frogboy4
Inactive Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2002
- Messages
- 10,080
- Reaction score
- 358
I decided to start another one of these threads purely for new releases that are in theaters or just about to hit. I see one or two movies a week. In the past two months I've seen "X-Men: First Class", "Beginners", "Super-8", "Troll Hunter", "Green Lantern", "Bad Teacher", "Cars 2", "Transformers: Dark of the Moon", "Larry Crowne", "Horrible Bosses", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" and "Friends With Benefits". I'll spare you some of the independent films because they were terrible and had no redeeming qualities. You're welcome.
I'm rating on an academic percentage like Rotten Tomatoes does because it allows for nuance:
A = 100-90
B = 89-80
C = 79-70
D = 69-60
F = 59-0
(anything 60 or above is passing)
All swim and include your reviews and/or reactions!
The return of X-Men in "First Class" is impressive, but it hangs onto too much of the incorrect legacy presented in the previous films. This is a prequel dressed as a reboot. It is gorgeous and I enjoyed it. There were some missed opportunities that could have been prevented if they'd just started the slate clean. 79%
"Beginners" features Ewan McGregor coming to terms with his father coming out of the closet and dying of cancer. It's a remarkably enjoyable sleeper of a film. I highly recommend this sweet, funny drama for viewers with refined tastes. 89%
"Super 8" is a nostalgic take on the late 70's-early 80's Spielberg genre film. It's alright. Nothing to rave about and maybe that's the point. I couldn't help but feel that they didn't really resolve all the havoc and carnage at the end. Worth seeing. 79%
Foreign film "Troll Hunter" is basically "Blair Witch" without the snot shots and if you actually did see quite a bit of the witch! It's needlessly long yet entertaining. Some Muppet fans will appreciate the trolls. 75%
I enjoyed Ryan Reynolds as "Green Lantern"; it's the rest of the film that kind of blows. They effects are wonderful. They spent enough on them so that's expected! The script just wasn't there. I felt bored and disconnected. Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate this film. Kids will love it! I expected more considering that they reportedly spent upwards of $300 million (well over 2M to make it and the rest to fix post production and promotional issues). That's the same budget of the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy! 70%
"Bad Teacher" is a good idea on paper and it does star Jason Segel so I gave it a shot. Meh. The best bits are in the trailer. The rest of the film is spent tediously connecting those outrageously funny bits through luke-warm comedy filler. It's worth a NetFlix. 65%
I've already expressed my views on "Cars 2" or "Mater's Movie". I love Pixar, yet I'm not one of those fans that believed they hung the moon. They have some pictures out there I haven't raved about. "Cars", "Bug's Life", the last 2/3 of "Wall-E" and "UP" were fine films that didn't really do much for me. We all have our faves. The Cars franchise is on my personal bottom rung. This film was bright, quick, colorful and mostly made for the Hot Wheelz buying youngsters. In that it succeeds. There are some very funny moments. It's just not up to Pixar's usual quality storytelling. 80%
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is probably the best of the three films. That's not saying much. I enjoyed the first half of the picture with its minor "fraggle-bot" sort of characters and the humorous moments with the human cast. It's when the robots show up in poorly paced, never ending metal-on-metal action sequences that it loses me. The last hour had me checking my watch every 5 minutes. I don't understand what people see in these pictures. The character design doesn't even retain any of the clean, elegant lines of the animated series. It's not terrible. I just could have lived my life never seeing this movie and being perfectly okay with it. No real human connection or heartbeat to this franchise. No wonder its lead star is hopping off. 69%
I'm no Roberts or Hanks fan. Saying that, "Larry Crowne" surprised me. There's not much to say about the film that you don't know from the trailers except to mention that it's witty and remarkably well written. Maybe not worth the price of admission. Definitely worth a NetFlix. 80%
"Horrible Bosses" received rave reviews. Not by me! It's okay. Once again the best bits are in the previews and there isn't anything in this movie that can't be seen watching a comedy on FX. That's not an insult. It's worth a NetFlix or dollar showing. 70%
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" is a fitting end to the series. A lot of action. I won't give anything away. It's bloody, but not really that frightening or suspenseful. Nothing haunted me about the movie after departing the theater like the last films. Maybe it's supposed to do that. It was evidently shot on digital film and that pulled me out of the story a bit. I liked this movie a lot. I didn't love it as expected. Definitely theater worthy. Out of respect for the entire series, I give it a 90%
Who'd have thought "Friends With Benefits" would actually be funny? It is! Yes, we've seen this movie before. Just not with such charming leads that actually have chemistry together. Woody Harrelson steals every scene that he's in. I would show up to a film featuring just that character! The movie introduces a recent trend of casual relationships and spends the rest of the time disproving the premise in a non-judgmental way. The way they walked that tightrope was rather inspired. Not the best movie, not the worst. Worth a matinee for those into funny romantic comedies that aren't trying too hard. 75%
Next up is "Captain America".
Post your reviews, reactions and conversations here for what's in the theaters now!
I'm rating on an academic percentage like Rotten Tomatoes does because it allows for nuance:
A = 100-90
B = 89-80
C = 79-70
D = 69-60
F = 59-0
(anything 60 or above is passing)
All swim and include your reviews and/or reactions!
The return of X-Men in "First Class" is impressive, but it hangs onto too much of the incorrect legacy presented in the previous films. This is a prequel dressed as a reboot. It is gorgeous and I enjoyed it. There were some missed opportunities that could have been prevented if they'd just started the slate clean. 79%
"Beginners" features Ewan McGregor coming to terms with his father coming out of the closet and dying of cancer. It's a remarkably enjoyable sleeper of a film. I highly recommend this sweet, funny drama for viewers with refined tastes. 89%
"Super 8" is a nostalgic take on the late 70's-early 80's Spielberg genre film. It's alright. Nothing to rave about and maybe that's the point. I couldn't help but feel that they didn't really resolve all the havoc and carnage at the end. Worth seeing. 79%
Foreign film "Troll Hunter" is basically "Blair Witch" without the snot shots and if you actually did see quite a bit of the witch! It's needlessly long yet entertaining. Some Muppet fans will appreciate the trolls. 75%
I enjoyed Ryan Reynolds as "Green Lantern"; it's the rest of the film that kind of blows. They effects are wonderful. They spent enough on them so that's expected! The script just wasn't there. I felt bored and disconnected. Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate this film. Kids will love it! I expected more considering that they reportedly spent upwards of $300 million (well over 2M to make it and the rest to fix post production and promotional issues). That's the same budget of the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy! 70%
"Bad Teacher" is a good idea on paper and it does star Jason Segel so I gave it a shot. Meh. The best bits are in the trailer. The rest of the film is spent tediously connecting those outrageously funny bits through luke-warm comedy filler. It's worth a NetFlix. 65%
I've already expressed my views on "Cars 2" or "Mater's Movie". I love Pixar, yet I'm not one of those fans that believed they hung the moon. They have some pictures out there I haven't raved about. "Cars", "Bug's Life", the last 2/3 of "Wall-E" and "UP" were fine films that didn't really do much for me. We all have our faves. The Cars franchise is on my personal bottom rung. This film was bright, quick, colorful and mostly made for the Hot Wheelz buying youngsters. In that it succeeds. There are some very funny moments. It's just not up to Pixar's usual quality storytelling. 80%
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is probably the best of the three films. That's not saying much. I enjoyed the first half of the picture with its minor "fraggle-bot" sort of characters and the humorous moments with the human cast. It's when the robots show up in poorly paced, never ending metal-on-metal action sequences that it loses me. The last hour had me checking my watch every 5 minutes. I don't understand what people see in these pictures. The character design doesn't even retain any of the clean, elegant lines of the animated series. It's not terrible. I just could have lived my life never seeing this movie and being perfectly okay with it. No real human connection or heartbeat to this franchise. No wonder its lead star is hopping off. 69%
I'm no Roberts or Hanks fan. Saying that, "Larry Crowne" surprised me. There's not much to say about the film that you don't know from the trailers except to mention that it's witty and remarkably well written. Maybe not worth the price of admission. Definitely worth a NetFlix. 80%
"Horrible Bosses" received rave reviews. Not by me! It's okay. Once again the best bits are in the previews and there isn't anything in this movie that can't be seen watching a comedy on FX. That's not an insult. It's worth a NetFlix or dollar showing. 70%
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" is a fitting end to the series. A lot of action. I won't give anything away. It's bloody, but not really that frightening or suspenseful. Nothing haunted me about the movie after departing the theater like the last films. Maybe it's supposed to do that. It was evidently shot on digital film and that pulled me out of the story a bit. I liked this movie a lot. I didn't love it as expected. Definitely theater worthy. Out of respect for the entire series, I give it a 90%
Who'd have thought "Friends With Benefits" would actually be funny? It is! Yes, we've seen this movie before. Just not with such charming leads that actually have chemistry together. Woody Harrelson steals every scene that he's in. I would show up to a film featuring just that character! The movie introduces a recent trend of casual relationships and spends the rest of the time disproving the premise in a non-judgmental way. The way they walked that tightrope was rather inspired. Not the best movie, not the worst. Worth a matinee for those into funny romantic comedies that aren't trying too hard. 75%
Next up is "Captain America".
Post your reviews, reactions and conversations here for what's in the theaters now!