Outrageous Prices For Food and Entertainment! (The Movie Reviews Thread)

[Reply #200 on:]

I mostly liked Prometheus. It's one of those movies I enjoy watching but won't necessarily think of as defining the genre or anything. I especially liked the visuals and sound work (but for the guy in the old-man mask. Why can't they just find a really old person for those roles?)

I just had another revelation. Take any great movie. Any will do. Got one? Now mentally add either Adam Sandler or Robin Williams. Bam! You got a bad movie.

[Reply #201 on:]

Would you say that your perception of Prometheus was influenced by the marketing campaign, for better or worse?

I found myself a bit perturbed by the ads for Prometheus, especially the Coors one.  I came into the movie with a very cynical attitude, feeling like I had already deduced the whole movie from the ads and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

[Reply #202 on:]

I especially liked the visuals and sound work (but for the guy in the old-man mask. Why can't they just find a really old person for those roles?)

They had used Guy Pearce for some viral video stuff earlier, where a younger Weyland did a TED talk... of the future!

[Reply #203 on:]

(but for the guy in the old-man mask. Why can't they just find a really old person for those roles?)

That was my first thought on seeing him. I've had the same problem when looking at other actors made up to look older, too. It's really obvious fakery, and I'm starting to think that rather than prosthetics and makeup and whatnot, they should go CGI with the old person effects. It's one of the few areas where I think that the CGI looks better than the physical effects - age makeup is pretty horrendously obvious when it's overdone (as it tends to be). It almost looks like the actors are wearing a full inch of extra skin when they have latex applied to most of their face.

For spaceships and explosions and whatnot, model shots are clearly the best way to do things. For making people look like they are a hundred and ninety, perhaps Hollywood should turn to computerised digimancy and binary electronical wizardology.

[Reply #204 on:]

I just had another revelation. Take any great movie. Any will do. Got one? Now mentally add either Adam Sandler or Robin Williams. Bam! You got a bad movie.

With the exception of "Little Nicky"...

[Reply #205 on:]

I especially liked the visuals and sound work (but for the guy in the old-man mask. Why can't they just find a really old person for those roles?)

They had used Guy Pearce for some viral video stuff earlier, where a younger Weyland did a TED talk... of the future!

I saw that in a trailer and it nearly made me feel bad about the movie. Seemed really cheesy. So, lose-lose on that one for me.

[Reply #206 on:]

I mostly liked Prometheus. It's one of those movies I enjoy watching but won't necessarily think of as defining the genre or anything. I especially liked the visuals and sound work (but for the guy in the old-man mask. Why can't they just find a really old person for those roles?)

That's exactly what I said to my roommate after we saw it. And did anyone else see the very very last scene coming? I did, and I was pleasantly right. I liked Prometheus I don't understand what people aren't liking about it. It was exactly what I expected and it was a pretty good movie. It had it's problems and I think Alien is still the better movie but it was good on it's own merits.

[Reply #207 on:]

Alien is one of my top five films, period.  I enjoyed Prometheus a lot, and I thought they eased into the Alien callbacks at just the right pace.  But it is nowhere near the level of Alien.  I'd say that Prometheus is the best film in the franchise, after Alien.  The degree of character stereotyping could have been toned down a lot, though.

Aliens and Resurrection are great popcorn flicks, to be sure.

[Reply #208 on:]

Alien is a masterpiece.

Aliens is a great popcorn flick.

Alien Resurrection is appalling.

Prometheus is mediocre.

[Reply #209 on:]

I think Aliens is a great film as well.  I suppose you could call Alien a horror with sci-fi/action trappings, and Aliens a sci-fi action film with horror elements?

Maybe Prometheus would have been genre-defining 30 years ago, but it's been released in an age where all the things it's done have already been done to death?   What's groundbreaking ten years ago quickly becomes appropriated by everything that comes after until it becomes a cliche.

[Reply #210 on:]

Moonrise Kingdom

Loved it! Edward Norton was adorable. It got kind of dark but it's a story about young "love" involving these two young kids who are misunderstood and it worked. It's kind of a sad movie when you think about it and it doesn't even have a completely all-around finished resolution. My favorite part was when Bill Murray took off his shoe and just started beating Norton. Hilarity!

B+

[Reply #211 on:]

I saw Prometheus again in 3D this time, it did not add much, maybe the holo map was cool but I found the foreground images jumpy sometimes, like there was frames missing or something, quite annoying.
I also watched the Redlettermedia guys full review (not the questions video) and agree with them, it's good looking, but disappointing in some areas.

[Reply #212 on:]

I'm disillusioned with 3D overall. I've decided to turn a pair of 3D glasses into a pair of un-3D glasses in protest. Anytime I go see a film that's only in 3D, I'm taking them with me.

