I was able to see Iron Man when it was first released and just realized I needed to report on it.
As superhero movies go, I put it right up there with the second Spiderman movie and Batman Begins.
All three got high critical marks for their success in fleshing out the main character beyond two dimentions. Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. in the starring role, may have done the best of all.
Iron Man follows the usual "first movie" sequences of
who I am and how I became a superhero how I was betrayed/how the villian evolved how I overcame and presented myself to the world
The difference here is how much time and importance this movie gives to the first sequence. We really get to know the Robert Downey character very well before all the stuff hits the fan.
The supporting characters seemed to me to be more interesting here also. Another pleasant suprise was a rare sighting of a governent agency that is portrayed in a positive light. Something Hollywood is loath to do.
I enjoyed it, and would like to see the franchise continue. The only danger here I think is that Robert Downey must stay with it.
The wooden Batman created by the first franchise (Not to be confused with the totally diferent universe Batman Begins created) could be played by a different actor in every movie and it was barely noticed.
Iron Man, however, IS Robert Downey Jr. I would have a hard time getting excited about a second movie if he wasn't in it.
As always IMHO
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:22:12 PM)
Status:Mostly confuzzlefied
From: Great Britain
Registered:02/21/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:06/10/2008 12:56:03 PM)
Couldn't agree more. I'm not usually a huge fan of super-hero type things. Batman Begins was brilliant and I really enjoyed Iron Man, purely because they did actually build up the characters. I'm really looking forward to the next Batman film, and like you say mk, wouldn't want to see more of Iron Man unless Robert Downey Jr is in it, and the same goes for Batman and Bale.
I thought they did the same with the last James Bond film. Again, I'm not a huge james bond fan, but I really enjoyed the last one with craig whatshisname. They made him human, made him fallible, and caring, and made it into a much better story. Batman Begins Iron Man James Bond - Casino Royale
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:44:26 PM)
Wall-e: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/ This is about the sweetest movie ever! :D It's about a little robot, wall-e, who is cleaning up the earth. He's all alone with only a roach to keep him company. Then one day a space-ship comes and deposits another robot Eve. It takes a while, but they become friends and it's just so sweet. I won't give anymore away. But it's a must see! Very moralising -save the planet- though ...
Sleepwalking: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0888693/ Far less fun than wall-e. A movie about abuse and childhood trauma. And how sometimes your life just seems to drag on untill something happens to wake you up and turn around. Very realistic, not that exciting. Wouldn't recommend it.
Snow Cake: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448124/ It's difficult to say something about this movie without giving away the story. Lets just say it deals with autism and death. I found it very interesting and the scenic land of Canada is beautifully used as a backdrop for this story.
Something the Lord made: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386792/ Very gripping story about a young black man who's trying to get into medicine in the 1930's and 40's. He's given a chance by a white doctor who's mostly doing research. But it's a struggle about being accepted and recognised all the way to the end. It's astonishing how far we've come in both medicine and accepting our fellow men in such a short time.
Anamorph: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497323/ Let me start by saying this is not the best movie in it's genre (serial-killer movies). The story is thin and it's just not that interesting. However it has some really nicely set up ahty crime scenes, that make it an interesting watch. Just don't expect something like se7en or silence of the lambs, because it's just not there.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:05:34 PM)
Ah, Something the Lord Made is definitely on my top movie list and my favourite out of all you suggested (I haven't seen wall-e, but I will soon). And we all know why Lyanne likes it...
ok, you made me wanna see wall-e /Alan Rickman? oh damn, that means i must see it. Tomorow!/
I′ve seen Hancock last Friday. Can′t wait for JJ to come back , i think she went to see it yesterday or something. The good thing about this movie is Will Smith′s smiling all aroung while you want to kick him in the ass, he got to use his MiB funny charm again, very nicey. It ′s about this superhero, who does not know who he is, where he came from, anything. He drinks a lot, and don′t seem to give a sh*t about it. While he e.g. saves a man from being crushed by a train, he destroys 5 cars, shock about 20 people, and makes several holes in the ground. The part that is not that good is when he meets Carlize Theron. She knows something about his past, but she pretends not to, she′s trying to keep him from her family. But you get to understand that very very late, cos all the time it seems like they share a terrible secret, while the truth is a that WS is not aware of anything. Confuzzlefiending. Oh, and the Czech dub has been horrible. I′m never seeing a dubbed movie again.
