GWC at the Movies

Television, Movies Games and Books Other Science Fiction
#121

The Expendables 2

If you can turn your brain off and just relax and sit back, this is one Hell of a fun film. And if you are an action film aficionado then you will gain the benefit of ‘getting’ all of the inside jokes as well… This film has no problem making fun of itself, and does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. Which is refreshing. Good mindless fun with one Hell of a cast. Great summer fodder, and a wonderful future DVD.

Premium Rush

Is not. I went to see this more out of morbid curiosity, the premise was thin. And I wanted to see how they could possibly stretch what seemed like a good idea for a 45 minute TV episode, into a 90 minute film. They used a few tricks and plot twists, but all seemed rather forced and contrived. It had moments, I will give it that. And it may be worth a watch on Netflix instant watch in the future for those of you interested, but there is nothing to be gained by watching it on the big screen.

The Apparition

Nothing works in this film. It is neither scary nor interesting. The entity is never identified, no rules are put in place as to how it can be fought, what its limitations are, if any… And there is no resolution. Lame, and disappointing.

The Awakening

Slow, very slow. But a good story. Very little tension, no good scares. A descent mystery, and a descent twist at the end, OK two. One major and one minor one that made me smile. Competent performances, none all that impressive but good enough. I liked the period setting of the film, and making the protagonist female, added another layer; considering the time period and how women were viewed back then.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

I needed a movie like this after all the dark and intense films I have viewed the over last few weeks. This was so refreshing and uplifting. Full of hope and emotion, love and redemption. A good family film, Hell even a good film if you are feeling down in the dumps. It sure pulled me in and played with my emotions, I really enjoyed it. A fun quirky film that I have no reservations about recommending.

#122

That’s good to know. Thank you!

#123

“Skyfall” “Done!” (Spoilerfree) Review

I’m not the biggest James Bond fan, although in my childhood and youth I’ve watched a fair share of the movies on German TV.

Today I’ve seen one installation of this series for the first time on the big cinema screen. And I’ve totally enjoyed this 50th Anniversary Bond.

Alone the teaser was a wild ride and reminded me of a mix of Taken and Batman Begins. This was a very personal mission for the main characters and the villain compared to the other movies wasn’t some megalomaniacs who wanted World Domination or whatnot.

The locations were marvelous and I had luck to watch it in a cinema which has just received a new 4K Projector. Although there were many funny lines and especially some GREAT Callbacks to previous movies and a little EasterEgg close to the end which is supposed to retcon something from the Craig “reboot”.

In Skyfall there were also some shockers which I don’t believe have hit home in such a capacity in the previous movies. Meaning, the emotional impact was in this one greater and the Villian a little bit understandable (but also totally psychotic).

I’m happy to have learned, that Craig has signed on for two additional installations and am looking forward to see Skyfall at least once again in the cinema.

Can only recommend it and will give it 5 out of 5 “Home Alone” montages.

#124

Saw it … loved it … forgot I was watching a Bond flick at times. Then the musical cues would kick in and my smirk would slide to a grin, a smile and a chuckle.

Great stuff.

I wonder how the “Craig” line of Bond movies makes the earlier Bonds feel? I would imagine … “wanting”.

OB

#125

I’m just going through the first ones “really” for the first time, and besides the name and things like the car, it is no comparison.

In their own way they original Bond was fun but intellectually and thematically I like the Daniel Craig line a hole lotta more.

#126

Screenwriter/director Max Landis — the guy behind The Death & Return of Superman and Chronicle — has a brilliant idea for a Bond flick. It’s in this Nerdist podcast around 1:21:00…

http://www.nerdist.com/2012/11/nerdist-podcast-max-landis/

#127

I was half surprised by the death at the end. And I loved the new Q, especially his “What were you expecting, an exploding pen?” bit. Goldeneye was the first one I saw in theaters, so that cracked me up.

I haven’t watched most of the older Bond movies, so this is probably my favorite or second favorite Bond villain.

#128

Thanks for the time cue … it was a painful pod to listen just for the 10 minutes of that intriguing Bond idea :slight_smile:

I would definitely like to see some “re-imagining” updating of the Bond stories. With the “Craig” line of movies the other Bond’s now fall deeper into a “campy” genre. I’ll still spool some up from time to time for nostalgia (Dr. No, Goldfinger, Spy Who Loved Me, Golden Gun etc.).

