Last Movie Watched

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Excellent.

I watched 90-minutes of the 94-minute movie, I just couldn't watch "that scene".
 
Playing catch-up.

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Solid and tense. Soderbergh did a great job managing a huge cast, giving all of them enough screen time, but not too much. We've probably all seen 4 or 5 movies similar to this, but I'm not sure I've seen one done quite this well. They did a really good job with the suspense. I wasn't super happy about the ending, but I'm not sure how else it could have ended.


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Kind of a Sherlock Holmes set in old school China with supernatural elements and kung fu. This film was a lot of fun, if a bit over-the-top and silly. Actually, it was kind of bat**** crazy, but it worked and was a lot of fun. Currently playing in limited theatrical release out here. Recommended.



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John Travolta plays a sound editor on shlocky horror films and one night while he's out recording natural sounds in a park, he witnesses and accident that he believes was a murder, but no one else does. And he has the sound to prove it. It was much more tense and interesting than I would have thought, and I enjoyed it, though the climax was a little bit of a letdown. I wouldn't mind seeing it again, though.



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A more artsy, character driven take on the "assassin takes one last job, decides not to kill, and employers decide to kill him" story. I liked it a lot. Thought the cinematography was really, really nice. It's a bit slow, which I know was a problem for some people who went to see it in the theaters based on commercials that made it look like an action film, but it's a worthwhile flick. Very well done.



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This is a movie that's grown on me quite a bit with repeated viewings. I remember being so excited about Michael Mann making a movie with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale about John Dillinger and then being a little disappointed by it, but every time I've watched it since then I've appreciated it a little more. I ****ing LOVE Mann's style and I love watching Johnny Depp be all smooth and badass. I will actually purchase this someday.



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BoobyTrap put this one for me, after we watched Public Enemies at my insistence. I thought it was pretty fun, although nothing spectacular. Worth a watch.


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Now THIS was a ****ing cool movie. I DVR'ed it just because it was a Criterion release and it sounded interesting, but I was pretty blown away by it, anyway. Even BoobyTrap liked it, which is a rarity for a Criterion film. Cornel Wilde is leading some rich, white dude on a safari hunt in Africa when they run into a native tribe that asks for some sort of gift. Wilde tells the rich dude to give them something inexpensive simply as a sign of respect, but the guy refuses and pisses the natives off. The safari crew walk off and later on, the tribe catch up with them and kill every single member of the safari (including the Africans helping them out) in bizarre and nasty ways except for one: Cornel Wilde. He is stripped down and given a head start before a group of 10 tribesmen start hunting him. And so you've got a naked white man trying to stay alive in the African wild while being hunted by natives and some of the animals, too.

Seriously, a badass movie. Some great survival stuff interspersed with stuff they shot of wild animals in Africa in their natural habitat. I really, really liked this movie a lot and I recommend it highly.



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We basically watched this because BT has a thing for Chris Evans. It was pretty crappy, although not so much that it was painful to watch. Beyond Jason Statham being a really inept bad guy, anyway. A forgettable, throwaway flick, although William H Macy was cool in it.



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Woody Harrelson is a mentally handicapped man who goes around trying to be a superhero and Kat Dennings is the coke whore who befriends him (and shows NO CLEAVAGE AT ALL). It was ok. Parts of it were funny and parts of it were emotionally well done, but overall I just didn't really care about this movie. I never really cared about the characters and I was never really able to get into it. And no cleavage? Really? Booooooooo.



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JD and Orpheus told me this was worth watching, so I bought the 3 pack of Psycho sequels at Big Lots. Norman Bates is finally let out of prison because his psychiatrist (Robert Loggia as a psychiatrist?!) says he's not crazy anymore and fit to join society. So Norman goes back to the hotel and back to the house on the hill. And, of course, things don't go very well.

The first thing that really struck me watching this movie was how poorly Anthony Perkins had aged. He was a fairly good looking guy in the first film, but here he looks scrawny, old and awkward. I had some trouble for a while even just watching him. Not really his fault, I guess, but all the same. Similarly, the movie felt awkward and strange at first. Unsettling in that I was just having trouble getting into it. I'm happy to say, though, that by the end of the flick I found myself enjoying it. The last 30 minutes or so were especially good and I think did justice to the whole Norman Bates myth, if you can call it that. Overall I'd say I liked it, though it's nowhere near the original, of course. Worth a watch, though.



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All I really want to say about this, because I have professed my love for it previously, is that the Blu-Ray has TONS of great special features. Some super funny, awesome **** was cut out of the movie and it seems like they really packed everything they could into the special features here. So if you enjoyed this movie, then you really ought to buy this release.
 
Can I take this one. Cedar Rapids is pretty unlikeable. A little darker than you would imagine. Insidious is a well done little flick. The ending comes apart a little due to the budgetary constraints but not enough to dismiss the movie. But yeah, Lagwagon...what'd ya think?
 
Catching up.

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I've seen Drive twice now. After seeing it the first time, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. There were a few moments of John Hughes style 80's romance mixed in with all the other cool **** that I was completely not expecting and unprepared for, so when they happened on screen, I was mostly just confused. It's my own fault for coming into the movie with preconceived notions about it.

