Recently Viewed Movies Episode 2: The Vampire Bites Back

[Yoda]

Did you have a problem with the shaky cam? It looked like Michael J Fox was filming it for the action parts.

Stanley Tucci was awesome but I feel that the dress katniss had to wear wasn't sexy enough.

[Dice]

Did you have a problem with the shaky cam? It looked like Michael J Fox was filming it for the action parts.

Stanley Tucci was awesome but I feel that the dress katniss had to wear wasn't sexy enough.

I think the shaky cam was a compromise between the teen readership clashing against the kids killing kids idea (the film was rated PG wasn't it??). The shakiest bit was that first two minutes after the match starts anyways.

I thought the flick was pretty damn good.

[Yoda]

there's a japanese movie called battle royale or somesuch that I was supposed to see but I got too drunk and fell down some stairs. Anyway, it's like  hunger games but japanese. worth a try?

[Starmongoose]

I really thought everyone had seen Battle Royale. :P

Battle Royale is better.

[Dice]

I really thought everyone had seen Battle Royale. :P

Battle Royale is better.

I've gotta watch me some Japanese film classics... I guess I get distracted by the one that try to be all anime and then shit happens.

[GrimReality]

Did you have a problem with the shaky cam? It looked like Michael J Fox was filming it for the action parts.

Stanley Tucci was awesome but I feel that the dress katniss had to wear wasn't sexy enough.

No, not really. I expected it. Like Dice, I figured part of it was to dilute the brutality. The movie was PG-13, but could have been R if filmed the way the book tells the story.
Tucci was good, but it took me awhile to get used to him because that's not how I pictured him.
Are you talking about the dress she wore during the interview? Yeah, besides the flames it was kind of bland. The book described it as being breathtaking and radiant. Whatever, it's a minor quibble.
About the Mockingjay pin:

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So why did they change that? Why have her get it from the lady at the market and not Madge, the mayors daughter? Seems like and odd thing to change.

[Raze]

 Watched Pan's Labyrinth. Was hurt a bit as I kept seeing the capitan as, well



But still really good. Was a bit sad at the end when I

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couldn't believe in fairy tails

[Esper_Crusader]

We need to talk about Kevin.  It was a great movie but it was really upsetting. I could talk about a lot of points but I was dreading the end the most. It was heartbreaking.

[Tooker]

About the Mockingjay pin:

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So why did they change that? Why have her get it from the lady at the market and not Madge, the mayors daughter? Seems like and odd thing to change.

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It allowed them to eliminate a character who wasn't otherwise necessary.  This way, she just saw the pin and bought it... or I suppose, it was given to her.  To have it the book's way, they would have had to introduce the mayor, the mayor's daughter, tell you why she'd give her the pin, give background on the significance of the pin...

I agree with the comment about it being a good companion.  I've read the book, my wife hasn't, and there were a few times where she said things like "this makes no sense!"  I'd have to pause the movie and tell her the stuff from the book that they left out.

[Dice]

I totally sympathize with films when they decide to "leave things out".  Hunger Games already hit 2.5 hours, introducing minor characters like the Mayor's daughter would have probably asked questions from the viewers who hadn't read the book (ie; putting that much screen time for... no one really).

Grim: I didn't find it rushed, but I'm still in the middle of the first book.  But, well, I think that's just one of the unfortunate "side effects" of reading the book first.  It *always* takes longer to read a book and they're much more liberal with details where a movie cannot afford to be.

Oh.  Anyways.
I watched Kelly's Heroes!![/s]
Awesome movie.  The basic plot and the money shot plus wonderful performances made it a lot of fun for a war-based flick.  Movies today love dramatic twist endings, I'm glad this one didn't bother, it was a perfectly pleasing ending where technically even the enemy got away happy.

[Ashtrot]

Watched Expendables 2. It was awesome.

[GrimReality]

Watched Expendables 2. It was awesome.

Wow, Ash, I wouldn't have guessed that you would be in the audience for that movie. Interesting. I have yet to even see the first one, so I can't comment.

Hunger Games: Yeah, I figured they did that just to avoid adding another character to the pack, but it was still weird.
i.e. my "rushed" comment:

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It's simply because they had so much to cover. Like how in the book Katniss finding water was a big part of the story. In the movie, it happens super quick. Then we have a big, fancy send off to a character(Rue) that we hardly even got to know. The relationship between her and Katniss was barely even established. Then there's the last fight. In the book, Kato has some type of fancy armor on, and when he falls down, he isn't killed right away. Katniss DOES finally do it, but there is a distinct passage of time. In the movie it all happens in seconds.

Of course, I understand why they did all this, but it still bothered me. Which is why it makes the perfect companion, not replacement.


Tokyo Story - For a film that started slow, and pretty much put me to sleep in the first hour, it sure brought it all back around in the second half. Which, in turn, makes the first half not as bland as it appears to be.
We have a simple story of an elderly couple from a smaller outlying village going to visit their children in Tokyo. We find out what all the children(who are all grown adults with lives of their own now) do for a living, and how they handle having their parents in town.
The parents are basically stand ins for all of our parents. Sure, this is a story that takes place in Japan, but it could be happening anywhere in the world. It's a human story, not a geographical one.
The whole story has a tinge of melancholy to it. The parents realize that their children have gone on living without them, and have very busy lives, which makes them feel almost intrusive.
Eventually, there is a tragedy that occurs, which brings them all together. I could not help but think of my own life and family, with our own tragedies, during these sequences. It really hammers home how, at the core of it, we all want the same things. A family that is there for each other when it matters, being one of those things.
This really is a sweet story, and a movie that I would recommend, but you must have patience. It starts slow and stays there. But as long as you are human, there is something here for you to relate to.

