Movies, Movies, Movies.....

[rcjp]

^Already seen it! It was great! I didn't really know what to expect from the plot but they did a nice job. Really pleased with it.

[Woodie Warrior]

Just got back from seeing The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Here's my short review of the movie: it's an entertaining mess.

 

Let me explain: The movie does keeps you entertained the entire time, but it is a complete mess. There are 4 main plot lines (Electro, Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy, and Rhino) that they try to connect together, but it just doesn't work. There are 3 times where I was expecting the movie to end, but it just kept going and going.

 

Even though I didn't feel this was a great movie, I'm excited for the future of the franchise.

[jray21]

Saw a few movie over the past week.

 

Godzilla - Really liked it a lot. Lots of action, and just a fun destruction movie.

 

12 Years a Slave - A good movie, but really depressing.

 

Spiderman 2 - Liked the first one better. This one seemed to be more similar to the Tobey Maguire days, which I didn't like.

[molemaster43]

Just got back from seeing The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Here's my short review of the movie: it's an entertaining mess.

 

Let me explain: The movie does keeps you entertained the entire time, but it is a complete mess. There are 4 main plot lines (Electro, Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy, and Rhino) that they try to connect together, but it just doesn't work. There are 3 times where I was expecting the movie to end, but it just kept going and going.

 

Even though I didn't feel this was a great movie, I'm excited for the future of the franchise.

 

Personally, I wouldn't call Rhino a main plot line. He was hardly in the movie.

 

I did also enjoy the movie, but it seemed to lack focus throughout the film and kept bouncing around to all of these stories.

[rcdude]

Now that the three spring superhero movies have been released, here's my take on all three:

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier: I thought Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to be full of duds, but this one was great. It is much more story heavy than many of the other entries and, while there are still comedic moments, this one definitely has the most serious tone out of all the films so far. Excluding the Avengers, this is probably my favorite Marvel movie and is the best 2014 film I've seen so far. A-

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: It was decent. Just like the first Amazing Spider-Man, acting was great and the action sequences, while not quite as intense as many modern superhero movies, were good enough to get the point across. The problems come mainly from the storyline, which incorporates three villains (Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino) along with Peter's relationship with Gwen and the search for information about his parents, both continued from the previous installment. Even though the movie was over two hours, it still felt like there was just too much packed into it. Overall, not bad, but not great, and definitely better than Spider-Man 3, though not as good as the first Amazing Spider-Man or the first two Raimi films. B-

 

X-Men: Days of Future Past: Great movie, my favorite X-Men film to date. This one felt more like the original X-Men films and superhero movies of the 2000's than those that have come out in the past few years, with more of an emphasis on plot and characters than action. No city destruction this time around (only a flying baseball stadium), and an acceptable level of CGI. Finally, this was a great way to link the original trilogy with the new First Class timeline and give all the original actors a proper sendoff. B+

 

In short, Captain American > X-Men > Amazing Spider-Man 2, but all of them were at least enjoyable.

[netdvn]

Even though I was busy catching up on TV for the past few weeks, I watched a few new movies on my cruise last week.

 

Captain America 2 - Really fun to watch. I'm honestly not sure if it's better than the first one, but I really enjoyed watching it. Compared to the other Marvel movies I watched, it's probably one of the better films. (5/5)

 

Jack Ryan - A fun action movie. I managed to catch it halfway through both times it showed on the ship, but I don't think I missed any real action. Nothing too mindblowing but I enjoyed it for what it was. I'd probably rank it above average. (3.5/5)

 

12 Years A Slave - I wasn't really sure what to think about this movie. It was definitely emotional and had some good moments, but something definitely felt missing from the movie. Maybe it was because I just watched Django Unchained, I expected the main character to flip out on the owners. Or maybe it was seeing Sherlock Holmes as a slave owner. Or maybe I found the story a bit hard to follow. Or the ending that left me satisfied but a bit cold on the inside. I dunno. it was still a good movie though. (4/5)

 

Saving Mr. Banks - This is probably my favorite movie of 2013. It had a great, emotional story (even if it was a tad confusing at first with the flashback sequences and all), the acting is fantastic, and it's already based off the making of a good movie. I loved it. (5/5)

[Diamondbacker27]

I found it interesting that they hired Godzilla's director to make the next two films. He must have done a good job, I can't wait to see it.

