lizardgirl : Yeah, that part is really freaky! The sequel is a bit softer, but the overall feel is there. It does make more sense watching the film, but there is a really random part in there which made me laugh.
I think I’m going to end up in a situation where I’ll have to pay and watch G-Force. A little nervous about it because of all the bad reviews the movie’s gotten. From your guys’ perspective, do you find it horrible or decent? If the story’s garbage, then is the action any good?
We liked it. Generally, I try not to post too many links back to our site on here, but I just changed the signature here from G-Force to Adam, so to make things easier, you can find our G-Force reviews here: onemoviefiveviews.blogspot.com/2 … force.html
While some may disagree, we found the action quite fun.
Thanks a lot! 
Those reviews make me feel a bit better. I think I can watch this movie now knowing that the action is more organized than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, is probably better than it, and that it’s significantly shorter than it. Yes, anything that is better than T:ROTF, I am willing to pay to see in theatres.
I remember that scene from All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 where Carface was [spoil]dragged to hell by the Cat Demon[/spoil]. So I guess all cats go to hell, then? 
God, I feel like watching that San Fran car chase and the ‘I WIll Always Be With You’ number again. Feels nostalgic all over
G-Force doesn’t come out till end September here. On a related note, a friend just came back to me of his recent outing to see G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and told me “it was awesome”! “Way better than Transformers” and “this year’s Iron Man”. I can definitely see G.I. Joe in that vein, I guess, which makes me all the more excited! We were supposed to watch it yesterday but we stayed for dinner too late and not many people were in the ‘mood’, so we postponed our viewing to next week. 
I may go watch District 9 on opening day this Thursday to satisfy my ‘movie fix’. Words can’t describe my level of anticipation for it now (Maybe “very, very, very”). 
Just got back from District 9, easily some of the most brutal, gutwrenching action sequences I have ever watched. I have some issues with the pacing and the mixed documentary feel. However, I loved the plot and how the aliens are much more involved than the trailer let on.
Thumbs up, go see it for some of the most intense sequences ever (weapon-testing, you’ll know when you see it) and jaw-dropping special effects.
P.S. If you don’t like the documentary vibe of the trailer, I recommend against seeing it, as this style is prevalent throughout the film.
I wouldn’t go that far…
Fair 'nuff, you’re perfectly entitled to an opinion. I’d like to kindly beg to differ… justification in review link below.
…
I watched two films over the last three days, Team America: World Police on FTA and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra theatrically.
Team America: World Police - 4.5/5
It’s rude, crude, and features puppets regurgitating and doing the nasty. It’s also one of the most brilliant send-ups of action film genre conventions and the a critique on America’s unilateral and sometimes aggressive foreign policies. The film actually plays both sides; it makes fun of the USA’s military tactics and preemptive invasions of hostile nations, yet, it parodies political Hollywood actors who campaign for more liberal causes. One only needs to watch the hilarious terrorist hunt in Cairo to see the film’s better commentaries on the ‘War on Terror’ and U.S.'s foreign relations with the Middle East.
The dialogue is purposefully made to sound contrived and cheesy, which appealed to me cos’ I’m a guilty fan of stupid action movies. Some of the songs are awesome spoofs of typical Bay/Bruckheimer ballads and inspirational montage music. But the funniest one by far (IMHO) is Kim Jong Il’s mangling of the ‘Engrish’ language as he laments his solitary life as the ruthless antagonist of the movie.
It’s a pity this film didn’t fare well in the box-office, cos’ I think this is typical Parker and Stone humour, outrageous, but with a deeper underlying message behind the madness.
On a related note, I watched another ‘American hero’ movie yesterday…
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - 4/5
I just saw The Triplets of Bellville which honestly wasn’t all that good. It didn’t do as good of a job as WALL-E with the no dialouge type things. The songs in it were good, though.
I also just saw Willow which was a pretty decent film. The actors were really good, and so was Ron Howard’s directing.
I just got back from watching Inglourious Basterds.
Personally, I had a blast. It is very much a Tarantino war movie, and I very much enjoyed it. The soundtrack is superb and it has great performances throughout the whole picture.
