Topic: Rate the last movie you've seen

[broodwars]

It was only sarcastic if you think that Thor was good. I'll certainly agree that Iron Man and The Dark Knight was great superhero films. Iron Man 2 was a worthwhile followup, but as you pointed out, included too many lead-ins to the Avengers. We'll see if Rise of the Dark Knight follows suit, or if it ends up being as lame as Batman Beings was.

Hey, I really liked Iron Man, Dark Knight, and Batman Begins.  Batman Begins gets so much hate these days in this post-Dark Knight world, and it really doesn't deserve it.  Yes, Kattie Holmes is terrible, but that's really the only bad mark against the movie.  As for Iron Man 2: "bleh".  I really disliked that movie.  Too much focus on building up an Avengers movie, too little focus on the actual Iron Man/Tony Starke story, and the movie seemed determined to undo any good character development established in the first movie.

That reminds me, I really need to get around to watching my Blu-Ray copy of the Incredible Hulk movie.  Alice: Madness Returns got me in the mood to rewatch the original Disney Alice in Wonderland on Blu-Ray first, but I still need to get around to Hulk.

[ThePerm]

well you cast an actress, its just easier to fire her for the next movie

[Morari]

Batman Begins gets so much hate these days in this post-Dark Knight world, and it really doesn't deserve it.

I hated it the moment I saw it, Dark Knight has nothing to do with it. Batman Begins was booooring. Instead of making Scarecrow front and center, only further reinforcing the themes of fear, Nolan instead shifted all focus to Batman fighting a cult of ninjas hellbent on taking over the world. It was ridiculous, especially when knowing what Nolan was capable of (Following, Memento, Prestige). Sure, it was the best Batman film to come along since Tim Burton left the franchise, but that's not saying much.

[broodwars]

So yeah...Disney's 1951 Alice in Wonderland animated film on Blu-Ray.  I watched that and while it feels wrong to heap a lot of hate on a movie this old and (I guess?) beloved, I didn't like this movie when I was a kid and I still don't like it now.  The transfer's probably the best a film this old can look (there isn't a spec of grain, color issues, or compression issues anywhere) and the animation's gorgeous for its time (and the character designs of the main characters are really iconic), but the story is just...bland.  This was one of a number of old Disney movies I didn't like as a kid that I wanted to give a second chance with more experienced eyes (other such movies include the Fox & the Hound, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Little Mermaid), and my problems with it haven't changed.  The sheer insanity of the books (which I haven't read in ages and may go back and check out now) is toned way down.  There are some elements of the original stories that still shine through (I don't care how much Disney tried to downplay it, the Walrus & the Carpenter is still a pretty frickin' dark tale) as well as a few notable set piece moments like the Mad Tea Party, but the movie just meanders through it all.  In fact, my biggest sticking point with the movie has always been when the movie hits the 50 minute mark and hits a sheer 6-minute wall of pointlessness with some anthropomorphic objects in a forest.

On the upside, like I said the character designs in this movie are incredibly iconic, and the Cheshire Cat (always my favorite aspect of the books, the games, and the movies) totally steals the show even in his probably total of 5 minutes in the movie.  This movie's just too boring to appreciate being its artistic appeal.

Incidentally, I watched the trailer for the Blu-Ray restoration of Bambi and...wow, that movie looks ugly in those trailers.  Time has not been kind to those masters, and unless Disney really ups the color saturation time won't be kind to the restoration either.

Well, I'm going to take a bit of a risk here.  As I'm playing Alice: Madness Returns (a game about a dark and twisted Alice), I'm in the mood for a suitable movie and I've always loved Tim Burton's aesthetics.  I know it's widely-panned as a terrible movie, but I'm going to try watching Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland.  It'll probably be crap, but will probably at least look fantastic.

[BranDonk Kong]

Batman Begins was (is) awesome. Yes the fight scenes were typically too close up to actually see what was going on, but it was an awesome movie.

[Morari]

Well, I'm going to take a bit of a risk here.  As I'm playing Alice: Madness Returns (a game about a dark and twisted Alice), I'm in the mood for a suitable movie and I've always loved Tim Burton's aesthetics.  I know it's widely-panned as a terrible movie, but I'm going to try watching Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland.  It'll probably be crap, but will probably at least look fantastic.

If you couldn't find it in you to enjoy the old Disney version, you're going to hate that pile of **** Tim Burton pushed out of his ass. I honestly don't think that man is even capable of making a good film anymore.

Ironically, American McGee's Alice is probably the closest adaption as far as tone goes.

[broodwars]

Ironically, American McGee's Alice is probably the closest adaption as far as tone goes.

Indeed, and by extension the new Alice: Madness Returns as well, which is an excellent if severely flawed game.

[Stratos]

I was so let down by Burton's Alice. The movie felt like a Lord of the Ring's themed glorified hand job to Depp. He's a great actor but the film revolved around him too much.

What happened to Burton? His classics are amazing yet a lot of his recent stuff is awful.

