A couple o' movie mini-reviews

Ceti Alpha · 05/12/2009, 01:08 PM

Quote from: guyjin on 05/12/2009, 12:23 PMOh, I just remembered something else that bugged me about the movie.

Early on, there's a throwaway scene where checov has difficulty getting the computer to understand his voice.
And yet, they can understand the bad guy's language, no problem. Is there a universal translator or isn't there?!

haha. There definitely is at this point. They eventually had them on Enterprise as well, which was lame IMHO.

nat · 06/11/2009, 07:43 PM

Terminator 4 - I really had no idea what to expect going into this one, as I hadn't been following the production too closely as I do with some movies. I wasn't overly excited about it to be honest, seeing as there would be no Arnold or other actors from previous films in the series. Every part was recast for the 4th outing, but in the end, I wound up liking the movie all the same. I'm probably in the minority that loved the 3rd film, as a matter of fact, I love all the Terminator movies, with the first being far and away the best for me. The beauty of the first three is that they were all produced almost a decade apart from each other, and that made for some pretty unique feeling atmospheres for each film. The 4th is no different; feeling darker and grittier than any of the preceding episodes. The theme for this movie was bringing the franchise full-circle, with moments only referenced in previous outings realized fully. Lots of great action, and it was hard to find a failing here. If I had to cite any aspect as a negative, it'd be the heavy reliance on "homage" moments. While I enjoyed these well enough, if they'd laid 'em on any thicker I probably wouldn't have liked the film as much. All that said, I think even people who didn't like the 3rd film much will still like this one a lot. But only see it after you've seen Star Trek. Beyond these two movies, there isn't a whole lot exciting going on in the box office right now.

Oh, and to my delight there was an Arnold "cameo." Good stuff.

Joe Redifer · 06/12/2009, 12:13 PM

**Spoilers**

CGI Arnold shouldn't have been in there since it was about 9 years (I think) before that model of Terminator was created, but I guess they had to do it. Also, I would have liked for this movie to be in color and directed by someone with a name other than phuggin' McG.

Sinistron · 06/12/2009, 12:18 PM

Quote from: Joe Redifer on 06/12/2009, 12:13 PM**Spoilers**

CGI Arnold shouldn't have been in there since it was about 9 years (I think) before that model of Terminator was created, but I guess they had to do it. Also, I would have liked for this movie to be in color and directed by someone with a name other than phuggin' McG.

Joe- this is from wiki-

In the fourth film, an alternate origin of The Terminator is depicted, as Marcus Wright, a death row inmate turned cyborg, is revealed to be a prototype for the T-800 with his nervous system still functioning. This was based from the cybernetic enhancement project of Dr. Serena Kogan, a research scientist who was employed at Cyberdyne Systems Corporation under "Project Angel" before the company sold its assets to the United States Air Force. With a human/machine hybrid proven to be a success, Skynet is able to move on to build and activate the T-800s ten years earlier than John Connor had expected.

Ceti Alpha · 06/23/2009, 02:47 AM

*SPOILERS*

T-4 was definitely better than I expected, though my expectations were pretty low from all the bad reviews and word-of-mouth. That being said, it was still OK. I really could have done without Bale's Batman voice and constant screaming. In fact, this movie could have done without Christian Bale altogether and would have been better for it. It's no wonder Bale had his infamous meltdown during the filming of this movie. His performance was basically the same schtick minus the profane language, which would have raised the movie's rating to Restricted. Sam Worthington as the T-800 stole the show and I actually cared about this cyborg cowboy, while I really didn't care what happened to John Connor. To be honest, I was a little upset that Worthington's character gave his heart to Connor at the end of the movie. In any case, while it was just a bunch of consecutive action sequences, it still held its own and doesn't deserve the long list of bad reviews it has received.

nat · 06/25/2009, 12:45 AM

It's no secret I'm not a Christian Bale fan (on the contrary), but I thought T4 was his best role yet. I could have done without him as Batman in the last two outings, but that cold, emotionless demeanor really fit the John Connor of the future I always imagined in the days of T1 and T2.

