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Author Topic: Write about the last movie you watched (2006-2010)  (Read 5997743 times)

oneaprilday

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3220 on: January 05, 2008, 10:19:17 PM »
Bee Movie

I usually wouldn't really bother with posting about a piece of fluff like this, but I really think its indicative of what's wrong with children's movies today.  This movie had nothing to offer visually, no proper story, and no characters.  Instead, it has flashy, and increasingly unimpressive and plastic, computer generated graphics.  Instead of a story, it has the most loosely cobbled bits of plot with nearly non-sequiter transitions (not in a good way).  And worse, instead of characters, it has celebrity voices-- Seinfeld most prominently, but also John Goodman, Mathew Broderick, and Renee Zellweger (I had hoped she would be less annoying when I didn't have to see her awful face; but her voice... that voice will haunt me in my nightmares).

The problem with the movie, and with most children's movies today, is that they aren't targeting kids at all.  They are filled with references that only adults would understand: the stresses of air travel, Larry King and Ray Liotta, a reference to The Graduate (which ranks behind an American Beauty reference in Madagascar as "most inappropriate reference in a children's movie").  Not only was my kid not laughing, no kids were laughing; sadly, there were several adults laughing, some of them clapping their hands and slapping their knees.

This all seems to stem from an assumption that children's movies are something that must be endured by the parents.  And in some cases, that's true, and we do appreciate the gag here or there that flies over the heads of the kids (classic Looney Tunes were filled with these sort of things).  Not only are these not actually gags (making a reference and making a joke are not the same thing), but I'm taking my kids to a movie so that they can be engaged and entertained and moved by a film.  Furthermore, good movies are good movies, whether they target children or adults, as demonstrated by Mary Poppins or Wizard of Oz and countless others.  Chances are, if my kids are enjoying a movie-- and really enjoying it, not just laughing when everyone else is laughing or because it was in a commercial that their friends talked about-- then I will enjoy it too.  Instead, they've so concentrated on being "clever" and "smart" by proving that they know stuff that grown-ups know, that they've forgot to pay attention to the kids.

Usually, my son will claim to enjoy any movie that he sees in theater-- he likes the overpriced snacks, the big screen, and the whole experience.  Furthermore, he's six! Like any other six-year-old, he laughs at just about anything.  He laughed a total of eight times.  In a movie for kids, he laughed eight times.  Now there were plenty of adults guffawing and clapping at the movie ("Its Larry King! As a bee!"), but very few laughs from kids.

I can't believe that this movie has not caught any critical flack.  These sort of empty, celebrity-filled, whiz bang computer movies are killing children's movie much more than critical punching bags like Transformers, Norbit, or Good Luck Chuck are hurting their respective genres. 

F

Bravo, Joe! Beautifully articulated.

Kevin Shields

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3221 on: January 05, 2008, 11:43:32 PM »
Superbad-****1/2/*****

Very funny film.  I love McLovin'.  He's the pimp!
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J5er

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3222 on: January 05, 2008, 11:50:58 PM »
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

All the hype has been dead for a while, and I was reluctant to even watch the movie again.  Watching it really made me realize why I fell in love with the Harry Potter series to start with.  I think this movie is my favorite in the series.  At its core, the movie perfectly captures the great themes of the book.  And as simple, even Disney-like as it sounds, the idea of having friendship and love to fight for are inspiring.  
Staunton as Umbridge is just wonderful and so much fun to watch.  I really enjoyed the supporting cast this time around, and was sort of waiting until Radcliffe was offscreen.  But nevertheless, the movie works as a fun tale in civil disobedience.  I don't really like the opening, and next time I watch it i'll probably start where Umbridge is giving her speech on the first day of school.  
And I don't care what anyone says, the Dumbledore/Voldemort battle is awesome.

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Bee Movie
F

Guess what my family just said they wanted to watch? *rollseyes*
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skjerva

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3223 on: January 06, 2008, 12:38:16 AM »
Salesman - brilliant and devastating.  Is it strange that this reminds me of The King of Kong?
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
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philip918

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3224 on: January 06, 2008, 02:05:03 AM »
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Quite possibly the most beautiful film I've ever seen.  Gorgeous, joyous and heartbreaking.  Couldn't ask for anything more at the cinema.  My favorite film of the year.
10/10

There Will be Blood
This one will take a few days to process, but Day Lewis gives a phenomenal performance and it's just a gorgeous film with powerful themes exploring America's most fundamental values: money, family, religion and money.
Can't put a number on it yet, but very good.

skjerva

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3225 on: January 06, 2008, 02:13:13 AM »
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Quite possibly the most beautiful film I've ever seen.  Gorgeous, joyous and heartbreaking.  Couldn't ask for anything more at the cinema.  My favorite film of the year.
10/10


Nice.  I'm glad you liked it.

I Don't Want to Sleep Alone tapped into the same vibe for me, though a fairly different film.  I love these beautifully humane films.  I also thought Into the Wild explored a beautiful sentiment, though it lacked anything special filmically.  These three films are perched at the top of my films from this year :)
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

CSSCHNEIDER

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3226 on: January 06, 2008, 02:58:29 AM »
Total Recall

I've never been a fan, and I'm still not, but this was my best viewing experience.  EO, me and a bunch of Scifi movie nerds talking about 80s/90s clasic Scifi action films while Arnie delivers classic one liners and screams while his head esplode.

Grade C
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Tequila

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3227 on: January 06, 2008, 08:00:52 AM »
I love Total Recall.

Old School

I need a sequel to this movie.
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JAGII

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3228 on: January 06, 2008, 09:07:58 AM »
Guess what my family just said they wanted to watch? *rollseyes*

Out of curiosity, let me know if you enjoyed it and if you were watching it with children or adults (specifically in your party), and if they enjoyed it.

Aaron

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Re: Rate the last movie you watched
« Reply #3229 on: January 06, 2008, 01:14:51 PM »
The Orphanage

The film was like a diet coke.  Lifts you up via the cafiene but does not load you up on sugar.  It is elegant and takes it time with this story.  Reminded me of The Innocents.
Funny thing is that during a reel change the screen goes black for about 5 minutes.  When the film comes back up we have missed not only the demise of a character who we have no idea who is (in a  very grusome way, I might add) but another character who we have managed to follow up to that point disapears never to return again.  I really want to go and get a refund, but my girlfriend does not want to spend another few hours watching it again.  Neverless I ask for a pass since I was kind of lost because of the missing fotage.  The person selling tickets flat out refuses, assuring me I did not miss a thing.  Then I ask him since he knows so much about what I missed that he can tell me what I did miss.  He gives me a blank stare and finds something better to do that look at me.  I talk to the manager, who assures me that I did not miss a thing, but he did give me a pass.  Handing it to me he assured me again that I only missed about 30 secounds of film, then I ask agian if he could tell me what happened.  He gives me a blank stare. I walk out with a pass and a good story for filmspotting.  B

Sunrise - Ahead of it's time, like time travel ahead of it's time. A

To Be or Not to Be- Making fun of Nazi's is always fun.  No matter what you do to them you do not feel bad. A

 

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