[Slow Ben]

Had a nostalgic week myself recently and IMO He Dark Crystal holds up better than labyrinth.



But The Secret of Nimh is still Holds up as awesome as it was when I was a kid. But that movies a LOT darker than my child brain ever registered.

[Coco with marshmallows]

Briar King, on 30 March 2014 - 03:39 AM, said:

How the hell are y'all watching CA2 already it's not out till 4/4 here!!??

Because they realised with Avengers that releasing films in the UK first is the proper and correct way to proceed with these sorts of things, leaving you sniffy colonials to get it only after your erstwhile masters and betters have had a week or two to view it.

[Illuyankas]

Though the final post credit teaser is kind of boring and obvious so just flee the cinema after the mid credit teaser, you won't be missing anything*.

*Unless they do that thing where they have different end teasers for the UK and US, those bastards.

Anyway it was a fun movie and I did like that dropped name.

[QuickTidal]

Announced over the weekend, the HARRY POTTER spinoff/world-based FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM is being made into not just one film, but a trilogy of films.

This makes me sublimely happy.

Though oddly there's been a bit of backlash with reporters calling it a "HOBBIT" move, or taking a 54-pg book and making three films out of it. None of which is true. What the heck ever happened to journalism?

The 54pg book is a textbook, that Newt Scamander (a magizoologist) writes at the end of a lifetime of studying magical creatures. It's not anything but a brief encyclopedia of beasts and knowledge about them.

So JK's screenplay is likely to be the life that Scamander lives prior to writing the book and will be an entirely fresh story about all that. Thus three movies will be not only fine, but welcome.

Three films about an interesting characters' (coincidentally who's grandson marries Luna Lovegood) life amongst the wizarding worlds creatures? Works for me!

[McLovin]

In prep for CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: WINTER BOOGALOO Friday night the Mrs & I re-watched the original. Like THOR, I like it more every time I watch. With the minor exception of Longest Runway Ever - that sequence still makes me roll my eyes.

[Gothos]

been to the movies to see Only Lovers Left Alive. It was just SO SHIT. Don't waste your time on it. Old, reheated ideas and concepts that would only seem witty and amusing to a 5 year old. It's such a wasted opportunity, and wasted despite Loki and the White Queen being awesome on their parts.
Such a waste. First film ever that I walked out of from the cinema before the end. To watch Hannibal at home, it was way more fun.

[Coco with marshmallows]

McLovin, on 02 April 2014 - 08:34 PM, said:

With the minor exception of Longest Runway Ever - that sequence still makes me roll my eyes.

Somebody hasn't seen Fast and Furious 6.......

[McLovin]

I Am Brian Blessed Not Brent Weeks, on 03 April 2014 - 07:58 PM, said:

Somebody hasn't seen Fast and Furious 6.......

Just have to take your word on that one.

Meanwhile, was home sick and decided to watch IRON MAN 3. Goodness.

[QuickTidal]

I agree with the general consensus here, CAP 2 was easily the best Marvel franchise film yet, and yes it is better than AVENGERS.

Just all out excellence.

[McLovin]

Briar King, on 05 April 2014 - 06:26 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 05 April 2014 - 03:02 AM, said:

I agree with the general consensus here, CAP 2 was easily the best Marvel franchise film yet, and yes it is better than AVENGERS.

Just all out excellence.

Just got back! Fucking A that was just AWESOME!!!

I give the directors and editors big props. The movie is paced perfectly. The action scenes are all fast, fast, fast.

The story also managed to be good and hold a few surprises.

It's hard for me to say it's better than AVENGERS, but...it's close.

We are definitely viewing that one again while it's in theaters.

An amazing movie and a worthy addition to the Marvel franchise.

[polishgenius]

I got to see Snowpiercer, the Bong Joon-ho film with Chris Evans about a post-apocalyptic train... It's fucking brilliant. Marries an American big-film sensibility with that certain madness characteristic of much of modern Korean cinema, and I love it.

Top cast too. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Song Kang-ho, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Allison Pill... I'd be surprised if there's a better ensemble all year.

[amphibian]

It's not a logical film, but the performances carry it. I repeat that Evans has a long future as a leading man in any kind of role he wants, based on that speech, you know what I mean by that speech when you watch the movie.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 05 April 2014 - 04:08 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

Snowpiercer sounds ace must try &get hold of it...