I've been on a Burton kick because I finally got around to watching Nightmare Before Christmas. I never got to watch it back in the day thanks to a protective mother. I adore that movie now. I know I would have loved it back then too. So I've been watching his other classic movies again.

Really he seems to be in a terrible decline. I find him to be akin to Don Bluth in the talent decline area. Both made amazing films back in the day but slowly lost the edge. I don't know why. Perhaps they sold out, or lost some key people under them that made their ideas truly come to life. Both were also kings of their media forms (traditional hand drawn animation and stop motion) which also experienced declines so perhaps as those art forms came down so did their will to put out quality work.

[ThePerm]

Kevin Smith is retiring, and Tarantino wants to retire at 60. Sometimes directors go through a decline where they just can't be awesome anymore. Tarantino thinks his movies will suck at some point, so he's quitting ahead. Kevin Smith would rather talk about dildos online than direct.

[Halbred]

One reason Nightmare Before Christmas doesn't such: Tim Burton didn't direct it. He produced.

The Burton version of Alice in Wonderland is so gawdawful that I couldn't believe it was made. It does turn very LotR at the end for no good reason. If you want an interesting and unique take on Alice in Wonderland, the SyFy miniseries (now on DVD) "Alice" is at least a different take on the classic tale.

The wife and I watched the old Disney version before we saw the Jonny Depp one, and you're right, it's hard to watch now. It just seems like an hour and twenty minutes of filler, especially the scene in the forest with the bird-instruments. Everything just feels glossed-over. The one good thing about the film is Alice's voice actress, who is believable and provides a good character. I don't like much else about it, though.

[Morari]

X-Men: First Class

Real quick review. I'll shy away from spoilers.

This is a pretty solid movie, that goes a long way in redeeming the series. It's unquestionably superior to X3: The Last Stand, and leagues beyond Origins: Wolverine. It doesn't come close to surpassing the original film (which is one of the best superhero films to have been made), but it easily stands alongside X2 in terms of quality. I'd say First Class and X2: X-Men United are fairly on par with one another, though perhaps excelling in different ways. First Class doesn't focus so much on action or super powers, instead highlighting Magneto and what made him who he is (will be?).

Did I mention Magneto?! He's always been a favorite of mine, even from the comics. Rarely does he ever come across as the true villain, seeing how he's generally on the right side of the humans versus mutants argument. The character really steals the show in First Class, and is given a considerable amount of depth and motive that can be felt into the earlier films. The actor did a wonderful job at bringing the young anti-hero to life, and his recurring theme music was appropriately highlighted through the film. Actually, all of the main players were generally well cast and portrayed (Magneto, Xavier, Shaw, Mystique, White Queen). The Cold War back drop was a neat change of place, and the alternate history made for a fun thought bubble.

Nitpicks? Hmmm... A lot of the side characters felt like C-List mutants. Of course, this is an inevitable problem given the time frame and the fact that the series has already blown its load by putting so many faces in X3. Angel was laughable, Banshee was silly, and Darwin was completely underused. Beast's makeup was horrible. There were a few cheesy looking special effects. Too many inside jokes, alluding to the future that we all know. Not one, but two montages. Xavier and Erik's relationship was very short-lived, not really giving them the time to develop the kind of mutual respect we see later in the series.

[Oblivion]

^Really? That's unexpected. After X3 and Origins, I kinda lost faith in the X-Men series.

Black Swan: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

"Gooooood what the **** is going on" <--- My thoughts while watching that damn movie.

I have to admit, Portman's acting was superb. And the cinematography (Yes I know I spelt it wrong) was brilliant. The climax was perfect, too.

But I couldn't get over how unclear everything was. Is she dead? Did she imagine herself dying? Did or did she not kill that one chick? Or is that whole damn movie a fucking dream and she wakes up as soon as the movie ends? WHO KNOWS, I SURE DON'T!

As you can see, that movie pissed me off immensely.

[BeautifulShy]

I was reading through this topic earlier to get some idea of what movie I wanted to watch and The MIST came up in the early pages in this thread. Well I finished it just now and I have got to tell you that that is the most messed up movie I have ever seen.Typically whenever a lot of people are in an enclosed area and there is a major crisis in movies they tend to agitate each other but well by the end of the movie it was just to depressing.It just got way out of hand. Also the ending to the movie was just more depressing then the rest of the movie. I think if I were in the situation of the main character I would have been more optimistic.Since basically that is just how I am.
One other thing one character in peticular in the movie was just, how should I put this, the person brought out the worst in people by trying to have others act and think like her.
Few lessons to take away from the movie. Never give up. Try to be level headed and try to work together with others.

I'm going to rate this movie in 4 ways. If you are into depressing movies it is a 10.
If you are into social and intelectual movies.Then it is a 9.
If you are like me and depressing movies are not your thing then well I would give it a 5.

If none of the above jives with you then I would give it a 4. It is okay for what it is but well it isn't for everyone.

