Any Good movies or Dvd's?

[Cloud23465]

We used to have a post along time ago for movies in the theater so i'd figure i'd start this up again and add dvd's to it. I know spiderman 3's coming this tuseday and that was actually the last movie I saw in a theater... I can't wait!

[jeriddian]

Spiderman 3 was okay, but I felt it was not as good as the other two. The venom storyline seemd to throw a wrench inot the whole thing. But still, I'd get as a DVD.

I recently caught "The Kingdom", which I thought was pretty good. It was kind of neat watching Jennifer Garner fighting like crazy as the tend of the movie. That was a well done fight scene. Scary picture in many ways.

Might try for "Michael Clayton" later. I just don't have the time it seems to get to movies like I used to do.:dubiety:

[Fireand'chutes77]

I recently caught "The Kingdom", which I thought was pretty good. It was kind of neat watching Jennifer Garner fighting like crazy as the tend of the movie. That was a well done fight scene. Scary picture in many ways.
The trailers made "The Kingdom" seem really jingoistic/"USA! USA!" Did it pander to American Islamophobia, or actually come off as balanced?

[TransWarpDrive]

Friday night I watched my DVD of "Batman Begins" again. Good film; Christian Bale makes an excellent Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Michael Caine stands out as Alfred. I almost didn't recognize Rutger Hauer as the chairman of the board of directors for Wayne Enterprises.

[jeriddian]

I recently caught "The Kingdom", which I thought was pretty good. It was kind of neat watching Jennifer Garner fighting like crazy as the end of the movie. That was a well done fight scene. Scary picture in many ways.
The trailers made "The Kingdom" seem really jingoistic/"USA! USA!" Did it pander to American Islamophobia, or actually come off as balanced?

Actually, I think it was fairly well balanced. It might tend to show the Saudis in a slightly lesser light in the sense it was a "the Americans were on the scene and there to save the day", sort of theme, but overall, it was realistic, and really showed the conundrum we have in dealing with this nation and their culture. You especially see it in the last few minutes of the film. Their protrayal of the Saudi Colonel who worked with the group was very well done, and there were scenes of the family life that Saudis have that looked positive.

[lunchmeat]

It's a decididly different culture and takes a great deal of getting used to. The I'nshallah bit can be especially trying, since it's the universal excuse for everything, from failing to do maintenance to missing a rendevous. A vast reservoir of patience is necessary to get anything done over there. Worst garrison duty on the planet, I'm in no real hurry to go back.

[canuck31003]

I thought The Kingdom was okay. Unfortunately, after the first quarter of the movie I had a headache because of the camera direction--jerky movements, extreme closeups, et cetera. Of course, I'm a person who won't play any 1st person shooter games because I get dizzy. :)

[Cloud23465]

Just finished watching Spider-man 3. They always say that you pick things up that you missed the first time. I did.

[Sir Sebastian]

Spiderman 3 was okay, but I felt it was not as good as the other two.

I liked the first one, but I though the second was rubbish. The special effects were just awful. The part where Octavius breaks into the bank vault, you can clearly see even BEFORE he rips the door off, that the door is CGI.

I liked the third. Even if the club scene was a little..

[Cloud23465]

Spiderman 3 was okay, but I felt it was not as good as the other two.

I liked the first one, but I though the second was rubbish. The special effects were just awful. The part where Octavius breaks into the bank vault, you can clearly see even BEFORE he rips the door off, that the door is CGI.

I liked the third. Even if the club scene was a little..

Yeah... the club scene was a little to much. I think they could of did the movie without that scene.:errr:

[Cloud23465]

Has anyone else seen that CG Chipmunks movie that's coming out? I remember watching the cartoon when I was a kid... It's kinda crazy to see what there doing with it... then againm they did the same thing with Garfield. Why not.:blink:

[jeriddian]

I've seen the ads for it in theatres, but no promos yet.

