Movie review rant 2014

[zooboy28]

{Note from mods - thread continued from here: Movie review rant 2013}



I went to the movies three times over the holiday period:

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Indeed it does continue, and I'm very glad it does! This is a very funny film, only slightly less-good than the first one, and has some hilarious bits in it. No San Diego Zoo scenes this time, but Ron Burgundy does raise a shark which is nice. Highly recommended fun. #ChickenOfTheCave
8/10

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I saw this in 3D, and at the higher frame rate, which actually did make quite a difference, generally for the worse (it made it look more like a TV show, less like a movie). The movie was more grown-up than the first one, but still not grown-up enough for my liking. Overall I agree with Chlidonias' summations, although I don't dislike Thorin. The dragon was definitely the stand out, followed by the five minute clip from Tourism New Zealand on white-water rafting. Still looking forward to the third one though.
7/10

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
This film tells the story of a guy who daydreams a lot, and then gets to live some of his daydreams. Despite that premise, the story is actually fairly solid, and the cinematography is basically stunning throughout. Stars Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley Maclaine, Sean Penn, and a drunk guy from Greenland. Creature-wise, there was a shark and a snow leopard. One of those feel-good, but makes-you-think movies, and I don't really think there were any real flaws. Go see it!
9/10

 

[nanoboy]

I went to the movies three times over the holiday period:

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Indeed it does continue, and I'm very glad it does! This is a very funny film, only slightly less-good than the first one, and has some hilarious bits in it. No San Diego Zoo scenes this time, but Ron Burgundy does raise a shark which is nice. Highly recommended fun. #ChickenOfTheCave
8/10

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I saw this in 3D, and at the higher frame rate, which actually did make quite a difference, generally for the worse (it made it look more like a TV show, less like a movie). The movie was more grown-up than the first one, but still not grown-up enough for my liking. Overall I agree with Chlidonias' summations, although I don't dislike Thorin. The dragon was definitely the stand out, followed by the five minute clip from Tourism New Zealand on white-water rafting. Still looking forward to the third one though.
7/10

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
This film tells the story of a guy who daydreams a lot, and then gets to live some of his daydreams. Despite that premise, the story is actually fairly solid, and the cinematography is basically stunning throughout. Stars Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley Maclaine, Sean Penn, and a drunk guy from Greenland. Creature-wise, there was a shark and a snow leopard. One of those feel-good, but makes-you-think movies, and I don't really think there were any real flaws. Go see it!
9/10

Was Walter Mitty like 'Bucket List'?

Are any of those movies worth seeing in the cinema, or can they be enjoyed just as much on DVD for a fraction of the cost?

 

[zooboy28]

Was Walter Mitty like 'Bucket List'?

Are any of those movies worth seeing in the cinema, or can they be enjoyed just as much on DVD for a fraction of the cost?

I haven't seen the Bucket List, but Walter Mitty isn't dying or ticking things off a list in anyway. He goes on a quest!

You don't need to see Anchorman in theatre, and probably not the Hobbit either (unless you're really into 3D of HFR). Walter Mitty has genuinely beautiful scenes and stunning landscapes, which look great on the big screen - so if you were going to see one, I'd go see that. In fact, I might go see it again. Haven't done that since Twilight...

 

[nanoboy]

I haven't seen the Bucket List, but Walter Mitty isn't dying or ticking things off a list in anyway. He goes on a quest!

You don't need to see Anchorman in theatre, and probably not the Hobbit either (unless you're really into 3D of HFR). Walter Mitty has genuinely beautiful scenes and stunning landscapes, which look great on the big screen - so if you were going to see one, I'd go see that. In fact, I might go see it again. Haven't done that since Twilight...

Oh dear. I was about to buy my ticket online to see it tonight until I read your last sentence....

 

[zooboy28]

Oh dear. I was about to buy my ticket online to see it tonight until I read your last sentence....

Haha. Its obviously nothing like Twilight, and if they have a "cheaper Tuesdays" deal at your local theatre, you should go check it out. Have you watched the trailer?

 

[nanoboy]

Haha. Its obviously nothing like Twilight, and if they have a "cheaper Tuesdays" deal at your local theatre, you should go check it out. Have you watched the trailer?

I have watched the trailer, but I didn't work out whether it was a movie like 'Fight Club' or 'Matrix' or 'Inception' with a funny twist where you weren't really sure what was real and what was in his head. I also thought that the trailer was lame. He goes to rent a car and says he wants the blue car - how is that funny? I really wasn't sure if it is supposed to be a comedy that falls flat on its face, or an inspirational movie like 'Bucket List' or a movie that does your head in like 'Fight Club'.