The best people in the movie for me were Mélanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz who plays a damn good Nazi.
Melanie is someone who throughout the film just oozed cool for me, which basically resulted in me swooning like a putz, every time she was on screen.
A few minor warnings I would say though, the movie is subtitle heavy…I’d say about 70% of the movie is subtitled. Also, don’t expect to see a lot of Brad Pitt or the basterds because the film seems to be very much an ensemble piece. And finally, it’s important not to get wrapped up in what is and isn’t historically accurate in the film. It is completely fictitious, and knowingly so.
Other than that, I would strongly recommend the movie!
I’ve seen quite a few films over the past couple of weeks; some I rented, while two I saw in theatres.
First, the films I rented:
Minority Report - This was on my list of Spielberg films to see for quite some time. Based on the Philip K. Dick short story, the film pushes some boundaries of science fiction films while also being a really good thriller. Tom Cruise was excellent in the title role of his first of two (so far, anyway) collaborations with Steven. Max von Sydow was also good, and what’s great about him is that he plays a father or surrogate father-like figure to Cruise’s character, but then he turns, and von Sydow did well playing both sides. I didn’t expect Tim Blake Nelson to be in this, though, which was a nice surprise. The moments of humor in this are also very amusing.
W. - This was also on my list to see for a while, and I’m happy to say that I enjoyed it. It is thouroughly researched, documenting Bush’s relationship with his father, which is the heart of the film, how he found his wife and faith, and, of course, the crucial moments leading up to his decision to invade Iraq. Josh Brolin did a fantastic job of depicting the title role, having called hotels and listening to the Texas accents, which he nailed. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, among other films) is perfect in the role of Dick Cheney, disappearing into the character. I definitely would recommend this to people, even the Bush haters; it may give them an understanding and sympathy for the man.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - Directed by Joel Schumacher and adapted from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name (Webber also produced, co-wrote, and provided the score for the film), it features Gerard Butler of 300 fame in the title role. While the film is enjoyable in areas, the actors are singing throughout the film, even some of the dialouge. Most film adaptations of a stage play is a version of the stage play, and it’s just in front of the camera, unlike Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which takes the material of the musical and completely transforms it into a film. I did get tired and bored after a while because of the singing. My advice would be to skip this one unless you’re a fan of the show, or if you’re interested.
Next, the films I viewed in theatres:
Julie & Julia - Meryl Streep delivers a Best Actress Oscar nomination-worthy performance in the title role of this telling of two true stories. She nailes the part of Julia Child, disappearing completely into Child’s skin, and Amy Adams (Streep’s co-star in Doubt) is wonderfully delightful and sympathetic in the part of Julie Powell. It a great story about these two women and their triumphs and struggles, but also shows how you can never give up on your ambitions.
District 9 - This, I saw last Saturday, and despite the rave reviews by some critcs and also members of this forum, I actually didn’t enjoy it too much. The aliens in this film are treated as dirt, and the people don’t show a shed of emotion for them. When the main character accidently sprays experimental alien substance on himself, and starts turning into one of them, the humans don’t show emotion for him either, and set out to find him. Although, I will admit, it does have a rather touching ending. So, yeah, not my exact cup of tea, but go see this to form your own opinion.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I thought that movie was brilliant and freakin hilarious!
A movie that I’ve seen a lot of previews for lately is this sci-fi thriller called Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis. I saw it was based on a graphic novel by Robert Venditti that seems to have a pretty small but loyal following. Bruce Willis saving the world-aside, I think this movie looks really intriguing!
Agreed, CoCoMeister! I, too, am excited to see Bruce Willis in action again, and I love sci-fi flicks! Unfortunately, like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, or G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G-Force, it comes out in a spate of similar-themed competitors (Gamer and Avatar). Still, I guess it will hold its own. I hope it’s the next Total Recall, cos’ that would be totally awesome!
Films I’m looking forward to now are District 9, Inglourious Basterds and The Taking of Pelham 123. I’m making plans to see D9 this Tuesday, none of my friends are interested (cos’ they’re not a fan of shaky-cam footage), but I can handle it, I think, and from what I hear, the plot’s great!
