Topic: Rate the last movie you've seen

[vudu]

Angels & Demons: Pretty good movie, and I didn't have to worry about it not living up to the book (like I did when I watched The Da Vinci Code after reading the book). Robert Langdon is called by the Vatican Police to uncover a plot to kill the four cardinals expected to be elected Pope and then detonating a anti-matter device that would destroy all of Vatican City (effectively destroying the Roman Catholic Church). I think it may be better than the first movie, but it's been a few years since i've seen that one and Netflix doesn't have it for Instant Streaming.

I saw Angels & Demons recently (also in Netflix Instant) and it was unquestionably better than the first movie.

The Da Vinci Code didn't work well as a movie because they tried to keep too many of the puzzles that were from the book.  A puzzle doesn't work if you tell me the answer 15 seconds later (which you have to do to keep the movie going).  When reading the book I could stop and think about the puzzle for a bit before reading the answer and the author often gave a lot of background info so you could understand why the answer made sense.  The movie just had Tom Hanks jumping from one mystery to another and it wasn't all that interesting.

In Angels & Demons they decided to drop all that crap and just turn it into a pretty good action flick/thriller.  It didn't deserve to win any awards, but it was entertaining enough.

[TJ Spyke]

The Da Vince Code: I checked it out from the library. It was better than I remember, but I still like Angels & Demons more. Not as good as the book (vudu stated one of the reasons), but still a movie worth watching if you like thrillers.

Star Trek: Flawed, but better than I expected. I do have some MAJOR problems with it (like Kirk being promoted to Captain even though he was just a third year cadet, or a 17-year old Chekov serving on the bridge of Enterprise). At least the movie is set in a alternate reality (which the characters even realize after finding out Nero was from the future and changed the timeline). The only thing it did to the prime timeline (an unofficial fan term based on the credits listing Leonard Nimoy as "Prime Spock") was have Romulus destroyed, although that is a major event that I would like to see re-visited.

UHF: I am not gonna lie, I like this movie. Maybe part of it is because i've been a Weird Al fan my whole life, but I had a lot of fun watching it.

[broodwars]

Star Trek: Flawed, but better than I expected. I do have some MAJOR problems with it (like Kirk being promoted to Captain even though he was just a third year cadet, or a 17-year old Chekov serving on the bridge of Enterprise). At least the movie is set in a alternate reality (which the characters even realize after finding out Nero was from the future and changed the timeline). The only thing it did to the prime timeline (an unofficial fan term based on the credits listing Leonard Nimoy as "Prime Spock") was have Romulus destroyed, although that is a major event that I would like to see re-visited.

Don't forget Vulcan was destroyed as well, which is kind of a major event in the Star Trek universe.  Incidentally, I do find it amusing that all of the Star Trek series were nullified by that movie except the one I was a huge fan of (and most hate): Enterprise.   :
 
As for the movie itself, I have no interest in it.  The creators made it clear that the movie wasn't made for me, and I don't have any problems ignoring it.
 
Finally got around to watching The Thing and the original Nightmare on Elm Street over the weekend.  The former was good, but the latter wasn't all that good IMO.  More on those later.

[TJ Spyke]

Vulcan was only destroyed in this alternate timeline, it still exists in the normal timeline. At least J.J. Abrams made it clear that this movie does not re-boot the continuity of the series, it instead exists in it's own continuity. Like you said also, the events of Star Trek: Enterprise remain the same in both timelines as they didn't split until the birth of James Kirk (which is when Nero came back in time and destroyed the ship that Kirk's father served on). This also leads to an interesting situation regarding Uhura's first name. The 11th movie finally gave her a first name, but can it really count as canon since it takes place in this alternate timeline? I guess it depends on whether she is older or younger than Kirk.

The only reason I watched the movie was because Netflix had it for instant streaming, I had no interest in buying it or wasting a que spot on it.

[Stogi]

Jesus christ...it's just a movie. Enjoy it for what it is.

JJ made Star Trek popular to the masses, which imo is very hard to do.

[Plugabugz]

Jesus christ...it's just a movie. Enjoy it for what it is.

