Come December, keep in mind there is already a Star Wars thread - Movie Reviews

[Reply #240 on:]

I just watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day for the first time.

Fantastic movie. The CGI and practical effects have aged far better than the original film and it had a really compelling story with such brilliant set-pieces.

Only real downside was the actor playing John was kind of shitty every now and then, but I can look the other way for that since everything else is so stellar.

I enjoy the hell out of it, but it's a good film mostly (only?) in the context of continuing from the first film.  T1 is a dark, foreboding, cautionary tale that also shows the power and potential of the individual human spirit and the effects are totally secondary to the storytelling.  It's an absolutely iconic movie.

T2 is a fun, exciting, rousing film with thousands upon thousands of gunshots fired and plays its callbacks expertly.  It's a popcorn movie that grabs you with feels from time to time and isn't forced to compromise with effects because of a very limited budget.

fwiw, I don't know jack about moviemaking, I just know what I like.

In a similar vein, I watched Aliens the other night for the first time in ages.  I had forgotten that it was a pretty decent movie in its own right, not simply as an easily-digested trope-ridden shoot-em-up mass-market follow-on to Alien.

[edit]

(Appropriate TOTP dance)

[Reply #241 on:]

I agree that T1 is more coherent and tightly paced, and it's definitely a great movie; I just enjoyed the sequel significantly more because of its larger scope.

That scene where Sarah goes all badass during her escape but instantly crumbles in fear at the sight of the Terminator is particularly amazing.

I actually haven't seen any of the Alien movies, but I've heard they're quite similar to the Terminators in that the genre practically changes for the sequel, as well as James Cameron's involvement.

[Reply #242 on:]

...they're quite similar to the Terminators in that the genre practically changes for the sequel, as well as James Cameron's involvement.

Yes, and that correlation stops after the first sequel: T3 is a fun film and A3 is a lame film.

[Reply #243 on:]

...they're quite similar to the Terminators in that the genre practically changes for the sequel, as well as James Cameron's involvement.

Yes, and that correlation stops after the first sequel: T3 is a fun film and A3 is a lame film.

I think the general consensus says that they're both lame films.

Another movie I saw a while ago, but subsequently forgot about, was Spectre. It wasn't bad by any means, just really, really forgettable.

[Reply #244 on:]

I think I've heard more people express enjoyment of A3 than T3, personally.

I liked Spectre, it works a lot better if you have seen Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace recently, as it ties up loose ends that those movies set up. It also tries to tie Skyfall into the plot in ways that don't make anywhere near as much sense.

[Reply #245 on:]

Terminator 3 is an unforgivable pile of crap. An unforgivable pile of crap with a pretty good ending, but an unforgivable pile of crap nonetheless.

[Reply #246 on:]

Fair enough (I've only watched it whilst moderately inebriated).  I am suddenly curious about your thoughts on A3.  What did you think of it?

[edit]

I actually haven't seen any of the Alien movies, but I've heard they're quite similar to the Terminators in that the genre practically changes for the sequel, as well as James Cameron's involvement.

1) I'm stunned

2) Go rent or stream (HQ) Alien immediately!  Make sure it's late at night, on a big screen with the volume cranked, and you're sitting in a pitch-black room, alone.

[Reply #247 on:]

I'm in the exact same boat as UrL when it comes to the Alien movies.

Does this mean my membership as a nerd is going to be revoked?

[Reply #248 on:]

I'm gobsmacked!  I watched Alien during opening week, with my brother.  We'd not heard any spoilers, and it was amazingly intense -- so much so, that we turned to look at each other and one of us said "If it gets much more intense than this, I'm leaving!".

Watch A1, A2, and A4.  Skip A3 unless you're having insomnia (there were a couple of OK parts).

So:

• Alien A+
  
• Aliens B
  
• Alien Resurrection B-, in a bad/good/cool sort of way*.  Also, Winona Ryder
  
• Alien³ D+

*Best terrible/brilliant line delivered absolutely straight: "We burned our modems"

[Reply #249 on:]

I fully intend to watch Alien and Aliens when I get an opportunity, it's just not super high on the "classics" list at the moment. For example, I've been meaning to watch The Godfather I/II, Saving Private Ryan and The Silence of the Lambs at some point as well but I'm a lazy piece of shit.

[Reply #250 on:]

The Silence of the Lambs is on my list too, seeing as I just watched the last episode of Hannibal a couple of days ago. And I only watched the Godfather trilogy for the first time earlier this year... I'm just not much of a "movie person," I guess. I much prefer the episodic format of television and being able to stick with characters and immerse myself in a fictional world for an extended period of time. I probably only watch 1 or 2 films a month on average.

