What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:39 pm

@ jpanimation: I wonder... If you liked Black Swan that much, why did you only give it a 7.5? Seems you are very tough with the ratings.

Disney's Rapunzel (2010)

As it's called in The Netherlands, and that's how I stubbornly keep calling it. Seeing it for the second time (this time on dvd), I went from 'just liking' it a lot to absolutely in love with it! Best Disney movie since Lilo & Stitch, and probably even the best since Tarzan (still in doubt about that). Anyway, Rapunzel has instantly become one of my favorite Disney princesses, as I lover her naive yet brave personality, her innocence and cuteness and her courage to be willing to sacrifice her life to heal Flynn. And Flynn is the best Disney heroe for wanting to give his life (literally) to save Rapunzel from Gothel. I just think their relationship is the best, the most sincere and best-developed of all Disney couples. I have also new respect for the songs.

Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Funny, charming little film. Best use of the Pooh-characters. Especially love the music, the songs are very clever. Definitly amonst the most creative Disney has done when it comes to songs.

Lazario · Post by **Lazario** » Mon Apr 11, 2011 2:53 am

Not at all what I expected. But I was thoroughly entertained. Not to mention blown away by the movie's visual style and Bernhard's acting ability.

An old favorite from childhood that just wasn't enough fun. Dinky is SO annoying.

TheSequelOfDisney · Post by **TheSequelOfDisney** » Mon Apr 11, 2011 6:31 pm

Memento

So, I totally thought I was going to write on here "Say what????" but that isn't the case at all. I actually think I understood this movie and it wasn't as complicated as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was actually pretty cool to watch. It's a pretty decent picture if you haven't yet seen it. But watch, I'll probably get only a few points on the film quiz tomorrow; I'll probably randomly forget something (haha, I made a funny).

littlefuzzy · Post by **littlefuzzy** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:20 pm

Dumb & Dumber - Pretty funny, it wasn't perfect. Mary was pretty "smokin'!!" Harry and Lloyd are two dumb guys who try to return a briefcase to a girl halfway across the country.

Space Camp - I haven't watched this in a while, a group of kid "astronauts" accidentally get launched on a shuttle, and have to use their Space Camp training to rescue themselves.

King Ralph - John Goodman as the uncouth Vegas lounge act Ralph Jones becomes the King of England, but some people would like to see him replaced. Lots of fun in this one.

Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd - I'm not laughing WITH this movie, I'm laughing AT it! A VERY POOR prequel to Dumb & Dumber. However, I have seen worse (2-3 of them this month!)

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:35 am

Went to see Sucker Punch for the third time last night, and was not disappointed. I saw some other things I had missed the first two times around. Zack Snyder is proving that he is a director to be reckoned with in the coming years. "Sucker Punch" is marvelously filmed movie that hooks you in the first few minutes and doesn't let go until the ending credits. The soundtrack is very good, and very well done. When I walked out of the theater this time, I wanted to go find the soundtrack on CD, but it was after 11 pm when all the store but Wally World and Super Target are closed. Will go looking this afternoon.

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:05 pm

Lebanon (2009)

One of the best films I've seen in a long time. It shows the experiences of four young Israeli soldiers on their first mission, during the first days of the war in Lebanon in 1982. The brilliance is that they're only shown inside their tank, and what happens outside is only shown through the lense of the tank. This gives the film a really claustrophobic feeling. It also adds to the suspense that you can't see what's going on outside. The moral dilemmas with which these soldiers struggle is also shown perfectly, in a very gripping way. Recommened to all!

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Drama about John Lennon's early years and his troubled relations with his mother and aunt and how he was emotionally torn by it. Basically, it's the story behind his song 'Mother'. Although all parts were played well, and Lennon's mother was especially endearing and well done, overall it wasn't very special at all. I liked it allright, but had it not been about Lennon, I don't know if I had cared as much.