JJ made Star Trek popular to the masses, which imo is very hard to do.

BINGO. My friend who has never watched ANY Star Trek watched the movie with me In return i had to go see Sex and The City with him and he asked me after "what's the best Star Trek series to watch?". That question alone to me makes the movie a success.

[TJ Spyke]

I enjoyed the movie, that doesn't mean I can't have problems with it. Star Trek has been popular with the masses before, it had just declined in past years. Abrams could have done the same thing while sticking with canon since I have no doubt that the average Joe went to the movie because of how impressive it looked thanks to the huge budget.. For example, in the past Paramount has considered making a Trek movie set far into the future (like 200 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis), the basic plot was the a huge disaster caused the Federation to be split in two. Vulcan left the Federation and was trying for re-unification with Romulus.

[Halbred]

I liked Star Trek overall, but I had one giant problem with it: Wow, what are the chances that Kirk would end up in the same galaxy, on the same planet, within like a mile of the cave that Spock made camp in? And then FELL IN?! Boy, it's a good thing that happened!

And yeah, Kirk gets promoted to Captain like a year into his career? Please.

[NWR_insanolord]

UHF: I am not gonna lie, I like this movie. Maybe part of it is because i've been a Weird Al fan my whole life, but I had a lot of fun watching it.

I love UHF. The overall plot is decent, and the TV parodies are fantastic.

[ThePerm]

I liked Star Trek overall, but I had one giant problem with it: Wow, what are the chances that Kirk would end up in the same galaxy, on the same planet, within like a mile of the cave that Spock made camp in? And then FELL IN?! Boy, it's a good thing that happened!

And yeah, Kirk gets promoted to Captain like a year into his career? Please.

the spock thing,the chances are very low, but stranger things have happened in real life.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Angels & Demons: Pretty good movie, and I didn't have to worry about it not living up to the book (like I did when I watched The Da Vinci Code after reading the book). Robert Langdon is called by the Vatican Police to uncover a plot to kill the four cardinals expected to be elected Pope and then detonating a anti-matter device that would destroy all of Vatican City (effectively destroying the Roman Catholic Church). I think it may be better than the first movie, but it's been a few years since i've seen that one and Netflix doesn't have it for Instant Streaming.

I saw Angels & Demons recently (also in Netflix Instant) and it was unquestionably better than the first movie.

The Da Vinci Code didn't work well as a movie because they tried to keep too many of the puzzles that were from the book.  A puzzle doesn't work if you tell me the answer 15 seconds later (which you have to do to keep the movie going).  When reading the book I could stop and think about the puzzle for a bit before reading the answer and the author often gave a lot of background info so you could understand why the answer made sense.  The movie just had Tom Hanks jumping from one mystery to another and it wasn't all that interesting.

In Angels & Demons they decided to drop all that crap and just turn it into a pretty good action flick/thriller.  It didn't deserve to win any awards, but it was entertaining enough.

I've said from the very beginning that I always though A&D would make a much better movie than DaVinci's Code. I understand why they made DVC first, but I'm sure everyone that read the books knew that A&D would fare better as a 2 hour movie. DVC might have made for an interesting 4 part mini series though, something they could draw out a little more.... or maybe not.

Did Dan Brown do a 3rd book in that series that would warrant a 3rd movie? was there a book after DVC that follows the same guy?

[ThePerm]

yeah, i never really watched the DaVinci code, mainly because everyone loathed it. However, Angels and Demons was pretty interesting. It was like a bad Bond/Indianna jones plotted movie though...bad, but not absolutely terrible

[Stratos]

Did Dan Brown do a 3rd book in that series that would warrant a 3rd movie? was there a book after DVC that follows the same guy?

Last I heard he was planning on writing one. Don't know if it has materialized yet.

[Morari]

Jesus christ...it's just a movie. Enjoy it for what it is.

JJ made Star Trek popular to the masses, which imo is very hard to do.

