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

[Reply #360 on:]

I was surprised The Joker wasn't in it that much, though.

Same, especially since he was hyped up so much.

And based on the little screen time he got, I would not care the slightest if we never saw him again. Besides, there's dozens of great Batman villains and the Joker is overused.

[Reply #361 on:]

Lilo & Stitch

I love this movie... I'm a big fan of almost every Disney production in one way or another, but Stitch holds such a special place for me - both the film and the character, of course.

Most call it a time of failures, but to me, the late 90's to early 2000's were a wonderful time in Disney's creative history. Technically, financially and within the company, certainly not, but it's hard to deny that Disney desperately wanted to stray as far away from the renaissance's tropes and archetypes as possible. Perhaps this was to catch up with Dreamwork's relatively new brand of snarky, but heart-filled animation, or perhaps it was to search for another winning formula as the old Princess films became predictable and near stagnant, but either way it birthed some of the most nteresting and very 'new' universes into Disney's cast of characters.

Stitch was, all in all, the closest they came to the aforementioned goal. Hercules and Emperor's humor was fun, but poorly received, Atlantis and Treasure's world's were unique, but perhaps too disconnected, and Home on the Range was just generally far too childish, (I'm aware Treasure and Range came out post-Stitch, but my point will stand regardless), but Stitch managed to take Evey successful aspect of the era and wrap it together with just the right hint of classic Disney soul.

It's relentlessly creative on all fronts; ignoring the blatant new universe of creatures and adventures, they managed to capture some amazingly real emotions between Lilo, her family and even Stitch himself. You feel for these characters - Disney showcases not only a rough family life, but the tribulations of a 'lost' person in stunning accuracy.

But it's far from doom and gloom; again, these characters are shockingly real. Lilo's a perfect representation of a uncomfortably 'unique' little girl, Nani's the spitting image of a hard working, yet unfortunately hapless single parent, and even Stitch gets his share of realism, depending on how deep you can imagine into his psyche. All this considered, plus the very enjoyable cast of humorous aliens (Jumba being my favorite), and you get countless charming and funny scenes. Even the exciting Sci-Fi is wonderfully done.

As a side tangent, It's very interesting to me that the Sci-Fi worked so well in what should be, and still is, a very heartfelt and reality-based picture. I understand it's to appeal to Disney's younger crowd, but it manages to stay consistently 'connected' and doesn't feel unfitting or unnecessary in the slightest. Its done infinitely better than in, say, Treasure Planet; a good movie, but perhaps too heavy on it's 'themeing'.

This movie tends to be disappointingly underrated; likely due to the inadequate sequels and spinoffs. However, I do see it gaining more traction on recent years... that generation is growing up, I suppose. I'd give it a solid 5/5. Its heartfelt and realistic, but exciting and very funny. Nothing is too much, nothing is too little.

Also, Stitch is one of my all-time favorite character designs.

Show spoiler

Good Lord that came out longer than intended.

[Reply #362 on:]

It's okay.  I agree with your review.  It's a neat, unique movie that seems to capture the better aspects of being in a family without casting away the truth that we have a variety of responsibilities, real or imagined, and complications that affect us in our daily journeys navigating our societal roles through reality. 

Lilo could have just as easily been a child diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, Stitch a product of her naive, child yearning mind, and the story would have been the same.  It manages to capture the mundane and the emphatic in a magical manner both a child and an adult can relate to.

[Reply #363 on:]

Lilo & Stitch
...a very heartfelt and reality-based picture...

It's down to Earth, and swarming with magic robots!

[Reply #364 on:]

Lilo & Stitch

I love this movie... I'm a big fan of almost every Disney production in one way or another, but Stitch holds such a special place for me - both the film and the character, of course.

Most call it a time of failures, but to me, the late 90's to early 2000's were a wonderful time in Disney's creative history. Technically, financially and within the company, certainly not, but it's hard to deny that Disney desperately wanted to stray as far away from the renaissance's tropes and archetypes as possible. Perhaps this was to catch up with Dreamwork's relatively new brand of snarky, but heart-filled animation, or perhaps it was to search for another winning formula as the old Princess films became predictable and near stagnant, but either way it birthed some of the most nteresting and very 'new' universes into Disney's cast of characters.

