mattmav45

The sheer scale of this film accompanied with the visuals at least guarantees this film isn't a total failure. It also has an impressive score along with some pretty damn awesome sci-fi action scenes. It was refreshing to see a sci-fi film embrace its personality, and I was surprised the storyline wasn't as mainstream as I expected going in. Unfortunately, I didn't find any of the characters on display here remotely interesting in any fashion. I'm not sure if the acting or writing is to blame for this, but I even found Tom Cruise to be disposable in this. Not a good combination when you don't give a rat's ass about any of the characters, including the lead. In addition, the story here simply did not work for me. Perhaps not caring about the characters didn't help here, but there just wasn't anything going on story-wise that had me interested. In the moments where the story did work, it takes and borrows from so many other films that it's hard for Oblivion to maintain its own personality. In the end, I will say it works on a completely shallow level, so if you're in the mood for a light night in regards to thinking during a film you can't go wrong here. B-/C+

Indeed. As someone who has never read the books, CF really telegraphed the "twist" at the end with the force field and arena blowing up. It was pretty obvious from the minute I saw the lightning tree that somehow the arena would be destroyed, especially after the "force field" comment prior to the Games. Once I saw the tree I knew that it was basically time to wait until the inevitable point that the arena was destroyed. In effect, all the hinting and telegraphing zapped any possible suspense from the film for me. And hell, it's a testament to the film that I still liked it. But in the end, I found it to be an decent but flawed film that is being overrated by a pretty damn large margin. IMO.

In both films I never really got a sense that any of the main characters were in danger. I do agree that the Games in CF were done better than the first, but in the end without any sense of danger the whole film can't really deliver in the way it should.

Let the post-holiday collapses and fanboy meltdowns begin. IMO.

The coolness factor on display from each individual is directly proportional to the amount that he/she swears. Therefore, shut the fuck up, bitch. IMO.

1. Stoker 2. Spring Breakers 3. Mud 4. Prisoners 5. 12 Years a Slave 6. You're Next 7. Pacific Rim 8. The Place Beyond the Pines 9. Side Effects 10. Gravity 11. The World's End 12. This is the End 13. Captain Phillips 14. Upstream Color 15. Wrong 16. The Conjuring 17. Trance 18. Don Jon 19. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 20. Fast and Furious 6 21. Monsters University 22. Star Trek Into Darkness 23. Evil Dead 24. The Great Gatsby 25. Maniac 26. Curse of Chucky 27. Pain and Gain 28. Iron Man 3 29. The Croods 30. World War Z 31. Meet the Millers 32. Now You See Me 33. The Call 34. Elysium 35. Oz: The Great and Powerful 36. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 37. Warm Bodies 38. Dead Man Down 39. Beautiful Creatures 40. The Last Stand 41. Gangster Squad 42. Jack the Giant Slayer 43. The Hangover: Part III 44. The Purge 45. Safe Haven

Dear god, I just saw how epic Oldboy's flop was. LMAO @ Spike Lee and his attempt to re-make a film that is the epitome of a film that should never be re-made. IMO.

Just added the film to my queue.Thanks B.

Apparently I needed to put up a disclaimer for my review.The disclaimer reads as follows:"I apologize for any teeny-bopper fanboys that were inadvertently offended during the review process.IMO bitches."IMO.

It's better than the first. It adds a little more depth and more focus is placed on the core of the story.Ultimately, it still feels like a film adapted from young teen literature, and I can't really imagine this being loved by anyone except teeny-bopper fanboys.Still, it could be much worse.B/B-

The typical holiday overreactions have begun I see. It's doing very well, but this just means that the drops will be epic next week. Everyone always tends to forget that a large reason the film is doing so well is the holiday crowd that will only be present for a few days.

LG should have said fuck it and gotten fudged as fuck. Would have made for a tasty afternoon and meltdown from the Batman fanboys anyway. IMO.

The fudging hype was greater than the fudge itself in this case. IMO.

It's a powerhouse film from one of the best directors working today. However, I have to mention just how brutal Brad Pitt was in this. His lecturing was downright silly and really stopped a lot of the film's momentum at the end. I'm not sure what the hell they were thinking, but his role in the film was simply awful. The film did more than enough to show how terrible slavery was without needing some lame ass moral lecturing outlining it for the audience.A-

It's good cheesy fun, IMO.Some parts are really terrible, but it's endearing in its own stupid way. Loki of course is the standout in the film.B-

Add Captain Phillips to the overrated as fuck list.IMO.

Good film, nothing more and nothing less.It's not near as intense as it wants to think it is, and lacks any kind of real personality or flair to be considered best of the year.Very similar to Gravity on my reception em towards it actually.

Underrated: Stoker You're Next Overrated: Gravity, This is the End, and Upstream Color.

It's rightfully a classic, and its influence is easily seen in countless films that came after. In the end, there are some pacing issues, and I guess that's to be expected when a movie clocks in just under the four hours. It's not among my favorites, but there are countless gorgeous shots to be had here, and the scene where the Arabs are stampeding toward that coastal city is easily of one of the most visually awesome scenes ever made. B+/B Edit: I should say that I liked this film a great deal more than other epics such as Ben-Hur and Spartacus.

I don't really care now as Netflix and the vast variety of films in their library is more than I could ask for, but when it comes down to it Blockbuster is the sole reason for its own demise. Charging 4.99 for new releases with the brutal late fees on top of that really paved the way for services like Netflix and Redbox to take the whole market. Who in their right mind would pay $4.99 to rent a new release now when you have Netflix and Redbox? Netflix and Redbox were legitimate corporate responses to the Blockbuster business structure.

I haven't even seen the film yet, but these "the plot doesn't make any damn sense but I still liked it" posts are ridiculous. If the story is inadequate and nonsensical, the film failed. Period.

There's simply no reason to have that tacked-on emotional angle dealing with the kid. The situation is already harrowing enough, adding that in actually took away a great deal of the intensity for me.My basic reaction to the whole dead kid plot device was "Whatever."

Pics, or it never happened and they don't exist.IMO.

I would have liked the film a great deal more without the contrived emotional angle. It just felt way too manipulative and forced to me.I honestly would have been rooting for Bullock more without the lame ass dead child angle.IMO.

You know what, it's strangely fascinating in stretches but it's the kind of film that feels like a dream an hour after watching it.Everything and everyone involved just feels so lifeless and vacant. Looking back on it now the story is a complete joke and it's the kind of film you would feel pissed about spending money to see at the theater.Let's be real here: Todd Phillips is a hack, plain and simple.D+