Lord of the Movies: The Return of the Review Thread

[Reply #360 on:]

 

Originally posted by evan:
 If Depp does indeed play Wonka, they should make the movie uber-creepy at every turn.  I think it would be interesting, because when you look at it "Willy Wonka..." is a pretty unnerving movie.  If you turn up the Grunkalunkas Oompa-Loompas and the sets, I could see the film being quite disturbing...in a good way, of course.

Yeah, I could see Tim Burton directing it.

[Reply #361 on:]

Edward Scissorhands
Have you ever been a out cast? Have you ever felt like an iceolated nut job? Have you always wanted a boy or girl to notice you, but you're to afaid to do so? Have you ever felt that you know you could never be with someone due to a certin glich that you have?
If you have, then you know how poor Edward feels.

Plot: A strange man with scissors for hands named Edward is founded by a mother of an attactive young girl. The mother takes Edward home with her. Edward is proved to be a very creative hairstylist and bush cutter.
Edward also as a crush on the girl, but he forgot about her very mean boyfriend. When
the girl shows feelings for Edward, her boy friend disides to turn the town's trust on Edward, even if it means framing him.

A very good film and sad at the same time. By sad I meant two things: Edward's cursed life and that this was horror actor Vincent Price's last apperance before he past away.
With wonderful music, emotion and bush designs, this film is a Burton classic. A

[Reply #362 on:]

And now, because no one wants it: My Pokemon movie reviews! From 1-5.

Pokemon: The First Movie(1999):

I saw this back in 99 when it first opened during my "Pokemon is the new crack!" days. I liked it then, but seeing it on T.V recently, it was very dissapointing. Takes it self WAY too seriously, no humor whatsoever.
Grade:C

Pokemon: The Movie 2000(2000, Duh):

This "Sequel" however, still holds up even though I'm not a fan of Pokemon anymore. This one lightens up a bit and delivers some humor to it rather serious(but not TOO serious) story. It also has a Kick ass score that fits with it's action scenes and it also offers a dramatic score towards the end.
Grade:B+

Pokemon 3: The Movie(2001):

This was when I was walking away from this franchise. Ugh. This film didn't feel like a movie at all. More like a extended episode of the series. It had a stupid ass plot and went back into Pokemon 1 territory and took itself WAY too seriously.
Grade:C-

Pokemon 4ever(2002)

This was when Miramax took over and kept showing that short film that was on Pokemon 1's DVD before each sequel that they released. Luckly I saw this film on STARZ! a few days ago so I din't have to pay for it. HOLY CRAP! It was worse than 3! I lost intrest not even halfway through the film but kept watching hoping something cool will happen, but NO! Instead I get a homoerotic relationship with Ash and that kid from the past that got transported to the future somehow! It was the WORST Pokemon film ever!
Grade:F

Pokemon Heroes(2003):

What the? Not only this one is better than the last one, it's better than the 3rd and the 1st(not the 2nd though). It kept me intrested throughout the whole movie and was surprised at how good it was. The race(if anyone saw this film) At the beginning was great and set the mood for the rest of the film. The Second best Pokemon film.
Grade:B

There we go. All of this coming out of a 16 year old teen. Keep in mind that I saw the First 3 when I was into Pokemon and the last 2 when I wasn't. I know that there is another movie that went straight to video recently, but I'll wait till it hits to T.V.

Average Grade for All:C+

[Reply #363 on:]

I, Robot:

Went to go see it 2nite and i was pleasantly suprised. I wasnt expecting it to be as good as it was. It was full of action, had a great story, comedy, revolution, counter-revolution. Everthing.

Highly recommended for Scifi fans

B+

[Reply #364 on:]

So today I finally saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and I am pleased to say that it's better than the two previous installments by a long shot. The acting is way better, the story is more engaging, Williams at last got inspired and wrote a wonderful score, and Cuaron's directing skills surpass Columbus' in almost every way. He has a better sense of pacing, a more imaginative sense of directing and a very welcomed sense of style. One of my favorites from what I've seen this year.

A

[Reply #365 on:]

Monty Python's Life of Brian
Do re-releases of films count toward those critics' top ten lists?  'Cos this one should definitely count towards them.  I finally got around to watching this movie, and I think I can safely say I will be buying the Criterion edition.  It's not my favorite Python film- Holy Grail really takes the cake- but it's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.  There really aren't any jokes that fall flat, the character of Brian is well-developed and interesting, and...well, any movie that features Pontius Pilate with a lisp is a winner in my book.