Stitch was, all in all, the closest they came to the aforementioned goal. Hercules and Emperor's humor was fun, but poorly received, Atlantis and Treasure's world's were unique, but perhaps too disconnected, and Home on the Range was just generally far too childish, (I'm aware Treasure and Range came out post-Stitch, but my point will stand regardless), but Stitch managed to take Evey successful aspect of the era and wrap it together with just the right hint of classic Disney soul.

It's relentlessly creative on all fronts; ignoring the blatant new universe of creatures and adventures, they managed to capture some amazingly real emotions between Lilo, her family and even Stitch himself. You feel for these characters - Disney showcases not only a rough family life, but the tribulations of a 'lost' person in stunning accuracy.

But it's far from doom and gloom; again, these characters are shockingly real. Lilo's a perfect representation of a uncomfortably 'unique' little girl, Nani's the spitting image of a hard working, yet unfortunately hapless single parent, and even Stitch gets his share of realism, depending on how deep you can imagine into his psyche. All this considered, plus the very enjoyable cast of humorous aliens (Jumba being my favorite), and you get countless charming and funny scenes. Even the exciting Sci-Fi is wonderfully done.

As a side tangent, It's very interesting to me that the Sci-Fi worked so well in what should be, and still is, a very heartfelt and reality-based picture. I understand it's to appeal to Disney's younger crowd, but it manages to stay consistently 'connected' and doesn't feel unfitting or unnecessary in the slightest. Its done infinitely better than in, say, Treasure Planet; a good movie, but perhaps too heavy on it's 'themeing'.

This movie tends to be disappointingly underrated; likely due to the inadequate sequels and spinoffs. However, I do see it gaining more traction on recent years... that generation is growing up, I suppose. I'd give it a solid 5/5. Its heartfelt and realistic, but exciting and very funny. Nothing is too much, nothing is too little.

Also, Stitch is one of my all-time favorite character designs.

Show spoiler

Good Lord that came out longer than intended.

I remember Lilo & Stitch potentially being the best of the '00s Disney movies. However, I'd probably put The Princess and the Frog just ahead of it, though.

[Reply #365 on:]

Man, I haven't seen Princess & the Frog in forever, but I remember it does have much more of a 'Disney' tone than Stitch. If we're talking which is more true-to-form, I'd give it to Frog... hell, to be fair, it might be the better movie overall. But personally, you can't beat Stitch.

[Reply #366 on:]

Kubo and the Two Strings

Visually very striking. The story is rather straightforward, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but the movie didn't quite engage me emotionally as much as I thought it should.

Grade: A–

[Reply #367 on:]

Have you seen Garfield A Tail of Two Kitties?

[Reply #368 on:]

Yes. 4/5

[Reply #369 on:]

Sharknado The 4th awakens

SHARKNADO 4 ist the best movie ever made. And everyone who says otherwise is just WRONG!!!

The best thing about Sharknado 4 is the story. It delivers a backstory on the persons and a character development that is unreached by lesser movies such a "Citizen Kane" and the likes. Also, despite a critical check, not the tiniest, slightest plothole could be found in the movie.

The best thing about Sharknado are the special effects. They all look convincing. Also, EVERYTIME, the special effects are ALWAYS in service of the story. NOT EVEN ONCE were they used to deliver random, pointless jokes or mayhem.

The best thing about Sharknado is the acting. Even the most unimportant stand-in delivers a performance that would have put De Niro, Glenn Close or Jack Nicolson to shame, even in their best days.

The best thing about Sharknado 4 is the realism. EVERY action scene has a choreography that is absolutely realistic and would happen like that IRL.

The best thing about Sharknado are the cameos. Unlike other movies, not one single cameo in Sharknado was done by wash-up has-been B celebs. All are revered actors, in the prime of their glory.

The best thing about Sharknado is David Hasslehoff. TbH, I had a rather neutral stance towards him, but "Dodgeball" informed me that us Germans basically WORSHIP Hasslehoff. I should not listen to the lessons from another movie besides "Sharknado 4", but Hasslehoff was in "Dodgeball". And featuring am actor from Sharknado 4 is basically Knighthood for a movie. So...okay, I am German, therefore I am obliged to consider Hasslehoff the greatest actor ever, and that greatest actor ever appeared in the greates movie ever.

