55 million to make and it has made that cost back for the weekend opening. So it may be considered a successful movie. If you don't know anything about the group Queen and Freddie Mercury then the movie makes a great introduction. Yes it plays fast and loose in the timelines and only lightly touches upon the despair of Mercury's life but it's very much worth seeing. The 2nd movie of the weekend was Disney's the Nutcracker and the Four Realms. A gorgeous and truly exquisite visual delight to behold without much else. Not an adaption of the musical ballet but based on a short story there is only one ballet scene used within the movie and the music is used through as some background/incidental music. There is very little characterization, acting or plot within the movie. It is all spectacle over quality. There are some nice moments but lots of getting lost and non-connecting where you ask what just happened or why did that happen? No real depth or personality or soul is given to any of the characters and you really don't find yourself feeling anything for most of them. You walk away in the end wishing for something more. Keira Knightley steals the show as the Sugar Plum fairy. Costing in the $125 million range this is another big loss for Disney at the theater. My wife and I just saw Bohemian Rhapsody and we found it to be dull and bland. Everything was pigeon-holed into Hollywood formula, ignoring a more compelling story in the reality of things, even for a "family friendly" movie. Malek is good as Freddie, though the material never really lets him stretch through most of the film; a few specific scenes, yes. As a biopic, it is typical Hollywood playing very fast and very loose with real history, from the history of the band, to Live Aid, to Freddie's illness, all for the sake of manipulating an audience (especially one too young to know better). I'm sure, now, every young person who sees it actually believes Queen was broken up and Freddie told them he had AIDS, before Live Aid, to get them to reform and play. He was diagnosed around late 1986/1987. They had an album out just before Live Aid and were working on the soundtrack for Highlander, which formed the core of A Kind of Magic, which they toured with the following year. Freddie was determined to steal Live Aid to give a shot to their upcoming tour and album, as their sales had slumped, with less air play and even MTV moving on. Live Aid was considered to be the moment that revitalized them. It ignores that they played Wembley, solo, the following year, and produced two more albums after that. The film could have been so much more. The music pieces are well done, though the timeline of albums and songs is all over the place. You hear them talking about MTV, while they are arguing about disco and "Another One Bites the Dust." That was the end of the 70s; MTV debuted in the summer of 1981. They make it seem like "I Want to Break Free," was the video banned from MTV, and imply it was due to the drag element. The truth is that video got massive airplay on MTV and it was "Body Language," which featured sparsely clothed dancers, with arrows pointing to specific areas of the body, writhing over each other, that got banned from the Network (in the pre-Madonna rolling around the MTV Video Awards stage days). To me, the bad history and sanitized story were major detractors, plus the cliched story beats. For my wife, who cares less about that stuff, she mostly found it boring, not really coming alive until the Live Aid segment. |
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Post by brutalis on Nov 12, 2018 8:50:23 GMT -5
Saw the new Grinch animated movie Saturday morning and was less than impressed. There are some nice moments and funny moments but to me this movie lacked any real heart or soul to it. It's almost a typical holiday movie created for marketing purposes with a check list all the way through. Show Grinch as "bad" and then turn "good" in the end. Is Max cute. Are the Who's/Whoville saccharine coated enough? Is Cindy Lou who cute enough. Are there enough Christmas Carol's included for an album? Is there an annoying Rap update of the Grinch theme? Check each box as you go through the movie.
The movie is pretty much aimed at the youngest denomination of children who might be scared by the original Chuck Jones animated Karloff tale or the Ron Howard Jim Carrey juggernaut. This new movie has so much inserted that is either wasted or mindless unnecessary filler which detracts from the story itself. I think Cumberbatch's voice isn't well suited to the Grinch we all know and imagine or hear in our heads. I feel his Grinch is also too "friendly" and a toned down grumpy neighbor more than being a mean spirited scoundrel and thief of Christmas. Too much kindness when he should be grouchy and green inside and out through thick and thin until the big turnaround for the finale.
There are too many scenes you sit through and tolerate waiting for those Grinch scenes and walking away going meh after sitting through it all...
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Post by brutalis on Nov 19, 2018 8:12:09 GMT -5
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is an odd mix of a movie. Not enough of the Fantastic Beasts and a host of terrific actors mostly lost in a complex (almost convoluted) story that's interesting and yet fails somewhat since it really is half of a movie and we have to wait 2 more years to see how it all plays out. It is a supremely well made movie, very detailed and nuanced with spectacular effects and gorgeous to wander through and yet most of the characters aren't given much heart or soul and fail to really interact with one another very much. This is one movie that will play much better when you can sit and watch it as part of the collected Fantastic Beasts 5 movie set. Watching it as a stand alone you leave it in the end wondering what is next and with out a doubt you will truly need to watch it again before seeing the sequel in 2020 to freshen your memory.
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Post by The Captain on Nov 24, 2018 14:31:36 GMT -5
brutalis, I took my older daughter to see Fantastic Beasts 2 last weekend and left the theater feeling the exact same way as what you wrote. On the surface, it's a perfectly acceptable movie, although some of the subplots could have been done without, but because we all know that more movies are coming, this is just one extended scene in a much longer story. The film goes black (I won't say "ends", because it's not over, like the second Matrix or LotR movies) and you walk out of the theater realizing that you spent 2+ hours watching something incomplete. This morning, I took my younger daughter to see Ralph Breaks the Internet and we both really liked it almost as much as the first one. While I felt the first movie was more consistently funny, this one had bigger LOL moments and a lot of cool Easter eggs, because they didn't confine themselves just to video game culture; they played not only in the entire Disney toybox but all over pop culture. As for the story, there's a lot of depth in this one about being true to yourself and about the nature of friendship, expanding on those themes from the first movie; it also has a lot of heart to it. If you do go see it, there is a mid-credits scene that is worth sticking around for.
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Post by brutalis on Nov 26, 2018 8:06:53 GMT -5
Totally loved Ralph Breaks the Internet The Captain. A truly smart, creative, funny, emotional and entertaining movie that appeals to adults and children. Unlike some other franchise sequels this one really hits it out of the ballpark and is worth seeing on the big screen. Cameo's and Easter Eggs galore to keep you watching through the entire picture. And let me say there were more adults than kids at the Saturday showing. And by this I mean adults alone without any children with them and many like me over the age of 50! You know they are doing something right when us old folks will go watch a "cartoon" movie!!! |
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Post by Jesse on Dec 21, 2018 17:11:44 GMT -5
I caught Dead Night (2017) On Demand and was pleasantly surprised by it. It's nothing mind blowing or new necessarily but I thought it played on the cliches well enough. The highlight for me was definitely the use of practical special effects makeups which were pretty impressive. Especially in an era of overused CGI effects. The cinematography makes for some pretty beautiful nature shots it's really a great use of setting.
The premise is basically Brea Grant takes her family to a cabin in the woods and they find a woman passed out in the snow. Shortly thereafter mayhem ensues. The audience gets a pretty good idea of the outcome as half the story is told through the view of a true crime type show including news reports and interviews with investigators. It also walks the line of 'is this supernatural or physiological' that I'm often fond of well executed well. I thought this was a solid effort in that regard.
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