40Cent @ the movies

[Staggerwing]

nothing.  but with no wife at home your choices are lackluster to say the least.

Maybe 'Nightshift Nurses in Bondage' was already checked out at the corner video store?

[GDS_Starfury]

I was actually thinking of a marathon session of the last few seasons of Doctor Who or Top Gear.
knowing what we're dealing with Im just hoping he doesnt overdose on Downton Abby.


I really need to kick this BBC kick Ive been on.

[Staggerwing]

I was actually thinking of a marathon session of the last few seasons of Doctor Who or Top Gear.
knowing what we're dealing with Im just hoping he doesnt overdose on Downton Abby.


I really need to kick this BBC kick Ive been on.

Downton Abby doesn't click with me. There's no Jules Verne or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle angle, no Steampunk World-Domination Plot, and no schizophrenic Peter O'Toole. I just don't get the fuss...  ???

[Gusington]

There are some hot broads in Downton Abbey. Like the Grandma.

Don't worry Star I got my share of illicit viewing in too, mostly of Madison Ivy. HAWT!

[GDS_Starfury]

Im GDS Starfury and I approve of your selection.

[Gusington]

Yeah Madison Ivy is a little sumpthin sumpthin.

[Bison]

Saw Monster's Univeristy last night with the kids.  Not a bad movie, but it wasn't as good as Monster's Inc.  Not even close.   Good flick for a family outing however.

[Centurion40]

Saw Monster's Univeristy last night with the kids.  Not a bad movie, but it wasn't as good as Monster's Inc.  Not even close.   Good flick for a family outing however.

Agreed.  Animal House for 8 year-olds.

[Centurion40]

Just got back from seeing This is the End, and honestly I don't know what to make of it.  Hollywood stoners in the Biblical apocalypse; weird.  I had a couple of chuckles, but I can't really say that it was all that funny.  There was character development & and the Hollywood stoner stars all made fun of themselves, so I guess that's why the critics liked it some much.

The story centers around Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogan, playing themselves.  Jay (who lives outside of Los Angeles, and who hates the LA lifestyle) is visiting Seth, and Seth drags him to a housewarming party at James Franco's.  During the course of the party, Armageddon breaks out- complete with the Rapture (although no one at the party gets "raptured"... which is one of the jokes).  Lots of people die, leaving Franco, Rogan, and Baruchel- along with Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson all holed-up in Franco's house, trying to figure out what is going on.  Only Baruchel seems to get it at first, leading to some additional tension in the home.

I must say that I liked the premise, I just didn't like how it all played out.  It wasn't as wacky and madcap as I would have assumed.  I mean one of the "funniest" bits was Jonah Hill getting raped by a demon, and then being possessed a la The Exorcist.  Weird, yes.  Kind of unique (for that crowd of actors), yes.  But funny?  Not really.

20 out of 40, because I was expecting a more amusing flick.

Oh, and Steelie- Emma Watson looked super cute.

[Martok]

Saw Man of Steel tonight.  I wouldn't say it was great, but it was definitely good -- certainly better than Superman Returns (although admittedly that's not necessarily saying much) -- and probably as enjoyable as the first two Christopher Reeves films from the 80's, albeit for not entirely the same reasons. 


WARNING:  SPOILERS AHEAD 


Snyder assembled a talented cast for this movie, and generally they work well -- both as individual performances, and together as an ensemble.  I thought Kevin Costner was an inspired choice for the role of Jonathan Kent, but it was Russell Crowe who I found to be a(n especially) pleasant surprise in his portrayal of a slightly dour (but still noble) Jor-El.  Michael Shannon was very good as the well-intentioned (but still evil) General Zod.  And with apologies to Margot Kidder, I think I have to admit Amy Adams is now my favorite Lois Lane; she manages to pull off smart, brave, and sympathetic all at once.  A couple of the actors/characters (most notably Jadin Gould as a young Lana Lang and Laurence Fishburne as Daily Planet chief Perry White) felt a little under-utilized, but not criminally so. 

