What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

Pacific Rim

Easily the best movie of the year thus far. A pure joy to watch. Sure, much of the acting needed work, but it's forgivable given just how FUN it is to watch this film. I haven't paid to see a movie twice in years but I'll be doing just that to witness this in 3D.

Go see this movie if you were ever a fan of Godzilla; you won't be disappointed.
I agree. I see it as more of a Godzilla meets Gundam. It should do good overseas at least.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
36,181
Location
Spudlandia
Pacific Rim

Easily the best movie of the year thus far. A pure joy to watch. Sure, much of the acting needed work, but it's forgivable given just how FUN it is to watch this film. I haven't paid to see a movie twice in years but I'll be doing just that to witness this in 3D.

Go see this movie if you were ever a fan of Godzilla; you won't be disappointed.

I saw the film in 2d. Guillermo del Toro himself said to see it in 2d, as 3d really wasn't going to work well for the film. I gotta admit I agree with him. I didn't see much in the film that makes me really want to go see in 3d now, but to be fair I haven't seen anything in 3d in over 15 years at least. Just doesn't tempt me.

http://collider.com/pacific-rim-3d-guillermo-del-toro/

And while I was disappointed in some aspects of the film, overall it was worth seeing, as others have said if you are a fan of Godzilla and monster movies. (I am a huge fan. My favorite movies to see easily.)
 
Last edited:
In related news, it appears that the new Adam Sandler film, "Grown Ups 2", is outperforming Pacific Rim. Panned universally by critics and movie-goers alike, let me just say, "WTF?!?!"

Do your part, Watchers! Go forth and see Pacific Rim lest Hollywood think that Michael Bay is the epitome of an action director.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,978
Location
Florida, USA
Pulp Fiction- first viewing.
I didn't realize that I've never really watched this movie, ive seen a lot of it, but never really sat and digested it as a whole. LOVED IT. Fucking great dialogue, pun intended :)


Also watched a couple other things. Valhalla Rising was an okay sorta artsy weird movie, and The Miniskirt Mob was a funny little bit of 60's biker exploitation cinema.

Also, got into a BBC modern take of Sherlock Holmes w/ "Sherlock".
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
oh and how the hell did I not mention THE EXPENDABLES???
Great, fun movie. When they turned the plane around strafed the bridge, I smiled. When they pretty much napalmed it, I knew it was in for a wild ride!

Made me want to learn how to throw a knife effectively, lots of good knife kills
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
Valhalla Rising was an okay sorta artsy weird movie
Okay? That's one of those movies that have no artistic value really, and are made just to "shock" kids.
One of the lousiest movies I've ever seen, maybe just a notch better than Dracula3000 because it has an ending.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Yeah, it's all subjective there matey. Some people think it's a masterpiece, no doubt. Ive heard the "shock" claim too, that's actually why I played it, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Either the Netflix version is a cut up one, or I don't understand what all the commotion's about.

My wife groaned the whole way thru, my dog even rolled over and groaned when chapter V:Hell came on.

Definitely not for a very wide audience, that one.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
Not sure what version is on Netflix I've watched it on a festival in full "glory", means too realistically shot stoning skulls and spilling guts. And that's what's movie is about. The problem is, I wasn't shocked really. I'm too old and seen more shocking stuff although not that with such quality pic.
If you're looking for something that'll turn you upside down, shock and disturb you, disgust you so you don't watch movies for a while after it, grab Pasolini's Salo:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073650
100 times better shocker than Valhalla Rising. One thing... Don't show it to your wife. To anyone you care about in fact.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Well we're halfway through July now, and I still haven't seen a really good movie this year.

I saw Pacific Rim last night, and while I wasn't completely disappointed, I'd be lying if I said it was a great movie.

The special effects are very good, and the fight scenes are entertaining. The problem is that there isn't enough of them. For an action movie, there just wasn't enough action. There's action in the beginning followed by an hour and 1/2 of weak character drama before a decent finale.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,133
Location
Florida, US
A small victory.

Haven't watched Fincher's remake of Girl with the dragon tattoo:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568346/

Seems it's two sequels, remakes of sequels in fact - are cancelled.
http://collider.com/david-finchers-...-who-played-with-fire-despite-recent-rewrite/

I really don't care for the fate of the remake(s), but I do suggest you to watch that original trilogy as soon as possible:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/ The girl… with the dragon tattoo
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216487/ … who played with fire
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343097/ … who kicked hornet's nest

I'll never understand why Hollywood wanted to remake this masterpiece in the first place. And this is not the first example when after the first movie is remade, other two are cancelled (The Departed vs Infernal Affairs trilogy masterpiece).