[Reply #213 on:]

It appears that Scott has a sequel (to the prequel?) in the works for Prometheus named Paradise.  Hopefully we will get some answers this time around, and hopefully without raising too many more questions in the process.  Oh, and a more focused script would do too.

[Reply #214 on:]

Blame "Losty Lindelof", the man who creates questions with no answers!

Tnuk: You fool, wait for Peter Jackson to have a go!
And to a lesser extent, Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity is supposed to be visually awesome)

[Reply #215 on:]

The title Paradise is quite interesting, since that was floated around as a working title for Prometheus itself. It'll be intriguing to see how far away from Alien it will go. I take them saying it'll go further and further from Alien with a grain of salt. I'm sure any Prometheus sequel will continue to harken to the mythology of the Alien universe and continue to explain things from that movie without being overt, very much like how Janek has a throwaway line that gives an explanation for the xenomorphs or the blink-and-you-miss-it sculpture of a xenomorph in the head room.

[Reply #216 on:]

It appears that Scott has a sequel (to the prequel?) in the works for Prometheus named Paradise.

I swear to God I read somewhere that that was a working title for Prometheus. Oh well, can't wait!

[Reply #217 on:]

Yes, it was a working title for Prometheus because apparently he was going to try and fit the entire story into one movie (gah!) but ended up splitting it into two or maybe three parts.  I wish I could find the article where I read all of this but it's buried somewhere in the comments section of one of the dozens of Prometheus speculation posts on r/LV426.

As it is I am looking forward to the director's cut of Prometheus which will have some much needed extra footage.  Footage that I am hoping will be put to good use improving characterization and plot elements.

[Reply #218 on:]

The cut currently in theaters is the director's cut. Scott made sure to guarantee final cut with Fox after what happened with Warner Bros regarding Blade Runner. He made two cuts of the film: a PG13 version if the studio wanted it; and his cut, an R-rated version. The studio picked the R-rated version, so what you saw in theaters is exactly what Scott wanted in the film.

[Reply #219 on:]

True, but there is going to be an extended cut on the blu ray version.  That's what I meant.  Scott said that it is going to include ~ 20 minutes of extra footage.  Also it will include 30 minutes of deleted scenes.  Not sure how much of those two overlap.

[Reply #220 on:]

Brave

This was a bit darker and less comedic than I was expecting from a Pixar offering, the preceding short was lovely, though. In fact this felt more like a Disney movie than a Pixar one.

However, I enjoyed the setting, the story, and the characters. The comic relief bits were good enough to keep my chuckling and I had no idea where the plot was going till at least half way through the story. I suspect that very young viewers won't find much to keep them entertained.

Overall I'd give it a B, good but not great.


Oh, and there's a scene right at the end of the credits.

[Reply #221 on:]

Oh, and there's a scene right at the end of the credits.

Does it involve shwarma?

But seriously, the trailer for Brave (at least the US trailer) is fucking awful because it's like "it's a quirky comedy!" then takes a dramatic turn out of nowhere where the lines from one scene are clearly being dubbed over other scenes. Just because the movie may not be as funny as other Pixar movies doesn't mean we as audience members aren't going to be put off by a trailer that displays the correct theme of the movie.

I don't really have a desire to see Brave in theaters, but I suspect my friends might.

[Reply #222 on:]

I'm going to rent Brave. Looks too much like a rip off of How to train your dragon.

[Reply #223 on:]

I think How to train your dragon had dragons.

[Reply #224 on:]

And had a protagonist with no confidence.

[Reply #225 on:]

And a penis.

[Reply #226 on:]

Hmm I thought Brave looked more like Scottish Mulan without the singing and Chinese people.

[Reply #227 on:]

The only thing Brave had in common with HtTYD was a parent and a child who couldn't communicate with each other, but eventually learn to do so.

Brave is gorgeous, but it is quite solidly middle-tier Pixar, better than Cars 2 and Nemo, not nearly as good as Wall E or Up.

And Brave has even less in common with Mulan.

[Reply #228 on:]

So it's like Brave New World?

[Reply #229 on:]

I'll give Pixar the benefit of the doubt and the reviews I've seen have been positive, so I'll plunk down my money to see Brave.  I need to find a theater that isn't showing it in 3D though because I'm done with that crap.

[Reply #230 on:]

Watched the trippy as fuck sci-fi classic, Fantastic Planet again. 

One thing I will say about this movie is that it... doesn't make much sense, but if it did, it would probably be about sex.  The art style is great, reminiscent of Monty Python cutouts, and an astonishing amount of detail is packed into the planet Ygam.  Crystals sprout around standing objects, and are shattered by whistling.  Cackling predators use their noses to form cages around cute birds, and promptly shake them to death.   The landscapes are extremely organic, featuring soft curves and spirals. 

