All Things Movie/Documentary Reviews/Recommendations Thread

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Caught the Oscar nominated animated short movies last week and I'm hoping to catch the live action short nominees in the next few days. They come around Landmark Theaters and Riverveiew every year and can be a lot of fun. The best animated piece this year featured George Takei narrating a cute bit about a squirrell trying to find his missing scarf. The squirrel is handing out cheesy advice to other scared forest animals before the movie goes off the rails and becomes an explosion of existential terror and dark humor.

Also, count me in as Sam Rockwell and Moon fan. I will definitely have to check out the Way Way Back.
 

Just saw Bad Grandpa. Warrant's Cherry Pie was the highlight.
 

Saw another very good sci-fi movie. 'Europa Report'. A shame that it was way overshadowed last year by the over-hyped 'Gravity'. If you liked 'Moon'.....this is another slower paced, but very well done flick.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
First of all, The Way Way Back was my favorite movie of the year and it is a crime that Sam Rockwell hasn't received any awards love. But oh well...
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I finally got around to watching The Way Way Back last night and unsurprisingly, I am on board with your assessment WAG. I'm always up for a good "coming of age" movie and this is the finest I've seen of the genre in awhile. As you mentioned, Rockwell came strong in this movie, as I thought Carrell also did; hell, fine acting all around. I have to scope out more Rockwell movies, I haven't watched many of his films, but he always seems to stand out.
 

stocker08 said:
Saw another very good sci-fi movie. 'Europa Report'. A shame that it was way overshadowed last year by the over-hyped 'Gravity'. If you liked 'Moon'.....this is another slower paced, but very well done flick.
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I'll 2nd this. It has a distinct advantage over Gravity because it doesn't have big name stars in it. The only guy I recognized was Michael Nyqvist from the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series and it took me half an hour to realize it was him. It's much easier to lose yourself in the movie because your not watching Bullock and Clooney plus the excellent use of real news footage.
 


stocker08 said:
Saw another very good sci-fi movie. 'Europa Report'. A shame that it was way overshadowed last year by the over-hyped 'Gravity'. If you liked 'Moon'.....this is another slower paced, but very well done flick.
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Thank you for the recommendation! Sounds like a heck of a film; 80% on RT. Sort of reminds me of the rumors coming out of Antarctica about what's under the ice at Lake Vostok.
 

Just finished up American Hustle. Did Bale actually gain that weight? I'm pretty sure he lost a large amount in a role for Momento. Wondering if he did just the opposite for his role in AH. I really liked Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone and liked her once again in this one. I swear actors like De Niro, Nicholson and Duvall can have minute roles, but command the screen.

All in all I liked it. Gets a 7.6 on IMDB. About where I would rate it.

(Finally got around to looking up if Bale did in fact gain the weight. He did. Wow!)
 

Has anyone else slogged through August: Osage County? My word, is this movie a contender for the worst movie I've ever seen (wife agrees). Two hours of shrill, hateful characters who all need to be taking Lithium. Can't believe this was greenlit for the big screen-not a likeable character in the bunch, no matter how talented the cast.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Has anyone else slogged through August: Osage County? My word, is this movie a contender for the worst movie I've ever seen (wife agrees). Two hours of shrill, hateful characters who all need to be taking Lithium. Can't believe this was greenlit for the big screen-not a likeable character in the bunch, no matter how talented the cast.
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The best part was how the TV commercials tried to make it look like a comedy.
 



Really liked the second Hunger Games movie. Catching Fire. If you enjoy reading.....the books are short. Also recommend.
 

Watched Out of the Furnace. It was so depressing that therapy might be needed. I will say this, Woody Harrelson is a really good actor. Played the bad guy well in this movie. A couple of his movies I enjoyed were Defendor and The Messenger.
 

I watched Dallas Buyers Club and i really liked it. I liked it better than Gravity and American Hustle. MM and Jerod Ledo truly transformed unscreen.
 

Checked out Nebraska over the weekend. I really liked it. Very entertaining movie, got some good laughs out of it.

Not entirely sure where I'd put it on coolhand's list; Probably would place it close to where he had it, maybe one or two notches lower, although I'm not sure what I would place ABOVE it? Tough call. I would put it close to Captain Philips.