Sharknado 4 is the most epic, perfect movie ever made. In fact, I removed all movies from my shelves and replaced them with Sharknado 4 DVDs and Blu Rays. I even replaced Sharknado 1-3 with the 4th part, that my Sharknado Quarology consists of just the 4th part. A law should be passed to forbid shooting any more movies. NONE of them will ever be able to reach the heights of such a cineastic masterpiece like "Sharknado 4".

There is only one note I can give, and that's a

A++++ (4 plus, as in Sharknado 4).

PS: Oh...and do not forget to vote. Because Trump and Clinton ARE THE BEST, MOST PERFECT CANDIDATES for president the American population was ever offered.
THE BEST THING about those candidates is....

[Reply #370 on:]

Dude, you totally left out the emotional drama of the callbacks to Sharknado 1, 2, and 3!  You monster!



fwiw, I've heard that the original Sharknado has a bit of bad movie charm, but I've not yet had the opportunity to see it.  A while back I did have the pleasure of watching a few minutes of one of the sequels, but I honestly can't recall which of the sequels it was.

At the moment I'm on vacation on the Gulf coast of Florida, and though I rarely see more than two movies per year, I've seen two in the last 24 hours


The Big Short

Coming into the film, I knew nothing beyond the overall outline and the fact that some financial types had minor criticisms regarding specific financial instruments in the film (e.g. synthetic CDOs).

And being a ditzy blond whose brain gets muddled when faced with any financial task beyond making change, I had a difficult time feigning interest when my brother put the movie on last night.  "I'm sure that it's a dynamic, compelling film (gag) but I'm busy searching for cat pictures to post on the internet so I'll just watch it in the background".

Oh, how very wrong I was.  It's an extremely engaging film.  And the possibility that it may not be 100% accurate in its presentation of certain financial terms is completely irrelevant.

Unless you are a student of the financial world or already retired with a 6-figure income, you should watch this.  It's understandably focused on America and Wall Street, but the fallout of this real-life disaster has affected many parts of the world.

If you are prone to rage at phenomenally arrogant, callous, evil people you may wish to self-medicate before putting it on.  It left me with a slight feeling of literal nausea.

A


Star Trek Beyond

Unless you've been living in some back corner of the Delta Quadrant for the last year you are certainly aware that this is a very polarizing film.  I've seen ratings spanning the range of F through A+.  And at least one of each from my Peeler, Facebook, and real-life friends.

Tellingly, those of my friends who watched the series during the original broadcast run have higher opinions of Beyond, by and large, than do my younger friends.  And I make no apologies for pulling my old guy card, here.  I was captivated by the original series when it was broadcast, and I bought into Roddenberry's vision.

If you fell in love with the original series and loved the interplay of the characters, and can ignore some of the slightly distracting aspects of modern moviemaking, I think it's likely that you'll enjoy the film.  Beyond is not perfect, but there was only one scene that really annoyed me and I quickly let it go and got right back into the movie.

You all know me pretty well by now.  At the end, just before the final scene is a very touching moment.  A quiet, beautiful tribute that choked me right up.

B+

[Reply #371 on:]

Sharknado The 4th awakens

SHARKNADO 4 ist the best movie ever made. And everyone who says otherwise is just WRONG!!!

The best thing about Sharknado 4 is the story. It delivers a backstory on the persons and a character development that is unreached by lesser movies such a "Citizen Kane" and the likes. Also, depite a critical check, not the tiniest, slightest plothole could be found in the movie.

The best thing about Sharknado are the special effects. They all look convincing. Also, EVERYTIME, the special effects are ALWAYS in service of the story. NOT EVEN ONCE were they used to deliver random, pointless jokes or mayhem.

The best thing about Sharknado is the acting. Even the most unimportant stand-in delivers a performance that would have put De Niro, Glenn Close or Jack Nicolson to shame, even in their best days.

The best thing about Sharknado 4 is the realism. EVERY action scene has a choreography that is absolutely realistic and would happen like that IRL.

