Movie Review Thread: The Remake

[Reply #400 on:]

 

Originally posted by NibblerJr:
KOTOR is based off of KotOR.

::Brain explodes::

 

Originally posted by David A:
 I'm pretty sure that Star Wars d20 uses attacks of opportunity as well, and that is the set of rules upon which KotOR is based.

You know, I realized that shortly aftern posting it, but I'm pretty sure I never encountered the term in KotORiginal or KoTwOR.  Basically, it's part of the game in the same way rolling dice is - it's part of the structure, but you don't actually SEE it - not like you would in pen and ink gaming.  I don't consider digital d20 games to be true d20.

[Reply #401 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
  You know, I realized that shortly aftern posting it, but I'm pretty sure I never encountered the term in KotORiginal or KoTwOR.  Basically, it's part of the game in the same way rolling dice is - it's part of the structure, but you don't actually SEE it - not like you would in pen and ink gaming.  I don't consider digital d20 games to be true d20.

I've never played the KotOR games, so I wouldn't know if they use attacks of opportunity or not.  I don't think that most of the digital D&D games use them either.  The only ones I can think of that did were the old gold box games from SSI, which had attacks of opportunity before pencil and paper D&D had them.

[Reply #402 on:]

Batman Begins

Absolutely great movie. It starts off a little slow, but quickly moves into the main plot without too much trouble. This movie takes itself much more seriously than the previous movies (especially Forever and B&R) but just seriously enough to let them have a little fun with it.

The actors all perform superlatively, as well, and there's just the right amount of CGI to support the story without becoming Episode III ridiculous.

Oh, and the new Batmobile rocks.

A+

A couple of minor plot niggles:

Show spoiler

-Why didn't the microwave thingy vaporise the water found in humans?
-Why does Gotham look like a cross between Chicago and New York but Wayne Manor (which is supposedly fairly close, I presume) look like it's in the middle of the English countryside? 

[Reply #403 on:]

The Longest Yard

Very good acting and performing. Througout the movie  I laughed my ass off.Awesome movie just like the orignal.

A+

[Reply #404 on:]

I saw that "National Treasure" debacle yesterday.  It was so awful we were all transfixed.  I mean, there was like nine people in the room, with vastly different tastes and abilities to discriminate crap, and every soul was laughing at how retarded every single moment of the film was.  I wish it had been good enough to be so bad it was good, but it wasn't.  It was so bad it was even worse.  When the director's name came up at the end, we all gave it the finger.  Frankly, I resent the implied insult that I could possibly be entertained by that sort of crap.  If I meet Nicolas Cage on the street, I'm gonna punch him for making that film.  Oh God, it was retarded.

[Reply #405 on:]

Why are we talking about KOTOR in a Movie Review thread ????

[Reply #406 on:]

Because you touch yourself at night.

[Reply #407 on:]

Yeap we allready know you do

[Reply #408 on:]

Versus

Oh, man. Best movie ever. Totally awesome fightscenes, lots of really, really gay acting guys, big mother-fucking sword wackiness, more blood than a million Tarontino films, the most hilarious nod to The Matrix ever, a Samurai who, like, dies and shit, a big leather jacket, and an annoying guy who carry's a gun that's bigger than he is.

You watch it or I'll kill you. And stuff.

[Reply #409 on:]

Batman Beyond

This was a welldone Superhero movie it had a touch of maturity that SpiderMan and X-Man did not have. To be honest I felt the movie was slow until Batman showed up but once he did it I have one word for you. Roller coaster.

The movie was a roller coaster of emotions and definitely made up for the last movie Batman and Robin. Christen Bail was possibly the perfect Batman and I hope he returns for the next movie to fight The Joker.

My only problem with the movie was that some scenes were kind of pedestrian.   

[Reply #410 on:]

 

Originally posted by DaveMason:
Bateman Beyond

Oh my god! A movie about Jason Bateman! I gotta go see it now! *Dashes out the door*   .

Also it's Batman Begins. Batman Beyond was one of the two that sucked.

[Reply #411 on:]

 

Originally posted by Spacedal11:
Also it's Batman Begins. Batman Beyond was one of the two that sucked.

