Leah Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Kung Fu Panda on Christmas Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 10 Things I Hate About You. I was with nieces, what can I say. My sons rolled their eyes in the end and exclaimed - that was the stupidest movie ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted December 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy. Meh, i'm not a Marvel fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy. Meh, i'm not a Marvel fan. Blasphemy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Walk the Line. One of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palerider Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Maze Runner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 We rewatched Lilo and Stitch for New Year's Eve. Lots of good, some bad. (Example of Bad: I wish they had revised the script -- not extensively, but they should have done another edit. Several points just fell flat, as when the alien mad doctor said something like, "All we can do now is hope" to the older sister. Not only totally out of character for the doctor, but it rings a fatalistic note flatly out of harmony with the entire movie.) On balance, though, the good outweighed the bad. The nasty tempers of the two principles were right in line with what I understand of Polynesian cultures, especially in such a stressful situation. The "dark edge" does not always work well and sometimes backfires, but I thought it worked well in this movie. We also watched the first half of Disney's take on Rapunzel. I liked that movie from the first time I saw it, and I still enjoyed it (what I saw of it) this time. But it does suffer from "unrealistic humans" syndrome, wherein human beings act in ways that are just not believable. One-eyed aliens and laser guns I can handle; a young woman who spends her entire life shut away in a tower with zero interaction with any other human except "mother", and yet who manages to interact profitably with a bunch of other (dangerous and weird) people pretty much the first chance she gets, stretches my capacity to suspend disbelief beyond its breaking point. (And when said maiden then witnesses the only other actual, you know, human she has ever really known, and whom she considers to be her mother, fall to her death, yet immediately weeps for the death of a guy she has known for all of a day -- well, that's when you quit worrying about the film having any actual contact with human experience and just enjoy the cute songs, bright colors, and long, golden hair now cut down to a perky brown bob.) Backroads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Further discussion on "real" character intelligence vs. "Hollywood" character intelligence, framed in what this author calls "Level I Intelligence": http://yudkowsky.tumblr.com/writing/level1intelligent Backroads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirkwood Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Finally got around to watching Iron Man 1 & 2. Great movies, looking forward to 3. Palerider 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LiterateParakeet Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 I took my 8 yr old to Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I loved it. Not only because it was hilarious (in a slap-stick humor way), but I could relate to Alexander. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palerider Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 The Good Lie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windseeker Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Wife and I saw the Women in Black II. I've never seen my wife so scared, she actually raised the armrest between us so she could get closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 So what's a good movie to watch right now at the cinema? Still haven't seen the newest Hobbit or Hunger Games. I've heard a lot of hype about Unbroken. Any recommendations for those of you that movie-go frequently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Wife and I saw the Women in Black II. I've never seen my wife so scared, she actually raised the armrest between us so she could get closer. Is it as good as the first? RottenTomatoes didn't think so, but curious as to what you thought. My friends and I are always looking for a good scare but are mostly disappointed. The Conjouring and Annabelle fell into those categories for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolarVortex Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) So what's a good movie to watch right now at the cinema? Still haven't seen the newest Hobbit or Hunger Games. I've heard a lot of hype about Unbroken. Any recommendations for those of you that movie-go frequently? I was on a long drive Saturday and listened to several podcasts of movie reviews. The feeling I got was that 2014 was a cruddy year for big Hollywood studios but a runaway success for the indy filmmakers. One reviewer raved about Into the Woods, heaping superlative upon superlative like some vast, endless cumulus cloud. Then his voice grew dark and he said the 2nd part of the movie was really bad, and he recommended that people go see the first part and then walk out (the break between the two parts is very obvious, he claimed). I might consider doing that if half my ticket price could be refunded, but unless that happens I ain't interested. Besides, Meryl Streep as the witch seems wrong. I would have used Bette Midler or Lily Tomlin. Edited January 5, 2015 by PolarVortex Bini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 I was on a long drive Saturday and listened to several podcasts of movie reviews. The feeling I got was that 2014 was a cruddy year for big Hollywood studios but a runaway success for the indy filmmakers. One reviewer raved about Into the Woods, heaping superlative upon superlative like some vast, endless cumulus cloud. Then his voice grew dark and he said the 2nd part of the movie was really bad, and he recommended that people go see the first part