Recently watched movies!

[XvGojira]

[MekaGojira3k]

^I love the Muppet Christmas Carol, so much

Watched The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) for the first time. I really enjoyed it, I haven't watched a Bob Hope movie since I was a kid, and I forgot how much I enjoyed him.

[Dr Kain]

Wow, that song is long, very long. Maybe it fits much better in the movie, but as it is, I feel it interrupts the pacing of the movie.

Anyway,

A Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim): I really like Sim's version of Scrooge. The man does a great job acting like a rotten "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" and then pulls off the change in his personality quite well and make it believable. On the other hand, I do not like how this movie really plays out Tiny Tim as they added scenes with him just for the sake of making us feel sympathy for him. I am not a fan of this at all. I also feel the movie drags out the stuff with the Ghost of Christmas Past, adding in additional scenes we did not need, but then cuts out some of the important scenes with the other two ghosts that were in the book. Once again though, the movie does a great job with the effects on Marley's ghost, which does outshine some of the modern live action takes we get today. Overall, this movie has a lot of going for it, a lot of great ideas and some excellent acting, but at the same time, it throws in pointless crap we did not ask for nor needed. As such, I am giving this version a 7/10.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Elysium - I liked this movie. The characters worked, I enjoyed the action sequences, and the storyline worked for me. There were some predictable moments but overall it's a fun film.

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

The Wolf of Wall Street - I have some mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, it is an incredible movie that is done very well. It is funny, it is dramatic, and Leo just down right rocks in everything in does in it. IN fact, the entire cast is wonderful, especially Jonah Hill. The movie is well told with some great characters. Unfortunately, it is not a movie I will probably care if I ever see it again as it is just so long and slow moving. If it wins any awards, it definitely deserves it, and it definitely deserves the praises this movie is getting, but in the long run, I'm not sure how much staying power this movie will have. Despite the negatives, I give the movie an 8/10 as it is a must see, but maybe a one time only must see.

[Dr Kain]

So I watched the DC Villains documentary a little while ago. It was pretty good, but there are three things I did not like about it. First off, it really shows how much of a pompous dick Dan Dido is to the point that I really hope that man is removed from running DC soon as he is really dragging the company down with his assholery. Secondly, they never once talked about a single Green Arrow villain. Sure, they straight up say that there is no way to talk about every villain in the DC universe, and I understand that, but you would think they would have covered something on Merlyn if no one else, especially during the segment about villains being equals to a hero's personality at times. Third, I was hoping for a little bit more of a history behind some of the villains than anything else, as no one has seemed to do that. They briefly talked about the evolution of Catwoman's character over the years, but it would have been nice to have them do that towards more of the villains, especially for those that have been around for 70 years like Joker, Luthor, etc. Outside of those three gripes, it was well done and enjoyable. I'll say it gets a 7/10, especially since the last 15 minutes was spent promoting what the N52 was doing and has coming up more than anything else. It is definitely worth watching if you are a DC fan.

[XvGojira]

My brother tooke the familiy to see The Hobbit 2 in IMAX 3D. I love my brother but his time managment skills are terrible no matter what. So we missed the Godzilla trailer. I might see the movie again just to see for it. Anyway, I like Hobbit 2. It felt more face paced than the first. While Biblo does sort of disappear amongst the dwarven drama, he does more in this movie than the last, from what I remeber all he did in H1 was find the ring and something to make Oakenshield be proud of him or something. I haven't seen the first since the theater, sorry. I know people moan about the dwaf/elf love story thing, but I'm a suck for romance. Sure it's padding but most of the Hobbit movies have been, to be honest. And I swear a few shots of the barrel stuff was from a freaking GoPro, or am I just insane? Smaug was just awesome and can't wait to see more of him in the third, and while I could hear Benedict under all alteration I kind of wish they held back a bit more on it. I'd love it if they inculded unaltered version of his voice on the DVD. Oh and the spider scene! Thank God my mom was home sick or some one would have dust for bones in their hand. She's real jumpy with spiders in movies (oddly she was alright with Shelob but was clawing my shoulder until it was revealed to be a big tarantula). But these spiders made me squirm. I almost don't want to take her to see the movie because of those scenes. So it was better than the first in my opinion.

