Review the Last Movie You Saw

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RJ
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Review the Last Movie You Saw

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Use this thread to review the most recent movie(s) you've seen, be it on the big screen, on television or online.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

I am a huge Star Trek fan but truthfully was not terribly excited about this. I went to great lengths to avoid spoilers and only saw a full trailer the weekend before the movie came out. I think that dampened any enthusiasm I otherwise would have had. It was a fun movie but the story was pretty dull and really predictable.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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I rewatched the 1987 remake of DRAGNET on DVD recently.

To be fair, I never had the opportuniy to see the original series, but the movie was recommended to me years ago as something different and amusing to watch, so why not? I mean, it's got Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, AND Harry Morgan. Plus Christopher Plummer and Dabney Coleman. What an interesting and diverse cast.

Interestingly enough, this was back during a time where remakes actually DIDN'T insult the original series they were based on... that didn't seem to happen until the mid 2000s or so, but again, I haven't seen the original DRAGNET series, so I don't know how true it was, but I do know it had to have been somewhat respectful, as Aykroyd was a huge fan of Jack Webb, and I have to say, I HAVE heard some of Webb's monologuing as Joe Friday, so Aykroyd had Webb's mannerisms and ways of speaking down pat, all the way (though Aykroyd was playing the original Joe Friday's nephew, who also had his namesake). Harry Morgan apparently had reprised his original role from the series, but by this time, had risen in ranks to being the District Captain over the entire Robbery and Homicide Division. Tom Hanks was also a laugh as Friday's carefree and fun-loving rooky partner Pep Streebek, but you know what's a little eerie? After ALL these years, Hanks's voice has NEVER changed, even the slightest! He still sounds EXACTLY the same now as he did back in the 80s. Plummer was also good as the villain, but in a more comedic role (hey, Canadians kick-ass!)

One last thing I WILL say about this movie was tha the first time I saw it was when I was coming down from suffering from a second bout of depressions (I went through two of them, one in 2004, the other from 2006-2007), and this movie really lifted and cheered me up watching it; I know the original series wasn't a comedy, but the humor of this movie was really smart and witty, and I really enjoyed it. "Look out! Muppets!"
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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ELF (2003)

Let me start off by saying, I completely disagree with most people when it comes to this movie, saying that it was Will Ferrell's worst movie... I say this is actually his BEST movie... in fact, I say this is the ONLY movie of his worth watching.

To be fair, yes, I'll agree with some others who say this movie is a little on the cheesy factor, but aside from that, this movie offered Will Ferrell the chance to play a character that actually has depth to him: for once, he isn't playing a flat, bland, unlikable, one-dimensional, sketch show-esque character, instead, he plays a sympathetic, fish-out-of-water character, who endears himself to the audience with his innocence and ignorance of the real world (hey, he spent the first 30 years of his life living at the North Pole with Santa and his elves). Plus, you have to admire his intentions of just wanting to be accepted by his birth father (James Caan), and spread Christmas cheer, since apparently, people in the real world just don't have that spirit in them anymore.

Not only that, but this movie also contains nods to classic Christmas specials of yesteryears, including primitively animated stop-motion creatures. The production also made use of clever camera angles and set construction to make the likes of Buddy and Santa (Ed Asner) co-exist with the elves in the same scenes, yet still make them appear much larger than the elves. Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from A CHRISTMAS STORY) also has a bit part in this movie as an elf.

That's one more thing I have to mention to, this movie has a really interesting cast: in addition to Ferrell, Asner, and Caan, we've got the ever-adorable and sexy Zooey Deschanel, the usual warm and endearing quality of Bob Newhart, as well as familiar comedic faces such as Mary Steenbergen, Amy Sedaris, Andy Ricter, Faizon Love, and others.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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I thought Elf was one of his better movies. And Into Darkness... OMFG I want to see it again. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The characters remind me of the same playful banter that Star Wars had. I'm more of a TNG fan when it comes to Star Trek but it was very well written and casted well.
Let me think of what movie I just watch recently.. Maybe I will wait and come back and post about Cloud Atlas which I got from redbox last night..Oh I know...