Actually, none of the movies were called Batman Beyond.  Batman Beyond was the title of an animated series set in the future, which featured an elderly Bruce Wayne training a young man to be the new Batman.  It was pretty much the opposite of suck.

[Reply #412 on:]

Ah. I knew that it was a movie or something. Though I am aware that Batman & Robin and Batman Forever were the last 2 and that they didn't rock.

Anyway I saw some movies that I shall post.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Wow. That sweetened my action tooth. I mean you know how people get aroused by something? This movie aroused me to write. But my sister has had the computer till now so I haven't had a chance. Great stuff. I mean I felt awkward watching it because I've been reading the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split. And I watch so much Friends that I feel like Jennifer is my friend. So, I'm a freak, bottom line.

B+

And after that movie, my sister was in the Batman movie and it was still going for 20 more minutes. I went in and watched and wow. I mean Christen Bail looked fat with that mask on. And what was with his voice? I mean when he was Batman he talked all raspy. And I get that he's suppose to be dark and mysterious but you don't need to sound like you have strep throat. I figure if I ever want to see the rest than I'll just wait till it comes on TV in the next 10 years.

From what I saw, B

[Reply #413 on:]

So I just saw the Life Aquatic this morning.  I dug it.  I know some people here were turned off by the "event" that happens near the end...

Show spoiler

They kill a guy off; not the one I expected

...but it didn't spoil the mood for me.  You guys are just pussies.

I liked the laid back atmosphere, especially because it had no trace of the hippie influence goddamn hippies.  I really identified with Bill Murray's character, and with the vibe in general.  The message seems to be that nothing is too pressing if you got some fresh air and David Bowie songs.  Deadlines, budgets, pirates, family problems, shark attacks... they're all just noise.  It's not often that I see something that makes me feel being 52 wouldn't be too much of a trip.

Also, this movie had the best production design I have ever seen.  Not to mention the colors were perfect.  And the surreal Henry Selick take on the natural world seemed somehow more real to me than if they had been more educational and gotten the naturalism right.

[Reply #414 on:]

ugh. I didn't dislike The Life Aquatic because of that, eggs. I disliked it because it was like a cheap parody of a Wes Anderson movie.

Hotel Rwanda
This is an excellent movie. Sad, and moving, but not overly sentimental and annoying. "Don Cheadle stars in the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda." Much better than his work in trash like Ocean's Twelve... A-

In Good Company
I liked this movie more than I thought I would, for some reason, even though it features two actors I really like (Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson). It's about a middle aged guy who gets a new boss... who is only 26 and is dating his daughter. One thing that made this movie different is that is does a pretty good job of fairly showing both sides of the story. Both guys have some pretty crappy moments in their lives -- it's not just that one person is the bad guy and one is the good guy. B+

[Reply #415 on:]

Wes Anderson's other stuff sucks.

Edit: to add substance - I watched Barbarella for the ninety illionth time the other day, so I want to review it.  First of all, it rocks, but this is from someone whose entire non-kung fu DVD collection is Alex Cox films, Japanese zombie movies, and Buckaroo Banzai.  In other words, it's high camp and has only cult appeal.  In fact, it redefines high camp and cult appeal.  Dino DiLaurentiis produced it, for god's sake.  So if you like cult films, watch it.  With the followng caveat: be drunk.  Make a drinking game out of it if you can.  Drink whenever Barbarella gets her clothes chewed off, or whenever she looks confused, or whenever you laugh at the music, or something.  But don't be sober enough to ask questions.  If you get all hung up on "why is her spaceship shag carpeted?" or "how did she get to this planet, now?" or "whyyyyy is there lounge music in a skiing scene?" or "is the president checking out her tits?" or "what the hell is going on, for chrissake?" then you'll be too distracted to enjoy the idiocy.

Suffice to say, this movie is essentially PG rated soft porn.  It works, despite reams of alleged good stuff cut by the censors, largely because Jane Fonda was so goddamn hot in 1968, and because she nails the character, such as it is, dead on.  The '60s living-in-a-lava-lamp vibe comes on strong, through the weird acting, weird music, weird pacing, weird production, and lack of any coherent plot elements.

