Finally got a chance to watch a movie over the weekend. Wife and I finally sat down to The Hangover - 4/5. Funny, funny, funny! I was surprised at how the story played out. I expected that the premise of the movie would be to watch the night of the bachelor party unfold in "real time". While this wasn't the case it still was fun to see what went on in the little blips here and there. I guess we got a 2 for 1 (mystery and a comedy :p ).

Watched the first episode of "The Pacific".

It's good, of course. I think it will be some time before I can judge if it's as good as "Band of Brothers".

Saturday night we watched "House of Flying Daggers". Good stuff.

Randy

Watched Couples Retreat and Everybody's Fine.

Couples Retreat was pretty funny with some real laugh out loud moments. Classic Vince Vaughn 3/5.

Everybody's Fine was a sleeper for me. I had not heard much about the film and was surprised at how much I liked the film. Very touching film about family, relationships, expectations, and dreams. Worth a watch for sure 4/5.

Regards,

RTROSE

Runaway Jury- Finally, after how many years got around to seeing this one. It wasn't available on BR, so I just kept passing on it.

Filmed in my hometown of New Orleans, and with a great cast, it had me rivoted for the entire time! Great movie. And after all that waiting, it was one of the better DVD's I've seen.

Been quite busy watching movies here lately...

The Princess and the Frog - Classic Disney animation and story. Very well done even if the basic story is the same. A nice visual movie as well. If you had children less than say six the "Shadow Man" and his demons could be kind of scary. 3.5/5

Planet 51 - Pretty good movie, but not spectacular. Not as good as Monsters vs. Aliens nor as the Disney offering. Worth a rent, but don't expect a lot. 3/5

Armored - Surprisingly a pretty good movie, but I think the ending is botched. The movie (IMHO) just seems to end abruptly after a seemingly long buildup. Surprising that this movie did not get more "ink". 3.5/5

The Hangover - I could very easily see that this is a love it or hate it type of movie. Seems there is not many here who take the middle of the road. I absolutely loved this movie. There were parts I was laughing so hard that I had tears. One of if not the funniest movies I have watched recently. Very glad I rented it and one of those movies I think you need to "be in the mood for". 4/5

Regards,

RTROSE

RT,

Thanks for the review > Netflix just delivered Armored to my mailbox

Runaway Jury- Finally, after how many years got around to seeing this one. It wasn't available on BR, so I just kept passing on it.

Filmed in my hometown of New Orleans, and with a great cast, it had me rivoted for the entire time! Great movie. And after all that waiting, it was one of the better DVD's I've seen.

One of my favorite Grisham books!! They really butchered the movie if you read the book, but it was still entertaining I'll give it that. Cusack can save pretty much anything.

Zombieland Crazy, funny, out of control movie. Woody Harrelson at probably his best. Give the man his freakin Twinkie:D 5/5

Zombieland Crazy, funny, out of control movie. Woody Harrelson at probably his best. Give the man his freakin Twinkie:D 5/5

+1. I totally loved this movie. Love the Bill Murray part, not to mention Emma Stone.

+1. I totally loved this movie. Love the Bill Murray part, not to mention Emma Stone.

Agreed, and I too think Woody put together a great performance.

It is one of those movies you just need to watch, trying to explain to someone who has not seen the film is fruitless.

Not for everyone, but I typically don't like horror movies, but technically calling this a horror movie is like calling the Matrix a documentary.

Regards,

RTROSE

SNOWBALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not the taste it's the texture!

Love the Bill Murray part, not to mention Emma Stone.

I misread your post. I thought you meant Emma Samms (http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/GCas/es2.jpg), rather than Emma Stone (http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/26/55/12265598_gal.jpg), and of course I didn't remember Emma Samms in Zombieland mostly because she wasn't in it.

I misread your post. I thought you meant Emma Samms (http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/GCas/es2.jpg), rather than Emma Stone (http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/26/55/12265598_gal.jpg), and of course I didn't remember Emma Samms in Zombieland mostly because she wasn't in it.

Ha, Emma Samms. That's funny. Haven't heard or thought of her in a long time. She was definitely hot in the day.

Re-watched "Vertical Limit" last night.
First time on BR in the HT. Excellent video shots and great Audio effects. 4/5

Watched Up in the Air. 5/5.

As someone who went through a layoff, I fully appreciate the passion of the terminated employees. I would not have bought in to the consolation line, but it was nice touch. The scripting and acting was right on and handled the entire topic with dignity. No real social comment either way, just showing the job for what it is, just a job.

Remember Norm on Cheers when he had the job of letting people go? The show handled the topic well with comedy.

What was the Woody Allen movie where, at the start, he was fired by a well trained parrot? Even though it was made in what, the 70's, it was in interesting precursor to the impartiality of the internet and text messaging.

My wife wanted to watch the latest Twilight offering. Sheesh what a train wreck! Even my wife said it was a strange movie. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible........1.5/5

The other movie I redboxed is A body of Lies. Lets hope this one is better.

Regards,

RTROSE

Watched Sherlock Holmes 2009 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OQCV6K)
4/5
Some of the CGI was obvious,
nevertheless the pacing was non-stop, and it was an enjoyable tale.
BluRay video and audio were superb.

"Watched" Planet 51 Friday night with the family TBD/5 stars. I fell asleep about 20 minutes in. :rolleyes: Not sure if that has anything to do with the movie or if I was just that tired. I'll re-evaluate once I watch it all the way through.

Watched Armored yesterday.
Was disappointed, my expectations were probably too high. PQ and AQ were good enough. But the story line was pretty shallow 2.5/5.0

Not a movie, but I watched the first 2 episodes of Life on the Discovery Channel last night. As someone who enjoyed the BBC's Planet Earth series, i found Life to be another amazing nature documentary that continues to amaze and delight. Great visuals (the entire series is filmed in hi-def.) and decent narration (I'm not a big fan of Oprah Winfrey, but she does an ok job). If you enjoy nature shows, give it a whirl. There will be a total of 11 episodes in the series followed by a BluRay release in June.

Watched Inside Man last night - 3.5/4 stars. A pretty good movie about a bank robbery, interesting story plot, great actors. Got a little slow in the middle and I thought the ending was a little blah, but otherwise a good movie.

Watched a couple things last night:

John Adams (HBO mini series...first DVD) - I'm a history buff of sorts and especially like this whole period of our American History and am just fascinated by the character, integrity, and leadership of our founding fathers.....if only they could see us now perhaps they would have thought differently??? Anyhow not to make this a political statement, but I really enjoyed the first half and can't wait for the NetFlix to send the 2nd BR.

Zombieland - Holy crap I loved this movie!! I laughed out loud numerous times and thought is was a very funny spin on the whole zombie genre. Sort of an American version of Sean of the Dead...and as great as Sean was, I laughed more at this one.

Watched Armored yesterday.
Was disappointed, my expectations were probably too high. PQ and AQ were good enough. But the story line was pretty shallow 2.5/5.0

Guess you won't be relying on my reviews anymore huh? Maybe somewhere down the line I can redeem myself.

Regards,

RTROSE

Couldn't wait for "Pirate Radio",
so I ordered "The Boat That Rocked (BluRay)" from Australia.
Same film, except the UK/Oz cut is about 15 minutes longer with several scenes in a different order than the North American release "Pirate Radio".
3.3/5
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kennith Branagh, Talulah Riley etc
The director also directed Black Adder.
Set in 1966 there was a group of DJ's on a ship in the North Sea that's playing rock and roll 24 hours a day. Of course their are those in parliament want this to end at any cost.

Not much truly happens in the film, and from a history point of view there's lots of flaws, but the music is great (so what if most of the music is from after the end of pirate radio) and it's never boring or pausable and many of the plot points are unpredictable.
The 45 minutes of deleted scenes are really really good. For crying out loud if you watch this film do not skip the deleted scenes. Especially
- The Meaning of Life "haven't seen this film but if they can cut out scenes like this it must be great"
- Radio Sunshine "No no, I enjoyed the company"

Oh, and there's a wee bit of nudity with 35 heterosexual young women on bed with a heterosexual guy that may or may not be in the US version

Astro Boy- 3 of 5. Great video and even better audio. Story was average at best.

Ok,

It is rare when I can actually claim that after watching a movie I can make a "I just don't get it" type of comment, but I had one of those moments last night. The movie was Watchmen.

Could have been a combination of factors, but I could not ever get into the movie and lost interest pretty early on, is there something I'm missing here????? I did stick with it till the end, but was left flat at the end. The character I most enjoyed in this film was Rorschach which surprises me as I am more of a "white hat" hero kind of guy. Obviously the film is dark, I get that, but I guess it just was not for me. 2/5

Regards,

RTROSE

Definitely not alone in your assessment. I could not believe all the hype this movie had and when I watched it, could not stay with it. This one immediately went up for sale after watching it. :mad:


Most recently watched The Hurt Locker again. Brother hadn't seen it yet so we put it on. Great movie.

Watched The Fourth Kind (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220198/) this last weekend. I think that your own beliefs will greatly impact how you feel about this movie. I liked it, and found it to be more than I was expecting, creepy kind of scary and I actually thought about it later. I very much liked the technique of mixing the real footage with the actor's versions - I thought was very well done and a good technique.

If you have any interest in alien abduction theories or movies, X-Files kind of stuff, etc... give it a shot.


Yes I know all the discussion about the real footage not being real. It's a movie, not a documentary. If a very famous documentary maker can create and edit scenes and win an Oscar for it, I'm ok with a non-documentary doing the same...

Toy Story 2 (BD) 5/5 - Is this movie really 11 years old? Wow. I haven't seen it since this since it was in the theaters, but it's held up exceptionally well. The BD release is gorgeous and sounds incredible - the unexpected LFE gave my subwoofer a workout. Not much more I can say about this film that hasn't been said already.

Last night watched 2012.

Not bad. Just turn off your mind and enjoy the ride!

Randy

Watched Moon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002T9H2ME)
1.9/5
Just too slow for me. I had guessed the plot twist before it was all explained about half way through, and thereafter it was predictable. The sets were reasonable, even if the hanging computer did remind me of the hanging computer in Wall-E. This is not your goddaughter's Silent Running.
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the completion of his 3-year-long contract with Lunar Industries, mining Earth's primary source of energy on the dark side of the moon. Alone with only the base's vigilant computer Gerty (Kevin Spacey) as his sole companion, Bell's extended isolation has taken its toll. His only link to the outside world comes from satellite messages from his wife and young daughter. He longs to return home, but a terrible accident on the lunar surface leads to a disturbing discovery that contributes to his growing sense of paranoia and dislocation so many miles away from home.

Last night watched 2012.
Did you watch the alternate ending?

Watched The Men Who Stare at Goats - I did not like this movie at all. I went in thinking I would really like this movie a lot, but was very disappointed. I actually think it had a lot of potential but just did not deliver. 2/5

and

Did You Hear About the Morgans? - This movie had a couple of laugh out lout moments and was entertaining, but nothing extraordinary. I'm not a big fan of Parker or Grant but enjoyed their performances in this movie. 3/5

Regards,

RTROSE

Almost forgot - my daughter picked out The Lost Boys for Friday night. 80's overload!

Randy

Time Travelers Wife- we really enjoyed it. I, because the video quality was eye candy! Was nice to see some fresh faces for a change.

Planet 51- started off like it was going to be another one that misses the mark. By the second half it found it's stride. We really enjoyed it too.

It was a good weekend of movies....finally.

Sat. night watched 2012. Went into it with low expectations, therefore I was pleasantly surprised, enough to give it a 3.0/5.0

Thanks Tony!
I'll have to give these a watch
(not sure what the rating is > are they OK for a 15 yr old...?)

I've watched a few recently....

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 BD

5/5 for both..... I didn't own either of them on DVD, and had never seen Toy Story 2 (probably because I shy away from sequels, and only saw the first one as a new release when it came to DVD) What a treat...... anything to break my son from the same movies he's watched over and over is also a welcome treat!

Gimme Shelter BD
3.75/5

Well done, I'm just not really a huge Rolling Stones fan..... although I like their older stuff and this was all filmed during their "U.S. Tour" in their early days, so that made it much better..... I watched it in 2-Channel, which was fantastic.

Inglorious Basterds DVD

Really enjoyed it.... 4/5 Unfortunately I told my wife it was a "Comedy" and it was a little too gruesome for her.... (I still found it hilarious)

The Men Who Stare at Goats BD

3.5/5 I thought it was pretty good.... my wife thought it was "Stupid" I'd have to watch it again to determine how much rewatchability this one is going to have :D



Humble Pie Streamed Via Netflix

3/5

Fat ugly 20-ish old guy, perhaps older/younger, wants to be an actor/poet "something" either way.... it's pretty good.... worth a viewing for sure.

Sat. night watched 2012. Went into it with low expectations, therefore I was pleasantly surprised, enough to give it a 3.0/5.0

Yes, both would be suitable for a 15 year old, aside from some brief moments that, unfortunately, they feel must be in every movie. :mad::mad::mad:

Time Travelers Wife has some nudity in some bed scenes. Planet 51 has an off color joke about an "antenna" in a funny place.

I may have worded that last post unclear....I would not have a 15 year old watch TTW, with the nudity (no frontal). Planet 51 would be fine, I just have a beef with that joke being in it.

