Recently watched movies!

[lhb412]

First film on my 'Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki' set, Castle of Cagliostro. Classic adventure. It seems Disney's set is a pretty exact port of the Japanese release, down to the special features and subs.

[Dr Kain]

Mockingjay Part 2 - BIGGEST WASTE OF 4 YEARS!!! This movie is down right terrible. Most of it is utterly pointless and there was no need to drag it out to be two movies. There are things that happen in this movie that made everything moot and there were scenes that were ripping off better movies that I wish I was watching instead. If you have been debating on whether or not to watch this series at this point, don't even bother. The Mockingjay movies are this decade's Matrix sequels. I can't tell you if there is anything after the credits because I refuse to give this series any more of my time. Overall, a piece of crap movie full of pointless stuff and gets a 5/10 because the acting is the only thing that saves it.

[DannyBeane]

Recently re-watched Obayaki's House. The first time I watched it, I didn't like it. The story was weird, didn't make any sense and I kept getting lost in what was happening. A few days ago I re-watched it and had a much better viewing experience. There were a lot of issues that were cleared up for me and it actually ended up being a pretty fun film. There are a lot of little spfx and camera gimmicks used that were really well done and most of the film had the vivd feeling of a fever dream.

[lhb412]

Rocky II

The still really good but not quite as good as the original but still very much in keeping with the tone of the original film sequel (as opposed to the cartoony sequels yet to come). The hook is brilliant: what happens to a normal person after having their 15 minutes of fame? Going back to the same-old, same-old would surely sting after briefly tasting greatness.

Also, we have the first case of a health issue preventing Rocky from ever fighting again. This time it's because of the damage to Rocky's right eye in the fight at the end of the first film. If he fights again he risks blindness. This is not the first health issues which will be briefly important and then ignored in further sequels.

[Rody]

Interstellar - I finally got around to seeing this, and oh, man, I wish I had seen it in the theater. Interstellar is an incredibly emotional and epic story. The science behind it was fascinating, the visuals were extraordinary (the spherical wormhole was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen in film), and the characters felt so endearingly, heart-breakingly human, that even when I could predict where the plot was going, I didn't care because I was 100% invested in the characters and I could practically feel the pain and grief and determination they were giving all-out. I've only seen five of Christopher Nolan's films so far (this, Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy), but this one is my favorite. I definitely need to see more of Nolan's films, because he's a truly talented filmmaker.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - this one had sort of been recommended by a friend a few years ago, so I made a mental note to see it eventually; which I did, yesterday. I didn't really know what o expect, but I was pleased with what I got. It's a rough, goofy road movie that isn't too crass and is plenty funny. Watching the three escaped prisoners bumble their way into friendship and success is delightful, and the music and cinematography are quite pretty.

[Dr Kain]

The Good Dinosaur - I can see why Pixar wanted to release this movie out in the same year as Inside Out. The movie as a whole is very entertaining and enjoyable, but it really is just that, a movie made for kids. Aside from maybe 3 jokes, there isn't anything here that will really make adults think outside of the box. As a whole, it is one of Pixar's weakest movies, but that does not make it a bad movie by any means. It's just not a movie you will really think much about afterwards. Nevertheless, I give it a 7/10 stars as it is still well done and the animation is beautiful.

[lhb412]

Princess Mononoke

Haven't watched this in a few years, and it blew me away all over again. It's an overwhelming film that you can just get swept up in.

Also noticed more of the parallels between the film and both Nausicaa (including the un-adapted parts of the manga) and Kipling's Jungle Book.

[canofhumdingers]

San Andreas - It's a big dumb disaster movie thats sole purpose is to be an effects spectacle. And as someone who's a total sucker for big dumb disaster movies, I loved it. The characters were just interesting enough within their cliche, cookie cutter molds to hold my attention between destruction sequences (which were thankfully many, frequent, and gratuitous!).

It's not great cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but if you like movies such as Volcano, Twister, and 2012, then this will definitely scratch your over-the-top disaster film itch.

[jellydonut25]

[canofhumdingers]

@jelly

Eh, I didn't find it boring at all. And neither did my wife (she actually told me later that she was disappointed when it ended cause she wanted more) nor my sister. We all had fun with it. And I felt like the rock was still entertaining even if he was flying the most of the movie. By we're an aviation family so I don't think the flying part bored us (we had plenty of fun taking in the vistas and poking fun at the parts Hollywood got wrong).

[Dr Kain]

[DannyBeane]

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

Lack fun? It has tons of fun. Hell, I just watched the movie on Tuesday with a room of 41 fourth graders and they were all engaged in it and laughing at nearly every joke. The only one every child did not laugh at was the Puberty button one.

