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Movie/ tv rating thread

heelmanwilm

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May 26, 2005
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I've watched a lot that have come out in redbox and pay per view due to my injury. Thought it would be cool to have a rating thread as i go by word of mouth a lot on choosing movies and tv shows.

Her.
Loved it. Great to watch with the wife or gf. Vastly underrated imo. A sci fi lovestory. The depiction of the future is very realisitic in the clothing and architecture. â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Fury.
Liked it. Good action and story line although somewhat predictable. Lots of gore and f bombs. â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Boyhood.
Mehhh. Way over hyped. The novelty of the watching the kid age wears off as the movie drags on for over two hrs without seemingly a plot or climax. When it ends you're like "wtf"?â­ï¸â­ï¸

The Judge.
So so. Lots of big names leaves u expecting more. Very predictable plot. â­ï¸â­ï¸

Lucy
Always great to see scarlett johansen. Beyond that though nearly unwatchable. Okay at first then descends into a series of wtf moments where a person with superhuman powers and can kill with moving her finger allows a villain to wreak havoc on her plans
â­ï¸

Predestination
Really good. Totally unpredictable although its one of those time travel movies with lots of forshadowing and flash forwards and backs that can confuse you. I watched it a second time with the wife and liked it better then
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

No good deed
No good movie. Totally predictable. Waste of time. Horrible. â­ï¸

A walk among tombstones
Even with liam being somewhat of a badass the movie sucks. Very misleading marketing makes u think its like "taken".
â­ï¸â­ï¸

The equalizer
Decent action movie. Pleasantly surprised even with denzel washington in it. Def a guy movie. Wife didnt like it.
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Dawn of planet of apes
Def the worse of the franchise although special effects and the apes are cool. Nothing special. Wait for it on hbo.
â­ï¸â­ï¸

Maze runner
Wtf was i thinking. Didnt finish it. Twilight on crack
â­ï¸

Stonehearst asylum
Turn off the lights and watch with the little lady. Scarey, dramatic, sexy, loved it. Like an old school bela lugosi flick. Insane asylum shrouded in fog, lightning and thunder, hot crazy women.
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Tammy
Stuck a pencil thru my eye an hour in
â­ï¸

St
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
I've only heard of 3 of those and seen none of them. Soooo,...I'll give them all 5 stars.
 
Originally posted by heelmanwilm:
I've watched a lot that have come out in redbox and pay per view due to my injury. Thought it would be cool to have a rating thread as i go by word of mouth a lot on choosing movies and tv shows.

Her.
Loved it. Great to watch with the wife or gf. Vastly underrated imo. A sci fi lovestory. The depiction of the future is very realisitic in the clothing and architecture. â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Fury.
Liked it. Good action and story line although somewhat predictable. Lots of gore and f bombs. â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Boyhood.
Mehhh. Way over hyped. The novelty of the watching the kid age wears off as the movie drags on for over two hrs without seemingly a plot or climax. When it ends you're like "wtf"?â­ï¸â­ï¸

The Judge.
So so. Lots of big names leaves u expecting more. Very predictable plot. â­ï¸â­ï¸

Lucy
Always great to see scarlett johansen. Beyond that though nearly unwatchable. Okay at first then descends into a series of wtf moments where a person with superhuman powers and can kill with moving her finger allows a villain to wreak havoc on her plans
â­ï¸

Predestination
Really good. Totally unpredictable although its one of those time travel movies with lots of forshadowing and flash forwards and backs that can confuse you. I watched it a second time with the wife and liked it better then
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

No good deed
No good movie. Totally predictable. Waste of time. Horrible. â­ï¸

A walk among tombstones
Even with liam being somewhat of a badass the movie sucks. Very misleading marketing makes u think its like "taken".
â­ï¸â­ï¸

The equalizer
Decent action movie. Pleasantly surprised even with denzel washington in it. Def a guy movie. Wife didnt like it.
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Dawn of planet of apes
Def the worse of the franchise although special effects and the apes are cool. Nothing special. Wait for it on hbo.
â­ï¸â­ï¸

Maze runner
Wtf was i thinking. Didnt finish it. Twilight on crack
â­ï¸

Stonehearst asylum
Turn off the lights and watch with the little lady. Scarey, dramatic, sexy, loved it. Like an old school bela lugosi flick. Insane asylum shrouded in fog, lightning and thunder, hot crazy women.
â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

Tammy
Stuck a pencil thru my eye an hour in
â­ï¸

St
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Loved Her, The Equalizer, the Judge.