Probably the film's single biggest strength is that the title character is much more human this time around -- far more so than any previous Superman title -- and is thus easier to relate to.   The movie's main plot of course revolves around Clark's/Kal-El's struggle to fit in with humanity, and more generally to find his place in this world.  (Despite the pyrotechnics involved, Zod attacking Earth and battlling Clark is only the secondary storyline.)  Credit must be given not only to Cavill as the adult Clark/Superman, but also to Dylan Sprayberry as the teenage Clark, for giving believable performances of a superpowered being badly wanting to deny their heritage/fate, to just "be normal".  (For those with a Christian background, parallels & comparisons to Jesus are almost inevitable.)  I did find the angst to be a bit much at times, and Cavill in particular gets rather "emo" more often that I cared for, but overall he & Sprayberry did a good job of giving us a Clark Kent we can sympathize with. 


Critiques: 

IMHO, too much time was spent explaining the "whys" and minutae of Superman's various attributes -- why he has an "S" on his costume (it's actually the Kryptonian symbol for "hope"), why he feels so weak in a Kryptonian-type atmosphere (his body had spent over 30 years acclimating itself to Earth's), etc.  Most folks don't *need* to know the explanation (and the science/history) behind these things; we just accept those aspects of Superman and move on.  MOS is a fairly long movie (I believe it clocks in just under 2 1/2 hours), and this stuff is about 15 minutes that could easily have been eliminated from it without alienating viewers. 

Although speaking of alienating...  If your introduction to Superman was via the comic books, odds are you're not gonna like this movie.  I'm only a casual fan myself, and so am not bothered by the changes the film makes, but hardcore devotees will likely be dismayed and/or enraged by the various deviations from previously-established canon.  Just warning you now. 

I also found the military's initial attitude towards Clark (when he first reveals himself to the world) to be both baffling and a little hard to swallow.  When he voluntarily gives himself up to the USAF, and makes it clear that literally nothing in the world could've forcibly compelled him to do so, you think  they might have shown him a little more respect right off the bat.  And when you have gunships bearing down on Superman fighting two of his fellow Kryptonians -- and you *know* the latter two are here to conquer/destroy your world -- are you really going to order your troops to fire on all three of them (especially when your own subordinates note Superman appears to be fighting for the Humans)?  I mean, yeah Superman's going to get hit by friendly fire while engaging in close-quarters combat like that, but why on earth would you deliberately target him??  I know it's a minor point overall, and the military does eventually realize Superman is on their side, but it still bugged me. 

Another reason I wasn't entirely enthralled with the movie is I'm admittedly not a big fan of all these "gritty" remakes/reboots that have been the rage the last decade or so; it just starts to get old after a while.  When it comes to films and video games, "gritty" seems to imply harsh and ugly.  Now I'll be the first to admit that yes, there is, in fact, a lot about the world that *is* harsh & ugly.  However, isn't that one of the reasons so many of us like to watch movies -- to forget about that part of the world for a while?  And to remember that there's also much in this world that's good/beautiful?  I don't know; maybe it's just me. 



Ultimately, though, these are all fairly minor complaints.  In the end, I enjoyed Man of Steel, and don't regret spending the money (or time) to sit down in a theater and watch it.  Those who generally like these types of films will like this one too, as will those who prefer their heroes to be more relatable and easier to identify with.  Superman may be more than merely human, but this movie makes it clear he's still a lot more like us than not. 

33/40 

[Windigo]

Saw World War Z two nights ago.

*face palm*

[LongBlade]

Saw World War Z two nights ago.

*face palm*

That bad? The TV critic said it was OK as a summer action movie.

[Windigo]

Saw World War Z two nights ago.

*face palm*

That bad? The TV critic said it was OK as a summer action movie.

only if you never read the book.
Kellie liked it though and never read the book ...

[LongBlade]

only if you never read the book.
Kellie liked it though and never read the book ...

Ah.

I've already resolved that I won't pay full price to see it. More likely a dollar at Red Box.

I've also resolved to try and forget as much of the book as I can while I watch it. I know I'll be disappointed in the comparison.

[Windigo]

only if you never read the book.
Kellie liked it though and never read the book ...

Ah.

I've already resolved that I won't pay full price to see it. More likely a dollar at Red Box.

I've also resolved to try and forget as much of the book as I can while I watch it. I know I'll be disappointed in the comparison.

SPOILER:  How the heck are you going to reconcile zombie camouflage with the book?