Status:Busy being lazy
From: Canada
Registered:03/04/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:07/08/2008 3:52:34 AM)
I wanna see that movie, I think I'll go tonight, or maybe not because I'm really tired :| Plus there's no way I can see the original version, only the french translation, or I would have to go to montreal to see it in english, and I don't want to!
it′s good thingy if you want to relax a bit :) could you remind me tomorrow please, about the movie in English David? Maybe I′ll have a solution for you
Status:Busy being lazy
From: Canada
Registered:03/04/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:07/25/2008 4:20:45 PM)
Oh I just had to tell you about a great movie I've seen lately but forgot completely about it til just now.... Has anyone seen the movie "Once" ? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/
It is just too good, the acting is amazing, the story is great... and the music in this film is absolutely fantastic, in fact it won an oscar in 2008 for best original music... If you haven't seen it, you should definitely rent it NOW!
Status:Busy being lazy
From: Canada
Registered:03/04/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:07/25/2008 6:44:33 PM)
Oh, and the girl singing in that song comes from Czech Republic VV !! She even talks in Czech a couple time in the movie and I was wondering what she's talking about... :P so if you see it, I want to know!!!
Status:Mostly confuzzlefied
From: Great Britain
Registered:02/21/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:07/27/2008 12:09:33 PM)
Ooh, just back from seeing The Dark Knight at the cinema, and thought I'd write about it whilst I'm still bleeding. Yes, that's right, there's such realistic effects in this one, you come away losing blood. No? Ok, that's just my stupid shoes rubbing.
Verdict: Thumbs up. Perhaps not as good as Batman Begins which I thought was better because you kind of got to know Bruce Wayne/Batman and his history, but this was very very good for the Joker. Heath Ledger made a fantastic Joker, and I'm not just saying that because the poor man went and died, he really did a good job at being a psychopath. A funny psychopath. What would have made this film better? More Christian Bale out of his shirt, um, I mean out of the batsuit :-)
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:43:27 PM)
Status:Mostly confuzzlefied
From: Great Britain
Registered:02/21/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:07/27/2008 12:50:33 PM)
Ooh, I saw Hancock a week or so back too. That was very good. Nice to see a superhero being absolutely useless, and quite an interesting storyline. I can't say anything more really without giving it away, but I liked it, and more importantly, my parents liked it, and that surprised me.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:42:51 PM)
Weel, I'm not one for Westerns usually, but my fellow Bale-addict Kelsey, persuaded me to get this film and I'm not disappointed. I understand it's a remake, but haven't seen the original so this was new to me. Typical western with plenty of guns and shooting, horses and a good number of cattle thrown in, but by the end of it I was really not sure what I wanted to see happen. I can't say much without giving it away, so I'll just say that throughout you wonder people will swap sides, whether the bad guy is a bad guy through and through, and whether the good guys can stay good, whether the son will turn on the father, and whether the train will ever arrive. That's a lot of whethers and you're never sure which whether you would go for if given the option to choose. Good acting all round, with Crowe and Bale doing the ace jobs you'd expect of them and many other familiar faces, who I just can't place right now.