[jellydonut25]

I'm not saying it's not funny. I'm not saying there are no jokes. I'm saying it's TOO heady, too introspective, and too forcibly poignant for its own good and my personal tastes. It's not breezy enough, and I know people point to how much kids like it, but kids will literally like ANYTHING with lots of colors. Kids really liked HOME. That movie SUCKS. I'm just saying like, Inside Out has abstract thought machines and sorrowful memories and the message that you can't be happy if you want to be a functional adult...it's a drag. TO ME.

[Dr Kain]

Some Like It Hot - What the hell did I just watch? And I mean that in a good way. This movie was just weird, very weird. It was so damn funny and yet very disturbing. I did feel it dragged a little bit in the middle but that aside this was quite enjoyable. I think I'm going to give it an 8/10, although I still haven't compressed everything I just experienced.

[DannyBeane]

[XvGojira]

Creed - This is how you continue a franchise. Rocky is in it, he's integral to the story, some nice call backs BUT the movie is about Adonis Johnson-Creed. A damn worthy entry into the franchise and would be willing to see sequels. And there were some amazing shots in the movie too. Creed's first fight is all done in one take mode (I doubt it was all one take but they did a damn fine job of hiding cuts). And the last fight and his reason for fighting... god damn.

Specter - Very entertaining but oddly limp film, especially coming off the high that was Skyfall and re-introducing such a big element of the Bond universe. I loved that they were putting more humor into it, the chair gag in the opening scene and some of the stuff with 009's car seemed almost Roger Moore-esqu and that's great. Not the best Bond, but not the worst.

The Good Dinosaur - I'm very much in the camp of "Pixar has yet to make a bad movie". Their "worst" were better than most at the time they came out. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Cars 2. And The Good Dinosaur is not a bad movie but it's not all that original. We've seen this boilerplate plot before. It's still entertaining, but the visuals. Sweet buttery lug nuts. I swear to god they went to the west and mid-west and filmed some of the backgrounds. And those were some of the best CGI water I've seen. So even if this just ends up being Pixar tech demo, it's a damn beautiful tech demo. Also I found the T-rexes running like galloping horses funny.

[Dr Kain]

House on Haunted Hill - Well, that was a lot different than I expected. If you haven't seen it, you may want to stop here but I was amazed that the whole thing was a hoax. That was pretty cool. There isn't much in the way of character development though and some of the stuff is laughable. Nevertheless, I give it a 7/10.

[Reaper G]

"Kingsman: The Secret Service"

Lots of fun, very stylish, and it felt more like a classic 007 film than the recent ones. Nice acknowledgements of Bond, too, also with references to the Bourne series, "24", and "Get Smart". And the last scene is hilarious.

[Dr Kain]

Krampus - As a whole, I have mixed feelings on this movie. It was an interesting movie that gives us a look at a new aspect of horror with the Krampus, but at the same time, it is about 15 minutes too long. There is a nice build up before everything gets started, so a half hour goes by without a scare, which is quite nice in this modern age where everything is in your face with buckets of blood spewing out. On the other hand, the family just isn't that interesting of characters as they are all pretty much unlikable and the acting is meh. Thankfully, when the horror kicks in, it does it nicely even if it is not as clever as Trick r Treat. If you are a horror fan and are craving a Christmas horror movie, you definitely can do much worse than this entertaining piece that tries something new despite its flaws. There are also quite a bit of hilarious bits, but thankfully it doesn't go full on comedy horror as people made it sounds like it would. In the end, I give it a 7/10.

[Shokara]

I just came back from Creed. When I first heard Stallone was going to be doing this the first thing I thought was, "Sly, let it go. You did good back in 2006 when you gave the Rocky series the dignified ending it deserved but didn't get back in 1990. Just let it go. Don't ruin it chasing old glories." This movie by concept on paper had no business being as good of a follow-up as it turned out to be. Yeah, if you've seen the better entries in the Rocky series you kinda' know what you're going to get. It hits a lot of the same beats, but Creed finds that fine balance between nostalgic callback as well as standing on its own. Even if I'd never seen a Rocky movie before I'd consider Creed to be a fine film. I don't think it'll be winning any awards, but if you like Rocky even a little bit, Creed will not let you down. And yes, although Stallone pulls in another fine performance, putting the old Rocky shoes back on, Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson-Creed is most certainly the focus of the story, and he carries it superbly. If this level of quality can be maintained I would not mind at all seeing this continue. And now I'm mad at Stallone, because I was ready to move on.

[Dr Kain]

Fan Boys - This was actually pretty damn funny. The first hour was a little slow moving, but that aside, it was enjoyable. Nothing spectacular, but the last line of the movie is just awesome. A 7/10.

Home Alone - I have not seen this movie since the late 90s so it was nice to finally watch it again and with a 4K mastered print. The movie is still as enjoyable as ever but wow, there were a few bits of dialog I never realized how adult they were until now. I'm surprised this movie got around a PG rating when it has the word ""OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!"" in it among a few other things. Nevertheless, a great Christmas classic and well deserving of its 8/10 stars.

[klen7]

i really like Fan Boys, there's a lot of heart in there