The Godfather trilogy was pretty damn great, though. Even the much-maligned third installment, which, while nowhere near the brilliance of the first two, really doesn't deserve its negative reputation, outside of Sofia Coppola's acting which I'll concede was awful.

[Reply #251 on:]

Wow.  I'm the least "movie" person out of everyone I know.  I had never seen Silence of the Lambs but went out of my way to watch it the week before Silence of the Clamps aired, just in case they dropped a reference

My Korean War friend said that I ought to watch the opening 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan just to get an idea what a firefight from that general era in history was like, so I did.  Just the first 30 minutes, which was incredible.  I've no particular desire to watch the rest of it, though.

[Reply #252 on:]

You are absolutely the first person I've heard declare that Alien Ressurection is better than Alien 3. I'm pretty sure that the general consensus is A3 is a flawed but not awful movie and that A4 is absolute garbage. Having only seen reviews of both movies featuring thorough amounts of clips from each and rubthroughs of the plots, I'm inclined to agree. A3 seems boring but A4 seems like batshit insanity.

For the record, I've seen both Alien and Aliens, and they are indeed great. I also might be one of the only people in the world who didn't mind Prometheus despite its dozens of plotholes.

[Reply #253 on:]

The Silence of the Lambs and Godfather are great and I actually should watch them again. I would put Alien up with those classics as well, Aliens is good too, but not the same as first one.

I thought Alien³ was kind of boring, but not really a bad one. However, I really disliked Alien: Resurrection. Its plot was stupid and the movie even started as a bad comedy.

I'm pretty sure that the general consensus is A3 is a flawed but not awful movie and that A4 is absolute garbage.

Yeah, even though I've seen people don't like A3, I guess my opinions aren't far off.

[Reply #254 on:]

Alien³ was boring to tears.  Resurrection as a stand-alone movie was bad, but as a silly, fun, insane sequel it's very entertaining.

"I've only seen the covers of these books and read a few reviews and heard talk about the plots, but I've formed a solid opinion and I am certain that this book is better than that book."

 

Also, I liked a lot about Prometheus and it could have been a great film.  The thing about it that grates my nerves the most isn't the plot holes, but the terrible character tropes, especially the one near the end with the stalwart, self-sacrificing captain and his loyal crew -- I wanted to vomit, and it destroyed the end of the movie for me.  It was as bad as some of the character tropes in Avatar.

[Reply #255 on:]

You know I don't read books!

[Reply #256 on:]

And I only watched the Godfather trilogy for the first time earlier this year...

I also saw the first two films for the first time earlier this year (I still haven't seen the third, but do intend to do so soon), and agree that they're quite good indeed. Although I'd say that the first one is probably the better movie overall--it's more coherent and self-contained, whereas the second one is more all over the place plot-wise and doesn't really work without the context of the first--I found that I ultimately preferred Part II in terms of the emotions and the characters.

[Reply #257 on:]

I don't think much of The Godfather at all. I think it's incredibly dull.

The first half of The Godfather: Part II was brilliant. The second half, (which is essentially an entirely different film stuck onto the back for no reason) was even worse than the first one. If I could separate the two halves into separate films, I'd be all about The Godfather: Part II and I'd join in when everyone complains about the third one.

The Godfather: Part III was actually not too bad despite Sofia Coppola's dreadful performance. Al Pacino is way better than Marlon Brando. I think I could make a decent argument for this actually being the best of the trilogy if I could be bothered to properly formulate my arguments. As it stands, I much prefer it to the first, but I'd go for the 2nd based on its first half.

Not that I think it's that great a bunch of films to begin with.

[Reply #258 on:]

I've seen the first one a couple of times and I think it's a fine movie but it was never very memorable to me. Never seen 2 or 3.

[Reply #259 on:]

People gave me flack at first, but nobody can deny that my thread title has been effective!

[Reply #260 on:]

Your thread title is bad and you should feel bad.  I saw my second in-theatre movie of the year yesterday, but I can't review it here... because of your thread title.

[Reply #261 on:]

Oh. NO.

[Reply #262 on:]

Once January rolls 'round, we should be okay to talk about that movie here, right?

[Reply #263 on:]

I don't get it. There's a Star Wars thread that people have already been using to review and talk about it, so why are people itching to talk about it here too? OCD?

I'm just going to assume you're all joking!

[Reply #264 on:]

I just watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day for the first time.

Fantastic movie. The CGI and practical effects have aged far better than the original film and it had a really compelling story with such brilliant set-pieces.

Only real downside was the actor playing John was kind of shitty every now and then, but I can look the other way for that since everything else is so stellar.