But the real selling point of the film is some of the most pricelessly inane dialogue ever written.  The film is a treasure trove.  You'll be quoting lines out of it for months.  "Vade retro, Earth girl.  I know you don't really exist." 
Or "A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming..."
Or "De-crucify the angel!"
Or... crap, I could be here all night.  I could fill pages with this stuff.

In conclusion: I have regained the will to fly.

[Reply #416 on:]

 

Originally posted by canned eggs:
DVD collection is Alex Cox films, Japanese zombie movies, and Buckaroo Banzai.

As a huge fan of said movies could you    please  make a list, as there a bit hard to get them down in australia and my memorie sucks that I can't remember the names and would love a list to refreash my mind.

On topic:

I rewatched "The 13th Warrior" Antonio bandares, and must say this is one of my most fav movies, it goes a bit to quick, but has a good story line that dosen't waver and the action is well done too.

Antonio: Sorry, I can't drink anything fermented from wheat or grapes.

Other guy: *laughing* Honey! Its made from honey. * walks off laughing*

All in all, I give it a B+.

[Reply #417 on:]

I know a dude who's obsessed with the 13th Warrior.  It's kind of a weird movie to fall in love with.  It was meh.

There's a zombie movie thread in "It's got a TV!" that contains discussion of how to get Wild Zero in Australia.  Other Japanese zombie movies: Stacy, Versus, Junk, The Happiness of the Katakuris, and Battlefield Baseball.  Then there's Chinese zombie movies, which is a different story entirely.

[Reply #418 on:]

Here you go, eggs

Batman Begins

By far the best Batman movie.  In fact, it's probably the best superhero movie in willing suspension of disbelief.  It presents a story that it is entirely plausible that it could take place in our world, right here, right now, in a way that no other superhero movie, not even the Spidermans, could.

Also, it was perfectly casted.

[Reply #419 on:]

Yes!  Barbarella quotes!  Some other good ones:

"Prepare to insert nourishment."
"Thank heaven the hypodontical molecules are undamaged."

[Reply #420 on:]

War of the Worlds

This was an AWESOME movie. Definatly much better than the first one. It was a SciFi/Horror movie. I thought that the whole plot was awesome, and they clearly explained everything as the movie went on.

8.5/10, which is probably an A

[Reply #421 on:]

War of T3h W0rldZ

Went to go see it with my sister. And wow. Yeah it was freaking awesome. The visual effects were breathtaking, possibly the best I've ever seen. And I dont think I blinked the entire time.

The bottom line:
GO SEE THIS MOVIE

9.8/10

[Reply #422 on:]

I'm going to have to go watch movies with Canned Eggs sometimes... he sounds like a great person to pick out movies, and watch/getdrunkto them with 

I saw Land of the Dead.  I put a review in the wrong thread earlier.  It was a very gory movie.  The story was lacking.  But it was a very gory movie    And lots of people got torn part... in ways you'd never imagine people could get torn apart in.... 

[Reply #423 on:]

is that the one that is based in Australia? or is land of the dead from the guy who did all the other zombie/horror movies?

[Reply #424 on:]

I just saw Howl's Moving Castle.  Miyazaki rocks.  This one wasn't as consistent as his best stuff, but it had some great moments, and the dub wasn't half bad.  Take care, turnip head.

Hey, winna, you ever play the Miyazaki movie drinking game?  Where you drink whenever you're confused?  It'll get you drunk.

[Reply #425 on:]

Batman Begins: I agree with the Nixinator, very cool movie, big out to Liam Neeson.

Hotel Rwanda: Missed the end of it (in-flight movie) but it was excellent, it's easy to see the Schindlers List similarity.

As for other in flight movies I kind of saw:
Big Fish and Million Dollar Baby are worth the mention.

Also on pirate DVD, I saw:
Sin City - fucking cool, loved it.
Madagascar - excellent, "They're just a bunch of pansies!"
Anchorman - Haha, awesome. 
"Right in the babymaker..."

I saw Assault on Precint 13 (half on a plane or bus or something moving, and then the full thing in the cinema in Bangkok, on a date!    )
It was ok, Laurence Fishburne was cool, but how is Ethan Hawke satisfied in his career by shouting lines like "Put the God damn gun down!"
Also, it was easy to see who the insider was.