Tonight, The Prestige. WOW, I was really taken by surprise with this one. I watched it through a recommendation on this thread. 4 of 5, and I don't give out 4's easily. ;)

Tonight, The Prestige. WOW, I was really taken by surprise with this one. I watched it through a recommendation on this thread. 4 of 5, and I don't give out 4's easily. ;)

It's a very rewatchable film also..... I don't want to derail, but you have to watch it with an open mind

"The Audience Wants to be fooled"


Does cloning exist........ or were many duplicates used??????

Home sick today so I watched Law Abiding Citizen - 4.5/5 This was a great movie! Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx were amazing. The story was so gripping and jam packed full of action.

Then later I watched Bourne Ultimatum again. 4/5 stars. These movies are so well made, even if a little predictable.

It's a very rewatchable film also..... I don't want to derail, but you have to watch it with an open mind

"The Audience Wants to be fooled"


Does cloning exist........ or were many duplicates used??????



I don't know how to do the spoiler tag, but to answer your question.....I DON"T know what they intended you to think?

I may have worded that last post unclear....I would not have a 15 year old watch TTW, with the nudity (no frontal). Planet 51 would be fine, I just have a beef with that joke being in it.

Tonight, The Prestige. WOW, I was really taken by surprise with this one. I watched it through a recommendation on this thread. 4 of 5, and I don't give out 4's easily. ;)

Tony123 (All),
Glad you liked it. And a similar movie that is almost as good (although I don't think it's avaialable on BR?) is: "The Illusionist" with Paul Giamatti and Jessica Beil

I saw The Prestige on TV recently and found it to be quite good. I had no expectations and frankly hadn't heard of it prior, so was pleasantly surprised.

...And a similar movie that is almost as good (although I don't think it's avaialable on BR?) is: "The Illusionist" with Paul Giamatti and Jessica Beil

(and Ed Norton)

I started watching this a few weeks ago, then was interrupted and had to stop. I totally forgot about it until you mentioned it. I only got in about 30' so I wasn't absorbed yet, but it did appear to have a lot of potential.

I don't know how to do the spoiler tag, but to answer your question.....I DON"T know what they intended you to think?

it's [spoiler] TYPE WHATEVER and then [ / spoiler] (minus the spaces)

I'll post a link to 'another forum' for a thread that got too heated, and was closed....... but the argument and theories on this movie were furious.... and many great insights, and book interpretations were brought up.....

If this isn't allowed, I greatly apologize, and mods can delete as seen fit......

ahhh 648 posts long too...... lengthy read.... I'd quote and post the arguments from the "main camps" on this one... but I'm sure that would be frowned upon even more....

http://forum.blu-ray.com/movies/117466-just-watched-prestige-again-got-me-thinking-spoilers.html

Wes Craven's "They"

Another movie I spied at the library while picking up a book for my son.

I knew nothing about it so gave it a whirl. 2/5 Started off OK. Interesting premise regarding night terrors, but built on the usual "what's hiding in the dark". Despite flat acting by the female lead, I found the first 30' to have some tense moments. Decent atmosphere thanks to creepy sound effects and the trick of letting you just glimpse something ever so briefly. After that though it became pretty derivative and predictable. I didn't dig the ending, nor the alternate ending.

Today I was home sick again so I watched a couple of movies via Netflix streaming on the Wii. The Wii has become my Netflix streaming device over my HTPC due to the better picture quality and fast speeds for browsing and loading movies.

First up was Jarheads. 3.5/5. There were some really funny parts in this movie and it kind of makes you wonder what really goes on within our military. ;) The one thing you do know about our military is the tight bond created between soldiers and this was very evident throughout the film.

Next up was Traitor. 2.5/5 The storyline is interesting, but the execution just wasn't there. The film seemed really long!

Watched The Informant! - Did not really know much about this film going in (been doing that a lot lately) and I think that helped. It was a decent film, not over the top in anything but yet I did not feel that my time was wasted either. I don't think I have ever seen Matt Damon play a goofier role in a film. I like how the "Feds" are portrayed in this movie, slightly different spin on them than the typical movie. 3/5

Regards,


RTROSE

Tony123 (All),
Glad you liked it. And a similar movie that is almost as good (although I don't think it's avaialable on BR?) is: "The Illusionist" with Paul Giamatti and Jessica Beil

I actually think The Illusionist is a much more enjoyable film--mainly because nearly every character in "The Prestige" is so darn unlikable.

Inglorious Basterds (BD) 4.5/5 - As a fan of some (not all) of Tarantino's work, I looked forward to seeing this film for a while and I was not disappointed. There certainly was a lot to like about this movie.

First of all, it was a Tarantino film and it's safe to say that he certainly has a style. From the cinematography and quirky music to the jump-cut flashbacks and chapter titles this film has Tarantino's fingerprints all over it.

And speaking of chapters, I enjoyed the pacing of the film. The film was physically seperated into five chapters and although they all flowed cohesively into a narrative, each chapter felt like it's own mini-movie. For the most part, each chapter was contained within a single location and I enjoyed the intimacy created by that. (I especially enjoyed the tense first chapter and the tavern scene from one of the later chapters).

The acting was great, and even though Pitt's character was a bit hammy and over-the-top, he it didn't seem out of place.

The picture and sound were superb. Great LFE for you subwoofer junkies.

My only complaint would be about the "Basterds" themselves. They were never portrayed as super-intelligent, crafty, or even cunning (for the most part, they were just ruthless, brutal, murderers), but I found that in the later scenes they were played for bumbling idiots (the "Italian" scene inparticular) and to me it seemed very out of place.

The Fanatastic Mr. Fox (BD) 3/5 - As a fan of Wes Anderson I just expected more from this film. Visually, it was beautiful - great use of a muted palatte for mood, the characters were extremely well animated, and the attention to detail was fantastic - but the story just seemed to plod along. I realize that it's based on a children's book, but even with some typcial Wes Anderson quirkyness the story just seemed very bland.

The voice acting was very good, but I personally find easily recognizeable voices distracting when I'm watching an animated movie, and I found it difficult to accept Mr. Fox as his own character and not as George Clooney pretending to be Mr. Fox.

Overall, it was an enjoyable rental, but it would have been easily forgettable were the exact same story attempted in anything besides stop-motion animation.

Tried to watch Inglorius Bastards last night
Although I admit I was giving Quentin Tarantino another chance, result was the same - I just can't get into the proper frame of mind to enjoy his work. Switched this movie off 1/2 way.

Tried to watch Inglorius Bastards last night
Although I admit I was giving Quentin Tarantino another chance, result was the same - I just can't get into the proper frame of mind to enjoy his work. Switched this movie off 1/2 way.

I know where you're coming from...but the second half was a good bit better IMHO. Even so...I could pass on his work.

Tried to watch Inglorius Bastards last night
Although I admit I was giving Quentin Tarantino another chance, result was the same - I just can't get into the proper frame of mind to enjoy his work. Switched this movie off 1/2 way.

You should have read my review ;) and it would have saved you some time. I feel the same way. There are a couple of Tarantino's movies I like, this was not one of them.

Did you make it to the basement bar/pub scene? That to me was the one scene that was worth watching. Other than that I thought the rest of the movie was terrible.

Regards,

RTROSE

RT,

No I didn't see that scene.

By that point: Mme and the Mrs. went into my own basement bar/pub >> we mixed several drinks turned on the music and played several games of darts!

Watched Where the Wild Things Are this weekend with my daughter. 2/5 Very disappointed in this movie! As a childhood fan of the book I was looking forward to watching it with my daughter (who turns 5 this month). She was bored in the first 10 minutes asking "Where are the wild things?" By the time they arrived she was done, but as they finally appeared they also scared her slightly. Not by how they looked, but because they were fighting. I finished watching it, but the movie was like Judith, a complete downer! PQ was pretty good, only watched the DVD version since we were away from home. Can't judge the SQ as we only had TV speakers.

Last night my wife and I sat down to watch Hachi: A Dog's Tale. 4/5 stars. I would rate it higher if it wasn't so sad!:( If you are a dog lover this rates right up there with the best of them. The story is unbelievable! Be prepared to cry, even the most manly of men!

Mission Mars and Young Frankenstein.

More about Mission Mars later :eek:, but I just have to say...gawd Terri Garr was hot in YF. :D

Blücher!

Terri Garr was hot in YF.

I always liked her in "Assignment: Earth (1968) (http://media.avclub.com/images/articles/article/31630/mars_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg)"

Watched Blind Side On BR. Excellent movie. Such a positive message. I LOVE all kinds of movies, but I find Hollywood lacking in this general "feel good" type of movie, sure wish they would do more like this. I would put this movie right up there with Remember the Titans. Well worth a watch for sure. The special features are also excellent with interviews with Michael Oher and Quinton Aaron (plays Michael Oher) gives you a better look at the characters. 4.5/5

Watched Toy Story with my daughter Saturday night. 4.5/5 stars. She loved it! It is a great movie. The BD transfer was pretty good, not as good as Monsters Inc though. Audio was great! Can't wait for TS2, which is next up in her queue!

The Cove (DVD) 4/5 - Putting aside personal feelings about the subject matter of the film, I thought the film itself was extremely well done. I found the pacing and narrative style to be very similar to Man on Wire (in both documentaries, the "plot" centers around an Oceans-11-style caper).

Warning: unsolicited opinion below

As for the subject matter (dolphin fisheries in Japan), I found myself sympathetic to the activists, but I was also extremely surprised to find myself sympathetic to the Japanese fishermen as well.

The initial reaction after seeing the slaughter of the dolphins is obviously pure disgust and disbelief. But this film (unintentionally) brings up an interesting question: Why have these activists drawn the line at dolphins?

Is it because dolphins are smart creatures? Pigs are highly intelligent animals as well, yet most Americans see nothing wrong with slaughtering these animals for food. Why are pigs ok to slaughter, yet dolphins are not? There are cutlural issues at hand and I feel that the activists - although well intentioned - are blinded by devotion.

How would Americans feel if another culture that held pigs or cows with as much reverence as we have for dolphins told us to stop eating pork or beef? What if some of their countrymen harrased farmers, released livestock and commited illegal acts because they felt that they were right and we were wrong? Would Americans see these people as activists or as misguided pests? I'm pretty sure that I already know the answer.

There are plenty of real issues with the way in which the dolphin fishing in Japan is just plain wrong (mercury levels in dolphin meat, government bullying, inhumane killing methods, etc), but I believe that the ethical/moral question of "is it ok to kill dolphin for food?" is a slippery slope without an easy answer.

Anyhow, it was a great film. Any movie that causes this must introspection will always get a thumbs up from me. ;)

Streamed "This Film is Not Yet Rated" from netflix 3.75/5

Good documentary about the rating system for films, and the headaches it causes for the film-makers.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), "Infinifilm" special edition, SD.

All my past viewings of this movie were either in the theater when it came out, or edited for TV, or crappy VHS. The Infinifilm version was spectacular, and came with a DTS 6.1 soundtrack!! Whoa...the sound was phenomenal. The video transfer was top notch. I didn't notice any of the typical dust, hair, pulsing light, shaky frames, etc. that usually populate such film-to-dvd transfers. I was in awe. This movie still stands the test of time for thrills, beyond just gore, IMO.

Not sure what to think about the soon to be released, yet-another-remake of this.

We've been too busy - 9 days on the road and a family funeral. No movies, except for "National Treasure II", watched on my 15" Macbook Pro!

We have been catching up on recorded TV - the DVR was almost full.

Randy

Been watching a bunch lately...forgot several I'm sure.

Sherlock Holmes- Fantastic Soundtrack! Just WOW! First half was putting me to sleep, but the second half picked up. Maybe not enough though...my verdict is still out.

2012- Check your brain out at the door. It was fun.

Hachi- Nicely done. Tears throughout the room.

Anchorman- Can't stand WF, but this one was more tolerable than most of his. Applegate was great. Why doesn't she take more of the roles that you see the likes of Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Anniston, etc. ?

The New World- Relaxed pace, as expected. Okay, downright sleepy, but the cinematography and soundtrack were stunning enough to keep me watching.

John Meyer- Where the Light is- I love JM, but there was too much of his blues/jazz trio on this concert. Maybe better if I was in the mood for a cigar and a few beers and half sleep half listen. Audio was excellent.

Watched "New In Town" 4/5. Went into this one with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Even though a bit of a chick flick it was pretty good, especially if you have ever lived in a small town (or if you enjoyed the movie Fargo).

Terminator Salvation: 1/5 Stars - Lesson learned... never watch anything directed by somebody with a name like "McG". Or starring somebody with a name like "Common".

Watched "New In Town" 4/5. Went into this one with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Even though a bit of a chick flick it was pretty good, especially if you have ever lived in a small town (or if you enjoyed the movie Fargo).

My wife and I really liked this movie as well. Sort of a sleeper, (as in not much was ever said about this movie) but most enjoyable. Worth a watch for sure.

Terminator Salvation: 1/5 Stars - Lesson learned... never watch anything directed by somebody with a name like "McG". Or starring somebody with a name like "Common".

Really? I did think the movie was lacking in the "story" part, but the effects and LFE were really good, if for nothing else a good popcorn flick, giving all the elements of your HT a work out. Too bad.

Regards,

RTROSE

My wife and I really liked this movie as well. Sort of a sleeper, (as in not much was ever said about this movie) but most enjoyable. Worth a watch for sure.



