[Official] Movie Review Thread

snowmutt

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Okay.... saw "Thor: The Dark World" this week, and let me tell ya:

Among the better Marvel movies. Period. First off, it does not try to be anything other then what it is supposed to be: a fun movie. Trying to change the world? Nah. Trying to make a statement? Nope. Trying to take itself seriously? Come on- this is based on a comic book which is based on Norse Mythology- you know, Viking Gods. How serious can you be?? This movie has about a dozen points where it just winks at the audience and says "That's right, we just went there!!"

But what it doesn't skimp on are the two most important areas- story and characters you care about. The character development of Thor shows once and for all how smart Marvel was to lock up Chris Hemsworth. This guy just improves with every role. He has charisma, but just also knows how to let those around him own a scene. It is to his credit he shines without ever overshadowing other characters. That is vital in a movie with as many moving parts as this movie has. He makes Thor human, no small feet. I think of how wooden I found Henry Cavill I found in "Man of Steel". His Superman was conflicted, but I never found him to have weakness or bought any of the doubts that the movie tried to sell. But with "Thor", Hemsworth presents the God of Thunder full of regrets and insecurity. You beleive it, and you are brought into his world quickly.

Tom Hiddleston, of course, steals every scene he is in, oozing mischief and charisma. Christopher Eccleston is not given much time to develop his evil Dark Elf Malekith, and it is to his credit that he sells the motivation of his character which helps push the action.

Amazing standouts reside in Asgard- Jaimie Alexander is excellent as Sif, Zachary Levi improves the role of Fandrel over Josh Dallas from the first movie. Ray Stevenson is so great in his role as the hard fighting, hard partying Volstagg I have almost forgiven him for what he did to the Frank Castle character in "Punisher: War Zone." Idris Elba stole the first movie as Heimdall, and while he does not stand out as much in this he brings a nobility to the Asgardian Sentry. Rene Russo is excellent and underused as Frigga, Queen of the Gods.

The set pieces and action sequences are excellent. Alan Taylor never lets the movie lag, and while plot holes are there, nothing is left glaring to make the movie feel empty.

Not everything is perfect- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is never given enough to do as the Henchmen of the Elves "Kurse". Stellan Sarsgard adds nothing and almost feels out of place, like his character was written for a campy comedy sketch on "SNL". Kat Dennings has charisma, but I never felt her character or her boyfriend belonged on this level. Natalie Portman is excellent, as always, in her role as Jane Foster, but the connection she had with Hemsworth is not as good as it was in the first film. (Thor/Sif was much better.)

No real downside to this movie. The end fight is among the best ever filmed. Go see it if you even have a HINT of geek in you.

8/10.
 

gedzum

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Yeah but Man of Steel had that Nokia branding :p jk. Yeah I Iiked the new Thor movie as well. Had a lot more humour for me as well.

I want to see Gravity too. Friends are planning to see it tomorrow but one guy might need to meet up with a study group.
 

N_LaRUE

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I haven't watched a good movie in a while. I'll to take some of these in.

I'd like to complain a touch, very few people are giving ratings out of 10!!!
 

snowmutt

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I haven't watched a good movie in a while. I'll to take some of these in.

I'd like to complain a touch, very few people are giving ratings out of 10!!!

With ya!! Maybe asking for up to "10" was too many choices. Maybe it should just be thumbs up or down (Rest In Piece, Siskel & Ebert).
 

Muessig

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I've seen Thor 2 recently and it was generally a very good movie. I've seen it in ?d and 2D and I can safely say that while 3D is cool, it adds nothing to the core movie experience. Not like Gravity. Thor 2 was very well done, Chris Hemsworth manages to develop his character believably throughout while not stealing the thunder (hah!) from other actors on-screen. As per usual, Loki steals every scene he's in (but that's kinda what he's there for - to dominate and play mind games). Natalie Portman's character seems to be a bit of a plot device and lacks the depth of character development I'd have liked to see. Generally this film has some nice twists, a believable bad guy (which is notable, considering the screen time he gets) and of course some good action and CGI.

