Movie Discussion Thread

[The Cooncester]

This thread can be used to talk about any of the latest movies you've seen, or DVDs, etc.

The last movie I saw in theatres was When a Stranger Calls and it was a horrible attempt at film making. Only the last 10 minutes could be called even slightly scary and the rest is just boredom.

The last DVD I've watched is Darkman, the early '90's Sam Raimi movie. I love that movie because it combines so many genres. You have the monster flick, romance, science fiction, action, superhero, comedy, etc. I think it has a lil bit of everything.

Oh well... hopefully somebody will reply.

[HAL9000]

I saw Curious George last Saturday.... I prefer the book.

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 I saw Curious George last Saturday.... I prefer the book.

I've been thinkin' about going to that. Haven't really heard anything about it that swayed it either way on the good or bad charts. I'll probably wait till DVD.

V for Vendetta is probably the only movie I feel like spending the expense to go see it in theatres within the next month.

[Hi Ho]

The last movie I saw in theaters was King Kong. I rented Flight Plan on DVD last night. I thought it was good.

I rarely go to the theater. I prefer the home theater experience.

[kram 2.0]

Last time I went to the theatres was to see Star Wars Episode III - now THAT was a movie that was worth seeing

kram

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by kram 2.0 Last time I went to the theatres was to see Star Wars Episode III - now THAT was a movie that was worth seeing

I disagree -- I thought the plot was contrived and not well-developed at all. I found it very strange that Anakin essentially said, "I will give up all my principles and everything I've ever stood for without so much as thinking the decision over, on the basis of a 20-second dream sequence."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was in theaters around the same time, and many didn't like it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, I read and loved the books, so that might have been part of it.

The last movie I went to see was The Chronicles of Narnia. I thought that was a very good one. The Transporter II was also fun, although nowhere near the level of Narnia.

[Darth Revan]

Just finished I Robot, that movie is great.
Last one I saw in theatres was Doom, I enjoyed it, not MUCH of a stoyline and it strayed a bit from the game but I still enjoyed it.

[RayH]

The last movie I saw in a theater was "I Robot." I won't go to theaters any more; too expensive and too many clods. I won't pay $10 to listen to an idiot holler on his cell phone. I won't.

I do watch a lot of DVDs, mostly from Asia. I get Region 3 distributions from my local Chinese video shop. I get movies otherwise unavailable in the US.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by The Cooncester The last movie I saw in theatres was When a Stranger Calls and it was a horrible attempt at film making. Only the last 10 minutes could be called even slightly scary and the rest is just boredom.

That's a remake of a 1979 movie of the same name. The original is a lot better than the remake.

It seems as though Hollywood is running out of original ideas as there has been a lot of remakes in recent years...Hollywood movies like "Assault on Precinct 13", "Flight of the Phoenix", "War of the Worlds" and "The Manchurian Candidate"...Asian movies like "The Ring", "The Grudge", "Shall We Dance" and "Dark Water". The big Hollywood studios haven't done anything really good or original in years. You have to look to the smaller independent studios and foreign films to see anything good nowadays.

I recently saw "Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", "The Constant Gardener", "Flight Plan", "Levity" "Lord of War", "Gozu", "One Missed Call", "Wasabi", "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" and "Kung Fu Hustle" on DVD (we don't go to the theaters anymore) and enjoyed them all.

Cricket

[doctorgonzo]

I only go to the cheap theater ($2 tickets) so I never see the new movies as they come out. I recently saw "Wallace and Gromit" and "North Country" (based on a true story and filmed in MN).

[Statica]

The Constant Gardener was quite good, watched it on DVD recently.

Am waiting for a few releases like the Da Vinci Code, X-3 and Superman Returns (for old times) .. I'm extremely selective about the movies I watch, and go to theatres only if the movie warrants the full experience and most movies today dont.

[Litespeed]

Doc, What did you think of "North Country"?

[doctorgonzo]

Originally Posted by Litespeed Doc, What did you think of "North Country"?

The story itself is a good one, but I didn't think the movie was edited very well. The begining is kind of slow and jagged, and it takes a while to come together. It gets a lot better though, and the middle really pulls you in. Then all of a sudden, *bang*, it's over, ending pretty abruptly.

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by Cricket That's a remake of a 1979 movie of the same name. The original is a lot better than the remake. It seems as though Hollywood is running out of original ideas as there has been a lot of remakes in recent years...Hollywood movies like "Assault on Precinct 13", "Flight of the Phoenix", "War of the Worlds" and "The Manchurian Candidate"...Asian movies like "The Ring", "The Grudge", "Shall We Dance" and "Dark Water". The big Hollywood studios haven't done anything really good or original in years. You have to look to the smaller independent studios and foreign films to see anything good nowadays. I recently saw "Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", "The Constant Gardener", "Flight Plan", "Levity" "Lord of War", "Gozu", "One Missed Call", "Wasabi", "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" and "Kung Fu Hustle" on DVD (we don't go to the theaters anymore) and enjoyed them all. Cricket

I knew that about When A Stranger Calls! You seem to know your movies.

[avx]

The last one I saw was Underworld 2: Evolution. Im a sucker for werwolf and vampire movies, I dont care how horrible, I will still go and see it. I really enjoyed the film though, lots and lots of action

Im looking forward to "Ultra Violet"(because Im a big Milla fan), and "Silent Hill". Of course I was looking forward to Superman, but I dont know why they are calling it "Returns", its a remake, the only real differences will be that there is a little more talking between kal-el and jor-el, and it might have more of a modern twist, but people have been saying for years that IF they ever made this movie, it was going to bomb. They approached countless actors...Nick Cage, Ashton Ketchup, DiCaprio, Dean Cain...All of them read the script and turned it down.

Im also looking forward to the next batman flick...As for DVD, the last good one I saw was Ong Bak, that guy is amazing.

[mbossman2]

I can sum up the Star Wars III plot like this:

Action...main character almost gets killed
Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more"
Action...violence, mayhem - bad guy sets up good guy
Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more"
Action - more violence and mayhem... an important character or 2 dies
Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more"
Action - even more violence and mayhem...plot lines for 1st SW laid with some good set up shots

the end....give George Lucas all your money for the action figures, bed sheets, toy lightsabres, McDonald's happy meals and the DVD...


I'd like to see V for Vendetta....I hear that it is an interesting allegory (intentional or not) of the way some people see the current political landscape of the USA

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by mbossman2 I can sum up the Star Wars III plot like this: Action...main character almost gets killed Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more" Action...violence, mayhem - bad guy sets up good guy Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more" Action - more violence and mayhem... an important character or 2 dies Interlude: "I love you", "No I love you more" Action - even more violence and mayhem...plot lines for 1st SW laid with some good set up shots the end....give George Lucas all your money for the action figures, bed sheets, toy lightsabres, McDonald's happy meals and the DVD... I'd like to see V for Vendetta....I hear that it is an interesting allegory (intentional or not) of the way some people see the current political landscape of the USA

I couldn't agree with you more on Star Wars Episode III.

V for Vendetta's comic that it's based on is great and it definately can reflect the current and the future of the USA's politics.

[pam123]

Recently?
I bought and watched :
Kung-fu Hustle and Young Frankenstein (I've completed my Mel Brooks collection).
I downloaded rentals from Movielink.com and watched :Hannah and Her Sisters, Batman Begins,Beauty Shop, and Constantine ( that last was better than the reviews made me think).
movielink que : Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mullholland Dr.
Going to download later : The Constant Gardener, March of the Penguins (They're sale items, total cost for both rentals, less than $4.).

[sgtspector]

I know this will get someone going but the best movie I've ever seen is Braveheart. Then comes a bunch of others second. I don't really care about the historical accuracy of it. It was still great.
The last movie I saw in theatres was the Wedding Crashers. I thought it was pretty funny.
The worst movie I ever saw was Leprachaun until just the other night when I rented the movie "Virgin" On Demand. At least Leprechaun was (I think) supposed to be tongue-in-cheek horror. This movie Virgin was the worst piece of tripe ever produced. I had to watch it though since me and two co-workers actually appeared in it. Even my performance couldn't save it. LOL

[David M]

Has anyone seen Firewall? Is it any good? Harrison Ford is usually in pretty good movies.

[mbossman2]

i saw it a couple of weekends ago...the story was good, but not a really intense thriller...the concept was cool and the characters pretty decent.

I went during the day so I paid matinee prices which was about right for the movie.

(BTW I rate movies by: Was it good enough to:
Pay full price
Matinee Price
the $2 theatre place
Wait for cable
Wait for network TV)

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by pam123 and Constantine ( that last was better than the reviews made me think).

I didn't think much of "Constantine" until I watched it a second time. I collected the comic for years and wasn't sure how the movie would turn out. The first time I watched it I was disappointed but after the second viewing I found myself thinking the movie was actually pretty good...I'm guessing it's because I could concentrate on the story and characters rather than be awed by the special effects.

Cricket

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by sgtspector I know this will get someone going but the best movie I've ever seen is Braveheart. Then comes a bunch of others second. I don't really care about the historical accuracy of it. It was still great. The last movie I saw in theatres was the Wedding Crashers. I thought it was pretty funny. The worst movie I ever saw was Leprachaun until just the other night when I rented the movie "Virgin" On Demand. At least Leprechaun was (I think) supposed to be tongue-in-cheek horror. This movie Virgin was the worst piece of tripe ever produced. I had to watch it though since me and two co-workers actually appeared in it. Even my performance couldn't save it. LOL

When it comes to best movie of all time I think "Shawshank Redemption", "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", "se7en", "T2" and "The Empire Strikes Back" are up there as the greatest movies of all time. But then again I could keep going all day.

[Cricket]

Just for fun: Internet Movie Data Base's Top 250 Movies

Cricket

[Statica]

Do you have any sites that you use for guides to whether you should be shelling out those big bucks for theater seating? I use www.rottentomatoes.com .. interested in hearing about any others.

[rspassey]

You guys are all so lucky. Movies take months before they make it to Argentina...

I have been watching (or watched) Season 1,2,3,4 Of Smallville and Seasons 1/2 of The Fresh Price of BelAire on DVD.

[pam123]

Originally Posted by Cricket I didn't think much of "Constantine" until I watched it a second time. I collected the comic for years and wasn't sure how the movie would turn out. The first time I watched it I was disappointed but after the second viewing I found myself thinking the movie was actually pretty good...I'm guessing it's because I could concentrate on the story and characters rather than be awed by the special effects. Cricket

I actually never came across the comics.
What caught my attention was a trailer that didn't seem to fit, an argument over at Rotten Tomatoes that was far too intese for a clunker and the fact that movielink was having one of those $1 rental days.
Constantine is now on my "maybe to buy" list (That list keeps the DVD collection manageable since the "to buy" list is kept on Amazon so I can get the best deals either from them or from one of the resellers.).

[pam123]

Originally Posted by ryan124712 You guys are all so lucky. Movies take months before they make it to Argentina... I have been watching (or watched) Season 1,2,3,4 Of Smallville and Seasons 1/2 of The Fresh Price of BelAire on DVD.

I've always wondered how the timing worked for that region bit the MPAA does and what's going to happen now that they're promising to redo the coding. Why have something guaranteed to cause the piracy you claim to be combating?
So "The Constant Gardener" is now out on DVD and available for download here.
How long before it shows up in Argentina?
On the otherhand, "Ally McGraw" has been available in Europe for the past few years but not available at all in the US and I don't understand why.

[The Cooncester]

Originally Posted by Statica Do you have any sites that you use for guides to whether you should be shelling out those big bucks for theater seating? I use www.rottentomatoes.com .. interested in hearing about any others.

I use rottentomatoes, too. It's the best of it's kind because it uses practically every review site in it's analysis. It's like google is to it's search engines.

[rspassey]

Originally Posted by pam123 I've always wondered how the timing worked for that region bit the MPAA does and what's going to happen now that they're promising to redo the coding. Why have something guaranteed to cause the piracy you claim to be combating? So "The Constant Gardener" is now out on DVD and available for download here. How long before it shows up in Argentina? On the otherhand, "Ally McGraw" has been available in Europe for the past few years but not available at all in the US and I don't understand why.

What is weird, is that we *can* in BlockBuster, get US and Canadian Zone movies... but we had to get our DVD player hacked so that it can play the local Zone without us having to buy a whole new DVD player.

I will keep an eye out for when it gets here... I usually try to check the updates on an Argentine Forum about DVDs... They helped me find out which places get the latests Legal copies of the DVDs. I think it translate to something odd in spanish (perhaps "the unfaithful gardener" or somthing like that) So that sometimes throws me off when the titles change.

I noticed it the other way around when I was in Malaysia (similar to what your mentioned with Europe)... they actually had copies of the DVD for sale (in semi-reputable places) before they were even out in theaters in the US. I doubted they were legal, but I understand why they would do it... it isn't that far away to send a sea shipment of DVDs around the world yet, it takes months for them to make it to the country. 3 weeks for an entire sea container and our stuff in it to arrive from Lima, Ohio to Buenos Aires.. another week to clear customs.