I Have Just Seen... IV

[Mac Sirloin]

Saw Missing, Implausible Floor. It's a movie about Tom Cruise bring in prison. He is saved by a turkish woman who uses unexplained magic to make a big hole in jail cell with a blue lamp. They never explained this and thus I stopped paying attention to the movie as a whole. Not worth your time, the plot didn't make sense.

[AlexFili]

Some crazy Dragonball Z/Potter Flash Movies on Newgrounds from the year 2001. Veeeery nostalgic.

Edit: Also saw the film Death Proof. If you like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, it's definitely worth checking out.

[MeechMunchie]

127 Hours.

Yeah. It was good. Just an all-round good movie.

Apart from the white-on-white captions.

[Manco]

127 Hours.

Yeah. It was good. Just an all-round good movie.

Apart from the white-on-white captions.

I watched this as well! Loved it, was skeptical of the idea of basing a full movie on a guy in a hole but they really made it work. I’m not easily shocked but damn, the cutting the arm off and going through the nerve part made me uncomfortable.

[Sekto Springs]

Now that I got my On-Demand subscription updated, I've been catching up on all the movies I meant to see but didn't.

First on the docket was Rise of The Planet of The Apes. I really enjoyed it. Andy Serkis brought so much depth to the character of Caesar, which is fucking admirable considering he was a CG monkey. He's come along way from his performance as King Kong. Should this man tire of human civilization, I'm convinced he could seamlessly integrate into a society of apes without a hitch.

The CG was spectacular. I knew based on the trailers that it was good, but damn, I was not expecting to completely forget that 70% of the movie's characters were computer-generated.

James Franco (whom I mostly dislike) did what he could with a very rote character, same goes for his purely aesthetic love interest. Completely forgivable though, as they were little more than pawns who set Caesar's story in motion. John Lithgow was well-cast as Franco's senile father. It's nice to see that he's still getting work. The guy who played Malfoy also had a minor role as a dickbag who bullies Caesar and his "followers" and meets a very satisfying end at the hands of the emergent simian.

I was bit taken aback when Caesar spoke, but I guess they had to tie it to the other PoTA movies somehow. Despite that, I really liked how this movie didn't feel like an explicit prequel. It was just a very entertaining and cohesive film overall.


Next on the list was Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. I'm a big fan of the original 70's movie, so I had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed.

One of my artist friends worked on the creature FX for the movie, so I knew quite a while in advanced what they looked like. Then again, it wasn't one of those films that tried to hide the creatures from view, so it didn't really feel like a spoiler. For those of you interested in seeing what they look like; check out my profile pic.

The opening in which the original owner of the mansion knocks out the maid's teeth with a hammer and chisel as a peace-offering to the homunculi was a great lead-in. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie lacked the chills of the original, but was still thoroughly entertaining. There was a good balance of hokeyness and legitimate creepiness.

Making the main character into a little girl was also a good move, as it added an increased feeling of helplessness. My only complaint is that her lack of genre savvy was a bit annoying at times; if you hear a guttural whisper beckoning you to "come play", you probably shouldn't oblige.

The movie had a very classic horror feel. It doesn't try to be too challenging, and I applauded it's simplicity. Recommended if you're in the mood for horror, but crave a reprieve from ghosts and gore porn.

[MeechMunchie]

I was bit taken aback when Caesar spoke, but I guess they had to tie it to the other PoTA movies somehow.

My favourite second of that entire damn movie. It made the people talking in front of me shut up for good.

I watched this as well! Loved it, was skeptical of the idea of basing a full movie on a guy in a hole but they really made it work. I’m not easily shocked but damn, the cutting the arm off and going through the nerve part made me uncomfortable.

Oh my God, the use of sound in that scene is incredible. The high-pitched whining and droning to represent pain had me squirming across the sofa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vo3INoJZLA

[Varrok]

I may watch Rise of The Planet of The Apes soon - I'm a fan mostly of older P.o.A. titles - will I like it?

[Wings of Fire]

If you liked the Burton film, I can see you liking most every film in existence.

So yes.

[Varrok]

I was talking about original 1968 movie and there was no Tim Burton involved afaik, so you must be talking about 2001 remake - I haven't watched it - is it that bad?

[Wings of Fire]

It was pretty terrible, yes.

[Mr. Bungle]

I'm about to get real high and watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for the first time. What should I expect from it?

[OANST]

I saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy over the weekend in the theater. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Sekto Springs]

I'm about to get real high and watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for the first time. What should I expect from it?