OB

#129

Something I just remembered from previews before The Hobbit. Was that GLaDOS as the computer voice in the trailer for Pacific Rim?

#130

After a long absence I will offer a review…

Man of Steel

I was so glad to see certain concerns addressed in this film. Like, if Kryptonians are so freakin advanced why can they not tell their planet is about to explode? Or, why not build a spacecraft large enough for the whole family to fly off in, instead of leaving their child to the mercies of an alien culture? These always bugged me, and I guess it bugged Nolan too because he addressed them as well as others…

If you are Clark’s parents, and it starts to become apparent that your adopted child is developing superpowers; what do you do? Kill it before it becomes too powerful to control and can endanger all life on Earth? Or attempt to instill virtues and morals, and even though it is an Alien, make sure it empathizes with humans and our culture. And though never directly addressed, it sort of showed how Jonathon tried to enforce discipline. Which to me would be a major problem, how do you discipline a child that can play hake-sack with your car? You can not intimidate him…

And how would the Earth react to the presence of an Alien? Or an Alien with superpowers? Would governments attempt to use him?

Anyways this is the most well rounded Superman film I have ever seen, the effects are phenomenal, the music is top notch and enhances the experience. The writing is very good, and this is one of the few times that ‘flashbacks’ really seemed perfect for the purpose of storytelling. It prevented lulls in the pacing, and directly spoke to the issues in the present. I loved the armor, and the use of ‘crests’ on the armor; and the layered effect on the crests was very appealing. The alien tech actually had an Alien feel to it. The villains were sympathetic, their motives were quite understandable and they were well played. (The evil chick is HOT!)

And the explanation for his ‘powers’ is…ok. It works. And it makes way for a more believable way to ‘power him down’, which I liked. There are LexxCorp logos throughout the film, I did not see any STARR labs signs but I would not be surprised if some were hidden in the background. I will need to see this again to spot further Easter Eggs, I bet the magazines and newspapers (in the film)are full of hidden content… I found it a surprisingly emotional film, the death of Clark’s father hit me like a gut shot, the relationship with his Mother is a very tender and realistic one. The way that Clark has to constantly rein-in his anger time and again, is very poignant. To be sooo powerful and yet helpless, surrounded by people and yet so alone. To be the last of his race, and to be handed a way to bring them back; but at such a price… Very cool.

In short, I loved this film. The only problem I had with the film was the reference to his age, 33. I am sure the religious groups will go ballistic about that inference…

By the way I found the soundtrack quite inspirational at the gym, IMHO.

#131

“Man of Steel: You’ll Believe a Man Can Whoop Some [SorryBarb].”

#132

The woman who plays Faora-Ul, Zod’s right-hand babe, is a German actress named Antje Traue. Firstly, Omra, you’re right - she is absolutely, positively, smoking hot. Second, she’s got a rather amazing life story. Anyone interested can read it here http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/man-of-steel-flew-in-just-in-time-for-antje-traue/#/0

I think she may be my new favorite actress. (Though, admittedly, I’m a sucker for a gorgeous killer-woman in sexy black armor.)

I saw the film myself today and thought it was excellent. I think that Nolan & Company have managed to do for Superman what they did for Batman, and it has me psyched to see how they manage to re-introduce Bats, GL, Wonder Woman and the rest into this new Man of Steel universe. (Keeping my fingers crossed for Justice League!)

#133

I watched it again this week, and it is still powerful. I paid more attention to things in the background, and was also paying close attention to the music cues. Masterfully put together. And Antje’s performance was very intense, and driven. There is a video online showing the training that the lead went through to get as big as he did, and I was pleasantly surprised that Antje was right there beside him sweating bullets and working just as hard as him… That is DEDICATION! :wink:

I forgot to mention this earlier (I believe), but I also got a kick out of all the cameos in the film. BSG, Sanctuary cast members.

Thanks for the link commander, I enjoyed the article…

(Have not been posting for awhile, the site does not play well with IE10, I had to switch browsers so I could post)

#134

No problem Omra; she’s the same age as me and I found her story rather inspirational (leave it to a beautiful woman to motivate me to try and finally get my sci-fi novel finished!) I remember being in school when the Wall came down and seeing it on the news; I can only imagine not learning your own native language until you’re an adult because someone else’s government was running your country.