[TransWarpDrive]

I just saw the tail end of an ad on TV tonight. I saw some stills from the movie on the Internet Movie Database yesterday. I didn't even know they were releasing a new "Alvin" movie until Tuesday night while I was going to pick my friend up from the airport. I saw a billboard that contained the word "ALVIN!" in big letters against a red background. Underneath it said, "In theaters Dec. 14."
Yeah, it looks intriguing. The Chipmunks look almost like real chipmunks, except for their faces. And this time around, they're chipmunk-size instead of human-size.
I might go and see it, if I can find the time. I also want to see the Disney film "Enchanted;" and also go see the "Star Wars" exhibit down at the Museum of Science and Industry (it's here until early January).

[GoTeamGirl]

I saw Enchanted and loved it. A very cute, funny movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End came out on DVD and I watched it again. For the first time I saw the scene at the end of the credits, which was a nice one.

[jeriddian]

I agree GTG, I thought "Enchanted" was very nice. I forgot there was that end scene to POTC. Now I have to get the DVD to see it, because I missed it in the theaters.

Got to see "Beowulf" as well. I must say I did not care for it. I was surprised they had CGI'd the entire movie, despite having the actors there. It was disturbing. I also felt the script wasn't all that good either. Pretty awesome action sequences though.

[Fireand'chutes77]

Got to see "Beowulf" as well. I must say I did not care for it. I was surprised they had CGI'd the entire movie, despite having the actors there. It was disturbing. I also felt the script wasn't all that good either. Pretty awesome action sequences though.
"I... am... Beowulf!!!!"

I wonder what other absurdly-overblown-and-CGI'ed movie they were trying to rip off.... :rolleyes:

I was surprised they had CGI'd the entire movie, despite having the actors there.
So it was similar in style to "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow?"

[kyojikasshu]

I forgot there was that end scene to POTC. Now I have to get the DVD to see it, because I missed it in the theaters.

I make it a point to stay until I see the ratings card at the very end of the reel for every show I go to, at least when it's my first viewing. This way, when there is a stinger, I never miss it. The only exception would be on that extremely rare occasion where I actually see a movie in the theaters for a second time, and therefore know whether or not it has a stinger to bother waiting for.

And I blame Ferris Bueller's Day Off for that habit of mine. :laugh:

[jeriddian]

I was surprised they had CGI'd the entire movie, despite having the actors there.
So it was similar in style to "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow?"

Sky Captain was better, I think.:dubiety:

[TransWarpDrive]

I forgot there was that end scene to POTC. Now I have to get the DVD to see it, because I missed it in the theaters.

I make it a point to stay until I see the ratings card at the very end of the reel for every show I go to, at least when it's my first viewing. This way, when there is a stinger, I never miss it. The only exception would be on that extremely rare occasion where I actually see a movie in the theaters for a second time, and therefore know whether or not it has a stinger to bother waiting for.

And I blame Ferris Bueller's Day Off for that habit of mine. :laugh:
:laugh:
That's ok; there's another perfectly valid reason to wait that long at the end of a movie: it gives the traffic out of the parking lot a chance to thin out. Plus, you get to hear some terrific themes from the movie's soundtrack (they always include this music, listed as "End Credits" or something like it, on the movie's soundtrack CD).

[lunchmeat]

I tend to watch films to the bitter end, as well, much to the annoyance of some of my dates (back when I was stil doing that sort of thing, anyway). Fallout from taking a couple of film classes as an undergraduate.

[TheGreenMagic]

Having just finished finally watching PotC: At World's End about a half hour ago... oh, that was a helluva thing... and well worth the extended wait. Barbossa rocked as usual, but that goes without saying. And that final battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman around the maelstrom in the ocean... that's what I call epic.

[Molloy]

I feel like watching My Dinner with Andre again. However, my wife really doesn't have the patience to sit through two guys chatting it up in a restaurant for 90 mins.

However, I might be able to convince her to watch Swimming to Cambodia. Ironically, she has no problem watching one guy sitting at a desk talking for 90 mins.

[GoTeamGirl]

Having just finished finally watching PotC: At World's End about a half hour ago... oh, that was a helluva thing... and well worth the extended wait. Barbossa rocked as usual, but that goes without saying. And that final battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman around the maelstrom in the ocean... that's what I call epic.