[Plugabugz]

The Green Lantern - RYAN REYNOLDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like when he does action movies because he doesn't do them normally. But this time i enjoyed all of his actiony scenes and not anything in front of a green screen (which was nearly all of them).
Angela Bassett is a wonderful actress and she's pointlessly underused in this film. The script seemed simple and very plain, and seeing it in 3D is a waste of time because the 3D is so soft in about 80% of the film it doesn't have anything unique to bring to it. Although for the first time ever i didn't get a headache.

If you want to see Ryan Reynolds actually ACT, go see "Buried".

[bustin98]

Nitpicks? Hmmm... A lot of the side characters felt like C-List mutants. Of course, this is an inevitable problem given the time frame and the fact that the series has already blown its load by putting so many faces in X3. Angel was laughable, Banshee was silly, and Darwin was completely underused. Beast's makeup was horrible. There were a few cheesy looking special effects. Too many inside jokes, alluding to the future that we all know. Not one, but two montages. Xavier and Erik's relationship was very short-lived, not really giving them the time to develop the kind of mutual respect we see later in the series.

It was Havoc, not Angel. Angel should have been in it as he was part of the original team, along with Iceman (Snowballman). But it seems the filmmakers didn't want to re-use some of the characters.

I really enjoyed the one cameo that shouldn't be mentioned. Total surprise by it.

Banshee was the biggest joke. I don't know the character all that well, but I think I assumed his flight was generated by some other means than directing sound waves at the ground. I mean, how does that work anyway?

I think the amount of time Charles and Erik spend together was compressed for the film. They did after all spend a great deal of time travelling the world. Too bad we didn't get to see any quiet moments between the two of them, just hanging out and talking about life as they know it.

[Morari]

It was Havoc, not Angel. Angel should have been in it as he was part of the original team, along with Iceman (Snowballman). But it seems the filmmakers didn't want to re-use some of the characters.

Angel/Archangel was poorly utilized in X3, just like every other character from that installment. Iceman was developed well enough throughout the series, but was obviously too young in the movie's continuity to have been included in First Class. It is simply a prequel after all, not a reboot. Still, it's far from the original lineup we all know from the comics.

To alleviate any confusion, the Angel found in First Class is actually this one and not Warren Worthington's alter-ego.

But I couldn't get over how unclear everything was. Is she dead? Did she imagine herself dying? Did or did she not kill that one chick? Or is that whole damn movie a fucking dream and she wakes up as soon as the movie ends? WHO KNOWS, I SURE DON'T!

Black Swan may be hard to follow as you watch, but the ending does make everything pretty clear if you've been paying attention. It's good enough to not force-feed you want you want to hear via a series of flashbacks to footage that happened only twenty minutes earlier. Don't take things at face value and don't think about it too literally. The gist? The entire film is about duality and the battle happening within Nina as she prepares for the role of the Black Swan. She uses Lily as a catalyst of sorts, pushing her desires into what she sees as a more likely candidate than herself. Lily seems to actually exists, but her physical presence becomes just another hallucination as the film continues. By the end of the film, the mirror is broken (literally) and the White Swan dies. Along with it goes Nina's old life. She has fully embraced the Black Swan, no longer fearing what it could mean for her... no longer needing to push those thoughts into another character.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Just watched Super 8.

Can't type much since X-Men first class is about to start, but all I have to say is, if he had saved the doctor he could have saved everyone!!!

[UncleBob]

Fast Five: Turn your brain off and it's fun/10.

I can't help but like these movies... although you can't put too much thought into them or you're be yelling at the screen about how stupid it all is.

[BlackNMild2k1]

X-Men: First Class

If this is the start of a new trilogy, them sign me up.
The Hangover II is starting now, so I will report back later.

[Morari]

Three in a row, aye BlackNMild? You must spend a fortune at the theater.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Pay for one, then theater hop.

Hangover II was entertaining, I laughed.
About to watch Green Lantern now. Final movie of the day.

[Halbred]

I wanna know how bad it is.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Just finished Green Lantern.

I'm not a tough critic unless it's really bad, but i was surprised at how not terrible this movie was.
I'm not saying it was good, but it wasn't as bad as some may lead you to believe. Or maybe it's just that I went in with the lowest of expectations, but it wasn't that bad. For some reason though, they kept playing a modified Superman theme for GL. I was almost as annoyed by that as I was by the stupid mask.
It's definitely a rental.

The highlight of today was X-Men First Class. Followed at a safe distance by Super 8 which was being tailgated by The Hangover II.

If the next First Class movie can follow-up to this, then I will be excited for a sequel.
Nothing else seen today needs a sequel... if if GL was set-up for one.

Ryan Reynolds needs to just go do the Dead Pool movie instead.

[Halbred]

Halfway through The Scorpion King (I was always curious).

It's pretty terrible, but not in a "I can't watch this anymore" terrible, more like "I can't wait to see how much more terrible this terrible movie will get." Kelly Hu is totally miscast here. Actually, EVERYBODY is. I'm not sure what this movie's supposed to BE, and there's no plot. The Rock just goes around killing people in non-bloody ways. I do appreciate the near-total lack of CG, though. It's refreshing.

[ShyGuy]

True Grit. 2010 four stars.