I saw a few other but I forget them now.

[Reply #426 on:]

War Of The Worlds

Steven Spielburg has a gift. Of the films I've seen, he has yet to dissapoint me(yes, I even, liked The Lost World). And he is not starting now with his new film War Of The Worlds.

The film follows less than perfect dad Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) trying to protect his kids Rachel (Dakota Fanning), and Robbie (Justin Chatwin), from a full scale alien invasion. Think of it like 2002's film Signs, only on a much larger scale.

The film begins like any other film about a divorced dad trying to take care of his kids while his Ex-wife is out with her husband, but 15 minutes later, everything hits the fan. 26 lighting stikes hit in the center of the city, and Ray goes and checks it out, leaving the kids at home. Soon, a massive Tripod explodes out of the ground and starts blasting away at the humans, turning them into ash as soon as the beam hits. This scene is only one of many chilling and disturbing scenes.

Ray gathers his kids and they head out to Boston, where his Ex is there, but it's going to be far from easy to get there.

The film had two things against it before it's release. One, the fact that the book that it's based on takes place in the late 1800's, and this one doesn't, and the stuff going on with Tom Cruise. Although the film takes place in modern times, the film compliments the book greatly, from the tripod designs, to it's ending. Morgan Freeman narrates the beggining, and the end of the movie by reading the beggining and end of the book. As with Tom Cruise, you'll forget all about Katie Holmes and Scientology when you see him in this film. He is a great actor, and it shows here. He is even stronger when paired with Dakota Fanning, who is probably be the best child star in the last decade. They act just like a father and a daughter.

In fact, of all the summer blockbusters so far this year, this is the most real. The film basically asks "What would YOU do?" It was really hard not to think of September 11th when watching this film, there are many images that will remind you of those terrible events. From dead bodies, to missing posters, War Of the Worlds is not only one of the best films of the year, but also the most important film this year.

The Tripods and the aliens themselves, are truly terrifying. When one shows up, it's bad, but when three or five shows up, it's scary as hell.

One of the best aspects of the film is not what it shows you, but what it doesn't. One particular scene is when a massive war is happening on the other side of a hill. But we never see it. Only the sounds of gunfire are heard and flashes are seen. The rule that Spielburg follows is this, "If Ray doesn't see it, the no one sees it." this rule proves very effective.

The CGI is seamless, and there are times when you think the tripods or aliens are truly there, it's that good.

Like I said before, how the aliens are defeated is exactly like the book, and it works because it's the most logical way to end the story, no water ending up being acid to them, no Jeff Goldblum showing up with a computer virus, just

Show spoiler

common germs

In the end, War Of The Worlds is one of the best films of the summer, and the year, and it's a must see. 

Grade: A+

Ps. Leave the kids at home, this film is much too intense and may give them nightmares.

[Reply #427 on:]

Dakota Fanning. Holy Shit. That's all i got to say.

[Reply #428 on:]

War of the Worlds
Ehh...

It was pretty good. Effects were good, acting was fine...

Show spoiler

At the start of the movie:
Some guy: "What is your problem?"
Tom Cruise: "A lot of women know."
Sure, that is most certainly a misquote, but whatever it was, I just thought - IMPOTENCE! Scientology did it to him. And the little girl not wanting to pull the splinter out? Sounded like a scientologist not wanting to take drugs for medical reasons.

Enjoyable, but not as great as everyone else in this thread has said.
B+

[Reply #429 on:]

Batman Begins

I'll go out on Nix's limb and say this is the best superhero movie I've ever seen.  Not only is it not steeped in comic book magic thinly veiled as quasi-scientific mumbo and/or jumbo that we're forced to choke down for other super-characters.  This is partially due to the character himself not being a concoction of vainly constructed technological possibilities.  Batman is simply an angry man who wears a mask, plays with nifty gadgetry (the least plausible element of the story), and kicks a hell of a lot of ass.

I've never been a big fan of comic books, but as a kid I loved the animated series (pre-"Batman Superman Adventures" and thereafter).  This movie seems to follow the same lines as its animated, serial predecessor.  The difference being that, in the series, Batman was always Batman, the gadgets were always available and fully-operational, and he could leave a horde of horrible hooligans in a heap of pain without killing any of them.  There was never any explanation as to how it all came to be.  This movie explains everything that we always had to assume about the Dark Knight, and it does it with class unlike any film of its genre.

Performances are excellent across the board.  Even the kid who plays young Bruce does an okay job.  The writing goes from a little too goofy to a little too over-dramatic, but never in anything but the tiniest doses.  Christian Bale does a good job as Bruce Wayne, and I'm torn whether or not I like the way he performs as Batman.  The low, gritty tone of the voice under the cowl is almost over the top.  Micheal Caine, who plays Alfred, is the source of much of the film's comic relief.  He's more obvious than the exceptionally dry Alfred I remember from the cartoon, but the comedy is used to good effect.  Morgan Freeman reprises his role as "Supporting Character" (actually Lucius Fox) to good effect, as does Gary Oldman, who plays future-Commissioner Gordon.  The award for best casting goes to Liam Neeson.  The reason why is a sort of spoiler, so:

Show spoiler

As soon as Neeson appeared on screen I thought to myself, "He's got to be Ra's Al Ghul!"  Then he mentions Ra's while talking to Bruce in the jail, and I thought, "Oh, well that must be some kind of trick where Bruce will get to the top of the mountain and it will turn out the Neeson is Ra's."  Then, when Bruce makes it to the Shadow-guys' place and Ken Watanabe is made up to be Ra's, I thought, "Oh...well, Liam Neeson would've made a better Ra's Al Ghul."  Then I turned out to be right.

Pretty good story, eh?

Batman's Gotham is portrayed exactly as it should be: always shrouded in darkness.  CGI adds realism to wide angle shots of the city, giving the filmmakers access to bigger, flashier (and computer-generated) stunts.  Even the melee-style handheld camera shots during the fight scenes, which I usually hate, add to the realism of this film.  Even the Batmobile, while aesthetically less cool than the Batmobile from the Keaton Batman movies, looked like it could do everything one would expect the Batmobile to do.  Once again, it was no leap of moviegoer faith to believe that this shit is real.

As I said, the only weak link was some of the technology.  The grappling hook gun is always hard to explain and one of the most important elements of Batman's arsenal.  "Magnets" just doesn't cut it for me.  The idea of a microwave emitter doesn't sit well with me either.  See below.

Show spoiler

Wouldn't microwaves that instantly excite water to higher-energy states also cook any water-bearing material in the way?  I only ask because a lot of people seemed to get between the emitter and the water mains and nobody got nuked.  Also, doesn't metal usually spark when exposed to microwaves?

The point is, this was not just the best superhero movie I've ever seen, it is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

7.5 out of 8 stars.

[Reply #430 on:]

War Of The Worlds

Well I have to say, it was alot better then I thought it would be!

Its good to see that Speilberg has made something that piqued my interest, its been quite a while Steven.
I had no real problems with the movie, apart that the ending was a little to brisk for me, but thats one of the hardest parts of a movie to do.

All in all, I give this an A

[Reply #431 on:]

DrThunder: Well, you can't stop a nuclear fusion chain reaction by dumping it in the river either.  It's been almost a year since I saw Spiderman 2 and that still pisses me off.  I will agree that everything else made sense, though.  I'd have just gone with a different vaporization technique than "microwaves" if I were them.

On another Spiderman-inspired note, Batman is now one of the best superheroes at not screwing up his romance subplot.  Which is surprising, since Batman notoriously sucks at keeping his personal and superhero lives seperate.

[Reply #432 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nerd-o-rama:On another Spiderman-inspired note, Batman is now one of the best superheroes at not screwing up his romance subplot.  Which is surprising, since Batman notoriously sucks at keeping his personal and superhero lives seperate.