The best thing about Sharknado are the cameos. Unlike other movies, not one single cameo in Sharknado was done by wash-up has-been B celebs. All are revered actors, in the prime of their glory.

The best thing about Sharknado is David Hasslehoff. TbH, I had a rather neutral stance towards him, but "Dodgeball" informed me that us Germans basically WORSHIP Hasslehoff. I should not listen to the lessons from another movie besides "Sharknado 4", but Hasslehoff was in "Dodgeball". And featuring a character from Sharknado 4 is basically Knighthood for a movie. So...okay, I am German, therefore I am obliged to consider Hasslehoff the greatest actor ever, and that greatest actor ever appeared in the greates movie ever.

Sharknado 4 is the most epic, perfect movie ever made. In fact, I removed all movies from my shelves and replaced them with Sharknado 4 DVDs and Blu Rays. I even replaced Sharknado 1-3 with the 4th part, that my Sharknado Quarology consists of just the 4th part. A law should be passed to forbid shooting any more movies. NONE of them will ever be able to reach the heights of such a cineastic masterpiece like "Sharknado 4".

There is only one note I can give, and that's a

A++++ (4 plus, as in Sharknado 4).

PS: Oh...and do not forget to vote. Because Trump and Clinton ARE THE BEST, MOST PERFECT CANDIDATES for president the American population was ever offered.
THE BEST THING about those candidates is....

SHARKNADO 4!?¿

I am now convinced.

[Reply #372 on:]

I seen the 2016 Ghostbusters and I loved it. Suicide Squad was really good. And the last film I saw was sausage party and that was one crazy movie. The end bit was really disturbing.

[Reply #373 on:]

Sharknado 4 proves life is disturbing.

[Reply #374 on:]

Dammit, winna -- you're getting me to the point that I may try to seek out and watch all of the Sharknado films, now

I seen the 2016 Ghostbusters and I loved it.

Thanks for the feedback.  I have so much love for the original Ghostbusters that I can't quite bring myself to watch the new one right now.  I'm sure that I'll get around to it eventually.

[Reply #375 on:]

I was super disappointed by it. I like Paul Feig, I like the cast, I love the original but have no emotional vestment in how good a remake would turn out (and in fact thought doing an all-female cast was a fresh idea), and my verdict is just that it isn't a very good movie. Not terrible, but it could have been so much better, and what they turned out just feels mostly half-assed. Only a handful of jokes really landed for me, none of the character development felt like it paid off, and the main villain had no interesting motivation whatsoever. I didn't find t hard to sit through or anything, it was just super mediocre. Obviously it doesn't even come close to touching the quality of the original. But unless you're an irrational manchild, it won't ruin the original for you either.

[Reply #376 on:]

Indeed, JoshTheater.  Even George Lucas couldn't ruin Star Wars for me.  And boy did he try.  Good effort, George, but I still like the original trilogy.

[Reply #377 on:]

The notion that something can be "ruined" by a bad/mediocre sequel is ridiculous, and that line of thinking makes me irrationally pissed off.

[Reply #378 on:]

Yeah, but they actually have ruined an opportunity to kickstart the franchise with a run of quality sequels, which is a damn shame.

I was also one of the people who defended the new Ghostbusters film up until its release. I like Paul Feig. I like Kristen Wiig. It just isn't a very good film. It isn't funny enough to work as a good, fun, disposable comedy. It isn't different enough from the original to stand on its own. It's a pretty mediocre film, even if you imagine it in a world where Ghostbusters never existed and it was an original idea.

[Reply #379 on:]

I think despite it being a not-very-good movie, the characters and universe they've established could potentially lead to a much stronger sequel. I don't think that's likely to happen, but I don't think it would be totally impossible.

[Reply #380 on:]

Keanu

I thought it was an enjoying mix of action and comedy, especially for a fan of Key and Peele, the only drawback is that now I have george michael stuck in my head

4/5

[Reply #381 on:]

I think despite it being a not-very-good movie, the characters and universe they've established could potentially lead to a much stronger sequel. I don't think that's likely to happen, but I don't think it would be totally impossible.