Sinistron · 06/25/2009, 09:32 AM

Quote from: nat on 06/25/2009, 12:45 AMIt's no secret I'm not a Christian Bale fan (on the contrary), but I thought T4 was his best role yet. I could have done with him as Batman in the last two outings, but that cold, emotionless demeanor really fit the John Connor of the future I always imagined in the days of T1 and T2.

That's pretty much how I felt too- at the end of the day Connor's supposed to become this great leader of the resistance- so he should pretty much be all stone and ice at that point.

Ceti Alpha · 06/26/2009, 04:19 AM

Quote from: Sinistron on 06/25/2009, 09:32 AM
Quote from: nat on 06/25/2009, 12:45 AMIt's no secret I'm not a Christian Bale fan (on the contrary), but I thought T4 was his best role yet. I could have done with him as Batman in the last two outings, but that cold, emotionless demeanor really fit the John Connor of the future I always imagined in the days of T1 and T2.
That's pretty much how I felt too- at the end of the day Connor's supposed to become this great leader of the resistance- so he should pretty much be all stone and ice at that point.

Fair enough. I just thought that Bale was a little over the top playing Connor. From what I've heard this movie wasn't even supposed to be about John Connor, at all. Apparantly, he was supposed to play Worthington's character, but Bale insisted the script get rewritten so he could play Connor. And you could tell the script was rushed/rewritten for the Bale ego. I just didn't see him as being ice cold or hardened. I really didn't have any feelings or sympathy towards him whatsoever. The only reason the John Connor character was important was because the audience either had seen the previous movies, or just in case, it was shoved down your throat throughout the movie. To me the protagonist was Sam Worthington. Without him the movie would have been a bunch of action sequences with Bale flipping out thrown in the mix.

nat · 12/13/2009, 06:28 PM

The Slammin' Salmon - Broken Lizard, responsible for classics like "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest," brought their latest to theaters this weekend. By far the funniest movie I've seen this year, but you have to appreciate Lizard's low-brow humor to get anything out of it. If you weren't a fan of the two aforementioned flicks, chances are you'll hate "Salmon." The movie takes place almost entirely in a restaurant run by a former heavyweight champion, where the wait staff is competing for a $10,000 prize. The dialogue is extremely witty, and includes lots of references and parodies of other films. In my opinion, "Salmon" features the best characters to date by the Broken Lizard group, and there are lots of cameos including folks like Olivia Munn, some dude from Heroes (I don't watch the show), Vivica A. Fox, Lance Henriksen, the list goes on.... The theatrical trailer is available online, but does not do the movie justice. It is actually much, much funnier than the trailer portrays. In a market saturated by shitfests like Twilight and New Moon, "The Slammin' Salmon" comes as extremely refreshing.

I understand the movie had a "limited" release for some reason, so it may not be playing in your city, but it was playing downtown here in Seattle so there's a good chance it will be in your area as well. Go check it out, the only movie I saw this year I liked better was Star Trek.

(Broken Lizard's other movies: Puddle Cruiser (1996), Super Troopers (2002), Club Dread (2004), and Beerfest (2006).)

Sinistron · 12/17/2009, 09:22 AM

I'm dying to see Slammin' Salmon- it's playing at two theaters in the city which kind of sucks as I'd rather see it in Queens. Another one I want to see that's only playing in the city as of now is The Lovely Bones- though that one unlike the Broken Lizard flick is guaranteed a wide release come January (wide release was pushed back in fear of Avatar numbers). Couple of friends of mine actually recently saw Broken Lizard live- wish I would have known about it. I LOVE Beerfest. It's funny how most people have their favorite Broken Lizard movie while saying the others weren't funny. For me it's Beerfest- though I own them all (except for Pubble Cruiser) on dvd. I've heard plenty of people inexplicably say that Club Dread is their best- and others say that Super Troopers is the only thing they've done that's worth a damn. Wherever your tastes lie- Slammin' Salmon looks funny as hell- good to see you dug it...

EDIT - Pubble cruiser lol- puddle, people. puddle.

TheClash603 · 12/17/2009, 05:38 PM

Phil Collette - Also know as Machete Phil!