A tad late, but congrats to catching up with this revered classic. (Saw it at our local movie theatre upon release. And I even was of legal age to see it....kinda feel old right now... )

[Reply #265 on:]

Review it in here. Do it. You know you want to...

[Reply #266 on:]

2015 was a little disappointing for movies to be honest.

My current top 10 -

1. Shaun the Sheep Movie
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3. The Martian
4. Crimson Peak
5. Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation
6. Kingsman: The Secret Service
7. The Visit
8. Jurassic World
9. Ant-Man
10. Unfriended

I have to wonder while listing that, what year was the best for movies? I'm thinking either 1994 or 1999

[Reply #267 on:]

I've only seen three films from 2015 (Ex Machina, Inside Out and Mad Max: Fury Road) but I thought they were all pretty great.

[Reply #268 on:]

I've only seen three films from 2015 (Ex Machina, Inside Out and Mad Max: Fury Road) but I thought they were all pretty great.

Inside Out and Mad Max I still don't get the praise for. Mad Max to me was literally just a 2 hour car chase and nothing else.

[Reply #269 on:]

1. Shaun the Sheep Movie

I haven't seen the film (or the series, for that matter), but....why?

[Reply #270 on:]

It has a 99% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes

[Reply #271 on:]

1. Shaun the Sheep Movie

I haven't seen the film (or the series, for that matter), but....why?

It's an absolutely excellent bit of animated comedy, so that's probably why.

My 2015 top 10 would be:
10. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water - 6.5/10
9. Trainwreck - 6.5/10
8. Terminator Genysis - 6.5/10
7. The Good Dinosaur - 7/10
6. Inside Out - 7/10
5. Jurassic World - 7/10
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 8/10
3. The Martian - 8/10
2. Ant-Man - 8/10
1. Shaun the Sheep Movie - 8/10

For the record, I've barely seen anything this year and, I'm sure that SpongeBob of all things won't be on my list if you ask me this time, next year. I have, however, seen Star Wars and it wasn't good enough to chart.

[Reply #272 on:]

I have, however, seen Star Wars and it wasn't good enough to chart.

But Genisys was?

(This is coming from a Terminator fan who was far more excited for Genisys than The Force Awakens.)

[Reply #273 on:]

Furthermore, why is Jurassic World so high on everyone's list? It was fun enough, but did that movie even have characters in it?

[Reply #274 on:]

I've seen four movies this last year:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Spectre.

That's my order as well.

I just watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day for the first time.

Fantastic movie. The CGI and practical effects have aged far better than the original film and it had a really compelling story with such brilliant set-pieces.

Only real downside was the actor playing John was kind of shitty every now and then, but I can look the other way for that since everything else is so stellar.

A tad late, but congrats to catching up with this revered classic. (Saw it at our local movie theatre upon release. And I even was of legal age to see it....kinda feel old right now... )

I'm curious, were you aware of Arnie being a good guy on your first viewing? I was, but the bait-and-switch they pulled was brilliant and I really wish I could've experienced that twist first-hand, in an era where that wasn't a common piece of movie knowledge.

[Reply #275 on:]

Terminator Genisys is worth watching?  I'll put it on my wish list, then.  Thanks!

[Reply #276 on:]

Furthermore, why is Jurassic World so high on everyone's list? It was fun enough, but did that movie even have characters in it?

I gave it a 7/10. It wasn't too bad compared to the sequels. I missed the main characters, but Chris Pratt was ok.

Terminator Genisys I didn't like as much the second time. It all depends how much you can look past the problems with it.

[Reply #277 on:]

Inside Out and Mad Max I still don't get the praise for. Mad Max to me was literally just a 2 hour car chase and nothing else.

The minimalism of Mad Max is precisely why it's great. The film doesn't waste time trying to shoehorn in banter or exposition - characters only speak when they need to, and all the information we need about its world is right there for us to see. Max doesn't even get a story arc, because he doesn't fucking need one (that, and it's totally Furiosa's movie - and the fact that so many MRA scumbags were up in arms about that only makes it that much sweeter). It's the perfect example of the "show, don't tell" rule being used to full effect, and demonstrates precisely why most big-budget blockbusters are garbage.

Even if you do want to ignorantly write off the entire thing as a "2 hour car chase and nothing else" (I've left out the word "literally" since that is not how the word is used), it's still a glorious fucking car chase. The cinematography is fantastic, as is the editing and the way the score coalesces so beautifully with the visuals, the major setpieces are orchestrated gorgeously, and it left me on the edge of my seat for the film's entire runtime. Not to mention the rich, vibrant colouring (seriously, no other film looks like it) and the fact that they went for practical effects over CGI - with CGI used pretty much exclusively to enhance the visuals, meaning almost everything you saw was actually done in real life.