Even if like me, you're not a western fan, this is definitely worth watching. Thumbs up from me. Maybe we should start a rating system. Hmmm.... Lyanne's most awsome idea:
(Message edited by KrysiaB On 10/05/2008 5:31:35 AM)
Ok, I know feelings are rather mixed on this one. I went and saw it on Wednesday, and let me start by saying I was the biggest X-phile in the world. I lived and breathed the X-files up until about season 7, so needless to say I was quite excited about this. I'd hoped with the years they've had to create the story, they'd have developed a stunner, but I found this somewhat lacking. It was in essence, a drawn out episode of the show, and had it been an episode or story-arc in the show, it would have been good, but not the best. Still, I enjoyed it, but more because it was familiar and comforting to me. Duchovny and Anderson are their typical Mulder and Scully selves, but with the acknowledged relationship, perhaps they miss something of the banter that I certainly loved.
I'd say, if you liked the show you'll like the film, but you won't love it. Something was missing. It would be nice perhaps to do something more along the lines of the monster-of-the-week, or funny episodes that they had, but at least this wasn't conspiracy mythology based.
My verdict, thumbs um, hovering?
(Message edited by KrysiaB On 10/05/2008 5:32:14 AM)
Definitely an 18 or R rated movie, for blood, gore, violence and some nudity.
Based on the title you can probably imagine what this one is about - group of 20 somethings go to the middle of nowhere and are fools looking around a shack and find themselves getting chopped up. That's pretty much the plot, run-of-the-mill kids being idiots get killed movie.
In my opinion this looks like a low budget film. The lighting sucks totally, with the whole thing shot in the dark or with a tinted lense, which instead of making you fear what is lurking in the dark, makes you angry and yell at the screen "I can't see, turn a bloody light on!". The direction is not much better, and the acting isn't brilliant. As a low budget slasher flick it's not totally bad, I did sit through the whole thing, but I would have expected to be tense or jumpy and I think there was only one jumpy moment. Oh, and the ending is entirely predictable.
All in all, if you like slasher movies, then go ahead and watch, but I'm not all that impressed. Thumbs down for me (that seems really mean...).
(Message edited by KrysiaB On 10/05/2008 5:32:43 AM)
Because I mentioned it first. Stupidly enough without giving my verdict and KB actually ended up watching it. Which was not intended, because it really isnt good. Its not scary, its just gross.
Lets see, for starters, I really liked this movie. The acting is great, the storyline is good, albeit a bit absurd if you think its all one day. Its about a nursemaid who ends up working for a grownup as a social seceratary. The woman she works for is really a big child torn between three lovers. And its obvious which is her true love, but one can imagine being in that kind of situation where you cant just chose the one you love.
Hostel (II): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498353/ Because the gross slasher movies arent all that bad. This one has the most interesting theme of paying to murder people. Which is heaps better than -stupid teens run into serial killer in the woods/outback- (which movie was that again? Where he cut off the fingers coming out of the grate??). Not suitable for Nona and other minors!
Desperation: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129871/ I thought this was going to be great, written Stephen King and all, usually good for something. But I just ended up being anoyed by the strong religious vibe.
Stuck: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758786/ Imdb gives this a pretty high rating, which I dont think it deserves, but still its an interesting movie to watch. Its about a car accident, that really gets out of control.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 12:56:10 PM)
This is an Australian film from 1992, staring Russell Crowe and following a group of Nazi skinheads as they defend what they consider as their (white people's) country against the impure immigrant bloodlines. Basically a nasty bunch who beat the living crap out of immigrants. Things get a little messy when the immigrants fight back, and when a girl joins the group and gets between the leaders. This is a very gritty portrayal of gang life, and probably quite realistic. There's no glamorising of the violence and fight scenes, and there's no-one who you can truly feel for or like. The acting is good, and this is a fairly disturbing film showing the prejudice and hopelessness some people can feel, but this is far from an enjoyable film.
This one is hard to rate because it's not bad, it's just not nice. In fact going with acting, direction and portrayal of something people don't want to acknowledge exists - blind hatrad - this would rate highly, but unlike other gritty, "nasty" films about nasty subjects, perhaps it's just too depressingly realistic. Pervy rating between 3 and 5, so I'll go with 4.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:40:46 PM)
Status:Mostly confuzzlefied
From: Great Britain
Registered:02/21/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:08/11/2008 10:26:17 AM)
I got it (Romper Stomper) years ago cos it was shortly after seeing Gladiator and being very impressed with Russell Crowe, and it was going for some silly cheap price, but never watched it til last night.
