BiffMan
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Posts posted by BiffMan
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Loved it and looking foward to seeing it again soon. Another love letter to baseball type movie with some good drama and tension. Well-paced, good bit of humor spread throughout, and a very nice handling of a delicate subject. Excellent portrayal of Jackie by Chadwick and I'm really glad they got a relative unknown to play him as he really becomes Jackie for you rather than someone just pretending to be Jackie. Best performance by Harrison since... I dunno... Air Force One maybe? It's certainly the most I've seen him disappear into a non-Indiana Jones role in a long time.
If you're familiar with the classic Jackie Robinson Story, this isn't a remake, it's more focused on the Branch & Jackie part of the story. Much more focus on how the amazing bravery Jackie showed by just taking the field amongst racist cat-calls and bigotted teammates. Includes a very powerful scene with Chadwick & Harrison illustrating just what toll that must have taken on Jackie.
Solid A
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Shatner... Why'd it have to be Shatner...
C-
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I loves me my Shakespear-quoting villains... Hokey for the majority of 2nd act, but a classic ST climax made for an awesome send-off of the original crew.
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It's only disappointing in terms of how much more it could have been. As it stands, it's a perfectly enjoyable romp with some decent father/son emotional resonance. Coupled with the fantastic score and a subtle but very effective use of 3D for immersion rather than wow factor, and it made for one of my favorite movie going experiences of 2010.
I think Disney has really positioned themselves well for the next generation of fans if they can deliver a solid 3rd movie. My kids (aged 6 & 7 at the time) saw TL first, both have since gotten hooked on the first as well, and loved the animated series. They're psyched for another and it's been a treat watching them develop a childhood love of Tron just as I did.
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Easily my favorite ST movie and a seminal movie-going experience for me. I was 12 at the time and had been seeing the Star Wars movies and Raiders in the theater so I knew about movies, but this was the first time that I understood why you go see a movie with an opening night crowd. When Kirk says "I don't like to lose" and the audience erupts in cheers and applause... well, I was hooked on The Shared Experience from that point onward.
Space battles felt like battleships slugging it out as they should, rather than dogfighters, so many good fist-pumping moments, and hats off to Harve Bennett for figuring out how to actually get a good performance out of Shatner. Hasn't lost any of its charm 30+ years later, and second only to the reboot as the most accessible ST movie to noobs.
A++
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What a fantastic movie. Great performances, great music, just really well put together. The gnome head-bashing scene while Gerald is interviewing can still get me laughing for minutes...
A+
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I'd heard this wasn't as acclaimed as Ritchie's earlier films and man, is that an understatement. You know those movies where you can tell the writer or director had recently studied something that intrigued them and then decided to make a movie on it without really thinking it through? Yep, this is one of those. I'm actually good with movies that are a puzzle to figure out, or just a mess of twisted plot lines, but you have to actually go somewhere with that. This seemed to a rambling mess just for the sake of being a rambling mess. Yes, I get that it's all inside his head, etc, etc. That's great. It'd make a great Philip K Dick short story. Just don't make me sit through nearly 2 hours of it.
Revolver is a pretty classic example of the George Lucas Pompous Ass Effect. I define that as anytime someone becomes such a powerful force in cinema that no one stops to question their decisions. George Lucas hit the ground running and could do no wrong. Right up to the point where and believed his own press and stopped bouncing ideas off people. That's how things like Howard the Duck and casting Jake Lloyd or Hayden Christensen happen. Ritchie came out of nowhere and stunned folks with Lock, Stock and Snatch and rightly so. They were inspired and clever bits of film making. So I'm sure that guy was able to bring this disjointed mess forward without a great deal of explanation or collaboration because he had the clout to do what he wanted. Learn from the past people. Don't be George.
Statham again has hair and the moment you see that, you know you're in trouble. He's again good from a pure acting standpoint and I do like to hear him narrate a show, but he's there's very little proper Statham to be had here. Because of the convoluted crap Ritchie is trying to cram down our throats, the version of Statham we get to see isn't the badass that his character really is, we get to see the bit of him that's trying to push back against being a badass. Blargh. He's very cool in the few scenes where he's in control and explaining The Rules or playing chess, but everything else in between is pretty flat.
Speaking of pretty flat... What the hell has happened to Ray Liotta? Dude really needs to just stop and go find something else to do. I loved him to death in Field of Dreams and Goodfellas, but he's done jack and squat in the last 20+ years since then. He's pretty much a caricature of himself in this one. It's entirely possible that's by design given the crap-tastical "twist" to the movie, but it sure as hell isn't fun to watch. Oh, Ray. Why? Why Ray, why?
Mark Strong on the other hand... Damn. Very fun character in this and he's pretty much the only source of badassery to be had since Statham is so thoroughly neutered. Not sure there's anything I haven't completely loved him in. And yes, that even includes John Carter.
Badassery Quotient - 3
I could plausibly give this a zero, but I'll add on a few points for the narration and the fun chess scenes. But I seriously need to see Statham kicking a few people in the face while simultaneously running them over and shooting them in the knees. Like now.
Rewatchability - No way
I don't really need to see this one again to see how all the pieces of the bullshit "twist" played out and all the hints that were given. Guess what? It still sucks. Never, never, never would recommend this to anyone. -
"That's authentic frontier gibberish"
Damn fine movie. It's the level of quality parody so many movies have tried and failed to achieve ever since.
A+
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Is there a way to change the sort on the mobile version of the site? I'm sure it's obvious, but I'm not seeing it.
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I liked JGL and the action sequences a lot, but found this to be one of the most distractingly bad supporting casts I've seen recently. Like Razzie for ensemble cast bad. Kept pulling me out of what was otherwise a pretty entertaining film. I'm sure Michael Shannon was intentionally going over the top, since he's usually really solid, but he came off feeling way too Joe Piscopo for my tastes.
B-
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Revolver (2005)
Bit of a mess, but as long as I bothered to watch it, I might as well be bothered to comment on it.
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Fun movie until they tried to out-clever themselves with the blah-blah at the end.
B-
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I would have loved it if they just let Gruber escape. Why we always have to kill of the villain... Bruce & Sam could have still saved the day by averting the heist, but taking down the helicopter was silly and unnecessary.
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^^ Very nice. You're on a roll today, dude. Might want to back off on the shrooms for a little while though.
As to the movie... That is one seriously uncomfortable and whacked bit of filmmaking. Friend of mine once called it "Impressively cringeworthy" and that about sums it up for me.
A-
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We judge a movie by its execution of the story. The execution is revolutionary. Because a story had never been told that way in cinema. It's just set a standard in illustrating "The rise and fall of a character". It invented a new cinematographic language most directors use nowadays on daily basis. I mean Nolan built his whole schtick of fragmented narrative puzzle and convoluted temporality on Citizen Kane, 60 years after its release!
What other movies of that era can brag about that? You can't dissociate its story to the way it is narrated. That's what makes Citizen Kane the achievement and the crown jewel it is in movie history.
A+
I judge a movie by whether it entertains me or not. I agree completely that it broke new ground and was revolutionary and Wells is completely awesome in it. It's just not all that much fun to watch.
So A+ for being a landmark achievement in cinema, but a B for pure entertainment value.
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I have a lot of respect for this film and can certainly admire the craft, but it really doesn't entertain me. No knocks against anyone that likes it, more power to you, just not one I feel compelled to rewatch very often.
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Haven't seen the others yet to compare, I thought The Last Stand was perfectly enjoyable. Arnold's age worked in favor of the story (retired sherrif) and it was really well directed.
I do have a free ticket to go see DH5, so hard to pass that up.
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Best use of 3D as a story-enhancement device rather than just for yucks. I was sort of just along for the ride on this one until near the end when Michael Stuhlbarg stole the show (much as he did in MiB3) with his appreciation for Melies and that completely hooked me. Ending is sappy but incredibly satisfying and a great payoff.
A-
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VERY over dramatic. I don't think any normal person would react to a family member dying with that melodramatic BS.
Agreed, although the leadup to the kid offing himself was pretty damn intense. I couldn't watch this movie again for the longest time because of how unpleasant that was. Hell of a movie otherwise though.
Who knew Mork could act?
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Lame rip-off of Hidden Fortress.
Aaaaanyway... Pretty much the defining cinema memory of my early childhood. Saw it at the Houston Galleria opening night at age 7. Clearly recall sitting in the front row after waiting 4 hours in various lines to get in and when the Star Destroyer zoomed by overhead, it really seemed to zoom by overhead. Pretty much sat there slack-jawed in awe for the duration of the film.
A+
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Nice one, Telemachos
Rewatched this again over the weekend. Continues to hold up remarkably well. Remarkably tight movie. Excellent character defining moments with minimal exposition. My favorite McTiernan film after Hunt for Red October.
Really feels like McClane is making it up as he goes, is in over his head from the get-go, and shows fear and injury throughout. Makes him an excellent audience surrogate in the same way Indiana Jones is in Raiders.
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Captured the feel of the original better than any of the subsequent movies. Rife with challenges to suspension of disbelief, but I'd have to say my next favorite in the series after the original.
B+
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I finally got to see this at a summer movie festival at a theater last year and loved it. Saw The Magnificent Seven the following week and was surprised to find I much prefer the original. Better character development and defense tactics setup.
A+
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Sigh... Tony Scott could craft a hell of an action film back in the day. Great, great stuff.
RIP Tony. Hope you're doing better now.
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42 (2013)
in Review That Movie! (Spoilers Allowed)
Posted
Very glad to hear you liked it! Agreed on Ford and it gives me hope for the future that he might eke out some Connery-like late golden years and give us a few more good performances yet.