Recently watched movies!

[Dr Kain]

Yeah, I don't get why people have such hate for Crystal Skull. Is it a good movie? No, but neither is Temple of Doom. Why does ToD get a pass when KotCS doesn't? Granted, ToD is definitely the better movie, and it does have some memorable scenes, but it is still bad. ALl they did was switch Short Round for Jr and they didn't have any of the women in CS scream and whine as much as the lady in ToD.

[lhb412]

^ I imagine it's just older folks with unrealistically high expectations for an Indiana Jones movie. Young people who'll have grown up with all four will probably accept it with no qualms.

The problem with the Indiana Jones series is the first film is perfect and the follow-ups are just fair.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Alien - I'm ashamed to say it's been years since I've watched this from beginning to end. The movie is basically perfect. It introduces one of the most iconic creatures of all time and has a terrific score. It's also downright creepy. Brett's death, complete with all the chains and water, is perfectly done. The end scene with the Alien hiding in plain sight on Ripley's escape ship is flawless. 9/10.

[jellydonut25]

[O.Supreme]

Interdimensional Beings... just sayin'

[Dr Kain]

[lhb412]

I really wish they went further with the alien stuff and made it more far out and '50s-ish, instead of the rather generic looking sci-fi stuff we got. Maybe throw in a retro robot or giant mutant. I mean, Spielberg knows Joe Dante and Dante apparently has access to Robby the Robot since he puts Robby in all of his films. I don't care if the general audience hated it, if Robby showed up in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull how cool would that be?!

The first half of Crystal Skull is actually terrific: the Soviet soldiers breaking into an American military base, the creepy fake neighborhood at the atomic test site (a mannequin family watching Howdy Doody!), the Red Scare stuff at the university... it's like they used all the best ideas early in the film. The action is far better too: the fight at Area 51 and the motorcycle chase through the school are much much much better staged than the stuff in the jungle in the second half of the film.

[klen7]

I hated KotCS with a passion. Still do.
It really ruined the magic of cinema for me in a lot of ways. The ridiculous opening with the magnetic gun powder. the insane overuse of CGI for EVERYTHING. The fridge scene doesn't bother me a quarter as much as the CG monkey swing scene or the nonsensical ant scene. It really felt like a complete cash grab, reliant heavily on nostalgia bait.
For me, watching this movie pulled back the curtain on the magic of cinema to show the cynical business of cinema, and now I can never go back. For that I hate this movie more than an Asylum flick or the latest Tween adaptation. It should have been better, it should have been much better. The talent involved was great, but the only person on set that seemed to be there for more than a paycheck was Karen Allen. Maybe it's the growing pains of green screen cinema, or maybe it hit right as I got old, but I truly resent this film.

[canofhumdingers]

I have to agree with lhb and kain on KOTCS. It's not nearly as bad as people say. Really, lhb has summed it up perfectly. I really like the first half, or even two thirds maybe. It's really the final act that kinda falls apart, but it's more that it doesn't fully embrace the 50's scifi and that poorly executed jungle chase (especially those darn monkeys!). The nuke the fridge scene I actually like (b/c it's a sequence where they really "get" the whole 50's b movie vibe they were aiming for) and feels no more ridiculous than the raft skydive in TOD. I also like the crazy ants.

I do agree with the complaints about too much cgi but I kind of wonder how much is really cgi and how much of that is due to the weird shot-on-film-and-digitally-manipulated look it has. Kind like how many of us (myself included) just found out the G'54 suit and bones in the kiryu movies were actually NOT cgi...

In the end KOTCS kinda feels more like and Indy comic book than an Indy movie but it's still fun enough that I include it with the others. I will admit I walked out of the theater kind of confused and disappointed, but over time the film grew on me. It's totally most in line with TOD (not the grimness, but in the silly over-the-topness) but it goes even further with it and feels almost cartoonish in places. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Freddy vs. Jason - This was a movie I caught in theaters. Revisiting it now, it's just campy fun with a few good kills thrown in the mix.

Jason X - Ugh. Chalk this and Jason Goes to Hell as the two films in the franchise that never should have been made. It's basically a horrible sci-fi rip off of it's own series made with what appears to be a miniscule budget (or a really big screenplay with nowhere near the funds to pull it off).

[Dr Kain]

I agree about there being way too much CGI in KotCS along with the last act being crap. Hell, it feels like the movie got mixed up with The Mummy Returns.

[jellydonut25]

Captain America: Civil War - It's another Marvel movie. And then I moved on with my life.

