Movies I've seen lately

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 5:24 pm

Here's what I've seen in the past 24 hours-
'Gandhi' (First time)
'Sneakers'
'Jerry Maguire'

and I rented-
'Poltergeist'
'Presumed innocent'
(Havn't seen either of them)

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 5:44 pm

I recently saw Star Wars - The phantom menace. What a bore, I was close to falling asleep several times. I have no complaints about the acting, but that's about it. The plot was not only thin and highly uninteresting, it was also totally predictable and could have been condensed to under 5 minutes without loss of anything important. Character development was non existant. Special effects were IMO overused, many scenes seemed far to long just to show off effects.

Totally uninteresting, if I had slept in stead it would have been better used time.

Rating: 2/10.

Let's hope Clone wars is better, I only watched this one because I promised the hubby to see Clone wars with him.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 8:47 pm

Originally posted by C Elegans
Let's hope Clone wars is better, I only watched this one because I promised the hubby to see Clone wars with him.

Well that depends on whether you are a Star Wars fan or just a fan of the action/sci-fi genre in general. I have a faint interest in sci-fi and I found it entertaining. I saw it with friends who are big Star Wars fan and they enjoyed it thoroughly. AotC is a lot better.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 9:03 pm

Originally posted by Tamerlane
Well that depends on whether you are a Star Wars fan or just a fan of the action/sci-fi genre in general. I have a faint interest in sci-fi and I found it entertaining. I saw it with friends who are big Star Wars fan and they enjoyed it thoroughly. AotC is a lot better.

Although it would have been better if Lucas hadn't directed it.

I recently saw Minority Report, and both me and my girlfriend throughly enjoyed it.

9.5/10

I also saw The Sum of All Fears. Now, I haven't read the book, so I couldn't make any comparisons (although all the movies based on Clancy books have been way off). But it was rather entertaining. 7.5/10

Also, just saw Ocean's Eleven. A clever and funny movie. 8.5/10

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 10:14 pm

Originally posted by Gaxx_Firkraag

I also saw The Sum of All Fears. Now, I haven't read the book, so I couldn't make any comparisons (although all the movies based on Clancy books have been way off). But it was rather entertaining. 7.5/10

I've just started the book, and from what I se, they totaly changed it around for the movie. In the book everything starts and revolves around the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It looks like the only thing the movie kept was that the bombs were found in Israel.

I also saw the trailer for 'Star Trek: Nemesis'.
I didn't like the way it looked. I only saw two minutes of it, and the enterprise already looked cheap Star Wars like CGI.
IMO they should have stopped after #6.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 10:21 pm

I'm assuming its one of the early trailers. They are usually suppose to be attention grabbing, but it sounds like Nemesis is aiming towards the lucrative male adolescent market.

Ode to a Grasshopper · Mon Jul 01, 2002 3:20 am

CE demonstrates impeccable taste again, I see.

Originally posted by C Elegans
I have no complaints about the acting, but that's about it.

Are you sure you didn't fall asleep? You seem to have missed Jake Lloyd's (young Anakin) contribution to TPM entirely.

Dottie · Post by **Dottie** » Mon Jul 01, 2002 4:13 am

Re: CE demonstrates impeccable taste again, I see.

Originally posted by Ode to a Grasshopper
Are you sure you didn't fall asleep? You seem to have missed Jake Lloyd's (young Anakin) contribution to TPM entirely.

LOL. child actors is something you should definatly need a licence for. I have seen very few movies with children acting even remotly trurthworthy... And TPM is suprisingly not among the better ones.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Mon Jul 01, 2002 7:55 pm

Saw A Beautiful Mind today. It was.....really good. I liked the overall feel of the movie.

9/10

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Tue Jul 02, 2002 4:08 am

Originally posted by Gaxx_Firkraag
Saw A Beautiful Mind today. It was.....really good. I liked the overall feel of the movie. 9/10

I would have liked it much more if it were released in Febuary, a opposed to in November.
It's a movie built for awards- I read the story of it two summers ago and said to myself 'and the oscar goes to.... A Beutiful mind! Ron Howard and Brian Grazer producers'

I thought the movie was done very well, but had some serious flaws.
Like Gandhi, which I just saw and loved, the movie says it's an acurate movie with some artistic liberties taken.
It is really inaccurate- less than half the scenes in the movie are based on fact.
Also the famous one- they turned the movie into a love story. The best way to find out is the last scene, tha tells what the movie is about. It's all about his wife was with him all the way, how she loved him, when she divorced him the second he was found to be paranoid, and only remarried him last year.