Recommended. If you can, go see this.

8/10
 

BIGPADDY

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I'm going to watch the hobbit desolation of Smaug next this week when it release going to pre-booked tickets, I will give a review to it!
 

snowmutt

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Okay:

Hunger Games Catching Fire :

I am in awe. I liked, didn't love, the first one. Was expecting kind of the same. Knowing the background of this movie and that it is for a yournger generation, I figured there would be more love angst then the first and some nicer set pieces with a bigger budget. Saw it on IMAX with a bunch of kids.

All I got:

Wow.

It is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time. Every scene had a purpose. The action sequences were more about suspense then actual "kill shots". Jennifer Lawrence was AMAZING as the lead- she owned her role and made this woman that is finding herself in circumstances beyond her control just believable, continuing her growth into a warrior and leader while still feeling her regrets about losing her innocence and youth apparent with every glance.

I am firm believer that the villain makes the movie, and Donald Sutherland just oozes ambition and evil as the oppresive President Snow.

Just a great movie. Seriously. I know I reviewed "Thor" well, but honest- my kids get mad at me that I enjoy movies without ever really going nuts. I am a "5-7" on a 10 scale usually, so I do not give this lightly:

9/10. A suspensful, fun, well crafted, greatly acted, and leave you wanting more flick.
 

snowmutt

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Saw the second Hobbitt. Mediocre at best. Overly long scenes, and very little done to advance any of the characters along. All the dwarfs are just faceless, nameless interchangeable players who get caught a lot by their adversaries. The inclusion of the elves feels forced, and the movie has ton of action but very little suspense.

Martin Freeman is still a gem as Bilbo and was great casting. Ian McKellon is happy to be back as Gandalf and it shows- he teaches everyone short of Freeman how to carry a role. Smaug is worth the price of admission. This dragon oozes evil and danger, and by the end of the movie you are hoping the entire third chapter revolves around him.

My wife is a huge Tolken fan, and warns anyone who loves the books needs to avoid this movie. She was bitterly hurt by the lack of following the story and the adding in of characters like Legolas just to sell tickets.

I wasn't impressed. But Frreman, McKellen, and that amazing dragon saved it for me.

5/10.
 

N_LaRUE

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Saw the second Hobbitt. Mediocre at best. Overly long scenes, and very little done to advance any of the characters along. All the dwarfs are just faceless, nameless interchangeable players who get caught a lot by their adversaries. The inclusion of the elves feels forced, and the movie has ton of action but very little suspense.

Martin Freeman is still a gem as Bilbo and was great casting. Ian McKellon is happy to be back as Gandalf and it shows- he teaches everyone short of Freeman how to carry a role. Smaug is worth the price of admission. This dragon oozes evil and danger, and by the end of the movie you are hoping the entire third chapter revolves around him.

My wife is a huge Tolken fan, and warns anyone who loves the books needs to avoid this movie. She was bitterly hurt by the lack of following the story and the adding in of characters like Legolas just to sell tickets.

I wasn't impressed. But Frreman, McKellen, and that amazing dragon saved it for me.

5/10.

Thanks for letting me know. Personally I felt the same way about the first movie. The fact they're making the Hobbit into three, three hour movies is a bit much in my opinion. That wasn't necssary. If they could put The Lord of the Rings three books in the three movies they could easily have done one movie with the Hobbit. Just goes to show they're after cash.

I am not a huge Tolkien fan personally. I read all the books but I found them trying at times. Dragging the Hobbit across three movies will show how slow the book really is. I can appreciate the movies for the cinematics, I can appreciate Tolkien for his style of writing and what he brought to the genre in general, but I'm not a fan.

I'll wait fo the DVD or Netfix release I'm afraid. I also can't handle the three hours in uncomfortable seats and no breaks. :p
 

snowmutt

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Dead on.

