Crunching the Numbers The Ocho (4th Quarter Reviews)

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

 

It's a fun and adventurous film that doesn't lost any of the wit or charm its predecessor had. There's a lot of plot and location jumping packed into its 112 minute frame, which does make the film feel a little overstuffed. Nevertheless, it's a rocking good time and a textbook example of a solid summer blockbuster.The Immune: Permanence

 

Doesn't feel at all like an Immune film. It kinda defaults to a general government super-soldier conspiracy with some survivalist angles. A lot of the development from the earlier film gets kinda discarded as our two main characters are apart for almost the entire movie and get little interaction or development with one another.

 

Midnight in the Afghan Valley

 

It's a film that I think has its heart in the right place, but it's messy when it comes to the execution of what it wants to depict and gets way too heavy-handed. The stuff with the army roving through the town mowing down civilians is too anachronistic. If this was a film about Vietnam I would buy it, because stuff like that did happen in Vietnam more than once. But in the modern-day it comes off as too unsubtle and heavy-handed as a plot and thematic device. The general character development of the trio is fine and the action itself is staged very well, the nighttime raid showing a good depiction of the tension of dark urban warfare, but the film is very muddled by all the other bits.

[alisson23]

Remember MeIt's a very interesting idea with some strong notes and concepts, but the execution is fairly messy. This film definitely needed to rework some scenes, edit some others, and add in some more character.

 

My english is really bad, the story isn't so complicated, the translate is. 

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Romeo vs. Juliet

 

Very zany, trying to blend old-fashioned screwball comedy with new-age Glee-style hijinks, amped up with caffeine. It's a bit of an odd duck of a movie, but it hits more than it misses and it definitely should attract in the date crowd well enough.

 

The Who's Tommy

 

Tommy the audio rock opera is a great work by The Who. Tommy the movie musical...well I wasn't a big fan of the 1975 adaptation, and this adaptation, aside from being technically more faithful to the "plot" of The Who's album, doesn't really stand apart. Some of the casting seems a bit off (can Hoult actually sing in real life?) and while others ably perform, when the material itself isn't what works, then acting well doesn't do much.

 

Feed

 

A very odd film that tries to spin some political conspiracy angle amidst a backdrop of recovery from a zombie pandemic. The problem is that the film has the main characters uncover a conspiracy and expose it but gives very little information on what the conspiracy is other than some one-sentence generic nutjob statement. The film ends very abruptly, which is a fitting tactic for some movies but not for a film like this which needed a resolution to let things play out. The film also spends a fair amount of time early on laying the framework for a new media-driven society but then does almost nothing with it for the rest of the movie.

 

Also, are they fast zombies or slow zombies?

Edited March 5, 2014 by 4815162342

[Ezen Baklattan]

Fair enough. I had a feeling this would be pretty divisive.

 

And I did check some youtube videos, and Hoult is a decent singer.

[Hiccup]

The zombies medium..like Walking Dead

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​Catch That PigeonIn which pigeons are caught. Yeah, this is a totally wacky movie that kids will eat up and sober adults will go "huh?" at. If I took drugs, I bet it'd be even more wacky and fun.MadelThe film could be beefed up a little, but it never fails to hold your interest. I mean, Robert totally overreacts which makes the plot turn a bit jarring, but it is a gritty and harrowing tale of a young woman's descent. And that one scene...ouch.

Edited March 6, 2014 by 4815162342

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The Gold Rare LeafIt's a very childish, simplistic movie. Little kids will like it, most adults will be able to tolerate it enough.Identity CrisisThe film takes a nice premise and turns it into a generic shooter thriller.ResonanceA very trippy and intense movie. A little patchy here and there (James utterly disappears from the plot with no real explanation) but it's definitely a strong psychological horror experience. For some reason at a couple points/twists I got "BRRRRMMMMMM!!!!" from Inception in my head. Damn you Chris Nolan!Neeson may be a dark horse for an outside bet Oscar nom.Killer Computer 2Killer Computer/10There is no other way to grade the movie.

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Death Note: The Game BeginsThe casting is fairly off for this movie (Ezra Miller as the world's greatest detective? really?) I think the film definitely is plot heavy and could have shaved some stuff down a bit. I think an issue with the film is that it seems like it was to heavily emulate the style and tone and content of the anime, but then you have David Fincher directing. It doesn't quite seem like the right matchup unless the film eschews some of its roots and takes a much more cold, American tone (which seems unclear whether that is the case). Otherwise, it's a compelling tale with compelling characters, but as mentioned, the casting for some of those characters is kinda bonkers.Cinema StudiesIt starts off very strong but it loses steam in the final act. It was odd that Trevor kinda disappeared from the film with little ado, the film seemed to be building up to something with him but then about halfway through changed its mind and forgot about the character. What disappointed me a bit was that the film stuff was more of a premise and occasional plot device than something that really moved the film forward and was its focus (the second half turning into a more general teen issue film). It's a good movie, but it didn't turn out to be the movie it kinda promised it would be.The ValleyGeneric found footage horror

[Ezen Baklattan]

The stuff with Paul really did frustrate me in writing it, and I can see why that's where a lot of the movie goes haywire.

 

And honestly, I think I might have hit my quality peak a few (game) years ago. With college getting into high gear, I don't have as much time to give the focus these movies need.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Spaghetti

[rukaio101]

Death Note: The Game BeginsThe casting is fairly off for this movie (Ezra Miller as the world's greatest detective? really?) I think the film definitely is plot heavy and could have shaved some stuff down a bit. I think an issue with the film is that it seems like it was to heavily emulate the style and tone and content of the anime, but then you have David Fincher directing. It doesn't quite seem like the right matchup unless the film eschews some of its roots and takes a much more cold, American tone (which seems unclear whether that is the case). Otherwise, it's a compelling tale with compelling characters, but as mentioned, the casting for some of those characters is kinda bonkers.

I'll admit Ezra Miller's casting is partially to do with his physical appearance/similarity to the character (and the fact that making him around the same age as Light would simplify a lot of Part 2) but I still think he could do a really good job with the role. Some of the stuff he's been in (like We need to talk about Kevin) show that he's got a lot of (mostly unexplored) range and I think he could handle that socially bizarre yet extremely analytical character of L really well. Besides, a decent part of L's character is how, on seeing him, he's the last person you'd expect to be the greatest detective in the world. So I still stand by Ezra's casting. Even if, technically, he's yet to fully appear on screen yet.

 

As for Fincher, I'll admit I was aiming for a tone kinda halfway between the anime and his usual style, operatic but still pretty dark and tense, but I probably didn't do the best job of indicating that.

[4815162342]

I understand why you made the choice, but I respectfully disagree, because IMO in that when translating anime to live action (particularly Hollywood/US live action) you have to frame things a bit differently to make things "work" narratively.Might just be how I view certain things about the crime/detective genre and police work.

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Will begin later today

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The GardenChildish children's movie. For the little ones only.The Innocent17-year old Hailee Steinfeld plays an adult woman in prison for 15 years. Films, you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to your casting. The plot for the film starts off promising with a young woman with an unjust sentence and a tormentor for a prison captor. But once the time skip happens things go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAy off the rails. Joseph turns into the most cartoonish and simplistic of villains and that's the least of it.Some Donut MovieBlank, you totally used the Rant Generator didn't you.

[Films]

The Innocent17-year old Hailee Steinfeld plays an adult woman in prison for 15 years. Films, you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to your casting. The plot for the film starts off promising with a young woman with an unjust sentence and a tormentor for a prison captor. But once the time skip happens things go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAy off the rails. Joseph turns into the most cartoonish and simplistic of villains and that's the least of it. 

 

I keep forgetting that actors don't age in CAYOM [and 2018 feels about 10 years away to me and not 4]

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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – The Rise of Nightmare RarityThe Dark Pony Rises/10. If you like MLP, watch. If not, don't.The DeadlineVery heartfelt, somber drama about the unfair hands a person can be dealt by life, but it avoids getting too sappy or unsubtle. Some of the bits are a bit rough or forced, but generally it earns its emotional payoff very much.Flappy BirdNever played it. It's not that interesting a subject for a documentary by itself, though there are interesting issues such as copyright, freeware innovation, etc that are obliquely referenced but never touched on. It's standard competent doc execution.BehemothIt's an entertaining sequel, though the plot gets a bit tangled in about itself. Like its previous outing, it's nothing out of the ordinary, but still a fun two hours at the cinema before other things take over.

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The MansionIt has a very promising setup and first act, but then things start falling apart into generic thrills and gore. Could have had a lot more fun and terror with the psychological thriller aspect of the slow change in the moods of the family.Freddy vs. Jason vs. AshEntertaining with some fun laughs and impressive kills, it still feels like a lesser, gorier Army of Darkness.The Bronx is Burning/Dragon AgeN/AThe CreatorsIt's an interesting premise that does little to explore it beyond surface issues and petty competitive jealousy between the mains. Entertaining and solid family entertainment, but a lot more could have been done here.

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The Concert's End An immensely researched, slightly ponderous, jam-packed casted (with a couple odd choices), history porn offering of a movie. Even though the film threatens to burst at its seams in a few spots, it builds tension remarkably well as we slowly move down the inevitable slide to world war. The Giver David Lynch directing? He's done straight-forward films a couple time, but a YA adaptation is almost as weird as him having been approached to direct Return of the Jedi. As adaptations go, it's a loyal and straightforward one. The casting is generally good. Origin Avatar meets time travel cliches. Looks nice and moves efficiently, but it's very tropey and not all that interesting beyond a 2-hour timesink.

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Unfortunate Events Parte QuatroIt's good family fun and hijinks but the plot is definitely starting to wear thin.Flowers for AlgernonIt's well acted by Leto in the lead and Burton brings some unique style and melancholy whimsy to the affair, but at 138 minutes it's definitely at least a half-hour longer than it needed to be.Simpsons 2It's a lower-tier Simpsons episode stretched out a good bitTwo-Way RoadAn interesting and sad drama from Gondry that ponders human nature and feelings of regret. I think we could have gotten a bit more detail about how Lily's attempts to prevent the accident entirely proved fruitless but otherwise it's a small-scale and very affecting movie.

[ChD]

Two-Way RoadAn interesting and sad drama from Gondry that ponders human nature and feelings of regret. I think we could have gotten a bit more detail about how Lily's attempts to prevent the accident entirely proved fruitless but otherwise it's a small-scale and very affecting movie.

 

I had the basic outline, and wrote the movie in one hour a few days before the deadline. I've been as vague as possible about some things, her attempts being one of these things.

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I had the basic outline, and wrote the movie in one hour a few days before the deadline. I've been as vague as possible about some things, her attempts being one of these things.

At least you didn't pull a "A Woman in the Crowd" and have Lily narrate about a curse/circumstances/etc and then flat out avoid telling the audience what the deal was.