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May 22, 2017 19:02:30 GMT -5
Post by deuce on May 22, 2017 19:02:30 GMT -5
Two different reviews of Alien Covenant:
Click in at 7:00.
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May 22, 2017 19:18:28 GMT -5
Post by themirrorthief on May 22, 2017 19:18:28 GMT -5
the writing has become less and less important...the effects and the potential merchandise sales rule...that and the incredible fear of taking a chance...in other words, dont expect anything really new or groundbreaking. The thing about Arthur was the giant snake at the end...it made it all worthwhile for me...so Howardish and monstrously cool! It was just totally badass and even made the chief baddie poop his pants
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May 22, 2017 20:42:51 GMT -5
Post by KiramidHead on May 22, 2017 20:42:51 GMT -5
Two different reviews of Alien Covenant: Click in at 7:00. Hey, that bottom one looks familiar...
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May 23, 2017 20:30:00 GMT -5
Post by themirrorthief on May 23, 2017 20:30:00 GMT -5
I have an issue with the dehumanizing of the movies...more and more of the cast are not real people, eventually real actors will be a thing of the past because they ask to much money and have issues that video robots dont have I suppose. I liked the Guardian of the Galaxy movie but I really couldnt tell the actors from the cyber dudes...seriously man! I can see a point in the near future where they cease to use real voices too. IM not sure IM quite ready for all that? The coolest cast members were non humans...kinda strange
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May 23, 2017 21:11:00 GMT -5
Post by Erik on May 23, 2017 21:11:00 GMT -5
I'd probably give 'Alien: Covenant' a grade of B. It was entertaining and fun, though the "twist" at the end was very predictable. I rank it third after Aliens and Alien.
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Jun 4, 2017 10:51:41 GMT -5
Post by Erik on Jun 4, 2017 10:51:41 GMT -5
Saw Wonder Woman yesterday and LOVED it. A- in my book. I loved that they explored her mythology and the fact that it was a historical superhero story - very well done. I think DC really needed this movie after the mediocrity of Batman vs. Superman and the previous Superman film. There was a cool preview for the upcoming Justice League movie too, so I have high hopes for that one now.
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Jun 7, 2017 14:44:43 GMT -5
Post by themirrorthief on Jun 7, 2017 14:44:43 GMT -5
I want the metal men movie...and where are the Doom Patrol? And I have always wanted a duo Damsel movie except turn her back into triplicate girl...that would be a real hoot with the right script...a girl that was three girls??? a lot more fun than a movie with twins...sorry Hayley Mills, I still love you
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Jun 22, 2017 19:10:48 GMT -5
Post by almuric on Jun 22, 2017 19:10:48 GMT -5
I don't set out to be a contrarian, you know. But sometimes I can't help it. This is bound to be controversial, but I have to get it off my chest.
SPOILERS FOR LOGAN AND BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: Because both movies have been out a while.
I recently watched two superhero movies on Blu-Ray, Logan and Batman vs Superman: Ultimate Edition. One is highly-praised with a high Rotten Tomatoes rating. The other is divisive and controversial. By rights, I should like the former and slam the latter, but I can't. I wanted to like Logan, I really did. I take no joy from slamming it. While it's not a terrible movie by any means (great cinematography, performances, fight scenes), too many elements rubbed me wrong.
B vs S, the theatrical version, frustrated me because I could see glimpses of a better movie amid the choppy editing. I'm happy to say the 30 mins of restored footage in the Ultimate Edition make a vastly superior viewing experience. It's not perfect --- the Justice League intro and "Knightmare" sequences still throw the film off a bit --- but watching it was like truly seeing the movie for the first time. I highly recommend it to anyone disappointed with the theatrical version.
Logan . . . has problems. Donald Pierce is a weak villain. He spends the movie consistently one step behind Logan and company. At first he's shown as being ruthless enough to kill kids, but at the end he merely tries to capture the escapee mutants . . . why? His cybernetic hand is cool, but for all it figures into the plot, it might as well be flesh and blood. X-24 is cool, and his entry is shocking, but he upstages Pierce. And don't get me started on the super-convenient adamantium bullet that manages to be the right calibre for the pistol Logan grabs. And wouldn't an adamantium claw through the brain work just as well? By comparison, Jessie Eisenberg's Lex Luthor felt like a real threat. With the UE's expanded running time, we get a better picture of his motives and the scope of his manipulations. Luthor is pulling strings all over the place, from Africa to Washington to Gotham, and comes dangerously close to either getting Batman to kill Superman or forcing Superman to stain his soul by killing Batman. He destroys good men either way.
Logan's pacing is strangely slack. It's 40 minutes shorter than the UE, but it sure doesn't feel like it. After the admittedly thrilling fight in the junkyard, I saw the clock and realized that 40 minutes of screen time had elapsed and the protagonists were only just starting their journey. When they do get going, they always have time to make pit stops and have admittedly touching bonding scenes before Pierce catches up with them again. The second half especially, when the narrative should be ramping up just drags unforgivably. The UE is one minute shy of three hours, yet both times I've watched it now it seems to glide by.
