What MOVIE(s) have you been....seeing? watching?

My girls and I saw Kubo and the Two Strings today. Consistently amazing imagery... I was repeatedly thinking that even if someone did this via CGI animation, they probably wouldn't make it look as beautiful and interesting... so it's really a must-see for that alone.

Story-wise, it is mostly great, but also a little slow at times and a bit murky as far as what the ultimate theme/message is supposed to be. I think I got it, but I'm not sure they nailed it, emotionally, though on another viewing it might hit me better.

Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron are great in their roles as a beetle and monkey who accompany Kubo on his journey, and they have some nice moments, but it took a few minutes of their being together before I felt a good chemistry with their characters.

So in terms of visuals, this is like A+, but for story and writing it's more of a B. But regardless, another excellent film by Laika, and my favorite of theirs, though my girls said they still like Coraline the best.

The Hateful Eight - Was there a point to this movie other than Tarantino's name being on it? It was entirely predictable as soon as they arrived at Minnie's. At no point in the movie did it have any kind of suspense that it seemed to be going for. Unlike Inglorious Basterds which had several suspenseful scenes. Also it was way too long, but that seems to be Tarantino's true signature. His inability to edit anything out of his movies. Certainly could have cut out the entire section where he shows what happened earlier since

X-Men: Apocalypse - I think this got mixed reviews, but I liked it and thought it was as good as the other prequels. My only problem was Sophie Turner is presumably contractually obligated not to cut her hair so it was weird seeing Sansa Stark with the X-Men. Also, Michael Fassbender's acting skill elevates every role I've seen him in. He left everyone else in the dust, even Oscar darling Jennifer Lawrence. Quicksilver was a lot of fun again.

i saw a clip of the movie and it was clearly Sansa Stark acting like she's Jean Grey. That's a really big problem.

You're right about Fassbender in movies. It's another problem.

Glad I skipped it.

I'm on vacation and have access to HBO so I'm watching a shit-ton of movies. (btw, that new Japanese animated movie in theaters looks spectacular, I think I'll take Emily tomorrow cuz rain)

I watched:

Hansel and Gretel get Baked - kind of fun and sort of scary. Comedy horror...much like:
Killer Klowns from Outer Space - haven't seen this since forever. Still was fun.

can't remember what else I've been seeing. oh yeah, i stupidly watched Sinister 2 before bed. Oops. rewatched Fury Road, The Martian, You've Got Mail, The Help... so much stuff on all the time

edit: just rewatched Juno. I forgot how much I loved that movie. Michael Cera is genius in every single scene he's in. No one does that type of role better. His very first line here is just so perfect, I was actually clapping while laughing and I was watching it alone...

Dogma was a waste of time. Some potentially interesting theological and philosophical issues are raised and then dismissed quickly. A big cast of reasonably talented actors all turned in their worst career performances. Much humor was attempted, and all of it failed. The dialogue consistently fell flat. Even the music sucked. And yet I was often reminded of better work on the same topic by Neil Gaiman and Steven Brust. Too bad Kevin Smith didn't hire them to make a better movie than Dogma. For what it's worth I liked Chasing Amy but I have been unimpressed by both Clerks and Mallrats. And I wish both Kevin Smith and the whole state of New Jersey could get over their inferiority complex.

Finally caught up with Star Trek: Beyond. It was fun, but completely non-sensical. It was a fun popcorn movie, and it reminded me of the bygone days when not every summer release had to be a huge tent-pole blockbuster event movie.

Three Days of the Condor - This was on one of the extra digital channels yesterday. I just had to watch it again, since it had been so long. This movie is so rooted in its era, and for some reason that gives it such a great, timeless feel. I love the 70s conspiracy stuff, the 70s computer stuff, the 70s random hook-up (not date rape) stuff, oil, spies, the economy, etc. It's all pretty great. I think what I like the most about a lot of the films from this era is that they don't dumb things down. They let you figure it out yourself first, then maybe explain it later. Or maybe they don't. Or maybe it doesn't make sense, but that's okay.

And Robert Redford, amazing male specimen that he is, doesn't play a superman in the movie. He's lost and scared, but has to survive on his wits. He's not a great shot; he's not a great fighter. One scene with him fighting with an enemy agent is almost Jackie Chan-like in its use of props during the fight. Just great stuff.

Just saw Kubo. Gruds review is perfect. I'll write one later. Emily didn't like it that much, it's too adult

Will rewatch Zero Dark Thirty tonight, and will go see Cafe Society tomorrow night. Can't wait

[quote="Black Barney" post=232614

Will rewatch Zero Dark Thirty tonight, [/quote]

Excellent film, especially the actual assault on Bin Ladens compound.

The actor who played one of the operators tracking the courier in Pakistan was a lead in the remake of POINT BREAK, which was on cable this past weekend.

Patrick Swayze must be rolling in his grave. Even for a remake, it was a steaming pile of shit. Don't waste your time.

I finally got to see The Force Awakens. It was pretty good, certainly much better than I-III. On the other hand, it felt like more a homage to the original film than a thing of its own merit. A few nits: It sort of had the same problem as The Mummy (1999), which is to say the villain became less menacing as the movie progressed. Ren starts out as a really malevolent force, but by the end of it, he looks like the Anakin character from Revenge of the Sith, which is a considerable regression. And I suppose that since the empire dissolved, the heavies just aren't very good at combat. All that said, I still enjoyed it. Lots of improvement over the three previous films.

I think Kylo Ren taking his mask off too early contributed to him being less scary. It took Vader three whole movies before the mask comes over. Kylo,takes it off the second there is a stiff breeze

Mad Dog wrote: Also, Michael Fassbender's acting skill elevates every role I've seen him in. He left everyone else in the dust,

He's pretty much the only reason I watch Prometheus when I come across it on cable TV; he's probably enough reason to see the sequel as well.

Black Barney wrote: I think Kylo Ren taking his mask off too early contributed to him being less scary. It took Vader three whole movies before the mask comes over. Kylo,takes it off the second there is a stiff breeze

Also, the tantrums.

Do you think that Kylo Ren is really supposed to be scary in the way Darth Vader is (e.g. mysterious and dangerous)? I didn't think the movie was trying to communicate that beyond the first 1/2.

I re-watched No Country for Old Men, after having not seen it in a long time. I liked it better this time. I liked it before as well, but more now.

Gary, no I don't think they wanted Kylo Ren is be scary and mysterious beyond the first half of the movie, and that's what I'm trying to say was a mistake, screenwriting-wise. You need a good villain.

i just rewatched No Country as well! So good.