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:39 pm

With the passing of Elizabeth Taylor we watched one of my favorite movies Elephant Walk (1954). Taylor stars with Dana Andrews and Peter Finch and portrays a rich English socialite who marries Peter Finch who carries her off to Elephant Walk, Ceylon. Really good movie, and holds it dated story very well.

Disney-Fan · Post by **Disney-Fan** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:56 pm

Source Code - Was not expecting such an intellegent sci-fi thriller. I was pleasantly surprised all the way up to the final exciting twist. 9/10 - Dare I say one of the best sci-fi flicks in the last two decades!

SmartAleck25 · Post by **SmartAleck25** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:59 pm

Lemonade Mouth (2011 film) 6/10
Based on a book. It was an ok DCOM; predictable but heartwarming. Nice songs as well. MUCH better than the Suite Life Movie.

Avaitor · Post by **Avaitor** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:06 pm

After some connection issues, Netflix started working on my Wii again last night, so I watched 2 movies instead of going to sleep.

First I watched the first Camp Rock. I initially had no interest in these movies until I grew a massive crush on Demi Lovato, and watched the second on New Years Eve.

I didn't hate that but wasn't big on it either. I think I would have preferred it a lot more if the Jonas Brothers weren't there. They're horrible actors who suck the life out of everything, and they can barely perform either. Demi made up for that, but I prefer her actual music to the soundtrack.

Since Disney Channel never airs the first one anymore and I refuse to actually buy it without at least seeing it first, I didn't get to see the original until I found out that Netflix was streaming it. They've had it for a little while now but for some reason just chose last night to watch it.

My thoughts? It's just like every other Disney Channel movie. Hokey acting, predictable writing, mostly lame songs, and flat direction. Nothing to write home about at all and if I didn't like Demi as much as I do, I wouldn't have even bothered with it.

I guess I prefer the second to the first. All the problems I had with CR2 were multiplied by at least 5 in the original. The Jo Bros were even worse in there, if that's possible. The songs were even more forgettable, aside from maybe the last two, "This is Me" and "We Rock". Even Demi barely saved it for me. She has come a long way since Camp Rock 1 in terms of vocal ability and looks, and compare her from then to CR2, there you go.

I also prefer how the second was built a little more like a musical. That's not to say that most of the numbers there worked, but I think it worked better to make it feel shorter and less like a struggle than the first.

There's more I could go into while comparing both movies... but when I think about that, I realize that I'm talking about Disney Channel shit, and I've said more than I need to.

After watching that, I decided to watch Pandora's Box, the 1928 silent picture. Now that's a film I could talk a lot about. An incredibly conflicting, intense experience. Great film if you're able to handle it.

jpanimation · Post by **jpanimation** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:25 pm

Goliath wrote:@ jpanimation: I wonder... If you liked Black Swan that much, why did you only give it a 7.5? Seems you are very tough with the ratings.

I’ve mentioned it before but I give it the rating I feel it should have on IMDB, taking into consideration the average you see on there. 7.5 isn’t bad, just not great.

Disney-Fan wrote:Source Code - Was not expecting such an intelligent sci-fi thriller. I was pleasantly surprised all the way up to the final exciting twist. 9/10 - Dare I say one of the best sci-fi flicks in the last two decades!

I’m excited about this movie for two reasons: 1) I loved Moon [I though Star Trek and District 9 would be the only good sci-fi we got in 09 but then Duncan Jones gave us this little gem] and 2) I love Michelle Monaghan. My gut feeling is that it’ll disappoint, which is entirely possible with all the hype surrounding it and me buying into it.