I completely agree, actually. I was referring more to the box office failure of the new film and how sequels are now looking fairly unlikely.
I'd be perfectly game for watching the same characters go on another adventure if some new writers and a new director came on board.

[Reply #382 on:]

Did any fellow PEELers watch Batman: The Killing Joke?

[Reply #383 on:]

Yes.

[Reply #384 on:]

Sausage Party

Jesus! That was bad! Food items saying Shit and Fuck constantly is not automatically funny! It needs context! I get they were trying to make an adult animated movie, and the concept isn't that bad, but nothing made sense. Minor spoilers, but when the food items move like crazy, do the humans not see that? I did like the song at the beginning though, and the simplicity of the animation has charm to it.

3/10

[Reply #385 on:]

fwiw, I've heard that the original Sharknado has a bit of bad movie charm, but I've not yet had the opportunity to see it.  A while back I did have the pleasure of watching a few minutes of one of the sequels, but I honestly can't recall which of the sequels it was.

Actually, Sharknado got better ratings for the sequels.
The original Sharknado sometimes tried to aim for a rather seriously themed disaster movie. Which was not really beneficary....
While the later ones comepletely discarded that approach, and went for the stance "Okay...the premise is complete, ridiculous BS...so, let's have fun and see how stupid and nonsensical we can get".

[Reply #386 on:]

Yes.

Thoughts? I can't decide whether it was good, meh or bad. Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill as Batman & Joker is always a winning combo, though.

[Reply #387 on:]

I haven't seen it, but I would've thought The Killing Joke was too short of a story to make a movie adaptation.

[Reply #388 on:]

That's why there is a completely-unnecessary 30-minute-long prologue about Batgirl that serves no purpose to the overall story before the actual Killing Joke story begins.

[Reply #389 on:]

Yes.

Thoughts? I can't decide whether it was good, meh or bad. Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill as Batman & Joker is always a winning combo, though.

Yes.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts about it.

That's why there is a completely-unnecessary 30-minute-long prologue about Batgirl that serves no purpose to the overall story before the actual Killing Joke story begins.

It does establish a little context for Batman's (speculated) actions at the end. Plus, it's fun to watch Batgirl kick some arse, and it's worth it for the visual implication that Batman took the Batmobile through a Starbucks drive-through in order to bring her a coffee on the rooftop. Quite possibly one of the best animated sight gags I've seen.

It also establishes exactly how much of a blow Barbra's paralysis is - she went from being the goddamn Batgirl to being a paraplegic. Although, I suppose that becoming the Oracle isn't anything to be sneezed at.

Plus, it does a decent job of showing that Batman is essentially a corruptive influence on people - he brought out the darkness in Batgirl in the same way that the Joker wants to bring out the darkness in Gordon (and Batman himself, for that matter).

Overall, I like the extra story. Yet, I do think it could have been improved by having the Joker casually murder whoever Robin was at the time before going after Batgirl. Y'know. For extra context.

Also, I really hate Robin.

[Reply #390 on:]

Lilo & Stitch

I love this movie... I'm a big fan of almost every Disney production in one way or another, but Stitch holds such a special place for me - both the film and the character, of course.

Most call it a time of failures, but to me, the late 90's to early 2000's were a wonderful time in Disney's creative history. Technically, financially and within the company, certainly not, but it's hard to deny that Disney desperately wanted to stray as far away from the renaissance's tropes and archetypes as possible. Perhaps this was to catch up with Dreamwork's relatively new brand of snarky, but heart-filled animation, or perhaps it was to search for another winning formula as the old Princess films became predictable and near stagnant, but either way it birthed some of the most nteresting and very 'new' universes into Disney's cast of characters.

Stitch was, all in all, the closest they came to the aforementioned goal. Hercules and Emperor's humor was fun, but poorly received, Atlantis and Treasure's world's were unique, but perhaps too disconnected, and Home on the Range was just generally far too childish, (I'm aware Treasure and Range came out post-Stitch, but my point will stand regardless), but Stitch managed to take Evey successful aspect of the era and wrap it together with just the right hint of classic Disney soul.

It's relentlessly creative on all fronts; ignoring the blatant new universe of creatures and adventures, they managed to capture some amazingly real emotions between Lilo, her family and even Stitch himself. You feel for these characters - Disney showcases not only a rough family life, but the tribulations of a 'lost' person in stunning accuracy.

