Thread: Last Movie Watched

Originally Posted by bob8880

So i watched Ip Man 2, and Flashpoint last night.

You were were spot on with both Adgy. I thought they were both pretty entertaining movies. The Bruce Lee scene at the end of Ip Man 2 was funny, and that scene towards the end of Flashpoint where Archer gets hit by the car, flies into the air and Ma shoots him so ridiculous yet so awesome.

I'm glad you liked them.

There's a third Ip Man movie that's a prequel, but I haven't seen it and it's not Donnie Yen. I hear it's pretty good, though.

It should also be noted that the new Wong Kar Wai flick, The Grandmasters (which I just posted the new trailer for in the Asian film thread) is also about Ip Man, with Tony Leung in his role.

And I can't help myself but recommend you check out some of Jackie Chan's older movies if you get on a kick of this stuff. They're even better.

Originally Posted by adgy-san

I'm glad you liked them.

There's a third Ip Man movie that's a prequel, but I haven't seen it and it's not Donnie Yen. I hear it's pretty good, though.

It should also be noted that the new Wong Kar Wai flick, The Grandmasters (which I just posted the new trailer for in the Asian film thread) is also about Ip Man, with Tony Leung in his role.

And I can't help myself but recommend you check out some of Jackie Chan's older movies if you get on a kick of this stuff. They're even better.

Netflix has a decent supply. I just added a bunch that had decent reviews. Dont know if they are any good or not.

The Man from Nowhere
Jet Li's Fearless
13 Assassins
Red Cliff
Wing Chun
Little Big Soldier
Legend of the Fist

Originally Posted by bob8880

Netflix has a decent supply. I just added a bunch that had decent reviews. Dont know if they are any good or not.

The Man from Nowhere
Jet Li's Fearless
13 Assassins
Red Cliff
Wing Chun
Little Big Soldier
Legend of the Fist

The Man from Nowhere -- Pretty damn good.
Jet Li's Fearless -- I liked it, but not as much as I'd been hoping to like it.
13 Assassins -- Badass
Red Cliff -- A little melodramatic, but I liked it.
Wing Chun -- Michelle Yeoh at her best
Little Big Soldier & Legend of the Fist -- I haven't seen these.

Prometheus - **sigh** Typical. Pretty to look at and that's about it.

Ok. So I am known here for waxing poetic about certain things IN ADVANCE of seeing them. This was clearly one of those things. I BEGGED you to go see this. So yeah...I set the bar real high. And then LetTigerIn, whose opinion I respect, saw it and was unimpressed. An upper respiratory infection sidelined my ability to watch a near 3 hour flick...till yesterday. Were my expectations, set high and then self-questioned, met? Oh hell yeah, and then some. This was one of the most complex and yet engrossing movies I have seen in a long time. First off...it is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen. Wonderful storytelling, that while it spins in and out of different times/characters, NEVER loses you. This movie was an EXPERIENCE...a reminder of the power of movies. Just so lush...magic really. Even Halle Berry, who I dislike, could not derail my enjoyment. So many simple stories about love and loss...an they just wrap around each other to the point that you cannot help but admire the beauty of the juggling that unfolds before your eyes. Just really...an affirmation that movies can be better than a 2 hour commercial for happy meal toys and Jennifer Annistons ass. This movie MOVED ME. If you love movies, you NEED to see this.

Wreck It Ralph - Definitely the best animated film I've seen so far this year.



Skyfall - So ****ing good.



Nature Calls - Terrible. A small handful of laughs in the last 15 minutes does not make up for the completely not funny first hour.



Samurai Rebellion - Easily one of the best samurai films ever made. I love this movie immensely.

I agree with adgy-sama on both Wreck-It Ralph and Skyfall.

My opinion of Cloud Atlas will probably always be tainted from having read the book first. My advice for those who wish to do both and haven't yet read the book is to see the film first. I truly believe there is a better chance for one to love both by experiencing them in this order. I need to see it a second time a little longer down the line; but if I can try to remove my prejudice as best I can, there are still things about it that bother me as well as things I appreciated.

I did think it was beautifully photographed. I liked that they changed a lot about the book in trying to make a movie that made sense. I don't think it was entirely necessary to change the structure of the book (although the book's author David Mitchell, it seems, thinks otherwise), but I wasn't bothered that they did so, especially considering they actually changed the entire theme of the overall project.

I thought I would like the same actors playing different roles throughout, but I did not, because the make-up was terrible. That was a huge distraction to me. I did not like the change of theme to a seemingly more popular one. I found the dialogue too frequently terrible, either by being clearly the voice of the authors and not the character or by just being plain stupid.

I'm not sure if I'm assuming their intention properly, but I think the Wachowskis have it backwards in what to freshen up. I think they are trying to take a typical script and present it in a different way. The visual and editing styles of both Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer are commendable in their experimentation, but at the end of the day, they are crappy, banal scripts, IMO. I'd much rather see a distinctly smart and different story, even if presented in visual terms we have already seen; or, better yet, to see a film that is both distinctly written and uniquely presented.

Nonetheless, this movie is somehow going to get my money twice, and I can't say that about every movie I've seen this year.

I hope you know I wasn't trying to diminish/dispute your opinion. It was simply a different experience for me. I have not yet read the book(so that may be a factor as you said). I get your point about maybe the story being oversimplified but for the serpentine style that it's presented in, that seems an almost necessary concession. The structure was enough to challenge the average filmgoer, if you threw in any more complications you risk losing the audience.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

I hope you know I wasn't trying to diminish/dispute your opinion. It was simply a different experience for me.

I did not take what you said that way at all. In fact, I was honored that you respected my opinion. I just felt like I needed to present more information about where my head was at, so more people might want to take a chance on watching the film. I think some of the viewers will be disappointed, but I also think that some, or even many, will have at least a deep and enriching experience as you did. I really do think everyone should give this film a look and a chance, despite that fact I didn't enjoy it overall.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

I get your point about maybe the story being oversimplified but for the serpentine style that it's presented in, that seems an almost necessary concession. The structure was enough to challenge the average filmgoer, if you threw in any more complications you risk losing the audience.

I still would have liked them to take that risk; but I'm gambling nothing, so that's easy for me to say.

Seriously, though, I hope more people give this film a chance. Like I said, I think that those who like it will really love it. Those who don't, well, you got a couple of hours of really pretty pictures. Personally, I think it's a longshot, but the potential payoff makes it a good bet.