I still don't think I'll ever have any interest in seeing Gravity.

I may have to take WAG and coolhand's advice and check out The Way Way Back.
 



march madness said:
I watched Dallas Buyers Club and i really liked it. I liked it better than Gravity and American Hustle. MM and Jerod Ledo truly transformed unscreen.
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That's probably the next movie I'll try to catch. Also want to see 'The Way Way Back'.
 

The way way back is a solid film, a friend said one of his favorites of all time, I definitely wouldn't go that far but possibly a top 10 film. Think win-win, adventureland, indy comming of age stuff.
 

Just finished up 'Shame', directed by Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan are superb. Really tough roles. McQueen aptly shows the neat, clean side of life and the sordid, dirty side.

Going to try and watch the other collaboration by McQueen and Fassbender, 'Hunger'.
 

Shame was very hard to watch but very good especially in today's age where sex is exalted above any type of relationship. Art isn't always pretty.
 

All finished with my little Steve McQueen trilogy, 12 Years A Slave, Shame and last, but not least, Hunger.

If I were Michael Fassbender and Steve McQueen called, I would debate whether to answer. Man, those are hard roles.

The scene where the priest comes to visit Bobby Sands is very, very good.
 

Ok I have finally have gotten around to watching the majority of these films.
Here are my rankings (of the ones I have seen):
1. American Hustle. Really liked it. Christian Bale should have won best actor. I would vote for best picture as well but understand why 12 years a slave won.
2. Captain Philips. I thought it was very well done as well. Barkhad Ahdi should have won best supporting actor. Felt Tom Hanks and his pseudo- east coast accent was the only weak point.
3. 12 Years a slave. Agree with Coolhand on the beauty of the cinematography and the power of the message.
4. Wolf of Wall Street. Great film? No. But somehow the three hours flew by even though it had no likeable characters. Very well done movie about a not terribly compelling story.
5. Dallas Buyers Club. Unimpressed. McConaughey won for best actor and Leto for supporting actor because they looked the part. Sure McConaughey lost a lot of weight and Leto did it in drag but don’t see the majesty of their performances. Really felt that McConaughey’s transformation from electrician screw-up to successful activist/ businessman made little to no sense. One minute he is a total goof and the next he is managing a huge enterprise. Part of my dislike is doing some research on the history of the Dallas Buyer’s Club. It is represented as a true story but they made up huge parts (like Leto’s character). Probably shouldn’t but it bothers me when they take too much liberty with true stories.
6. Gravity. Like many, totally underwhelmed.

Unwatched is Nebraska (sounds too dull, may get around to it), Philomena (not my style) and Her (not yet out on video- will likely watch it but have my doubts I will like it).

Serious question. Why was Frozen not up for best picture? I am not sure it would win but is easily better than numbers 4-6 on my list. Probably the most enjoyable of the movies above.
 

Got America Hustle via Netflix over the weekend and thought it was total sh-t. And I'm a pretty easy guy to please when it comes to movies. Sure the acting was fine, but seemed to me everyone acted below their potential. And the story was blah, IMO. Even the "twist" ending was totally predictable. Found it very clunky and inconsistent the way they told the story -- voice overs, flashbacks, non-sequential timelines. I don't mind these things in movies, just not as a once-and-done thing. Lazy storytelling. All in all, it seemed like just as excuse for a bunch of hot actors to play dress up. Obviously got good reviews and people seem to like, so just my take.
 

Nokomis said:
Got America Hustle via Netflix over the weekend and thought it was total sh-t. And I'm a pretty easy guy to please when it comes to movies. Sure the acting was fine, but seemed to me everyone acted below their potential. And the story was blah, IMO. Even the "twist" ending was totally predictable. Found it very clunky and inconsistent the way they told the story -- voice overs, flashbacks, non-sequential timelines. I don't mind these things in movies, just not as a once-and-done thing. Lazy storytelling. All in all, it seemed like just as excuse for a bunch of hot actors to play dress up. Obviously got good reviews and people seem to like, so just my take.
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I agree with much of this. I think AMERICAN HUSTLE was a third-rate Scrosese film that was going up against an actual, very good Scorsese film in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET.

You nail it on the actors-playing-dress-up bit--it was 2013's costume-caper film, for sure.
 

I just watched blackfish documentary on captive killer whales and Sea World. Like all documentaries its a biased film on the horrors of sea world, keeping captive killer whales, etc. It was pretty fast paced, I wasn't bored and it was shot pretty well. I would recommend it.
 

Do we really need a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire?! Is there really demand for this more than 20 years later?!

The studio is developing a sequel to the 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire, which would reunite director Chris Columbus and star Robin Williams.

David Berenbaum, who wrote Elf, is writing the script.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mrs-doubtfire-sequel-works-696958

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Do we really need a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire?! Is there really demand for this more than 20 years later?!

The studio is developing a sequel to the 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire, which would reunite director Chris Columbus and star Robin Williams.

David Berenbaum, who wrote Elf, is writing the script.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mrs-doubtfire-sequel-works-696958

Go Gophers!!
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I'd prefer a sequel to Hook. Williams' antics are reined in, and Hoffman is masterful as Hook.
 

Sequels are all about money and are "rarely" any good. Exceptions would be series based on books or a series of movies thought out plot wise ahead of time (Godfather, L or the Rings, etc.). I didnt say never I said rarely.
 

I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel last night. I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, so get excited whenever he has a new movie coming out. But his latest is wholly disappointing. His signature quirky aesthetics become blasé when there isn't a story to support it. That's the case with GBH. Ralph Fiennes is very good in the lead. But that's about all this movie has going for it. See it if you like Wes Anderson; otherwise skip it.
 

Nokomis said:
I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel last night. I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, so get excited whenever he has a new movie coming out. But his latest is wholly disappointing. His signature quirky aesthetics become blasé when there isn't a story to support it. That's the case with GBH. Ralph Fiennes is very good in the lead. But that's about all this movie has going for it. See it if you like Wes Anderson; otherwise skip it.
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Thanks for the tip! I was eyeing it on Red Box but hadn't pulled the trigger. I'll look elsewhere moving forward
 

Nokomis said:
I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel last night. I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, so get excited whenever he has a new movie coming out. But his latest is wholly disappointing. His signature quirky aesthetics become blasé when there isn't a story to support it. That's the case with GBH. Ralph Fiennes is very good in the lead. But that's about all this movie has going for it. See it if you like Wes Anderson; otherwise skip it.
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Totally disagree. Loved it visually and story wise. Want to see it again.

Now on to a movie I was excited to see but was disappointed overall: Inside Llewyn Davis. Just couldn't find anything, or anyone, to root for (besides the cat). Had the look of Greenwich Village but just didn't pull everything together (look-feel-music-characters-story). First time I've been let down by the Coen Brothers.
 

tikited said:
Totally disagree. Loved it visually and story wise. Want to see it again.

Now on to a movie I was excited to see but was disappointed overall: Inside Llewyn Davis. Just couldn't find anything, or anyone, to root for (besides the cat). Had the look of Greenwich Village but just didn't pull everything together (look-feel-music-characters-story). First time I've been let down by the Coen Brothers.
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Saw Grand Budapest Hotel in a full house. The lobby was full of people laughing and smiling after the show. Enjoyed it too, not an all time favorite, but an enjoyable movie nonetheless. if you're someone who wants to discuss and dissect a film afterwards or looking for a completely coherent story probably not a movie for you.

IMHO.

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tikited said:
Totally disagree. Loved it visually and story wise. Want to see it again.

Now on to a movie I was excited to see but was disappointed overall: Inside Llewyn Davis. Just couldn't find anything, or anyone, to root for (besides the cat). Had the look of Greenwich Village but just didn't pull everything together (look-feel-music-characters-story). First time I've been let down by the Coen Brothers.
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I enjoyed GBH, but it wasn't my favorite Wes Anderson film. It was visually stunning, but the story didn't grab me as much of some of his others.

I enjoyed Inside Llewyn Davis. I thought Oscar Isaac did a great job with the music, but I can see your point. It was not their most inspired work.
 

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