Box office roundup

[LK]

I tried *hard* to go see Hammer, even went to Vegas and tried to schedule it in, but didn't get a chance.  I hope it gets a wider release though.

So far all I hear is that it's a real good film from all sources (except certain online critics).

[naum]

Some mini-DVD reviews:

**Into the Wild** - great flick, enjoyed it so much I bought the book and read it… …movie held true to the story, book just filled in some background info… …of which I'd reveal but if you haven't seen movie, won't mean dick…

**Michael Clayton** - George Clooney on a roll, good movie, though you have to watch closely, as it gets confusing at times and they jump around a bit

**No Country for Old Men** - awesome fun, had indelible Coen brothers mark on it, though I thought ending was stupid…

**Babel** - OK

**Rendition** - alright flick, but better would be if they would have done this story on a RL case… …plus, Reese Witherspoon was awful

[Abagadro]

better would be if they would have done this story on a RL case…

See Taxi to the Dark Side.

[WayAbvPar]

Grabbed "3:10 to Yuma" off of PPV last night. I really enjoyed it, flawed though it was (I am a closet Western fanboy). Say what you want about Russell Crowe (and I will never forgive him for inflicting Gladiator on an unsuspecting public), but the man has some serious screen presence. I thought Christian Bale was mostly wasted, however- his character was pretty much one note for the majority of the movie.

Think Michael Clayton is next.

**Into the Wild** - great flick, enjoyed it so much I bought the book and read it

How does the movie compare to the book? I read it several years ago, and just remember it being really depressing. Do they shoot the movie at any of the actual locations (like the bus)?

[stray]

I think Bale's character got interesting the further along you got in (and especially at the end).

Crowe had a damn cool hat.

[Murgos]

Think Michael Clayton is next.

I liked Michael Clayton quite a bit.  I suspected the ending as it was unfolding but his (Clooney's) character was ambiguous enough that I couldn't be sure.  Simply that the movie wasn't entirely dumbed down to retard levels counts as a win in my book

[schild]

I preferred Charlie Wilson's War to Michael Clayton. But then, Philip Seymour Hoffman >> George Clooney, so the math was on the former's side.

[WayAbvPar]

I am reading the book that inspired the Charlie Wilson movie...interesting stuff.

[Llava]

(and I will never forgive him for inflicting Gladiator on an unsuspecting public)

 

[Riggswolfe]

(and I will never forgive him for inflicting Gladiator on an unsuspecting public),

   

[naum]

Grabbed "3:10 to Yuma" off of PPV last night. I really enjoyed it, flawed though it was (I am a closet Western fanboy). Say what you want about Russell Crowe (and I will never forgive him for inflicting Gladiator on an unsuspecting public), but the man has some serious screen presence. I thought Christian Bale was mostly wasted, however- his character was pretty much one note for the majority of the movie.

…

**Into the Wild** - great flick, enjoyed it so much I bought the book and read it

How does the movie compare to the book? I read it several years ago, and just remember it being really depressing. Do they shoot the movie at any of the actual locations (like the bus)?

I forgot about **3:10 to Yuma** - I loved it, though the ending was retarded, not just "No Country for Old Men" stupid that really didn't detract from movie, but totally tarded up an incredible movie…

On **Into the Wild** - the movie was an almost literal translation of the book (well, lots of stuff in a book can't fit into a 2 hour movie, like background stuff and plus the book is full of the author's own interspersed sentiments…)… …yes, they did shoot the "magic bus" as they jumped back and forth in time a lot at various points in his journey - Vince Vaughn plays the SD grain elevator dude, Hal Holbrook plays the Salton Sea guy who befriended the kid… …it was well done and the acting was excellent…

[LK]

Go see The Hammer.  Excellent movie.

[stray]

Man, I keep falling asleep during Michael Clayton. 3 times now. I like George Clooney, but this movie can't keep my interest.

There Will Be Blood is almost as boring, story/pacing wise, but DDL is fucking amazing in it. So I kept through. That kid from Little Miss Sunshine is pretty good as well... I don't think I've hated a character so much in quite a while.

