Uh, no shit? Also apparently you didn't actually see the original movies, or you'd know that while the first two are great, the third one is a giant piece of shit that everyone hates. The point is that even if you're remaking Ninja Turtles, it's still the *Ninja Turtles*. Even if you go all gritty like Nolan's Batman, or all disaster porny like Bay's TF, there are still core characteristics to these franchises that can't be altered much without destroying them entirely. In Transformers, disaster porn at least fit fairly well - these was a fair bit of disaster porn type stuff in the original comics and show, after all. Michael Bay even seemed like a good guy to direct the live action movies, when they were first announced. Armageddon was a dumb, shallow movie, but it was exciting and visually interesting and had actual characters.

However, Bay doesn't fit TMNT *at all*, as producer or director or fucking best boy grip. Somebody like Sam Raimi or (cliche as it is to suggest him for remakes these days) Joss Whedon would fit the Ninja Turtles franchise really well - silly, jokey dialog and cornball concepts were always a big part of it, and both those directors have shown they can pull both off very well. If there's one thing Michael Bay has never ever been, it's wacky. Even if he's not directing, he's still heading the project. His TMNT movie will blow.

I think I liked it only slightly more than you; probably more like a 6 or a 7 for me. What I find surprising is that it most critics actually quite liked it. Of course, critics also quite liked American Hustle, so that's a pretty much useless metric.

Anyway, I found it a fun, unpretentious gimmick movie with nicely cardboard characters (a great double bird salute to all the "wounded, deep" heroes who've overrun the wasteland that is the modern day horror movie), a killer retro synthwave soundtrack and twists that never feel any less than completely natural. Oh, and Larry Fessenden.

I can't really think of any good new horror movies that have "wounded" or "deep" main characters - or even many new horror movies to begin with...which ones are you referring to?

Evil Dead remake and the Carrie remake are the ones that instantly come to mind. I'll think of more in a few minutes.

It's definitely a thing in movies these days, I just associated it more with action and comic book shit. Evil Dead remake was pretty weak-ish overall, yeah - and it did have a hint of that. I thought it was pretty interesting there if not exactly well implemented.

Empyreal hits the right note again. While I don't think the characters were exactly bad, I do think the scares were flaccid especially towards the end. I would have greatly preferred watching the doll story at the beginning than what came after, it seemed vastly more entertaining. Not to the mention the movie seemed to be building to something yet it never eventuated to much. Basically Insidious has more going for it.

Ralph Fiennes SHINES in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and I love me some Ralph Fiennes. It's by far the best film of Wes Anderson's career (not that I'm a fan in any way, which is why I was surprised to have this much fun with this). Quirky, awesome cinematography, great characters. I also laughed quite a bit. His fans are going to blow their loads everywhere.

I'm still hanging onto the Bad Boys dream! Everything can be redeemed if Bad Boys III is awesome!

Nice. I had totally forgot about TGBH coming out on the 28th, after following it for the last couple months. Has anyone seen Noah? I love Aronofsky but I just do not think making that movie was a wise career move. All of the discussion on IMDB seems to be about Christians being butthurt, there is very little discussion about the actual merits (or lack thereof) of the film.

Finally watched A Hijacking. Not at all what I expected but still loved it. What happens with real hijackings though? Presumably some military force gets called in, right? I find it unbelievable that it's left entirely up to the shipping company to negotiate.

Watched Snowpiercer yesterday. I'll tell you, I figured this was more or less your basic post-apocalyptic movie. Humanity has pretty much died out after a "solution" to global warming has frozen over earth. The only ones who survived were the ones aboard a train which basically has been going around the earth for the last 17 years. Everything is class orientated. Rich folks in the front. Poor people in the back.