And on Sunday, I’m finally going to see the movie everyone on this board’s talking about. That’s right, I’m attending an advanced screening of Up, three weeks before its Sydney premiere!
Sigh So many movies, so little time.
Note for TDIT:
District 9: One of the smartest storywriting ever!
Inglourious Basterds: I’m looking forward to that. Hasn’t released here yet.
The Taking of Pelham 123: IMHO, just wait for DVD release. Not I’m saying the movie is bad, but it’s not worth of your money.
I saw Inglourious Basterds the other day, and I thought it was pretty good. It had its highs and lows, definitely, as some parts really dragged but others were explosive - literally - but as a whole, I enjoy Tarantino’s movies and although this isn’t one of his best, it’s still very good. There’s a particular character in it, nicknamed the “Jew Hunter”, and he is probably my favourite of Tarantino’s creations ever. I’ll buy it on DVD just to see him again.
All in all, I’d give it seven and a half out of ten. It’s a great story, there’s some good acting and some very memorable scenes, but it doesn’t always gel together and the characters don’t really develop much.
Last night I watched two fairy tale twists. I saw Enchanted in the morning and Shrek at night. Both very enjoyable.
I want to see Up so bad but I can’t find it in my local theater showtimes. Weird.
I’ve probably made this list before, but oh well. I also wanna see, in no particular order:
- [i]Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
- Shorts
- Ponyo
- All Dogs Go to Heaven
- The Black Cauldron
- The Great Mouse Detective
- G-Force[/i] (but I’m not as hyped for it)
- [i]Alice in Wonderland
- A Christmas Carol
- The Princess and the Frog[/i]
Some of which are not out yet.
Then there’s the list of movies I wish to see again:
- [i]Beauty and the Beast
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh[/i] (first original movie, not any of the many sequels. I haven’t seen the first movie since…like when I was six or something?!! But I can’t find it to rent, borrow, or watch ANYWHERE!)
- [i]Fantasia
- Fantasia 2000
- Oliver & Company
-The Rescuers - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Bambi[/i]
All of which are Disney Classics, I realize.
Thanks, wannabecef91 for the movie advice! BTW, have you watched Pelham 123 yet, or is that your impression from the trailer?
I’ve heard great news about Hans Landa’s performance. His character’s a right scumbag, but probably a charismatic one, in a way. That’s the impression I got from viewing the preview clips, and I must say, I’m very intrigued to see this film.
Which country are you from? I had the impression you were American.
Well, taking BDD’s lead, here are some I want to see theatrically (in order):
- District 9 (which I’m seeing tonight, yippee-ki-yay!)
-
Up (But of course! )
- Inglourious Basterds
- The Taking of Pelham 123
- The Cove
- Moon
- G-Force
- 9
- Gamer
- Surrogates
- Sherlock Holmes
- The Princess and the Frog
- Avatar
Obviously, there are some I want to see more than others, and some I might not eventually see in cinemas if there’s time and financial constraints, but this is a ‘wish-list’.
DVD:
- Coraline (I think it’s out in the U.S. by now)
- The World Is Not Enough
- The Blues Brothers
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop
- The International
- Alien Nation
- Race to Witch Mountain
- 12 Rounds
And ‘watch-agains’:
- Cars
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- The Road to El Dorado
- The Brave Little Toaster
TDIT: I’ve watched the movie. IMHO the movie is just like Live Free or Die Hard. Action sequence/thriller that made for TV. Not I’m saying it’s poor, but getting the movie on DVD is better. The movie was decent to me. But don’t take my opinion too seriously, if you really wanna watch it, go on.
Over the last two days I’ve watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Night of the Hunter. Both of which are excellent films, although the former is ruined by a fairly overtly racist stereotype played by Mickey Rooney, but Audrey Hepburn is fantastic in the film. I didn’t understand all the hoo-ha about her before watching this film, but I totally get it now.
And The Night of the Hunter is just a classic. Nuff said!
Today I saw Inglourious Basterds and I thought it was great! And so far, everybody I’ve talked to says it was great. I absolutely loved it! I’d highly recomend this movie. One of the best I’ve seen this summer.