Periodic Movie Review

[Luet]

The showing we tried to go to of Les Mis was sold out so we have to try again soon. So disappointed!

[Petra456]

When I was younger, my older sister used to tell my younger Sister and I the beginning story of Cosette (Up until Castle on a Cloud) as a bedtime story. She used to say she made this story up and I never caught on until we got sheet music for Castle on a Cloud in middle school. It's a huge inside joke with my family now, so of course I had to go see Les Mis with my Mom and Sisters.

I absolutely LOVED it and definitely didn't feel like almost three hours.

[locke]

Uhhh....why is Thorin Oakenshield, the dwarf, the main character in the film version of The Hobbit, instead of Bilbo, who is, ya know, THE HOBBIT?

I think its because some folks want a rugged and manly sword swinging type to deep voice his way into hurrahing the troops to their exciting and thrilling deaths?

Bilbo isn't trying to kill anyone or get anyone killed... why would anyone want to make a movie about that?

[Young Val]

Sigh.

I liked Thorin (and thought the actor did a good job), don't get me wrong. But...huh? Plus, all Bilbo's speechifying toward the end about how he was ready to throw his lot in with them now because he wanted them to have a home since he missed his own so much was sort of...bewildering? Since we spend virtually no time with his POV, other than Riddles in the Dark, which was excellently done, I admit. But he doesn't complain at all about missing breakfast or his fire or normal life or anything. Other than the handkerchief gag at the beginning he just kind of...rolls with it. So his transformation isn't nearly as apparent or as endearing as it is in the books.

In general, Adam, I agree with you. All the appendix stuff weighed it down. I admit, I DID like the Radagast stuff, but that's just cause I like Radagast. I readily admit he got far too much screen time, and the material could have been used later, or not at all. I loved both of the dwarves songs very much, though. Hugest eyeroll ever to the Pale Orc. UGH.

I don't know that I'm disappointed, exactly (although I sort of am) it's just that I wanted to watch The Hobbit, and Peter Jackson wanted to film the set up for LOTR (with some Hobbity bits thrown in).

[Jayelle]

Saw Les Mis tonight. Wept like a baby.
It was so good. I loved the way it felt both like it was a stage musical and it accomplished so much more then a stage musical at the same time.

[locke]

movies seen since Les Mis:

DJango Unchained - 9 - awesomeness, top five of the year, ridiculously violent.

This Happy Breed -8 - Pretty good Lean/Coward Melodrama ala Cavalcade.

Zero Dark Thirty - 9 - intense and impressive procedural thriller. Condemns torture while acknowledging it was official American policy to torture. Ironically it was traditional interrogation techniques that finally yielded real information, and methodical police work years after the torture program was stopped that put the puzzle together.

Blithe Spirit - 7 - indifferent Lean/Coward comedy that often tries to hard but is often quite charming

Life of Pi - 8 - The film declares in the opening scene that the story will make you believe in God. Not sure what the story does for people who already believe in God? As for fulfilling it's declared ambition I think it fails, though it does make you believe in Storytelling (with a Capital S), and perhaps more specifically in the power of parables or power of metaphors. Everything on the Ocean is amazing, the bookends are eh, and overall, I'm always a fan of films that disabuse people of how squishy and cuddly and lovable and huggable nature and wild animals are. The one part of the opening scenes in India I liked was the Lesson with the goat, that was pure awesomeness. nomnom goat. For a refreshing change, the film is not entirely anti-predator (as the frozen planet documentary was distressingly anti predator and pro-cuddlyness).

[starlooker]

Want to see Life of Pi SO MUCH.

Tiger!

[Gravity Defier]

Les Miserables - 10

QFT

I'm going to credit this movie with being so fantastic that it felt like no time at all had passed because I was surprised at how I didn't notice I was sitting on my arse for 2.5 hours. I also cried more over the movie than I did the stage production. So glad I finally got to see it.

I'm also incredibly excited for Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann is one of my favorite directors and you just know you're going to get a kick-ass soundtrack with a movie of his.

[Luet]

After hearing about how everyone cried at Les Mis, I think there is something wrong with me that I did not.

[Gravity Defier]

If it makes you feel better, when I say I cried at the stage production, I mean I had moisture but not enough to actually form tears. For the movie, I had a few tears slip out at the end scene with Jean Valjean and Fantine but I wasn't sobbing/weeping like most people I know.

This is not to say I didn't enjoy both or wasn't moved by both; I was.

[Luet]

The closest I came to crying was during the end scene too.

Now if you want to talk about sobbing, that would be me at Perks of Being a Wallflower. Sobbing so hard that I was afraid of what I must look like after leaving the theater.

[Haven]

I LOVED the perks of being a wallflower!! I cried so hard in that movie too!

I cried in les mis too but unlike most of you guys I did feel how long it was... it got to a point at the end that I was completely distracted by hugh jackmans eyebrow when he sings... the next time you see it you'll notice too I bet.

[Petra456]

After hearing about how everyone cried at Les Mis, I think there is something wrong with me that I did not.

I absolutely loved the movie, but I didn't cry.

[Boothby]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I cried at the ending of Les Miz, too. Deal with it!

[Young Val]

I feel weird saying this, but I have absolutely no desire to see Les Mis.

None.

I've seen the musical several times, and I loved it hard in my youth, and still appreciate it today but...

Everytime I tell myself, "you know, you really ought to go see Les Mis in theatres..." I couldn't be less interested.

I feel like this strips me of all of my theatre cred, and I'm too scared to mention it to most of my friends, because I know they will think I'm nuts.

[Mich]

I feel weird saying this, but I have absolutely no desire to see Les Mis.

None.

I've seen the musical several times, and I loved it hard in my youth, and still appreciate it today but...

Everytime I tell myself, "you know, you really ought to go see Les Mis in theatres..." I couldn't be less interested.

I feel like this strips me of all of my theatre cred, and I'm too scared to mention it to most of my friends, because I know they will think I'm nuts.

It's honestly how I feel about a lot of film adaptations lately. They've just lost their appeal somehow. It's why I didn't see Tintin until earlier this week (which was great, by the way), and I probably wouldn't have seen The Hobbit until it was on DVD or later if my cousins hadn't suggested it.

[locke]

Prometheus - 6 or 5

I so want to enjoy a film that tries for big ideas. But when your film has the biologist uninterested in examining an alien body, and the geologist who controls the mapping drones getting lost and archeologists that aren't archeologists BREATHING on freshly discovered cave paintings, and said scientists thinking its a DANDY idea to take off your helmets just because the atmosphere is breathable, nevermind the risk of contaminating the planet with your pathogens or being contaminated yourself by the planets pathogens I just f****** give up.

STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID Just incredibly frustrating. Characters should not act out of character, ugh. This ensures I will never ever not ever watch Lost.

[Boothby]

I have one thing to add:

"Here, cobra, cobra, cobra....."

[Gravity Defier]

After going through the list of DVDs coming to my library and seeing the name of one that I wasn't familiar but that seemed interesting when I checked up on it, I ended up with the movie Cosmopolis. And I'm so, so sorry I did.

It was either too deep for me or it was blowing smoke up my ass, either of which doesn't give me the time it took to watch it back.

[locke]

I have one thing to add:

"Here, cobra, cobra, cobra....."

I saw this today, and I pretty much loved it, I always wondered why you couldn't see the stars in the moon footage:

[Boothby]

Here's an interesting thought experiment: the flag. The flag was suspended under a spring-loaded batten across its top. But once the flag popped out of its storage tube, it definitely "rippled."

Would it ripple more in the vacuum and 1/3rd earth gravity on the moon, or in still air in 1 G on earth?

I've always thought that with less force trying to straighten out the fabric, and less air resisting its movement, it would wave more energetically on the moon!

[locke]

just riffing here, wouldn't part of the wave motion be facilitated by interacting with molecules of gas though? how much of a ripple is caused by force rebounding off gas through the flag and we perceive that bounce back and forth as a ripple?

[Syphon the Sun]

I've always thought that with less force trying to straighten out the fabric, and less air resisting its movement, it would wave more energetically on the moon!

That's exactly what happened when Mythbusters tested it in a vacuum.

[Gravity Defier]

There were very few things about Pitch Perfect that I didn't like but they're so minor, I'm not counting them. Hilarious movie with a pretty damn good soundtrack. Recommend.

[Boothby]

STS,

Thanks for the confirmation!

[Tiny genius]

There were very few things about Pitch Perfect that I didn't like but they're so minor, I'm not counting them. Hilarious movie with a pretty damn good soundtrack. Recommend.

I'm not sure when that came out since my sister just came over recently, sat the family down and downloaded it to watch...

Good for a chuckle, some nice one-liners and the soundtrack was cool...
Quite a few too many cliche and predictable elements in there though, but even they were done ironically, I think.

What the hell, recommend.

[CezeN]

I think I saw the best combination of movies. Man of Steel for action, drama, great effects.
This is the End for humor.

Man of Steel was great. Not much I can say, no real complaints. Best Superman movie, clearly.
This is the End was something. All those famous comedians/stars out of character in the movie. I'm not sure I've ever laughed so much during a movie. I laughed so much it hurt my face(muscles tensed?) and I couldn't laugh anymore. Some twists. And the end was funny of course, reminded me of the end of Slumdog Millionaire.

[Luet]

Man of Steel was great. Not much I can say, no real complaints. Best Superman movie, clearly.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. How much throwing each other through buildings can we possibly have? Not to mention Lois knowing that Clark is Superman the whole time? And Superman killing someone at the end, which he never does? Boo.

[elfprince13]

Man of Steel was great. Not much I can say, no real complaints. Best Superman movie, clearly.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. How much throwing each other through buildings can we possibly have? Not to mention Lois knowing that Clark is Superman the whole time? And Superman killing someone at the end, which he never does? Boo.

Would have been a tighter movie with less building smashing, but mostly I loved it. And he totally killed Zod in Superman 2 and in the comics, so that was expected. What other choice is there? No earth-prison can hold him, and they don't have access to krypton in tech anymore.

[Petra456]

The previews got me SO excited to see Man of Steel, but I left the theater completely disappointed. Everything felt so cheesy and over the top. It drove me completely nuts that Lois knew who he was, and what in the heck was the point in Zod wanting her on the ship with Clark? Absolutely pointless!

It had pretty moments, but really disappointing.

[Luet]

and what in the heck was the point in Zod wanting her on the ship with Clark? Absolutely pointless!

Yes!

[LilBee91]

I haven't seen Man of Steel yet (the theater canceled the showing we were going to go to last night). Those spoiler bars are mocking me...

[CezeN]

Man of Steel was great. Not much I can say, no real complaints. Best Superman movie, clearly.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. How much throwing each other through buildings can we possibly have? Not to mention Lois knowing that Clark is Superman the whole time? And Superman killing someone at the end, which he never does? Boo.

True. I guess I can clarify: Man of Steel was great for anyone who was mainly looking to enjoy adrenaline-junkie action. The fighting and effects in the movie were entertaining and better than the previous movies.

I don't really have much of a problem with how they rebooted the story. I guess its an issue if you were expecting them to stay true to all the traditional superman elements, but its not as if such elements don't evolve over time. From what I hear, comics reboot canon elements every so often. I like that they put their own unique spin on the story, but then again it wasn't really my focus. As for him killing Zod at the end? At this point, he's only recently become Superman and still on the journey to become the idealized hero he will become. Zod didn't really give him a choice in the matter, and it was clear it pained him to do so

and what in the heck was the point in Zod wanting her on the ship with Clark? Absolutely pointless!

Yes!

I think I assumed at that moment that they had read the story she put about her encounter with him, and were gonna hold her hostage at some point to get him to follow along or tell them where the Codex is.

My main issue(now that I think about it) was the death of Clark's dad. It doesn't make sense that he couldn't let Clark save the dog(seriously, die for the dog?) if he thought he could somehow do it in time, and then allow them to chalk up him surviving any theoretical harm(that would be avoided if he moved fast enough) to a miracle. I don't think I'm clearly articulating here what I'm trying to say, but I thought that whole bit was stupid

[Rootersfriend]

I recently watched the movie called Love that came out in 2011. It was produced and scored by the guys from the band Angels and Airwaves. It was a pretty typical low budget film festival type movie. I was pretty entertained entertained but don't go into it expecting too much. It follows a guy who essentially get's stranded and left in the ISS and his struggle with lonliness and goes through the psychological stuff of human emotion and love and all that and what the lack of that can do to people. Like I said, it was entertaining for what it was.

The one thing that bothered me from 5 minutes in (and if you're a stickler for realism and have a hard time suspending your disbelief then you'd hate this) is that the ISS had gravity...He was walking around in it and running on a treadmill, and his sweat was dripping off of his forehead onto the floor, and he shaved and his clippings fell in a little pile and such...No, You're on the freaking International Space Station, there is NO gravity! I also get that how do you do that without the use of high tech greenscreens and trapeze things and all that, and that the set was build and shot in their driveway and such, but it bothered me. If you're going to make a space movie, at least figure out how to make that HUGE oversight seem plausible instead of just ignoring it. Heck even just have a line that says we installed a new device that this guy is testing on the ISS to replicate earth's gravity in a small space and we're doing a small scale test of it's affects on humans in an otherwise zero gravity situation. Boom, done, pack it up it put a bow on it, my irritation is appeased.

Anyways, beyond that it's worth checking out.

[locke]

12 Years a Slave

for the first time since Schindler's List a masterpiece has been made of such staggering scale that it will wind up in the top ten of 'greatest movies ever made' lists when such lists are made (at least of the populist vein of lists like AFI, who knows what art cinema snobs groupthink will come up with). Is this one of my top movies? No, it would fit into my top thirty, probably, but not quite into my top twenty, but this is a movie that you know is a new classic, the sort that will still be watched in 100 years and one who's worth will probably mature with time. It is a film I will show my children when they are ready, as millions of parents will undoubtedly do. This is not a difficult movie, it is hard, at times, but then, you have to see it, or the bits of it that you do occasionally glimpse, to take in the full impact. This is not as gruesome as Passion of the Christ. It is not as relentlessly heartwrenching as Schindler's List, anyone (such as the LA times) that is trying to 'scare' people away from the film because it will make them feel uncomfortable, ought to be ashamed of themselves. Like Schindler's List, this is ultimately a story about those who survive, and it's a tale you want and need and must experience.