[TPDave]

^ I've yet to see it but I've only heard good things about Godzilla so I'm excited to watch it at some point!

[robbalvey]

 

Last night TPR was invited to a preview screening of Maleficent! Here's our review...

 

After watching Maleficent tonight, I’ve gained a whole new level of respect for this villain. Don’t expect to see a live action version of Sleeping Beauty. That’s not what this is. This film is so much more. While the storyline of Sleeping Beauty does tie into the plot, there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns.

 

Everyone knows Maleficent to be nothing but evil, but evil always has roots in goodness. This exciting story with visually stunning effects will transport you into a magical land where villains can also be heroes and heroes can be villains.

 

As beautiful as the effects were, I wasn’t very impressed with the 3D elements. I would only see it in 3D if it were on a proper IMAX screen, otherwise it really doesn’t add much to the experience.

 

That being said, Angelina Jolie has never looked better on the big screen!

 

Definitely run, don’t walk to your nearest movie theater and see this movie. Just remember, it is not Sleeping Beauty, keep an open mind and... SPOILER ALERT! (scroll down...)

 

SPOILER ALERT - the prince is not the hero that saves the day. This is a twist on a classic tale that is worth seeing and then seeing again.

 

Thank you to Elisa Goldman for attending the screening and writing the review for us!

 

Here is some information from the official press release about the film from Disney:

 

STORY SYNOPSIS:

"Maleficent" explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

 

The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

“Maleficent” is produced by Joe Roth and directed by Robert Stromberg, with Angelina Jolie, Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith and Sarah Bradshaw serving as executive producers. Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. “Maleficent” opens in U.S. theaters on May 30, 2014.

Calico System.nltrack

Edited May 29, 2014 by robbalvey

[azza29]

^Thanks for the review. Planning to go see this one after work tonight!

[djboss302]

So Roland Emmerich is rebooting Stargate... http://www.deadline.com/interstitial/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deadline.com%2F2014%2F05%2Fmgm-warner-bros-reboot-stargate%2F

 

I'm not so sure what I think about this..........

[cfc]

I might catch Maleficient this weekend. Jolie sounds like the perfect actress for this role. I'm not all that impressed with 3D in general, so I don't mind saving a few bucks by seeing the "flat" version.

[jynx242]

Went to see Maleficent last night at the Dine-in theater in Downtown Disney.

 

Loved it! I have a special place in my heart for villans, and Maleficent in particular (I even have a pretty large Maleficent tattoo,) so I was really looking forward to it. I have to say - Angelina Jolie was SPECTACULAR as the titular villan . I won't spoil things for anyone - but I was just LOVING the scenes at the Christening (it is in the Trailer.) She was just deliciously wicked.

[sfgam#1]

At first I was excited about Maleficent, mostly because I just adore Jolie. But the more trailers and commercials I see kinda turns that excitement down.To me it seems like they're trying to make her sympathetic and those villains just doesn't do it for me. Plus I thought Maleficent was so much more awesome when she was just evil. I shall be seeing it this weekend and I hope it proves me wrong.

 

Edit: Also if Maleficent turns into the dragon I might just love the movie because of that.

[Diamondbacker27]

Jurassic World is now filming at the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans.

[bert425]

here's my take on "Malecifent" that I reviewed for another site that I post at (Comic Book Resources):

 

We saw it today, and I totally understand the "meh" reviews it's been getting.

 

it LOOKS absolutely amazing, and just for that I'd recommend seeing it in theaters (unless you have a very large TV).

 

also Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast. . and she's having an absolute blast (you can absolutely tell).

 

The casting of the 3 fairies is well done too, with some cute slapstick.

 

 

other parts didn't fare so well:

 

Sharlto Copley was given bad direction (I have to blame it on the director, as I know he's a great actor), playing the main antagonist, the King, so crazy that why in the world would ANY of the villagers follow his directions. No one tries to talk some sense into him? It doesn't work, at all.

 

Sam Riley -- as the iconic Raven -- is TERRIBLY miscast. You're supposed to feel something for him, but the actor does absolutely nothing with the part (an example, when he's turned into a dog, and he complains that dogs are dirty and he prefers his bird form. . . you can tell that it was written as "funny". . . nope. . falls completely flat, because you feel nothing for the part).

 

Elle Fanning is almost completely wasted. . she just brings nothing to the film that any other actress could have done.