[Llava]

Saw The Bank Job.

Solid heist movie.  Not much else to say.

[Nerf]

Saw The Bank Job.

Solid heist movie.  Not much else to say.

Nipples!  Lots and lots of nipplies, from beginning to end, this movie does not dissapoint on the nipple front.

I did enjoy it for non-nipple reasons as well, but how can you go wrong with so many nipples?

P.S. -- Nipples!

[Llava]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.

Nipples.

[murdoc]

Watched 'No Country for Old Men' and 'The Mist' on the weekend. 'No Country' was awesome and I really liked the ending, not too sure why it's so hated other than it doesn't tie everything up real neat and tidy.

I'm a sucker for monster movies (even if the monsters aren't really to protaganist), so I like 'The Mist' but saw the OMGSHOCKING ending coming a mile away. I'd like to rewatch it in the black and white version on the DVD though.

[naum]

Saw Beowulf in IMAX 3D last night. As a movie overall, I'll give it a meh. The action scenes were really well done. The other six minutes of the movie just didn't really do much. :P

As for a movie going experience though - the 3d was fucking mindblowing. This is no longer the days of red and blue glasses with Jaws jumping out at you. I'll say the movie is worth seeing for that, but if you can't see it in 3d - it's probably skippable.

Just caught it on DVD.

Yes, effects were good.

Could have been much better. What a waste of Hopkins and Malkovich.

But a big annoyance was Beowulf sounded like Popeye (or some blended variation). I kept thinking Grendel was going to transform into Brutus.

[HaemishM]

Man, I keep falling asleep during Michael Clayton. 3 times now. I like George Clooney, but this movie can't keep my interest.

Really? I just watched it last night, and thought it was great. Yes, it's slow and very quiet, but I dug it.

[stray]

I won't give up yet. I'm probably just not in the right mood.

[shiznitz]

I won't give up yet. I'm probably just not in the right mood.

Screw your mood. The movie isn't for you. Forget about and watch something you can enjoy. I liked the movie but it isn't worth a fourth try.

[Venkman]

I thought it was good. It was a pretty pedestrian role for Clooney though. Your run of the mill epiphany type flick. But maybe that was the point, to sure his range. Not a critic though.

Also saw Appleseed: Ex Machina which I sort of enjoyed. I didn't see the first when, and then I picked it up in the wrong region format (man I hate region coding... ). I'll get ahold of it someday.

In other news, I'm loving the iTunes rental thing for all this gawdblessed traveling I've been doing lately.

[Riggswolfe]

I rented Southland Tales. I've never watched a movie that is harder to describe to other people without having to take long pauses to gather your thoughts so you don't come across as slightly insane.

It's a bizarre movie, more bizarre than Donnie Darko (it's by the same writer and director.) It wears its politics on its sleeve and is the kind of movie that I really can't decide if I liked it or not. I've never done hard drugs but I think this movie might be how a hardcore junkie views the world.

[Rasix]

Just saw Stranger than Fiction last night.   I really enjoyed it.  Will Ferrel was excellent and it's nice to not see him in his standard role.  The end got me a little choked up. 

[stray]

Yeah, I liked that too. Would be cool to see him and Sandler both do more comedies like that (Sandler's equivalent being Punch Drunk Love).

[Riggswolfe]

Just saw Stranger than Fiction last night.   I really enjoyed it.  Will Ferrel was excellent and it's nice to not see him in his standard role.  The end got me a little choked up. 

That is a suprisingly good movie and is one more reason I'm annoyed by "obnoxious character in a sports move" #15.

[Llava]

I'm a sucker for monster movies (even if the monsters aren't really to protaganist), so I like 'The Mist' but saw the OMGSHOCKING ending coming a mile away. I'd like to rewatch it in the black and white version on the DVD though.

Did you not catch it?!  The best line in any movie ever?!?!