Really? I did think the movie was lacking in the "story" part, but the effects and LFE were really good, if for nothing else a good popcorn flick, giving all the elements of your HT a work out. Too bad.

Regards,

RTROSE

Same here, on both points.

My wife and I really liked this movie as well. Sort of a sleeper, (as in not much was ever said about this movie) but most enjoyable. Worth a watch for sure.



Really? I did think the movie was lacking in the "story" part, but the effects and LFE were really good, if for nothing else a good popcorn flick, giving all the elements of your HT a work out. Too bad.

Regards,

RTROSE

The effects were OK at best. The green screen compositing was downright horrible at parts, the "exposed metal skeleton" effects on Marcus were unconvincing (see Two Face in The Dark Knight for how to do that correctly), many of the scenes were obvious stage sets, CGI Arnie was horrible, etc...

Common's "acting" was atrocious, the chick was nothing more than a cliche, the "have a cute kid in the story for the heck of it" thing is sooo overplayed, and the plot had more hols than swiss cheese.

But yes, they managed how to figure out how to make an explosion have good low frequency conent.... but for me that's only entertaining by itself for about 20 seconds...

-sc

Where the Wild Things Are- Watched this one over lunch today with my boys. What in the world were they thinking when they made this one? It was terrible!

The effects were OK at best. The green screen compositing was downright horrible at parts, the "exposed metal skeleton" effects on Marcus were unconvincing (see Two Face in The Dark Knight for how to do that correctly), many of the scenes were obvious stage sets, CGI Arnie was horrible, etc...

Common's "acting" was atrocious, the chick was nothing more than a cliche, the "have a cute kid in the story for the heck of it" thing is sooo overplayed, and the plot had more hols than swiss cheese.

But yes, they managed how to figure out how to make an explosion have good low frequency conent.... but for me that's only entertaining by itself for about 20 seconds...

-sc

You mis-spelled "holes"

Watched -21- Pretty interesting movie. I really liked it. A couple of twists and turns but nothing that was too unexpected or unpredictable. Well worth a rent for sure. 3.5/5


Anyone else looking forward to the Avatar release. I can't wait to see it on BR on my (modest) system. It impressed me at the theater, hoping for even more wow at home.

Regards,

RTROSE

You mis-spelled "holes"

You misspelled "misspell." :rolleyes:

You misspelled "misspell." :rolleyes:

Shouldn't that actually be "You misspelled "misspelled""???? Maybe you should just stick with posting quirky/funny photos. :p Sorry couldn't resist.

Regards,

RTROSE

Shouldn't that actually be "You misspelled "misspelled""???? Maybe you should just stick with posting quirky/funny photos. :p Sorry couldn't resist.

+1 :p


http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr79/hanesian/mispelt-signs.gif


P.S. Does anal retentive have a hyphen? ;)

+1 :p


http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr79/hanesian/mispelt-signs.gif


P.S. Does anal retentive have a hyphen? ;)

It does now!

Regards,

RTROSE

Going out to pick up Avatar before work this morning! Yes, RT, I'm excited. We resisted going to the theater and now am chomping at the bit. In fact, we've got 15 people for Avatar Saturday night. Noone in the group has seen it yet.

Going out to pick up Avatar before work this morning! Yes, RT, I'm excited. We resisted going to the theater and now am chomping at the bit. In fact, we've got 15 people for Avatar Saturday night. Noone in the group has seen it yet.

You better check that Avatar will play in you Blu-Ray player. Some players are having to have a FW update.

Anyone else looking forward to the Avatar release. I can't wait to see it on BR on my (modest) system. It impressed me at the theater, hoping for even more wow at home.

Regards,

RTROSE
Yes and no. I want to see it badly, but won't have time to pick one up today, nor watch it anytime soon. So I'll probably just wait and either use Netflix or pick it up if it goes on sale anytime soon.

EDIT: Well for $20 I just decided to buy it on Amazon. Way less hassle!

Back on topic...

Last weekend watched Brothers. Was an OK movie, but some glaring holes for me. Question below in spoiler.

SPOILER Wouldn't the military have declared the Marine MIA and not KIA since they did not recover his body?

Also watched Death at a Funeral, the Brit version. Very funny movie, literally LOL'd several times. Can only imagine how bad the US version is that is out in theaters now.

Also watched Death at a Funeral, the Brit version. Very funny movie, literally LOL'd several times. Can only imagine how bad the US version is that is out in theaters now.I saw that [Death at a Funeral (2007)] on the movie network (television) several months back. Not bad.

I hadn't put it together that the Chris Rock version [Death at a Funeral (2010)] was related, which I've only seen television commercials for.

Watched - Avatar - tonight on BR. I enjoyed the movie even more than I did in the theater. This is a reference disc for sure, the visuals, the subtle use of surround sound, and the well balanced and not overblown LFE make for one of those incredibly enjoyable immersive movie experiences. Well worth the purchase and a disc I will use to show off my system in the future. 4.5/5

Regards,

RTROSE

RTROSE, you beat me to it. :)

Watched Avatar [bluray] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VPE1B6)
4/5
I didn't see it in the theatre, and I wish I had. This thing begs for a big screen.
Pandora arrests the senses, visually, aurally and emotionally.
The THX bit after the credits is cute too!
No extras on the disk though. Jeepers, I just looked at the back cover of the box, and it says this film is 162 minutes. That was the fastest 162 minutes I've had in quite a while!
(Frankly I thought Avatar was much better, both in story and enjoyment, than this year's best picture "The Hurt Locker" directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Which isn't saying a lot, as I recall I didn't enjoy The Hurt Locker.)

Watched Next - with Nicholas Cage, Jessica Biel, and Julianne Moore. I have had this movie for quite a while and never watched it. I was very pleasantly surprised. Starts slow but gains momentum and finishes pretty well. Really a sleeper in my book and worth a watch. 3.5/5

Regards,

RTROSEThis is a movie that would be lost without its Rifftrax (http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/next).

While we're on Nicholas Cage, same deal for The Wicker Man (http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/the-wicker-man)...hoo boy does that one stink, but, again, great Rifftrax.

This is a movie that would be lost without its Rifftrax (http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/next).

While we're on Nicholas Cage, same deal for The Wicker Man (http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/the-wicker-man)...hoo boy does that one stink, but, again, great Rifftrax.

I have not ever heard of the Rifftrax, however I see it is done by the same guys who did Mystery Science Theater 3000. I loved that show! I'll have to check it out for sure.

Thanks for the info!

Regards,

RTROSE

RTROSE, you beat me to it. :)

I believe this is a first! :eek:

Glad you enjoyed the film. Yes you are correct when you say this film begs for a big screen, however I saw it in 3D and I enjoyed my home viewing better than my "real" theater experience. This is simply a beautifully done film all the way round.

Regards,

RTROSE

Watched - Avatar - tonight on BR. I enjoyed the movie even more than I did in the theater. This is a reference disc for sure, the visuals, the subtle use of surround sound, and the well balanced and not overblown LFE make for one of those incredibly enjoyable immersive movie experiences. Well worth the purchase and a disc I will use to show off my system in the future. 4.5/5

Regards,

RTROSE
Came home from bowling last night and had to put the movie in for just a teaser. WOW is all I can saw about the video quality. Absolutely amazing picture, was beautiful on my Panny plasma. Was not able to crank it up too much or watch more due to wife and daughter heading to bed, but from what I heard in the 10 minutes I had it on the surrounds were great.

RTROSE is right, this is a great reference disc simply for visuals alone. Cannot comment more on the audio's.

Watched Defendor (BluRay) (http://www.amazon.com/Defendor-Blu-ray-Elias-Koteas/dp/B003GVDGWO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1272180429&sr=8-2)
2.2/5
I'm not sure what to say about this one.
The ending was satisfying, but most of the film didn't really hold my attention.

Defendor is actually a dark and touching crime drama. But while you can't expect Woody Harrelson's comedy antics a la Zombieland, expect one of the best performances of his career. By day, Arthur Poppington is a construction worker with a below-average IQ. By night, he's Defendor, dishing out justice with makeshift weapons. But while the movie starts out light and funny, it evolves into something both dark and sad.

"Defendor" is excellent, but it is not easy. The script updates and adapts Don Quixote, point for point, and it reminds us how Cervantes's simple idea remains a potent satirical and comic innovation. There is very, very, very little sentiment or sappiness thrown about here, and all hands, from the prickly Dulcinea (Angel, Kat) to the wiser Pancho (Patrick), remains true to what made Cervantes powerful for being uneasy.

By choosing to make this Defen-don retarded, we have an unnecessary problem. Perhaps only a mentally retarded individual has the license to believe in justice? Perhaps, satirically, it is "retarded" to believe in justice? Perhaps it requires an inability to understand the complexity of society to see the truth of evil? Regardless, it is a complexity of plotting and theme that adds to the difficulty of reception for an audience.

The subject matter is rated R, but that's the world. The hero is rated G.

This is a strikingly good film, both as a sneaky literary adaptation and as an apt satire of crime, capitalism, and lies.

Avatar SD (no BD here yet): via my Oppo I was extremely impressed. No need to elaborate I think.

Rocky Horror Picture Show: omg, lol, wtf, etc etc. Not Halloween, but so what. A great time :-D Considering this for a neighborhood summertime showing outdoors just for the lulz. Anyone done that?

Watched "The Blind Side" , 4.5/5.0 A very good movie - worthy of the awards it won

Watched "The Blind Side" , 4.5/5.0 A very good movie - worthy of the awards it won

Yup, I agree with ya. Great movie. The side stories of Michael Oher, and the actor who played him made me like the film and the people even more. If you have not watched the special features they are worth a watch as well.

Regards,

RTROSE

Saturday afternoon my wife watched Fame. 3-3.5/5 I was keeping an eye on my youngest, but we were in the same room so I caught most of it as well. While the storyline was a little weak the audio more than made up for it. The music (and the dancing) were a joy. It was the first time it a while my wife actually asked me to turn it up!

Last night we were kid free so we watched The Blind Side. 3.5/5 We actually used our On Demand service instead of Netflix on this one. We were really looking forward to the movie, but we screwed up and read the book while we waited for it to come out on DVD and BD. :( While watching the movie I couldn't help but keep thinking "that isn't what happened in the book" and I always knew what was coming up. I think that is the last time I read a book before watching the movie. I prefer movies anyway! ;) It was still good, but I bet had I not read the book it would have been better!

Saturday night my daughter had a group of friends over after prom to watch Iron Man. I stayed up, made them breakfast before sending the boys home at 3:30 AM.

Most of them slept thru the movie! Told them next time they can go bowling. I'm not staying up all night just so they can nap with supervision!

Randy

Saturday night my daughter had a group of friends over after prom to watch Iron Man. I stayed up, made them breakfast before sending the boys home at 3:30 AM.

Most of them slept thru the movie! Told them next time they can go bowling. I'm not staying up all night just so they can nap with supervision!

Randy

Maybe you need to run your sub(s) a little hotter. Iron Man is a hard movie to sleep through. The good thing about the kids being at your place is that they are at your place. Another good reason why I'm building the theater. My boys already have movie nights with their friends on Fridays so I know where they are and that is a very good thing.

Hopefully you at least got a thank you for the 0 dark thirty breakfast.

Regards,

RTROSE

Trust me, the sub was rattling the house. They were just that beat. :)

Red Cliff, Part 1 and 2 (international version) BD
watched in two sittings (over 3 days)

Really enjoyed it, give it a solid 4/5 Some of the dialogue was quirky, and some of the plot was "silly" but I happen to enjoy the genre, so it was just fine by me....... I woke the wife up at 3am during part-2 because I was enjoying the audio so much I got a little out of hand with it :D

EDIT:

You have a Bowling alley in your home too???? I wouldn't put it past you ;)

Watched 2012 the other night 3.5/5 stars. I thought it was pretty good. Sure there was some stuff that is really hard to believe (like the whole movie ;)), but who cares. It had a decent storyline (although one that has used before) and it kept me entertained for over 2.5 hours. Any flick that can do that is a good one!

We've been SLOWLY watching the Ken Burns "National Park" series that we'd recorded and stored. It is stunningly beautiful and very interesting. I'd recommend it to put on your Blu-Ray wish list (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GWDK6Q/?tag=w3clubs-20).

Thanks,

Randy

Watched Sherlock Holmes and Facing the Giants this weekend.

Sherlock Holmes was not as good as I was hoping it would be. I did like the overall "look" of the movie setting etc. but found the actual film a little lacking. I did like the "fore telling" of some of the action sequences very intriguing perspective and it was not over used to become distracting. Over all a 3/5. I had thought about making this one a blind buy, but I'm glad I did not.

Facing the Giants was an excellent film. Put on by the same group/church as Fire Proof and Flywheel. Excellent movie with an excellent message a feel good movie for sure and a great movie that you can watch with anyone. Well worth a watch. 4.5/5

Regards,

RTROSE

The wife and I watched "Iron Man" last night.

Ready for Iron Man II!

Randy

Zombieland (BD) 4/5 - I watched this film with some friends knowing absolutely nothing about it beforehand and I was very surprised by how good it was. I won't ruin anything for anyone who hasn't seen it, but there's tons to love about this film. Great characters, funny dialogue, and a fantastic cameo.

(I still think "Shaun of the Dead" is a better film, but "Zombieland" is a funny, fresh take on zombie films.)

Old Dogs- Light movie with a nice message. Enjoyable, with a few laugh out louds.

Couples Retreat- So much better than I thought it would be! One of the best comedy in years for me.

Aliens in the Attic- Kids enjoyed it, but it didn't have the same "adult appeal" that most of the Pixars have. Still, enjoyed watching it.

Stranger Than Fiction- Will Farrel turned me off completely to trying this, but Netflix had to dig way down in my Queue (seeing as how EVERYTHING is on Long Wait). What a surprise! Not a typical part for him. He was the marketing mule for this movie, but it was all the other actors that did amazing jobs! And the story was unique to boot. May give this one the rare 4 stars.

The wife and I watched "Iron Man" last night.

Ready for Iron Man II!

Randy

Hey, we are doing the same Wednesday night. Can't wait for Iron Man II!!

Saw Iron Man II Saturday night - enjoyed it.

(did not enjoy the little theater in Michigan behind a mall in East Lansing. Sticky floors, mid back seats, low floor rake . . .)

Randy

Saw Iron Man 2 on Sunday.
Went in with low expectations, despite a bit of a corny plot;

The PQ, and especially the audio was excellent. I think this one could be "thee subwoofer test" when it comes out on BR. I'll be buying a copy

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- Started way slow for me, but the second half was reasonable. Felt more "made for tv" for me though.

Tinkerbell- Definetely not one of Disney's "A" run movies. Very weak.

Fame- The story was average at best, but the sound was an A+ The sub was rockin' like never before!

RocknRolla- Waste of time.

Watched Edge of Darkness (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UV4XS8)
3.7/5
Mel Gibson plays veteran Boston police detective Tom Craven, who welcomes home daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) for a rare visit, then sees her shot down at his front door. Because the gunman shouted "Craven!" and because a cop makes enemies, Tom assumes Emma took a bullet meant for him, which adds considerably to his grief and pain. But as he looks into the life of a daughter he loved yet scarcely knew, he discovers ... well that would be telling. It's got a little more depth than a typical revenge flick. Yet another film that's an american remake of a successful 6 hour british mini series.

Briefly fast, then disapointing, and then ultimately satisfying.

RocknRolla- Waste of time.

I find this one enjoyable, but not great.

Watched The New World recently (again) very strong visually.... very disconjointed.... Malick approves...

RocknRolla- Waste of time.

I enjoyed this one. It wasn't as good as Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but I thought it was a decent entry in the genre.

Plus it has Thandie Newton... :D

Watched 2012 the other night 3.5/5 stars. I thought it was pretty good. Sure there was some stuff that is really hard to believe (like the whole movie ;)), but who cares. It had a decent storyline (although one that has used before) and it kept me entertained for over 2.5 hours. Any flick that can do that is a good one!

Zombieland (BD) 4/5 - I watched this film with some friends knowing absolutely nothing about it beforehand and I was very surprised by how good it was. I won't ruin anything for anyone who hasn't seen it, but there's tons to love about this film. Great characters, funny dialogue, and a fantastic cameo.

(I still think "Shaun of the Dead" is a better film, but "Zombieland" is a funny, fresh take on zombie films.)

I have to agree with both of these. We watched 2012 last night and it was very entertaining. Not at all believable but it still kept us engaged for the 2.5 hours.
Zombieland was excellent 4.5/5 for being so fun to watch. Both films had great Woody Harrelson parts.

On Friday night we watched State of Play BD. Great movie. I have seen this on the shelf at my local rental location for months but never really was super eager to check it out. Well my wife and I both though it was great. 4/5 easily.

On Friday night we watched State of Play BD. Are you tempted to watch the original British miniseries version?

Just finished watching the HBO miniseries "The Pacific".

Top notch - highly recommended.

Randy

Crank- I loved Jason S. in the Transporter movies, but this was junk. My wife just walked out on it.

Wonderful World with Mathew Broderick. Slow but thought provoking.

Firewall with Harrison Ford. Haven't we seen him in this exact same plot several times now?

Sherlock Holmes - 3.5/5 stars. Decent, but not great. I pretty much agree with what RTROSE wrote:

Watched Sherlock Holmes and Facing the Giants this weekend.

Sherlock Holmes was not as good as I was hoping it would be. I did like the overall "look" of the movie setting etc. but found the actual film a little lacking. I did like the "fore telling" of some of the action sequences very intriguing perspective and it was not over used to become distracting. Over all a 3/5. I had thought about making this one a blind buy, but I'm glad I did not.

...

Regards,

RTROSE

Toy Story 2 - 4.5/5 stars I like this better than the original for some reason. But do I need to say anything more than "Pixar"?

Crank- I loved Jason S. in the Transporter movies, but this was junk. My wife just walked out on itI thought Crank was ok, around 2.5/5.
(To call "Crank 2" 'junk' would be an insult to junk. 0/5)

Just finished watching the HBO miniseries "The Pacific". I didn't like it much. I read a bit about John Basilone, and if they'd just shot what actually happened it would have been so much better -- they had everything on 'set' to use, they just shot it wrong. They had an opportunity to deal with Leyte, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other battles, and enough length to deal with issues, and they hardly touched them. I won't watch this one again. And I won't buy the DVDs. Band Of Brothers was much better.

I thought Crank was ok, around 2.5/5.
(To call "Crank 2" 'junk' would be an insult to junk. 0/5)

I was going to say the same thing when I read Tony's comments. Crank had potential to be pretty good. It could have been Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels-esque, but fell well, well short of that. Crank 2 was by far the worst movie I have ever seen.

Thanks for the heads up...I'll resist any urge to get Crank 2. Too funny Bob! "an insult to junk"....:)

As for the first Crank....maybe "junk" was too hard on it? maybe. I'll give it a 2 of 5.

(To call "Crank 2" 'junk' would be an insult to junk. 0/5)

Now that is what I call a helpful review! :p

I spent the morning watching the four-hour direct-to-DVD documentary film, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. Growing up a fan of the franchise I was very bias watching this but I thought it was presented very well. It chronicled "everything Freddy" (sans the new movie, of course) including the TV series Freddy's Nightmares and the Freddy vs Jason movie. I'd recommend it if you love the Elm Street movies. 5/5

Tried to watch:
"Did You Hear About the Morgans" last weekend
Suppose to be somewhat of a comedy, IMO a complete waste of time; switched it off halfway thru.

Watched Law Abiding Citizen yesterday. I really enjoyed this movie. It took a different turn than I expected though. At some point you have to question who it is you're still rooting for. It wasn't just your typical action flick, but made you think about some things. Being a father myself I can empathize to a point...but dang. All in all I'd give it 4/5.

Too funny Bob! "an insult to junk"....:)
It's a rephrase of a Firefly joke.Sir Warwick Harrow: I know him, and I think he's a psychotic lowlife.
Mal: And I think calling him that is an insult to the psychotic lowlife community.

Armored with Lawrence Fishburn and Matt Dillon 3.5/5 - well, I wasn't expecting too much on this one, but I was pleasantly suprised. This one was a pretty good edge-of-your-seat movie, better than I thought it would be. Some slow parts setting the movie up, but a very suspenseful second half.

Death Race (2008) starring Jason Statham 4/5 - had a friend over who never saw this... LOL, I love this movie, probably my favorite Statham movie - this one is just pure, unadulterated, testosterone-laden, Manly entertainment to the max, with an extremely satisfying ending! Sort of like "Mad Max" meets "The Running Man" - just let 'er rip!

Avatar for the umpteenth time - I've had 6 scheduled Movie Night showings of the Avatar BD in my movie theater since release date, and have shown it to almost 40 guests already. Add to that the 6 times I saw the movie in IMAX 3D, and the 48"x108" Avatar 6-sheet movie poster I've just framed and mounted on my wall behind my movie screen, and I guess I would be lying if I gave this one any less than a 5/5 rating, lol!

Just started watching HBO's new series "Treme".

Great stuff. HBO is the only network that consistently does terrific programming.

I find it funny that I never watch HBO for movies - I only watch their original programming.

Randy

Gran Torino. Great movie. My wife was did not want to watch it at first, she thought it was a James Bond movie or something. She was crying at the end.

Four out of four starts in my book.

Jet Li's "The One". What a disappointment, I regret spending the $10 on the BR blind buy.

Just wondering,
how many of you remember Nick Fury talking about the Avenger Initiative at the end of the 2008 Iron Man movie?

Avatar for the umpteenth time - I've had 6 scheduled Movie Night showings of the Avatar BD in my movie theater since release date, and have shown it to almost 40 guests already. Add to that the 6 times I saw the movie in IMAX 3D, and the 48"x108" Avatar 6-sheet movie poster I've just framed and mounted on my wall behind my movie screen, and I guess I would be lying if I gave this one any less than a 5/5 rating, lol!Wow...you really drank the Kool-Aid on that one.

I will look for Armored and Death Race, though. They sound like they'd be right up my alley.

Australian B movie weekend. All of these were recommended by Quentin Tarantino in "NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD" which is a documentary about Ozploitation films. At the time, the Australian government was paying half a million dollars for every film produced, so investors didn't care what went into them as long as it actually cost less than half a million dollars, and that kind of distant unenthusiasm really shows. :)

Watched: Fair Game (1985, Cassandra Delaney)
1.8/5
jessica a beautiful young woman alone on a remote farm becomes the focus of a group of ravaging maniacs. overpowering her they tie her to the front of the 'the beast' as a human hood ornament and take her for a horrifying ride. at the height of her torment when there is no wher to run nowhere to hide she fights back.

Watched: Stone (1974, Ken Shorter)
1.1/5
one of the most infamous biker movies in genre history. STONE is the full-throttle saga of an undercover cop who infiltrates the outlaw Grave Diggers on a one-way trip to hell with vengeance in their hearts. It's supposed to be the definitive biker movie, the only one to 'tell it like it is'. A bunch of the same actors and movie people ended up making Mad Max a couple years later. I was hoping for more from this.

Watched: Escape 2000 (1983, Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey)
2.5/5
Anyone with distaste for the government ends up in a nazi style camp, where nothing good happens to them except being turned loose for a chance to escape while being hunted down like animals for sport.

Watched: Long Weekend (1979, John Hargreaves)
1/5
a bickering husband and wife (the only two characters in the film), who decide to spend a weekend in the Australian countryside to see if they can patch up their marriage. They prepare themselves adequately for a weekend of roughing it, but find themselves unable to fight back against (or comprehend) an inexplicable bombardment of hate, or revenge, from the forces of nature!

Watched: Road Games (1981, Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis)
2.6/5
Stacy Keach is Pat Quid, a lone trucker who plays games to keep his sanity on long hauls through the desolate Outback. Jamie Lee Curtis is a free-spirited hitchhiker looking for excitement with a game of her own. And somewhere up ahead is a maniac in a van whose game may be butchering young women along the highway. The ending is satisfying.

Watched The Day the Earth Stopped 2008 [bluray] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ABZHAY)
0/5
It was $10 and had a decent cover, so I thought hey, give it a try.
Well, as low as you might be expecting, you'll get something less.
Whatever the actors were doing can't be called acting. It's not even phoning it in. I guess there's a plot, but it's not a good one. It must have been written, no one could ad lib this bad -- you just think 'when you write lines like that you're not supposed to tell anyone, and there's no way you could convince anyone to film it' but they did, to their eternal shame.

According to Wikipedia
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio is best known for producing titles capitalizing on productions by major studios. The Asylum's usual budget for a production is reportedly "well under a million dollars". The studio's productions have been called "mockbusters".
Below are some of their titles -- I intend to avoid them all like the plague. I hear they're being sued by 20th Century Fox and other major studios and authors.

My plan is: if I see a film with a similar title not made by Asylum, that might be worth a watch.
Although I hear their "Sherlock Holmes 2010" (aka Sherlock V Monsters) isn't too bad, on a par with the worst Dr Who show -- and they got 13 days from the time they got the script to release the DVD which is longer than usual for them.

Action films
Snakes on a Train (2006) · Street Racer (2008) · Death Racers (2008)

Adventure
films King of the Lost World (2005) · Pirates of Treasure Island (2006) · 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007) · Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls (2008) · Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) · The 7 Adventures of Sinbad (2010)

Comedy films
Fourplay (2001) · Jane White Is Sick & Twisted (2002)

Disaster films
The Apocalypse (2007) · I Am Omega (2007) · 2012 Doomsday (2008) · Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (2009) · Airline Disaster (2010) · Titanic 2 (2010)

Drama films
Bellyfruit (1999) · King of the Ants (2003) · The 9/11 Commission Report (2006)

Fantasy films
Merlin and the War of the Dragons (2008) · Dragonquest (2009)

Horror films
Speed Demon (2003) · Vampires Vs. Zombies (2004) · Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (2004) · Evil Eyes (2004) · Legion of the Dead (2005) · Dead Men Walking (2005) · Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers (2006) · When a Killer Calls (2006) · Hillside Cannibals (2006) · Bram Stoker's Dracula's Curse (2006) · Halloween Night (2006) · Freakshow (2007) · The Hitchhiker (2007) · Monster (2008) · Haunting of Winchester House (2009) · Paranormal Entity (2009) · Mega Piranha (2010)

Musical films
Sunday School Musical (2008)

Mystery films
The Da Vinci Treasure (2006) · Sherlock Holmes (2010)

Science fiction films
Alien Abduction (2005) · H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005) · Transmorphers (2007) · Invasion of the Pod People (2007) · AVH: Alien vs Hunter (2007) · 100 Million BC (2008) · War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008) · The Day the Earth Stopped (2008) · The Terminators (2009) · Transmorphers: Fall of Man (2009) · The Land That Time Forgot (2009) · Princess of Mars (2009)

Watched Daybreakers (2010, bluray) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG97D8)
3.5/5
unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out.

Watched The Red Baron [2008, Blu-ray] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039USJBK)
2.9/5
To Our Friend And Enemy
Europe, 1916. Baron Manfred von Richthofen is the crack pilot of the German aerial combat forces a legend in his own time, a hero at home and a man both feared and respected by the enemy, including Allied Forces Canadian pilot, Captain Roy Brown. He falls in love with French field nurse Käte (Lena Headey, whom you know as Sarah Connor). Good flight scenes. Obviously told from the German perspective.

BasementBob:

If you really just recently watched all those movies, you must never sleep! Or maybe you just have no kids? ;)

Either way, something tells me you love to seek out those obscure lousy movies for some reason. :cool: Keep those reviews coming!

Watched The Day the Earth Stopped 2008 [bluray] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ABZHAY)
0/5
It was $10 and had a decent cover, so I thought hey, give it a try.
Well, as low as you might be expecting, you'll get something less.
Whatever the actors were doing can't be called acting. It's not even phoning it in. I guess there's a plot, but it's not a good one. It must have been written, no one could ad lib this bad -- you just think 'when you write lines like that you're not supposed to tell anyone, and there's no way you could convince anyone to film it' but they did, to their eternal shame.

I watched or should I say I attempted to watch this movie several months ago. I actually would give it a negative rating. There was no way I could even get through the whole movie so I give you props for sitting through the whole thing. Even gratuitous nudity can't help this movie and THAT is saying something.

Guess I should have reviewed it here to save you the trouble, but something tells me that you would have watched it anyway.

Regards,

RTROSE

something tells me you love to seek out those obscure lousy movies for some reason.

something tells me that you would have watched it anyway.

I'm looking for those rare gems that I haven't seen. Sometimes a film can be cheaply done and unheard of, but have something special that makes it watchable again and again -- actually there's a lot of them. And at the same time they're few and far between. I'm having to look further around the planet, and further into history. There are several wonderful films I know of that aren't available on DVD. And I watch this thread to see if someone posts about something I don't know of. The great ones, cease to be good, if you watch them more than once a year.

Saturday night the wife and I watched "Up In The Air".

Wonderful film. Recommended.

Randy

Finally got to sit down and watch a movie last night. Hurt Locker - 4.5/5 stars. I didn't know much about the movie going in other than it had to do with war and all the reviews were good (and it won some awards or something :rolleyes:). I had no idea that it was about bomb techs and their daily duties. For me it really put some things into perspective. Sure we hear about the "successful" car bombs and suicide bombers, but you never hear about all the ones that are dismantled before they go off. Then add to that what those guys go through just to try and dismantle the bombs! CRAZY! It definitely takes a "strange" individual to do what they do. Glad someone decided to make a movie about it and bring it to our attention.

Finally got to sit down and watch a movie last night. Hurt Locker - 4.5/5 stars. I didn't know much about the movie going in other than it had to do with war and all the reviews were good (and it won some awards or something :rolleyes:). I had no idea that it was about bomb techs and their daily duties. For me it really put some things into perspective. Sure we hear about the "successful" car bombs and suicide bombers, but you never hear about all the ones that are dismantled before they go off. Then add to that what those guys go through just to try and dismantle the bombs! CRAZY! It definitely takes a "strange" individual to do what they do. Glad someone decided to make a movie about it and bring it to our attention.

I too liked this movie a lot and it did enlighten me as to what some of our men and women go through. I am not sure how "accurate" it is and how much it has been "Hollywooded" but an eyeopener for sure.

Regards,

RTROSE

Just wondering,
how many of you remember Nick Fury talking about the Avenger Initiative at the end of the 2008 Iron Man movie?

Yes, I saw the short teaser at the end of the credits in Ironman, where Fury mentions the Avenger Initiative... I just saw Ironman 2 today at the theater, and I see they inserted another Avenger Initiative teaser within the movie...

Wow...you really drank the Kool-Aid on that one.

I will look for Armored and Death Race, though. They sound like they'd be right up my alley.

Haha, yes I admit I did really enjoy Avatar, but I actually held all those showings in my theater because so many people were asking me to show it - it was surprising how many people did not go to see it at the theaters, in any "D" at all... I guess too many people thought it was a Scifi flick, when in reality, it's more of a Western, lol! (yeah, Dances with Smurfs, I know...!)

You'll have to let me know what you thought of Death Race (from 2008, not the original "Death Race 2000" movie) once you see it. :)

Wife went to bed and i watched this in my basement HT. Allmost had to run upstairs a few times. Bluray version with Dolby Master HD.

Great thread! Am new to this because I just completed my HT last week, but thought I'd post what I've been watching. Essentially I've been revisiting some classics that I only ever saw on video growing up and never on the big screen:

The Thing - 80's version
An American Werewolf in London
SuperMan
Grease
Goodfellas

And my #1 film of all time - Jaws!

Tonight I'm going to watch The Warriors (come out to play-ee-aay!)

It's Complicated- Alec B. is quickly rising to the top of his form! He and Streep manage to outshine even the ever talented Steve Martin. All three do a wonderful job though. Enjoyable and laugh out loud funny on several occassions.

Run Fat Boy Run- Better than expected. Nothing of great significance, but an entertaining evening.

Ended up watching:

Unthinkable Pretty good thriller with Sam L Jackson who plays some kinda secret government interrogator. Few tense scenes although most of the film takes place in a cell. Worth a watch though. 3.5/5.

Watched Edge of Darkness 1985 BBC (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TQJU88)
3.8/5
[this is the original 314 minute BBC mini series, not the 2010 remake with Mel Gibson]
I can see why it won a bunch of BAFTA awards back in 1985, and had such general public aclaim. Good acting. Better than average writing.

"The British government's nuclear policy is in for a royal drubbing in the tense BBC-TV miniseries Edge of Darkness. Bob Peck stars as London police detective Ron Craven, whose political-activist daughter is murdered right before his eyes. Meticulously following the trail of clues, Craven uncovers a dark conspiracy involving the government and the powerful American CEO of a nuclear power plant. Joe Don Baker and a young Joanne Whaley co-star. The six-part series became a cult favorite in England, where it originally aired in November and December of 1985."

When I heard actress Joanne (http://www.racycostumes.com/racycostumesblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/joanne_whalley_maid_outfit.jpg) Whalley (http://www.interestment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Joanne-Whalley.jpg)'s voice I thought I recognized it but couldn't place the face or hair. Then suddenly I matched the voice to the woman from The Man Who Knew Too Little and Scandal. And I thought, 'oh good, this could be a fun movie if it's got her in it'. Then, about a second later I was shocked to see that she was shot dead. And I thought oh drat, she's gone. Then about 3 seconds later I thought 'oh you bloomin idiot, the daughter died in the opening of the Mel Gibson version too.' But then, interestingly, Joanne Whalley keeps popping up throughout the movie as a ghost.

"Hot Fuzz" - First off, the movie itself was refreshingly "fun". I enjoy a movie that doesn't take itself seriously, and this was one of them. It would be hard to put this one in a particular box. Secondly, the LFE was a literal kick in the pants! It was by far the best experience I've had since adding the Danley to my room. In fact, it was the first time that I trimmed the LFE channel down because everyone's head was aching! Really was a fun time with the subwoofer!

Wednesday night we watched a movie (rare for mid week!) since my recently graduated college girl came home with "The Time Traveler's Wife".

OK - definitely a chick flick.

Randy

Thursday night we watched a movie (common during the week !) "From Paris With Love (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG97OC)" (2010, John Travolta and silent wife (http://redriverautographs.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/kelly-preston.jpg)). (or, since I rarely speak during movies: John Travolta and silent Bob?)

OK - definitely not a chick flick.

Bob

p.s. I didn't see Daniela Bianchi (http://robotunderwear.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/james-bond-007-from-russia-with-love-20081022030922070-000.jpg) anywhere in From Paris With Love.

Ok, we have had a movie watching weekend.

Leap Year - Chick flick for sure, a couple of funny moments but for the most part very predictable and as for most chick flicks the guy gets the girl or rather the girl gets the guy. Nothing really all that special and even the wife said it was just "alright". 2.5-3.0/5

Extraordinary Measures - I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I really enjoy Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford. I did not think this movie was near as good as what I thought it could be, and was disappointed. This movie really had potential but fell flat. 2.5-3.0/5

Alice in Wonderland 2010 - Wow, I really don't know where to go with this movie. I wish I could have seen in in Blu the visuals are begging for high def. The movie is a trip literally and figuratively. I could easily tell it came from the mind of Tim Burton. The visuals were 4.5/5 the movie was 3.5/5. Johnny Depp is an amazing actor and has the ability to bring life to many a character. There were a couple of times I heard Captain Jack Sparrow (my favorite Depp character) coming through.

Forest Gump - A true classic. Not sure why I don't own it. That will have to change. 4.5/5 The sound track alone is worth the watch.

Regards,

RTROSE

Friday night we watched "Last Chance Harvey", which is a small, pleasant film.

Randy

Dear John
Director Lasse Hallström and screenwriter Jamie Linden collaborate to adapt author Nicholas Sparks' novel about a young soldier who falls for an idealistic college girl. Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) was on spring break when she first met John Tyree (Channing Tatum), who was home on temporary leave. For the smitten soldier it was practically love at first sight. Over the course of the next seven years, when each deployment seemed more treacherous than the last, the love letters that Savannah sent to John were one of the only things that kept him going. However, those loving and heartfelt correspondences would ultimately yield consequences that neither the brave soldier nor his one true love could have ever foreseen


My wife and I watched this today and for a "girl" movie it was okay. I would rate it a 3/5 for its genre of movie...

My wife was pissed at the ending.... but it was good enough to get you emotionally involved with it.

... a small, pleasant film.

Great turn of phrase, Randy! Reminds me of one of Churchill's great zingers: "He is a modest man, with much to be modest about." :cool:

RT - thanks for the tip for Alice in Wonderland. I will be buying this one on BLuRay

To All,
No movies for us - watched the Stanley Cup instead. The NBC broadcast last night was excellent, never mind that the BH won :)

The Lovely Bones (2009)

When 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is murdered, she watches from above as her family deals with her tragic death -- and as her killer prepares to strike again. Torn between vengeance and healing, Susie's loved ones are forever changed. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz star in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's riveting, best-selling novel; Susan Sarandon and Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci co-star.

We watched this movie last night on blu-ray. It has a similar take on the afterlife as "What Dreams May Come". While not as good as "What Dreams May Come" it still provokes some deep thinking.

Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUWKi0W5_g

-Don

Great turn of phrase, Randy! Reminds me of one of Churchill's great zingers: "He is a modest man, with much to be modest about." :cool:

;)

Randy

Edge of Darkness (BD) 2.5/5:

I watched this movie this weekend with some family. I'm normally not interested in this genre, but my brother-in-law picked it out.

Overall, I felt it was typical fare for its genre. Nothing spectacular, but better than expected. It reminded me a bit of "Taken", with less action and a bit more mystery. It kept me interested, and my brother-in-law and wife both liked it a lot.

As someone who lives in the Boston suburbs, I can't stand when actors attempt a Boston accent. They never get it correct - at best it's distracting and at worst it's downright awful (Bebe Neuwirth, I'm looking at you). Mel Gibson didn't do a horrible job, but it was still pretty grating at times (I cringed every time he said "faddah" instead of "father")

What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004)

It is part documentary, part story, and part elaborate and inspiring visual effects and animations. The protagonist, Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin, finds herself in a fantastic Alice in Wonderland experience when her daily, uninspired life literally begins to unravel, revealing the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality.

If you are a deep thinker then DO NOT miss out on this documentary/story. It will make you think about life like you never have before!

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP-sDrNjUBo

-Alienseeker

Watched "Second Hand Lions" on BR. Featured Michael Caine and Robert Duvall. This turned out to be a real pleasant surprise. Was a good "fun" movie, and was family friendly also. 3.5/4.0

Watched "A-Team" at the local cinema.
My expectations were not high, but I have to admit this one was also fun and dramatic. For sure; parts of it are corny and over the top in the believability department. Still lots of fun, humorous, and LOTS of LFE. The LFE alone will make it worth a rental when available. 3.0/4.0

Watched X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE last night on HBO via DVR.

Loved it! I am a total super hero dork so anything along these lines and I will enjoy it almost regardless (with the exception of the first attempt at The Hulk, :p)

Two thumbs up from my family!!:D

3.5/4.0

"Flight of the Phoenix" (2007)- Stellar audio track! It was the most intense LFE track I've had in my theater. Movie had a few parts that were above average, but they were tied together with long, boring sections.

"Precious"- I didn't know what it was about going in. I know now. It left me sitting there a bit speachless as the credits rolled. I guess I liked it? Can you "like" it? The girls mother did an outstanding acting job!

Crazy Heart- Bridges was deserving of his award. I really couldn't work myself up to watch this one....washed out alcoholic didn't sound too interesting. Kinda like the wrestling movie with that other guy. But I gotta give some credit. It was enjoyable from start to finish. Fine acting, nice scenery....and Maggie G. is always nice to look at.

The Blind Side - I'm typically a sucker for feel-good sports stories (I may have even shed a tear during Rudy). However, I thought that this movie was extremely overrated. The dialog was cheesy at times - "He only has an I.Q. of 80. However, he scored in the 98th percentile for protective instincts." Come on, do they actually even test for protective instincts??? Sandra Bullock's performance was good but not worthy of an Oscar. It seemed like an easy role to play - bitchy headstrong woman who does whatever she feels like. I just expected more.

2.5/5

The Blind Side - I'm typically a sucker for feel-good sports stories (I may have even shed a tear during Rudy). However, I thought that this movie was extremely overrated. The dialog was cheesy at times - "He only has an I.Q. of 80. However, he scored in the 98th percentile for protective instincts." Come on, do they actually even test for protective instincts??? Sandra Bullock's performance was good but not worthy of an Oscar. It seemed like an easy role to play - bitchy headstrong woman who does whatever she feels like. I just expected more.

2.5/5

But he never had his OWN bed! sniff sniff... Think i've got some dust in my eye...

Anyways, just watched THE definitive BMX movie last night. Thats right... I watched RAD, and I must say it was still... well... entertaining. Next I'm planning on watching my other childhood favorite... Robot jox! Everyone say a lil prayer for my poor wife who has to sit through these movies.

The Blind Side - It seemed like an easy role to play - bitchy headstrong woman who does whatever she feels like. I just expected more.

2.5/5

Too Funny - "An easy role to play"
For proof of this you should work in my building...
:)

Next I'm planning on watching my other childhood favorite... Robot jox!
Sounds good to me. :)

Watched Robot Jox (1990) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AM6ONU)
3/5
Lots of fun though.
It is post-World War III. War is outlawed. In its place, are matches between large Robots called Robot Jox. These matches take place between two large superpowers over disputed territories.

Sounds good to me. :)

Watched Robot Jox (1990) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AM6ONU)
3/5
Lots of fun though.
It is post-World War III. War is outlawed. In its place, are matches between large Robots called Robot Jox. These matches take place between two large superpowers over disputed territories.

Yup, cheesy but entertaining... I suppose the co-ed shower seen had something to do with it being one of my favorites... Hey, I was only 11:D

Yup, cheesy but entertaining... I suppose the co-ed shower scene had something to do with it being one of my favorites...
I don't remember the co-ed shower scene in Robot Jox, but it's been almost 10 hours since I saw it last so I may have forgotten. :)
(I remember the famous co-ed shower scene in Starship Troopers though, and somewhat lesser in Dollhouse, and the much less famous Escape 2000.)
Really, the only thing that makes Robot Jox watchable is the large robots and the Japanese designer when he's talking about the large robots.

I don't remember the co-ed shower scene in Robot Jox, but it's been almost 10 hours since I saw it last so I may have forgotten. :)
(I remember the famous co-ed shower scene in Starship Troopers though, and somewhat lesser in Dollhouse, and the much less famous Escape 2000.)
Really, the only thing that makes Robot Jox watchable is the large robots and the Japanese designer when he's talking about the large robots.

Yup the co-ed shower scene in Starship Troopers is a classic as well as the movie. It still remains as one of my all time favorite movies. I have watched it countless times.

The other co-ed scene that I recall is the locker room in RoboCop. It is brief but it's there.

I vaguely remember Robot Jox, but looks like I'll have to look it up again.

Regards,

RTROSE

Watched The Book of Eli (2010) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG997M)
3.9/5
Warrior of God.
Less deep than I was expecting. Some slow spots.
Reminded me of "A Canticle for Leibowitz" and the ending to "Fahrenheit 451".
The oriental fellow who coreographed the fight scenes can move very very fast.

The Lovely Bones- This one will send you upstairs to hug your sleeping children. I did. I would give it a 4 of 5 except that I really, really, really didn't like how they resolved the killers character. I did appreciate the out of the box visuals and style that it was filmed in. It felt fresh.

Watched "Bigger Than Life" BD last night..... Hadn't seen it in...... oh a month or so ;)

5/5 Mason is fantastic in this....... and just watching the scene with the "Tutoring" with the shadow on the wall gives me chills.....

But he never had his OWN bed! sniff sniff... Think i've got some dust in my eye...

Anyways, just watched THE definitive BMX movie last night. Thats right... I watched RAD, and I must say it was still... well... entertaining. Next I'm planning on watching my other childhood favorite... Robot jox! Everyone say a lil prayer for my poor wife who has to sit through these movies.

Need to borrow my copy of "Gleaming the Cube" :p

Need to borrow my copy of "Gleaming the Cube" :p

Oh snap! Remember Thrashin too? Now Gleaming the Cube was the one where Christian Slater's step brother gets killed and he solves the mystery through hardcore skateboarding fury... But I can't remember the story of Thrashin... Think it was about skate gangs or something? I'll have to knock the dust off of it this weekend.

Big Night (DVD) - 4.5/5

Big Night is one of my favorite films of the '90s. I haven't seen this film in years, but I decided finally break open a DVD that I purchased a few years ago and just never got around to watching.

First of all, the film is almost 15 years old and holds up very well. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's the story of two brothers from Italy (Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub) who are struggling to keep their restaurant business afloat. The movie is very "talky" with the majority of the movie taking place within the restaurant itself, but the dialog is not forced and the characters really shine. The supporting case is great as well (Isabella Rosalini, Minnie Driver, Ian Holm). The soundtrack is fantastic (Louis Prima, Rosemary Clooney, Claudio Villa, etc), and the food scenes... well, don't watch this film on an empty stomach.

It's a great film, and to me it still has one of my favorite endings of all time. (ETA: Apparently, I'm not alone. The ending to Big Night rates #8 filmcritic.coms top 50 movie endings of all time.)

Vespa, I pulled up the trailer for Big Night and it looks good! Thanks. However, it's not on Bluray. I know I'm missing out on some good movies, but I can't bring myself to watch DVD anymore. Gosh that sounds snobby....

Last night was "Foo Fighters- Live at Wembely". I was only a casual fan, and was surprised how much "harder" their library was than the impression you get from the radio. It really was too much for me. However, the final two songs were Zeppelin tunes with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones joining in. That was a treat!

Vespa, I pulled up the trailer for Big Night and it looks good! Thanks. However, it's not on Bluray. I know I'm missing out on some good movies, but I can't bring myself to watch DVD anymore. Gosh that sounds snobby....

Nope, not snobby at all. I feel the exact same way. I just happened to be in the mood to watch Big Night last night and I was willing to suffer through a lower quality picture. I've been hoping that they'd release this on BluRay - it's definately a hidden gem.

Watched Green Zone (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG97RY)
3/5
An almost decent but not exceptional film.
Competently filmed and edited, passable acting, and it has a plot.
Yet I didn't enjoy the nature of the plot, and nothing really pulled me into the story. I could see where it was going, but I didn't really care, because the film didn't really make up its mind if it was to be hard hitting expose or military drama or some sort of police chase or political thriller, and overall it lacks in entertainment. It was sort of interesting to see the various disparate Iraqi characters trying to do what they need to for and in their own country.

Shutter Island - Scorsese does a great job of setting the mood right from the opening scene. I used to think that Leonardo DiCaprio was just another Hollywood pretty boy but he has involved into a tremendous actor. The surround sound was fantastic, especially for the weather scenes and DiCaprio's flashbacks. I will probably watch this one again soon so that I can piece together some of the clues. My only gripe is that, like most movies, it could have benefited from better editing. Why can't anybody tell a story in 90 minutes anymore??? Overall, I'd give it a 4/5.

"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassis"- Well, half of it anyhow. This is the first movie in a looong time that we stopped before the end. The cover art has all these interesting images that make it out to look like a wild ride. Problem is, in the first hour you get about 2 minutes of that. The rest is dialogue about not so interesting stuff. :) And to top it off, in the first 10 minutes they drop the F bomb and several other words. Of course, it was kids night. Maybe the end redeemed itself, but we just got to the point that we didn't care if it did.

Hit the drive in last night for Toy Story 3. My four year old made friends with a couple other kids. Excellent family experience. $20 for a family of four (our youngest got in free), and we opted to spend another $20 on hot dogs, drinks and popcorn, but lots did the cooler thing. This is our eleventh year in a row making a drive in outing. This year we went to the oldest operating drive in. Only the second one ever built. http://www.shankweilers.com/ Recommended.

The flick was basically a 4.5/5 - I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it, although I took a bit off since its not going to change the way you see the world.

Took the family to see TS3 in 2D. While there were some moments where I burst out laughing, overall, I did not enjoy as much as the others. Don't get me wrong, I'll be getting it on BD since it will be a great HT experience, but be forewarned that the younger ones may find a few scenes too intense. My four-year old son was scared in a couple scenes and declared after it ended that he did not like TS3 because of the mean pink bear.

For those of you who have seen Pulp Fiction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSvJwUFI_es

Took the family to see TS3 in 2D. While there were some moments where I burst out laughing, overall, I did not enjoy as much as the others. Don't get me wrong, I'll be getting it on BD since it will be a great HT experience, but be forewarned that the younger ones may find a few scenes too intense. My four-year old son was scared in a couple scenes and declared after it ended that he did not like TS3 because of the mean pink bear.

My daughter climbed into my lap towards the end. She turns five in October, and is at an age where she really wraps herself into movies.

Watched Invictus yesterday.
Morgan Freeman plays a great part - great rental, but probably will not buy it. 3.0/4.0

But he never had his OWN bed! sniff sniff... Think i've got some dust in my eye...

Anyways, just watched THE definitive BMX movie last night. Thats right... I watched RAD, and I must say it was still... well... entertaining. Next I'm planning on watching my other childhood favorite... Robot jox! Everyone say a lil prayer for my poor wife who has to sit through these movies.

See if you can find BMX Bandits!!! Nicole Kidman's first film!!! :D

Watched Unthinkable (http://www.amazon.com/Unthinkable-Blu-ray-Samuel-L-Jackson/dp/B003HTSJAE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1277190237&sr=8-2)
3.9/5
Not a waste of my time.
Ethics. (some of the same questions were raised in "24")
Not for kids.
If you watch this, make sure you watch the Extended version, otherwise the ending is Extremely Empty.

The most suspenseful thriller of the year explores just how far we will go to protect ourselves and our country. When a nuclear expert-turned-extremist (Michael Sheen) plants devices in three separate cities, the country's counter-terrorism force springs into action and captures him. But the location of his bombs remains a mystery. With time running out, FBI agent Helen Brody (Carrie-Anne Moss) agrees to work alongside a mysterious interrogator known only as "H" (Samuel L. Jackson).

I was supposed to see TS3 with my oldest on Father's day, but my wife decided it was 'too nice out to watch movies' and I ended up grilling out etc......

I may hold off and just buy it when it hits Blu-ray.....


I did watch "The Slammin' Salmon" last night on BD...... 4/5 what a pleasant surprise for a film that I had a very bad feeling about...... Michael Clark Duncan was pretty humorous. The out-takes were decent, and the story didn't get dragged down by any silly romantic-plot being forced into it.

Watched Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG98J6)
3.5/5
Not bad, but I've not read the books.
A standard Olympians adventure tale, with younger protagonists.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Nickelodeon Animated Series

This may sound a bit strange coming from a 50-year-old man, but in anticipation for the release of "The Last Airbender" movie coming out next week, we've been watching the original animated series in my theater on DVDs from Netflix (in episodic order, for a change!). My 10-year old daughter and I both love the series, and have been watching the shows on Nicktoons on Directv for the past few years, but there they are always shown in a random order.

Believe it or not, I actually have my 68 year old Mother coming over to watch these episodes with us as well, she saw the movie trailers and is really interested in seeing the movie. We had planned to watch only the first season of the sereis before going to see the movie, but she has gotten sucked into the story so much we're already halfway through the second season - She is totally getting into all the adventure!

This series is actually very good viewing for all ages, not just children, and is highly acclaimed - just check the reviews on Netflix or Amazon. There are a lot of complex storylines, thought-provoking situations, and very good character developement throughout the series, and it has an awesome finale in the 3rd (final) season. The first 3 or 4 episodes are a little basic as it sets up the story line, but by about the 5th episode in season 1, it really starts to roll. The animation is done in a style somewhat similar to Japanese Anime, but it was written and produced in the USA by Nickelodeon.

So if you want to try something a little different, and don't feel you're too old to watch a "cartoon", try this series - I highly recommend it! 4.5+/5

Saw The Lovely Bones last night. Stanley Tucci was very convincing as the creepy neighbor. The visual effects were pretty good but there were too many scenes depicting heaven and the afterworld for my liking. The movie was easy to watch but it definitely lacked something. 2.5/5.

watched two:
Stranger than fiction with Will Ferrell, a quirky and odd movie (the compulsive disorder of the characters was funny). Worth a rent on a slow night 3.0/5.0

also; got my BR copy of "Flight of the Phoenix" from amazon. This movie I always enjoyed but bought this one for it's alledged killer LFE. Not a lot of reference levels LFE - but what is there is good. For some this movie might be a bit slow, for me it's a keeper just for the aviation bits. 3.5 of 5.0. If you're not into aviation or flying - I would say just rent.