In terms of enjoyment, I only give it maybe 2 Pervies, but in terms of film making I give it more, except for the blue lense (lens?) thing they use on some scenes. Not sure what the point of that was.
Status:87% Evil and Rising.
From: USA
Registered:04/24/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:08/11/2008 2:30:31 PM)
Wall-E
We went to Wall-E with the kids this weekend to stay out of the sun. I have to admit at the start that I missed a couple of large chunks of the movie due to taking a 3 year old to the bathroom. I was impressed with the ability to continue a storyline with the use of almost no dialog, that was fairly well done. As far as plot goes though, I felt it lacking. I was mildly disgusted by the human slugs and just overall bothered by the statement about humanity that was being made, that I just don't really agree with. It had that overall "You kids don't ever go out and play anymore, you just sit and watch TV" attitude that you might hear your crotchety old grandparent telling you. If I wanted to get lectured about today's youth, I would go walk on the neighbor's grass. Overall, I just wasn't touched by the movie, felt the ending was impossible in a way I am unable to accept and was reminded strongly of the early cartoons, when people were just impressed that someone was able to make a mouse jump up and down and drive a boat. The days of being impressed by graphics and great CGI is so far gone for me, I want plot and humor, not mildly amusing imagery and a lecture.
(Message edited by KrysiaB On 10/05/2008 5:33:18 AM)
Status:87% Evil and Rising.
From: USA
Registered:04/24/2008
RE:Movie, movies, and yet more movies!
(Date Posted:08/11/2008 4:35:15 PM)
Momma Mia!
Here I go again! Okay, so I should just start out with a small warning that I am incapable of being objective about this movie. I not only own Abba Gold, but also More Abba Gold on CD. I have been listening to these songs since I was a little girl and know them all very well. So just listening to the preview made me want to see the movie. That warning out there, here is my review: Bring some crackers with you, cause this movie is a cheese factory! There was a moment in the beginning of this movie where I thought I was not going to be able to get past the cheese factor of the whole thing, or the site of Meryl Streep in short overalls... SO SO WRONG! But about the time Meryl is doing her best "I'm the king of the world" pose on a yaute with her two girlfriends riding jetski's behind her that I was able to embrace the film as it was intended, muscial satire. It's supposed to be so over the top it is funny! From that point on it had me hooked. Funny dancing, silly skits, a very rediculous plot all set to the toe tapping oh so outdated and cheesey in it's own right music of Abba. Often the genders have been reversed from the orginal song standpoint to give the old songs new life, as demonstrated in my favorite part of the movie "Does your mama know your out". If you can embrace the purposefuly sappy this might just be a great movie for you.
PS - Mom's bring a tissue.
(Message edited by KrysiaB On 10/05/2008 5:33:44 AM)
I really enjoyed this film, it's really sweet and cute, and lovely. I thought I'd object because I'm sure someone here said it was preachy, but it's just a robot love story. (With some observations on what we may well end up like in our culture of waste and consumerism.). Very little dialogue but plenty of chirps and squeaks, and the cutest little robot. Everyone in the audience from the small kids to the grown-ups were quite engrossed in this, with shared giggles and gasps throughout.
I'm gonna go for 4, maybe 4.5 pervys. Hmm, I'm not sure.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/14/2008 1:40:23 PM)
I saw the musical, so I knew the story, but I was really looking forward to seeing it with the original songs (which they'd translated to Dutch for the musical). And I really enjoyed it too! Its funny and yes very cheesy, but I like that. Omg though, Pierce Brosnan singing is THE WORST! :D But in a funny way.
Also going with 4 pervies.
(Message edited by lyanne On 08/22/2008 2:07:35 PM)