It was a terrible thing to do though. Popular for the masses resulted in a mediocre action film that couldn't even produce a memorable villain. Lets leave the action/fantasy cliches fr Star Wars. The best moments of Star Trek always came about because it explored some facet of human nature, like any good sci-fi should. Science fiction writers have been using such settings for decades to mask social commentary, to remove it from our preconceived environments and make it easier to see objectively. This film though? Spotty action sequences and little more.

Of course, stuff like DS9 and Enterprise really didn't ever feel much like Star Trek either and they seem to be popular enough with people. :\

[NWR_insanolord]

How exactly did DS9 and Enterprise not feel like Trek?

[Morari]

Enterprise just felt laughable throughout. It held to a lot of the basic principles that we've come to expect from the series though, I suppose.

Deep Space Nine on the other hand? It's primary themes were of a corrupt Federation, glorified Ferengi capitalism, and ridiculous Bajoran mysticism. Those things don't really sit well when the other series describe an almost utopian atmosphere that's free of currency and superstitious religions. Never mind the fact that there really is no actual "trekking" through the stars, as the show is set largely on a space station. For me, DS9 was made "darker" in tone simply in a effort to try to be more edgy. It was always popular enough, so it must have succeeded on some level. It never really felt like Star Trek to me however.

Besides, I always thought that most of the cast felt wooden (specially Sisko). About the only character I ever thought was interesting was Bashir... not counting any TNG transplants. Of course, Voyager's crew started out being pretty cheesy themselves, but at least they shake a lot of that off after the first season or two and settle into more complex personalities.

[ThePerm]

I don't know I would say DS9 explored the different cultures in some ways better than some other treks. They didn't physically go anywhere, but they went places. TOS is probably the best at creating alegory,  but it was made in the 60s when people were backwards.

[jrlibrarian]

All the Friday the 13th Movies: High Body Count/10
 
Having never seen any of the movies before, last night's marathon was interesting. The first four were the best in my opinion, with The Final Chapter being the pinacle of their achievement. However, once they made A New Beginning, everything went downhill. Part 7, A New Blood, turned into a science fiction movie, with the main character having telekinetic powers. And of course, Part 9, Jason Goes to Hell, makes absolutely no sense and should not even really be considered part of the series, since it was the first one not to be made by Paramount.
 
Freddy vs. Jason: Welcome to my world/10
 
Great climax to the storyline of Friday the 13th, pitting two of the greatest slasher villains against each other in a battle to the death.

[Halbred]

I love Freddy vs. Jason. So campy, but so great.

The Oxford Murders: Frodo in Britain/10
I'm sorry. I just can't take Elija Wood as a serious actor. He kind of accidentally weaves in and out of a British accent here, which would be understandable if he wasn't playing an American character. So good job on that, Frodo. This is a good mystery, although the crime's wrap-up is kind of disappointing (THAT GUY? SERIOUSLY?). There is a nice twist at the end, though. Also, Leonor Watling. Damn. 

[BranDonk Kong]

Jackass 3D - 8=====D/10

[nickmitch]

Runaway: Kanye West really put something together here. Very artsy. Made you think. Well, forced you to if you wanted to follow the plot and consider the meaning or whatever. But yeah, 9/10

[BlackNMild2k1]

Runaway: Kanye West really put something together here. Very artsy. Made you think. Well, forced you to if you wanted to follow the plot and consider the meaning or whatever. But yeah, 9/10

Really!? I linked to the explicit version in the Hip Hop thread (not sure if that's where you watched it), but the entire time I kept thinking that I must just not get it and I know I'm not the only one, and I know for sure that Kanye will not be getting any acting gigs EVER based on his performance in this overly artsy nonsensical "movie" new album sampler. I don't even think the songs are all that great to be honest and I've enjoyed just about every Kanye album I've heard to this day.

But to each his own, I guess you got the point that apparently soared way above my head.
2.5/10

[TJ Spyke]

Did Dan Brown do a 3rd book in that series that would warrant a 3rd movie? was there a book after DVC that follows the same guy?

Last I heard he was planning on writing one. Don't know if it has materialized yet.