But since I'm not well versed in Tolkien lore, it seems like the third one would be fairly short. Or at least it seems all it would be is a long ass fight against a dragon, which I would be fine with.

[jellydonut25]

On Christmas Eve I did a " Christmas Movie Marathon":
Die Hard, Trading Places, Prometheus, Rocky IV, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon.

I had Batman Returns ready to go too, but instead I got tired and fell asleep.

[klen7]

we used to do Die Hard (or substitute Die Hard 2), Gremlins and Its a Wonderful Life every year for Christmas Eve. This year, with the little one we just did Nightmare before Christmas and Its a Wonderful Life.

[Dr Kain]

Mothra vs. Godzilla: This was my favorite Godzilla movie when growing up and there is a reason for it. This movie is without a doubt Ishiro Honda at his best. This movie is by far the best Godzilla movie in the entire Showa series, and one of the best Godzilla movies of all time. There is just so much here to love that you can even forget about the negatives because they are well hidden behind everything else.

First off, this movie has one of the best set of characters in the franchise from the human point of a view. The story itself revolves around greedy business men who care for nothing but money, which has always been a problem with society, even to this day. The trio of main characters that are trying to help Mothra and the good of humanity are extremely likable, as they feel more like just normal people rather than some type of super geniuses who can just fix a problem. On the other hand, that is where I feel one of the negatives comes from in the later portion of the movie. Their trip to Infant Island is a just one, but the fact that these three people are able to convince a giant monster and the natives to help them after they just explained why they will not do so two minutes before hand seems misplaced and superficial. I also find it odd how Ichiro and Junko are just suddenly friends with Miura and in the same hotel room together when in the previous scene, he had no idea who they were and was getting annoyed by them trying to question him when he was working. Regardless, that is a minor nitpick to some really interesting characters. I especially like when Ichiro was just going to give up on writing about the corporation’s greed as it is giving them publicity and his boss tells him that means he is just letting them win instead of finding better words to use to make his persuasion more powerful.

My only other complaint revolving around the story of the movie is how suddenly at the end there is a teacher and students stuck on an island. What were they doing there? Clearly the island was being evacuated. Did no one know they were there? Did they not here about Godzila being on his way? How did they get stuck there? It just seems more like a plot convenience that anything else.

Plot aside, the effects and monsters in this movie are by far some of the best in the series. The Godzilla costume is without a doubt the best of the Showa era, as not only does it take the positives of his previous movies, but it also incorporates a look of ferocity in the monster’s face. I just love how mean he looks even if he is a bit clumsy. Mothra also looks incredible. In fact, as much as I enjoy the designs from the future eras of Godzilla (especially GMK’s), this is the best Mothra has ever looked. I just love how furry she is, the colors used for her, and that she is able to stand on her own when facing Godzilla without the help of another monster or a stinger. The concept of her having two priestesses (the Peanuts, as they are called in the credits) is interesting despite them being nothing more than walking exposition. The fights are enjoyable to watch, they do not look campy, and even the ending battle between Godzilla and the two larvae is entertaining. One of the best things about this movie is the lack of visible wires. There is nothing like enjoyable a monster fight only to be pulled out of the immersion by seeing wires pulling on a monster’s wings or dragging a Mothra larva around. The effects used to keep the Mothra twins small when next to the other characters was also well done even if they do look faded out in today’s video market.

Overall, I am not sure what else I can say about this movie that others do not already know. It has the best Godzilla suit until 1989’s “Godzilla vs. Biollante,” it features a Mothra that has yet to be topped, great characters, an interesting story that is well paced, and some of the best effects to be found. As I previously said, there are nitpicks to be had with the movie, but it does such a great job on everything else that you cannot help but overlook them. With that said, I give “Mothra vs Gozilla” an outstanding 9/10 stars.