I have no problem with inacurate movies- I have a problem with inacurate movie saying they're acurate.

The movie also makes you so sure about something, that you know that's not right. Whenever I'm 100% sure of what is going to happen next, it means either the movie is terrible (which already makes all chick fliks terrble

)or something is going to change. They made it so obvious to the audience that he was correct and that Christopher Plummer was bad guy, that he had to be wrong. That's why the whole time I was waiting for Plummer to become positive, which he did.

I have to see it again, but I was left with very negative feelings about it.

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Tue Jul 02, 2002 5:10 pm

Originally posted by Morlock
One noticable similarity to The Usual Suspects is that they both end with a voice over by Spacey, which continues by one line into the black screen of the credits.

That's noticeable?!?

The first time I saw American Beauty, I wasn't all that impressed with it, I liked it more the second time. Spacey's performance is excellent.

A Beautiful Mind

don't get me started on that overrated piece of rubbish...

@Morlock you'll be pleased to hear I booked my tickets for Minority Report today (it opens on Friday, I'm going to the preview on Thursday)...

Ode to a Grasshopper · Tue Jul 02, 2002 11:38 pm

Originally posted by Georgi

That's noticeable?!?
The first time I saw American Beauty, I wasn't all that impressed with it, I liked it more the second time. Spacey's performance is excellent.

A Beautiful Mind don't get me started on that overrated piece of rubbish...

I liked American Beauty, but then I would

, it wasn't as good as the hype proclaimed it to be but it was a nice, sort of sweet film nonetheless.

You have the most inpeccable taste, Georgi dear. Of course, I saw this one drunk so that may have influenced my opinion of it somewhat...

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 4:28 am

This is probably gonna be a long post. Therefor, it will probably garner a very short reply from Georgi

Although it's nice to see that you grew past your stupid negativity towards Spielberg.

Sneakers:
A cute movie, IMO entertaining enough for one viewing at least.

It's about a group of hackers trying to get a hold of a small black box, which can decode any encryption, while the NSA and another guy also want it.
Sounds lame, but the wat the go about it is relativly new, so it provides some laughs and some smiles.

It's great the way they make fun of how old Redford is. He comes to the door and takes out a pen, obviously with intention of picking the lock, just to find an electronic key pad.

I loved the way Redford listens to Potier in the ear piece on how to get through and electric key pad:
"yep, ya, yah, gotcha', uh huh, uh huh, good, good, okay, well I'll give it a shot" and just kicks down the door.

Also the improvising scecns provided some good laughs, where Redford has to convince a women why he's in her lovers office, with Potier, Phoenix, Aykroyd and Strathairn speaking into his ear.

Also some of Aykroyd's paranoid remarks: "Same stuff NASA used to fake the moon landing!"
or
Potier: "you're saying the CIA killed Kennedy?"
Aykroyd: "no, they shot him, but he didn't die. He's still alive!"

I liked Kingsley's lines, which simplifies a cliche: "I cannot kill my fried. Kill my friend"

Last and least, James Horner's score. This shows you where 'A Beutiful Mind' came form- It is an adaptation of this score.

Without a star rating- worth a viewing.

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 5:12 am

Originally posted by Morlock
Although it's nice to see that you grew past your stupid negativity towards Spielberg.

Oh, I was never so negative that I wouldn't go and see his movies, just that I didn't think he deserved the immense praise that you see fit to shower him with at every opportunity.

I think Sneakers is fab. And not only because it's the first film I ever saw River Phoenix in.

For a techie kind of movie that was released back in '92, it hasn't dated too badly. It's funny, it has a great ensemble cast. And James Earl Jones.

"I want peace on earth and goodwill to all men."
"We're the United States government, we don't do that sort of thing!"

The best thing about A Beautiful Mind IMO was Paul Bettany as Nash's imaginary roommate. He was great.