Anyways, my library had Rapunzel on Blu and this was my first time seeing it since watching the recording of it online:

Rapunzel (2010) 7/10 - I liked it more this time but still can't get past it's flaws. First of all, it's a good movie. The animation is gorgeous and I haven't been this impressed with computer animation since Horton Hears a Who. Rapunzel is one of my favorite (I hate using this term) Disney princesses and Flynn is - mostly - a great counterpart (if it weren't for the hip one-liners and the stupid Eugene reveal). Their relationship works much better then the Naveen/Tiana one and that's one of the most important ingredients to a good movie; great character development. Unfortunately, Mother Gothel disappoints in almost every aspect. From the weird decision to give her an 80s Cher look to leaving out any form of originality, I just didn't care for her at all. She lives with Rapunzel for 18 years and gains absolutely 'zero' feelings or attachment towards her. The fact that her only character traits are being dishonest and selfish made her feel completely one-dimensional and bland, when she should've had some kind of internal conflict or feelings of guilt for having to lie and exploit a child she loves. While Doctor Facilier was pretty underdeveloped, at least he had mounds of appeal, where as Gothel doesn't feel original in any way. Which leads me to this movie's next problem, the songs. For the most part, they're terribly bland and uninteresting (they make the Princess and the Frog numbers look amazing). They contribute nothing and I said the same thing in my original review, this movie would've worked MUCH better as a non-musical. As I said before, I like the story but I do feel it gets a little messy at times. The opening is bad. The original story book opening they have in the deleted scenes (where the king steals the flower from Gothel's garden) works much better then this new hip opening of having Flynn talking about his death. IDK if they thought referencing Sunset Blvd. would be cool but it just doesn't work here (that and I hate exposition to begin with). The ending also doesn't work for me. Flynn should've died. The cop-out 'teardrop of life' nearly ruins the movie for me. I also dislike Rapunzel's short hair. Not just because the long hair helped detract from her freakishly large eyes but because her short haircut is too modern looking for the time period. Overall, I like it but I feel like some things were just shoved in there for the sake of it (musical numbers and happy ending) and other things could've used a little more effort (Mother Gothel).

As for the Blu-ray, it looks great in the PQ dept but is totally barebones with no worth while supplements. I say rent it.

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:17 am

Watched The Jazz Singer (1980) starring Laurence Olivier, Neil Diamond and Luci Arnaz. Critics trampled all over this film because of the storyline and the acting. Actually, considering this was the first and only major starring role Neil Diamond ever had, he didn't too badly. I have always maintained that they shouldn't have had such an icon as Olivier in the movie, who is the consummate actor, and maybe Neil Diamond wouldn't have looked so wooden. The music is great, and I truly like the modern story of a cantor who becomes a rock star. Luci Arnaz was not bad in this movie either.

Also watched another classic movie, Operation Petticoat starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. All about a broken down submarine that is being taken for one last cruise, they resuce some nurses from an island, and inadvertantly the submarine gets painted bright pink. Funny movie, some of the better one-liners that still stand up today.

I recommend both movies very heartily for those who just want to sit back and be entertained.

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:44 pm

jpanimation wrote:[...] The opening is bad. The original story book opening they have in the deleted scenes (where the king steals the flower from Gothel's garden) works much better then this new hip opening of having Flynn talking about his death.

I completely disagree. I think such a storybook-opening would've send the audience to sleep instantly. I watched those sequences on dvd, and thought they were terribly boring and way too slow. It's 2011 now, and new kinds of openings are okay. We don't have to keep doing it the way it would've been done in the 1950's. (Yes, I realize you're *not* Disney Duster.)

jpanimation wrote:[...] The ending also doesn't work for me. Flynn should've died. The cop-out 'teardrop of life' nearly ruins the movie for me. [...]

The hero dying in a Disney movie? Do you even know what 'Disney' is about? It's not about depressing people. What would have been the appeal of Flynn dying? I don't think a happy ending should always be a given; far from that. Lots of good films beg for an unhappy ending. Rapunzel is just not one of them. And if you don't agree, I don't think you've "gotten" the film. No offense.