 

 

of course, the biggest problem with the film is the writing. It absolutely needed another pass. It really is almost there, it comes awful close in places. . but then it just drags. Really, the film is only an hour and 40 minutes, but boy does it feel like a 3 hour film. . . and that's not good.

 

 

the big issue is that you can tell where the writers started with. They had an idea, thought it was clever, and wrote backwards to make it come to that ending. and it's SUCH a change to the "Sleeping Beauty" story, that it pulls you right out of the film. I'm sure they could have gotten it to work, with another script polish, but as it is?. . . nope. . . had us LAUGHING at the idea that you can see coming from a good 20 minutes away.

 

feh. . .just doesn't work for me. . but then again, maybe I just don't "understand" that feeling that is key to this retelling.

 

 

 

and I don't know why they would call Princess Aurora "Sleeping Beauty" anyways, as she just seems to take a nice nap (certainly less than 12 hours).

 

oh well. . it LOOKS pretty, and I recommend seeing it in the theater.

Edited June 1, 2014 by bert425

[Nrthwnd]

We saw X Men: Days of... yesterday.

 

It was good if a bit more ethereal than the past films.

 

I mean, it was Wolverine basically time travelling,

to stop Mystique from creating a no-win future for

everybody, humans and mutants. And it worked.

 

So much to get through, but it all worked for us.

And we enjoyed the (later) cameos in it, as well.

 

And I have a gay crush on James McAvoy, ever since I first

saw him in "The Chronicles of Narnia". So sweet. And

such an actor he has become. Looking forward to

more of his work.

 

9/10

[azza29]

Caught a few movies this weekend.

 

X-Men: Days of Future Past - another solid entry in the series, even if the "future" climax reminded me a little too much of the Matrix trilogy. But, Jennifer Lawrence, so all is forgiven.

 

Maleficent - liked this one more than I'd expected to. Kind of agree with Bert's comment on the script, the tone of the film is all over the place in some spots which is distracting. It did kind of feel like somebody saw Wicked and decided to give the Sleeping Beauty story the same treatment, but the movie basically works. Visually stunning. almost an Avatar meets Game of Thrones motif, I was definitely impressed by the production design.

 

A Million Ways to Die in the West - more proof Seth Macfarlane peaked with season 2 of Family Guy. An entertaining hour and a half but tricky to recommend. If you're a fan of poop jokes you are in for a treat. The take on the classic Western genre was spot on, but let down by lazy writing. Some redemption, though, in one particularly well-placed cameo and a song that is still running through my brain.

 

One thing I've noticed lately is that the Australian public has largely abandoned 3D films. The 2D versions seem to be pulling much larger audiences, definitely evidenced by the packed out 2D showings of X-Men and Maleficent I attended on the weekend (the 3D screenings had plenty of tickets left unsold). Is this trend the same in the US? Perhaps the novelty is wearing off.

[cfc]

I agree that the best thing Maleficient has going for it is Angelina Jolie--she's perfect for the part. I also agree that the script is pretty weak, and the other characters are underdeveloped (especially King Stephan). The fairies who "raise" Aurora make one yearn for the Three Stooges; Moe, Larry, and Curly would've nailed those parts.

 

But, overall, it's an entertaining fairy-tale reboot--largely thanks to the title character.

[Nrthwnd]

We're seeing Maleficent this week, before I go on the Scandi Tour.

 

I can't wait for this one. I am such a fanboi of The Horned One, lol.

This is my lanyard of Maleficent pins.

Not collecting much now,

but this is a pretty good set, lol.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Escape from LA - Kurt Russel - My Fave -

 

 

Fixed

[jray21]

Just watched the Never Ending Story on Amazon Prime. Such a terrible, but great, movie.

[VF15]

Saw Jersey Boys earlier today. Not a bad movie. The acting was nothing special, but it did have some wonderful music. I'd recommend it if you're into this kind of stuff.

[rcjp]

Saw The Prestige yesterday. I had been waiting to see it for a while and I wasn't disappointed. Wouldn't say it was my favourite Christopher Nolan film but still quite good with a few nice twists.

[Diamondbacker27]

http://m.today.com/entertainment/can-chris-pratts-ripped-abs-save-day-jurassic-world-obviously-1D79842315

 

Here is an AWESOME piece the Today Show filmed on the Jurassic World set. Thought it was pretty cool.