You'll either appreciate it far more, or far less, depending on how getting high affects you. I would watch it once while high, and once while sober, and compare your experiences. The movie already feels like an acid trip.

you must be talking about 2001 remake - I haven't watched it - is it that bad?

The story was pretty awful, as were the characters, but the production design was impressive. This is the case with most Burton movies. The behind-the-scenes were far more interesting than the actual movie.

[MeechMunchie]

The story was pretty awful, as were the characters, but the production design was impressive. This is the case with most Burton Del Toro movies. The behind-the-scenes were far more interesting than the actual movie.

I saw Hellboy II the other day.

Pretty much this taken to the absolute extreme. It's actually better with the sound muted.

[Sekto Springs]

The character direction in Hellboy 2 was awful. I don't know what happened. It was pretty great in the first one. I know Del Toro can direct actors, because he did an amazing job with Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone. Hellboy 2 is just an anomaly in that regard, but what it lacks in heart, it makes up for in visuals.

[OANST]

Hellboy II is not as bad as Planet of the Apes. It's bad, yes. But it's nowhere near that bad.

[Sekto Springs]

Casting Seth McFarlane as Krauss almost made me lose my lunch.

[OANST]

I just don't understand why with the wealth of stories in the Hellboy universe, they decided to use a totally original one with no clear antagonist.

[MeechMunchie]

The character direction in Hellboy 2 was awful. I don't know what happened. It was pretty great in the first one. I know Del Toro can direct actors, because he did an amazing job with Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone. Hellboy 2 is just an anomaly in that regard, but what it lacks in heart, it makes up for in visuals.

The funniest line in that film:

"Long ago, I too lost someone I loved. Perhaps I will tell you about it some day... But for now..."

Pffft. It's such a lazy cutting of a flashback sequence that you can almost see the stitches on the screen.

[Sekto Springs]

I just don't understand why with the wealth of stories in the Hellboy universe, they decided to use a totally original one with no clear antagonist.

Right?

There was so much derp in that movie. The way it was edited, the way the characters speak. It feels like Del Toro wrote the entire script in Comic Sans.

[Mr. Bungle]

Just finished watching Fear and Loathing. Crazy movie, can't understand why it was recieved so poorly.

[Sekto Springs]

How well a movie does depends strongly on what sort of subject matter is popular at the time. In the late 90's, period movies with fantastical/action elements were heading the game, and stoner comedies were at their peak. People went into Fear And Loathing thinking it would be like Cheech and Chong. They were wrong.

Of course anyone who read the book would have known what to expect.

[Manco]

Casting Seth McFarlane as Krauss almost made me lose my lunch.

I honestly had no idea it was him until the credits. I could understand your sentiments if he’d put no effort in and come out sounding like another of his roles, sure, but hating him just because is kind of unfair.

For me, Hellboy II was an okay B-movie. The problem with that is it wasn’t supposed to be.

[Sekto Springs]

I could understand your sentiments if he’d put no effort in and come out sounding like another of his roles, sure, but hating him just because is kind of unfair.

First of all I don't recall saying anything about hating him. His German accent is just astoundingly poor, and it was just a very bizarre casting choice in general. He wasn't their first choice though. They tried casting an actual kraut, but apparently his accent was "too hard to understand", so they opted for the cheesy faux-German.

I do dislike Seth McFarlane for several unrelated reasons, but that's not why I disliked him here.

[Dynamithix]

I watched that new Tucker & Dale movie. It was alright. (Tucker & Dale versus evil, I think.)

I'm going to watch the 2011 version of The Thing this week. I hope it's decent.

[Mr. Bungle]

Ehh. It's okay. The suspense built is pretty creepy and the SFX of the monsters is pretty good, but it doesn't live up to the classic movie. Still worth a watch, though.

[Nate]

Saw Hugo tonight and loved it. The trailers are bullshit; it makes the film seem like a mystery crossed with steampunk Alice in Wonderland. Which it isn't. It's set firmly in the real world, with a fantastic bunch of characters, brilliant acting and a really sweet story. Go see it.


Then I came home in a pleasantly wierd mood, so decided to watch another film to match that mood; Speed Racer. Goddamn I love that film.

[Sekto Springs]

You like the Speed Racer movie? Like... as a guilty pleasure, right? Right?

Also I really want to see Hugo. Trailers nowadays are like movie repellent. That one was no different. It wasn't until several of my friends started singing it's praises that I bothered to check on it's critical status. Unfortunately, it's out of theaters now, so I'll have to wait for the home release.

[Wings of Fire]

Wil and I would have seen Hugo when we shacked together if it wasn't for the unfortunate trailer.

[MeechMunchie]

And if you could force yourselves apart long enough to get dressed.

Right?