Topic: Rate the last movie you've seen

[BlackNMild2k1]

I've never seen a car where both front seats don't lean and move back.

Please share with us what kind of car doesn't have an adjustable driver seat, and instead positions it in a "one position fits all"

And the cars that Kytim and his family drive at the trailer park that use plastic lawn chairs as driver seats does not count.

[TJ Spyke]

I think all cars have the seats move back, but not all let it lean back. Leaning back is really of no use unless you just want to lay down, it has no function for making it easier to drive.

[NWR_insanolord]

Every car I've been in in my life has allowed the two front seats to lean back.

[Shaymin]

Last car I was in that didn't have reclining seats was a 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity.

[Ceric]

Station Wagon. Bench Seats for the Win...

[Pixelated Pixies]

I saw 'Zero Dark 30' yesterday.
 
Skip this section if you don't care about my assessment of the debate surrounding this film.
 
***
 
There has been much debate among critics as to whether or not this film does or does not endorse torture as a legitimate means of extracting information. That debate frankly is bogus. Zero Dark 30 does not take a political stance as far as the legitmacy of the tactics involved are concerned. It merely presents these methods to the audience; Methods that were employed to extract information, useful or otherwise.
 
Where the film does take a stance I feel is in the usefulness of such information. Without going into spoilers, in the film a crucial piece of information is extracted through torture and misinformation. What the film does go on to show, however, is that this piece of 'intelligence' had already been given to the intelligence services. Zero Dark 30 does not indict torture on moral grounds (as I say, it remains largely apolitical), but rather indicts torture on the grounds that such intelligence is rarely trustworthy and often merely stands to corroborate what is already known.
 
The question that the film does leave you with in it's very final scene, but does not answer, is whether or not such information is worth the cost, both to those whose human rights are fettered by such military practices but also the cost to those who dole out such punishment.
 
***
 
I love the perspective this film takes on the 'War on Terror'. It's from the vantage point of those who actually cultivate leads, gather intelligence and package them up into a presentable case, which is then floated up the chain to those who take the decisions. It was all very interesting.
 
The first half of the movie, therefore, feels very much like a thriller. There's an intense feeling of dread and danger throughout this first section of the film, so when it does eventually switch gears to the military raid on the complex itself it almost feels cathartic. The raid is executed in what seems like real-time and the effect is that it truely feels like a calculated and deliberate assault. It portrays a restained forcefullness that I've not seen in many other military sequences.
 
In terms of performances, they're universally great. Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Mark Duplass, and James Gandolfini being particularly noteworthy.
 
This film is highly recommended. Be wary though, it will leave you feeling drained.

[EasyCure]

Continuing my Batman trip..

Batman Forever 

Honestly.. wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I only saw it once, when it first released, and I was a kid, and growing up all you remember is the hate it gets when it comes up on the internet. While I'm not saying it was better than Batman or Batman Returns, it just wasn't garbage like everyone seems to think these days.

If you think about it in the context of it being more like a live action cartoon/comic, then the movie is pretty well made. However, the reason it still remains a bad movie overall is all the DUMB LITTLE **** they seem to overlook that is so blatantly TERRIBLE that it drags the rest of the movie down with it.

Example:

seriously... there were SO many god awful soundbits like that, and they stay in your head driving you mad so that you grow to hate it and have the urge to shout about it on the internet lol.

On the bright side, Nicole Kidman had one of the hottest characters ever, in Chase "psychology makes me hot" Meridian. Oh and Drew Barrymore?? Man there was so many good things I didn't appreciate enough when I was a kid.

Overall rating: betterthanexpected.jpeg

[TJ Spyke]

Calling it bad because of ONE line? That was a throwaway line meant to be a throwback to the live actions 60s series. And it is better than the original Batman movie.

[EasyCure]

Calling it bad because of ONE line? That was a throwaway line meant to be a throwback to the live actions 60s series. And it is better than the original Batman movie.

No, it isn't ONE line, that was just an example. Watch the movie and tell me "IT'S ACID!" and "MY SHOE IS MELTING!" don't make you cringe. Robin's line is great, I like the throwback to the 60's series; what I find terrible is Batman's responses. There is so much randomly odd grumbling and moaning in the film that sticks with you and drags down the already horrible dialogue.

And while the bat-suit was 10x better than what they had in the prior two batman films (minus the nipples.. and that ass-shot.. wtf?), Val Kilmer had way too many awkward close-ups with this dumb confused look in his eyes, as well as a gaping mouth hole.. He must not of been able to breathe in that thing because every other close up has his mouth wide open as if he's gasping for breath.

edit:

And it is better than the original Batman movie.

If you're talking about the 1966 film then yes, much better. It was a great action flick but with some campy scenes here and there but nothing as cheesy as Batman '66. Better than the 1989 film.. honestly, an argument can be made because BF did certain things well (and probably better than people give it credit) but over-all my vote goes for Batman '89 as the better of the two.