See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dd4pogcc4Y

Definitely worth your time

Watched Jacob's Ladder. While I admit it had some pretty boring moments, the entertaining moments were really good. Some of the hallucinogenic moments were mesmerizing. 8.5 - 9/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Movie of the decade/5

Ok, it's no secret that I'm a big Anderson fanboy but TGBH is definitely his most accomplished oeuvre. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely phenomenal in this as the charming and mysterious Monsieur Gustave, the concierge of a prestigieous hotel. The rest of the cast is definitely good (you know what to expect from an Anderson movie and most of his accomplices are here, Murray, Wilson, Schwartzman, Goldblum, Dafoe...). Served by the best and most cohesive plot he ever had, the movie is a fast paced joyride with formidable characters, visuals and plot twists! I won't say more than that but if you're already a fan of Anderson, well you'll like it and if you're not, it will probably please you anyway since it's weirdly accessible even though it doesn't deviate much from his usual formula.

Here's some of my favorite things about the movie in no particular order:

Contracted - 3.75/5

Gleefully disgusting horror. I really enjoyed this - it's about a chick who gets taken advantage of at a drunken party and then her body starts to fall apart. It's over the top and schlocky to the extreme, but also sadistic and dark enough to appeal to modern horror fans. While it tries too hard at times, cramming in too many plot lines, I really appreciate the devotion to what horror is about in this. It's a creative flick that people really spent time making, and they took a real problem in the world and made a fuckin gross, repugnant film about it. I had fun with this.

The Way Way Back - 3.5/5

A nice movie, uplifting and fun. It falls back pretty hard on cliches of its genre - the whole displaced kid/broken family thing - and despite some glowing moments, it never really gets to the point where I learned anything profound. Mostly I liked this for the side characters, most notably Sam Rockwell as the owner of a water park. But the drama was good and I did enjoy this all the way through. Skips along like a light summer breeze. Fun and pleasant if not substantial.

Nebraska - 5/5

This was awesome. Bruce Dern gives an amazingly good performance in this as an old codger determined at all costs to get to Nebraska to collect lottery winnings - which are a sham that he refuses to see. He's surrounded by a great supporting cast including Will Forte, June Squibb and Stacy Keach - really everyone does a great job. The film is simple and unpretentious, with a real grace to it that adds weight to the dramatic moments and quiet wit to the humorous ones. There's a great balance between the two. While the film's themes have been used quite extensively in other films recently like Little Miss Sunshine, Stand Up Guys and tons of others, I really find them quite well done in Nebraska - there's just a real clarity to it, presenting the plot as exactly what it is: family is dysfunctional but it's all you got. They don't try to give you anything deeper. With a unified presentation and a confidence in its themes, I found this an unparalleled joy.

I just watched Contracted tonight, and I'm gonna back up everything Empyreal said about it. It's gross, disgusting, and really, really good. Helps that the main girl who the overwhelming majority of the screen time is dedicated to is similarly really good and makes you care about the character; this movie would have faltered hard if they had anyone less than that playing the main role. If you dig super uncomfortable body horror, then give it a watch.

Well I dunno about that. But either way!

So you finally went for it? Brilliant! I read the non-spoilered sections and it left me...

Awesome film if a bit sad and depressing. Being a fan of the Silent Hill video game series, I loved JL's influence found there.

Whenever I see a Michael Bay movie (or any other shitty, CGI laden action film for that matter) it's inevitable that by the end I'll be sitting there and thinking to myself: "Hundreds of millions for THAT?! Are you fucking kidding me!?". Seriously though, that money could be put to much better use. It's too bad the people who have the money would rather throw it away.

Anchorman 2 - I'm not the biggest fan of the first movie. I thought it had a few funny, quotable parts (mainly Sex Panther and the prank calls), and plenty of stretches that were just tedious or annoying. The sequel is amusing at times, but despite being quite a bit longer, it actually has fewer memorable moments than Anchorman 1. The worst bits are probably the ones that directly reference the original. There's basically a rehash of Sex Panther that isn't nearly as good, and a scene with way too many major star cameos.

Aw man, I thought that scene was the movie's one redeeming factor! Seriously, I was crying with laughter at that point. That said, I totally agree with your take on the rest of the movie; it felt like a series of increasingly irrelevant and unfunny non-sequiters.

Yeah saw this recently and that's the score I'd give it. Not sure what Subrick means about caring for the main character though, but a fun film in any case. Particularly liked the ending too. Going to watch Nebraska tonight, hadn't even heard of it until now.

