Now Showing - What We Watched - Page 215

Very Encouraging!

Although we watched it in the cinema originally - looking forward to catching it on our own system (hopefully tonight?)

Watched Battle of Algiers (1966)
3.1/5 (amazon 4.7/5, imdb 8.3/10, rotten tomatoes 99%)
Not for kids.

The Battle of Algiers is a 1966 urban terorist film based on occurrences during the Algerian War (1954–62) against French colonial occupation in North Africa, the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers. The film has been critically celebrated and often taken, by insurgent groups and states alike, as an important commentary on urban guerilla warfare. Algeria was eventually liberated from the French, but Pontecorvo relegates that to an epilogue. He concentrates instead on the years between 1954 and 1957 when the freedom fighters regrouped and expanded into the casbah, only to face a systematic attempt by French paratroopers to wipe them out. His highly dramatic film is about the organisation of a guerrilla movement and the methods used to decimate it by the colonial power. It's use of black and white film, documentary style look, non-professional actors, music, and realism make this a legendary film experience.

The commentary disk includes "A case study: a video piece featuring US counter terrorism experts" where they describe the difference between tactics (present and worked) and strategy (abscent and didn't).

The parallels to today's world are unsettling. You've all heard "those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

" It is not only one of the greatest movies about conflict, it is one of the best movies about political conflict. As for taking sides, Pontecorvo doesn't. He doesn't even have a designated hero. He's following a "collective protagonist" on the Algerian side and the power of France --- personified by Colonel Mathieu, who was a Resistance fighter during World War II --- on the other. Battle of Algiers is a hugely controversial film. When it was released in 1967, it was widely honored --- it won the Grand Prize at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay (Gillo Pontecorvo and Franco Solinas), Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film. It was also banned for years in France after some theaters showing it were bombed. For a decade or so, it was shown --- with noisy projectors and sheets for screens --- in the Middle East as a training film for insurgents. And in 2003, the Directorate for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict at the Pentagon screened the film as a possible scenario of what American troops might face in Iraq."

Finally watched Limitless.

Although it will never get mentioned in any "greatest movie" conversation, I really enjoyed it. Very good LFE and surround sound as well as some over-the-top visual special effects. Like most movies, I think it could have been edited a little better but overall it is exactly the kind of popcorn flick that I want to see in my home theater. I give it a 4/5.

Been home the last couple of day with a stomach bug, so thought it a good time to watch a couple of movies. Watched Hanna today on BR. This was a very good movie. Lot's of action and some very cool fight sequences, but it had some depth to it as well. This one will be purchased. 4/5.

Also watched V for Vendetta.....again. One of my all time faves and good for at least one viewing a year. Plus had to fire up the HD-DVD player and see if it still worked. A solid 5/5 if there ever was one.

watched xmen first class - i was underwhelmed - not a bad movie but not as good as xmen o or wolverine

Wolverine, as in X Men Origins Wolverine?

Thor - Netflix DVD- Well to say that I was less than impressed is an understatement. I watched about 35 minutes shut it off and then came back and watched the rest of the movie. There really was nothing about this movie that was "stand out". The tempo of the movie was all over the place, it did not flow very well and the story to me seemed forced as did the acting er ah should I say overacting. The one cool monster/robot scene was pretty good but seemed out of place with the rest of the movie and could have been "bigger" but missed the mark as did the entire movie. Time that I will never get back. 2/5

Regards,

RTROSE

correct - i liked that one

I've decided that I'm going to adjust my standards. In any given year I hand out 2-4 Four star reviews. Five stars don't even happen annually for me. I'm not going to change Hollywood. Instead of setting myself up for disappointment, I'm going to bend a bit. So, if you guys don't notice a more positive flavor to my reviews, hold me to it.

Waiting on Superman- Although I had read all the wonderful reviews, I was never quite in the mood for a documentary on the school system. I shouldn't have waited. Very well done. We were brought to tears. When is the last time you heard THAT for a documentary!?!?

Transformers 3- It was fun. I'll give it that. But neither of the sequels have come half as close to the mark that the original set. The original, for me, is a top10 all time for Summer blockbusters. I can't figure what the story was they were trying to tell in this one. It was just one big excuse to show robots fighting, and that they did in a BIG way. It was an audio spectacular! Possibly the best use of surrounds I've heard yet. I recommend it if you have kids in the room and a big bowl of popcorn. Oh, and aren't sleepy.

Purchased and watched The Frighteners on Blu-ray (15th Anniversary Edition) by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. I missed this when it was in theaters but saw it when it came out on VHS and loved it. Still have great affection for it - an unconventional film that switches tone between horror and comedy. Probably one of those love it or hate it kind of things for most people. This is Peter Jackson and Weta testing the CGI waters just a few years before embarking on the LOTR trilogy. There are hours and hours of extras including Jackson's commentary track, all of which I believe were lifted from the laserdisc release, but are all the more interesting in hindsight.

The film alone is worth checking out by itself. The transfer to Blu-ray is wonderful. Michael J Fox totally inhabits the lead character, Frank Bannister. Jeffrey Combs absolutely kills as FBI agent Milton Dammers (for me, his best role). R. Lee Ermey also puts in a hilarious cameo as a ghost drill instructor. There are a number of other notable and recognizable actors rounding out the cast (watch out for Anthony Ray Parker, "Dozer" from "The Matrix.").

By no means a perfect film but one that is entertaining if you're open to its tone shifts and willing to give it a chance. R rated for language and violence but not at all explicit except for an exploding CGI head.

Tony - I agree on the Transformers 3. I watched both X-men First Class and TF3 this weekend. I personally would not run out and purchase either one. X-Men was a big disappointment for me. Audio is only 5.1 DTS but had some very good moments as far as audio goes. Story was terrible - it only filled in some blank spots that the other X-men had not already gone over.

If I had to choose between the two I would go with TF3. Audio and Video was excellent. Story as Tony123 has mentioned was not existent. But it did come in 7.1TrueHD. I could see buying this one for no other reason that a good demo Blu ray.

I do agree that the original Transformers is definitely in the top 10 of summer blockbusters and the two follow up installments have fallen way short on story. There is just something that the original captures that is lost in the last two.

I will say again though that TF3 is a "must own" for those that want content that "shows off" their system. It most definitely is Eye and Ear candy.

Tony,

I will have to watch Waiting for Superman. You and I are very close in our film assessments so I'm looking forward to watching it. I also like documentaries so I guess it is a double threat.

Regards,

RTROSE

Fast Five - Blockbuster blu-ray Had expectations for this film because of the return of Vin Diesel and addition of The Rock and it did not disappoint at all. Loved it!!! The car sequences in this movie, especially the climax were tremendous. Some of the best I have ever seen. Sure some of the acting was meh, but a highly enjoyable summer popcorn flick. Will definitely be buying this one sometime for the collection. Great on the sound system. 4/5

We watched The Lion King on Blu-ray today. Fantastic picture quality--this movie is beautiful and looks wonderful in HD. The audio was top-notch as well. The songs sound great, the music is awesome, and the wildebeest stampede scene really pushes the low-end! I've enjoyed this movie since it came out in '94, and our two-year old son LOVED the animals and music!

5 stars for sure.

Watched Green Lantern
3.5/5 (amazon 3.3/5 all over the map, imdb 6.1/10, rotten tomatoes 27%)
I watched the extended cut, and it was a pleasant time.
It is in a way a rerun of the cartoon version that came out earlier this year, once again giving the backstory. The ring exchange from Abin Sur to Hal is missing heart -- this wasn't an exchange he'd tell everyone about over the next three decades. The subsequent lantern corps training seemed a little thin too, although they got the right characters.
They didn't show the lanterns being charged by the Oa battery.
I think they tried to turn it into a personal growth movie, when really that's for younger heroes, and in doing so they took something from Hal Jordon.
The special effects, especially the ring use, look right.
If the girlfriend was there to play ambivalence, then she pulled that off pretty well -- I don't remember a girlfriend from the comic book. Blake Lively is much prettier as a brunette than a blonde in my opinion.
What they did in the movie with Parallax can not be integrated with the comic book history.
The guardians having glass helmets and perched upon individual towers was a bit off.
Lots of plot holes, that I'll bet if they'd been done in the comic book would have been sent back for a re-write.
I rather liked the CGI, including most of Oa (Guardian home planet), YMMV. I didn't mind the CGI suit and mask as much as some did.
I thought that each of the 3600 sectors of the universe were covered by a Green Lantern pair, rather than solo.
The film quotes the oath correctly, although the introduction to the oath was an attempt at humor I didn't find satisfying.
It took me a while to recognize the voice of Abin Sur as Star Wars' Jango Fett ("father" of Boba Fett).

Thanks for the review Bob. GL was always a favorite of mine, I've had the movie at home for a few weeks but I've been too afraid to hit the play button. At this point my expectations are set so low for the movie that it will have to exceed them.

Something Borrowed- Finally, a chick flick with some meat! This was a very enjoyable film! Fine acting, fine writing. A movie you can sink your teeth into. The love story element was believable and one I actually became invested in. But beyond that were strong themes that went beyond most romance movies....most dramatic films too for that matter. Just enough humor thrown in the mix and for the first time in too long, tastefully done romance scenes!!!! I had a few small nitpicks about the ending, but I'm going to give this one a solid 4 of 5 measured against all genres. A 5 of 5 within its genre. Finally, a report that's a pleasure to give.

I had a pleasant time.

But for people who've read a lot of Green Lantern, it'll be a little like J. J. Abrams's Star Trek (movie, May 8 2009) with the alternate timeline. The names are the same, but it's a little impure.

Watched Zookeeper (2011)
1/5 (amazon 3.8/5, imdb 4.7/10, rotten tomatoes 13%)
A group of zoo animals decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zoo keeper (Kevin James) find love.
Just say no.

We were planning to get Zookeeper for the kids tonight.... Could you imagine a six year old enjoying it?

It says it's for "Ages 10 and older".

I suspect you should google for other opinions than mine. Rumor has it that I'm older than 6.
The Rotten Tomatoes review perhaps.

I did get through it in a single sitting, but only with lots of internet surfing during the film without pausing the film.

The plot is teenager (dude choosing between gal he has a crush on that is no good, vs gal that is good for him that he barely noticed),
staring adults (Keven James is what, 45 years old, born in 1965),
with poop joke humor for 10 year olds.

Each animal tries to teach a zookeeper how they attract a mate (gorillas teach him to walk with his hands over his head and go oop oop oop, dogs teach him to urinate on trees or in bars, etc), as if a zookeeper or anyone else for that matter might not have heard these things.

The gorilla has an insecurity complex because a small human pokes him with a pointy stick. Traditional wisdom, outside of this film, is if you poke a silverback with a pointy stick, your head and lungs are going to be in different time zones. (Think "Gorillas in the mist" with "I've never been so submissive in my life."--photographer Bob Campbell)

It cost $80 million to make, and has earned $79 million gross thus far.

Watched Bad Teacher (2011)
2.9/5 (amazon 3.2/5, imdb 5.8/10, rotten tomatoes 45%)

I can easily say I enjoyed this a lot more than zookeeper. I don't have anyone in my family or friend's families I could show this too (although several might watch it on their own and never admit it), although I do know one gal who's morally-challenged who would enjoy this.

I think there are a lot of parallels in this to Bad Santa. Evil, disgusting characters, with a hint of almost redeeming goodness from time to time. (I'm not particularly fond of Bad Santa.)

Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a foulmouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate teacher. She drinks, gets high, and can’t wait to marry a meal ticket to get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her sights on a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) while shrugging off the advances of the school gym teacher (Jason Segel). The consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, coworkers -- well it's no Ferris Bueler's Day Off. Too often, it toes the bad-taste line, when it could be jumping over it with a rocket cycle.

I remember a scene near the end of Body Double 1984 where a stunt chest is brought in for a shower scene and the director says to the actress that she's going to be really popular after this movie. In Bad Teacher, Justin Timberlake I think is trying for exactly the opposite -- I imagine his career will take off like O.J. Simpson's movie career. Hmm, I didn't notice that Justin was Boo Boo in Jogi Bear.

The redhead cheerful teacher across the hall (a very funny Lucy Punch as Miss Amy Squirrel) is very well done. The principal is very appropriately played for this movie, although somewhat a straight man. Cameron Diaz's acting is on a par with her second Charlie's Angels movie. The ending was predictable, but the anecdotes on the way there were, well they had their moments. Not great writing, but better than average writing, with several original ideas that saved the film. The kids were all great actors.

Cost $20 million to make, and grossed $100 million in theaters thus far.
It seems it's most popular with high school students (here).

Released roughly the same time as "Horrible Bosses" -- I'm beginning to suspect that movie studios do polls to find out what movie goers want to see, and thus we end up with similar plots in similar years.

Watched Captain America The First Avenger (2011)
4.4/5 (amazon 4/5, imdb 7.2/10, rotten tomatoes 78%)

Really good. Captain America seemed right.

The CGI reminded me a bit of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"

Nick Fury appears both immediately before and immediately after the end credits.

Don't forget that Captain America is in an alternate WWII timeline with Hydra (Red Skull) being part of the WWII battles.

The plot has some similarities to Captain America (1990), except as I recall in that one when he awakes he actually meets his hundred-year-old girlfriend.

"Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer" is in the extra features, and was amusing. Clark Gregg returns as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson.

There's a bit of a scandal around the rotten tomatoes score. Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Warner Brothers (obvious compeditors of Paramount Studios), and apparently they've been a fiddling.

Came across this site this morning! Looks like it should be very helpful.

http://www.decentfilms.com/

Wow. They really didn't like Zookeeper.

They did like Captain America though.

All their reviews seem heavy on spoilers.

hahahaha...no, they didn't. We skipped it based on your review. Look at their search feature, it's more powerful than most.

Well with my nephews 3 and 8, and my MIL (age withheld) coming over last night for a visit I risked the Zookeeper movie. With all the negative (and I just read the review linked, OUCH) input I thought that for the age group involved it would be worth the risk and it was REDBOX. Well while this movie won't win any academy awards, I did find it funny in parts and it was not horrific, it was enjoyable and I did not finish it thinking "boy that is time I will never get back". I will admit though that a lot of my enjoyment came watching the reaction of my nephews. In the long run that is what movies are all about, sharing experiences with family and friends.

So I guess that with this movie YMMV quite a bit. While I would not buy it, I don't think it was a complete waste. 2.75/5, maybe 3/5 for the movie 4.5/5 for the experience of laughing at my nephews so hard I cried!

Regards,

RTROSE

Thanks RT. It's back on my list. Who'd a thunk it, Zookeeper is the most discussed movie here lately. LOL

Watched Red State (2011, Keven Smith)
2/5 (amazon 3.9/5, imdb 6.4/10, rotten tomatoes 56%)
Can't say I enjoyed it.
It's billed as an indie horror film, but it's more of a bizarre societal commentary.
Not one moral character in the movie, and barely anyone recognizable as a human being.
Red State is a slog, a goading, ham-handed affair that’s excruciatingly convinced of its own cultural relevance.

Quentin Tarantino screened Red State and loved it.

Another review

Hey that is a pretty good site. I think at one time I had plugged (no pun intended) Plugged in Online. http://www.pluggedin.com/ This is a pretty good review site as well and is especially good at breaking down a film into positive and negative elements and they also have a pretty good count on curse words, which ones and how many. I find that really useful when looking for family friendly movies.

Regards,

RTROSE

Oh, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Captain America as the reviews seem to paint it in a pretty good light, as well as BasementBob