Recently watched movies!

[lhb412]

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

The follow up to the the Harryhausen dinosaurs/Raquel Welch bikini blockbuster One Million Years B.C. finds playmate Victoria Vetri in an even smaller bikini (honestly, I don't see how it even stays on) and Jim Danforth animated dinosaurs. The dinosaur animation is incredible; very fluid, and Danforth cheats a bit by making them less like scientifically accurate dinosaurs and adds lots of specific details and movements from present day animals, making for extremely naturalistic creatures. Just gorgeous. Apparently Danforth also went way over schedule to produced this spectacular work and they spliced in some slurpasaurus stock footage (from The Lost World?) to supplement it.

The plot covers a lot of the same ground as B.C., but Vetri being adopted into a dinosaur family is very fun.

[Dr Kain]

Ex Machina - If you are a fan of cyberpunk in general, especially Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell, check this movie out. It is hands down one of the most thought provoking movies I have seen in quite some time that relies heavily on dialog and visuals to tell its story rather than explosions. Nearly every seen is written quite craftily to the point that the movie feels like an hour long rather than 110 minutes. The music is quite intense and knows how to fit the mood of the scene when it needs to. Not just that, but there is so much to be found here that it is going to take a couple more views to catch everything, and I for one an looking forward to doing so. This is what Transcendence and Interstellar should have been last year. I give this amazing film a 9/10 stars.

[lhb412]

Bye Bye Birdie

Man, I have a difficult relationship with this movie. I like pretty much everything about it except the star, Ann Margret. Her character was more of a minor one in the Broadway show, but Hollywood saw her star potential and retooled the movie to center on her and wrote her some new musical numbers (annoying ones). I find Ann Margret excruciating. She is the human equivalent of Madonna doing that horrible baby voice when she sings 'Santa Baby.' "The Telephone Hour" and "Honestly Sincere" are wonderful musical numbers and Paul Lynde steals the movie with what little screen time he's been left.

I think my favorite thing about this movie is the copious Hanna Barbara product placement: Huckleberry Hound shirt; Yogi Bear album prominently displayed in the opening musical number; Margret has large dolls of Yogi, Fred, and Barney in her room that have a lot of screen time. Clearly, the studio was in the pocket of big Yogi.

[Rody]

Over the past few days I watched Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, twice each, for the first time(s). I was very impressed with both, and surprised to see how similar they were to each other. Both films present an immersive, high-tech futuristic world, featuring a physical & mental conflict between the protagonists and antagonists that challenges the notions of identity and life for both sides. The manners in which the two films go about this are different enough to let each movie stand on its own without any negative parallels, though, and I'm mildly fascinated by how these two different films, separated by countries and 13 years, told what almost feels like the same story with equally impressive and unique results.

[Psycho Soldier]

Spider-Man 3 - It's disorganized, contrived, stupid, and full of silly BS. But I was amused and entertained, and there are some genuinely good moments throughout. I understand how the cons outweigh the pros for most people. I could watch it a couple more times, though. I wasn't as underwhelmed by Venom as I was expecting, though he could have been handled much more effectively - in a fourth movie, with a better voice and more muscular build. And as much as I liked Sandman, that retcon with him being Uncle Ben's killer is kind of painful. Wasn't fond of "New Goblin"; he reeks of radicool.

[Dr Kain]

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

[Psycho Soldier]

I don't mind there being two villains, provided their stories can be strung together effectively. I don't think SM3 succeeded on that front. It might have been better if Harry had teamed up with Sandman, sans Venom. Also, I have a hard time believing that NYC doesn't know Peter is Spider-Man. He spends enough time out and about with his mask off or ripped to shreds; you'd think there'd be a few dozen incriminating pictures by now. But the dance scenes are hilarious. I agree, they're pretty fun, even if they're mostly filler.

[Dr Kain]

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Thor: The Dark World- I enjoyed it not as good as the first but still fairly decent.

Captain America: The Winter Solider- I really enjoyed this one which surprised me. I wasn't a fan of the first Cap movie nor am I a fan of the character but this was pretty good.

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

I think Thor 2 is a trainwreck, but it's still entertaining and fun. It's the worst Marvel movie, but if that's the worst they can do, then however long this ride lasts is gonna be fun.