The "big star in a small role" approach only works for me occasionally. One of my favorite examples from recent comedies is Will Ferrell's character in Wedding Crashers. First time I saw that movie, I had no idea he was even in it. Then he walks downstairs and starts screaming "Ma, the meatloaf!" and making fun of a guy who died while hang gliding. I already liked Wedding Crashers up to that point, but that scene really sealed the deal for me.

I guess in Anchorman 2, I was just about ready for the movie to end by the time it went cameo-crazy. And there were just so many familiar faces, it's like the filmmakers were saying "Look how many A listers are willing to take a huge pay cut so they can be part of this!" I didn't really like the fight scene in Anchorman 1 either, although the dialogue afterwards was funny.

I will admit I liked Brick's


however.

You may like Nebraska - it's a real feel good, "family is important" kind of film, but it's got more subtlety and depth than others like it. It's hard to pin point why it's so good, but for me it just hit a sweet spot. Really well made and well crafted film.

I got the chance to go to an early premier of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Gotta say it's in my top 3 when it comes to the new wave of super hero movies. Smooth fight choreography, plot with just enough twists and turns, and fun comic booky dialogue.

Mid-credits scene spoiler

I'll probably go see it this friday!

The Big Lebowski - 5/5

Finally got around to watching this last night. It is hysterical from start to finish. The characters are all quirky and bizarre but the chemistry is great and provides for many laughs. It's hard to really understand what is going on at times, due to the characters not really understanding what is going on, but for once I didn't feel the need to dissect every little thing apart to understand it. I'm sure with repeated watches I would grasp it a little better. John Goodman is my favourite character with his temper and the whole I'm a Vietnam veteran spiel.

Saw "Sabotage" on Tuesday; it was good, not great. Solid enough action scenes when there was any, and most of the cast put in solid performences. But it was too slow and dreary to make me really like it.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/it/2926 ... n-kings-it



I wonder how they are going to handle the scene. If they want to handle it at all, that is....

Shut the fuck up, Donny. You're out of your element.

You see what happens Larry, when you fuck a stranger in the ass? You see what happens?
Fuck it. Dude, let's go Bowling.

No, it's "You see what happens Larry, when you find a stranger in The Alps?"

That kid was about to crack.

So many great lines in that movie.

Anyway, saw Men at Work. Some old Charlie Sheen movie with his brother Emilo Estevez.

1.5/5
This is an action comedy that has a variety of characters whom all have their own little storylines and somehow they all manage to come together at the end, with the good guys winning. It's like some other movies around this time like Strange Brew in the way that it is about a couple idiots who get involved with some big plot without realizing it and then saving the day. It has some laughs, but not a great deal more than that. There were better action comedies coming out around this time like Beverly Hills Cop and the aforementioned Strange Brew.

I strongly doubt that scene is going to be part of it it's such a puzzling scene that sort of comes out of nowhere. I blame Stephen King's drug phase.
Anyways, I'm tentatively excited for this. IT is my favourite book ever, and the original movie was just so, so bad (Tim Curry as Pennywise notwithstanding) so it has nowhere to go but up.

Curse of Chucky: This was pretty hyped and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I appreciate the idea of taking the series in a different direction after the incredibly stupid last few, but I just didn't like how they did it all that much. The writing for Chucky himself is incredibly bad too. He has maybe 5 lines in the thing, and they're all embarrassing. That said, the atmosphere and look were decently handled, especially for a straight to DVD movie, and the score is fantastic. It's just not enough to save the movie when all of your characters suck. The main wheelchair girl (can you say Shakira resemblance?) does her gosh darned best to save it, but it's not enough. Recommended only for completionists and huge fans of the series. Are those a thing?

^Apparently that wheelchair girl is Brad Dourif's daughter.

I'm a fan of Child's Play 1 and 2 but I've no interest in seeing Curse of Chucky ever.

The IT movie we already have is such a giant piece of trash. This new one can't be anything but an improvement.

I just plain refuse to watch the It movie with Curry based on the quality and character of the book. Really don't want to see it defiled by a television-safe adaptation.




Yeah I hope they don't use it personally. For all its weirdness I thought it worked fine in the book, I just don't care to see that part onscreen.