Last watched:

Far from Heaven (2002)

Yes, I got it: this is supposed to mimic an actual 1950's movie. It's obvious from the beginning with the titles, credits and musical score: all set in 1950's style. Even the acting has been based upon acting conventions of the 1950's: a bit wooden, a bit of over-articulation and not at all natural. This is clearly what the director was going for, so in that respect, he has succeeded. The problem is that 1950's Hollywood movies gave a very caricatured, artificial, flat look at real-life issues, and to mimic that, only results in more artificiality, which makes for a really bad movie. Besides, in the first 20 minutes we, as an audience, are promised this movie's going to be about a married man wrestling with homosexuality. But for the rest of the film, we see nothing of him anymore and instead get 'treated' to a very clichéd depiction of an inter-racial (platonic) relationship. Not only is all of this executed in a mind-blowingly dull way; none of the actions taken by the characters have any consequences or even lead up to anything. That wouldn't be so bad if this was the kind of movie I'm reviewing below... but this is presented as a conventional dramatic story. But there's no drama at all; no interesting characters; nothing! Avoid at all costs!

Me and you and everyone we know (2005)

When watching and enjoying this incredible little gem of a movie, I constantly had to think of Todd Solondz' dark and disturbing comedy-drama Happiness. According to the reviews on IMDb, I'm not the only one. Both pictures deal with short outtakes of ordinary, yet somewhat eccentric people's lives without telling us what happened before or after --that's not important. There's just the banality of everyday life. There's no bigger story or theme to it. There's just what's on the screen. I think a lot of people would not like this one and wouldn't see the point of it. But the secret is: there is no point. There are just these characters to enjoy. What makes them and their lifestories so great, is that they're so real. They're so authentic, in their own weird ways. The difference with Happiness, is that this one is not dark at all and lot less disturbing. The characters are a lot more likable. This is not for everybody and you have to be in the right mood. But if you are, this is a great experience.

jpanimation · Post by **jpanimation** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:51 pm

Goliath wrote:I completely disagree. I think such a storybook-opening would've send the audience to sleep instantly. I watched those sequences on dvd, and thought they were terribly boring and way too slow. It's 2011 now, and new kinds of openings are okay. We don't have to keep doing it the way it would've been done in the 1950's. (Yes, I realize you're *not* Disney Duster.)

It's funny but Flynn's narration was putting me to sleep (as would any form of exposition, to be honest). The snarkiness felt too familiar (probably due to a decade of overuse in Dreamworks' movies) and I just generally dislike hearing about events, I'd rather watch them unfold. This is coming from the guy who is bored to death by Sleeping Beauty's opening.

Goliath wrote:The hero dying in a Disney movie? Do you even know what 'Disney' is about? It's not about depressing people. What would have been the appeal of Flynn dying? I don't think a happy ending should always be a given; far from that. Lots of good films beg for an unhappy ending. Rapunzel is just not one of them. And if you don't agree, I don't think you've "gotten" the film. No offense.

IDK, killing off Leonardo DiCaprio (who also sacrificed himself for the girl he loved) earned Titanic billions and a Best Picture award (that last one makes me laugh). Maybe it's not that crazy an idea?

BelleGirl · Post by **BelleGirl** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:46 am

Goliath wrote:The hero dying in a Disney movie? Do you even know what 'Disney' is about? It's not about depressing people. What would have been the appeal of Flynn dying? I don't think a happy ending should always be a given; far from that. Lots of good films beg for an unhappy ending. Rapunzel is just not one of them. And if you don't agree, I don't think you've "gotten" the film. No offense.
IDK, killing off Leonardo DiCaprio (who also sacrificed himself for the girl he loved) earned Titanic billions and a Best Picture award (that last one makes me laugh). Maybe it's not that crazy an idea?

Well, 'Titanic' isn't a Disney animated feature, and that makes a big difference. (nor is it a fairy tale) Sure the audience for 'Titanic' could accept Leonardo di Caprio dying (after all, lots of people died when the Titanic sank). Things the audience would accept from Cameron they will not automatically accept from Disney as well.

Watched Up (2009) this sunday. I felt like it , hadn't seen it for over a year. This one is high on my Pixar movie-list.

