noimageatall said:

I really REALLY wanted to like this...and many parts of it were great. I love M. Night Shyamalan. I even loved The Happening. The fx and the future technology were really amazing. It could have been so much better. I don't even care that Will put his son in this. That happens all the time in Hollywood. I was just expecting better. 2 1/2/4

Is it on the same level as Babylon A.D.?

RodeoSchro said:

We watched "Argo" last night. My one-word review? "Arrrrrgggghhhhhh-O".

THIS was the best movie of 2012? OK, we all know "Expendables 2" was the Peoples Champion last year, and that's all that really counts, but still. How did THIS film win an Oscar? It wasn't any good!

It was a snooze-fest and I hate to say this, but it was because Ben Affleck cannot act. The terms "wooden" and "laconic" were created to describe Affleck onscreen. His entire range is "I'm looking at you and saying nothing". And I LIKE Ben Affleck. His speech after "Argo" somehow won an Oscar was epic. But the man simply cannot act.

The plot holes in this movie were not really all that much - probably because it was based on a true story. One part that cracked me up was when Affleck and his "crew" did the walk-through at the bazaar. Remember when he was telling the dude who approved his "location scouting" request that he wanted to look around? And the Iranian dude said sarcastically, "Ah yes. You want to see a bazaar, with snake charmers and magic carpets"?

Well - THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID! I am pretty sure they didn't mean to be so ironic but I guarantee you that hipsters everywhere lifted a toast with whatever hipsters drink in homage to the sweet irony. And think about it - Affleck was allegedly shooting a SPACE movie, and the cartoons clearly showed that the action was to take place in a barren landscape. So why didn't Affleck's crew go to the mountains for their location preview? What part of a FUTURISTIC SPACE MOVIE could possibly be shot in a modern-day Iranian bazaar?

The casting was OK. Clearly and obviously, the best cast members were John Goodman and Alan Arkin, and the dad from "Malcolm in the Middle". But those guys are true pros and would shine in any movie. Heck, they'd even look good in a horrid train wreck like "War Horse". Oh yeah, the guy that played the Canadian ambassador was awesome as usual. That guy is one of my favorite character actors. I really should learn what his name is.

But the rest of the cast? Z.O.M.G. what a bunch of nerds. The only one I liked was the guy they made the director, but even that guy was just OK.

The music sucked. I was a man of 21 in 1980, and I surely remember there was much, much better music that what they played. Hey, and check this out - if you're at the Canadian embassy, are you going to find BRITISH ROCK BAND records there? Of course not! The record cabinet is going to be stocked with Rush, Bryan Adams and Ann Murray! You want Led Zeppelin? Too bad, you should have hid out at the British embassy!

Also, we have to blame "Mad Men" at this point, and you can figure out why. As I said, I was 21 in 1980 and while yeah, some people smoked (there were losers back then, too), it wasn't like EVERYONE WAS A LOSER AND SMOKED. Clearly Affleck watched "Mad Men" and said, "Hey - no matter what Rodeo says about smoking being only for losers, look at how many people smoke on this show! And it's trendy to like it! So I'm going to call my pals at Big Tobacco and tell them what a deal I have for them! EVERYONE in my movie is going to smoke, and smoke a lot! I'm even going to make the dad from "Malcolm in the Middle" take a few puffs at the end of the movie!" Ugh. What a stupid decision.

OK, back to more reasons why this movie doesn't make a hair on the bum of "Expendables 2".

The phrase "Ar-Go-F***-Yourself" was funny - once. And only when Alan Arkin said it. After that, it was played out.

The CIA was portrayed as a bunch of losers, which I am SURE is not the case in real life. What a bunch of dorks! Pretty much every nerd cliche was on display. Boo! And do you REALLY expect me to believe that when you drop off your documents after a clandestine operation, you can SNEAK OUT SOME STUFF?!? With an armed guard standing RIGHT BEHIND YOU? Pssshhhhh!

OMG, one part that I am sure also had the hipsters of America howling with ironic laughter was when the Iranian housekeeper from the Canadian embassy fled to.....wait for it.....you're going to die laughing......yes, they really went there.....she presented her papers to the border guard who said......."Welcome to Iraq". ROTFL, I was SO disappointed when they rolled the credits and gave the updates on everyone, that there wasn't one her that said something like "Sahar was eventually gassed by the Kurds; at least, that's what we told everyone so that we could invade Iraq in 2003" or "Sahar went on to become a peasant farmer, or as George W. Bush would put it - she hid WMDs in her petunia patch". C'mon Affleck - you missed a golden opportunity!