 

[zooboy28]

I have watched the trailer, but I didn't work out whether it was a movie like 'Fight Club' or 'Matrix' or 'Inception' with a funny twist where you weren't really sure what was real and what was in his head. I also thought that the trailer was lame. He goes to rent a car and says he wants the blue car - how is that funny? I really wasn't sure if it is supposed to be a comedy that falls flat on its face, or an inspirational movie like 'Bucket List' or a movie that does your head in like 'Fight Club'.

Its mostly an inspirational one, with a bit of comedy. Its definitely not like Fight Club/Matrix/Inception at all. The car rental is kind of funny, because there are only two cars available, identical apart from colour, and he gets asked which he would prefer. Its a bit of a soppy movie I guess.

 

[Hix]

I haven't seen it yet but all the reviews I've heard have said that Walter Mitty is very good.

It's a remake of a 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye. The name Walter Mitty has been used in the past to describe daydreamers, or people with delusions of being important or famous.



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I saw this in 3D, and at the higher frame rate, which actually did make quite a difference, generally for the worse (it made it look more like a TV show, less like a movie). The movie was more grown-up than the first one, but still not grown-up enough for my liking. Overall I agree with Chlidonias' summations, although I don't dislike Thorin. The dragon was definitely the stand out, followed by the five minute clip from Tourism New Zealand on white-water rafting. Still looking forward to the third one though.
7/10

you liked the barrel-riding scene? I hated it! It would have been fine in a slapstick Chevy Chase movie from the 90s or an Alvin And The Chipmunks remake, but not in what I thought was supposed to be a dramatic fantasy movie. I thought it was really out of place (that is, the tone of the scene, not the scene itself).

On the other hand, everyone in the theatre I was in was in stitches so it was well-received which I guess makes it a success. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a grumpy old codger.

 

[Hix]

Non-stop
If you liked Liam Neeson in Taken and other similar action/suspense/thriller movies, then you'll love Non-Stop. I don't want to give away anything that might spoil it for anyone, so I will just say the action takes place on a plane, a nonstop flight from New York to London, there are great special effects, fight scenes, gun play, explosions and the odd death here and there. And lots of suspense and mystery. You literally don't know who the bad guy is until very close to the end. And it comes as a surprise. There are lots of twists that keep it interesting, and you are continually wondering - as Neeson's character does - what the hell is going on, how is this happening?

A great whodunnit - 8½ /10


Lone Survivor
This is an interesting movie, based on a true story. It tells the tale of four soldiers deployed into a hostile environment in Afghanistan to locate a senior Taliban who had butchered a number of US Marines. They were discovered and had to go on the run, and hold out against a large force of the Taliban until help arrived. As the title suggests, only one survived. There is a lot of shooting, a bit of falling off mountains and down steep slopes, and lots of dead bodies. Like other 'based on a true story' movies, I'm guessing they have employed a bit of license in order to keep the movie interesting and possibly add some suspense/excitement, but I can understand why they would do that. At the end of the movie they show stills of the actual soldier alongside the actor in character and you can see how they chose actors that were visually similar in most cases (like they did in Argo).

Some really spectacular mountain scenery too. 7/10




Hix

 

[Hix]

3 Days to Kill
Another action/CIA/shoot lots of bad guys style movie starring Kevin Costner and set in Paris. Plot is a little formula but with the added twist of the fact he's supposedly looking after his estranged daughter, that he hasn't seen in over five years, while he's tracking down an arms dealer with nukes for sale. And he's dying. Amber Heard plays a character that is a cartoon caricature of the spy stereotype, which I think detracts somewhat from the movie. There's some attempts at comedy but for me they fell flat. In the end he kills all the baddies, woos his wife back, gets cured, gets his daughter to love him and everything ends well.

From a story by Luc Besson, it probably would have been better if Besson had directed it too.
7/10


Last Vegas
I thought this was a brilliant movie with a good cast: Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert de Niro and Kevin Klein. The premise is simple: friends since they were ten, they're now in their 70's; three got married but the fourth (Douglas) remained a bachelor. Until now. He has decided to marry his 30-something girlfriend, and so the other three want to throw him a bachelor party in Las Vegas.

This is a really enjoyable comedy that won't win too many awards, but will appeal to most people (maybe not children though).
9/10



Hix

 

[nanoboy]

I signed up to a free trial for Quickflix (the Aussie version of Netflix), and they have been sending me 2 BluRays per week for the last month. Here are a few off the top of my head.