So I wanted to see it again before I made up my mind about it. On second viewing, the 80's moments didn't bother me much at all, although the songs used during them bothered me because I thought they mostly sucked, but beyond that I thought they fit the film just fine. And everything else in the movie was pretty great. The chase scenes were tense and really well done, the violence was shocking and awesome and the story itself, while not wholly original, was a pretty decent story. All of the cast did well, especially Albert Brooks who I'm kind of slightly hoping gets a best supporting actor nod (not expecting, just hoping).

Director Nicolas Winding Refn continues to impress.



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I read a bunch of the reviews of this that were negative, so going in I wasn't expecting a whole hell of a lot. Just a good time. After walking out of the theater, I felt satisfied. I don't know what anyone else expects from a movie starring Jason Statham, but it was pretty much exactly what you should expect from one. Silly, over the top and lot of fun.

I was a little disappointed by some of the fight sequences using the patented Hollywood close-up, shaky cam shots, but I doubt Clive Owen is able to do that stuff like Statham is, and they still managed to make it brutal enough to keep me from being too distracted by it. Recommended for fans of Statham movies.



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A documentary about the Brazilian Formula One racing star Ayreton Senna. I have absolutely ZERO interest in racing of any kind, but I thought this documentary was really, really great. It was pretty intense during the race sequences, helped immensely by cameras that had been mounted on the cars in the race. Watching this guy take curves at the speed he did... on a huge theater screen... woof.

The documentary did a really fantastic job showing what Senna was like off the track, too, without seeming like it really had an agenda. I'd never heard of the guy, but it was really fascinating watching him go from go-karts to Formula One and becoming almost a national hero in Brazil before his death. HIGHLY recommended.



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A Spanish "found footage" horror film in the vein of Blair Witch Project. I think whether or not you like this movie depends a lot on how you feel about these types of movies. A family heads out to a giant old house owned by their family that has a labyrinth in the backyard. The kids, who do a webcast talking about supernatural folk tales and scary stories naturally go exploring with their cameras and come across some vaguely weird/creepy ****.

The movie follows the Blair Witch Project template pretty heavily. Instead of being lost in the woods, they're in the labyrinth, but the labyrinth is overgrown so it looks a lot like woods. They know the way home, so the whole thing isn't spent outside, but the majority of the good **** happens there. And like BWP, the build up for Atrocious is really good. It starts slowly, but the creepiness ratchets up as time goes on. They don't give away much at all and let your imagination do all the hard work. Really effective.

Where the movie stumbled a bit for me was the ending/climax. They take a kind of different route with it, which I thought was weird and kind of takes you out of the moment. It was cool to see someone trying something a little different, instead of just copying what had come before, but I'm not sure it worked all that well. Overall, though, I liked the movie quite a bit and would recommend it if these found footage flicks are something you enjoy.



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I was totally going to ignore this film when I saw it was coming on the movie channels, but I decided to IMDB it and saw that it had gotten some good reviews, so I decided to give it a shot. A bunch friends go sailing and end up getting stranded in the middle of the ocean when a freak storm capsizes their boat. Eventually, a big cruise ship comes along and they all climb onboard to find it empty. Well, mostly empty...

The first half hour or so of this movie was not very good. I thought about just turning it off. The actors were kind of annoying and the part with the storm and the wave that overtakes their boat was pretty ridiculous. But I didn't want to give up on the movie just because they didn't have the budget they needed, especially after reading some of the reviews. Which ended up being a really good idea.

I don't want to tell you why because I think some of the reason this movie worked as well as it did was because I didn't know what was going to happen next for a lot of it. It goes in a direction that isn't obvious and is actually kind of smart. It's much more Twilight Zone than slasher horror. The ending is maybe a little predictable, but it still works pretty well. Overall, I'd recommend renting it or watching it on a movie channel, but not buying it. It's an ambitious attempt to do a slightly different horror film and it mostly works pretty well.



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On the movie channels pops up an old Robert Duvall cop movie that has never been released on DVD. That's enough to get me to want to try it. Duvall plays a detective who's got a bit of racist thing going on and he gets suspended after kinda-sorta tossing a (non-white) mobster off a roof during a fight. While he's off duty, his partner gets killed and he decides to investigate the murder, badge or not.

It sounds like a cool movie, but, unfortunately, it wasn't. It was actually pretty lame except for Robert Duvall. Duvall was great and made the movie watchable, but honestly there wasn't a single other thing about this movie that stood out. So I'd skip it if I were you, unless you're a big fan of Duvall.



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I actually didn't know this was a Criterion movie until after I'd watched it. I decided to check out reviews of it because Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle were in it and the reviews were really positive. Mitchum plays a middle man who moves guns from a supplier to bank robbers and occasionally does some other criminal type stuff. He also informs to the police. His criminal partners don't much like that, though.

It's a bit of a slow burn, but if you've got the patience for it, it's a damn good movie.



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Yeah, I'd never seen this before. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.