I was literally the only person in the theater to catch it, and when I started laughing hysterically it caused my friend and his sister to notice it, too.  Then the three of us were laughing very loudly in an otherwise silent theater.  I don't think anyone else even noticed.

Black neighbor:  "Alright, out of my way.  We're leaving.  Let us through."
Main character:  "Hey, wait, Bob's going to barbecue some chicken on the gas grill!"

[murdoc]

Black neighbor:  "Alright, out of my way.  We're leaving.  Let us through."
Main character:  "Hey, wait, Bob's going to barbecue some chicken on the gas grill!"

I didn't notice it while watching, but now that you've pointed it out, I can totally remember something along that line being said. Dammit, now I'll have to rewatch that scene. I think I was too busy rolling my eyes at that point.

[Tale]

I like the look of Where In The World Is Osama bin Laden?

Premise: Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) goes all over the Middle East trying to find Osama bin Laden because action movies have taught him that these things are best solved by one guy acting alone.

[Margalis]

I watched Ep 2 & 3 of Star Wars the other day. Wow they sucked. Anakin's turn to the darkside was so weak, they had three movies to build up to it but it was still abrupt and silly.

[tazelbain]

Ya, it's a huge let down.  Apparently Lucas has no one around him who will tell him his shit stinks.

[Margalis]

I could see it working if Anakin was a nhilistic, depressive, self-destructive person like myself. But other than 30 seconds of dialogue and flashbacks he was portrayed as an arrogant happy-go-lucky fool, not a tortured soul.

Lucas has really lost it. It's like his career has gone straight backwards. Remember in "A New Hope" how it was kind of sad when random pilots died in the final battle, just because they had a few lines of diallogue first? It's like instead of learning how to make an emotional connection with the audience he was born with that knowledge then promptly forgot it.

[stu]

I really wanted Anakin to make me feel like I was on his side- like the Jedi were the true enemies, even though they weren't. Instead, Anakin is a whiny douche who gets to cuddle with Natalie Portman and only weakens Darth Vader's presence in the later chapters. Oh fucking well.

If you can't feel compassion for the tragic hero, then that character is just a waste. And yeah, the turn to the dark side in Palpatine's chambers was a joke. I think Lucas uses the explaination that the movies are made for kids as an excuse for his limited abilities to come up with good material. Episode I had fart jokes in it. WTF.

[DraconianOne]

I could see it working if Anakin was a nhilistic, depressive, self-destructive person like myself. But other than 30 seconds of dialogue and flashbacks he was portrayed as an arrogant happy-go-lucky fool, not a tortured soul.

I don't think he needed to be a tortured soul.  In fact, making him a happy-go-lucky, adventurous type would have made his tragedy all the more, well, tragic.  The problem (one of the many) was that he was whiny and unlikeable so we didn't care what happened to him.  One of the other major problems was that Lucas seemed to fuck up on his messages.  At the end of ROTJ, what redeems Vader is the love he has for his son (and, by extension, his daughter).  What drives people to the dark side is fear and, even more so, anger.  The emperor tries to goad Luke into turning to the dark side by winding him up so much that he strikes at him through anger, bringing him closer to the dark side. 

What happens in the prequels is that we're more or less told that Anakin turned to the Dark Side because of his love for both his mother and for his missus.  What sort of fucked up mixed message is that?  Love will destroy you and Love will redeem you?  Eh?  How do you explain that to the kids?  If Anakin had just had anger management issues, a desire for power and fallen to the dark side because of those negative qualities then it may well have worked better.  The prequels also didn't touch on the whole thing about Obi-Wan's arrogance in thinking that he was as good a teacher as Yoda and was unable to keep Anakin in check. 

The prequels are fucked up in so many ways that they are truly appalling. 

Ya, it's a huge let down.  Apparently Lucas has no one around him who will tell him his shit stinks.

He used to have Gary Kurtz until he fell out with him.  That was right before Return of the Jedi and may have been over the argument whether to have a planet of Wookiees or Ewoks. 

[stu]

It's too bad about Kurtz. I don't think he's done much since then. McCallum comes off as nothing more than a cheerleader.