The Purple Rose of Cairo
Woody Allen has said this film was his personal favorite that he's made, and I think it's one of his best.  It lacks the absurdity of, say, Annie Hall or Sleeper, but the believable characters and the empathy we feel for them more than make up for it.  I really wish we had more mainstream romance films like this one.  It's smart, funny and moving, which is more than I can say about any Julia Roberts movie.

Maya Lin: Strong, Clear Vision
I'd never heard of this movie before, but I've been studying the techniques of documentaries, and this Academy Award-winner looked good.  I'm very glad I saw it.  It focuses on the various products the architect responsible for the Vietnam memorial has worked on, and it's a treat even if you aren't fond of documentaries.  It's obvious from the get-go that Maya Lin is a very creative and altruistic person, "a true inspiration to the children."  Indeed, it's hard not to be inspired by her works and thoughts.  If you can find it, I highly recommend it.

[Reply #366 on:]

Purple Rose of Cairo rocked! Much better than What's Up Tiger Lily in my opinion.. I was never a big fan of Woody Allen, but.. the acting and music and style of the whole film is SO good.

[Reply #367 on:]

Spider-man 2

I liked this one more than the first one, but I thought the first one was kinda crappy.

Improvements include better action scenes, and better humor(the comedy worked really well, in this movie. There's one musical montage in particular that I really enjoyed), and a less goofy villain.

But the movie still shares some of the first movie's flaws. There were a lot of cheesy scenes. Every time they show a crowd of people cheer on Spiderman("Go Spidey go!!!" ), I want to puke. Also, the special effects still aren't very realistic. It's been a while since I've seen the first one, so I can't say if it's an improvement or not...but it seemed to be the same level of fakiness to me.

I hate the Peter Parker/Mary Jane relationship, still. But they handled the Uncle Ben stuff a lot better, this time around. I've always really liked that aspect of Spider-man's origin, and I don't think they did it justice with the first movie. Here, it seemed a lot more emotional.

Overall, I rate this movie a ok/pretty good I guess.

Anchorman

I was really impressed by this movie. It was hilarious, and easily 5000 times better than any other Will Ferrell movie. The more I think about it, the more it makes me laugh.

There are a few jokes that are pushed way too far, though. Specifically,

Show spoiler

the erection gag. If they had cut away right after the zoom-out, it would have been hilarious. But they had to drag it out. Sigh.

I hadn't paid attention to the commercials or anything, so I'm not sure how much of this movie has been given away. But if you go into it knowing nothing, it is a great movie experience.

One thing that struck me as good, was that the plot stayed stupid and funny the entire time. A lot of SNL vehicles start out wacky, with lots of gags, and then suddenly turn normal, in a lame attempt to fit in a story. This movie had a story, but it stayed wacky.

Overall, I rate this movie a pretty funny, you should go see it. It has a UHF kinda vibe to it. You liked UHF, right? Of course you did--it was funny.

[Reply #368 on:]

I thought Anchorman was very funny as well. I didn't like the ending though, it just seemed like they took shots at the easiest thing possible, as if the little "What happend to them after" messages were tacked on as an after thought. A- probably the funniest movie of the year so far.

"I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion!"

@FshyJeff: Most of the stuff in the commericals wasn't even in the movie. Apperantly they had enough usable footage to make two movies, so most of the commericals were made up of that stuff.   

[Reply #369 on:]

Beetlejuice
The after life. Some clame that you are reborn has a diffrent life form based, based on how good you were in your past life time. Other say you will go striaght to Hell or straight to Hevan once you die. Others belevie that you haunt your past house, scaring new movers away. To Mr. Burton, it's the last one.

Plot: After a couple die in a car accident, they realies that death isn't all fun and games. When a family moves into the couples old house and turns it from a nice old fasion country house into an art gallery from Hell, they have to scare the family away, but when they try to scare, they suck instead. So, they call a bio exorcist named Beetlejuice to scare them off. That where the fun starts!

Overall, a very bizzare and twisted film that I say is Micheal Ketons best comedy ever! A

[Reply #370 on:]

Anchorman:

Now, I was pretty pissed off at the trailers for this film, because most of the funny stuff shown isn't in the movie.  For example, the funniest thing in the trailer is when Will Ferrell walks into the filing cabinet.  Doesn't occur at all in the movie.