Liked Fury, Maze Runner, A Walk Among the Tombstones

Disliked Tammy, Dawn of the Planet Of The Apes

Haven't seen the rest.

Do want to check out Stonehearst Asylum on your recommendation though.
 
I'll rate the ones I can remember seeing in the last year or so.






















The Troll Hunter-I thought the acting in this movie was
tremendous. Yes, the story is
ridiculously unbelievable from any sort of practical sense but the concept is
pretty well done. I guess technically it
could be somewhat believable since only recently has technology taken such huge
leaps that would make not knowing about this sort of thing impossible. Regardless, it is a 'found footage' type
movie but is a good one. It has some
humor but takes itself as serious as it needs to. The lead actor is just great.



Sunshine-Good movie that is right along sci-fi lines but at
least is unique and intriguing (for the most part).



Trouble With the Curve-It seemed more like a NBC Sunday
night flick to me for some reason but I thought it was pretty good
overall. It has the classic love story
where boy meets girl, then conflict that is not properly understood drives them
apart only to, of course, get back together.
Then it has the sort of father-daughter relationship that is pretty
typical for movies as well. It also has
many other sort of clichéd protagonist/antagonist themes. However, it is pretty enjoyable and
entertaining. We always like to see our
guy be right and the jerk be wrong in the end and this one doesn't disappoint
there.



Out of the Furnace-I thought going in this would be a wild
vengeance movie with a bit of substance.
It turned out to certainly have the vengeance but lacked the going in,
kicking butt aspect I expected. This was
a huge positive as it made it more real and less fantastic (in the exaggerated
sense). I thought Casey Affleck was
pretty outstanding in a role that could actually lead to a discussion over some
pretty serious readjustment issues.
Overall, this is a pretty well done movie. The ending seems a tad rushed once it gets
there but I think that is because we are used to the huge body count, which
this lacks (to its credit).



Moonrise Kingdom-Quirky and different but pretty
entertaining. It comes across about the
way one would expect it to from seeing the previews, which is a good thing for
a movie like this. The case was
excellent and the younger actors, which are a huge part of the film, were all
very good. If you are looking for
something different and enjoy the trailer then I would recommend it for
sure.



I Am Legend-Not too bad until the end, which ruined the
entire thing. The entire concept behind
'I Am Legend' is rendered non-existent from the way they altered the
ending. The book was outstanding, not
just because it was good in its entirety but largely because the way it
ended. I can't imagine why they didn't
feel this was important.



Prisoners-A very decent movie that portrays some very raw
emotions that are probably very similar to what one would actually go through
if a child was abducted. Sort of a
weird, unrealistic twist that I could have done without but overall a pretty
movie that I was engaged with all the way through.



Fin-A mysterious movie about something apocalyptic happening
and how a group of friends deal with it while meeting up for a reunion of
sorts. One of the members of the group
named The Prophet (who is somehow privy to what is going on, though what
actually is going on is never explained) doesn't make it. The lack of knowledge (or ever really know
what is going on) doesn't really take away from the film though. The atmosphere fits and the movie is
enjoyable throughout.



The Last Days on Mars-It is pretty much your standard space
station on Mars movies with a zombie twist.
It didn't really do much for me nor stand out in any way. The rovers were pretty sweet though.



Assault on Precinct 13-Laurence Fishburne is pretty awesome
as a bad guy. There are so many holes in
the story that it isn't worth it if that sort of thing bothers you. From the number of people around the precinct
shrinking and increasing arbitrarily to the surrounding area of the structure
maybe being in the city or possibly in the middle of the woods, there are a lot
of inconsistencies…or perhaps I just wasn't paying enough attention. Fun to watch for what it is though it is
basically what you expect it to be.



End of Watch-This is a pretty solid suspenseful movie about
two police officers dealing with crime in a southern LA. It deals with some of the tough things
(exaggerated a bit perhaps) the police probably face in some of the rougher
areas of big cities. The end of the
movie is pretty tough if you let yourself get sucked into it.



Mama-Horror should be dark, not intentionally scary. If it is dark and the story is creepy then
the effects and cinematography can make it scarier (and they do here) but
horror is never scary without something, generally emotional and powerful,
driving it. If it delivers there it will
be effectively scary in ways movies with cheap tricks can never achieve. While there are leaps all over the place in
this one it delivers if you enjoy horror.
The acting is pretty good overall but the two little girls are absolutely
brilliant. I love even crappy
horror. This is not that and is one of
the better modern horror films I've seen. I found the ending oddly satisfying as well,
as twisted as that may be.



Now You See Me- It was like Ocean's eleven with some
magicians. I would have preferred the
movie to have been more supernatural, though knew that wasn't really gong to
happen. The tricks are kind of cool and
the 'four horsemen' were entertaining, though the majority of the movie
develops other characters. If you like
movies like the Ocean's movies you'll certainly like it. It almost had too much going on to work for
me.



The Backwoods-Gary Oldman was great. The actors playing the townspeople were odd,
but they were supposed to be. The other
three protagonists (kind of at least) were terrible. Anyway, two couples go to some remote place in
Spain, meet some odd locals who don't really want them there, then find some
deformed girl locked up and try and get her to freedom. Obviously, the locals aren't down with that
and violence ensues. The couple
(especially one couple) have all sorts of relationship issues that are never
really developed or portrayed very well.
One guy who is kind of a pansy all of a sudden wants to kill people as
well. I'm not sure about the girl. All of that was never really explained or
maybe I just missed it.



Mud-If you watched the trailer and thought you would like
this one then you'll probably like it.
The two kids are great and while things in real life could never go down
this way it still entertains. The way
past events are somewhat mirrored in different lives is kind of too convenient
and cliché but still doesn't take away from the story. It isn't full of surprises and plays out as
expected, but McConaughey is really good in this role along with Sheridan and
Lofland.



Lunopolis-So this
movie is not really that well done. I
mean, it is a hot mess. There is this
hidden race, but they are really quite well known, yet the main characters have
never heard of them. The acting isn't
terrible, though it comes across more as how a real person would react to
things, which I suppose could be charming to some. It isn't tough to figure out the big surprise
at the end but it doesn't take away from the movie. Despite some of the negative stuff I've said
it is worth watching. There is almost a
creepy 'Wicker Man' type vibe…I mean that loosely though (very loosely). Still, almost is enough to make it worth
watching.



The Conjuring-It isn't terrible. It is really just a pretty standard exorcism/haunted
house movie though. I think I would have
liked it more had it not come with the reputation of being so scary. Well done horror stuff but nothing earth
shattering here. The much creepier story
was actually the bit about the doll, though the doll does come back into play
throughout to an extent.



The Silence-I enjoyed this movie. I'm not sure if this is how people would
react to this particular set of circumstances in real life but perhaps they
would. It is tough to know how people
with these type serious issues would act.
It is tough to even comprehend there are truly people like this out
there. The officer kind of figuring it
out the way he did was a stretch but necessary I suppose. Overall it was a serious movie about a difficult
topic done pretty well, mainly because despite its flaws the mood is pretty
consistently harrowing.



I'm Not Scared-I thought for a while this may actually be a
horror/supernatural film but it ended up being more of a drama/thriller. Right at the end it got pretty
predictable. Once a few things were set
in motion you kind of knew what was going to happen. However, it was still a fairly decent
movie. There was a lack of explaining
and background knowledge on a number of things but they weren't all that
important in terms of simply enjoying the movie. The acting was pretty solid and the movie,
while somewhat slow, built towards something the entire way.



Apollo 18-Very good movie.
It is tough to find a new take on any sort of alien creature but this
movie tends to do this. I thought the
acting was solid and the buildup and cinematography was done pretty well. I mean, I'm a sucker for a horror/sci-fi flick
if it is just decent and this one was better than that for me.



Best Worst Movie-This is an outstanding documentary. It is about Troll 2 and the cult following it
currently has, mainly because it is so terrible. Quality stuff.



The Devil's Pass-Another found footage horror flick that is
worth watching simply since it is a horror film. The movie plays off the Dyatlov
Pass Incident where a group of hikers die with no real explanation back in
1959. A lot of ominous things happen to
a group as they to recreate the expedition on the same day many years
later. There is a pretty good buildup of
tension, the something about a door that almost reminds one of 'Lost' that kept
it going, then an avalanche, which plays into the original story, and then things
go nuts. The last half hour is a hot
mess. I mean, it is a hot mess with a
horror atmosphere so isn't terrible but it is pretty random. All sorts of things quickly happen and are
hastily, possibly, kind of explained. I
liked it as I like almost any horror movie.
However, it is almost like watching two movies. I've seen it called a B-movie. If that is the case, it is definitely worth a
look. It would be up there in terms of
B-movies that I've seen.



To.Get.Her-Regardless of the effort one
makes, I doubt anyone can figure out the twist in this one completely. However, that doesn't necessarily make it
clever. Fooling the viewer is not
difficult if that is the intention. I
actually did figure out the main culprit pretty early but not the final twist. There are signs and parts of the film seem
fragmented from the very beginning, which is justified by the resolution. It is an interesting take on the internet and
the community people find among the isolation of their own lives through the
use of the web. There are a lot of holes
here if one wants to find them but I never really find the use in that when it
comes to movies. It is enjoyable for
what it is.



Oldboy (the original)-I had always heard of this movie
so was anxious to see it. It was pretty
terrible conceptually. What I mean is
that the thought of something like this really happening just makes one
uncomfortable. I could not imagine being
the main character (not sure if he was the protagonist or antagonist) in the
end. I thought the reasoning behind the
guy involved in exacting the revenge was a tad exaggerated but that is perhaps
because what I consider taboo is not exactly so to other people. It seemed he took no responsibility for what
was pretty heinous in my view though. I
thought one thing the main character did was also a tad over the top and
probably unnecessary, though I guess it played a part in the reason for the
'bad guy' to acquiesce to Dae-su's wishes to keep the secret. Definitely a movie worth seeing though and I
think the pub it generated as a must see for those who like the genre is
legit.



The Crazies-Pretty good conspiracy,
people randomly turn crazy type movie. I
thought the craziness was well done. It
was subtle but creepy. The settings for
it were good. The acting was good as
well. Definitely one you should catch if
you are a fan of this sort of movie.



Seven Psychopaths-Some of my favorite
actors are in this one and they don't disappoint. The dialogue is not even close to anything
that would ever take place in real life but is what drives the movie. It is entertaining and humorous simply
because of the interactions and conversations among the characters. The plot isn't really worth worrying about
too much because it isn't that important.
If you like the actors, you'll enjoy the movie.



Battleship-I went into this one
thinking it would be absolutely terrible, while realizing I would probably
still like it. I liked it and it really
wasn't that terrible. It had all the
fairly cliché things a movie about impending doom from another planet has. Still, it was good. It had the silly love story but it didn't
hurt the movie. The characters were
developed as well as they could be without wasting time on it. The hero was a brash punk way too full of
himself and you could predict much of what would happen. Still, there was enough that had not been
done before mixed with some good action to make it worthwhile.



Europa Report-This movie is shot in a
number of different ways, with documentary commentary along with actual movie
style footage. It is a pretty simple
space exploration, looking for life type film that delivers throughout and in
the end. The tension is built very well
and if you don't mind movies that are a little slow it is one definitely worth
seeing. It is fairly low budget but you
can't really tell and the emphasis is on trying to be intelligent and build to
the end and it scores in both areas.







A lot of these are movies people have probably never heard of. I am obviously too long winded. Sorry, I really get into movies when I actually get the chance to see one.
 
FYI cory, I am Legend has the original ending available online and it makes the movie so much better. You should check it out. Not sure why they changed it in the release.

Ones that I've seen recently:

The Imitation Game - Excellent movie one of the best I've seen in a couple of years. Great story with some good history around it.

Interstellar - Pretty good, but way too long. The special effects were really good. Pretty good story and I like that they tried to get the science right for the most part. Did I mention it was too long?

American Sniper - It was pretty good but not as good as the hype around it led me to believe. Sad story and I liked they it wasn't a pro war or anti war movie. It focused on the effects of the war on him I thought which was good.

Fury - I liked it. I liked it's accuracy. I thought they got the War in the West pretty right in the movie. I was glad they accurately depicted how hard it was to fight a Tiger Tank. Well done, the end battle was a little overdone but still good.
 
Originally posted by coryfly:


Best Worst Movie-This is an outstanding documentary. It is about Troll 2 and the cult following it
currently has, mainly because it is so terrible. Quality stuff.
I need to watch that documentary. Troll 2 is so gawd-awful that it's actually entertaining.
 
Movies I've seen recently...

Gone Girl - I usually don't care for Ben Afleck movies, but my wife read the book, and wanted to see it. I must admit, it was better than I anticipated. Some good twists to the movie keep you on your toes (not a spoiler, but that chick is messed-up).

Chef - OK. It was on Netflix, so I had nothing to lose but a couple hours. Had some pretty big name stars in smaller roles (Hoffman, Johansen, Downey Jr.). Plus Sofia Vegara in a bigger role. Might be worth a watch.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Ralph Fiennes was really good in it; so was Willem Dafoe, but it's a Wes Anderson movie, so be prepared for quirky. If you like his movies, then you'll like this one. Otherwise, you'll likely get bored with it.



TV shows that I've watched recently...

Broadchurch - FANTASTIC! If you have Netflix, you need to watch this 8 episode BBC series. It will hook you in from the get-go. Very well done, and it will keep you guessing right up to the end. (Note: Fox put out an American-ized version of this show, but called it Gracepoint - and while it was good - Broadchurch was execllent). Do yourself a favor and watch this show.

Sirens - I binge watched season 1 on Netflix, and enjoyed this sit-com; season 2 is just now getting started. I thought it was a pretty funny show.
 
Well, since we are close to the Oscars, I figured I would share my thoughts on the nominees that I've seen. This year was the first that I was able to see all the Best Picture nominees before the awards, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm gonna start with those first, and then hit up the acting nominees if there wasn't already overlap (Going alphabetically with links to the trailers for anyone who doesn't know about the movie).

American Sniper: This was a really good movie, and I think Clint's best directing in years (I'd say since at least Gran Torino). Bradley Cooper is at the top of his game here, and does some really subtle things that help nail the character. This story has obviously had some controversy from political pundits on both sides, but I personally thought that it did a good job of just presenting how war affects a person without really being pro- or anti-war. This movie is definitely worth watching, and one of the best war movies ever made.

Birdman: I personally loved this movie. I know that it was somewhat divisive because the characters aren't "likable" in the traditional sense, but I thought there were some great moments of dark comedy in a story that follows a washed-up actor's attempt to reclaim some of his former superhero glory. Michael Keaton is outstanding in the lead role, arguably the best performance of his career. Edward Norton and Emma Stone are also pretty great, and well-deserving of their nominations. The whole movie is edited in a way that makes it look like one long, continuous take, which is pretty remarkable. Overall, I thought it was one of the movies of the year, but I can understand that it's definitely not a movie that appeals to all, even though it was right up my alley.

Boyhood: If you know anything about this movie by now, it's that they filmed it over 12 years with the same cast. It's a very well made and well acted movie that presents growing up as it happens, and I really respect it as a piece of art. With all of that said, it's at least half an hour too long, and there are several secondary characters that are pretty underdeveloped. There isn't really a plot in the traditional sense, and instead it hits a lot of the everyday experiences of growing up, which I don't have a problem with, but it could have been condensed since they went that way. I thought Ethan Hawke was great, and Patricia Arquette will probably win the Oscar for supporting actress. When it's all said and done, this movie is probably gonna take several awards, and while I liked it, I think that the 12 years thing is why it's getting as much buzz as it is.

The Grand Budapest Hotel: As someone else said here, at this point, you know what you get with Wes Anderson. I am a fan of the guy and I thought this was one of the better ones that he has done. Ralph Fiennes was pretty great in it and much funnier than I would have previously thought. This was probably the most "fun" of the nominees, and the easiest to watch, so I would really recommend this one, but again, if you aren't a Wes Anderson fan, then you probably won't care for it.

The Imitation Game: This was probably my favorite of the "based on a true story" nominees. Benedict Cumberbatch was outstanding, and for any fans of Sherlock, you will really like his character. I thought that this had some really great moments, both in terms of acting and storytelling. Keira Knightley is at her best here, and really deserved her nomination as well. The supporting cast is also very strong, and I thought this was a great movie that helped showcase the contributions of the British to winning WWII, as well as the man who helped create modern computers.

Selma: This movie was great, as was David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King, Jr. I thought they did a very good job of showing him as a real man with real world concerns. This movie has had some controversy over its relative lack of nominations, and while the case could be made for Oyelowo and the director, I think those just happened to be very strong categories this year. I also think they also could have done a better job of portraying LBJ as a more conflicted character as opposed to as antagonistic as he was. Not saying he needed to be a saint, I just think there was more of a middle ground. Overall, a very solid movie that is definitely worth seeing, even with its flaws.

The Theory of Everything: Eddie Redmayne did a great job of really nailing the mannerisms of Stephen Hawking and his increasing struggles with ALS. As someone who didn't know much about Hawking's personal life, I thought this did a good job of showing his relationship with his wife and his professional endeavors. Redmayne is really becoming one of the better actors out there, and while I personally have Keaton and Cooper ahead of him, I wouldn't be surprised to see him win for this.

Whiplash: I can't recommend this movie highly enough. Seriously, this movie was mesmerizing. While it may not seem like the greatest movie on paper (kid plays drums and has intense music teacher), it absolutely blew me away. JK Simmons gave the performance of the year, and if he doesn't win supporting actor, the dude got robbed. I hadn't really been a fan of Miles Teller before, but he was also pretty great here. I seriously give this movie the best recommendation of any of the nominees, partly because I don't think it's as niche or controversial as some of the others, but partly because it really was an incredible movie.

Gone Girl: This movie was very solid. I spent the first half watching, expecting a twist, and when the twist came, it really kind of surprised me just because it took what I expected and really turned it on its head. Rosamund Pike did a great job of playing Amy as the complex, messed up character that she is. It's been months since I watched it and I still can't really figure out whether or not I really "liked" it, in a traditional sense, but I will say that it was always entertaining. If nothing else, it made me actually like Tyler Perry in a movie, so it gets points for that. I'd recommend it, while saying I fully understand if it's not something you cared for.

Into the Woods: I went into this movie knowing that it was a musical that combined several fairy tales, and I didn't know much besides that. I left having watched one of the more enjoyable movies of the year. I thought that the cast was great, but I do think Meryl Streep got some bias in her favor when it comes to her nomination. That's not to say she isn't good in it (in fact, I was pleasantly surprised at her singing voice), but she got nominated because she's the greatest living actress, and not because she was excellent here. Again, she was good, but to me, the standouts are James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Daniel Huttlestone. Even if you don't consider yourself a "musical person," I think this movie has something for everyone.


I'll post again soon to give a rundown on some other recent movies that I was a fan of, just wanted to hit 10 that were up for "the big ones." I'd recommend all, but I think the ones that would be highest on my recommendations, just because they would appeal to the most people are Whiplash, Grand Budapest, and Into the Woods.
 
movies i want to see:
the foxcatcher
american sniper
gone girl


tv shows i'm digging:
homeland
kitchen crashers
sound fx on nfl network
 
Tarheel mark

Watched broadchurch and loved it. I find it interesting that the crime was solved not by police work though but in spite of their bungling. It basically took someone turning themself in!
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
Originally posted by heelmanwilm:
Tarheel mark

Watched broadchurch and loved it. I find it interesting that the crime was solved not by police work though but in spite of their bungling. It basically took someone turning themself in!
Posted from Rivals Mobile
Excellent, isn't it? By the way, season 2 of Broadchurch will be broadcast in March on BBC America.

Also, I watched The Judge (the wife's choice, not mine) as I pretty much expected what you had previously said about it. And it was So-So, as you said. Mostly predictable, good acting, but it just didn't grab me.
 
We taped the first episode of The Jinx tonight. It looks pretty interesting.
 
Originally posted by heelz2345:
Well, since we are close to the Oscars, I figured I would share my thoughts on the nominees that I've seen. This year was the first that I was able to see all the Best Picture nominees before the awards, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm gonna start with those first, and then hit up the acting nominees if there wasn't already overlap (Going alphabetically with links to the trailers for anyone who doesn't know about the movie).

American Sniper: This was a really good movie, and I think Clint's best directing in years (I'd say since at least Gran Torino). Bradley Cooper is at the top of his game here, and does some really subtle things that help nail the character. This story has obviously had some controversy from political pundits on both sides, but I personally thought that it did a good job of just presenting how war affects a person without really being pro- or anti-war. This movie is definitely worth watching, and one of the best war movies ever made.

Birdman: I personally loved this movie. I know that it was somewhat divisive because the characters aren't "likable" in the traditional sense, but I thought there were some great moments of dark comedy in a story that follows a washed-up actor's attempt to reclaim some of his former superhero glory. Michael Keaton is outstanding in the lead role, arguably the best performance of his career. Edward Norton and Emma Stone are also pretty great, and well-deserving of their nominations. The whole movie is edited in a way that makes it look like one long, continuous take, which is pretty remarkable. Overall, I thought it was one of the movies of the year, but I can understand that it's definitely not a movie that appeals to all, even though it was right up my alley.

Boyhood: If you know anything about this movie by now, it's that they filmed it over 12 years with the same cast. It's a very well made and well acted movie that presents growing up as it happens, and I really respect it as a piece of art. With all of that said, it's at least half an hour too long, and there are several secondary characters that are pretty underdeveloped. There isn't really a plot in the traditional sense, and instead it hits a lot of the everyday experiences of growing up, which I don't have a problem with, but it could have been condensed since they went that way. I thought Ethan Hawke was great, and Patricia Arquette will probably win the Oscar for supporting actress. When it's all said and done, this movie is probably gonna take several awards, and while I liked it, I think that the 12 years thing is why it's getting as much buzz as it is.

The Grand Budapest Hotel: As someone else said here, at this point, you know what you get with Wes Anderson. I am a fan of the guy and I thought this was one of the better ones that he has done. Ralph Fiennes was pretty great in it and much funnier than I would have previously thought. This was probably the most "fun" of the nominees, and the easiest to watch, so I would really recommend this one, but again, if you aren't a Wes Anderson fan, then you probably won't care for it.

The Imitation Game: This was probably my favorite of the "based on a true story" nominees. Benedict Cumberbatch was outstanding, and for any fans of Sherlock, you will really like his character. I thought that this had some really great moments, both in terms of acting and storytelling. Keira Knightley is at her best here, and really deserved her nomination as well. The supporting cast is also very strong, and I thought this was a great movie that helped showcase the contributions of the British to winning WWII, as well as the man who helped create modern computers.

Selma: This movie was great, as was David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King, Jr. I thought they did a very good job of showing him as a real man with real world concerns. This movie has had some controversy over its relative lack of nominations, and while the case could be made for Oyelowo and the director, I think those just happened to be very strong categories this year. I also think they also could have done a better job of portraying LBJ as a more conflicted character as opposed to as antagonistic as he was. Not saying he needed to be a saint, I just think there was more of a middle ground. Overall, a very solid movie that is definitely worth seeing, even with its flaws.

The Theory of Everything: Eddie Redmayne did a great job of really nailing the mannerisms of Stephen Hawking and his increasing struggles with ALS. As someone who didn't know much about Hawking's personal life, I thought this did a good job of showing his relationship with his wife and his professional endeavors. Redmayne is really becoming one of the better actors out there, and while I personally have Keaton and Cooper ahead of him, I wouldn't be surprised to see him win for this.

Whiplash: I can't recommend this movie highly enough. Seriously, this movie was mesmerizing. While it may not seem like the greatest movie on paper (kid plays drums and has intense music teacher), it absolutely blew me away. JK Simmons gave the performance of the year, and if he doesn't win supporting actor, the dude got robbed. I hadn't really been a fan of Miles Teller before, but he was also pretty great here. I seriously give this movie the best recommendation of any of the nominees, partly because I don't think it's as niche or controversial as some of the others, but partly because it really was an incredible movie.

Gone Girl: This movie was very solid. I spent the first half watching, expecting a twist, and when the twist came, it really kind of surprised me just because it took what I expected and really turned it on its head. Rosamund Pike did a great job of playing Amy as the complex, messed up character that she is. It's been months since I watched it and I still can't really figure out whether or not I really "liked" it, in a traditional sense, but I will say that it was always entertaining. If nothing else, it made me actually like Tyler Perry in a movie, so it gets points for that. I'd recommend it, while saying I fully understand if it's not something you cared for.

Into the Woods: I went into this movie knowing that it was a musical that combined several fairy tales, and I didn't know much besides that. I left having watched one of the more enjoyable movies of the year. I thought that the cast was great, but I do think Meryl Streep got some bias in her favor when it comes to her nomination. That's not to say she isn't good in it (in fact, I was pleasantly surprised at her singing voice), but she got nominated because she's the greatest living actress, and not because she was excellent here. Again, she was good, but to me, the standouts are James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Daniel Huttlestone. Even if you don't consider yourself a "musical person," I think this movie has something for everyone.


I'll post again soon to give a rundown on some other recent movies that I was a fan of, just wanted to hit 10 that were up for "the big ones." I'd recommend all, but I think the ones that would be highest on my recommendations, just because they would appeal to the most people are Whiplash, Grand Budapest, and Into the Woods.

I agree with your opinions of 'Imitation Game' and 'into The Woods' . . . the one knock I have heard on 'Into The Woods' is that it actually had too much singing in it. But, it was labeled as a musical, so I kinda LOL at that review.

The wifey wanted to go see it and I thought 'okay, I'll go along for the ride' as she does so many times when it is I wanna go see or do something. It is a pretty good move, and it does twist several different fairy tales all together into one. Streep does a good job singing and even has one little rap song she does very well with.
 
The homesman
Drifter helps uptight woman on a journey with three crazy women in tow. Not much action. Good plot and action though. Wife liked it as well â­￾ï¸￾â­￾ï¸￾â­￾ï¸￾

John Wick
Keanu reeves as a bad ass works better than i thought it would. Violent and action packed but very predictable. â­￾ï¸￾â­￾ï¸￾â­￾ï¸￾

October Gale
Female dr takes in a wounded mysterious man during a bad storm then has to deal with the people after him. Totally unbelievable and stupid, boring and predictable
â­￾ï¸￾â­￾ï¸￾

Vice
Modern take on westworld. Fantasy resort where robots fulfill all your fantasies. Wow bruce willis has really hit rock bottom. This is nearly a b movie its so bad.
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Originally posted by BillyL:


I agree with your opinions of 'Imitation Game' and 'into The Woods' . . . the one knock I have heard on 'Into The Woods' is that it actually had too much singing in it. But, it was labeled as a musical, so I kinda LOL at that review.

The wifey wanted to go see it and I thought 'okay, I'll go along for the ride' as she does so many times when it is I wanna go see or do something. It is a pretty good move, and it does twist several different fairy tales all together into one. Streep does a good job singing and even has one little rap song she does very well with.
Yeah, that's a pretty funny criticism to have too much singing in a musical, haha. Into the Woods has really grown on me since seeing it, and I've listened to several of the songs again on Pandora or Youtube. You have to have at least something of a taste for musicals, but I think this is a movie that most people can really enjoy.
 
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