Summer movies worth price of admission
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Agree on Guardians 2 - it was not as good as the original but worth the admission.
I'd like to see Baby Driver, but will probably wait for WW to get on Netflix, or pay-per-view.
There are a quite a few movies in theaters now that I don't even think I'd watch if they were free... the Mummy, Transformers, and yet another Pirates movie. Ugh...
I'd like to see Baby Driver, but will probably wait for WW to get on Netflix, or pay-per-view.
There are a quite a few movies in theaters now that I don't even think I'd watch if they were free... the Mummy, Transformers, and yet another Pirates movie. Ugh...
I would recommend Baby Driver on the big screen. It's really good.
Baby Driver was incredible, definitely in my top 2 on the year along with Get Out. The fact the director liked my tweet about it may give it the top spot haha. But great film, certainly a "needs to be seen on the big screen" kind of movie.
I really dug Guardians, and while I would give the first the edge, I think it is relatively close. Maybe Baby Groot blinded me haha.
Wonder Woman is definitely worth the watch. It's a lot of fun, Gal Gadot is a perfect fit for the character (in addition to being gorgeous, she kicks major ass), and there were a few scenes that gave me chills.
Next thing I'll see is Spider-Man on Friday, unless I see Baby Driver again this week. Spidey is getting great reviews so far, pulling a 94 at the moment on Rotten Tomatoes with about 80 reviews, and many calling it the best Spider-Man yet. Really looking forward to it. After that, gonna see War for the Planet of the Apes the following week and then Dunkirk the week after that
Didn't see those last 3 but I agree, they don't look good. I hate that they have just killed Pirates because I love the first one, but none after that are beginning to end good, with 4 being a piece of trash. Pirates 4 had frigging Ian McShane as Blackbeard in the most perfect casting ever and wasted that in a terrible damn movie
Oh yeah, Dunkirk. I'd like to see that. I typically only go to the theater if it's something I REALLY want to see, but I would like to check that one out on the big screen.
I think it looks great and I'm intrigued to see Christopher Nolan tackle historical drama since all of his other films are original or Batman. This has the potential to be his Saving Private Ryan (not to say it will be as good, just that he's going for something a little more grounded in our world)
Wow, people would say that about a Marvel movie? I'm shocked. I'd bet half of the people saying it's the best one yet haven't even seen it. Marvel is the Apple of the movie world. They are able to convince everyone that everything they put out is gold when all they are doing is giving us silver. Can't be mad at them for that though. If they can do it, more power to them.
Well, I would assume they've seen it since some of the ones calling it the best are critics from sources like Rolling Stone, Chicago Sun Times, Toronto Sun, etc. and not just fanboys poasting in the comments.
However, I personally don't get this mindset that Marvel gets a pass on their product. I don't think people are giving good reviews just because it's Marvel or giving bad reviews just because it's DC or Fox or Sony. Of the 3 major comic book movies of the year that have been released so far (4 if you count the Lego Batman Movie), Guardians is the lowest rated at 81% and it's the only Marvel Studios film. The highest rated is Logan at 93%, which is based on a Marvel character but is the property of Fox. Spider-Man's score will vary a little more as more reviews come in during the week, but it's probably going to end up around 90% and if it's lower than 92%, it and Guardians will be the two lowest out of the four live action so far this year. Also, not a movie, but Iron Fist got raked across the coals (17%), so it depends on the product.
Speaking as someone who has seen basically every superhero iteration released in the past decade across multiple movie studios and multiple comic properties, I feel like Marvel has made a better product than their competitors for sure. Outside of the Dark Knight Trilogy, there has been one beginning to end good DC movie in the past decade and that's Wonder Woman. Fox has had some stinkers with Marvel characters (Fant4stic being the one that immediately comes to mind, but the first Wolverine is certainly very bad also). Sony made pretty bad Spider-Man movies as a way to keep the rights to the character and ruined their Spidey-verse before it even got off the ground.
I get the criticisms of Marvel, the villains are weak or the movies all feel the same or stakes don't feel high because you know 8 movies ahead or whatever. They are not movies without flaws. And I get the idea of wanting an alternative. But DC got screwed because they wanted the benefits of a shared universe without wanting to put the time in because they were already behind when the race began. They were working on a great Batman trilogy and when that was wrapping up, Marvel was dropping Avengers. So they rushed projects that don't make sense because they only cared about the bottom line and not a cohesive story. Wonder Woman has hopefully righted the ship for them, but Justice League needs to deliver before I really have faith in DC again. I want DC to thrive, I really do. A movie that had Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman should have been a slam dunk but it was a mess.
There are good alternatives to the Marvel Studios product. Logan is one. Deadpool. Wonder Woman. The Dark Knight trilogy. The X-Men reboot trilogy (well, Apocalypse has some major flaws, but I really enjoyed First Class and Days of Future Past). The DC television shows are pretty well thought of. Or if you want something not "superhero" but comic based, Kingsman was good as was Kick-ass (the first one). Most of those are tonally very different than what you would get from the MCU. But just because something works in one (say the R-rating for Deadpool or Logan or the gritty tone of the Dark Knight trilogy) doesn't mean they should do that for everything. Do what is the right fit for the characters and the story, and audiences will naturally respond, don't give an alternative that sucks just because it's an alternative.
Anyway, sorry for a long poast. I know Marvel movies aren't perfect. I happen to enjoy them, but they have flaws, same as most blockbuster movies. On the other hand, though, they are giving people a consistently good product, and I'm ok with that. Marvel has a formula, but they had to develop the formula over time. If it were easy, everyone would have a formula. And other studios are trying to have one, they just don't yet.
Well, because they do for the most part. It's not just that critics think they haven't made a bad movie, most also think every movie has been perfection (well, maybe not Thor). The reality is Marvel has put out three excellent movies (IM3, Winter Soldier and Civil War) a few really good movies (IM, CA, Guardians) and the rest are average. Most critics act as if every movie they put out is gold. It's not. You mention that they have weak villains. Well, that's half of the movie. Comic book movies are about the hero verses the villain. Most of the time Marvel gets half of the movie wrong. Look, I'm not trying to say that Marvel sucks, just that most people are unrealistic about them.
ETA: I haven't seen Dr. Strange or the second Guardians, so my opinion excludes those two.
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Marvel could make a movie about a new superhero called Shitface Man, and the critics would still give it 5 star reviews across the board.
I don't think the critics act that way. Including Spider-man's score, the average Rotten Tomatoes rating for the 16 MCU movies is an 82.3, which would be a B, which is fair for most of them. The ones that are better than a B are generally scored accordingly as are the ones that are worse. As for the Marvel villains, most of their best villains are owned by other companies. Magneto, Dr Doom, and until recently, all of Spider-Man's villains. They still have some good ones (Loki being the best example and the tv shows have good ones also, particularly Daredevil and Jessica Jones), but that is a weakness for a number of them. However, DC hasn't really fared better in that regard outside the Dark Knight trilogy. Lex Luthor was one of the worst parts of BvS, Suicide Squad had a terrible villain and wasted the Joker, and while I thought Wonder Woman was great, her villain was also weak. So while Marvel might not knock every villain out of the park, the competition isn't really consistently delivering there either.
That movie was called Hancock and it did not get that review. Of course, it wasn't Marvel. Fun fact, it was written by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.
The villain in the movie doesn't have to match the source material. Saying they don't have their best villains to work with is a cop out. DC is a whole different discussion. I wasn't trying to compare the two.
That's fair, I think they could do better with the ones they have. But they have done better recently in that regard. Cap 3, Dr Strange, Guardians 2, all had solid villains, and early reports say that Keaton in Spider-Man is gonna be a good one too. But yeah, Hulk, IM2, IM3, Thor 2, Guardians 1, Ant-Man all had subpar villains for sure
You should have led with this, not buried it in the 6th paragraph. We have rules, you know.
I don't go to the movies very often but have seen the new Pirates movie. I actually enjoyed it despite the poor reviews. Probably not worth theater prices, though. Redbox special.
Nice, going to have to give you a like for that one.
Cancel that like.
We don't go to the movies often because so few have been worth the price of admission the last several years it just isn't worth it to me. With that said, I DO want to go see Dunkirk, just because I am a military movie junkie.
Haven't seen any of the Guardian movies, although I have seen all the other Marvel movies (Netflix or RedBox, except for one or two in the theater) and, for the most part, liked them all. I have also liked all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, although, again, we rarely see them in the theaters.
Now, one advantage I have is that we have a drive-in where I live and the owners also own an old 1930's theater that both get first run movies and charge a LOT less than the big mega-movie places. Drive-in usually shows 3 movies per night on weekend throughout the summer and you pay one price to get in to see all three. When my boys were little, we used to take a group of them to see movies all the time. It's like $10 per car, so you can't beat it. Pick up a pizza on the way, set up an air mattress in the back of my truck and they were in hog heaven.
Anyway, back on topic, the wife and I did go see Cars 3 last weekend and loved it. It was very much back to the theme and feel of the first one. Second one was a disappointment, but this one was really good and, as a dad of 2 teenage boys, it really hit home with me. I would recommend it.
Haven't seen any of the Guardian movies, although I have seen all the other Marvel movies (Netflix or RedBox, except for one or two in the theater) and, for the most part, liked them all. I have also liked all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, although, again, we rarely see them in the theaters.
Now, one advantage I have is that we have a drive-in where I live and the owners also own an old 1930's theater that both get first run movies and charge a LOT less than the big mega-movie places. Drive-in usually shows 3 movies per night on weekend throughout the summer and you pay one price to get in to see all three. When my boys were little, we used to take a group of them to see movies all the time. It's like $10 per car, so you can't beat it. Pick up a pizza on the way, set up an air mattress in the back of my truck and they were in hog heaven.
Anyway, back on topic, the wife and I did go see Cars 3 last weekend and loved it. It was very much back to the theme and feel of the first one. Second one was a disappointment, but this one was really good and, as a dad of 2 teenage boys, it really hit home with me. I would recommend it.
Excellent. I wanted to take my son to see Cars3 as well; especially since the first movie we ever took him to in the theater was the original Cars movie. Unfortunately, he remembered how crappy the second one was, and didn't want to go. Plus he's 17 so I guess it's not cool.
Have seen and recommend
Wonder Woman
Guardians
Baby Driver
Beauty and the Beast
Will probably see Spider Man next week, I'm looking forward to Apes and Dunkirk, and Kingsman, Atomic Blonde, Justice League and the next Star Wars.
Wonder Woman
Guardians
Baby Driver
Beauty and the Beast
Will probably see Spider Man next week, I'm looking forward to Apes and Dunkirk, and Kingsman, Atomic Blonde, Justice League and the next Star Wars.
Saw Spider-Man last night, it's a lot of fun. Tom Holland is a great fit for the character, Michael Keaton is a terrific villain, and there are very funny moments in addition to some solid action set pieces. I would need to rewatch it before I can say how it compares to the best Spidey movies so far, but it's definitely close to the top, for me anyway.
Saw two movies this past weekend: War for the Planet of the Apes and The Big Sick. Both were very good. If you like the other Planet of the Apes movies, you should really enjoy this one. Andy Serkis is incredible in these movies, I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves as an actor, but I really enjoyed him in this movie. The Big Sick is very funny while also being very heartfelt. It will most likely be a contender for some awards in a few months, but the thing it has going for it is it feels very different than other movies in its genre. Both are definitely worth the price of admission.
I really want to see this too. IMAX tickets are $17.50 .... would you say it was worthy of paying that much for a ticket?
I think it is, Nolan filmed this one on IMAX cameras so it is supposed to look and sound amazing in IMAX. If I wouldn't have to drive an hour to see it, I personally would have done it, but you won't be disappointed in a "regular" theater experience.
Thanks . .
Dunkirk is the movie I want to see . . it's sitting @ 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yeah, it's the first movie I've seen this year that I feel pretty confident will get a Best Picture nomination. There are others I've seen that could be contenders, but it's a really good movie and is a genre that tends to get recognized with that sort of thing. It's very well done, Nolan knows what he's doing when it comes to making movies.
I pulled a double feature this weekend, saw Detroit on Friday, Dark Tower on Saturday. Detroit was great. It's intense, and often tough to watch, but there is great acting from the entire ensemble, and it's just very well made. I expect a handful of Oscar nominations, probably nothing for the cast though just because it's so ensemble (similarly, I don't think Dunkirk will get acting nominations). Kathryn Bigelow directed that, and if you are unfamiliar with her, she also directed The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.
As for The Dark Tower, I haven't read the book, so I can't say if they did the story justice. However, it isn't as bad as the reviews make it out to be, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it should be better. Idris Elba was great, but he was more of a supporting character when he should have been the lead. Parts of it were a lot of fun, and other parts were just ok. You can probably wait to see it on tv when it hits cable.
I also watched two movies at home this weekend, Free Fire and Term Life. Free Fire is basically a 90 minute shootout that all takes place in an abandoned warehouse. I was intrigued by a very solid cast, but it never reached the levels it should have, and while mostly fun, it never really equals or surpasses the sum of its parts.
As for Term Life, it similarly is fine but you get the feeling it should be better than it is. It's got a cast full of familiar faces telling a story about criminals on the run and trying to clear names but I never thought that it lived up to its potential
As for The Dark Tower, I haven't read the book, so I can't say if they did the story justice. However, it isn't as bad as the reviews make it out to be, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it should be better. Idris Elba was great, but he was more of a supporting character when he should have been the lead. Parts of it were a lot of fun, and other parts were just ok. You can probably wait to see it on tv when it hits cable.
I also watched two movies at home this weekend, Free Fire and Term Life. Free Fire is basically a 90 minute shootout that all takes place in an abandoned warehouse. I was intrigued by a very solid cast, but it never reached the levels it should have, and while mostly fun, it never really equals or surpasses the sum of its parts.
As for Term Life, it similarly is fine but you get the feeling it should be better than it is. It's got a cast full of familiar faces telling a story about criminals on the run and trying to clear names but I never thought that it lived up to its potential
Checked out two movies in the past week. The first was IT, the second was Wind River.
It is not normally my kind of movie, but I thought that they did a great job with this movie, not only by making it scary (which, they did), but by making you care about the characters, something I feel is often forgotten about with horror movies. The kids have great chemistry (any Stranger Things fans should appreciate Finn Wolfhard aka Mike), and often, some of the scariest things don't involve the supernatural but instead the realistic terrors, which could be even scarier.
Wind River was also very good. It's written and directed by the guy who wrote Hell or High Water, which was one of my favorite movies of last year. I don't want to give much away because part of the enjoyment of this movie is going along with the mystery, but it is very well done. It builds tension throughout, and when it pays off, it does so with a bang. Check this movie out if you get the chance.
It is not normally my kind of movie, but I thought that they did a great job with this movie, not only by making it scary (which, they did), but by making you care about the characters, something I feel is often forgotten about with horror movies. The kids have great chemistry (any Stranger Things fans should appreciate Finn Wolfhard aka Mike), and often, some of the scariest things don't involve the supernatural but instead the realistic terrors, which could be even scarier.
Wind River was also very good. It's written and directed by the guy who wrote Hell or High Water, which was one of my favorite movies of last year. I don't want to give much away because part of the enjoyment of this movie is going along with the mystery, but it is very well done. It builds tension throughout, and when it pays off, it does so with a bang. Check this movie out if you get the chance.
I was very disappointed in IT. I Know the movie never lives up to the book and i was prepared for that. But it was nothing more than cheap startle scares and gross out stuff. There was one cliche scare after another. The dark basement, the haunted house at the end of the street, the monster in the well, the painting coming to life, blood gushing from drain, i mean come on. I will admit the clown was scary but it was especially scary when it talked and that was basically only in the first 2 min. Not in the same stratosphere as steven kings the shining.
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