[XvGojira]

Mothra vs Godzilla has hands-down the best reveal of Godzilla of all the movies. Shifting ground then BAM a tail burst out! The fins rise out of the sand and Godzilla rise up shaking the sand off him. The loose "lips" on the suit in the scene add some weight to him as he shakes.

[Dr Kain]

The Island of Lost Souls: I have never seen this adaptation of The Island of Doctor Moreau before and now that I have, it did not disappoint. Actually, to be quite honest, I have only seen the Val Kilmer movie, which I only recall being nothing short of down right boring, so I was not sure what to expect here. I like the concept of Wells' original story, but have never had the chance to read the thing in its entirety. Nevertheless, I thought this movie was quite enjoyable. It feels a bit longer than 70 minutes, but it does seem to hold the spirit of what I have read out of the book while making Moreau a really enjoyable character thanks to Laughton's performance. Obviously, the movie does deviate from the original story, but that is fine because it works quite well. The make up used in the movie is fantastic, as is the small role Bela Lugosi is given, making the creatures really believable. I do feel this is a movie that needs to be watched more than once to fully appreciate, which is why I am glad to own it. Overall, I give it an 8/10 and look forward to watching it again in the future. Of course, now I have this urge to rewatch the Kilmer movie and the other adaptation from the 70s even though I have heard that is not really any good either.

BTW, I have to face palm because in the bonus features of the BD there is an interview with the director (or who was supposed to be the director) of the Kilmer movie, and he talks about wanting to see an exact adaptation of the story done in movie format, and then goes to talk about all of the changes he was planning to make in his version. -_-

[Destroysall]

The Hunger Games

Finally saw this movie and I must say, for the most part, I was pleased. I haven't read the book yet, so I'm sure there were a few misses in the final product. I can only complain in the idea that everything felt a little too "quick" at times. That's just my opinion though.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[MouthForWar]

Wolf of Wall Street- SO GOOD. Scorsese is still king.

[jellydonut25]

Bad Milo - A guy gets so stressed, a demon forms out of a polyp in his anus. In order to prevent people from getting hurt, he has to bond with the butt demon and get a handle on his stress level. Really a bizarre film. Not one of my top films of the year or anything, but if you like the sound of the premise, it's worth checking out.

[Hybrid Gojira]

X-Men: First Class

Normally I would have watched this in theaters, but I saw it for the first time last night. It is easily my second favorite X film behind X2. Loved the characters and the story.

[klen7]

Just watched 'Dead Man Down'.. pretty straight forward flick, but i think the fatal flaw of the film was a major subplot that revolved a woman's disfigurement...but they must have done a poor job on make-up, because i still thought the actress (Noomi Rapace) looked gorgeous.

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

Just watched Escape from New York for the third time in the last six months. This movie just gets better and better the more I watch it. I love it. I give it a 9/10.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Watched Les Miserables for the first time... Really, really good.

[Dr Kain]

Again, I know it isn't a movie, but we watched the first five episodes to American Horror Story S1 last night and it is pretty good thus far, although not as good as Coven, but I can't help but wonder how this plot is going to go for another 7 episodes. I also laugh at how many of the actors are also in Coven, but most of all, Zachary Quinto is just hilarious playing a gay man. Finally, I also noticed that they are using music from various movies in the show, such as some from Psycho, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Kill Bill, whereas Coven does not do that. Did they just not have a soundtrack budget for the first season or was that intentional?

[lhb412]

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

Such a wonderful film. Really blows the '70s entries out of the water (and I liked Golden Voyage). I actually quite like adventure movies with this kind of tone from this era even without Harryhausen monsters (The Crimson Pirate, for example), so this hits the sweet spot for me. I still think Jason is a little bit better, but this goes firmly in the #2 spot as far as Harryhausen in concerned... I suppose Mysterious Island and Mighty Joe would tie for #3. Ugh, I'm gonna have to rewatch all of these before I go about making lists!

[klen7]

Saw Monsters University. I loved it. probably my favorite thing about the movie was