Rate the Last Movie You Watched

[Manticore]

Originally Posted by Wail of Suicide

The first book has basically no political commentary.
Although the government of Panem is presented as evil, there are essentially no evil or unsympathetic characters in the book. Even the people who are government tools are presented favorably just because of their support for the main character (despite collaborating with the government in conducting the games).

If you wanted to read a political commentary into the book it'd probably have to be something extremely cynical like, "Teen girls don't care that their private fashion designers just sent them off to be killed, as long as they looked beautiful!"

The world building in the book is incredibly weak. It's said at one point that the population of District 12 is around 8000 people. If we assume it's not unusually large or small (it's never mentioned that it's exceptional in that respect), then the whole nation of Panem is looking at around 100,000 people. What happened to all the people? What happened to all the ruins of North America that surely would be left behind? Why is coal an important industry (and how can a miniscule town supply enough for all these people) when Panem has technology far in advance of our modern day?

Thanks for the heads-up on the book....... I probably won't be reading it.

[Al]

Troy - 9/10

[Tux Android]

Valentine's Day (19 casts, 2010) and New Year's Eve (18 casts, 2011)
Both of them are less enthusiastic, mediocre and overrated with the number of casts above and the director Garry Marshall. So the drama/romance in a special treatment.
Both movies graded 'C'.

[NeoNite]

Re-animator: 8.5/10

Definitely my type of horror movie. Especially because of the sillyness, weird humour. Good casting as well. The guy playing Herbert west was perfect for the role. This is what a good horror movie should be like. Been wanting to see this movie for ages though...
Loved the cat scene.

[Sir_Brizz]

Originally Posted by Wail of Suicide

The world building in the book is incredibly weak. It's said at one point that the population of District 12 is around 8000 people. If we assume it's not unusually large or small (it's never mentioned that it's exceptional in that respect), then the whole nation of Panem is looking at around 100,000 people.

I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in one of the books that District 12 is one of the smallest districts.

What happened to all the people? What happened to all the ruins of North America that surely would be left behind?

Well, obviously that is never explained. There is no telling how long it has been since whatever happened or what it was. It's obvious, though, that the Capitol tightly controls the people so they probably cleared out the districts of any ruins or anything else long ago.

Why is coal an important industry (and how can a miniscule town supply enough for all these people) when Panem has technology far in advance of our modern day?

The Capitol uses technology as a means of control, though. It's obvious in the books that especially the districts further out from the Capitol don't have much if anything in the way of technology. The coal is probably taken to the other districts and used for heating. Keeping the people on the brink of poverty is just another form of control.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the books when I read them, and, having read the books, I really enjoyed the movie. Probably a 9/10 for me. It was pretty obvious, though, that you would miss quite a bit in the movie without having read the books.

[Wail of Suicide]

Originally Posted by Sir_Brizz

I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in one of the books that District 12 is one of the smallest districts.

That's a possibility. I've only read the first book thus far. I could've missed something contrary but I doubt it.

And Brizz, the whole point of criticizing the world building is that the book itself barely offers anything to address questions the reader might have on why the world is as it's presented. Obviously you can make up your own justifications.

[Manticore]

Nemesis Game-3/10

A truly stupid story that makes an attempt to be clever and achieves nothing... particularly in the area of being entertaining. Basically a weak and stupid premise that is badly scripted; and that's all there is to it.

The hair and make-up on this flick were horrible, pathetic and just about as awful to look at as you possibly imagine ..............

[Manticore]

Samson and Delilah-8/10

Because this is a love story set in the context of the plight of the indigenous people of Australia it is not a pleasant film.

It is very well done but, if you want to be entertained and not confronted, watch something else.

[Lruce Bee]

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol - 5/10
Another franchise that's lost it's mojo - Tom Cruise really starting to look his age now in a done by the numbers spy thriller that's all been seen before and doesn't do any favours for the genre in any way - Simom Pegg is unbelievably mis-cast in this film + he's just really, really irritating. Time to put this one to bed I think.