That has to be the longest battle I've ever seen, and it leaves you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention how a bunch of plot lines are coming together during the battle.

[TransWarpDrive]

I just watched my DVD of "Trading Places" with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. I pulled it out of my DVD bin along with my Christmas discs. I know it may not exactly be a Christmas film per se, but its story does take place over the Christmas and New Year holidays, so I felt it was a fitting picture to watch this time of year.
Besides, it's just plain funny. :P

[GoTeamGirl]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix recently came out on DVD. Though the movie was shorter than the other Harry Potter movies (and the book longer), I really like this movie. The acting in particular was really good.

[kyojikasshu]

I just watched my DVD of "Trading Places" with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. I pulled it out of my DVD bin along with my Christmas discs. I know it may not exactly be a Christmas film per se, but its story does take place over the Christmas and New Year holidays, so I felt it was a fitting picture to watch this time of year.
Besides, it's just plain funny. :P

Good choice. Good choice indeed...

I'm trying to think of any Christmas movies that I personally own... and the only one I can think of off the top of my head is the Love Hina Christmas Special. I don't really own any Christmas movies, per se. (My family shares enough of them with me...)

I did watch Elf for the first time this weekend. I liked it... even non-Will Ferrell fans can like this one.

[Cloud23465]

Well... blockbuster did it again. Rate Hike! the past year they went up $7 a month for there total access and I got another email saying that as of the beginning of next year there going up $10 more. It used to be 15.99+tax now it's going to start to cost 34.99+tax! I used to like renting dvd's but for what it's costing to rent... I think i'm just going to start buying.:confused:

[TransWarpDrive]

Well... blockbuster did it again. Rate Hike! the past year they went up $7 a month for there total access and I got another email saying that as of the beginning of next year there going up $10 more. It used to be 15.99+tax now it's going to start to cost 34.99+tax! I used to like renting dvd's but for what it's costing to rent... I think i'm just going to start buying.:confused:
Check your local library, and see if they have DVDs you can borrow. I can borrow them from mine, as well as VHS tapes and music CDs. If you decide to go ahead and purchase DVDs, you can find some real bargains at shops that sell used CDs and DVDs. Some stores even have a limited return policy in case you buy defective discs. But not all shops have such policies, however; most consider all sales of used discs as final. So check with your local used-music and video shop first.
As for new DVDs, now is a good time to buy since merchants are cutting prices during the Christmas shopping season. Prices will drop even lower after the holiday, so you'll certainly get bargains then.

[TransWarpDrive]

I just watched my DVD of the 1984 TV movie version of "A Christmas Carol," starring George C. Scott ("Patton") as Ebenezer Scrooge. An excellent version of Dickens' tale.
(Yep-my Christmas movie parade continues... :D)

[TransWarpDrive]

Like I mentioned over in the "What Are You Currently Watching?" thread, I just watched my DVD of Forbidden Planet. This is a two-disc special edition, released in 2006 to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary. In addition to the movie, this DVD set also contains 3 documentaries about Forbidden Planet, as well as another movie in which Robby the Robot played a major role: the 1957 movie The Invisible Boy. There's also an episode of the TV series The Thin Man titled Robot Client featuring Robby. One of my friends gave me this DVD, which was on my Christmas wish list this year. Man, I got a real bargain with this one... :D :)

[Cloud23465]

I just got finished watching Rush Hour 3 and my head hurts from laughing. :laugh: Chris tucker and Jackie Chan are a great combination as always.

[TransWarpDrive]

I just got finished watching Rush Hour 3 and my head hurts from laughing. :laugh: Chris tucker and Jackie Chan are a great combination as always.
I remember seeing Chris Tucker in that SF film The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. Tucker played Ruby Rod (sp?), a musician/DJ who got caught up with Bruce and Milla in their quest to save the Earth from a hostile alien entity. Tucker's character was, IMHO, a hilarious blend of Michael Jackson and basketball player Dennis Rodman. :laugh:
Mr. Tucker is indeed funny. I'll have to take a look at those Rush Hour films...

