What's the last movie you watched? 2013 Edition

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Loerwyn

Loerwyn

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Thought it was about time we had this. I've watched 3 so far this year, I think.

The Princess Bride
First time I've seen this, and I loved it. Wasn't perhaps as well-acted as I'd hoped, but it all worked together to create a great film, and I can see why it's still a popular film. Will need to turn the volume up next time, though, as some actors - particularly André the Giant - are either hard to understand or very quiet.

The NeverEnding Story
what. what. what. why. whyyyyyyyyy. It's soooooooooooo bad, although in a slightly good way. But I had to push myself through it. And it was kinda creepy.

Sucker Punch
I've heard this film is supposed to be satire. Is it? If so, it completely fails in that objective. Actually, it fails in every regard. Visual design, audio design, special effects, plot, etc etc. It's terrible. I have never seen such a boring action film. And, really, clockwork zombie Nazis? REALLY?!
 
Seen a few over the break:

Skyfall
The latest Bond movie was quite good - better than Quantum of Solace but still doesn't touch Casino Royale. Sam Mendes does a good job as director with the story very much linking to 'the old ways'.

Dredd
This was better than expected, even with pretty much the whole movie set in a building. Some nice tricks and kills throughout by Dredd kept the action going well.

Flight
The latest "thriller" starring Denzel Washington is more of a drama, but still a good one. A bit of a far fetched landing at the start but the acting is excellent by the lead as a top pilot struggling with alcoholism.

Killing Them Softly
A dark criminal thriller that was above average but not great, a little slow with maybe too much dialogue.

Kon-Tiki
Another surprise in this Norwegian-made movie based on the true events of Thor Heyeldal's raft journey across the Pacific. Excellent cinematography and an engaging story.

Zero Dark Thirty
Katheryn Bigelow's (Hurt Locker) latest based on the events leading up to and including the capture of Bin Laden. No matter what your thoughts are on the why's and the justifications, this is a very well done movie and keeps you hooked for the 2.5 hours.
 
I made this mistake of rewatching THE NEVERENDING STORY as well, i loved this movie as a kid, then rewatched it now (20+ years later) and yes it is downright bad. Oh well, I will never make this mistake about, i will leave my beloved childhood movies in nice warm fuzzy section of my mind and not rewatch them.


Skyfall
Fantastic movie, a throw back to the original bond movie really. Javier Bardem steals the show, easily the best bond villain.

Troll Hunter
A Norwegian monster movie about a man who keeps the trolls at bay, deep in the Norwegian wilderness. It is done in a mockumentary format and i found it very good. If you are looking for a good monster movie and dont mind subtitles, this is it. Like alot of foreign films (especially from Europe) the ending is "meh" but still very good.
 
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AT THE EARTHS CORE

Enjoyable bonkers romp with Peter Cushing as a Victorian scientist travelling with Doug McClure on 'the iron mole' to the earth's core. Worth watching for the mental looking prehistoric birds who pass instructions telepathically to gaurds who have enslaved the locals [ one of whom is Caroline Munro, nice! ].


THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN

My 2nd Peter Cushing of the weekend and the film that finally put hammer horror on the map. IMO it's an absolute classic. Watched it again with the very insightful commentary by 2 hammer historians.
 
Recently watched Kidulthood and Adulthood back to back. Very relatable for me as I live on a council estate in London and have some nieces/nephews who lives seem to parallel some of the characters in the films.
Kidulthood shows the blatent lack of respect the characters have for pretty much everyone around them (including themselves) and how they behave without conscience or thought of consequences for their actions.
Adulthood is set 6 years later and shows the kids (now grown up) living with the mistakes and inevitable consequences of their actions from the first film.
I have to give major kudos to Noel Clarke who wrote and starred in both and also directed Adulthood.
 
Dredd
Wasn't particularly impressed, to be honest. Which is a shame because I was really, really looking forward to it.

Ratatouille
I've seen this two or three times now, and I still love it. One of Pixar's better films, I think. I'd rank it higher than Brave, perhaps.

A Cat In Paris
French animated film which was given a boringly generic title for its English release (I believe the French title is Une Vive de Chat or something similar - it's sat on my shelf next to another translated French film called, um, A Monster in Paris), and it's pretty short at just an hour long. But it's got some beautiful animation and it feels like a comic that's come to life. The voice acting is really good in French (even though I could only understand little snippets - but nothing stood out as bad), and it's got a nice story that twists and turns but never leaves you confused. Enjoyable.

The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists
Still not worked out the grammar of the title... Either way, it's an Aardman film. About pirates. And scientists. And a monkey that communicates with flashcards. Worth it for the sequence set to Tenpole Tudor's Swords of a Thousand Men alone. But it's full of little jokes that you can easily miss, and the animation is incredibly smooth and clean. A very, very good film, and I would think it's pretty clean to watch with the kids - well, it's a U so it must be.
 
Mulan 2
It's a direct sequel to Mulan, and it might work best if viewed straight after the first. But it's a good sequel, even if it doesn't reach the same heights. It's toned down a lot, both in terms of action sequences (there aren't many) and the songs, yet it still manages to work really well. It's less about a plot and more about the interactions between characters. I think it's a little obvious about things, stopping short of standing there and screaming things at you, but that obviousness does remove any real element of surprise.

But Mulan herself does still kick butt, and she's a pretty dang good character.
 
ParaNorman
I was really excited about this film for two reasons - Vera Brosgol (creator of Anya's Ghost, one of my favourite graphic novels) who works for Laika as a storyboard artist, and Guy Davis (another comic artist who's worked on many different titles, including B.P.R.D. and Sandman Mystery Theatre) - and then I found out a character detail (which I won't spoil as it's excellently done) which made me even more excited.

And then my interest waned. And then it waxed again. And then I saw the price in the supermarket and was like HOW MUCH?! but I bought it anyway. And I'm glad I did.

It's a really good film from Laika. It's not quite as well paced nor as interesting as Coraline, but it still works really well. Their animation techniques seem to have gotten smoother and they've really gone all-out on the effects (many of which are actually still done without relying entirely on computer aid!), and it just is an enjoyable watch.

And there's a revelation right near the end that is so amazingly done that you just have to see it yourself.
 
If memory serves correctly...

Super 8: Had some interesting moments, but generally formulaic and predictable. Worth a viewing, but nothing too special.

Doomsday Book (no relation to the novel by Connie Willis): Generally good and interesting, and the second story in particular was absolutely brilliant. Loved it.

Pleasantville: One of my personal favorites. Every single time I see this film, my brain overloads, or feels like it does.

Strange Days: Another one of my personal favorites. Probably the best thing James Cameron was ever involved with, which to some people would still be a bad thing, but this film is genuinely great.

Southland Tales: Another personal favorite. One of the most underrated films I've ever seen. Don't let any confusion ruin it for you, dig into it and you'll be rewarded.

What I hope to see next: Code 46
 
The wife and I watched Maneater the other night. It turns out to be a Lifetime mini-series so wasn't all that thrilled to watch it. We also watched The Hunter with Willem Defoe, amazing cinematography and a decent story if only it were a tad longer it would have been even better. Definitely going to order his ruck sack as soon as I can. Have Looper coming tomorrow, or so says Netflix.
 
Watched Looper for the first time tonight. I missed it between living in Korea and then spending a few months in the Philippines. I thought it was really good, but didn't quite live up to the hype.

A lot of people were saying it was the best time travel movie in a long time. I won't disagree but I didn't find anything that made it better than other time travel movies that I have seen before.

Overall, I was entertained which is what I want in my movies.
 
13 Assassins.

Actually I was a bit disappointed. Sometimes this kind of film loses impact due to the language/culture difference. However, unlike Seven Samurai I didn't get any sense of tragedy or loss as the film moves to it's climax.
 
Cool Runnings
Rather bizarre film in that it's a bunch of Americans playing Jamaicans. Okay. But it's a really good feel-good movie that's fun to watch, and there's some genuine messages there.

Ultramarines
Second time I've watched this. Second time I've not been overly impressed. Low budget CGI is just a no-no.
 
Conan the Barbarian
The new one with Jason Momoa. Emperor's arse, it's boring. It's bad. Really, really bad. Almost Sucker Punch bad.
 
Loerwyn said:
Conan the Barbarian
The new one with Jason Momoa. Emperor's arse, it's boring. It's bad. Really, really bad. Almost Sucker Punch bad.
Click to expand...

LOL agree, its BAD, BAD like spreading expired mayo on your sandwich without knowing you did it until its too late...............anyhow its BAD!!
 
So from bad we go to Ironclad

Whilst it takes numerous liberties and some bizarre decisions (e.g. the Danes speaking Hungarian), it's a pretty damn good film once it "clicks" for you. It's violent, relentless and it sucks you in. Some excellent acting, though I think it may have been better with more English/British actors for authenticity, and really I did just enjoy it.
 
I've broken my own promises and went to watch another Tarantino movie (I'm usually disgusted with his sick penchant for ultra violence) , but I love westerns and so: Django Unchained. It went quite well: good story, great cast, damn good soundtrack, but then it happened again ... fool me twice :(

Back home I needed something to pick me up, so I rewatched a Nick and Nora caper : After The Thin Man, or the sequel that is better than the original. Incredible modern dialogue for a 1936 movie, fool of risky innuendo and physical comedy. Myrna Loy and William Powell were in top form, and there's a very young Jimmy Stewart in a key role.
 
algernoninc said:
I've broken my own promises and went to watch another Tarantino movie (I'm usually disgusted with his sick penchant for ultra violence) , but I love westerns and so: Django Unchained. It went quite well: good story, great cast, damn good soundtrack, but then it happened again ... fool me twice :(
Click to expand...
Well, I have to say that was entirely your own fault ;)
 
X-Men First Class - Epic Awesomeness. Wow I loved it.

Could not agree more on the Conan sentiments above. It was soooooo bad.
 
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