You call that whole Pete/MJ sap-fest a subplot? Seriously, that's all the second movie was about. I know I've mentioned it before (and I know this has nothing to do with Batman, as I haven't seen Batman Begins yet), but that's the only thing that ruined Spiderman 2 for me. The fact that both Peter and Mary Jane were moping throughout the entire movie only made things worse. And the dialogue is so clunky. I could forgive the lack of action and stupid MJ sob-fests if it weren't for the fact that you can't buy the stuff the characters are saying. It's too glossed-over, too perfect, too cliched, and too sappy for my liking. And the constant allusions to the first film (i.e., Pete's "You once told me that you loved me" (off the top of my head)) tire pretty quickly.

Anyway, I was watching The Breakfast Club the other day. I have no idea what compelled me to do that...I guess I just like it. I mean, I know the fact that complete strangers can connect on this different level (and four of the five characters hooking up) is kind of cliche, kind of hard to swallow. But, I like the fact that, as far as the dialogue and issues brought up go, this movie remains true-to-life. Yes, the characters (the brain, the outcast, the sports star, the rebel with a great soul, and the beauty queen) are stereotypical, but there's no denying the fact that it's a pretty funny movie. And, y'know, dramatic when it has to be. It gets a thumbs-up from me (which means absolutely nothing, but...)   

[Reply #433 on:]

Doesn't Breakfast Club end with those teenagers deciding that they would never acknowledge each other outside of detention because it would be social suicide? It's been a while since i saw the movie but i remember hating the ending.

[Reply #434 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nerd-o-rama:
DrThunder: Well, you can't stop a nuclear fusion chain reaction by dumping it in the river either.  It's been almost a year since I saw Spiderman 2 and that still pisses me off.

Snide remarks:
1. "Yeah, you can only get rid of dead hookers by dumping them in the East River."
2. "What, do you hit it with a hammer?"
3. "He was probably trying to get it to New Jersey.  That's what I would have done."

Also,

Show spoiler

the Batman movie didn't screw up and kill the good badguys.  The Scarecrow was on the loose and Ra's Al Ghul never really dies.  It's not like the way they killed the Joker in the first one (not that I particularly liked Jack Nicholson as the Joker).

[Reply #435 on:]

Agreed on #3.

Show spoiler

And yeah, the Scarecrow may have been defeated rather lamely, but he's still around which is handy.  And of course, for Mr. Al Ghul, there's the whole "did you see the body" question, per standard comic book style.

Can't wait for a new sequel cycle.

And I saw HHGttG again tonight (Dollar Theater 4tw.)  I realized that, if you can stop yourself comparing it to the book/TV/radio version, it's actually rather good.  I mean, "Ford.  I think I'm a sofa." is funny, just not as funny as "You're turning into a penguin.  Stop it."

Of course, there's still the plot holes, the flat gags, and the romance to annoy me, but I realized that at least none of those are as bad as they were in, say, Attack of the Clones.  I also realized one benefit to the lame Trillian/Arthur shipping after watching a few episodes of the TV show: at least it gives her a little personality.

And one final realization: the first book's ending is still the best.  Clever, bleak, and with Marvin still saving the day.

[Reply #436 on:]

Just saw Steven Spielberg presents: What some guy and his kids were doing during The War of the Worlds.

I'm not really sure what I think of it yet. My first impression is that it's kind of patchy - the plot is really uneven. I mean, there's some really nice set pieces in parts, and the wide shots of the tripod-induced carnage were nice, but the characters and their storylines were soooo derivative. The holocaust allusions were a little too heavy-handed, I thought, but to give it credit, it was genuinely disturbing in a few places.

My main grievance though - it just ended. Most films usually have a climax. This just didn't for some reason. Very strange.

Also, the design of the actual aliens sucked.

[Reply #437 on:]

 

Originally posted by Ben:
Also, the design of the actual aliens sucked.

I saw them and I thought, "That's nice, the ID4 aliens are getting jobs again."

[Reply #438 on:]

Bewitched

In order for you to want to see this movie you'll of had to see

War of the Worlds
Star Wars
Madagascar
Batman Begins

And every other movie that hasn't sucked to see this. Like the review in Us Weekly, the casting was good but the plot lacked in amusement. I wish I had chosen to see Madagascar instead. C+

Bottom line: I have weird tastes in movies.

[Reply #439 on:]

I liked Bewitched. I thought it was cute.