As for the actual movie, I was pretty bored with it up until the last half hour.  The newscaster fight was fun, especially with Steve Carrel running around holding a hand grenade and stabbing a man with a trident.  The banter between Ferrell and Applegate was okay, solely for the line "I'm going to punch you in the ovaries." But a lot of the movie seemed to try too hard.  The jokes that didn't try to hard just weren't that good.  I mean, I don't feel ripped off, but it's nowhere near the funniest comedy of the summer.

And what's with the cameos?  Is there some law that every comedy in the past year has to include some combination of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Vince Vaughn?

Grade: C

[Reply #371 on:]

 

Is there some law that every comedy in the past year has to include some combination of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Vince Vaughn?

Apparently they're not succesful enough. They need the attention!

The Ladykillers

I went to see this today. It's a funny movie with an inspired performance by Tom Cruise. The humour is very different form some of the Coens' previous works, but it's still funny. The characters are interesting and Irma P. Hall is especially good. As in O, Brother Where Art Thou?, this one has some pretty catchy songs. I haven´t seen the original so I can´t comment on that, but I think this one is okay on its own.

B+

Now I declare myself a Professor.

[Reply #372 on:]

I Robit

Wasnt expecting much, was pleasantly suprised. Will Smith was actually a half decent actor in this. Action Sequences were good and the mystery kept me going. Definately worth seeing

[Reply #373 on:]

Spiderman 2. I know this one's starting to get hold but I only just saw it yesterday. It was great for me to see a film where the main character is being told how unreliable and jerkish he is, as well as maintaining everything else. So it appealed to the self-pity trip I've been on. I'm glad it wasn't totally an action-fest and had lots of character progression for people like me who aren't clued in on the characters/history.

(comments from the other page) I wonder if the people who just want an action-fest are essentially shallow and lacking and never really experienced life. Don't you need some kind of psychological grip on the characters? that's the interesting part for me.

Anyway, Spidey2 is another movie that must be seen in theatres. I can't imagine it being half as fun on the small screen what with the shots of caterpaulting between buildings, etc.

[Reply #374 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shaucker:
Frida: Best movie of its year. Julie Taymour is a art goddess, and Frida herself was before her time. EL, read the book. It's amazing, and while the movie did a great job, it left out a hell of a lot that makes Kahlo even more amazing.

If you like Julie Taymor you should check outTitus. The movie can get a little gristly at times (it's even billed as Drama/Horrow) but it's always beautiful.

[Reply #375 on:]

 

Originally posted by spacepilot3000:
Pokemon Heroes(2003):
What the? Not only this one is better than the last one, it's better than the 3rd and the 1st(not the 2nd though). It kept me intrested throughout the whole movie and was surprised at how good it was. The race(if anyone saw this film) At the beginning was great and set the mood for the rest of the film. The Second best Pokemon film.
Grade:B

I just saw that on STARZ...it's the one with the Latias, right?

Story coulda been better. Villians were awesome, but I wish they had a love scene.
Actual scenery was cool.

Titus, hmm? I've always meant to see that.

[Reply #376 on:]

I just saw Napoleon Dynamite.. And I'm too lazy to write a real review, so here's a random assemblage of thoughts and opinions.
-Most 'teen movies' are filled with actors who look WAY too old for their roles. This was not the case. Napoleon is tall and ungainly, and Pedro has a moustache, but they look perfect.. And Beth is an almost uncanny high schooler, just the right height and build. Nearly every character is a perfect mix of charming and awkward, and all are intensely likeable.
-The music[except for one selection during a 'skit' that threw me for a loop, confused me utterly, and completely threw off any guesses I might have made as to the time period of the film..] is perfect. That sort of tinny and odd 'casio/electric organ' muzak.. And completely appropriate use of pop. "Time After Time" has never fit so well to anything.
-This film contains the. Best. Dance. Sequence. Ever. I mean it. The choreography is genius.
-The wardobe is stunning as well. It's just.. so.. perfect. Faded T-shirts, ugly sweaters, denim 'handicraft' overalls worn by everyone's aunt.
-I love Napoleon. That is all. His squinting, his afro, his pimp brown suit, his dancing, his art skills, and his voice. The whole package is perfect and utterly endearing. He's also very fun to draw. I'll post something here later maybe.
All in all, very enjoyable, very funny and very light. It's destined to be a cult film.. And since it's PG[Possibly the first great PG movie I've seen in ages], you can bring your little sister.
A+! ...+2 For Liger!

EDIT: Titus was

Show spoiler

that one where Alan Cumming gets 'death by silverware', right?

[Reply #377 on:]

FUN FACT: The guy who played Napolean (Jon Heder?) graduated from South Salem High School in Oregon.

