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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 8, 2019 20:25:16 GMT -5
#126 Aquaman12/21/18 | Director: James Wan | Rotten Tomatoes: 65% | Runtime: 143 minutes | Platform: DVDPremise: The half-human/half-Atlantean heir to an underwater kingdom tries to prevent his brother from starting a war between his two worlds. Strengths: When people first heard about an Aquaman movie, it sounded laughable. However, one stroke of genius from DC was casting Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman). Not only did he bring in a bunch of fans, but he’s highly charismatic in the lead role. He brings a coolness to a character most people found lame. I found Amber Heard (Mera) to be better than she usually is and thought the likes of Nicole Kidman (Atlanna) and Patrick Wilson (Orm Marius) were serviceable. I appreciated the work done for one of the villains. Played by Yahya Abdul-Mareen II (David Kane), he gets an origin story that makes you understand his motivations. It actually kind of paints Arthur in a negative light, making him someone we can empathize with. Visually, this is breathtaking. They use a ton of CGI, but most of it looks great. They do a wonderful job making this vast underwater world come to life. It’s easily the best looking DCEU movie so far. There are some great set pieces here and they utilize a lot more than the underwater world. The stuff in the desert and the fight against Black Manta are all great looking. The plot is a simple one and I mean that in a good way. This didn’t need to be overly complicated and it goes straight to the point. Weaknesses: Two actors stood out in a negative way. Willem Dafoe (Nuldis Vulko) is usually good, but really felt out of place here for some reason. Plus, he looked laughable throughout. Also, the younger actors who played Arthur were pretty bad. It’s harsh to say that about kids, but the line delivery really hurts several scenes. The movie also made some really weird music choices. Songs kick in at random times that don’t fit the scene at all. The biggest issue is the runtime. As fun as this movie is, there’s no need for it to be two and a half hours. Drop it down to just under two hours and you’ve got something much tighter. Overall: While there are clear issues with pacing and length, Aquaman is a really fun superhero movie. It has stunning visuals, a charismatic lead, and is flat out good, sometimes cheesy, fun. [***½]
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 8, 2019 21:15:10 GMT -5
54. Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) 55. Gremlins (1984)
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on May 9, 2019 4:49:58 GMT -5
85. Frogs. I had low expectations going in to this one but I surprisingly really enjoyed it. It’s slow as hell and not very gory but it has a good creepy atmosphere.
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 9, 2019 16:46:54 GMT -5
54. Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) 55. Gremlins (1984) 56. Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019)
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Post by burdette25159 on May 9, 2019 17:39:20 GMT -5
72: Sleepaway Camp (1983) ***3/4
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 9, 2019 21:25:46 GMT -5
#127 The Equalizer9/25/14 | Director: Antoine Fuqua | Rotten Tomatoes: 60% | Runtime: 132 minutes | Platform: DVDPremise: A violent man with a mysterious past attempts to avenge the mistreatment of a young prostitute. Strengths: The combination of Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington (Robert McCall) is one that always works. They bring out the best in each other. While this isn’t one of Denzel’s greatest acting jobs, he does way more with the role than you’d expect. The movie does a good job of showcasing how nice of a guy McCall is, which makes his violent outbursts way more interesting. The action scenes are well handled. I loved the way McCall would see things in slow motion before acting them out. They hold nothing back in terms of violence, making sure each scene looks as brutal as it needs to be. And thanks to the tension built up by Fuqua, even the times where the violence happens off screen has a lasting impact. Chloe Grace-Moretz (Alina) does a good job in a supporting role. The screen time she shares with Washington is natural and entertaining. Melissa Leo (Susan Plummer) and Bill Pullman (Brian Plummer) are also strong in small supporting roles. Weaknesses: Pacing is a big issue in this one. There’s really no need for the movie to surpass the two hour mark. The story doesn’t call for it, meaning they get there by extending scenes for longer than they need to be. By the time we get to the big climax, it’s difficult to find yourself still engaged in everything. As enjoyable as Washington is as the lead, his antagonists don’t click. Martin Csokas (Teddy Rensen/Nicolai Itchenko) and Vladimir Kulich (Vladimir Pushkin) are both fine in the roles, but the characters don’t have much to them. They can feel like threats at points and nothing more. One dimensional characters don’t make for compelling villains. Overall: Denzel is great and does enough to make this an enjoyable film. It just drags on for too long and has some other issues that keep it from being among Denzel’s best. [***]
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on May 10, 2019 17:34:24 GMT -5
86. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Long Haul. This was actually pretty funny. Imagine National Lampoons Vacation but rated G. The brother was so stupid. And Alicia Silverstone is still really hot.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 10, 2019 20:33:22 GMT -5
#128 Polar1/25/19 | Director: Jonas Akerlund | Rotten Tomatoes: 24% | Runtime: 119 minutes | Platform: NetflixPremise: As assassin on the verge of retirement gets a hit put out on him by his employer, sending younger ruthless killers after him. Strengths: I really liked the stylish look of this movie. Visually, it reminded me a lot of John Wick and Atomic Blonde, which are both action movies that look really cool. It helps that a lot of the action is also well shot and they hold nothing back in terms of violence and gore. It can be a bit much at times, but at others it is the right amount to make this feel authentic. I also liked the way each character is introduced and the comic book style panels that come up. The acting is another positive. Mads Mikkelsen (Duncan Vizla) is great as the hardened and aging protagonist. Vanessa Hudgens (Camille) gets a handful of scenes to shine in. She does a good job showcasing the pain her character has been through and the twist involving her in the end is an interesting one. I also liked Katheryn Winnick (Vivian) in her supporting role. Weaknesses: There are a lot of characters introduced early and it can be a bit much. There’s a group of killers who ultimately go on the hunt for Duncan and each are introduced individually, even though they don’t matter that way. They should’ve done it as a group. The group is visually cool but very thin. One character is literally just there to have sex with the target as a distraction and the team carries out plans in the dumbest possible way. It makes them unthreatening. Matt Lucas (Mr. Blut) is horribly miscast as the villain. He doesn’t look intimidating and plays almost every line by going way over the top. When a movie looks this cool, you want it to be fun. This one wasn’t. Instead, it is almost non-stop drab. We are shown the torture of the main character over four days in graphic detail and it gets hard to watch. The script is kind of a mess with flat, cliched characters and strange moments in the plot. Overall: There’s a fun movie somewhere in here. It’s just covered up by too many drab moments, really poor antagonists, and some terrible writing. [**]
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on May 11, 2019 2:32:52 GMT -5
87. Begotten. Absolute.f***ing.Brilliance. Pure punishment for every sense.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 11, 2019 13:37:59 GMT -5
#129 Harsh Times11/10/06 | Director: David Ayer | Rotten Tomatoes: 48% | Runtime: 116 minutes | Platform: PrimePremise: An unstable war veteran and his easily convinced best friend get involved in the crime world of Los Angeles. Strengths: Christian Bale (Jim Davis) is great here. That’s something that can be said for pretty much every movie. Davis is a flawed character and Bale plays him as such. He also had a natural chemistry with Freddy Rodriguez (Mike Alonzo). Even when they make bad decisions, it’s still mostly fun to see them together. Terry Crews (Darrell), JK Simmons (Agent Richards), and Eva Longoria (Slyvia) all give solid supporting performances in smaller roles. There’s an intensity and sense of realism in the majority of these scenes. You get the sense that something dramatic and bad will happen in almost every single situation they’re put into. Weaknesses: What an absolutely bleak movie. Other than a few fun character interactions, there’s just nonstop drab in this movie. I get that’s what they were going for, but it just makes for a dull film. As flawed as Davis is, it never feels like he learns his lesson. He has a small moment near the end, but it doesn’t feel like a satisfying conclusion. Neither o the two main characters come across as likable, so there’s nobody to root for. David Ayer continues to be one of the most inconsistent writers/directors in Hollywood. This is one of his lesser efforts without much style in the direction and a script riddled with issues. The dialogue is clunky and most of the character decisions are just stupid. Overall: Christian Bale does all he can, and the rest of the cast is fine, but it lacks any kind of direction or reason to be engaged. [**]
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Post by Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster on May 11, 2019 15:13:33 GMT -5
29 Streets of Fire (1984) 30 Retribution (1987) 31 Captain Marvel (2019) 32 Blue Velvet (1986) 33 Death Warmed Up (1984) 34 Hana-Bi (1997) 35 Pet Sematary (2019) 36 Hellboy (2019) 37 Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019) 38 Planet Of The Apes (1968) 39 The Perfect Weapon (2016) 40 April Fool's Day (1986)
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on May 11, 2019 15:19:52 GMT -5
88. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Not as bad as I remember. But all I remembered was despising the Oomla Loompa songs, which are still terrible. Johnny Deep is good, the sets are great and the kids all do great jobs. The CGI is pretty dated but that’s understandable.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2019 16:28:14 GMT -5
27. Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019) - 8/10
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on May 11, 2019 16:40:10 GMT -5
21. The Highwaymen - Costner and Harrelson are rangers tracking down Bonnie and Clyde. Solid if steady depiction of the hunt for Americans most notorious couple.
