Members' movie reviews

[ChirpingGirl]

"Did you know one guy reportedly witnessed Johnson throatfucking Kennedy's corpse?"

Guess he didn't want... powder burns. 

[msslave]

"Did you know one guy reportedly witnessed Johnson throatfucking Kennedy's corpse?"

NO NO NO NO NO!  I don't want to hear that!

That's from a satire written in a publication called "The Realist".  It was published in the 60s and they tried to be outrageous as possible, for the times.  I posted a picture from there in the thread about Disney cartoons.

The issues are archived on line and I'm sure you can also search for the Kennedy assassination piece to find which issue it's in...if you really care.  Many would still find it over the top even by today's standards.   

[Pervertedneighbor]

I may be a little behind the times but I just watched a film called "Room" about a young woman raising her little boy inside the backyard shed where she has been imprisoned since being kidnapped as a teenager, their escape, and their difficulty adjusting to the world outside.  I was so riveted, so moved by this film, I swear there were passages I could not take a breath and it made me cry.  Brie Larson won an Oscar for best actress for playing the mother, and well-deserved.  I have never seen such a powerful performance as hers.  And young Jacob Tremblay twisted me this way and that and tore me up inside with his portrayal of Jack, the little boy.
This is the kind of film-making that is sorely missing these days.  Real and human.
I would highly recommend that everyone see this movie, unless your only idea
of going to the movies is crass comedy and meaningless violence...

[MintJulie]

I too watched "Room".    It's been a while since seeing it, but I remember I enjoyed it very much.    It was on a flight from Detroit to Miami that I watched it.  I remember being very tense while watching it, and I was in a window seat.   I couldn't wait to get off the plane.  Claustrophobia was kicking in.

[Lois]

I know of a true story that went like "Room".  Really horrifying.  The woman was kept in a shed in the backyard.  She had two daughters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Dugard

[Lois]

I just saw A Monster Calls.  I cried.

Amazing performances!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3416532/

[Lois]

I just saw "Dig Two Graves" (2014).  It was well done.  Anyone who likes supernatural/horror/revenge/mystery will probably like it.

From IMDB:
After 13-year-old Jacqueline Mather (Samantha Isler) loses her brother in a mysterious drowning accident, she is soon visited by three moonshiners who offer to bring him back to life, but at a grim cost. As the dark history of her grandfather, Sheriff Waterhouse, is unearthed, the true intentions of the moonshiners come to light.

[MintJulie]

I just saw Barb's post in the 30 Day Movie Challenge about seeing the new Disney adaptation of Beauty and The Beast.

I too saw it recently.   I actually saw it on opening weekend of March 17.   If was phenomenal.   I was a little unsure of Emma Watson playing Belle, but she did a wonderful job.   I was a little disappointed in the Gaston character.  I was expecting a younger, more 'lumber jack' type build for the character.    Loved Lefou played by Josh Gad. 

I liked it so much, we may go back and watch it again in theatre.     Maybe 3D this time though I don't like wearing the glasses, my niece does.  We will be getting a DVD when it comes out.

[MissBarbara]

I just saw Barb's post in the 30 Day Movie Challenge about seeing the new Disney adaptation of Beauty and The Beast.

I too saw it recently.   I actually saw it on opening weekend of March 17.   If was phenomenal.   I was a little unsure of Emma Watson playing Belle, but she did a wonderful job.   I was a little disappointed in the Gaston character.  I was expecting a younger, more 'lumber jack' type build for the character.    Loved Lefou played by Josh Gad. 

I liked it so much, we may go back and watch it again in theatre.     Maybe 3D this time though I don't like wearing the glasses, my niece does.  We will be getting a DVD when it comes out.

I loved it, too.

I was a bit leery when I went to see it, since I loved the animated original, and I had previously seen the Disney live-action remake of The Jungle Book, which I found very disappointing.

But I think this at least matches the original, and might be even better. It has a great cast, including several actors I like: Emma Watson. Kevin Kline, Ian McClellan, Stanley Tucci, and, especially, Emma Thompson. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the CGI is used appropriately and doesn't overwhelm the movie.

I, too, found the Gaston character to be underwhelming, and I, too, loved Lefou. He pretty much steals all the scenes he's in.

Highly recommended!

[MissBarbara]

I'm going to steal an exchange from the Politics board to comment on Black Panther, which I saw over the weekend:

Black Panther Is Making Conservatives Feel Profoundly Threatened

#Resist

Quite sad really. Here is a movie with a very positive message and people on the right are loosing their shit about it.  It's like they can't imagine that black people can be portrayed as anything other than thugs or villians in films.

