Lucy (2014)

Interesting movie about a 30 year old drug addict who ends up being a guinea pig for a super drug that helps her to use 100% of her brain. Very interesting as she starts being a typical backpacker/clueless junkie looking for quick cash and she agrees to work for a Taiwanese drug mafioso and is initially had drug sewn up in her, she is kicked and beaten by Taiwanese gangsters. However as the drug works she gets stronger and brighter, escapes and has surgery to remove the drugs and manages to intercept the other mules to get their drugs. As she gets brighter she becomes invulnerable and demonstrates her abilities to scientists, the whole time the Taiwanese gangsters can not get their super drugs back or attack her.

.

The conclusion is pectacular where she can transport herself across space and then time. The best part is a timesequence where she goes to Times Square from Paris through mental transportation and then she rewinds time in Times Square, stopping around 1903/04 when the times building as being built, then she moves back further as the square becomes shacks and then forest, she stops again sometime in the early centuries AD or BC and meets Palaeo Indians, then she goes back through ice ages and across to Africa around 3 million years where she touches fingers with an Australopithecine like creature (Possibly the real "Lucy"), then she goes back through the eras to the big bang, turns black and then dies. Incredible science fiction and very cool with Scarlett Johanson playing Lucy. 9/10

EmmaMcG said:

Lianachan said:

Meh.

I really liked the Hateful Eight.

I didn't mind it, it just seemed like a standard issue Tarantino film to me. Neither great nor terrible.

Very inaccurate, for a film that poports to be historical. Not terribly good, but nowhere near as bad as expected.


Unlike this:

Which is absolutely awful.

Connected said:

damosuzuki said:

other people - gay man comes home to help his family take care of his dying mom. stereotypical indie drama, but a really good one i'd say. if you haven't had a good cry lately, this might do it. 3.5/5.

[Edited 12/11/16 18:31pm]

Thank you - will check it out....

Did look at it - and in fairness....looked kinda depressing

But on your recommendation - will watch...

I like the cast - the guy from Breaking bad I think

jesse plemons was indeed psycho todd from breaking bad, and i thought he was quite good as a relatively normal guy here, but the revalation in this movie was molly shannon, who i thought was truly great.

[Edited 12/12/16 15:47pm]

thekidsgirl said:

Arrival I love the pace and tone of this one. Wish more "alien movies" went this way rather than the big action route. I'd give it 4/5 stars.

I agree. Very good movie.

Nocturnal Animals (2016) - An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

I loved Tom Ford's first movie A Single Man so I was expecting to like this one more. It's a beautiful-looking and smart, multi-layered thriller--and yet, I still felt a little unsatisfied when it was over. 3.5/5

peedub said:

I'm sitting in the theater right now waiting for 'manchester by the sea' to start, 'money don't matter 2night' on the PA...

The Secret Life of Pets (2016) I loved it (my fav character is Snowball who should get his own movie, Kevin Hart was so amazing in the role ) and I give it a 5 out of 5 because it was entertaining and sweet. And after watching the mini movies on the blu-ray, I can't get this song out of my head

peedub said:

I'm sitting in the theater right now waiting for 'manchester by the sea' to start, 'money don't matter 2night' on the PA...

so, 'manchester by the sea' is alright...it verges on melodrama, is kinda predictable with a slight twist ending. i have to say i was a little disappointed.

casey affleck delivers with contrasting characterizations between flashback and present tense, the kid is pretty good and i could watch michelle williams eat breakfast for 2 hours and be satisfied with her. she's great.

i did see a commercial for filmstruck.com before the previews. a streaming channel collaboration between turner classic movies and the criterion collection. i'm totally in.

sexton said:

Nocturnal Animals (2016) - An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

I loved Tom Ford's first movie A Single Man so I was expecting to like this one more. It's a beautiful-looking and smart, multi-layered thriller--and yet, I still felt a little unsatisfied when it was over. 3.5/5

I am so freaking glad you posted this! The recap you posted is NOTHING like what the commercial for this movie makes you think it is.

The commercial makes you think that Gyllenhall and Adams are molested by some scrungy hippies, who then get revenge taken out on them with extreme prejudice. In other words, a RodeoSchro kind of movie!

But no!

It turns out this appears to be the story of a dude and his ex-wife, and some mind games that are played. Correct? I watched the longer trailer on YouTube and it was confusing. But it showed a little more about the movie, and unless you tell me different then I do not believe this to be the movie I thought it was.