The planet is inhabited by two humanoids: gigantic blue Draags and tiny humans called Oms.  The Draags are technologically and spiritually advanced which contrasts with their casual cruelty to the Oms (who are humans introduced from a post-apoclyptic Earth).   They view the Oms as amusing pets at best, and vermin to be exterminated at their worst.  Humans are also the bottom of the food chain.

What I like about this film:
The gorgeous and surreal artstyle. 

My like-nots
The characters don't develop as much as they should.  The only sympathetic Draag, for example is quickly booted from the plot half an hour into the film.

So in other words, a criminally underrated film that does a wonderful job of fucking with your brain.  Do watch.  (On Youtube).

[Reply #231 on:]

Einstein and Eddington
David Tennant as Eddington and Andy Serkis as Einstein, kind of like A Beautiful Mind in the sense that it shows how scientists struggle with the scientific problem in the time of war and difficult family/home life.
Good performances and stuff, pretty decent watch.
C+

[Reply #232 on:]

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

Alas, Sequel Syndrome is in full swing here. Too many new characters who get not enough screen time. Too much stuff happens just because it needs to happen which makes the story feel like a sequence of set pieces instead of a cohesive whole. The scrat's segments seem even more unrelated to the rest of the movie than usual.

It's not a bad film. The visuals and animation are good, it's fast-paced, should keep the little 'uns entertained and was funny enough for my tastes but just not as good as the previous ones.

Grade: C

[Reply #233 on:]

Can't wait for Ice Age 5: The Extinction

[Reply #234 on:]

* winna high fives

[Reply #235 on:]

Thank you. But seriously, how long can they milk this franchise before they have to kill everyone because HISTORY.

[Reply #236 on:]

They can milk it forever because, if needs be, they can just write an all new, sexier history…

Show spoiler

…with blackjack and hookers.

[Reply #237 on:]

They can milk it forever because, if needs be, they can just write an all new, sexier history…

Show spoiler

…with blackjack and hookers.

Geologically inaccurate blackjack and hookers.  The best kind.

[Reply #238 on:]

Having a movie night with one of my best friends: watched X-Men:First Class which is a favourite anyway, and then The Woman In Black. Genuinely terrified me. I'm a wimp anyway but there was at least one point where I screamed bloody murder.

Good laugh though!!

[Reply #239 on:]

Brief thoughts on a bunch of movies I've seen over the past month or two:

Cinema:

Men In Black 3

I am in agreement with Coldy that this was far better that the second film, mainly because I can't really remember what happened in that one. The ending was sweet, I wasn't expecting that since usually these days movies are stupid. So that was neat. And Boris. My goodness, I had forgotten entirely that Jemaine was playing him, what a good jerb. And the young Agent K really did seem like a young Agent K. I think it worked well with some of the feeling of the first movie while having it's own..existence. I had a nice nostalgia trip at the beginning of the film remembering seeing the first one at the cinema when I was 11. Maybe if they ever make a Ghostbusters 3 some older people can experience something like that.

Prometheus

Coldy made me sit through the 3 Alien movies last year, and while the first one felt kind of boring and drawn out to me, I did appreciate the whole..thing. This movie was basically the story of a new (or old) Ripley with some kind of accent who performs her own abortion and is the sole survivor of alien births/attacks apart from an android who really has had a tough life with people ignoring his non-existent feelings and such. I don't know why he didn't kill everyone, although he did infect that dude so he could end up with his girlfriend (I'm assuming that was the motivation). I lol'ed when his head got pulled off though. That's the cool thing about being a robot, you can survive decapitation. Should I have spoilered any of that? It's not like anybody who wanted to see the movie hasn't seen it already, right?

Home:

8MM

Oh hai Nicolas Cage. Oh hai Joaquin Phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix? You look..well.
This movie had murders and porn and guns and stuff. Er, snuff. It was kind of creepy, I felt sleazy watching it. Poor old lady at the end, that's what you get for marrying a rich pervert I guess.

21 Jump Street

This was far more amusing that I had expected having heard bad reviews of it. But I had a few audible laugh moments, and the cameos I wasn't expecting at all so that was extra fun. Also I keep forgetting James Franco has a little brother. He looks like the sleazy nasty bully version of him. It's freaky. Aside from that, I could stomach watching this again. Even if it was just for Jonah Hill's Slim Shady.

Alien Vs. Predator

I quite liked this one. So much Alien-ness lately. But this was good. I wanted the predator and the woman (hey look it's Ripley again ) to hook up or something, so maybe they can do a spin-off movie of her raising a young predator-human thing?