But it's far from doom and gloom; again, these characters are shockingly real. Lilo's a perfect representation of a uncomfortably 'unique' little girl, Nani's the spitting image of a hard working, yet unfortunately hapless single parent, and even Stitch gets his share of realism, depending on how deep you can imagine into his psyche. All this considered, plus the very enjoyable cast of humorous aliens (Jumba being my favorite), and you get countless charming and funny scenes. Even the exciting Sci-Fi is wonderfully done.

As a side tangent, It's very interesting to me that the Sci-Fi worked so well in what should be, and still is, a very heartfelt and reality-based picture. I understand it's to appeal to Disney's younger crowd, but it manages to stay consistently 'connected' and doesn't feel unfitting or unnecessary in the slightest. Its done infinitely better than in, say, Treasure Planet; a good movie, but perhaps too heavy on it's 'themeing'.

This movie tends to be disappointingly underrated; likely due to the inadequate sequels and spinoffs. However, I do see it gaining more traction on recent years... that generation is growing up, I suppose. I'd give it a solid 5/5. Its heartfelt and realistic, but exciting and very funny. Nothing is too much, nothing is too little.

Also, Stitch is one of my all-time favorite character designs.

Show spoiler

Good Lord that came out longer than intended.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE OMF YES PLEASE KEEP SAYIN WHAT YOU'RE SAYIN!

So anyways, yeah I'm back, still crazy, but back I came here to discuss none other than Suicide Squad. Imma keep it brief though.

C, I mean come on, we have to give it some credit. I definitely felt all of the characters were spot on and the actors who played them portrayed them magnificently. However, the plot..... Yeah that for sure could have been expanded on and tweaked a bit (a bit more than a bit more of a bit). And one other thing that bothered me was the lack of the abusive extremities in Harley and the Jokers relationship that was crystal clear in the comics (CL27 and I had a discussion about that afterwards of course). I get that they were trying to keep it pg-13 so whatever but I would've settled for an R rated movie if it meant amplifying intense scenes in the plot and introducing some of the other aspects lacking from the comics.

[Reply #391 on:]

I definitely felt all of the characters were spot on and the actors who played them portrayed them magnificently.

Except Joker.

I thought Harley and Joker's relationship had  some mildly abusive undertones but they didn't share enough screen time for it to be very apparent.

Did I mention that 90% of the movie's forced attempts at humour were pitiful? They never made any sense within the context of the already shitty dialogue. "If I die... please delete my browser history." Who writes this shit?

The more I think about Suicide Squad, the more I think I was far too generous with my 5/10 rating.

[Reply #392 on:]

So... don't delete your browser history?  What's this quantum parasitic velociraptor porn involving the mechanics of plumbing and the biological building blocks for generosity in an ever expanding universe?

[Reply #393 on:]

Blair Witch

Not sure what people wanted from this. I personally am glad it's not exactly the same. Yes, some people may be pissed off with the second half revealing too much, but I felt it was logical to move forward to that from the simplicity of the original. If there's a flaw that I could agree is definite, then they might have done too many "jump scares", even to the point that one of the characters tells them to stop doing that. Nevertheless, I felt they did a good job of modernizing it and I know this movie is going to be split right in the middle with people. They're going to say it's another dumb found footage movie, but I feel Blair Witch has some effort put into it.

8/10

[Reply #394 on:]

Didn't that come out 20 years ago?

You should try the sequel, it's wonderful!

[Reply #395 on:]

So, like...Doctor Strange was pretty great, right?

[Reply #396 on:]

Yup. Saw it last week and it has by far the most creative cinematography of Marvel's films thus far. I really enjoyed the implications of the post-credits scene as well, which makes me far more excited for Thor: Ragnarok (spelling???).

A shame they wasted another great actor with another mediocre villain role though.

[Reply #397 on:]

I thought Deadpool was pretty good too.

[Reply #398 on:]

Also saw strange over the weekend and really enjoyed it

[Reply #399 on:]

Doctor Strange yesssss!! The plot was so developed and the overall film effects...yush...