Why is Hollywood "stealing" masterpieces instead of trying to remake it's own fails? Some movies could under different director, scriptwriter and actors be good.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Pacific Rim

Easily the best movie of the year thus far. A pure joy to watch. Sure, much of the acting needed work, but it's forgivable given just how FUN it is to watch this film. I haven't paid to see a movie twice in years but I'll be doing just that to witness this in 3D.

Go see this movie if you were ever a fan of Godzilla; you won't be disappointed.

I saw this with my 12 y.o. son and we both enjoyed it. You have to take it for what it is. They could have left out the bo stick fight drama scene but other than that it was fun. Made me remember how much I enjoyed Godzilla, Rodan, etc movies.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
491
I have HBO and it's rare I watch anything on it besides their great series. Well, I had an opportunity to see In Bruges. I enjoyed it. Not a big Collin Ferrel fan but he was great in it. I wish they had given Rafe Fiennes more exposure in it because he is always such a wonderful villain (Amon Goeth, Voldemort, et al).

The note the little boy that was shot had in his hand made the scene that much more heartbreaking. Just awful.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
491
A small victory.

Haven't watched Fincher's remake of Girl with the dragon tattoo:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568346/

Seems it's two sequels, remakes of sequels in fact - are cancelled.
http://collider.com/david-finchers-...-who-played-with-fire-despite-recent-rewrite/

I really don't care for the fate of the remake(s), but I do suggest you to watch that original trilogy as soon as possible:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/ The girl… with the dragon tattoo
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216487/ … who played with fire
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343097/ … who kicked hornet's nest

I'll never understand why Hollywood wanted to remake this masterpiece in the first place. And this is not the first example when after the first movie is remade, other two are cancelled (The Departed vs Infernal Affairs trilogy masterpiece).

Why is Hollywood "stealing" masterpieces instead of trying to remake it's own fails? Some movies could under different director, scriptwriter and actors be good.

Remakes are made (a) for the monies and "officially" (b) because nobody has seen the foreign language original which is of course totally worth seeing.

The cancelled rest of the trilogy is bad news, IMHO. I think Finchers remake was even better than the original.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
7,830
Exactly, there were many issues with the original ... And the last film was just bad.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
Haven't seen/experienced any issues. Perhaps things got lost in the translation? Dunno.
All I know is that I adore the original trilogy. Thus no matter how Fincher's movie is, I could never say someone painted Mona Lisa better than Leonardo. Sorry.

EDIT:
Meanwhile the KS project of VM movie is going just fine it seems:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJhjV3EOY4
Can't wait.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
They are a tiny bit different. I liked them both.
I saw Fincher's remake first, and then watched the original trilogy because I wanted to see the sequels.

As for originals and remakes. Usually I prefer the original. In general I'm no fan of Hollywood blockbusters.
 
I know only the original 3 movies and they are very good IMHO.
(I never read the books)

I hope the 3/4 finished fourth novel in the series will be released someday:

Soon after Larsson's death, the manuscripts of three completed, but unpublished, novels – written as a series – were discovered. He had written them for his own pleasure after returning home from his job in the evening, and had made no attempt to get them published until shortly before his death. The first was published in Sweden in 2005 as Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor – literally – Men who hate women. It was titled for the English-language market as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and published in the United Kingdom in February 2008. It was awarded the Glass Key award as the best Nordic crime novel in 2005. His second novel, Flickan som lekte med elden (The Girl Who Played with Fire), received the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award in 2006, and was published in the United Kingdom in January 2009. The third novel in the Millennium series, Luftslottet som sprängdes ("The air castle that was blown up"), published in English as The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, was published in the United Kingdom in October 2009, and the United States in May 2010.

Larsson left about three quarters of a fourth novel on a notebook computer
, now possessed by his partner, Eva Gabrielsson: synopses or manuscripts of the fifth and sixth in the series, which he intended to contain an eventual total of ten books, may also exist.[21] Gabrielsson has stated in her book, "There Are Things I Want You to Know" About Stieg Larsson and Me (2011) that finishing the book is a task that she is capable of doing.[22]
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
19,818
Location
Germany
Haven't seen/experienced any issues. Perhaps things got lost in the translation? Dunno.
All I know is that I adore the original trilogy. Thus no matter how Fincher's movie is, I could never say someone painted Mona Lisa better than Leonardo. Sorry.

Of course, the easy and accurate retort is of course you are correct - but the 'Leonardo' here is the original BOOK series. :)

I LOVED the first movie of the Swedish series, preferred Noomi Rapace to Rooney Mara in general. But with the second and particularly the third movie, so much of the heart and soul of the book is ripped out and tossed aside that it is just a shame.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
When it comes to movies, never read the book first. Happened to me with Il Nome Della Rosa. That movie is okay, but "so much of the heart and soul of the book is ripped out and tossed aside that it is just a shame". ;)
Which doesn't mean that the movie is not a masterpiece, in this case I just can't be objective on it. :(
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Back
Top Bottom