Recently watched movies!

[Dr Kain]

Frozen - So this movie was actually quite good. I went in expecting a movie about a snowman with cheap childish gags and fart jokes, but what I got was a complicated plot about two princesses (well queen and princess) and their fight to understand one another. It had some great adult jokes in it, a good story that did not fill up the normal cliches these movies tend to have (in fact, is it a princess type movie??) and the character development was well thought out. I was really impressed with how Anna and Elsa were not useless damsels in distress at all. My only complaints with the movie is that there was a little too much singing, the beginning of the movie felt very rushed, and there really wasn't an all out villain of the movie. Nevertheless, the plot twist behind the villain we got was well done and hidden nicely well and the animation was gorgeous. Of course, as amazing as the animation was, I really miss 2D animation, especially from Disney. I'm going to give this movie an 8/10 stars. Oh yeah, and there is a scene after the credits, so STAY!!

[XvGojira]

[jellydonut25]

X-Men: The Last Stand - If you can divorce yourself from the comic book world, this is actually not THAT bad of a movie...at least, not as bad as its reputation. Yes, it still lacks character development, yes there are dozens of pieces of cannon fodder, yes some of the mutant designs are ridiculous....but there are times where I start to feel like it's actually a genuine climax to a conflict that has been building through two previous films and assuming DOFP can actually do some things like bring Cyclops back so we can get a proper version of him, and maybe ultimately wash the taste of Vinnie Jones' AWFUL Juggernaut out of my mouth, I honestly think I'll be able to more or less enjoy this film on the level of a big stupid action movie.

My wife hopes DOFP can fix a lot of stuff too. When the movie was over she was like, "Wait...so Magneto and Mystique aren't mutants anymore, and Jean Grey is dead? That's stupid." She was really upset that Mystique was just cast aside, which to me was really funny because we actually started the X-Men films at First Class, and she said multiple times throughout the movie, "Man, Mystique is pretty worthless huh? I mean, she can't fly, she can't shoot things, she can't beat up people....what does she even DO?" I was just like, "You'll see...later on..."

So yeah, watching these movies with my wife was an experience...she liked the movies but it gave me a unique perspective on these films: aside from First Class, you kinda need to have a familiarity with X-Men in order to pick things up; there were times where I had to tell her "That's [so and so]" or explain one of the mutants' powers in a little more detail, but at the same time, she was far less irritated by some of the stuff X-Men fans hated (like Cyclops being turned into a broody jerk and never having a proper moment in the series, or Rogue never flying).

[Dr Kain]

I don't hate X3 because it isn't the comic book (I gave up that notion after the first X-Men), I do not like X3 because it just isn't a good movie. It has way too much action, too many characters, the plot is stupid as ****, the actors are not even taking the material seriously, the music is forgettable, and it is boring.

[jellydonut25]

[XvGojira]

All I know is that I had more fun seeing X3 in the theater than I did Superman Returns.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[Benjamin Haines]

I hated X-Men: The Last Stand. I thought the concept of a liquid injection that instantly reconfigures the genetic structure of a person from mutant to human was the stupidest idea imaginable. Brett Ratner's direction of the action sequences was so simplistic and juvenile, like having all of the good guys lined up on one side and staring down all of the bad guys in a row on the other side before they charge at each other.


But most of all, I thought they completely botched the Dark Phoenix story. First we get that terribly tacked-on flashback to try to convince us that Magneto has always regarded Jean as a particularly powerful and special mutant, while the previous films never depicted him as thinking any more of her than he did the rest of Xavier's team, but then after she's revealed to still be alive, she barely does anything! She spends half the film standing around in a daze by herself or being led around like a zombie by Magneto and the other half suddenly going on a murderous rampage while hardly speaking at all. There was no character to her. Compare her portrayal here to the absolutely epic, wonderfully realized five-part Phoenix Saga episodes of the 1990s X-Men animated series. Obviously these films have never been about duplicating other X-Men media and I don't think they should be, but it just goes to show what a total non-character The Last Stand's Phoenix was. It's a terrible waste of potential and the whole movie is a tremendous drop in quality from the previous films.

[jellydonut25]

[lhb412]

Zatoichi's Revenge

Zatoichi comes back to the town where he was schooled as a masseur, naturally (because this is a Zatoichi movie), the town's controlled by a crook, his old sensei is murdered and his sensei's daughter has been trapped into sex slavery - also, Zatoichi befriends a crooked dice thrower and his daughter who are technically on the side of the bad guys.

Naturally, this can all be settled by spectacular sword fights, crazy dice games, massages, and Ichi's impeccable bartending skills (despite being blind).

This one is really seeped in a recurring theme of the series: Zatoichi helping abused women. Those who exploit others for gain have a very high mortality rate in these movies...

[lhb412]

I'm home with a cold - not much to do but eat hot soup and watch movies!

A Christmas Story

I think that if any non-Christmas celebrators ask you just what Christmas is like you show them this movie. When you flashback to your childhood Christmases I'll bet for a lot of people this movie hits most of the important beats. It helps for me that the Mom and Dad in this film, more than any other movie and TV parents, remind me of my own Mom and Dad.

[Shonokin]

The first Shinobi no Mono. Surprisingly nicely filmed.

[jellydonut25]

Cloud Atlas - pretty darn great....and I feel like that's fairly high praise considering I pretty much hated the book.