[klen7]

Beyond Outrage - A much needed sequel to Beat Takashi's film Outrage. If you liked the first one you'll like this one as well. I have to wonder if it will eventually become a trilogy.

Dark Was the Night - A small horror flick / creature feature. I have some real issues with the ending, but it was well acted.

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

Gamera vs Gaos MST3K Version - Finally getting back to doing Gamera stuff, so this was on my list for the next MST3K movie version to watch. Oh man, some of the jokes here were fantastic like, "I told my mom I was growing a new foot and she nit me 3 socks." Oh, and, "Why do all Japanese kids dress like Fisher Price people?" Loved it. The movie itself gets a low score, but this version is like an 8/10.

[O.Supreme]

Thor (2011). Man I forgot how much I love the music score in this film. Quite possibly the best musical score in the entire MCU to date. Also the Asgard sets are so grand and wonderfully made. I realize with an earth setting mostly in a small town in NM, they probably had more of a budget compared to DARK WORLD- filming in London and having to have sets for several different worlds, Asgard by comparison just looked washed out and depressing. I know RAGNAROK is supposed to be quite a destructive film, but before all the chaos, hopefully they can make Asgard shine once again.

[lhb412]

The House on Haunted Hill

The scenes with Vincent Price are great, as he indulges in a deliciously hammy performance, and the rest of the movie is okay. Just doesn't seem right without the plastic skeleton rigged to fly over the heads of the audience as in its original theatrical presentation.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

A well intentioned, but supremely forgettably light film.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Godzilla vs. Hedorah - Gah. This film, to me, is a snoozefest. Each time I see it I try to enjoy it because I see so many of my friends are gung ho and sing it's praises...and I literally started dozing off during the final battle between Godzilla and Hedorah on Mt. Fuji so I turned it off. Granted, yes I was tired, but I was also so bored by this I simply couldn't muster finishing it. This is one movie I'll never get all the praise for. So what if it's got acid tripping, cartoons, and a catchy theme song? Godzilla's first battle with Hedorah was mostly boring. I also HATE the overall score (not so much save the earth, just the other stuff). Meh.

Oh yeah - Godzilla flies. For all the wonkiness in Godzilla films, Godzilla flying takes the cake.

[O.Supreme]

^ just watched G vs Hedorah myself. with kids it's a completely different experience I can tell you that much .

Also watched Transformers: The Movie. This is probably the movie I have seen most repeated viewings of in my life. If I were to say I've seen it 500 times, that would not be an exaggeration. I know the dialogue by heart. Unlike many fans that perhaps hadn't seen the film because it faded into obscurity for many years before its first official DVD release in 2000 I've always had this film since I rented it and made a copy back in 1987. Of course I used to think the movie was perfect. But now, at age 40 I can finally say its not (I know the flaws, and there are a few...no need to rehash what TF wiki has all listed). But still...It is an amazing film that had a profound effect on me at age 10. August 18th will be the 30th anniversary of its theatrical release. I'd love it if Screen Junkies did a retro Honest Trailer.

[Dr Kain]

I'm just so glad I finally got to see Transformers in theaters last year. Oh man that was truly an experience.

[O.Supreme]

^ Nice...do you mind if I ask where it played? I've seen theatrical prints 3 times, though technically, only the original was in an actual theater in August 1986. I saw a screening of it at SDCC in the mid-90's (finally proved to my friend that I wasn't lying about Spike swearing since all VHS copies up to that point had removed it). Also at BotCon in 2000, they screened a film print in a hotel ball room.

I was *kind of* hoping it might get a limited release for the 30th anniversary, but I doubt it. At least not from Hasbro. Perhaps a few individual efforts, but its still a few months away...you never know.

[Dr Kain]

[lhb412]

Ultraman: The Next

The main guy from Godzilla vs. Mothra '92 is a fighter pilot who miraculously walks away unharmed after a catastrophic accident where his jet encountered a glowing orb in the sky. Retiring from the air force to spend time with his dying son, he's soon abducted by shadowy government types who reveal another person had a similar encounter with a glowing orb and proceeded to transform into a grotesque, dangerous monster. Soon, our main character also transforms, but, luckily for everyone involved, into a far more agreeable entity: Ultraman.

I liked this. A few terrible digital effects and maybe a bit too serious for it's own good (but not too grim to sink it), but it mostly works, and it has that sincerity that is at the heart of Ultraman.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Aliens - Though it's doesn't quite reach the level of the original, this movie is still awesome, and the Queen is an amazing monster to behold.