I actually saw American Beauty before all the hype, I went to a preview a couple of months before it opened, so it wasn't really the case that it didn't live up to the hype, since I had no idea what to expect.

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 5:50 am

Originally posted by Georgi

I think Sneakers is fab. And not only because it's the first film I ever saw River Phoenix in. For a techie kind of movie that was released back in '92, it hasn't dated too badly. It's funny, it has a great ensemble cast. And James Earl Jones.
"I want peace on earth and goodwill to all men."
"We're the United States government, we don't do that sort of thing!"

Sneakers is the first movie you saw Phoenix in? I would have assumed that the first would have been The Last Crusade! (One of my favorite movies with another great ensamble cast

)

I forgot to say about the blind guy in Sneakers. I think it's great that they made him blind, that way they explain the fact that one of them has amazing hearing, where most movies would just say 'he has great hearing becase it's in the script!'.

I saw presumed innocent last night. Spoilers ahead.

I got the movie for one reason- John Williams did the music.
But the movie itself turned out to be pretty good. Although I felt very uncomfortable with all of the blatant sexuality, which is probably more than any other movie I've seen.

Harrison Ford was great, since the whole time he reliably made you think that he was both guilty and innocent. The end totaly took me by surprise, as by then your sure he did it, but then you find out his wife did it .

The actor I was most impressed by was Raul Julia as Stanley Stern, Ford's lawyer, who for some reason is a latin American with a jewish name. He was truely marvelous, especialy since the only other place I've seen him was on 'The Addams Family' as Gomez Addams, which is a role totaly opposite from here. He gives a real sense of wisdom with his dark skin and gray beard.

It was strange to se John Spencer as an overweight badley dressed cop, since everywhere else he is at least in a suit (The Rock, The Negotiator, The West Wing, L.A. Law).

I think the music is fantastic. The theme just gets you right in the mood whenever it's played. It's also impressive that the music alone could the opening shot of just a jury box with thae opening credits.

Movie rating: 7/10
Score rating: 9/10

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 6:04 am

Originally posted by Morlock
Although I felt very uncomfortable with all of the blatant sexuality, which is probably more than any other movie I've seen.

I take it you never saw crash or any Cronernberg film for that matter

Naked Lunch has the most obvious phallic symbol ever put on celluloid

The actor I was most impressed by was Raul Julia as Stanley Stern, Ford's lawyer, who for some reason is a latin American with a jewish name. He was truely marvelous, especialy since the only other place I've seen him was on 'The Addams Family' as Gomez Addams, which is a role totaly opposite from here. He gives a real sense of wisdom with his dark skin and gray beard.

He did have an amazing career, he was in so many films and always acted really well, it's a shame he is now departed

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 6:13 am

Originally posted by Morlock
Sneakers is the first movie you saw Phoenix in? I would have assumed that the first would have been The Last Crusade!

Hmmm, well maybe I did see that before, but hadn't noticed him at that point.

Let's say the first film I noticed Phoenix in.

The first ten minutes of The Last Crusade is definitely the best.

Posted by Sleepy
I take it you never saw crash

Not that you'd be missing out on much.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 6:37 am

Originally posted by Georgi
Not that you'd be missing out on much.

No, it is entirely rubbish. Also i imagine that Morlock hasn't seen many James Spader films, he was famous in the 90's for his rather interesting movie roles, one wonders if he chose them or if they chose him. He always seemed to be acting in a sex related films. After Sex, Lies and Videotape his entire career was one sordid movie after another...the funny thing is nearly all of those films are excellent, once he stopped making seedier films and went onto more mainstream films his career really dropped off, i last saw him in "Supernova" needless to say that was crap

<edit> got the wrong film title

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 6:45 am

Originally posted by Mr Sleep
i last saw him in "Supernova" needless to say that was crap

Wow, somebody else saw Supernova?

It was pretty awful... mind you, it wasn't as objectionably tacky as Mission To Mars (which I saw the same night). It does have the most anticlimatic ending ever... it finished and someone in the audience said "is that it?"

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Wed Jul 03, 2002 6:49 am

Originally posted by Morlock
Sneakers is the first movie you saw Phoenix in? I would have assumed that the first would have been The Last Crusade!

Stand by me, anyone???