Hot Tub Time Machine (HD) 3.5/5

Interestingly enough, my wife (who is about 10 years younger than me) didn't find it all that funny, but our friends (who were in high school in the 80s) really enjoyed it. Maybe it was just the nostalgia, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. The music, fashion, and references were great. Tons of in-jokes, too (with a nice cameo from a classic 80s "bad guy'). The humor was a bit on the gross-out side, but there were still a lot of clever moments, too.

Invictus- I knew little of Mandela, and it was enjoyed from that perspective. However, it fell a bit sleepy at times for me. Many repeat type scenes that could have been cut down. I would edit out a half hour on this one.

Brothers- EXCELLENT! I was drawn into the characters. Top notch actors at the top of their game. Many moments and situations that caused true pause to reflect on how I might behave or react. Best I've seen in a while.

also; got my BR copy of "Flight of the Phoenix" from amazon. This movie I always enjoyed but bought this one for it's alledged killer LFE. Not a lot of reference levels LFE - but what is there is good. For some this movie might be a bit slow, for me it's a keeper just for the aviation bits. 3.5 of 5.0. If you're not into aviation or flying - I would say just rent.

With a good tactile effects system (aka buttkickers) you feel like you are on the plane, in the desert with the storms, etc. I use the plane crash scene to demo my TES-100 system. Never fails to impress.

I liked the pace...something about action movies that just have action to have action bore me...this is well placed with drama and action.

Watched Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG98J6)
3.5/5
Not bad, but I've not read the books.
A standard Olympians adventure tale, with younger protagonists.

Went originally to the big screen to see, bought the BR last night and the wife, youngest, and I watched it again. I actually enjoyed the film more at home than I did in the theater. Not over the top but a pretty good all around film. I think your spot on with the 3.5/5.

Chic Flick alert:

The wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary and she picked When In Rome
Hmmm........This was OK for a chick flick I guess, nothing really outstanding or noteworthy, full of mediocrity and predictability. Typical. 2.5/5 After she went to bed I watched 300 to get the man card back. 300 now THAT'S a movie!


Regards,

RTROSE

Watched Space Truckers 1997 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000IC5K)
2/5
Erudition is the depth, polish and breadth that is applied to education from further readings and understanding of literary works. The word Erudition has no place in any review about this movie.
Stars: Dennis Hopper, Debi Mazar (Goodfellas), Charles Dance (Alien 3, Last Action Hero), George Wendt (Norm in Cheers), Venon Wells (Road Warrior, Commando)
Director said "I like movies. This is a movie. When we were done several of us watched it on the screen."
Producer said "We filmed it in Ireland due to the TREMENDOUS tax incentives. They didn't have a film industry, so people learned on the job. We had plumbers with no construction experience at all building sets. They were like children with a chemistry set for the first time. Thank goodness those things are illegal now."
Actor Charles Dance "I was a serious actor once. Classically trained. After this I might never be allowed to work again."
Reviewer "In the quest for bad Sci-Fi's, we found this. By far, hands down this is the worst movie you could possibly see."
Actor Dennis Hopner "I just came off Waterworld. In Space Truckers the director didn't listen to anyone. He has the tenacity of a pit bull, like the captain of a sinking ship."
1 nomination, no awards: "Nominated for Best Film at Catalonian Film Festival."
This is one of those films you can stop in the middle, take a full sleep, and come back to the next day, yet isn't truely so bad you won't watch it to the ending.
Actor George Wendt "I get killed about 20 minutes in. You can go home after that."

Watched: The Bounty Hunter

Was an OK chick flick with Jennifer Aniston (she can't act) and Gerard Butler (should stick to action movies). Silly story but a couple of funny parts. 2.5/5

Went to see How to Train Your Dragon at a second run theater.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this movie. Found it very enjoyable and entertaining. I think this will look very good on BR as well. 4/5. For just a little nostalgia it was on film and there were some minor scratches in the film, some cracks and pops in the sound track and of course the black dot to indicate reel change. All of this added to the "feel" of the movie experience, but having said that I would be truly annoyed if the BR I buy has all of that stuff!

Regards,

RTROSE

We watched Precious on DVD. Grim subject matter, well done. 3.5/5.

Watched Pirate Radio last night (my second time, though the first was on an 8" airplane LCD).

We really enjoyed it. A good solid quotable comedy. I'd give it a 4/5.

Watched Pirate Radio last night (my second time, though the first was on an 8" airplane LCD).

We really enjoyed it. A good solid quotable comedy. I'd give it a 4/5.
Great soundtrack too! After watching this movie, I added a few more songs to my iTunes playlist.

Watched Pirate Radio last night (my second time, though the first was on an 8" airplane LCD).
Really good film. I saw the British cut, which is longer than the American cut.
I loved when Gavin Canavagh (Rhys Ifans) dances with that gorgeous brunette to the Rolling Stone's "Hey You Get Off Of My Cloud" in a Guatemalan cantina. And when the crew raid Radio Sunshine that was just hilarious especially the bathroom scene!

Watched Legion (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021L8V3E)
2.4/5
I was hoping for more. More demons, more angels.
The moral was acceptable.

Watched The Crazies (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021L8UXK)
2.4/5
I was hoping for more. It's no "The Village"
The 'crazies' aren't as dangerous as a 1978 zombie, they're not even the main bad guy. When Glenn Morshower appeared I thought it might pick up a bit, no such luck.

ReWatched The Core (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AKCKM)
3/5
Seems to get better with age.
Remember back in 2003 when 15 billion dollars was a lot of money.

Really good film. I saw the British cut, which is longer than the American cut.
I loved when Gavin Canavagh (Rhys Ifans) dances with that gorgeous brunette to the Rolling Stone's "Hey You Get Off Of My Cloud" in a Guatemalan cantina. And when the crew raid Radio Sunshine that was just hilarious especially the bathroom scene!

Saw those scenes in the 'deleted scenes' section of the Bluray... it was too bad many of those were cut from the US version.

Catching up. About 10 days ago my oldest daughter and her boyfriend stopped by and my yougest was getting ready for a trip to Italy. We watched "Roman Holiday", which is alway worth watching.

Saturday night, my wife and I watched, "The Visitor", which we both enjoyed.

Randy

Watched Katyn on BD.....

Invasion of Poland by the Soviets and Germans, and the resulting massacre of many Polish officers..... If the subject matter isn't too "down" for you, then I would highly recommend this one.....

4/5

Remember Me- depressed characters, depressing lives, depressing ending. Nuff said.

Finally got around to watching
The Book of Eli
4/5
Well heck, for me if its a post apocalyptic era movie, then Ima gonna like it... I'm not ashamed that I am a big fan of both Waterworld and the Postman (hides behind rain coat) but even so, I was suprisingly entertained by this movie even though someone had all ready spoiled it for me. Maybe it was the action packed decapitations, or my addiction to Fall Out 3, but I loved this movie.

Also watched
The Crazies
3/5
I give this movie a higher rating then I should because of my man crush on Timothy Olyphant... If you guys have not seen the first season of "Justified" then you are missing out. Plus its always fun to watch the ladies in the room jump and scream, and "The Crazies" provided plenty of that.

Lots of repeat movie watching this past week.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (BD): 4/5
Still the best of the trilogy. Depp's performance is original and inspired. Sounds and looks great.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (BD): 3.5/5
I understand that this movie didn't get as much love as the first (too dark, confusing, etc), but I think it's a solid film.

Wall-E (BD): 4/5
Haven't seen this one since it was first released and it really lost something upon it's second viewing. It's beautiful to look at, but the film is missing something that I just can't put my finger on.

The Hurt Locker (BD): 4.5/5
The fanboys can have Avatar... this movie is the one I use to show off my system. Watched it with my brother-in-law and his wife. Great story. Tons of suspense. Gritty visuals. And WOW what a workout on my subwoofer! Hands down my favorite movie of the last few years.

We watched "Roman Holiday", which is alway worth watching.


One of my all-time favorite films.

Lots of repeat movie watching this past week.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (BD): 4/5
Still the best of the trilogy. Depp's performance is original and inspired. Sounds and looks great.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (BD): 3.5/5
I understand that this movie didn't get as much love as the first (too dark, confusing, etc), but I think it's a solid film.

Wall-E (BD): 4/5
Haven't seen this one since it was first released and it really lost something upon it's second viewing. It's beautiful to look at, but the film is missing something that I just can't put my finger on.

The Hurt Locker (BD): 4.5/5
The fanboys can have Avatar... this movie is the one I use to show off my system. Watched it with my brother-in-law and his wife. Great story. Tons of suspense. Gritty visuals. And WOW what a workout on my subwoofer! Hands down my favorite movie of the last few years.

All excellent films. Curse of the Black Pearl is a great film and one that I can watch multiple times and I am just awed by the visuals and Depp is a great Capt. Jack Sparrow.

I just watched Wall-E for the second time last night and I came away with just the opposite feeling you did. I actually enjoyed the film more the second time around. Not Pixar's best film, but solid none the less.

I'm a fanboy of Avatar, but I also agree that The Hurt Locker is a fantastic gritty film that can hold it's own which reminds me I need to watch/purchase it on BR.

For my movie watching the past few days I have watched the following.

Wall-E Excellent

Invictis - 3/5 On the surface I really liked this film. Having been in college during all of the events depicted I have memories of the period. Still don't understand or like Rugby, but I digress. While I found Mandela's story inspiring, I found Matt Damon's portrayal of his character very distracting. There were times which for me his accent was terrible and actually took away from the movie. I really tried to look past it, but it was so obviously bad IMHO that it at points was tough to watch. There was a point I put the subtitles on just to make sure I actually understood what was being said.

Unthinkable - 3.5/5 You could actually take this film one of two ways I guess. You could watch it as mindless entertainment or you could think deeper about the subject matter and wonder if it really came down to it, what would you do to save several million people. Very dark look at interrogation and counter terrorism. Although I hated the ending I can't say that saying I enjoyed the films sounds right, but for me it was thought provoking and for the majority of us we continue blindly on without one clue to what kind of dangers are lurking around those proverbial dark corners.


Up for tonight The Box.

Regards,

RTROSE

Unthinkable ... Although I hated the ending
Which ending?
The theatrical version that everyone hated,
or the extended cut version that more people found a little more satisfying.

As you know I've been watching a lot of crap lately. Casablanca, Adventures of Robin Hood 1938, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Bridge over the River Kwai, The Godfather, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Matrix, Aliens, Aliens 2, Gone with the Wind, North by Northwest, Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars 1977, 2001 A Space Odyssey (skipping over the weird bits), Die Hard, Jaws, Gladiator, Glad He Ate Her.
Horrible horrible stuff.

But tonight I watched: The Invention Of Lying (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00275EHC8).
It was like the spring breeze on a tampon commercial.
Invigorating as the smell of bacon and coffee in the morning at the cottage.
Refreshing as iced tea on a hot day in Savannah Georgia.
And then, after 30 minutes of shock and awe and wit and bliss and joy,
it descended into: Fat Slags 2004, Disaster Movie 2008, The Apocalypse 2007, Turks in Space 2006, The Abortion 2006, It's Pat 1994
well, maybe not that bad.
4/5 for the first half hour, 2.5/5 for the whole movie.

4/5 for the first half hour, 2.5/5 for the whole movie.

I agree..... it looked like it was going to be great, and then I found myself saying "why haven't I turned this off yet?"

As you know I've been watching a lot of crap lately. Casablanca, Adventures of Robin Hood 1938, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Bridge over the River Kwai, The Godfather, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Matrix, Aliens, Aliens 2, Gone with the Wind, North by Northwest, Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars 1977, 2001 A Space Odyssey (skipping over the weird bits), Die Hard, Jaws, Gladiator, Glad He Ate Her.
Horrible horrible stuff.

I hope you're being sarcastic when you call some of those classic movies (many of which won the Oscar for best picture of the year) "crap" and "horrible horrible." :eek:

Watched Hot Tub Time Machine with my 19 year old son. The 80's icons brought back some memories (red leather Air Jordans, for instance). Plenty of bathroom humor. We both really enjoyed this movie, albeit for different reasons. Soundtrack was okay but could have been better. 3.5/5.

Which ending?
The theatrical version that everyone hated,
or the extended cut version that more people found a little more satisfying.

Must be the theatrical version (was not aware there was another ending) was a Redbox and did not pay attention I guess. Crap! Would have really liked to see the alternate ending.

Regards,

RTROSE

I hope you're being sarcastic when you call some of those classic movies (many of which won the Oscar for best picture of the year) "crap" and "horrible horrible." :eek:

Ummmm......I think so. BasementBob doesn't strike me as one who really does not like the classics, especially with movies of the likes of which are in the list. I'm surprised with as large of a collection he has he can still find the classics easily enough to still watch them without too much hassle. :D

Regards,

RTROSE

I hope you're being sarcastic
Sarcasm seemed appropriate for a movie entitled and giving numerous examples of "invention of lying". :)
Consistant with one of the themes of the film, I was not 'sarcastic' to my significant other. :)

(was not aware there was another ending)
I did mention it. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18809183#post18809183) :(

I did mention it. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18809183#post18809183) :(

Ah, so you did. Having done the redbox it may have not been there on the rental version. I'll have to check it out some other time.

Last night it was "The Box".