[Dr Kain]

[klen7]

[jellydonut25]

Nothing about Ant Man strikes me as bad so far. If anything, it's the most interesting to me since it looks like it is going to be small scale and not just about chasing down magic glowy rocks with ill-defined properties.

Not sure if that will be a GOOD thing, but at least it's giving me a different vibe than the last several movies (Cap 2 excluded)

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Supposedly Ant-Man has the best script of the marvel movies so far. I'm going to wait for this to hit home video before I check it out.

[lhb412]

Thunderbird 6

Technically a better movie than Thunderbirds Are Go. This one actually feels like a cohesively plotted film, not just like two TV episodes, and it's better at getting the various members of the team involved early and keeping them involved for the duration. It's also funnier and has more quality character interaction. But, it also lacks all the cool action set pieces the first film has. That kind of stuff is pretty much confined to the finale here.

[klen7]

Trance - I saw the red band trailer for this back in 2013 and never heard about it again until i was fumbling through the free on demand movies last night. I usually like Danny Boyle flicks, but i can see how this one dropped under the radar despite James McAvoy, Rosario Dawsen and Vincent Cassel. It's one of those movies that messes with reality, so when the big reveal hits its just ridiculous enough that you think its another false reality... but its not. Then the movie is over with a small final expository twist. There are a few gorgeous cinematic pieces and at least one wonderfully original (though gorey) visual effect. So overall a very visually interesting movie at points but more style than substance.

[klen7]

Three Days of the Condor - I know this is considered a bit of a classic, but i had never seen it. When Captain America Winter Soldier was out plenty of reviews referenced this movie, and for more than the Robert Redford connection. It definitely has the feel of a 70s flick, but a lot of the story elements seem to have been picked up and reused throughout the years. Good flick.

[Dr Kain]

Avengers 2 - It is so nice to walk into a movie and knowing very little about it thanks to my constant need to avoid every trailer, article, and promo possible as to not spoil anything for myself. This movie hands down meets all of its expectations you could expect from it. I wouldn't go out to say it is better than the first one, but it is definitely on par with it as the action is excellent, the acting is very good, there are some great moments of character development, and most of all, my god, Ultron is just so damn badass. The actors for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver was also incredible as was Vision. Once again the writers did a fantastic job of making the movie action packed, dramatic, and fun all in one package. So much so that I am now dreading the upcoming DC cinematic universe even more as everything DC has revealed looks desaturated and joyless. The biggest negative I have for the movie is how it was edited as there are some scenes that feel a little off as if they are missing a scene or two. Finally, there is a scene during the credits but the lack of one after the credits had ended met with loud disembodied moans and groans from the audience. IN the end, I give this movie a terrific 8/10 stars.

[XvGojira]

Avengers 2 - Other than some minor issues that hopefully will be ironed out one way or another in the extended Blu-Ray or deleted scenes, a great fun movie. My gal thought it was getting a bit long in the tooth for her. But yeah, Ultron is great villain and I wouldn't mind him popping back up again (but I doubt it). Although I find it odd they seem to have conveniently dropped the "I'm always angry" aspect of Banner/Hulk. I'm not sure if it's better that the first or not, but I loooooove the comic book villain plan Ultron had. Not some basic invasion, take over stuff but it's so convoluted, over the top, and crazy. Could have done with out the "get the team to fight itself" again.

[Dr Kain]

The Man with the Golden Gun - One of Moore's best movies. It is a little too long, but then, the pacing would be fixed if they removed every scene with JW Pepper in it and Goodnight is one of the dumbest Bond girls ever, but it is still an enjoyable movie overall, Lee is an excellent villain and he really helps the movie a lot. In fact, I don't think the movie would be as good without him. I give it a 7/10 stars.

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Avengers 2- See my thoughts in it's thread.

[MekaGojira3k]

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - A lot better than the first. This is the kind of feel I expected. I actually think this is the movie I remember bits and pieces of as a kid. When the little colony gets addressed stands out. I really remember the finger bit. While I like it, I feel like a lot of what I like are the ideas and potential. Its execution is fine, but it just doesn't blow me away or anything. I expect less of the third one based on what I've read.