Though I was completely freaked out by Korean Hugo Weaving.

[XvGojira]

Did a bit of an impromptu Scrooge-athon.

I started off with TNT/Hallmark's A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart. The start and build up was fantastic. When it got to the spirits it seemed to go by at an oddly fast pace to me. The effects at times were more than a tad hokey, but it was a TV movie from '99 so what ever.

Then since I love it and my girlfriend never saw it before we watched A Muppet Christmas Carol. I love this because Micheal Caine is acting his ass off like this wasn't a goofy Muppet filled musical. And I have to admit, I think Michael Caine does it better than Sir Patrick Stewart, not that he was bad but I have a hard time seeing him as anything other than Patrick Stewart.

After that I had to go to my favorite version of the story Scrooged. I love this. Dark, funny, great Elfman score.

To finish the night I went with Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Not as Christmas-y as the first, even with all of it's snow, it's still a fun action ride. The twist wasn't as big or stunning like the first but the villains were great (although I believe John McClain needs to fighting Euro-trash at all times).

[Dr Kain]

I've got a few movies to list as I was busy either playing Mario World or sick, so I didn't post them.

The Polar Express: This movie is quite enjoyable despite its flaws. Yes, the eyes are lifeless, but for the first attempt at full on motion capture in a movie, it was still well done. I loved how it captured the spirit and essence of the book while bringing in some new elements to add to it. I do think it runs about 10 minutes too long, but it is definitely something enjoyable, especially for kids (the second graders were glued to the screen the entire time on Thursday). I give this movie a nice 7/10 stars.

Monster's University: I originally gave the movie a higher score than I give it now, but that is because now I am actually rating it as a movie on a whole instead of a new release as I tend to do due to the hype train. It is a still a nicely well done movie with excellent jokes, and well told story, even if it is just a standard run of the mill college movie. Nevertheless, Pixar did a nice job with it and it shows they can deviate from their main attractions to do something cliche even if I hope they don't do it too often. There are a lot of laughs, a lot of adult jokes to go with the kid jokes, and it has a heart. There are a few things that I believe conflict with the original from a continuity stand point, but whatever. This movie also gets a 7/10.

Scrooged: And now we start my run of going through as many adaptations of A Christmas Carol as possible before Wed. This year I decided to start with Scrooged and this movie is quite enjoyable. It drags a bit during the Ghost of Christmas Past segment and does not have enough of the Christmas Present Ghost (who is just down right awesome), plus the ending is too long, but the movie is hilarious nonetheless. It is also nice to see an original take on Dickens' tale, so I have to give it that as well. I also love Elfman's score to this movie, but that is to be expected for a genius that he is. Overall, I giving Scrooged a 7/10 and it is one movie that I enjoy more and more each time I view it.

[MouthForWar]

American Hustle- F*cking fantastic. If you like gritty period pieces (think old Scorsese flicks, Boogie Nights, the Fighter, etc), this is right up your alley. In the Top 5 of the year for me, no question,

[Dr Kain]

[MekaGojira3k]

Watched The Shop Around the Corner (1940). I liked it. I feel like Jimmy Stewart's character pushes his luck a little towards the end, but overall I enjoyed the film.

Also Christmas in Connecticut (1945) continues to be a favorite Christmas-y film.

[jellydonut25]

[Destroysall]

Saw The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug today.. in 2D.

I loved every minute of the film. Sure it has a few ridiculous moments, but I thought it was pretty spot on from Tolkien's book. I definitely can't wait for the next one! My only gripe was that they didn't show the Godzilla preview.. instead they showed Spiderman 2??? Made no sense whatsoever..

[klen7]

Eight Legged Freaks: This movie has so many things working against it that I probably shouldn't like it... but i do. It's been probably 10 years since i saw it last and for the most part, the CG has held up. It's no Tremors or Slither, but as far as comedy creature features go it does alright. Probably a notch below 'Evolution' just because it lacks the same cast chemistry that made a lot of that movie work

[jellydonut25]

[lhb412]

Scrooge (1970)

This musical version is the most under-rated version of The Carol. It's about neck-n-neck with the '51 version for me!

[Hybrid Gojira]

Pacific Rim.

We celebrated Christmas at my Parents' house tonight and ended up watching it after the presents were opened.

Loved it, more now than the first couple times I saw it. The characters were better and my family enjoyed it as well.

[Dr Kain]

The Muppet's Christmas Carol - This movie is quite good, but I do have some issues with it. Now obviously it has to take liberties from the original story to make it more kid friendly, but I just don't feel convinced by Caine's performance of Scrooge. He just does not seem as rotten as he should be and I'm not sure if it is just because of his friendly face or that he is working with the puppets, but he doesn't really work for me. The other thing is that Scrooge's nephew seems entirely pointless in this version as we are never told about his sister nor does he go to his nephew's for dinner. Other than that though, the movie is well told and hilarious. I love Gonzo acting as the narrator and some of the comedy that ensues between him and Rizzo (such as the gate stuff). Now one thing I must say I find weird is that there is apperantly a song missing, as one of my friends who has been watching the movie every year since it first came out said there was supposed to be a song Caine sings when his engagement is broken off. I have only seen the movie once on VHS and now twice on BD, does anyone know what he is talking about and why it is missing on the BD? Nevertheless, I give this nice warm and fuzzy version an 8/10.