And then there's the all important element of character. The theatrical version of B vs S inexplicably makes Superman look guilty and callous after the Capitol bombing. I hated that. The UE shows that he stayed behind to pull survivors from the rubble and explains why he couldn't sense the bomb. We get more screen time with Clark Kent and get a more sympathetic view of him as he investigates Batman and tries to keep going under the torrent of suspicion and cynicism from the government and media. We really see him like the commentator in the "Must There Be a Superman" sequence does, not as a messianic figure, but as a man trying to do the right thing. And restoring Clark to the center of the movie fixes the biggest problem of the theatrical version, which was slanted too much in favor of Batman, who is the antagonist for most of the film. It's a huge change for the better.
Logan, by comparison, starts off as a cynical dick, continues to be a cynical dick, and in the last twenty minutes finally remembers that he's supposed to be the protagonist. But even this is undercut by an inexplicable choice. Instead of getting a worn-out Logan going into his last fight hopelessly outmatched, he gets a convenient power-up that briefly evens the odds. I couldn't believe it. Yes, it wears off before he fights X-24, but it dramatically cuts the legs off from under the climax, in my opinion. Worse, the film makes it look like the only reason Logan bothered to stick his neck out for his own daughter was that he thought he could win. A hero would have done it regardless. I can see that early on it was needed, to show how far the former Wolverine had fallen. I kept waiting. Maybe Xavier's death will do it. Nope. I don't know why so many modern films drag out a hero's reluctance to such ridiculous lengths. Yes, Snyder's Superman has his doubts, but even in his lowest moment, when Luthor has kidnapped his mother to force him to fight Batman, he's trying to find a better way. He never gives up. Logan has. You can mock the "Martha" scene if you want, but Logan could have used a moment like that. Logan just snarls at everyone trying to remind him of the hero he once was to the point the audience is left not caring anymore. If he can't give a damn about anyone, why should we?
The biggest difference is that in B vs S, the cynicism is proven wrong, while in Logan it's proven right. Nothing the X-Men ever did mattered. Mangold depicts heroism as a sucker's game. Snyder shows triumph in the face of tragedy. Being a hero is hard, but worth it.
This came off much harsher than I intended, but it's how I feel. I know this is not a popular opinion, but it is mine.
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Jun 22, 2017 19:22:17 GMT -5
Post by lordyam on Jun 22, 2017 19:22:17 GMT -5
I disagree. Rice was the one who suppressed the mutant gene and with him and pierce gone not only do the kids have a future but maybe their actions can be undone. And in some cases the children themselves disprove it; when Dr Rice ordered the nurses to kill their charges they all defied him and tried to save them. They didn't all succeed but the fact that a.) they were willing to tell Rice to go fuck himself and b.) largely succeeded is surprisingly hopeful.
And there's always the possibility that they'll adopt the "mutant messiah" arc (who knows Cable shows up and he is a big part of hope summers."
MoS was....mixed. I liked the villain but you can have Clark be optimistic and cheerful and still have him be flawed (the animated series was great with this). Jonathan Kent came across as rather callous and douchey. Superman also causes a lot of destruction by being careless.
Haven't seen DoJ but I think making batman the punisher was kinda stupid.
In any case Wonder Woman was good and had a good mix of idealism and cynicism. The cynicism is that humans can be awful on their own, while the idealism is that they can be so much more.
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Jun 22, 2017 19:31:07 GMT -5
Post by almuric on Jun 22, 2017 19:31:07 GMT -5
But then, that goes back to my point that the hero isn't being heroic. Some secondary characters are, but the guy who the movie is named after? Not so much.
I know I might be slightly unfair in places, but it just didn't work at all. Near the end I was thinking: "I'm not loving this movie. Why am I not loving it?"
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Jun 22, 2017 19:34:44 GMT -5
Post by lordyam on Jun 22, 2017 19:34:44 GMT -5
In terms of films I'm looking forwards too.....Last Jedi (yes Force Awakens was not terrible and those who claim it's the spawn of satan are idiots), Murder on the Orient Express, Thor Ragnarok and maybe justice league (wonder woman surprised me)
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Jun 22, 2017 19:39:18 GMT -5
Post by lordyam on Jun 22, 2017 19:39:18 GMT -5
I'm holding out hope that they adopt the mutant messiah arc. Basically If you haven't read the comics after Wanda Maximoff reduced the mutant popultion to 200 Hope Summers was born. It's revealed she has the power to reawaken the mutant gene through the phoenix force (there are loads of contradictory theories; some think she's jean gray reincarnated, some think she's a shard of the phoenix); Cable raises her in the future and eventually she returns to the present and fulfills her destiny. I can see them making a few movies out of that.
And the powerup i see more is pragmatism. He wanted to save X23 but realized that going in without it would result in the kids dying too since he was their only hope. Logan's not stupid; he needs to be at his peak if they're to survive against the reavers.
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Jun 22, 2017 19:44:15 GMT -5
Post by almuric on Jun 22, 2017 19:44:15 GMT -5
I just question the need for the power-up in the story at all. It felt tonally out of whack with everything else.
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Jun 22, 2017 20:18:27 GMT -5
Post by lordyam on Jun 22, 2017 20:18:27 GMT -5
Not really. He needed help to defeat the reavers earlier on and this time they aren't playing around. And I don't see it as pointless.
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Jun 26, 2017 16:24:29 GMT -5
Post by deuce on Jun 26, 2017 16:24:29 GMT -5
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