I watched Sky Captain and the World Of Tomorrow. (2004)
I would say this movie is not for everyone because of all the computerized look it has to it. The backgrounds are really uh painted on looking.It has the old cinema style mixed with comic book.Its set in the 1930s yet featuring technology most of us associate with a time in the 2040s Sky Captain ( Joe) does a good job of blending the old generation with the new. I think the whole "Cheese factor" makes the movie but hey you either hate it or like it when you talk to people who have seen it. The main characters had great chemistry which I think keeps me watching it . ( Jude Law And Gwyneth Paltro. ) I think whole ever made this film has a great passion and love for 1930s cinema and the art of the time..
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (2004)

Now, I'm not really one for disaster flicks myself, but if it involves extreme weather (I would totally be a storm chaser if I wasn't already a puppeteer), I'll check it out.

Now, writer/director Roland Emmerich (who knows a lot about destroying the world, lol) admits that this movie isn't meant to be 100% scientifically or meteorologically accurate, however, it does drive some important points across that we really need to be careful about how we handle our environment and use our natural resources, otherwise, we'll be paying the price in the long term, and it could happen sooner than we may think (and the fact that extreme weather in the last few years has gotten more and more violent across the globe should really open people's eyes, but it isn't).

One subtlty about this movie I personally like it how the fictional Bush/Cheney administration (the President and Vice President in this movie WEREN'T Bush and Cheney, respectively, but the characters were meant to represent them) was portrayed, because let's face it, the Bush/Cheney administration did more harm than good.

The movie also made some really interesting casting choices as well, you've got a blend of serious actors, comic actors, and character actors. Dennis Quaid, Sela Ward, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Jay O'Sanders, Ian Holm, and Glenn Plummer are just a few of the faces you see in this movie.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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Frances Ha (2012)

The trailer made this look like it might be funny but it was really just depressing. It had no real story to speak of and a bunch of unlikeable characters.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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American Hustle
Great movie! What more could you ask for? Great big name actors and actresses! A cameo by Robert De Niro, playing a mob boss! An awesome seventies soundtrack by Steely Dan, Chicago, Elton John, The Bee Gees, Electric Light Orchestra, Jefferson Starship, David Bowie, America, & Led Zeppelin! Lots of espionage, action, and sex! You can't go wrong!
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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
A vey moving and thought provoking movie! Idris Elba was awesome as Mandela, especially the young Mandela! Although, I must confess that I think Morgan Freeman did the best job portraying the elder Mandela in "Invictus" from 2009. "Long Walk To Freedom" is still an excellent movie though!
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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I forgot about this thread... my bad... well, I'll continue to roll the ball some more by reviewing the last movie I watched on DVD (as I haven't been the movies in a while, it's getting too expensive, and good movies aren't seeing as much theater exposure as the more star-power action/adventure movies are, which apparently the movie industry is doing intentionally, or so I hear).

TOY STORY 3 (2010)