[Khushrenada]

I think the biggest thing working against Batman Forever is that Batman: TAS had been on the air for a couple years by that point and it was so good that it pretty much became the de facto standard of what the Batman villains and characters and world should be like. Batman and Batman Returns had the good fortune to be released before that series and a couple things from those movies even carried over to the animated show like the Penguins design or the episode where the Penguin controls the Batmobile.

So, seeing Batman Forever, things about it always seemed off with Two-Face killing the Graysons, the giant statues all over the city or all the neon, it just struck me as wrong when watching it. That said, I still enjoyed it and watched it a few other times growing up. For some reason, I always use to think that Val Kilmer made a good Bruce Wayne. I didn't care for him in the costume but I thought he looked right as the Billioniare playboy. I also really liked the scene where Two-Face and Riddler invade the mansion and shoot Bruce in the head and his unconcious body slides down the stairs. There's something about that scene/moment I've always liked. And at the end as well, when Batman defeats Two-Face by throwing up a bunch of coins at the same time was something I hadn't seen before and thought was clever. It never caused the pain and constant eye-rolling that Batman and Robin did when I saw that sorry excuse for a movie.

[Plugabugz]

Gangster Squad - This film felt like a series of pieces that moved form one to the next. How did Mickey Cohen realise they're cops because they took nothing (as opposed to anarchists or kids?!), then work out which cops it is if nobody in the police force except one person knows of its existence?

[S-U-P-E-R]

Saw Dark Knight Rises, was confused as to why the good guy died. Bane

[Adrock]

Bruno
Awful.

It had some decent jokes, but the rest was very trite. Borat was better (though I didn't think it was amazing like most people I know), it had more memorable lines and moments. Maybe it's unfair to compare the 2. Harrison Ford's brief cameo was simple, but excellent. That was probably the only scene in Bruno I thought was really funny.

[EasyCure]

I think the biggest thing working against Batman Forever is that Batman: TAS had been on the air for a couple years by that point and it was so good that it pretty much became the de facto standard of what the Batman villains and characters and world should be like. Batman and Batman Returns had the good fortune to be released before that series and a couple things from those movies even carried over to the animated show like the Penguins design or the episode where the Penguin controls the Batmobile.

So, seeing Batman Forever, things about it always seemed off with Two-Face killing the Graysons, the giant statues all over the city or all the neon, it just struck me as wrong when watching it. That said, I still enjoyed it and watched it a few other times growing up. For some reason, I always use to think that Val Kilmer made a good Bruce Wayne. I didn't care for him in the costume but I thought he looked right as the Billioniare playboy. I also really liked the scene where Two-Face and Riddler invade the mansion and shoot Bruce in the head and his unconcious body slides down the stairs. There's something about that scene/moment I've always liked. And at the end as well, when Batman defeats Two-Face by throwing up a bunch of coins at the same time was something I hadn't seen before and thought was clever. It never caused the pain and constant eye-rolling that Batman and Robin did when I saw that sorry excuse for a movie.

I honestly can't remember if I was really into Batman: TAS back then so I can't say I agree with you but I will say you make a very good point.

Honestly, there are some things Batman Forever did better than Batman or Batman Returns, but has just as many shitty parts that drag it all down. The fight scenes felt more like Batman than what we see in Batman or Batman Returns; in the latter two films, you barely see anything and what you do see is so stiff because of how restricting the costume was on Keaton. They did a good job of fixing that stiffness when it came to the fight scenes, but still couldn't figure out how to let Kilmer move his neck BUT they avoided that as much as possible so you don't really notice. The villains however.. ugh.

TLJ as Two-face.. I wasn't feeling him. I like TLJ but his take on the character just didn't work for me and I honestly can't pin-point why, aside from a strictly aesthetic issue I have. Meanwhile, Jim Carrey had some good moments, he's a believable psycho, but the rest was just way too over-the top. Maybe I'm just tired of his loud zany antics because I'm an old fart, who knows. All I know is most of his scenes I had to lower the volume down because it was too much for me to handle.

I'm too sick to continue further, i'm going to bed.

[ThePerm]

of the old Batman movies the first one is the best, it holds up the most. Batman Returns doesn't hold up as well as i remember. Batman Forever is weird, but enjoyable. Batman and Robin is terrible. Though i've had this conversation a ton of times before.

TLJ as two-face i thought was good, but unlike twoface he was one dimensional. They skipped the character development in favor of a quick flashback. I've mentioned a few times, id like to see a special directors cut with deleted scenes and possibly additions., a new sound track...etc.

[EasyCure]

of the old Batman movies the first one is the best, it holds up the most. Batman Returns doesn't hold up as well as i remember. Batman Forever is weird, but enjoyable. Batman and Robin is terrible. Though i've had this conversation a ton of times before.

TLJ as two-face i thought was good, but unlike twoface he was one dimensional. They skipped the character development in favor of a quick flashback. I've mentioned a few times, id like to see a special directors cut with deleted scenes and possibly additions., a new sound track...etc.

Couldn't sleep, just wanted to chime in and say some of the aesthetics of Batman didn't hold up as well as I expected but they did for Batman Returns, with my only gripes being how campy that first gang scene is. Michelle Pfeiffer was 10x hotter than I remember, then again I was 6 when the movie came out. Holy crap it's been 20 years..

Up next on my netflix dvd queue is, reluctantly, Batman & Robin.. we'll see how that goes...

[Adrock]

The worst thing about Two-Face in Batman Forever is that he keeps flipping the coin until he gets the result he wants.

Batman Returns didn't hold up well at all. I caught the middle of it a few years ago and the second Batman says, "Eat floor. High in fiber" or something, the rose colored glasses came off.

Batman and Robin is pure, comedic gold. If you go in expecting a good Batman movie, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Lower your expectations and it's a much better experience. "What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!" Awesome.

[nickmitch]

Gangster Squad - This film felt like a series of pieces that moved form one to the next. How did Mickey Cohen realise they're cops because they took nothing (as opposed to anarchists or kids?!), then work out which cops it is if nobody in the police force except one person knows of its existence?

Cohen wasn't the governornment, so why would anarchists be after him? And kids wouldn't be able to out gun a bunch of dudes. Or probably get in to most of those establishments. Plus, there's only one good cop who's been up his ass and he seems to hang around with a handful of guys publicly, so it couldn't have been that hard.


[/quote]

[EasyCure]

The worst thing about Two-Face in Batman Forever is that he keeps flipping the coin until he gets the result he wants.

Batman Returns didn't hold up well at all. I caught the middle of it a few years ago and the second Batman says, "Eat floor. High in fiber" or something, the rose colored glasses came off.

Batman and Robin is pure, comedic gold. If you go in expecting a good Batman movie, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Lower your expectations and it's a much better experience. "What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!" Awesome.

Actually.. I believe Val Kilmer said that in BF. I cringed. At least the "It's the car right? Chicks love the car" came off rather clever this time around.

[azeke]

You may like Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face or not, but he is still the best (only) live action representation of the character.

TDK's Two Face has absolutely nothing to do with comic book or cartoon character apart from "half of his face scarred" thing.

I never understood hate towards Shoemacher movies. Also, crazy architecture was probably my favourite part of old Batman movies. Like, they have observatory on palms of a huge colossus in the middle of a city and then batman rides bike right on his hand or something. How cool is that?

[Adrock]

Actually.. I believe Val Kilmer said that in BF.

Batman says it to Catwoman.

[TrueNerd]

Catching up on Oscar noms.

SILVER LINING'S PLAYBOOK - The first two thirds of this movie are pretty great. David O. Russell brings the same chaotic and dangerous energy to this film that he did with THE FIGHTER and I liked that just as much here. The movie isn't afraid to go to some dark, real places and the actors do a good job selling this. I liked Bradley Cooper! That's never happened before! Jennifer Lawrence is also great, but that was less of a surprise. Unfortunately, the final act of the film ditches all of this great reality and turns into a fluffy fairy tale rom com. It turned what could have been a great movie into just a highly entertaining okay movie.

ARGO - It's a solid, straightforward, intense political thriller. I don't have any complaints about it except it pales in comparison to ZERO DARK THIRTY. ARGO always feels like a Hollywood retelling of a true story while ZERO DARK THIRTY feels like the truth, regardless if it is or not. Still, ARGO is good.

[Pixelated Pixies]

ARGO - It's a solid, straightforward, intense political thriller. I don't have any complaints about it except it pales in comparison to ZERO DARK THIRTY. ARGO always feels like a Hollywood retelling of a true story while ZERO DARK THIRTY feels like the truth, regardless if it is or not. Still, ARGO is good.

Totally agree. My main criticism of Argo was that while the true story is fascinating, as a movie narrative it ended up being a little too straight forward. Towards the end it really felt like the filmmakers were throwing up makeshift road blocks to create artificial tension (artificial in the sense that the contrivance was obvious).
 
The interesting comparison between Argo and Zero Dark 30 is that both are based on true stories, and therefore the outcome of both films is known. Zero Dark 30, however, did a more successful job of instilling tension. Which is surprising given that the conclusion of Zero Dark 30's story is actually more widely known. Argo's story, by comparison, is less well known and you'd think, therefore, that film would have more opportunity to create anxiety in the audience. In the end though, once Argo had established the goal and the method, things played out pretty much as you'd expect.
 
I still really enjoyed Argo and would definitely recommend it. Zero Dark 30, however, is on a completely different level, and had I seen it in 2012 it would definitely have been my film of that year.

[EasyCure]

Actually.. I believe Val Kilmer said that in BF.

Batman says it to Catwoman.

you're right, I was getting the two confused. maybe I should lay off the batman movies and cough syrup.

[bustin98]

I still think Robin Williams would have made a better Riddler, and Patrick Stewart a better Mister Freeze, and Aaron Eckhart made an excellent Harvey Dent/almost Two Face.