Oregon represent! ::flashes gang signs::

[Reply #378 on:]

I also read he loves Futurama.

[Reply #379 on:]

Yay for Oregon, the state with the name 99.99% of celebrities can't pronounce correctly!

EDIT- If you've only seen Nappy D once, starting today, they've added an extra scene shot four weeks ago.  Fox Searchlight's site has an ad for it.  It's a wedding scene, but is it...
Pedro and Summer?
Kip and Lafawnduh?
Or Napoleon and Deb?

[Reply #380 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shaucker:
 I just saw that on STARZ...it's the one with the Latias, right?

Right. It was coming on so I figured I had nothing better to do so I watched it.

 

Story coulda been better. Villians were awesome, but I wish they had a love scene.
Actual scenery was cool.

Love scene? Between the villans? Ew! I was actually expecting Ash and Latias in the form of that girl to make out or something, but they settled for a kiss at the very end which was weird and sweet at the same time.

[Reply #381 on:]

Osama Tezuka's Metropolis:

Don't get this confused with the Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Anyone who is a fan of anime or animation in general should really see this film. The story takes place in a beautiful city known as Metropolis(Duh). A dectective and his young nephew Kenichi come to investigate a mad scientist who, acording to a reliable source, is hiding out. In the mist of all of that, the mad scientist is creating a sinthetic robot of a powerful tyrant's(known as Duke Red)daughter known as Tima. Unfortunatley, Duke's right hand man Rock(who refers to Duke as his father) gets jelous and destroys the lab in hopes of killing Tima. Fortunatley, Kenichi and his Uncle show up at the fire and split up. Kenichi finds Tima and the two get lost in the city. The two then form a strong bond with one another and IMO fall in love. The twist? Tima does not know that she is a robot and Kenichi thinks that she has amnesia despite finding her glowing and naked in the fire. Rock finds out that Tima survived the fire and starts to go after them while the uncle also looks for Kenichi but also investigates Rock. I won't go into the rest as it soon becomes a bigger situation and culminates into an explosive(literally) climax.

The animation is flat out gorgeous and the CGI that is present through most of the film is awesome. The plot is involving although I would've liked a few more scenes of character development. The ending is a trip and features a Ray Charles song during all of the chaos that happens on-screen at the end. But the film also contains a bittersweet ending that will leave people to speculate what happens next. At 108 minutes, it felt surprisingly short but satisfiying nonetheless. It is a great departure from those disney movies that spend 140 million dollars on a 90 minute film(Metropolis only cost 15 million, which is actually expensive in Japan.). Overall a really great anime film that stand the test of time with the other greats like AKIRA and Princess Mononoke.

Grade:A

[Reply #382 on:]

Batman Returns
Have you ever been an outcast? Have you ever felt so lonely that you go mentially insain?
Then you mght know how poor Penguin feels.

Plot: Batman must save Gotham City from two evil villians; one is a disfigured man who wants to be mayor of Gotham and one who is a sexy and evil fomer secratary who likes cats.
Can Batman save Gothame from a not-so-merry Chrismas, or will he let Gotham crumble in the white, cold snow?

Overal, another classic from Burton.
It still brings a chill down your spine and comic relief that you can injoy through out the whole year. A


Dogeball
Dogeball: The game sometimes called a savage betting diqised as a part of gym class. Others say it is just a harmless childrens game. In this movie, the first one is the correct opinion.

Plot: When a second rate gym needs 50,000 dollars to save itself from turnng into a parking lot for the huge gym next door, the owner and five of his friends diside to compeate in the dogeball champion ship and get the 50,000 cash prize. But when the owner of the gym next door heres about it,
he disides to get five huge peopel to join him in compitition for the game. With the help of a dogeball profetional, the little gym may just go along way.

Overal, it was an OK comedy. It had some bad stuff, but was still good. Kudos to Ben Stiller and Rip Torn! B+

[Reply #383 on:]

'Nappy D'[genius, Bumblebee] fanart, because yes.
And that new scene was pretty funny. Pony...

[Reply #384 on:]

So is this guy like a new Max Fischer or is he the complete opposite?

[Reply #385 on:]

Well.. He's not as.. intelligent as Max, and not as 'suave' if you can call it that..
Something tells me, though, that if you're a fan of Rushmore you'll be a fan of Napoleon Dynamite.

[Reply #386 on:]

........