[Cloud23465]

I just got finished watching Rush Hour 3 and my head hurts from laughing. :laugh: Chris tucker and Jackie Chan are a great combination as always.
I remember seeing Chris Tucker in that SF film The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. Tucker played Ruby Rod (sp?), a musician/DJ who got caught up with Bruce and Milla in their quest to save the Earth from a hostile alien entity. Tucker's character was, IMHO, a hilarious blend of Michael Jackson and basketball player Dennis Rodman. :laugh:
Mr. Tucker is indeed funny. I'll have to take a look at those Rush Hour films...

Oh you'll love them trust me. But yeah The Fifth Element was another one of his fine moments for a laugh.:laugh:

[Greenmandmz]

I just got finished watching Rush Hour 3 and my head hurts from laughing. :laugh: Chris tucker and Jackie Chan are a great combination as always.
I remember seeing Chris Tucker in that SF film The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. Tucker played Ruby Rod (sp?), a musician/DJ who got caught up with Bruce and Milla in their quest to save the Earth from a hostile alien entity. Tucker's character was, IMHO, a hilarious blend of Michael Jackson and basketball player Dennis Rodman. :laugh:
Mr. Tucker is indeed funny. I'll have to take a look at those Rush Hour films...
Yes, the first Rush Hour film is simply a riot! There's a lot of language in it, but it's still well worth the time to watch. It's quite quotable, too.

Haven't seen the third one yet, but it's on my list of films to watch (which is getting rather lengthy, now that I think about it).

[CellerFan]

Hi Gang,

Unless my memory has failed me, I think this is the first time I've ever posted in the Gen. Disc. side of GJA.

Just wanted to add my own latest experience in movie-going. Last Friday I left work and let the hype lead me to the long-previewed movie produced by J.J. Abrams - Cloverfield.

The first trailer for this movie aired last summer, with no title at all, before the screen opening of the Transformers movie. At that time, it could only be referred to by its release date - "1-18-08". The hype and speculation didn't stop from that point until the movie's premier.

In the past, most movies of this nature, with this level of buildup, nearly always failed to live up to the hype of the pre-release campaign.

In my opinion, this was not one of those movies.

This is not to say that there isn't room for disappointment. It's all in how you set yourself up to see the movie. If you're expecting the "classic" monster movie smash-em-up in the vein of Godzilla or King Kong, then yes, you'll be disappointed by Cloverfield. The movie isn't centered so much around the monster itself. It also doesn't have the classic human roles of protagionist/antagonist/hero who take it upon themselves to defeat the monster. The characters are actually pretty normal people, thrust into the ultimate abnormal situation, and the movie showcases how they deal with surviving the disaster, with all camera work shot from "point-of-view" perspective, to immerse you more into the drama they face.

One of the most amazing things that stuck with me after seeing the movie is the fact that something with this much action and destruction only(!) cost $25 million to make. This bothered some people before the movie, thinking that with that small a budget, clear shots of the monster itself would be fleeting, even cheap. I'll tell you now that this just isn't the case. There are several clear scenes that show the monster in its entirety - and each of them instantly give you that "oh s***, RUN!!!" feeling in your gut. The team that designed the monster did a fantastic job.

My honest opinion? :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Go see it! One pointer; if shaky and chaotic camera motion tends to make you nauseous, it would be a good idea to sit more toward the back of the theater. I was close to the front, but then such motion doesn't bother me much (maybe it's from watching all those episodes of COPS where the cameraman runs with the officers while they're chasing the perpetrators between apartment buildings and through back yards :laugh:)

[jeriddian]

Nice to see you back, CellarFan,

I had wondered about seeing this movie. It looked weird to me the way the trailer presented it. I am troubled a bit by the "shaky" camera work though, That always seems to annoy me, but I may opt to see it anyway because it does seem a fresh apporach to this kind of movie.

[Fireand'chutes77]

I've seen three good movies recently in just as many days.

On Saturday night, my dad and I watched 3:10 to Yuma. I liked it, even though it was a Western. (I like pretty much anything that has trains in it. Plus, the movie's title flat-out rocked.)