Yes, the movie is fiction, but it provides heroes that people can identify with that are smart and heroic. Black girls can be portrayed as other than whores, and they can be scientific geniuses and educational opportunities should be provided.  It provides healthy role models and this should be celebrated.

And did anyone get the two Tolkien white guys?   

Bad pun intended.

I saw "Black Panther" over the weekend, and I'd read Lois's post before seeing it. I laughed out loud when I saw the "Tolkien white guy." Touche, indeed!

About 6 years ago, it became a tradition to watch superhero movies with my nephews (and sometimes my nieces) every time I visit, and by this point I think I've seen all of the Marvel movies, and some of the DC movies. While this isn't really my kind of thing, I think "Black Panther" is one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen, rivaling "Wonder Woman," "Guardians of the Galaxy," (the first one, but not the second one), the first "Avengers" movie, and even the first "Captain America" movie.

Lois and everyone else who has commented on this movie are correct: It has a number of positive role models -- characters that you can identify with and learn from or, at the very least, characters that you can root for. It's easy to understand why Conservatives are "outraged" at this movie: It features Black characters and -- gasp! -- Black female characters in a very positive light.

But what makes the movie truly successful is the fact that it's a very good movie in and of itself. In a very real way, it doesn't matter that the protagonist and the antagonist are both Black, and it doesn't matter that there are several strong, positive Black women among the cast. The movie entertains as a movie. The characters -- major and minor -- are all very interesting. Add to that, while the first movies in a series usually presents the character's "origin story" as a part of the plot, often in flashbacks, but in "Black Panther" the origin story IS the plot. Without giving much away, we first see Black Panther in "Captain America: Civil War," where his father, the King of Wakanda, is killed by a terrorist. "Black Panther" begins just after that scene, with him returning to his country to become king in his father's place. And the movie moves forward from there.

On top of that, there's little of the over-the-top violence one usually sees in these types of movies. The costumes and cinematography are gorgeous. The characters are very cool (especially Black Panther's little sister and his romantic interest). I can't recall a movie where the villain was portrayed so sympathetically, to the point where you can't help but root for him. There are some laugh out loud moments, including one line, towards the end of the movie, that comes as such a complete surprise and at a moment of such high dramatic tension that you'll laugh uproariously. And, perhaps most important, the protagonist learns, grows, and changes through the course of the movie, even to the point of abrogating the ways of his revered ancestors in favor of a new approach.

Go see it!

[Athos_131]

About 6 years ago, it became a tradition to watch superhero movies with my nephews (and sometimes my nieces) every time I visit, and by this point I think I've seen all of the Marvel movies, and some of the DC movies. While this isn't really my kind of thing, I think "Black Panther" is one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen, rivaling "Wonder Woman," "Guardians of the Galaxy," (the first one, but not the second one), the first "Avengers" movie, and even the first "Captain America" movie.

You left out Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange -I have a man crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.

#Resist

[MissBarbara]

About 6 years ago, it became a tradition to watch superhero movies with my nephews (and sometimes my nieces) every time I visit, and by this point I think I've seen all of the Marvel movies, and some of the DC movies. While this isn't really my kind of thing, I think "Black Panther" is one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen, rivaling "Wonder Woman," "Guardians of the Galaxy," (the first one, but not the second one), the first "Avengers" movie, and even the first "Captain America" movie.

You left out Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange -I have a man crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.

#Resist

I can see that: Benedict Cumberbatch is certainly handsome and dashing in that movie, though it contained a little bit too much mystical S/F stuff for my tastes. He was excellent in that enigma movie, which I loved.

[MissBarbara]

I saw it last week and found it a fairly by-the-numbers Marvel movie. Of the MCU movies I would rank it as above average, but that's about as far as I would go with it. Like several other Marvel films before it, it has some interesting ideas that it ultimately only really flirts with. It's a very competent, big budget superhero movie featuring a mostly black main cast and crew, and that's a cool thing in itself, but I really don't see what the fuss is about it as a piece of cinema. I had a similar reaction to Wonder Woman last year.

I had to google MCU, but which of the MCU movies would you rank highest? THere's a handy list here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Cinematic_Universe_films#The_Incredible_Hulk_(2008)


I realize that describing it as "competent" is somewhat damning it with faint praise...

And I also realize that Wonder Woman and Black Panther are similar in that they both have a theme that the other movies don't have (female superhero, black superhero), which garnered both movies both additional attraction and, in some circles, additional approbation.

If it weren't for the nephews, I likely would have seen few if any of these movies, and any of them bored me to tears. Thus, for me, a movie in this series that is "very competent" or "above average" clearly stands out.

[MissBarbara]

I realize that describing it as "competent" is somewhat damning it with faint praise...