I also got a kick out of seeing Tahmoh Penikett & Alessandro Juliani playing characters at the Arctic dig site. All in all I thought that the film was very well-cast; I think that everyone, from the actors cast in the main roles to the others playing the minor roles, did fantastic jobs.

#135

The best part of the cameos for me is that Alessandro played Emil Hamilton in Smallville and was in the scene where they introduced the movie version of the same character.

#136

Saw Man of Steel, it was pretty good. There were some things I didn’t like, the fact that Clark only really saves anyone in the beginning of the movie before he becomes Superman. The plot regarding the codex and the Kryptionian embryos was quite convoluted. Still not sure why Zod needed to get the scout ship in the end. Could have been a little simpler in that regard.

I did really enjoy the cast of the movie, and the visuals were amazing, especially at the end. Gravity weapon was bad ass. The stuff with the Kent family all worked very well.

It was weird, probably only to me, to have Jor-El being referred to as “Jor”, like that is his first name. I realize “El” is the family name, for some reason hearing it alone is odd. Anybody else think that? Only me? Ok.


Probably going to call her Ursa from now until the end of time though :wink:

#137

Pacific Rim

Really enjoyed this film, worth the long wait. A lit predictable at times but it was still a fun ride. Loved the homage to anime mechs, in the fact that while the tech may give you an edge; it is ultimately the courage and the skill of the operator that makes the real difference. Good performances, liked the cast. The sacrifices made by some of the characters hit far harder in this film than in other summer fodder, good directing and good writing.

RED 2

As good as the original, maybe even better… A fun action filled romp, great humor and marvelous performances.

R.I.P.D.

It wanted very much to be a supernatural version of MIB, but failed miserably. It had none of the panache, visual style or chemistry of MIB. The story was actually pretty good, and most of the cast turned out good performances; especially Jeff Bridges who just chewed up the scenery. But Ryan Reynolds was just miserable… He and Bridges never sparked when together, they lacked that special chemistry that Jones and Smith had when on screen together. And maybe the director did not have a penchant for comedy films. A real shame, I had hopes for this one.

The Wolverine

Wolvie gets a great comeback film at last! This one rocks. It kind of took me back to that wonderful mini series that Millar did in the 80’s, Wolvie and Japan are always a good mix. This was very fun, and had great character moments which I found refreshing. It was nice to see a comic film done with such heart and depth, nicely done. And if you wait during the credits you get a nice preview of upcoming X Men goodness, and a hint of potential Sentinels in the future.

#138

Wolverine was so good. A great way for Logan to be Logan again. I would have liked to see the R rated version they were proposing to do. Sure the Yakuza got mangled pretty bad but no blood. Well no real blood. Way to go to the bone claws. It will be good to see the way it all ties in together.

#139

Really, really enjoyed Pacific Rim. My partner was huge into stuff like Voltron and stuff growing up so that made it even more fun for hir but for me, who was never into that stuff, I had a great time. Good effects, decent story (I really like the relationship between the pilots of the Gipsy Danger), and good pacing. Plus, Idris Elba makes the world a wonderful and beautiful place :slight_smile:

#140

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Not bad, had some good moments. Introduced some new characters, and Nathan Fillion was brilliant. Liked seeing Buffy’s former mentor as the new centaur in this film.

Elysium

A nice follow-up to District Nine. Good performances, especially by Jodie Foster who never just phones-it-in; but always nails her character. The protagonist was hard for me to root for, he is such a self serving dick. He does come around in the end but it makes the ride a tough one until he gets there. Not sure I would ever want to see it again, but definitely worth seeing once.

The Conjuring

Finally a decent horror movie… There are already talks about a sequel, and I would not mind one.

Planes

Something in there for everyone, no matter your age. It is fun and a feast for the eyes, and good for your soul. (correction: Though John Lassiter is the Executive Producer of the film it is not an actual PIXAR production…)

Kickass 2

Very tame compared to the comics, but still pretty cool. There were things about the movie that I like better than the comics, but a lot of things that were much better in the comics. Good soundtrack. A few decent fights. See it during a matinee when it is cheaper and you won’t feel ripped off.

Despicable Me 2

Awesome ride! More minions equals more laughs.