I am now going to watch "Expendables 2" again so as to once again place in the front of my brain images of real action stars doing something besides standing there, looking wooden and laconic.

I give "Arrrrrrrggggghhhh-O" 1.5247 Laconic Wooden Indians out of a possible 6.2347 Laconic Wooden Indians.

Agree

Argo was good but not even in top 20 for 2012's best films..

1. Bad acting at its finest.

2. Coincidences all the time, like when they got to the airport, somebody had to confirm their arrive quickly before Iranian police get their asses trapped, i believe once the police got in simultaneously, Ben and his folks got accepted to get into the airplane, that's something i see in a regular hollywood movie...

3. Nothing special about the movie, a normal thriller with a couple of good scenes, other scenes are something you see all the time in theaters.. no special characters.

4. It lacks good script, by the meaning of memorable scenes and aspects, authentic dialogue.. Argo ain't got nothing like that... It's a movie for kids who want to believe something happened 40 years ago...

sexton said:

Kon-Tiki (2012) - The story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300 miles crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947, in an effort prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.



There is the obvious comparison to Life of Pi, but this was filmed on a real ocean instead of on a soundstage. That aspect of the movie was very impressive. 1/2

I enjoyed watching Kon-Tiki, unlike Life of Pi.. cuz for the latter i had to FORCE my ass to like it, it's a beautiful movie but you always wait for something to blow you away.. Kon-Tiki is just fun, you fall in love with the sea, the crew, the simple story, the sharks, the language.. It's fun.

You guys gotta watch this film "The Best Offer"

But if you're counting on something like Malèna or Cinema Paradiso which are masterpieces directed by the same director of this film i'm talking about; Tonrantore... you're just dead wrong.. It's a quite regular british-language film.. but when you see it you'll find it special and intresting.. I'm talking about the plot; it's something very original. I'll rate it 4/5

sexton said:

Stymie said:

The Descendants was terrible. There is something wrong with you.

I'll show you what's wrong with me when I see you in a few weeks.

morningsong said:

noimageatall said:

I really REALLY wanted to like this...and many parts of it were great. I love M. Night Shyamalan. I even loved The Happening. The fx and the future technology were really amazing. It could have been so much better. I don't even care that Will put his son in this. That happens all the time in Hollywood. I was just expecting better. 2 1/2/4

Is it on the same level as Babylon A.D.?

Not even close.

1/2

One of the BEST movies I've seen in a long time. For once the movie is actually better than the previews! With an ending I never saw coming. Woody Harrelson is great! Jesse Eisneburg is really growing on me. I kept saying wow that Dave Franco sure looks like James. (brothers) DOH I hope there is a sequel.


This movie made me feel good and I need that right now...

Thanks April. I was looking for a movie to catch this weekend.

Stymie said:

Stymie said:

Thanks April. I was looking for a movie to catch this weekend.

I bet you won't like it.

Frances Ha (2012) - A story that follows a New York woman (who doesn't really have an apartment), apprentices for a dance company (though she's not really a dancer), and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles.



It was very Lena Dunham-ish--although more grounded and optimistic than Tiny Furniture / Girls which both can get a bit ridiculous at times. I liked it. 1/2

sexton said:

Stymie said:

sexton said:

I bet you won't like it.

Fuck you.

Stories We Tell (2012) - A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.



Admittedly I saw this movie based on Sarah Polley's name alone--I loved both Away From Her and Take This Waltz--and knowing the Metacritic score was insanely high so I didn't research this movie at all beforehand and did not know how personal it was. It also puts the other aforementioned films she directed in a new light since there is a clear common thread through them all. In her last three movies, Sarah Polley is now three for three with me. Wow.

[Edited 6/8/13 18:44pm]

sexton said:

Stories We Tell (2012) - A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.



Admittedly I saw this movie based on Sarah Polley's name alone--I loved both Away From Her and Take This Waltz--and knowing the Metacritic score was insanely high so I didn't research this movie at all beforehand and did not know how personal it was. It also puts the other aforementioned films she directed in a new light since there is a clear common thread through them all. In her last three movies, Sarah Polley is now three for three with me. Wow.

[Edited 6/8/13 18:44pm]

this should have been on my list of films I want to see this year as well. I actually haven't seen her earlier movies, but I've heard a lot about this and very much want to see it.

Upstream Color – 4/5 I’m not rating it as a movie in any traditional sense. I’ve watched it twice but couldn’t really say anything about what happens. In fact I just listened to an interview with the director and he mentioned a pretty major plot point that I could not recall at all. I got impatient with it the first watch and tuned it out after an hour or so, and was left with a pretty negative impression – that it was a puzzle movie that didn’t fit together. After reading a few reviews and discussions (positive and negative) I went back to it the next day and played it as a background ambient movie and by those standards I think it’s a success. If a person tosses out any idea of trying to piece together the story and just goes with it as a trippy ‘head’ experience, a film equivalent of Brian Eno’s Music for Airports or Inland Empire with a soothing soundtrack they’ll probably like it quite a bit.

This surprised me to be a good movie! The little doodles were good actors too. One of 'em was in Tree Of Life.

Chasing Ice 5/5 - an important (the most important of our times, IMO) and interesting topic, but also a joy to watch, and filled with incredible images.

[Edited 6/12/13 4:03am]

silver linings playbook

dug it

i'm more into characters than "omg! look at that! look at that!", so i enjoyed this quite a bit

cool flick

This Is The End. Yes. Yes it is.

damosuzuki said:

Chasing Ice 5/5 - an important (the most important of our times, IMO) and interesting topic, but also a joy to watch, and filled with incredible images.

[Edited 6/12/13 4:03am]

I saw this at the cinema for the Oscars and the footage blew me away. I also gave it a 5/5 rating.

Close Up (1990) - Pretending to be Mohsen Makhmalbaf making his next movie, Hossain Sabzian enters the home of a well-to-do family in Tehran, promising it a prominent part in his next movie. The actual people involved in the incident re-enact the actual events, followed by the footage from the actual trial that took place.

It's more of a director's film than one for the casual moviegoer. I think the story behind it is more exciting than the movie itself. It gets a high rating from me after watching the accompanying interview with the director on the disc. 1/2

sexton said:

damosuzuki said:

Chasing Ice 5/5 - an important (the most important of our times, IMO) and interesting topic, but also a joy to watch, and filled with incredible images.

[Edited 6/12/13 4:03am]

I saw this at the cinema for the Oscars and the footage blew me away. I also gave it a 5/5 rating.

I saw your comments in a previous thread. I was a little afraid you were going to think I was movie-stalking you - I think this is the third or fourth movie I've rated recently that you'd commented on previously. My viewing pretty much ebbs & wanes these days by what gets added to netflix.

I watched Rec3 last night. Not too good, I guess...2/5-ish.

Hansel & Gretel-Witch Hunters 1.5/5 I ended up reading while watching the movie, I was bored, It was very kiddie-ish except there's too much gore for little kids, so I have no idea whose mentality they were making this for.

Warm Bodies 3.5/5 I really enjoyed it. Loved the Romeo & Juliet theme throughout the whole movie, with a touch of Frankenstein. I found it relatable, and funny. I want to read the book.

noimageatall said:

1/2

One of the BEST movies I've seen in a long time. For once the movie is actually better than the previews! With an ending I never saw coming. Woody Harrelson is great! Jesse Eisneburg is really growing on me. I kept saying wow that Dave Franco sure looks like James. (brothers) DOH I hope there is a sequel.


This movie made me feel good and I need that right now...

Awesome! I'm going to see this Sunday, and your review made ME feel good about deciding on this movie!

damosuzuki said:

sexton said:

I saw this at the cinema for the Oscars and the footage blew me away. I also gave it a 5/5 rating.

I saw your comments in a previous thread. I was a little afraid you were going to think I was movie-stalking you - I think this is the third or fourth movie I've rated recently that you'd commented on previously. My viewing pretty much ebbs & wanes these days by what gets added to netflix.

I don't mind. I give you permission to rent Close-Up too. It's the same director as Certified Copy and it placed at #42 on the latest Sight & Sound 250 list--which was the main reason I rented it.

sexton said:

damosuzuki said:

I saw your comments in a previous thread. I was a little afraid you were going to think I was movie-stalking you - I think this is the third or fourth movie I've rated recently that you'd commented on previously. My viewing pretty much ebbs & wanes these days by what gets added to netflix.

I don't mind. I give you permission to rent Close-Up too. It's the same director as Certified Copy and it placed at #42 on the latest Sight & Sound 250 list--which was the main reason I rented it.

get a room you two!

out of 5. I'd probably give it a 2 out of 5 if I wasn't

[img:$uid]http://i800.pho.../img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://www.daily-media.net/V2/images/The-Place-Beyond-the-Pines.jpg[/img:$uid]

8/10

The third act dealing with the sons seemed like a stretch to me at times but I thought this was a very good movie.