The Warriors Way - 6/10 - basically, an oddball mixture of Ninja Assasin and High Plains Drifter - some nice surreal art direction is all this film has going for it - I just wish they'd kept up with mystical look and feel to the sword fighting they had in the first 10 minutes of the film - it all goes downhill after that unfortunately.

Hugo - 6/10 Young kid loses clockmaker father, somehow manages to carve out an existence as an orphan thief whilst maintaining the train station clock in Paris and attempting to rebuild/fix a clockwork version of Bicentenial Man - not a french person in sight.

The Immortals - 1/10 - a film that tries to capitalise and about a billion other moves, most notably, 300 and Troy.
Fails miserably in every area - avoid at all costs.

Primal Fear - 7/10 - the film that launched Edward Norton's career and for good reason, he plays an awesome roll as a clever manipulator of split personalities.
The ending never gets old but the film itself looks and feels really dated now.

Inbetweeners Movie- 8/10 If you've followed the series, you'll know what to expect from these four idiots - won't be winning oscars but 10/10 on the lolometer - absolutely hilarious.

[Luv_Studd]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close = B+. 9/11 movie with Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max Von Sydow, and some young talented kid actor.

21 Jump Street = C. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice-Cube. A few funny parts, but mostly raunchy humor with a crappy plot.

Young Adults = B. Charlize Theron. Good acting by Charlize, interesting plot.

Wrath of the Titans 3D = A-. Sequel and better than the first.

Adventures of Tin Tin = B. Good animation and good story.

Tower Heist = C+. How did they get that car out of the elevator shaft?

[IronMonkey]

The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists! 7.5/10

Combining Aardman with a more Pixar-influenced style mostly works. It isn't quite as good as Pixar nor is it quite as good as the best of Aardman.

Never less than amusing and usually much better than that, the pacing is sometimes a little off (too much Pixar at the wrong moments) but who cares? The end result is very enjoyable for adults and the kids thought this one went off the scale. Firmly recommended for kids of all ages.

Those concerned about historical accuracy should avoid this movie.

[Twisted Metal]

Firefly Series - 9/10

Just watched this for the first time and I have to say it's just as spectacular as the raging fanboys make it out to be. Absolutely charming and forever memorable show. Sooooo sad that it got cancelled.

Serenity - 8.5/10

I had previously seen this movie without watching the show and thoroughly enjoyed it. But now that I've finished the show I had the motivation to watch it again. Really good! Takes on a darker tone than the show and there is certainly no shortage of action. Overall a satisfying conclusion to this waaaay too short lived series.

[Sjosz]

The Raid (I refuse to add the Redemption subtitle)
8/10

Freaking awesome. After a bit of setup at the start it's almost nothing but pure intensity or all-out crazily choreographed fighting. Not really much of a story there, but it is full of ridiculous fight scenes and if you like things like Ong Bak it's pretty much a must-see.

[Twisted Metal]

Originally Posted by Sjosz

The Raid (I refuse to add the Redemption subtitle)
8/10

Freaking awesome. After a bit of setup at the start it's almost nothing but pure intensity or all-out crazily choreographed fighting. Not really much of a story there, but it is full of ridiculous fight scenes and if you like things like Ong Bak it's pretty much a must-see.

Looks awesome but I fear that if it's just one fight scene after another then it's going to get old fast. Hopefully there's a good amount of variety to the fighting?

[Tux Android]

Fame (1980)
Two words: Stylish classic.
Grade: A-

Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)
I've been used listening to the Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall. Well-made anticipated musical feature starring Bob Geldof.
Grade: B+

Stephen King's It (1990) [TV mini-series]
Scary stuff and inappropriate for young viewers. The evil clown Pennywise is way better than Mr. Crow/Harlequin from UT2004.
Grade: C+

Cruel Intentions (1999)
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair are really hot for this film; but most of all, it is not satisfied because of bad acting and a bad script.
Grade: C+