[Reply #387 on:]

 

Originally posted by Woodbot 2.0:
Edward Scissorhands
Have you ever been a out cast? Have you ever felt like an iceolated nut job? Have you always wanted a boy or girl to notice you, but you're to afaid to do so? Have you ever felt that you know you could never be with someone due to a certin glich that you have?
If you have, then you know how poor Edward feels.

Plot: A strange man with scissors for hands named Edward is founded by a mother of an attactive young girl. The mother takes Edward home with her. Edward is proved to be a very creative hairstylist and bush cutter.
Edward also as a crush on the girl, but he forgot about her very mean boyfriend. When
the girl shows feelings for Edward, her boy friend disides to turn the town's trust on Edward, even if it means framing him.

A very good film and sad at the same time. By sad I meant two things: Edward's cursed life and that this was horror actor Vincent Price's last apperance before he past away.
With wonderful music, emotion and bush designs, this film is a Burton classic. A

eh, i watched it yesterday and all i feel is "weird". sorry but i don't feel any drama or sadness. it's just WEIRD. the guy just creeps me out. he kills and harms people with his hands, how can he be not creepy?! and i feel pity for Kim. the only choice she has in the movie is an asshole jock or a creepy mc cripple. and i don't think edward "feels" anything, at least i don't see that. he barely talks or communicates. i don't know how can he feels lonely if he lived alone til Peg found him... meh, i don't really get this movie.

[Reply #388 on:]

What are you, simple? 

Spider-man 2.
Damn good entertainin' I say, better than the last one, funnier too, especially Jameson.
And Alfred Molina was great, (maybe I like him more because of his resemblance to Terry Jones  )

Plot wise it was not too hard on the brain, and although the cheese factor rose dangerously close to the threshold a few times, it was still enjoyable.

A-.

[Reply #389 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mr. Potter:
The Ladykillers

I went to see this today. It's a funny movie with an inspired performance by Tom Cruise.

Heh, he's so short, you can't even see him in the movie! 

[Reply #390 on:]

 

Well.. He's not as.. intelligent as Max, and not as 'suave' if you can call it that..
Something tells me, though, that if you're a fan of Rushmore you'll be a fan of Napoleon Dynamite.

I'll see it as soon as it comes here.

 

Heh, he's so short, you can't even see him in the movie!

Hmm, yeah, I meant to say...well, you already know. ::runs away embarrassed::

[Reply #391 on:]

Aw, I get em mixed up all the time 

[Reply #392 on:]

Butterfly Effect
this movie was sad and feel creepy at the same time. The ending was really strange.
B+

[Reply #393 on:]

Spiderman 2

Enjoyed it.  But tell me, is it a contractual stipulation that Kirsten Dunst must get wet in these movies?

Because I like it! 

[Reply #394 on:]

 

Originally posted by homerjaysimpson:
Butterfly Effect
this movie was sad and feel creepy at the same time. The ending was really strange.
B+

Are you talking about the ending to the director's cut or the theatrical cut?  Because I thought the theatrical ending was neat, but the director's cut ending was laughable.

[Reply #395 on:]

 

Originally posted by boingo2000:
 Are you talking about the ending to the director's cut or the theatrical cut?  Because I thought the theatrical ending was neat, but the director's cut ending was laughable.

Director's cut and I liked it more than the theatrical cut. Theatrical cut was really lame at the end.

[Reply #396 on:]

That's some totally awesome art there, EvilLunch!

Oh, and I didn't come up with "Nappy D."  It's actually the name obsessive fans use for the film.  You should see the fan club site- it's insane how many die-hards there are already.

The last movie I saw was Rocky Horror, but I was acting and singing along, so I didn't pay much attention to the screen.  I did rent Always A Bridesmaid and The Kid Stays in the Picture, which I hope to watch tomorrow.  After that, I'm feeling in the mood for some classic foreign film.  Maybe Cinema Paradiso and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

[Reply #397 on:]

Wow, I gotta get over to that site then..
You're a Rocky Horror fan?  Wow! That's so cool! And The Kid Stays in the Picture is AWESOME. Such a cool movie.. Such an amazing guy. Lately all my favorite films have been documentaries or biopics.. Or at least movies that focus on the life of one character more than a conflict or event..

[Reply #398 on:]

 

Originally posted by EvilLunch:
You're a Rocky Horror fan?    Wow! That's so cool!

[Homer]So am I, but I don't get all huffy about it.[/Homer]

[Reply #399 on:]

I can't stand damn Rocky Horror. Seen it once - never again. Too much singing - and other horrible aspects.