It came out last year and is called The Lost Symbol. I am actually reading it right now. It's set in Washington, D.C. and has Robert Langdon trying to track down his missing mentor Peter Solomon and figuring out this Masonic Pyramid that the villain of the book wants. It deals with stuff like Noetic Science (like most concepts in Brown's books, this is actually a real thing). I bet Ron Howard can't wait to film the movie as the book is set in places like the Smithsonian Museum Support Center, the U.S. Capitol and it's crypts, and other places in the D.C. Area. I love the book so far.

Some more movies i've seen since my last update:
Child's Play - It's been years since i've seen it. I have all the other movies in a box set, which doesn't include the original since MGM released it while Universal Studios released the others. Good movie, although I like the second one better. Like the good horror movies, it's like 75% through the movie before you actually see Chuckie come alive (although it's implied earlier).

Black Hawk Down - For those who don't know, the movie is based on a real life event from 1993. Great movie, you naturally find yourself hoping for the good guys (the US) to win even though you already know what happened in real life.

Demolition Man - By far a popcorn movie. You will feel like Stallone's character (John Spartan) does with how annoying that future is (no sex, no kissing, no salt, no meat, no contact sports, no cursing, nothing that is considered "bad"). Wesley Snipes does a great job as deranged killer Simon Phoenix.

The Running Man - If you didn't know, you will quickly find out that this was a 80s movie. It doesn't age as well as you would hope, but I still enjoyed it and think it's worth watching through a streaming service since I don't think I would watch it again (I don't buy movies that I expect to only watch once).

Also, how did DS9 have a corrupt Federation? Are you talking about the Starfleet Admiral who attempted a coup? He was stopped after Sisko convinced his followers that he was misguided. If you meant Section 31, they are basically a rogue organization that operates without the support of Starfleet or the Federation. I won't even get into how Sisko could be considered wooen (especially later seasons when he showed more passion and emotion than anyone in TOS or TNG).

[NWR_insanolord]

Enterprise just felt laughable throughout. It held to a lot of the basic principles that we've come to expect from the series though, I suppose.

Deep Space Nine on the other hand? It's primary themes were of a corrupt Federation, glorified Ferengi capitalism, and ridiculous Bajoran mysticism. Those things don't really sit well when the other series describe an almost utopian atmosphere that's free of currency and superstitious religions. Never mind the fact that there really is no actual "trekking" through the stars, as the show is set largely on a space station. For me, DS9 was made "darker" in tone simply in a effort to try to be more edgy. It was always popular enough, so it must have succeeded on some level. It never really felt like Star Trek to me however.

Besides, I always thought that most of the cast felt wooden (specially Sisko). About the only character I ever thought was interesting was Bashir... not counting any TNG transplants. Of course, Voyager's crew started out being pretty cheesy themselves, but at least they shake a lot of that off after the first season or two and settle into more complex personalities.

I'm with TJ Spyke, I don't know what you mean by a corrupt Federation. The Bajoran mysticism was far from ridiculous, considering it turned out to be true, and the Ferengi capitalism was so obviously satirical (don't you remember what happened with it at the end of the series?). As for the characters, I completely disagree; I felt that DS9 had easily the best set of characters in any Trek series. I can't think of a character I didn't like, which is impressive considering how many more regular characters DS9 had than any other series.

[TJ Spyke]

Same here about the regular characters (there were one off characters I didn't like, ones that would appear in one episode).

To address other points. It had been established in TOS and TNG that things are not as perfect as stated. You also have to remember that DS9 is set on a Bajoran space station (not Federation) orbiting a Bajoran wormhole. Even TOS made it clear that other species still used currency, it was just that the Federation doesn't. Also, DS9 is about the Bajoran's religious beliefs, if you watched the show you would also know that they were true since the wormhole aliens are real. There was also true trekking in the show as they did a lot of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant, being set on a space station also let them develop the characters more.

As insanolord pointed out, but the time DS9 ended the Ferengi society had been massively changed and Zek (and after he retired, Rom) putting in changes that  gave more rights to people and made things more fair. Besides, the Ferengis were supposed to be over the top and sattire anyways.