Alien Vs. Predator Requiem

I get the whole "ohh we made a Predalien it's gonna getcha!" thing but...come on. So it can make babies and that makes it really tough to get rid of. Why does it seem to only be able to make babies with female humans? I mean, the alien aliens can jump onto anybody's face and BAM, alien. So why can't the Predalien guy facefuck men? Is he a homophobe? There is no need for the person to have ovaries or anything, the babies come out of the stomach, not a vagina, and they're not getting extra DNA from human eggs. PLEASE EXPLAIN.

Arthur

I assumed this would be lame. And it was. But dammit, Helen Mirren dying was sad.

Candyman

Tony Todd being young and ominous. The woman in it looked like she should be related to Gillian Anderson. Anyway, that was...a movie.

Clue

I love you, Tim Curry.

Colo(u)r of Night

I love you, Bruce Willis.

Escape From New York

I have no strong feelings one way or the other, Kurt Russell.

Final Destination 5

The only thing I really enjoyed about this was how it tied into the first movie, which was the only one of these films I saw properly. I wasn't expecting that, and I like when films surprise me. SURPRISE!

*  Maz walks through a hall of swinging knives, has a brain aneurysm

Fire in the Sky

Hahahaha, Robert Patrick was young once.

Gamer

Michael C. Hall, you're fucking creepy looking. Stop it.

GoldenEye

Guns. Women. Really loud guns. Judy Dench. Some stuff happens. The End.

Heathers

This went super psycho super fast. I don't even... I guess it was funny or something?

Heavenly Creatures

LESBIANS! So that's where the woman on Two & a Half Men and Ever After originated! New Zealand! I like her even more now. Kate Winslet's British accent got old fast. This movie is like what my life would have been like as a teenager had I been a lesbian and psychotic.

Jacob's Ladder

I can't even remember how this ended, I lost interest part way through and just kind of yelled out 'boobies' when necessary.

John Carter

I'm boorrred. I couldn't help thinking it was Prince of Persia, all the desertness. I didn't feel like I was on Mars despite the funky alien creatures. The only thing I liked in this movie was the dog-type thing.

Meet the Robinsons

I always wanted to see this but never did until recently. Really quite sweet and fun. Inventions! Weee! I quite enjoyed this as an animated film that was made beyond my childhood years. Although they do tend to make them for adults now anyway.

Mimic

I felt like I'd seen this before somehow. I hadn't seen this exact film before but I've seen a whole bunch of movies that could make this one. Interesting to see 'Romy' as a serious character. How do I know you're not a cockroach? I don't know what I thought would happen in this film, I guess maybe I thought the bugs would be all "mummy (mommy) we're here we love you but we're going to kill everyone around you" But then her husband ended up surviving. What the hell was that?

Mystery Men

Already saw this in the cinema and a couple of years later on dvd or TV, but it's still good. I don't know why it didn't seem to be very popular? Maybe because that Smash Mouth song was overplayed and everyone just associated the two? Hrmm.

Predator 2

What's the deal with Jamaican gangs? Are they actually a thing? I always thought of Jamaican's as easy-going and having comedic valuable, as per Cool Runnings.

Stephen King's It

HOW LONG WAS THIS MOVIE. But at least now I can appreciate references to it. I forgot it had mentioned Seth Green in the credits until ages through the movie and I realised the geeky redhead was him. His balls hadn't dropped yet, otherwise I would have recognised his voice. Anyway... That was crazy. I mean, it started off with that little girl getting killed and I thought okay that's cool, but then all of a sudden we're flung back into the past by some random cop, and his child-self doesn't even show up for half the movie to the point where you're like "hang on, how does he know about all these happenings - oh wait, here he is now, just before they go after the clown. So he just wants us all to know HE WAS THERE EVENTUALLY AND HE HELPED A LITTLE." I know it's based on a book, but I haven't read that book. Is this how the book goes? Because I think the film would have been more fun if it just continued as one of those slasher films where everyone gets knocked off until the group of kids figure out how to get rid of the clown, and then at the end the clown is back ready to kill again. But yay, Tim Curry.

Super Mario Brothers

This was fucking awesome. I'm serious.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This too. Fuck you.

The Thing

Coldy made me watch the re-make a few months ago, and then he realised that was essentially a prequel to this, so I was over it before it began. Poor doggies. I want a doggy.

This is Spinal Tap

Hahahaha, Michael McKean was young once.

Willow

Coldy made me watch this so he could have a nostalgia boner. I'd never heard of it before. It was okay. Also;
Hahahaha, Val Kilmer was young once.