[Ashtrot]

Well, Grim, I still love explosions, guns, and brutal hand to hand fights as much as the next guy. Plus, these are actors who were in movies I was raised on: Die Hard, Rocky, Rambo, Total Recall, Hero, etc. Looking around the theater, it was mainly guys around my age watching this movie and chuckling at the self-mocking jokes and meta humor.

[GrimReality]

I was raised on all the those guys and their movies, too. I can't say I have any interest in seeing their old asses in a modern day action flik, though.
I still love action movies and explosions. I just prefer they be accompanied by a decent story and characters, too. Too bad this is so hard to come by nowadays(or ever?).


Hanzo the Razor: The Sword of Justice - What the hell was this?! I was expecting a fun, sword-fighting movie, and I got some crazy samurai who uses his tortured(literally! He subjects it to all sorts of pain)  phallus to "interrogate" females into giving up the information he needs to catch the "bad guys". It's just off the wall goofy. The story itself is pretty incoherent, so I can't really go into whether it was good or not.
I suppose, on the whole, it was mildly amusing. It's sure as hell nowhere near a good movie, though.

[Dice]

Well, Grim, I still love explosions, guns, and brutal hand to hand fights as much as the next guy. Plus, these are actors who were in movies I was raised on: Die Hard, Rocky, Rambo, Total Recall, Hero, etc. Looking around the theater, it was mainly guys around my age watching this movie and chuckling at the self-mocking jokes and meta humor.

Haha, even if it is a completely transparent film, it's an obvious catch to get the biggest actions stars of the last 2-3 decades (because honestly, it feels like it's all super heroes these days) -- but the point is it's just awesome, grilling entertainment.

I've been on a bit on an animated movie kick; so bear with me:

Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas
Brad Pitt is a great actor, but not much of a voice actor.  *Stunning* and fluid animation, and the 2D/3D mix is pretty nice.  Great music (the theme song is amazing), surprisingly good romance, amusing action, great fun.  Catherine Zeta Jones' voice is hot.  She can't do wrong.

Beauty and the Beast
I watched a version that had a song that was cut from the original -- it should have stayed cut.  I think this Disney classic is *nearly perfect*, but honestly the whole anthropomorphic household items kind of take away from the more majestic side of the story by being silly.  That fucken castle must have had a population of 50k if every goddamn fork, knife, and spoon were made into things.  Some of the film's elements are really childish, it works for the audience, but has me trouble taking seriously any actual serious moments.  Still, I think the music and that prologue is out of this world.  Belle looks better with her hair down.

Anastasia
I like Don Bluth!  I love Secret of the NIPH quite a bit, gets me nostalgic (which reminds me to scout Finding Nemo).  Anyways, like how Sinbad was an alright combo of 2D and 3D, this one isn't.  It's awkward. Meg Ryan has a terribly uncharming voice, and it's weird saying John Cusack did better...  But the movie is pretty good.  The plot is kind of hilarious given the "alternate reality" of sorts it is.  The Grand Duchess Anastasia was confirmed dead 2 years (IIRC) after the siege on her family; and even if it wasn't known back in 1997, there was little evidence still that she was actually alive.  Great animation, looks like rotoscoping... which reminds me...

Pocahontas
I was really happy this one didn't make the animals talk, and it was only two (the bird and racoon) instead of the entire goddamn forest of furry pals.  Poca HAS to be one of the prettiest Disney "princesses", certainly one of the most realistically drawn (which, IIRC, IS indeed rotoscoping, she looks to perfect not to be). Yeah, the history has been botched, but most of Hollywood is the story of the film and the related-people who hate it.  Christian Bale in a really early role here, I didn't even realize it was him!

We Need to Talk About Kevin
Somewhat confusing, and I totally sympathize with Eva (but I can't imagine how torn she was -- or what it's like to be a parent and have to constantly question if she loves or hates her son).  I do wish she had the she-balls to slap Kev every so often for being a constant and living tumor. Actually, that has to be the one thing that bugged me, I don't recall *ANY* sort of punishment come his way for the awful things he grew up doing, Eva just never really knew what to do.  I did get the impression he felt vulnerable in the end, I suppose he may understand the gravity of his actions by the end -- but there's no denying he was a sociopath from day 1.  But I guess parental love is weird like that (and well, they had another kid, I'm guessing because she really needed one to relate with). I was confused on some details, the "eye injury" was vague but I think I understood, and some of the motives for the "grand finale" are obscure.  But it was definitely an excellent film, and really amazing combination of horror and drama and definitely leaves you thinking on it.  John C Riley is totally underused as a dramatic actor (I guess that somewhat goofy mug of his doesn't help), so I was super happy to see him here.
Only question lingering: who on earth allowed Kev to wear shirts that were a Kids Large? You also see him shirtless enough to wonder why he's shirtless.
Anyways, I'm just gonna leave this here:


Catch and Release
Disappointing.  A shame because there really is a TON of potential for a plot like this (fiancee husband left secrets behind just before he died, and almost-wifey find them out) but it doesn't play out; the character development sucks ass (which can potentially be excused if their "character growth" was better), and the romance didn't feel inspired. Kevin Smith surprisingly did alright for a full acting job.

Sin City
I didn't even plan on watching this, I was just testing a stereo system.  But goddamn, this movie casts a spell on you as soon as you turn it on. The strong narrative and excellent characters help you look passed the almost draining about of filth and grunge of the city and some of its inhabitants. If you haven't watched it, do it, if you have, watch it again because it's definitely worth it.

Tokyo Godfathers (RIP Satoshi Kon), Secret of Kells (Look at this trailer, JUST LOOK AT IT, tell me you wouldn't want a game to look like this, I can't IMAGINE how it missed my radar), and the Iron Giant are next.