and then walk out (the break between the two parts is very obvious, he claimed). I might consider doing that if half my ticket price could be refunded, but unless that happens I ain't interested. Besides, Meryl Streep as the witch seems wrong. I would have used Bette Midler or Lily Tomlin.I am vaguely familiar with Into The Woods. Trailers looked interesting but lots of mixed reviews on it. I have heard about the two-face the story portrays and that it isn't for everyone. As for Meryl, I think she'd make an awesome witch, as she fits that mold cast type, I think. I'll consider this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Maze Runner I just watched this and was frustrated by the ending--which was no ending at all. The movie seemed geared toward 11-13 year old girls that might like to crush on 14-18 year old boys facing danger. Meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Our whole family watched Into the Woods. Not too thrilled with the post-happily-ever-after twists. Post-modern morality on steroids. Well-acted, and nice visuals though. Bini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 I just watched this and was frustrated by the ending--which was no ending at all. The movie seemed geared toward 11-13 year old girls that might like to crush on 14-18 year old boys facing danger. Meh.Overall I enjoyed Maze Runner. I agree the ending was, meh. But we all know a sequel is on its way. And bingo! you're spot on. The main actor (I don't remember his name) has a huge fan following which accumulated from his Teen Wolf TV series. So even though mainstream population may not know him (yet), he has a massive fan base of teen girls worldwide. I have no doubt ticket sales are the result of fan girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirkwood Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Iron Man 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 I just watched this and was frustrated by the ending--which was no ending at all. The movie seemed geared toward 11-13 year old girls that might like to crush on 14-18 year old boys facing danger. Meh. That ending is actually less of a cliff-hanger than the book... This is another one of those multi-book series made into a movie franchise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Our whole family watched Into the Woods. Not too thrilled with the post-happily-ever-after twists. Post-modern morality on steroids. Well-acted, and nice visuals though. But we already know this from the play... I don't know. I guess I tend to look at plays-made-into-movies a little differently because the entire story - even all the songs - are already familiar to me. So, I tend to look at these kinds of movies as... how well they compare with the play instead of looking at it on its own merit apart from the play. It's the same with books-made-into-movies. That's why with Ender's Game, I tell people... it's better if you don't read the book before watching the movie... because the movie is a great movie without the book but if you compare it with the book you'll be disappointed. With Divergent - the story as told in the movie is a better story than the book, so don't bother reading the book at all. Hah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) The Imitation Game. Awesome movie. Cumberbatch is now firmly in my very short list of favorite actors. Of course, like most movies based on historical characters, you're gonna have to weed through which is fact and which is fiction the most grievous error of which is that Turing committed treason for fear of being exposed as a homosexual. I'm fairly certain Turing went a few turns in his grave with this one. I mean, the real Turing submitted a long paper admitting to his relationship with the dude who stole stuff from his apartment! Why would he be a coward about it when facing down a Soviet spy? As a side comment, I liked how they tackled the homosexual side of Turing and how they concentrated more on his mathematical genius and his work in WWII. Edited January 6, 2015 by anatess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolarVortex Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Thanks, this was on my list of movies to see. I only see a few each year because the ticket prices are in the stratosphere and you have to sit through 10-15 minutes or previews before the movie starts. But after your comments I'll make an exception for this movie. I've liked Mr. Cumberbatch ever since Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, although the recent movie was a 2-hour wasteland compared with the Alec Guinness miniseries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordorbund Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 I'll go ahead and spoil the second act of Into the Woods for those who are sitting on the fence about seeing it. It's been a while since I've seen the play, but the generals are still accurate. The first act weaves together several classic fairy tales (there are only 2 handsome princes, 1 bad wolf, so you see them jump stories). As such, it's generally rosy in nature. The only despairing element is that of a mother bewailing that "no matter what you say, children don't listen" and run off into their "happily ever after" adventures. In the second act, a cynical eye is turned towards the classic fairy tales and we see what the creators imagine the fallout was after the last page. The giant, for instance, has a wife-turned-widow. Since we've only been dealing with two princes in all these stories, they are philanderers. The women in their lives come with baggage from living in a tower and other abusive pasts. Even the bewailing mother realizes that she has her share of blame Candide-style anti-topia. She reprises her song from earlier and realizes that she should "be careful what you say, children will listen". I imagine that those that love it do so because of the message against trophy-for-participating, raise-your-kids-on-disney mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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