UPDATE SPOILERS UPDATE SPOILERS UPDATE SPOILERS UPDATE SPOILERS UPDATE SPOILERS UPDATE SPOILERS

Did you get the message, people? SPOILERS BELOW!

You have been warned.

I bear no responsibility if you read any further.

I promise I won't be funny, so you won't be missing anything.

So don't read any further unless you want to know what happens.

FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING FINAL WARNING

Holy moley, not since the Adam Sandler failure "Click" has there been a movie with such a misleading trailer.

I am SO GLAD I did not, and will not, waste my time on this. A book?!? All the good stuff is just make-believe junk from a book?!?

Now look - this might be a great movie. It could be full of fine performances. The writing and scenery might be delicious. BUT IT ISN'T ABOUT WHAT THE TV COMMERCIALS MAKE IT LOOK LIKE IT'S ABOUT.

I want to thank Mr. Sexton for his vital information. And I want to find whoever put the TV commercial and ad campaign together for this, and make him give me all his money, just on principal.

Rant over!

.

[Edited 12/14/16 13:30pm]

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone highly recommend

this was surprisingly excellent. starring steve carell, steve buscemi, jim carrey, alan arkin, olivia willde, david copperfield, jay mohr, (and others), not only was the cast an all star selection the movie is very funny. not to mention touching in a 'life-lesson learned' sort of way.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Masterfully done, and likely one of the best 3 in franchise history.

.25

Loving (2016) - The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court.

The acting performances are wonderfully subdued. 4/5

Oceans 11 (1960) Starring Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin. I liked alot more than the remake, it had a great cast and I loved the songs. I give this a 4 out of 5

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Better than Star Wars: The Force Awakens 4/5

RodeoSchro said:

The Accountant 8 / 10

EmmaMcG said:

I can't allow any negative comments about Ben Affleck!!

really???... so the fact that he creeps me out like no other actor should remain private then?

that he has the acting ability of a dead frog is something i should keep to myself?

my desire to turn his acting abilty into an actual tangible object, just so i could set fire to it, is not for this thread?

ok then

MoBettaBliss said:

EmmaMcG said:

Lianachan said:

Meh.

I really liked the Hateful Eight.

I'm a Tarantino fan and have this on DVR....haven't had time to watch yet.

Just saw Infamous on one of the movie channels. I've usually discounted Daniel Craig as an actor.....but damn, he seemed to step out of his comfort zone on this one and I was impressed!

The more noteable movie on this subject was Capote in which Phillip Seymour Hoffman did his usual stellar performance. RIP.....he set the bar very high.

better late than never - Anger Management. hilarious! love adam sandler. jack nicholson is great too

ex machina - 4.5/5 i'm not sure why i let it took me a yr & a half to get around to seeing a movie that seemed so completely within my wheelhouse, but i finally sat down to watch it tonight, and i thought it was pretty great in almost every way.

XxAxX said:

better late than never - Anger Management. hilarious! love adam sandler. jack nicholson is great too

Ohhh .... I own the DVD, it's a GREAT movie!! Woody and Heather were so funny. Goosfraba

[Edited 12/20/16 21:35pm]

MoBettaBliss said:

EmmaMcG said:

I can't allow any negative comments about Ben Affleck!!

really???... so the fact that he creeps me out like no other actor should remain private then?

that he has the acting ability of a dead frog is something i should keep to myself?

my desire to turn his acting abilty into an actual tangible object, just so i could set fire to it, is not for this thread?

ok then

I believe I am the resident Org expert when it comes to dead frogs, having killed more of them than the rest of you combined, times 100.

I know what a dead frog acts like. Mr. Affleck in no way acts like a dead frog. Mr. Affleck's acting ability is best described in my epic review of "Argo". For those who don't have all my epic reviews saved (c'mon, really? None of y'all?!? Thank goodness I've saved all of them!), here is the definitive description of Mr. Affleck's acting ability:

It ("Argo") 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.

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

Moana (2016)

I really wasn't looking forward to this but I had promised the kids I'd take them. However I absolutely loved it. Great music, a fantasic storyline, I laughed and cried. I would have to say that my husband, who hates musicals, would have hated it so only for those who like cheesy musical numbers throughout. Recommended 5/5