The Expendables (2010)
Awesome action film with 9 famous action stars (on the US poster). Better excited to watch the sequel on August 2012.
Grade: B+

Kick-Ass (2010)
Decent flawless black comedy superhero film filled with gratuitous violence and comedic styles.
Grade: B+

Let Me In (2010)
Chloë Moretz seems interesting enough for the remake (Lina Leandersson of the original is very talented), which this film is better act with the original one.
Grade: B

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
Very inspirational film. Gerard Butler gets drifted through any scenes in the angles of East Africa.
Grade: B

[Sjosz]

Originally Posted by Twisted Metal

Looks awesome but I fear that if it's just one fight scene after another then it's going to get old fast. Hopefully there's a good amount of variety to the fighting?

There's a different setup for most fights, and I'd say there's some good variety. A couple of them are fights with weapons, and some are unarmed, and despite similarities the other fights take place in different spaces which offer some variety to the action. The craziest fight scene also lasts seemingly forever, like 5 to 6 minutes of dudes going insane martial arts at each other. I don't think it gets stale, but let me know what you find.

[Twisted Metal]

The Cabin in the Woods - 7/10

The movie that redefines the horror genre, at least according to the critics. This was definitely a unique take on horror, and unlike any "cabin in the woods" themed movie you have ever seen. The pacing was spot on. I can't say I was bored for even a second. There's humor, there's gore, there's boobs, and there's an out of this world final act where all hell breaks loose and it's pretty damn awesome.

What underwhelmed me, and the reason I knocked off a few points, was the ending. I knew there was a twist coming, and maybe I was expecting too much, but it just felt underwhelming. Everything was wrapped up with less than a minute of dialogue. It was just like "Ohhh, ok, that's why everything happened in this movie. So what now?"

Still though, it was an entertaining ride from start to finish.

[Renegade Retard]

Originally Posted by Twisted Metal

Firefly Series - 9/10

Just watched this for the first time and I have to say it's just as spectacular as the raging fanboys make it out to be. Absolutely charming and forever memorable show. Sooooo sad that it got cancelled.

Serenity - 8.5/10

I had previously seen this movie without watching the show and thoroughly enjoyed it. But now that I've finished the show I had the motivation to watch it again. Really good! Takes on a darker tone than the show and there is certainly no shortage of action. Overall a satisfying conclusion to this waaaay too short lived series.

Fast Five 2/10 - I must have rolled my eyes at least a dozen times in the first 15 minutes of this movie, and the eye rolls didn't stop until the credits were finish. Reminded me on why I stopped watching the Fast and Furious series after the first atrocity.

[Tux Android]

Asylum of Satan (1972)
Incredibly dull. Watched on YT.
Grade: F

Abby (1974)
Horrible film and unnatural The Exorcist rip-off just for the blaxploitation genre. Never released on home video yet, but watched on YT.
Grade: D+

Grizzly (1976)
Underrated classic B-movie horror gem. I knew that the 18-foot grizzly bear terrorizes a natural state park and will do anything about psycho. Good performance by the mother of Bart the Bear.
Grade: B+

Day of the Animals (aka Something is Out There) (1977)
Weak storyline, strange atmospheric feature and eerie sound effects. Talk about "animal attacks" that you will considered as the baddest thing yet to come, I believe that they become menace in the part of the film according to the story. Christopher and Lynda Day George are cool B-movie stars, but Leslie Nielsen (he's 50 and one of the non-comedy roles in this film) is having a bad habit here on this one.
Grade: C+

The Manitou (1978)
The film gets skunked from the total disaster of a Native American spirit-concept Manitou. I wouldn't blame Tony Curtis performance but the woman gets possessed by the Indian spirit and at it goes again. Watched on YT.
Grade: C-

[Hermskii]

Twisted Metal said it best about the "Firefly" series and the movie "Serenity" which finished the series.

I can't suggest to everyone enough to find the time to watch the 14 episodes of the Firefly series and then finish it off with the movie Serenity.

It drives me nuts still that they ever cancelled the show. How could they? It was really good!