I am the only person that prefers Club Dread to the other Super Troopers okay fare!

nat · 12/17/2009, 08:42 PM

Quote from: Sinistron on 12/17/2009, 09:22 AMI'm dying to see Slammin' Salmon- it's playing at two theaters in the city which kind of sucks as I'd rather see it in Queens. Another one I want to see that's only playing in the city as of now is The Lovely Bones- though that one unlike the Broken Lizard flick is guaranteed a wide release come January (wide release was pushed back in fear of Avatar numbers). Couple of friends of mine actually recently saw Broken Lizard live- wish I would have known about it. I LOVE Beerfest. It's funny how most people have their favorite Broken Lizard movie while saying the others weren't funny. For me it's Beerfest- though I own them all (except for Pubble Cruiser) on dvd. I've heard plenty of people inexplicably say that Club Dread is their best- and others say that Super Troopers is the only thing they've done that's worth a damn. Wherever your tastes lie- Slammin' Salmon looks funny as hell- good to see you dug it...

I'm with you-- Beerfest is their best. Given that, I think you'll love Salmon. I like it better than Super Troopers, but not QUITE as much as Beerfest. I already want to go see it again. The jokes are a mile a minute, I feel like I wasn't even able to take it all in fully. Go see it, even if it means a trip downtown. That's what I had to do, but it was worth it.

Sinistron · 12/28/2009, 12:08 PM

Saw Avatar over the weekend- my overall experience was a letdown.

I previously saw 3 of the newer 3D movies in theatres- Beowulf, Coraline, and A Christmas Carol- I loved all of them and the 3D was incredible. The commercials for Avatar alone weren't selling me- what was selling me was what I thought would be the best use of 3D yet- unfortunately- for me (as my wife and parents didn't have the same problem) this wasn't the case. If I give the 3D in Coraline a 10- I give the 3D in Avatar a 4. For those three previous movies- it took me a few minutes to adjust to the 3D sensation- in Avatar however- and this is a two hour and forty minute movie- my eyes NEVER adjusted. I had to keep closing my eyes every few minutes as they were feeling overwhelmed- and not in a good way. Taking a piss in a stall after the show let out- I was seeing swirling clouds- took me five minutes to see straight.

There should NEVER be shaky cam action scenes in 3D. 3D should be shot in smooth or fixed shots. The experience was dizzying and nauseating- and all of the blue cgi coated creatures didn't help any. It was blurry, blue, and nauseating.

As for the story- it's exactly as you heard- Dances with Wolves meets Ferngully. You know exactly where the story's headed and there's zero surprises.

The acting was decent enough- if you like your characters vanilla and one note. The special effects were amazing- as you'd guess.

Overall this was the worst of the 3D movies I've seen. I have no desire to see it again- whereas I could've watched A Christmas Carol in 3D five more times in theatres. Zemeckis and Henry Selick for the win. Fuck you Cameron. Your 3D sucks balls.

Nazi NecroPhile · 12/28/2009, 12:38 PM

Quote from: Sinistron on 12/28/2009, 12:08 PMDances with Wolves meets Ferngully.

Damn you. Now I actually want to see it.

Quote from: Sinistron on 12/28/2009, 12:08 PMFuck you Cameron. Your 3D sucks balls.

Don't sugar coat it; tell us how you really feel.

esteban · 12/28/2009, 12:54 PM

Quote from: Sinistron on 12/28/2009, 12:08 PMThe special effects were amazing- as you'd guess.

Overall this was the worst of the 3D movies I've seen.

Hey, don't be so quick to judge!

I watched the Jonas Brothers "3D" Concert Film with my daughter... a year ago?

Opening night! Packed theater!

I was one of only a handful of adult men there!

Good times.

Sinistron · 12/28/2009, 02:14 PM

I said that I've seen Esteban- obviously I wouldn't be caught dead watching Jonas Brothers 3D

esteban · 12/28/2009, 02:48 PM

Quote from: Sinistron on 12/28/2009, 02:14 PMI said that I've seen Esteban- obviously I wouldn't be caught dead watching Jonas Brothers 3D

So, now you're claiming that you haven't watched Jonas Brothers 3D?

I am flabbergasted.

Flabbergasted, because you told me otherwise when we ran into each other at a certain event the other day.

Pre-ordered.