[polishgenius]

Yeah, it'd be a shame if he retires because of Captain America. He resisted being a leading man for years because of the thought of being pigeonholed, and having finally acceded to repeated studio begging, exactly that has happened. I hope once Cap is done he can go break into a Ryan Gosling type career, much more interesting.



As for the film - it doesn't work logically in terms of any scientific or logistical realism behind the concept, but as a story it's very carefully constructed. Nothing happens late on that isn't earned in the earlier parts of the film, which is necessary because some of those reveals are mental. I'm glad I saw the uncut version (I wasn't certain, going in), because there really isn't much you can take out. And I always really appreciate when a film that could have been made without half that storytelling craft without anyone really noticing takes the time to do that.

What I really like about it though is that it takes post-apocalyptic dystopian themes and settings and makes what is essentially an epic fantasy quest out of them. I mean, it has basically the same story structure as The Hobbit (the book, that is). It's an interesting juxtaposition.

[Defiance]

Just saw Spirited Away for the first time. I loved it. A great reminder of just how fun movies can be. And of course it's gorgeous.

Moving on to Grave of the Fireflies tonight.

[Silencer]

Defiance, on 06 April 2014 - 09:28 AM, said:

Just saw Spirited Away for the first time. I loved it. A great reminder of just how fun movies can be. And of course it's gorgeous.

Moving on to Grave of the Fireflies tonight.

Awesome choices.

Also: prepare to cry.

[Aptorian]

Watched White House Down, Cloud Atlas and Runner, runner over the weekend.

White House Down was fantastic. This felt like watching Die Hard with a bigger budget. It's one of those cheesy action manuscripts that does everything by the book but does it well. A likeable character, with some emotional stake in what is going down, great bad guys, bureaucratic assholes, stuffy authority figures, tons of explosions and gunfire. I honestly think this is one of the best action films I have ever seen. The only thing that prevents this film from being an instant classic in my mind is the lack of proper cheesy dialogue and memorable one liners. There's nothing really quotable from that film that comes to mind.

Cloud Atlas is a strange film. I can't say that I liked it very much. If you remove the actors faces repeating in each age or culture then there's nothing that actually binds the individual stories together. I guess that is what the whole story revolves around, those characters, but I just felt I was watching 20 separate not particularly great stories. It felt more like I was watching a 3 episodes made for TV mini-series than a big budget movie. I guess a lot of the money went to building that many different locals but it made the overall production seem a bit cheap. Especially the character's make-up was not very good. I have no idea what they were going for with those Asian character's. They looked like burn victims who had had corrective surgery.

Runner, runner was okay. Kind of predictable story of guy who discovers some new way of life and it comes back to bite him in his ass. The most interesting part of the film was the fact that Ben Afleck is the stories bad guy, which was novel. Unfortunately as always, when ever I watch Ben Afleck playing a character, all I saw was Ben Afleck being Ben Afleck. Besides putting on funny accents, he's not much of a character actor. I really wonder what he is going to do with that Batman film.

This post has been edited by Apt Hoc: 06 April 2014 - 03:22 PM

[Imperial Historian]

Apt Hoc, on 06 April 2014 - 01:24 PM, said:

White House Down was fantastic. This felt like watching Die Hard with a bigger budget. It's one of those cheesy action manuscripts that does everything by the book but does it well. A likeable character, with some emotional stake in what is going down, great bad guys, bureaucratic assholes, stuffy authority figures, tons of explosions and gunfire. I honestly think this is one of the best action films I have ever seen. The only thing that prevents this film from being an instant classic in my mind is the lack of proper cheesy dialogue and memorable one liners. There's nothing really quotable from that film that comes to mind.

Agreed on the love for white house down, thought it was underrated. Though I would say a few lines stuck with me, how do you lose a rocket launcher, and I choose the pen especially. Definitely the modern film most in tune with the Arnie/Bruce Willis action film that I've seen.

Also saw captain America with the brisbanites. Definitely one of the better marvel films, but I wouldn't put it above avengers.

[Aptorian]

Imperial Historian, on 06 April 2014 - 03:16 PM, said:

... Though I would say a few lines stuck with me, how do you lose a rocket launcher,

Oh man, yeah, and that was also the craziest scene in the film. Gotta love a minigun car chase on the White House lawn.

[Tiste Simeon]

Re: White House Down - Have seen Olympus has Fallen which I understand is more or less the same film...