TheSequelOfDisney · Post by **TheSequelOfDisney** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:59 am

I watched these films this past two weeks:

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Star Trek
Broadway: The American Musical (all 6 episodes)
Yentl
Hello, Dolly!
Sondheim: The Birthday Concert
Sister Act
Funny Girl
Sleepers
Brothers
Eat Pray Love
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
Walt & El Grupo

Scarred4life · Post by **Scarred4life** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:08 pm

Goliath wrote:I completely disagree. I think such a storybook-opening would've send the audience to sleep instantly. I watched those sequences on dvd, and thought they were terribly boring and way too slow. It's 2011 now, and new kinds of openings are okay.

Yeah, I didn't like the storybook openings either, but I also really, really disliked Flynn's opening. It was rushed, boring, and I felt that they had the opportunity to make it really original and memorable, but they just went for a cheap, Dreamworks style opening.

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:21 pm

jpanimation wrote:IDK, killing off Leonardo DiCaprio (who also sacrificed himself for the girl he loved) earned Titanic billions and a Best Picture award (that last one makes me laugh). Maybe it's not that crazy an idea?

Yes, but I feel that ending was very fitting for the movie. You know: dramatic epic story about a forbidden love? Couldn't have ended any better! A Disney movie? Got to have a happy end. It's okay for the villain to die, but that's all.

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:24 am

Watched The King's Speech late last night and early this morning. Picked it up at Wal-Mart at 12:01 a.m. Had to see it again, only this time at home. Colin Firth is an amazing actor, and Geoffrey Rush almost stole the whole movie from him. Although some of the historic events are out of place, this is still a first quality movie and should be seen by all who call themselves 'movie junkies'. Recommended viewing.

littlefuzzy · Post by **littlefuzzy** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:56 pm

Kingpin - Woody Harrelson is a bowler who lost his hand, and tries to convince an Amish bowler to go to the championship. Directed by the Farrelly Brothers. - This was fun, I haven't seen it in a while.

Daddy Day Care - Eddie Murphy and friend get fired, so they start up a home daycare business. If you don't expect too much, it's entertaining.

A Night at the Roxbury - Will Ferrell and Chris Cattan are 2 brothers who think they are cool, and they try to get into a hip nightclub and pick up girls. I know this has a lot of fans, I didn't really get into it that much. I feel that this was the SNL sketches stretched out too long (although I haven't seen those.)

Legally Blonde - Reese Witherspoon goes to Harvard Law School to follow her boyfriend who dumped her. This was pretty fun, I've seen people call it unrealistic because there's no way a dumb girl could get into Harvard... They missed the point of the film, IMO.

Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde - This time, she goes to Washington DC to plead the case of her dog's mother, who is being used in animal product testing. Not as good as the first, but still enjoyable.

Movie # 200!
The Princess Diaries - A gawky American girl discovers that she is a princess in line for the throne of Genovia. This was actually decent, Julie Andrews was great as the Queen.

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement - This time, the princess is told that she must marry in 30 days, or she will lose the crown to a scheming man's nephew. Not quite as good as the first, it was ok.

Daddy Day Camp - Poor sequel to Daddy Day Care, without the original actors. As the tilte implies, this time it's a summer camp, complete with the standard " mean rich camp" neighbor, and a competition between the two camps. A pale imititation of the first, complete with stolen gags.

Sorority Boys - 3 frat boys are framed for stealing the frat's money, and are kicked out. They try to sneak in as girls to get a video tape that will clear them, but are thrown out by the "dog catchers". They end up at a sorority full of undesirable girls, and manage to help the girls with self-esteem issues. - This was OK, the frat leader's voice was pretty annoying though.

Inspector Gadget - A live-action remake of the Inspector Gadget cartoon, although many detractors dislike it because it changes too much from the cartoon. I found it fun (I've seen it before.)

Inspector Gadget 2 - This is half DTV sequel, and half re-cast remake/relaunch of the first movie. They tried to keep it closer to the cartoon, but ignored most things that happened in the first movie. This was still entertaining, but it could have been better.

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What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin