Impact Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Wow I'm surprise critics liked it. (if it is still fresh)Saying this due to the un pc it sounds that they got away with racist overtones and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonytr87 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 The Dictator 7:15PM Wednesday, May 16th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: ~250 (98% full; nearly all seats full, people all ages over 17, and mostly male audience) Ticket Price: $11.50 Concessions: Blue Rasbery ICEE, $0 (Stubs reward points) TRAILERS: Seeking a Friend For the End of the World - the movie looks great, got some talking from the audience. The Campaign - this got belly laughs from the audience, definitely one of the better reactions I've seen for a comedy trailer. Ted - Mark Wahlberg recorded a special AMC announcement before the trailer laden with offensive curse words before laying an innocent, charming smile--this got a wonderful reception from the audience. The R-rated trailer was hilarious and got the best reaction from the crowd, one guy even clapped, and there was lots of talking that ensued. That's My Boy - this looks silly (Happy Madison, big surprise) and got the weakest reaction. Anchorman: The Legend Continues - this was a fun teaser, got some talking from the audience. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - same 'ole trailer, lots of talking from the audience. G.I. Joe: Retaliation - I think this is one solid trailer, and I may even be one of the few people who saw/enjoyed Rise of Cobra. I'm getting a bad vibe from everyone else, though, because there was no discernible reaction for this from the crowd. THE FILM: The Dictator plays a lot like an over-offensive, contemporary, politically-charged version of Eddie Murphy's far superior Coming to America. I'll be honest: I laughed my butt off at several of the scenes in this picture, but a good chunk of the offensive humor also was lost on the audience and felt more "Happy Madison" than "Ali G" (if anyone understands the difference). Nobody sells satire today quite as memorably as Sasha Baron Cohen and like BORAT & Brüno before it, The Dictator takes some moments to identify several imperfections within American politics & culture. Still, I felt a little let down story-wise with some careless plot inconsistencies and juvenile situational humor. I was pretty sure Anna Faris was finished playing low brow Scary Movie-type roles, but The Dictator proved me wrong. My critiques aside, the audience really dug up the film. I was concerned about how offensive some of this material would be to diverse audiences like this one--I'm talking epic South Park episode offensive--but everyone seemed to love it. The black couple sitting in front of me were hyperventilating during several offensive remarks during a black man's funeral. The Asian college student sitting to my left slapped his knee at the countless outrageous jokes disrespectfully directed toward Chinese people throughout the film. And even I smirked (shamefully) at some anti-semetic remarks that made their way in the film, too. Whatever--The Dictator is exactly the movie you're expecting it to be. So if it's the kind of film that's on your radar, than I'm sure you're going to love it. And believe me, the experience is enriched by a large crowd like this one; go see this in theaters if you're going to see it at all. Experience - 27/30 Story/Writing - 12/20 Acting - 6/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 8/15 Direction - 7/10 Music - 7/10 THE VERDICT: 67/100, C I take it you're easily offended? If this is South Park-level offensive comedy then it should be gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 8/15 Is this really the type of film to be grading these aspects for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stitzer Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I take it you're easily offended? If this is South Park-level offensive comedy then it should be gold. Not at all. A lot of the film really is comedy gold. But I still think the movie could've relied less on offensive remarks and more on thoughtful comedy. At least with South Park they usually have a moral at the end of the story or a compelling story to justify their offense. Is this really the type of film to be grading these aspects for? Every film employs these aspects, some better than others. I could show you a list of small-budget, story-driven films that are shot/edited beautifully and merit an A+ on Tech Specs; conversely, there are plenty of big-budget films that squander their spending and just look technically bad. And whether they are comedies, actions, dramas, epics, fantasies, thrillers, or documentaries, a movie's a movie and each movie has tech specs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Well thats true.Now just don't grade the music for the film The Birds (There is no music in it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariadne Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 The DictatorEvent Westgate, New ZealandThu 5.40pm $13.50 20/150PrometheusTedSafeGI Joe 2I thought it was fucking hilarious, there are some gross out offensive bits sure, but I laughed out load all the way through. This isn't the sort of film where you care about the plot or anything, it's just really funny. If you're not easily offended I would recommend it to anyone, I see it becoming a cult comedy in the future - so many great lines.B+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) I will see the Dictator on Saturday. Can't wait! Edited May 17, 2012 by CJohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonytr87 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Not at all. A lot of the film really is comedy gold. But I still think the movie could've relied less on offensive remarks and more on thoughtful comedy. At least with South Park they usually have a moral at the end of the story or a compelling story to justify their offense. Every film employs these aspects, some better than others. I could show you a list of small-budget, story-driven films that are shot/edited beautifully and merit an A+ on Tech Specs; conversely, there are plenty of big-budget films that squander their spending and just look technically bad. And whether they are comedies, actions, dramas, epics, fantasies, thrillers, or documentaries, a movie's a movie and each movie has tech specs. So there's no message or point that Cohen is making like he was in Borat or Bruno? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stitzer Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 So there's no message or point that Cohen is making like he was in Borat or Bruno? Correct. Oh, BTW... The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 4:45PM Thursday, May 17th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 196 (12% full; mostly retirees in the audience) Ticket Price: $8.50 Concession(s): Mini Pretzel Bites, $0 (Stubs rewards points) TRAILERS: Ruby Sparks - Paul Dano comedy looks funny, a little like Stranger Than Fiction. It got some talking from the audience. Safety Not Guaranteed - I'll watch any movie in the time travel sub-genre, so this caught my interest; the audience had no reaction, however. To Rome With Love - best reaction from the audience; you really cannot go wrong with a Woody Allen trailer paired with an older-skewing audience. Where Do We Go Now? - at first I thought this was an adaptation of "Lysistrata", but I couldn't tell. Some talking from the audience. The Intouchables - I'd heard about this film, but this was the first time I saw a trailer for Intouchables. This movie looks AWESOME! I even heard a couple guys in the audience say "THAT looks like a good movie." Beasts of the Southern Wild - another indie-movie trailer, this time things were paced really quickly and it was tough to understand what the movie's about. Looks like Where the Wild Things Are. THE FILM: This afternoon I spent a good two hours laying outside in the park soaking up the nice weather (finally), and naturally I was in a pleasant mood. So with a few extra hours to kill I decided to see an equally pleasant movie nearby at the movie theater. And nothing says pleasant like a Fox Searchlight movie about British people celebrating their golden years exploring a different world: India. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is exactly the film that its well-received trailer(s) have sold. Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and friends all trek halfway around the world to a long-stay hotel geared "for the elderly and beautiful". The introduction of each character effectively sets up their impetus to go to India, and the goals each character look to achieve become quite clear as the film rolls along. Despite their maturity, it seems like each character embarks on a vision quest while in India and they even depend on each other to fulfill their journey. A few of the scenes were especially poignant, achieved by a combination of great performances, beautiful cinematography, and the appropriate musical composition. Despite the urban chaos that immediately surrounds the Marigold Hotel, there are many visually impressive sights and landscapes that fit into the movie beautifully. A few people clapped when the movie ended, I'm pretty confident we all enjoyed it. I recommend this film to anyone seeking a "pleasant" movie at the theater. Experience - 25/30 Story/Writing - 16/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 13/15 Direction - 9/10 Music - 9/10 THE VERDICT: 86/100, A 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonePirate Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Battleship1:00 PM30/150Trailers:LawlessRock of AgesG.I. Joe: RetaliationPeople Like UsThe Amazing Spider-ManThe Bourne LegacyMovie:Except for one very brief scene, the first 15-20 minutes of the movie before the ships leave the harbor absolutely suck. Seriously, those opening scenes were embarrassingly awful. However, as the human naval war games begin and the aliens arrive, the film improves significantly and it becomes tolerable, if not enjoyable at times. The effects and action sequences are actually good which help save the movie. The film becomes a bit schmaltzy near the end and the aliens are underdeveloped. Kitsch is fine once the action begins but this film probably won't help his movie career any. With any luck, it will kill Rihanna's movie career just as it is getting started.Grade: C+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Dictator 8:15PM, sold out Trailers for comedies are always worth assessing crowd reactions the most. Especially here at Dictator, which surprisingly enough pulled all four quadrants to the theater, at least in my case (old and young, men and women). So here are some reactions- Hit and Run: Not a lot of response until the prison rape joke at the end. Looks terrible. People Like Us: No response. Generic family drama. Ted: 3-minute red-band trailer was shown. HUGE response with some applause at the end. Anyone underplaying this movie is a fool. That's My Boy: A couple of moderate laughs but otherwise the audience was quiet. Not a good sign. Anchorman 2: Strong applause at beginning of trailer. People are excited for this, obviously. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: Typical snickers at the title. GI Joe 2: You can tell they're hiding a pretty paint-by-numbers action sequel here, but the trailer's cut together pretty well. Very interesting audience response to the film. Personally, I thought it was consistently funny and short enough to not lose its charm. The audience laughed a lot at key scenes and applauded at the end, but during some jokes like the Chinese ambassador's remarks and the vivd child rape jokes, you could here a pin drop, they fell so flat. But word coming out felt mostly positive, whereas Bruno's was heavily divided. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safari Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 (edited) The Avengers Saturday, 7:15 PM in Lie-MAX 3D Theater was roughly 90% full Trailers The Dark Knight Rises - some chatter Prometheus - Theater went dead silent, until some young kid said, "That looks kinda scary..." The Amazing Spider-Man - no reaction Frankenweenie - No reaction The film itself? Great the second time around, if not better. The post-conversion 3D actually wasn't too bad either. The audience loved it, they laughed throughout and applauded during the best parts and at the end. A- Edited May 22, 2012 by Safari92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovieMan89 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 ^It's interesting every time I've seen the Prometheus trailer, my theater has gone dead silent as well. I'm still trying to figure out if this is a good or bad sign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Usually films like that don't have a reaction during the trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndustriousAngel Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The DictatorThursday 20:30 (8:30pm), 50% in a 250-seater - very good for midweek, will have a good hold this weekend.Trailers:Rock of Ages - ughTed - new trailer here, reactions from unbelief to laughing as they got the concept, might surprise but I doubt it.5-Year-Engagement - wrong crowd for this trailerThe film: Hilarious, WOM is good on this one, especially among the university crowd. There were also about 10 kids from 12 to 15 (the film is rated age12 here) who seemed to like it too. It's always nice to see a comedy with a like-minded crowd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 So guess what I'm seeing tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Chernobyl Diaries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Chernobyl Diaries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonytr87 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 The DictatorThursday 20:30 (8:30pm), 50% in a 250-seater - very good for midweek, will have a good hold this weekend.Trailers:Rock of Ages - ughTed - new trailer here, reactions from unbelief to laughing as they got the concept, might surprise but I doubt it.5-Year-Engagement - wrong crowd for this trailerThe film: Hilarious, WOM is good on this one, especially among the university crowd. There were also about 10 kids from 12 to 15 (the film is rated age12 here) who seemed to like it too. It's always nice to see a comedy with a like-minded crowd!I'm not sure why some are so skeptical of Ted performing well. It's an R-rated comedy with a vulgar, talking teddy bear. That sells itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchumacherFTW Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I'm not sure why some are so skeptical of Ted performing well. It's an R-rated comedy with a vulgar, talking teddy bear. That sells itself. The thing is, by that logic Team America was a slam dunk though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