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 11, 2019 21:34:45 GMT -5
56. Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019) 57. Double Dragon (1994)
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,765
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on May 11, 2019 23:05:13 GMT -5
My list so far... {Spoiler}{Spoiler}
1) 2019-01-06 "Laser Mission" - 1989 2) 2019-01-13 "Kung Fu For Sale" (Gong Fu Da Pai Mai) - 1979 3) 2019-01-13 "Kung Fu: The Punch of Death" (Fang Shi Yu) - 1972 4) 2019-01-20 "Halloween" - 2018 5) 2019-01-27 "Missing In Action" - 1984 6) 2019-01-27 "Missing In Action 2: The Beginning" - 1985 7) 2019-02-03 "Braddock: Missing In Action 3" - 1988 8) 2019-02-10 "The Born Losers" - 1967 9) 2019-02-10 "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" - 1988 10) 2019-02-17 "Suspiria" - 2018 11) 2019-02-24 "The Night Stalker" - 1972 12) 2019-02-24 "The Night Strangler" - 1973 13) 2019-03-03 "Silent Rage" - 1982 14) 2019-03-03 "Boss" - 1975 15) 2019-03-10 "Gods of Egypt" - 2016 16) 2019-03-17 "Atlas Shrugged Part 1" - 2011 17) 2019-03-24 "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" - 2018 18) 2019-03-31 "Atlas Shrugged Part 2" - 2012 19) 2019-04-07 "Atlas Shrugged Part 3: Who Is John Galt?" - 2014 20) 2019-04-14 "Blue Thunder" - 1983 21) 2019-04-21 "The Magnificent Seven" - 1960 22) 2019-04-28 "The Return Of The Seven" - 1966
23) 2019-05-05 "Guns Of The Magnificent Seven" - 1969Story: respected gunfighter Chris Adams returns with a new team to help Mexican revolutionaries rescue a leader from prison, run by a ruthless colonel. {Spoiler}{Spoiler}{SPOILER: CLICK TO SHOW}This time Yul Brynner decided against returning, leaving the lead of Chris to go to George Kennedy ("The Naked Gun", "Cool Hand Luke"), and he's a solid choice. Kennedy plays the role less like Brynner's 'superman' and more like an honest man who's seen enough and is doing something about it. He's surrounded by a nice cast, too...
- James Whitmore ("Shawshank Redemption", "Tora! Tora! Tora") as a retired gunfighter who needs some extra money for his family - Bernie Casey ("Never Say Never Again") in his first movie as a former slave/demolitions expert - Joe Don Baker ("Walking Tall") as a gunman with a lame arm and a chip on his shoulder - Reni Santoni ("Dirty Harry") as the Mexican revolutionary who hires Chris and friends - Monte Markham ("The New Perry Mason") as a horse-thief and expert fighter - Scott Thomas ("The New Land") as a gunman with tuberculosis
Great performances all around here, including Michael Ansara ("Broken Arrow", the voice of Mr. Freeze in "Batman TAS") as the cold-blooded Colonel. Some great scenes involving Chris and team witnessing the hardships of the Mexican people (especially one stunning scene where the Colonel orders the death of a dozen innocent men)... but the movie does play out as a standard action western flick. Fun, but not the kind of realistic violent fun that the 'next wave' of westerns like "The Wild Bunch" would bring... "Guns..." had the misfortune of being released at the same time as "Wild Bunch" and suffered at the box office for it.
That's a shame, because it's a good ol'fashioned western like they used to make. I liked it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 12, 2019 22:37:23 GMT -5
#130 That Awkward Moment1/31/14 | Director: Tom Gormican | Rotten Tomatoes: 22% | Runtime: 94 minutes | Platform: DVDPremise: A trio of friends find themselves at different awkward points in relationships. Strengths: The thing that stood out to me about this movie was the strong cast. Zac Efron (Jason), Michael B. Jordan (Mikey) and Miles Teller (Daniel) made for three likable leads who shared great chemistry. You could buy them as lifelong friends and that’s important for the arcs they go through. The love interests were also mostly good. Imogen Poots (Ellie Andrews) feels like a complete character and gives a good performance, while Mackenzie Davis (Chelsea) is arguably a scene stealer. There are plenty of funny moments sprinkled in throughout that have made my laugh on multiple viewings. Weaknesses: This is your typical, cliched romantic comedy. Each relationship kind of plays off the tropes we’ve come to expect. The couple who meets (Jason & Ellie) but have issues because of lies, the couple where keeping a secret (Chelsea & Daniel) drives a wedge between them, and the couple where one is hung up on the other even when they shouldn’t be (Mikey and Vera, played by Jessica Lucas). It makes it so the dramatic stuff misses the mark. You know what’s going to happen. Some of the dialogue is pretty forced. The big speech by Jason at the end is way cheesy and hard to buy into, even if Efron tries his best. Overall: The writhing is filled with stereotypes and tropes that make this forgettable. Thankfully, the cast and laughs do enough to lift this up to be something I enjoyed. [***]
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on May 13, 2019 1:44:12 GMT -5
89. The Church. I know I watched this like two weeks ago but I bought it on DVD and had to watch it again. It’s that good. The music is SO GOOD. Watch this.
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Post by burdette25159 on May 13, 2019 11:18:50 GMT -5
73: King Kong (2005, Extended edition) ****1/4
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Post by BlackoutCreature on May 13, 2019 11:25:14 GMT -5
73: King Kong (2005, Extended edition) ****1/4 Extended edition? The theatrical cut was more then three hours, what more was there to extend?
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