It is nothing less of a cinematic tour de force, and seeing it written off the way you have is genuinely upsetting to me. I feel truly sorry for anyone who is able to watch a perfectly executed balls-to-the-wall action movie with A FLAMETHROWER GUITAR and not be utterly delighted by what they're seeing.

Someone else can write up a defense for Inside Out, this post has figuratively drained me.

[Reply #278 on:]

I have, however, seen Star Wars and it wasn't good enough to chart.

But Genisys was?

(This is coming from a Terminator fan who was far more excited for Genisys than The Force Awakens.)

Yes, it was. It was only about a notch better than mediocre, but it held my attention despite being really stupid and riddled with flaws.

Star Wars was just a remix of scenes from other Star Wars movies whereas Terminator Genysis was, despite ironically selling itself as a remix of scenes from old Terminator movies, a new story that took the franchise into new territory. It felt like a bit of a misfire whereas Star Wars just felt cynical.

Furthermore, why is Jurassic World so high on everyone's list? It was fun enough, but did that movie even have characters in it?

In my case, it's because I've only seen about 15 films from 2015 in total.

Terminator Genisys is worth watching?  I'll put it on my wish list, then.  Thanks!

It depends on how you define it. It's surprisingly entertaining given its reputation and it's a hell of a lot better than the previous film, but it somewhat undermines the entire mythology and reduces Terminator to a sort of bi-annual soap opera that you can check in with if you feel like it. At this point, I'm OK with that, but only because Terminators 3 and Salvation already shat all over the franchise's legacy.

Inside Out and Mad Max I still don't get the praise for. Mad Max to me was literally just a 2 hour car chase and nothing else.

The minimalism of Mad Max is precisely why it's great. The film doesn't waste time trying to shoehorn in banter or exposition - characters only speak when they need to, and all the information we need about its world is right there for us to see. Max doesn't even get a story arc, because he doesn't fucking need one (that, and it's totally Furiosa's movie - and the fact that so many MRA scumbags were up in arms about that only makes it that much sweeter). It's the perfect example of the "show, don't tell" rule being used to full effect, and demonstrates precisely why most big-budget blockbusters are garbage.

Even if you do want to ignorantly write off the entire thing as a "2 hour car chase and nothing else" (I've left out the word "literally" since that is not how the word is used), it's still a glorious fucking car chase. The cinematography is fantastic, as is the editing and the way the score coalesces so beautifully with the visuals, the major setpieces are orchestrated gorgeously, and it left me on the edge of my seat for the film's entire runtime. Not to mention the rich, vibrant colouring (seriously, no other film looks like it) and the fact that they went for practical effects over CGI - with CGI used pretty much exclusively to enhance the visuals, meaning almost everything you saw was actually done in real life.

It is nothing less of a cinematic tour de force, and seeing it written off the way you have is genuinely upsetting to me. I feel truly sorry for anyone who is able to watch a perfectly executed balls-to-the-wall action movie with A FLAMETHROWER GUITAR and not be utterly delighted by what they're seeing.

Someone else can write up a defense for Inside Out, this post has figuratively drained me.

As somebody who hated the first two Mad Max films due to their lack of anything beyond action sequences, am I likely to get anything out of it?

[Reply #279 on:]

As somebody who hated the first two Mad Max films due to their lack of anything beyond action sequences, am I likely to get anything out of it?

It's basically just a remake of the second film, but with a much higher-quality level of execution (in terms of the visuals, action, and acting), so....I don't know. Maybe?

I'm surprised anyone would rank Beyond Thunderdome over Road Warrior, honestly. Thunderdome is entertaining, but horribly cheesy, poorly acted, obnoxiously soundtracked (to be fair though, I hate almost all 80s music), and the action isn't anywhere near as inventive. Road Warrior isn't a masterpiece, but I think it's definitely the strongest of the original three movies. For the record, I think the first Mad Max is an overrated piece of ridiculous garbage that only became memorable because of its much stronger sequels.

It wasn't too bad compared to the sequels. I missed the main characters, but Chris Pratt was ok.

I really like Chris Pratt, but his character was one of the least interesting. He was essentially just Mr. Amazing, incapable of being wrong about anything, constantly putting the other characters in their place and being a badass action hero to boot. Entertaining, but substance-less. Bryce Dallas Howard's character was pretty lame too, as were the two kids. Really, the only characters I remember liking were Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus as the comic relief control room operators.

It was at least a lot better in that regard than the new Godzilla movie, though.