An interesting movie to say the least. I watched it with my 15yr old and we both just were a little like Hmmmmmm.........interesting, strange movie. A little weird how it all ties in together (I don't know that it actually does, if you have seen it you understand), but anyway worth a rent but this one is not a purchase for me. Not at all like I had imagined the movie would be like, went into this one completely blind. 3/5

Regards,

RTROSE

Last night it was "The Box".

An interesting movie to say the least. I watched it with my 15yr old and we both just were a little like Hmmmmmm.........interesting, strange movie. A little weird how it all ties in together (I don't know that it actually does, if you have seen it you understand), but anyway worth a rent but this one is not a purchase for me. Not at all like I had imagined the movie would be like, went into this one completely blind. 3/5

Regards,

RTROSE

My daughter's old babysitter was an extra in that movie (she may have gotten a line, can't remember). The movie was released a long while after production which usually suggests quality issues. 3/5 isn't too bad maybe I'll check it out.

Watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My wife had read the trilogy and wanted to see this movie. It is a Swedish film, so we watched it with English dubbing. Surprisingly, the spoken words seemed to match the lips. The story line is phenomenal and very true to the book. I had low expectations of this movie but was pleasantly surprised. Very graphic rape and assault scenes. It will soon be a Hollywood remake. 4/5.

The Wolfman- Don't know why they made this one? They didn't take the story anywhere that it didn't go already back in 1941. And the acting (from two fine actors in my opinion) was terrible. Like everyone was going through the motions to get the movie done.

Straw Dogs on DVD. 4.5/5 I really enjoy this movie, and it's another one of those films that just keeps getting better every time I watch it.

Watched Straw Dogs (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KPHZG) (1971, Dustin Hoffman, Sam Peckinpah)
This is not one for the whole family.
A man's journey from cowardice to courage.
1.6/5 for the first 88 minutes,
3.9/5 for the last half hour (the home invasion bit).
I watched the last half hour again, as I missed some of it.
This is the 118 minute version, with a little bit more that's cut out of some releases.

It is a Swedish film, so we watched it with English dubbing. .

http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/default/facepalm.gif


1.6/5 for the first 88 minutes,

What didn't you care for??? Too slow? I think it's brilliant..... oh well..... to each his own!

Watched Panic in Year Zero (1962) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000787YOA)
2.9/5
This post-nuke survival story features Ray Milland as an average middle-class father who fights to protect his family from pillagers, rapists, and murderers. Forced into brutal resourcefulness and often required to make snap moral decisions, the real challenge that Milland and family face is the struggle to maintain their traditional values in the face of chaos. Interesting survivalist story.

Watched The Last Man on Earth (1962) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000787YOA)
2/5
You've seen "I Am Legend (2008)" and "Omega Man (1971)", and this is the same story. Vincent Price as the sole survivor of a global pandemic that has transformed the rest of mankind into vampire-like zombies. While more loyal to the novel than the Heston film, the pace is often excruciatingly slow. Still, Price's performance is as entertaining as ever, and where Omega Man spends about 2 seconds on the before the plague, Last Man On Earth has the scenes that flashback to the origin of the plague.

Watched The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005JKHF)
2.3/5
When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared, the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) to Scotland, whereto their surprisethey uncover a plot involving clandestine society, Her Majesty's Secret Service and the Loch Ness Monster! But before he can deduce matters to the elementary, Holmes makes an error that may jeopardize the national safety of Britain. The inquiry shifts to Scotland, and despite a stern warning from the hero's brother, Mycroft Holmes (Christopher Lee), Sherlock pursues events that reveal a top-secret government plan. Lush, energetic, funny, gorgeous to look at, and ultimately tragic.

Watched James Stewart - The Western Collection (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00157OICS)
2.7/5
Mostly these are classics, and done well for their time; just a little simple.
Ben Johnson, Jack Elam, and Harry Morgan (M*A*S*H Col Potter) make appearances in almost all of these.

The collection is six movies:
- Destry Rides Again (1939) Marlene Dietrich, 2.8/5 He starts out unarmed and unassuming, the dandy son of late great man. His abilities manifest themselves as needs require.

- Winchester ‘73 (1950) 2.7/5 Stewart traces a stolen Winchester rifle through several owners until he finds the man he's looking for. (Having a common centerfire cartridge in both revolvers and rifles allowed the owner to carry two firearms, but only one type of ammunition, and made the Winchester 73 a popular rifle.)

- Bend of the River (1952) 2.9/5 An ex-outlaw and a horse thief lead a wagon train of farmers to oregon before a gold rush. Indians, betrayal, greed, and a paddle wheel boat.

- The Far Country (1955) 2.3/5 A magnetic but corrupt Roy Bean-like judge and merchant who preys off the miners passing through his town and steals Stewart's cattle in the name of justice, and the bar owning woman is occasionally helpful but a driven capitalist.

- Night Passage (1957) 2.3/5 Stewart's an ex-railroad cop who became a pariah by letting a prisoner Audie Murphy escape. Brothers, train robbers, kidnapping of kid and woman. Director Anthony Mann who'd done several good films with Stewart in the past quit before it began, and the lesser replacement director let Stewart play an accordian several times.

- The Rare Breed (1966) 2.1/5 Maureen O'Hara (Miracle on 34th street), Brian Keith in a red beard, Juliet Mills (The Parent Trap), bring a well trained prize Hereford bull to longhorn country.

Just finished Season 2 of The Wire.

Terrific. Ready to start 3!

Finally got around to watching
The Book of Eli
4/5
Well heck, for me if its a post apocalyptic era movie, then Ima gonna like it... I'm not ashamed that I am a big fan of both Waterworld and the Postman (hides behind rain coat) but even so, I was suprisingly entertained by this movie even though someone had all ready spoiled it for me. Maybe it was the action packed decapitations, or my addiction to Fall Out 3, but I loved this movie.



I'm on the same page with you about the "post apocalyptic" movies. Haven't seen Book of Eli yet, but I also enjoyed the Postman & Waterworld. Also along the same lines I like 28 days later & zombie land. (not quite post apocalyptic, but similar) Have you seen "9" yet? I loved it.

Watched "The Vicious Kind" last night.....

3.5/5 Really enjoyed it.... very dark.

Just watched through Pitch Black. Still a awesome movie. Original concept with excellent cinematography. Still need to pick this one up on blu

Watched "A Perfect Getaway" last night

Pretty cool flick, had me really going for a while.

The Kite Runner (2007)- Thoroghly impressed and moved by this movie! Wonderful storytelling, acting, etc. Gives a more enlightened perspective on the Afgan people than what we see on the news every day. I was moved in an emotional way that will linger for some time I'm sure.

Redboxed -The Book of Eli - Very interesting movie. I really liked it. I like to go into movies with no preconception and an open mind. I had several co-workers comment on this movie only one did not really like it. Interesting concept with a slight twist at the end. I did find it slow in parts, but that really for me did not detract from the movie. 4/5 Well worth a rent.

Regards,

RTROSE

Watched Loosers 2010 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003OCWF6I)
2.2/5
It didn't quite sing.
Umbrella girl.
All ask for in these type of movies is 4 things:
- Stuff blows up.
- Comedic lines are given.
- The characters are great.
- The movie is consistently entertaining.
The Losers has a hard time living up to these standards.
Stuff does blow up, but they don't really have the impact you want.

BasementBob,

You continue to impress me with all the movies you watch. In my circle of friends/co-workers I and the "movie buff" and consistently watch far more movies than they do. I'm afraid though I am far, far, far below the level and breadth of your movie watching experience. I can only aspire to attain such movie watching greatness. Carry on!

Regards,

RTROSE

BTW, FWIW, I completely agree with your 4 requirements for a movie.

You continue to impress me with all the movies you watch. I have to do something while walking on the treadmill.


Watched Eyeborgs (2009) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003HTPI80)
4/5
First 30 seconds: This could be another Robocop meets Philip K. Dick.
Adrean Paul of Highlander fame as a DHS agent, Danny Trejo as a guitar repairman.
24 minutes in: the prophet 007ish, but the cops aren't keystone
Plot seems to make sense, the conspiracy theories seem respectable (given the initial leap of faith), the characters seem real, and the jokes are witty.
The dialog sells the movie. It's got a good pace and more importantly contains a pertinent message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB5YJ28NobQ <- trailer

I have to do something while walking on the treadmill.

You must be one of the fittest guys around then! Could give Lance a "run for his money" on a treadmill. Long live cardio!

Regards,

RTROSE

watched Inception in IMAX on opening day.
5/5

The words genius, perfection and masterpiece do not do this movie justice. Make sure you guys see this one in IMAX, and make sure you are awake and ready to pay attention before going in. This is a thinking man/womans movie, and it delivers. The last time I can remember coming out of a movie theater completely blown away by a movie was over a decade ago after watching the first Matrix. Inception immediately goes into my top 5 movies just as Matrix did back then... (although Matrix's horrible sequels have spoiled the original for me)

Watched 3 older movies over the weekend:

Finally watched Serenity all the way thru
Decent Sci-Fi with good LFE. For me 3/5

FlyBoys Was good years ago on DVD at 47". Great movie in the HT from BR. 4/5

Flight of the Phoenix The later version with Quaid. For me 3.5/5

Watched Repo Men 2010 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG98TG)
3/5
Future men are tasked with repossessing organs from debtors.
As the trailer said, half way through the protagonist gets an artifical organ, and the hunter becomes the hunted.
There's a bit of foreshadowing that makes the ending predictable.

Just finished Season 2 of The Wire.

Terrific. Ready to start 3!

Great show. Very unrated. Also best season was Season 4.

Redboxed -The Book of Eli - Very interesting movie. I really liked it. I like to go into movies with no preconception and an open mind. I had several co-workers comment on this movie only one did not really like it. Interesting concept with a slight twist at the end. I did find it slow in parts, but that really for me did not detract from the movie. 4/5 Well worth a rent.

Regards,

RTROSE

Just watched book of eli as well. Its the first "new" movie ive seen in a while. (been very busy) It was pretty good. Even if its not your style movie it was at least well done. Very cinematic with wide shots and lots of music. I'm a sucker for gary oldman so it was cool seeing him back as a bad guy again.

I'd give it 4/5

Watched Bounty Hunter (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZG9990)
2.9/5
I've never seen a man so happy as he was at 14:20+ (mm:ss) in.

watched Inception in IMAX on opening day.
5/5

The words genius, perfection and masterpiece do not do this movie justice. Make sure you guys see this one in IMAX, and make sure you are awake and ready to pay attention before going in. This is a thinking man/womans movie, and it delivers. The last time I can remember coming out of a movie theater completely blown away by a movie was over a decade ago after watching the first Matrix. Inception immediately goes into my top 5 movies just as Matrix did back then... (although Matrix's horrible sequels have spoiled the original for me)

+1
OMG was this a fantastic movie and experience. 2hrs+22 mins seemed like 5 mins (mimicking the dreamworld layers of the movies, except in reverse!). Boy did I have to think during this movie, things are definetely not spelled out for you.
5/5

Watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My wife had read the trilogy and wanted to see this movie. It is a Swedish film, so we watched it with English dubbing. Surprisingly, the spoken words seemed to match the lips. The story line is phenomenal and very true to the book. I had low expectations of this movie but was pleasantly surprised. Very graphic rape and assault scenes. It will soon be a Hollywood remake. 4/5.


+1. Wow, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was just awesome, highly recommended viewing. I watched it twice this past week, and it will definitely be a BD buy for me... I actually watched the movie 3 different ways, in Swedish with subtitles, with English dub, and English dub WITH English subtitles - it's funny how much different the subtitles and the dub can be when viewing them at the same time! Even though I prefer to watch foreign films in the original language with subs, the Dub for this movie is not bad at all, very well done compared to some dub tracks I have "endured"...

On vacation this week and the whole family went to see - Despicable Me - Excellent, Excellent movie. Very funny and a few tender moments thrown in too. I laughed so hard in parts that I had tears. One of the few movies here lately that the best parts of the movie were in the movie and not in the trailers. There were some good LFE in the movie theater so at home will probably be better yet! Will be definitely getting this on BR when it comes out. The whole family enjoyed even my wife who did not want to go initially. Go see 4.5/5

Regards,

RTROSE

On vacation this week and the whole family went to see - Despicable Me - Excellent, Excellent movie. Very funny and a few tender moments thrown in too. I laughed so hard in parts that I had tears. One of the few movies here lately that the best parts of the movie were in the movie and not in the trailers. There were some good LFE in the movie theater so at home will probably be better yet! Will be definitely getting this on BR when it comes out. The whole family enjoyed even my wife who did not want to go initially. Go see 4.5/5

Regards,

RTROSE

RT,

OK; I'm sold - we're overdue for a funny one, hopefully this weekend.

My wife and I finally got around to finishing the blu-ray TV series "Battlestar Galactica". This was one of the best TV Drama/Sci-Fi series I have ever watched. 5/5

-Don

YES! The new BSG is also my all-time favorite TV show; I definitely had to purchased the BD set when it released... To add to that, I own a little Scion xD hatchback that I have modded up to enter into car shows, and by using a play on the words "Scion" and "Cylon", I have actually created a "Cylon xD" with Cylon-themed mods - I even have a red scanning eye light mounted behind my front grill, and the engine cover has been custom painted with a Cylon Centurion firing his guns at you, along with the slogan "We're not just frakking Toasters anymore"... lol! gotta love it! :p