I remember as a little kid when TOY STORY came out, that was a pretty huge deal, as it was the first feature-length CGI movie ever made, and back then, that was pretty impressive (though admittedly, with advances in computer animation technology over the years, TOY STORY today actually looks incredibly primitive and cheap-looking), and it was an all-around fun movie... then years later, TOY STORY 2 came out, and back in those days, that was exciting because sequels hadn't become a shoe-horned and tiring gimmick like today where almost every movie now gets 2 or even 3 sequels. After years of trying and having battles with Disney, Pixar was finally able to come out with TOY STORY 3, several years after the first two, and surprisingly, in spite of the long passage of time, TOY STORY 3 really held up well - it was great that they were able to get all of the original voice actors again (with the sad exception of Jim Varney as Slinky Dog, since Jim Varney had passed away just shortly after TOY STORY 2 was released), and I think they executed the entire plot of the movie in a very smart and good-hearted way: the movie was light-hearted when it needed to be, and also heavy and emotional when it needed to be... I hate to admit it, but yes, this movie made me cry when I first watched it... in case anyone still hasn't seen it, I'm leaving my review a little vague so as not to spoil any details.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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Finally got to see SAVING MR. BANKS the other night, it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself; I wasn't sure if I would be able to buy Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, somehow half the time I see Tom Hanks in a movie, I just can't get invested in the character he's playing, and it always comes off to me as Tom Hanks pretending to be someone else (if that makes sense), but I guess I'd have to say that Hanks was a lot more convincing that I had thought, because after a while, I wasn't even thinking about it, I was invested too much into the actual story to concern myself with it. Number of familiar faces in it too, like Paul Giamatti and Jason Schwartzman. Makes me feel bad for never actually seeing all of MARY POPPINS in its entirety.

One thing that really interested me was the first-name basis at Disney, and that Walt himself hated being refered to as Mr. Disney... there's a documentary that pops up on cable from time to time, and I remember when talking about THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, he wanted the Mousekateers to call him, "Uncle Walt", but those kids had so much respect and admiration for him that they couldn't help but refer to him as Mr. Disney.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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I just saw the Delivery Man. It was cute. :D
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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Getting ready to watch the original movie of M*A*S*H, which predated the television show by about three years. I have been been a big fan of the TV show for years, and I have seasons 1, 2, & 8 on DVD, but this will be the first time that I have seen the movie! I was lucky enough to find the VHS tape for a quarter in excellent condition! I can't wait to see Donald Sutherland playing Hawkeye(Alan Alda's character in the television series), and Robert Duvall playing Frankl Burns(Larry Lynville's character in the TV show)!
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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GREASER'S PALACE (1972)

As I posted in another thread, someone I know shared this with me.

So anyway, this a B-movie from 1972, directed by the insane Robert Downey, Sr. The basic plot of the movie is supposed to be like an alternate interpretation of the Bible, specifically the New Testament. The movie stars Allan Arbus (yep, our favorite shrink, Sidney Freedman), as Jessy (pronounced J.C.), the symbolic Jesus, who parachutes to earth, and makes a journey to Jerusalem to become an actor/singer, and along the way, exhibits some incredible feats that causes people to follow him almost everywhere he goes... this includes continually bringing back to life a man who keeps getting killed by his father, who thinks his son is gay. Oh yeah, the father owns a bar... or saloon... of some kind, called GREASER'S PALACE... which supposedly symbolizes the Catholic Church, I'm not entirely sure. But other of Jessy's spectacles include, of course, walking on water, and making a lame man... crawl again... Anyway, Jessy makes it to GREASER'S PALACE where the father Greaser's daughter (who I think is supposed to symbolize Satan) performs, but tanks... then Jessy does his little show-stopping number, to a sea of blank faces, until he removes his gloves and reveals the holes in his hands... suddenly, everybody loves him, which makes the daughter jealous, and has him crucified.

Something like that... I don't entirely understand this movie.

Oh yeah, and this is supposed to be a comedy. I think.

It's honestly one of the weirdest, strangest, most bizarre, and at times, frankly disturbing movies I've ever seen... it kind of gives me a better idea of why Allan Arbus made for such a convincing shrink on M*A*S*H... between stuff like this, and his deranged photographer wife, Diane, Allan seemed to live a pretty messed up life.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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Despite the negative reviews from critics, I actually enjoyed the re-make of "Endless Love". I thought that three main stars, Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde & Bruce Greenwood were great in it. I would give it a B+.
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Re: Review the Last Movie You Saw

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I saw Birds of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn yesterday. It was batshit crazy and pretty much felt like what I imagine a trip through an excessively violent funhouse high on LSD would look like. But I had fun watching it and despite some issues with certain parts of the film, it was well worth seeing. I gave it a 7 (call it 7 1/2 really) out of 10 on IMDB.

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