Zambezia - the South African version of Rio. Lots of cool African birds, but the story and animation are sub-par compared to a Hollywood blockbuster. 5/10

Tai Chi Zero - Chinese comedy martial arts flick. 7/10

Housos The Movie - great comedy about Aussie bogans (red necks). 8/10

Hugo - top movie if you want to marvel at 3D and high def CGI, but I fell asleep. 5/10

Pacific Rim - giant robots fight alien invaders; a no brainer you can watch while cooking or doing chores. 6/10

 

[zooboy28]

I also signed up for a free Quickflix trial this week, although just streaming (which is cheaper) not sending out DVDs. So far it seems to work great, have watched two films so far:

Gravity
Obviously visually stunning, and with much more tension and realism than many "lost in space" type movies, but a bit hard to watch, especially with just a single character for most of its length.
6/10

Identity Thief
Some very amusing moments in this comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, but its also a bit bloated with unnecessary scenes and characters. The forced morality of the story is also a bit off-putting, would have been better as a pure comedy.
7/10

 

[nanoboy]

I also signed up for a free Quickflix trial this week, although just streaming (which is cheaper) not sending out DVDs. So far it seems to work great, have watched two films so far:

Gravity
Obviously visually stunning, and with much more tension and realism than many "lost in space" type movies, but a bit hard to watch, especially with just a single character for most of its length.
6/10

Identity Thief
Some very amusing moments in this comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, but its also a bit bloated with unnecessary scenes and characters. The forced morality of the story is also a bit off-putting, would have been better as a pure comedy.
7/10

You had to pay to download those new movies though, right?

 

[zooboy28]

You had to pay to download those new movies though, right?

Yeah we did. Relatively cheap though. We have watched a couple of TV shows and a stand up comedy gig (Strassman) for free too.

 

[nanoboy]

Yeah we did. Relatively cheap though. We have watched a couple of TV shows and a stand up comedy gig (Strassman) for free too.

Yeah we streamed Pacific Rim to our TV for $6. There are some older movies and TV shows we can stream for free, but there is so much new stuff out that we don't have time for older movies. Having said that, they should be sending me the Fight Club BluRay today.

Who here knows the first rule of Fight Club?

 

[Hix]

Gravity
Obviously visually stunning, and with much more tension and realism than many "lost in space" type movies, but a bit hard to watch, especially with just a single character for most of its length.
6/10

You should have seen it on the big screen - in 3D. The cinematography was just brilliant. No wonder it won so many Oscars.



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

Non-stop
If you liked Liam Neeson in Taken and other similar action/suspense/thriller movies, then you'll love Non-Stop. I don't want to give away anything that might spoil it for anyone, so I will just say the action takes place on a plane, a nonstop flight from New York to London, there are great special effects, fight scenes, gun play, explosions and the odd death here and there. And lots of suspense and mystery. You literally don't know who the bad guy is until very close to the end. And it comes as a surprise. There are lots of twists that keep it interesting, and you are continually wondering - as Neeson's character does - what the hell is going on, how is this happening?

A great whodunnit - 8½ /10

I saw the trailer for this today and it looked like rubbish, but I also read Abridged Script on The Editing Room and it sounds like a real hoot. I am torn.

Non-Stop: The Abridged Script | The Editing Room

(Oh, Spoiler Alert for anyone who hasn't seen the movie but reads the funny version I linked to).

 

[nanoboy]

47 Ronin
Potential to be so much more, but it just degenerated into an even slower, fantasy version of 'The Last Samurai'.
6/10

A Good Day to Die Hard
What was this movie about? Maybe I wrote a review already, maybe I didn't. I probably fell asleep, but basically I think it's about a dude called John McLane who's in the wrong place at the wrong time..
5/10

Les Miserables
I am not ashamed to say that this is one of the best movies that I have seen for the year. (Never mind that it's an old movie.) My wife ordered this movie and I planned to sleep, but it was so riveting, that I now want to attend the theatre musical!
9/10

The Great Gatsby
If I ever hear anyone using the term "old sport", I'll punch them in the face. Other than the overused term, not a bad flick. And I like Leonardo because he supports tiger conservation.
7/10

Dark Shadows
When I saw the trailer for this flick, I thought that it would be a cheesy, Adams Family ripoff cliche'. Instead, it was most definitely an adult drama, with a dash of dark humour. I like when I am pleasantly surprised.
7/10

 

[Chlidonias]

regarding the movies on this page, I tried to watch Gravity the other day but a combination of George Clooney, Sandra Bullock and intense boredom made me stop.

I saw 47 Ronin on a bus in Borneo. Really dumb, Keanu Reeves being there was pointless, really just no good.

Die Hard 5: I saw this at the movies. I think I even wrote a review of it here somewhere. A real embarrassment of a Die Hard movie which had a "very clever" plot and twist, neither of which made ANY sense at all. [EDIT: I did see it at the movies, in Hokitika, I wrote something that wasn't a review on page 14 of this thread, and rated it better than movies 3 and 4 in the series]

Also I just watched John Carter and it was much better than I had expected after a wavering start.