That wasn't my intention. The idea I was trying to convey is that it wouldn't really have mattered that Black Panther had a mostly black cast or that Wonder Woman was female-lead if the movies had not been worth watching anyway. A shit movie will fail to capture people's imaginations regardless of who stars in it.

Sorry for mistaking your point.

I agree that you can make a long list of movies that tried to riff on social or socio-political themes in order to garner attention, yet failed because that effort to garner attention occurred within a movie that was mediocre, or flat-out bad. "The Butler" comes first to mind.

I suspect that it chiefly comes down to one's personal appreciations. I didn't enjoy Wonder Woman and Black Panther just because of these themes (girl power, black power). I enjoyed them because they were, for me, interesting and entertaining movies. Okay, the fact that Wonder Woman was a cool chick who kicked ass did play a role in my appreciation, but my general enjoyment derived from the fact that the plot was interesting, it was, for the most part, well-acted, and, perhaps most important, the overt violence was kept to a minimum (surprisingly so, since it was a war movie), and her outfits were not overtly sexualized. In other words, she was a cool chick who kicked butt but didn't need to have her boobs on display in every scene.

[Athos_131]

I saw it last week and found it a fairly by-the-numbers Marvel movie. Of the MCU movies I would rank it as above average, but that's about as far as I would go with it. Like several other Marvel films before it, it has some interesting ideas that it ultimately only really flirts with. It's a very competent, big budget superhero movie featuring a mostly black main cast and crew, and that's a cool thing in itself, but I really don't see what the fuss is about it as a piece of cinema. I had a similar reaction to Wonder Woman last year.

GB, did you see Logan and if so what were your impressions?

#Resist

[Athos_131]

About 6 years ago, it became a tradition to watch superhero movies with my nephews (and sometimes my nieces) every time I visit, and by this point I think I've seen all of the Marvel movies, and some of the DC movies. While this isn't really my kind of thing, I think "Black Panther" is one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen, rivaling "Wonder Woman," "Guardians of the Galaxy," (the first one, but not the second one), the first "Avengers" movie, and even the first "Captain America" movie.

You left out Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange -I have a man crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.

#Resist

I can see that: Benedict Cumberbatch is certainly handsome and dashing in that movie, though it contained a little bit too much mystical S/F stuff for my tastes. He was excellent in that enigma movie, which I loved.

To be honest I didn't watch Doctor Strange until after I binge watched Sherlock and was looking for something else to see him in.

[MissBarbara]

I saw it last week and found it a fairly by-the-numbers Marvel movie. Of the MCU movies I would rank it as above average, but that's about as far as I would go with it. Like several other Marvel films before it, it has some interesting ideas that it ultimately only really flirts with. It's a very competent, big budget superhero movie featuring a mostly black main cast and crew, and that's a cool thing in itself, but I really don't see what the fuss is about it as a piece of cinema. I had a similar reaction to Wonder Woman last year.

I just read an article where the writer compared Black Panther with The Dark Knight, and he compared them as "pieces of cinema."

I won't prejudice you with his opinion, but how would you rate them side-by-side?

[watcher1]

Wind River.

Interesting, but sad, fact is that the United States government does not keep statistics on Native American women who have gone missing. The only ethnic group they don't keep statistics on.

[ChirpingGirl]

Soylo. Star wars dork wifey's review.

Me: Well, you dragged me to it, was it a waste of money like lamest Jedi?

Wifey: No it was way better.

Me: So you liked it?

Wifey: Yeah, I guess. Could have been worse.

Me: You're dragging to me to see the Pando movie, aren't you?

Wifey: It's Lando, white girl.

Me: Not anymore.

 

So go see it I guess. If she kinda liked it that must mean it's not horrible.

[RopeFiend]

This one is a toss-up between 'movie reviews' and 'worst movie you've ever watched'.  It's so (intentionally) bad that it's freaking HILARIOUS!  Hell, even the character names are a hoot!

Space Zombie Bingo!!! (1993)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314713/



Cast (in credits order) 
William Darkow   ...   Major Kent Bendover
Ramona Provost   ...   Barbie Que
Hugh Crawford   ...   General Herpes Simplex / Reporter
Michael Wood   ...   Crisko / Dr. Shiestkopf *
Carl Cook      ...   Rather Brokeoff
James Wark      ...   Charlie the Cop / Zombie
Roger Barrett   ...   Buford
John Sabotta   ...   NewsClown / Zombie

* they misspelt 'scheißkopf', shit head to those of you that don't do deutsch.

It's absolutely what you expect out of Troma:  Zero dollar budget, special effects that would make the '50s sci-fi producers cringe, and no plot to speak of.  It's a spoof on the old sci-fi movies, and is best watched fully baked.