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Hadn't seen this before, either, and totally loved it. It's like the scene at the end of Psycho where the psychiatrist is explaining to everyone that Norman's mom killed everyone, not Norman except it's the length of the entire movie. Kinda. It was great, though.



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I only DVR'ed this because Timothy Olyphant was in it, and for the most part, that was all I really enjoyed about it. It wasn't a bad movie. It was fun. It wasn't anything special either, though. Recommended only to people in love with Timothy Olyphant.
 
Hah...Me and'Q watched High Life. Both of us have a crush on Olyphant. Not a great movie though. Tried a little too hard to be hip/cool Tarantino-y. Wanted to see it to because the Deputy from The Crazies was in it too(the guy who is dying, who gets stuck in the armored car w/the guard) and I liked him too.

Never saw Midnight Run? Triangle was a decent little flick. And a previous Screamfest movie. Didn't know Atrocious was out yet. Sounds interesting. Have you seen YellowBrickRoad yet? Same sort...found footage and all that. From the ShockTillYouDrop presents line too. Sounds like you didn't like Drive as much as you thought you would. Too much anticipation?
 
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Finally got around to watching this one. Didn't even realize it was a Coen movie until the credits. I never saw the original but I have to say it was remarkably unremarkable. Seems like the type of movie I would give ten minutes to if I ran across it on cable, but other than that not sure if I wasted my time or not.
 
Hah...Me and'Q watched High Life. Both of us have a crush on Olyphant. Not a great movie though. Tried a little too hard to be hip/cool Tarantino-y. Wanted to see it to because the Deputy from The Crazies was in it too(the guy who is dying, who gets stuck in the armored car w/the guard) and I liked him too.

Yeah, beyond Olyphant I didn't think much of it at all. It was kind of nice to see him step a little out of his tough guy/Clint Eastwood role and into more of a comedic one.

Never saw Midnight Run?

Nope. Not until last weekend.

Didn't know Atrocious was out yet. Sounds interesting. Have you seen YellowBrickRoad yet? Same sort...found footage and all that. From the ShockTillYouDrop presents line too.

BloodyDisgusting, you mean. :)

I haven't watched YellowBrickRoad yet, no. BTW, if you want them, you can have my screeners for Atrocious and Phase 7. I haven't watched Phase 7 yet, either.

Sounds like you didn't like Drive as much as you thought you would. Too much anticipation?

After seeing it the second time, I think it pretty much lived up to it. The first time, though, the John Hughes type stuff really threw me off. I would say the fact that it isn't going to be my #1 or 2 movie on the year is enough to say it didn't quite meet my expectations, but it was still a damn good, buy-it-on-Blu-the-day-of-release movie.
 
Yeah...you're right, apologies to Bloody Disgusting. Yeah, I will take em if you don't want em. Thanks. Will save me some dough.
Part of the reason I am holding off on seeing Drive...think the wait was just too long. The hype was pretty high. I love that the lady is suing because she says the trailer made it look more Fast & Furious and they bait & switched(I posted link on the Drive thread). From the 'just-doesn't-get-it' department.
 
What did you think of them??

In movies I've seen him in, I feel John C Reilly always tries to overwhelm the scene (and other actors) with his over the top behavior. I was hoping it wouldn't be the same in Cedar Rapids but it was and its obnoxious. Helms was alright but I got tired of him acting like a whiny bitch by the end of the movie. Pretty predictable but worth a rental even though I was underwhelmed overall.

I enjoyed Insidious for a low budget horror movie and actually liked the ending a lot. From the cover I expected more of a possessed boy creating havoc but all in all I liked the direction the movie took. I will admit to chuckling a few times when Patrick Wilson was "looking" for his son.
 
Watched Paul the other day. It was actually an enjoyable little movie. Seth Rogen was pretty darn good as Paul, made him this totally likable little green dude. Three boobs?? Awesome!
 
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Saw it for the first time yesterday. I obviously knew the twist beforehand, I mean it's been referenced so many times you can't possibly avoid it, but it was a decent movie but definitely dated in many areas. Would probably have had a bit more impact if I didn't know the secret ingredient already. The ending felt a bit cut off, I honestly thought the third act had just started when the movie suddenly ended.
 
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Another worth a rental. I really enjoyed Rebecca Hall and while I felt Ferrell had a few too many blank stare moments in the script, I liked some of the direction the movie took (especially his need to get validation of his life and worthiness from a former high school friend.)

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Probably the most well done comic adaptation I can remember in recent history (Green Lantern, Green Hornet, Fantastic Four to name a few that sucked) and a must see IMO. It's been since Sin City that I enjoyed an adaptation this well. James McAvoy blew me away as I hadn't remembered seeing him elsewhere was thoroughly impressed. My only complaint is the special effects seemed p*ss poor to me on bluray which is shocking for such a big budget film. I doubt it was intentional but I kept seeing jagged lines and movement in action scenes.
 
Watched Trick R Treat just in time for Halloween. Decent little flick. Definitely had some new ideas and twists for a horror type movie.
 
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