Dr Frankenollie wrote:The first time I watched 2001, I was bored to tears by it. Now that I've watched it again, I can say it's not as bad as I first considered it, but I'm uncertain of what I think of it. Douglas Rain is very good as Hal 9000, the visuals are ahead of their time, and it can be thought-provoking; yet the characters are one-dimensional, it goes at an agonisingly slow pace, and it can be very vague and pretentious. Put simply, I have very mixed feelings about it.
I share those same feelings. I actually wrote a rant about it but decided it'd be best to not provoke anyone. If someone wants a 'general' idea of how I feel about the movie, then go watch the Confused Matthew review and the afterwords.
dvdjunkie wrote:Apparently you wouldn't know a good movie if it bit you in the arse.
dvdjunkie wrote:Sorry if the only good taste you have is in your mouth, [...]
It’s understandable if you disagree with him but being outright rude is just uncalled for.
Anyways, the latest...
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) 7/10 - I thought it was just as good, if not slightly better, then the original Swedish film. I could go over the pros and cons of both movies but in the end, I enjoyed both equally.
War Horse (2011) 7/10 - Long, episodic and emotionally manipulative. I can live with that but it’s the disconnect with the boy and his horse that makes this movie drag (I can’t even remember their names). I never bought their bond or understood why I should care about either of them. I found myself more concerned for some of the supporting players who only had a few minutes on screen. Never read the book or seen the play to compare, but this seems like a rather major flaw. That and just how formulaic the story is. Still, it was well made. Spielberg certainly knows how to stage a shot and provides plenty of spectacle here. One of the best features of this movie is the cinematography. Absolutely stunning. The ending seems ripped straight out of
The Searchers and
Gone With the Wind (not surprising, since Spielberg is a big fan of both). The John Williams score is appropriate / effective, although most of it seems borrowed, not only from others but himself too. I guess that’s my main problem with this movie, that while well made, it’s just too by-the-book to leave any kind of lasting impression. It feels more like a homage to movies of old then an original piece of work.
Happy Feet 2 (2011) 5.5/10 - There is no point or payoff to this movie. It just meanders the whole time and as flawed as the original one was, at least it wasn’t boring. This is just one large environmental PSA that I could do without.