Especially about the "cash grab" and the "uncomfortable seats".

And by the way.... "cash grab" movies tend to make you realize you are seating in "uncomfortable seats", where as good movies tend to make you forget the seats until you stand up to go pee after the movie is over and your tush hurts...
 

snowmutt

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On DVD: Saw "Elysium". I did not like "District 9", and this movie was from the same guy. But, to my ever living surprise this movie was fun. I suggest it as a Sci-Fi evening killer. Good action, Matt Damon was great, and enough almost-plot to keep it interesting. Not great, but good. 7/10.

Wasn't a fan of "Prisoners". Tried too hard. It was one of those movies that screams "TAKE ME SERIOUS, I AM IMPORTANT" that Hollywood puts out. Not my cup of tea. Takes itself way too serious, and wallows way too far down in the ugly parts of human nature without ever really taking it to a conclusion that feels well thought out. Great performances. Hugh Jackman can carry a movie. 5/10.
 

Laura Knotek

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I just saw Her.

It was excellent. The characters and the script were terrific.

It definitely shows a dark side of technology, and shows that technology cannot replace real relationships with people.

The scene where 'Samantha' tells Theodore that 'she' has relationships with over 8k other people/OSes and is in love with over 600 of those is particularly compelling. While Theodore is sitting on the stairs of the subway, he observes many different people interacting with their OSes, while 'Samantha' describes 'her' relationships with all of these other people/OSes.

Incidentally, I noticed that 'Samantha' is OS/1 in the movie. IBM, which had the real OS/2, also happened to be the inventor of voice-recognition software. I wonder if the name of the OS is the movie was deliberately chosen for that reason.
 

juanitoriv

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You all have got to see 12 Years a Slave. Just an awesome piece of cinema. 9.5/10

I enjoyed Her. I can totally see that becoming a reality as we are so plugged in that actual personal relationships take a back seat. 8/10

American Hustle was a good, albeit messed up film. Enjoyed the story, the acting was well done. The ending left me wanting. 8/10

Last Vegas is a must see!! 10/10 easily.

Dallas Buyers Club. Another great film. The way it was captured and the story told was superb. 10/10

Do yourself a favor and also catch Don John. The premise is so absurd yet believable you'll laugh, and see a bit of yourself there too. 8.5/10
 

snowmutt

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I just saw Her.

It was excellent. The characters and the script were terrific.

It definitely shows a dark side of technology, and shows that technology cannot replace real relationships with people.

The scene where 'Samantha' tells Theodore that 'she' has relationships with over 8k other people/OSes and is in love with over 600 of those is particularly compelling. While Theodore is sitting on the stairs of the subway, he observes many different people interacting with their OSes, while 'Samantha' describes 'her' relationships with all of these other people/OSes.

Incidentally, I noticed that 'Samantha' is OS/1 in the movie. IBM, which had the real OS/2, also happened to be the inventor of voice-recognition software. I wonder if the name of the OS is the movie was deliberately chosen for that reason.


I am just plain creeped out by the concept of this movie. Having a hard time convincing myself it is worth a look.

Not sure I want to see any of the movies where I guy falls for a blow up doll, either. This kinda falls into that catagory for me. How do you even pitch a movie like this to studio executives?
 

juanitoriv

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I am just plain creeped out by the concept of this movie. Having a hard time convincing myself it is worth a look.

Not sure I want to see any of the movies where I guy falls for a blow up doll, either. This kinda falls into that catagory for me. How do you even pitch a movie like this to studio executives?

Don't forget how some folks developed a "relationship" with SIRI. Even Raj from The Big Bang Theory had one. Briefly, but still. It is a very interesting concept for the future in our tech laden society and the possibilities of intuitive software. I mean, go almost anywhere and you can see people almost glued to their phones, and its almost believable/foreseeable..
 

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