The action was good, and it was quite realistic when it came to violence. The father/son angst was a little sappy, but hey, it's a Western. The ending was cetainly a sad shocker. :(

On Sunday evening, my family watched the second half of Titanic over dinner on TNT. I'd only seen the first half, perhaps 3 years ago, up until Jack and Rose escape into the boiler room. Something came up in the middle of watching the movie, and we've never had the time to get back to it. (That sketch scene nearly burnt my eyebrows off... Yow! ;) :biggergrin:) Ironically, we happened to tune into TNT.... right as Jack and Rose escape into the boiler room. Overall, the story was a smidge melodramatic, but dang, were the special effects good. (Odd, though - I wouldn't expect the water frothing up inside the ship to be about as clean as a Los Angeles dive tank. ;)) I was a big Titanic afficianado went I was little, and even now, I was able to point out different shots from the movie that mirrored famous photgraphs and paintings. I also had fun pointing out all the inaccuracies... "That didn't happen.... That didn't happen either.... Murdoch didn't do that.... And that didn't happen... OK, so they got that bit right..." :innocent: As the movie-Titanic sank, we pulled out all the books I'd had on the subject and traced out what had happened as it played out on-screen.

Later that evening, my dad and I watched Letters from Iwo Jima. It was a good story, and did a very good job of humanising the common Japanese ground trooper and General Kuribayashi. It also showed just how off their rockers the rest of the Japanese officers and government workers were.

I'd seen the movie Flags of Our Fathers previously, and I knew that scenes from both films overlapped. It was cool to recognise incidents from FoOF and now see them from the Japanese perspective. This movie certainly had a different tone from FoOF.

I'd read the books "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Flyboys," both by James Bradley. (The latter book focused on Chichi Jima, an island to the north, and the Japanese perspective.) I knew about the massive, rolling airstrikes the USAAF had conducted for a month before the ground invasion, but seeing the power of it depicted onscreen... was something else.

[campy]

I've seen three good movies recently in just as many days. [...]

On Sunday evening, my family watched the second half of Titanic over dinner on TNT. I'd only seen the first half, perhaps 3 years ago, I think that's still the most recent movie I've seen in a theater. I took my younger daughter.

I also saw it aboard a cruise ship in 1998. A docked cruise ship. In the nice, warm, iceberg-free port of San Juan, PR.

[TransWarpDrive]

Tonight I watched my DVD of Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Martin plays an uptight ad executive trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and he keeps running into John Candy with each delay in his trip. As things go wrong, Steve Martin's character gets madder and madder, which only adds to the comedy of the situation.
It's a well-made movie and it's quite funny, although it's rated "R" for the excessive use of foul language throughout the film.
I just realized, looking at the film's release date (1987) on the DVD case, that this movie's already over twenty years old. :blink: But that's OK; good comedy's timeless.
After the movie, I watched an episode of "Hannah Montana" on one of her DVDs (okay, I admit it: I'm secretly a "Hannah" fan, too... :innocent:).

[Ran Hakubi]

I watched "What Women Want" yesterday while fighting off a sore throat.

I must say, I am impressed. I would have laughed more if my throat didn't hurt, but for the most part it was an enjoyable movie.

A few nights ago, I had bought the second and third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Those brought back some childhood memories. Now I need to get "TMNT" to complete my Turtles DVD collection. I was a Turtles fan as a kid, and it has actually carried over to this day. Cowabunga!

[TransWarpDrive]

I watched "What Women Want" yesterday while fighting off a sore throat.

I must say, I am impressed. I would have laughed more if my throat didn't hurt, but for the most part it was an enjoyable movie.

A few nights ago, I had bought the second and third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Those brought back some childhood memories. Now I need to get "TMNT" to complete my Turtles DVD collection. I was a Turtles fan as a kid, and it has actually carried over to this day. Cowabunga!
I saw the first live-action "Turtles" movie at the cinema back in the early 90's. I remember one scene where, during a fight, one of the TMNT's ducks his head into his shell to avoid getting punched, then pops it back up and cheerfully declares, "I love being a turtle!" (Or words to that effect...) :laugh: