Recent theatrical viewings

Rev. Powell · November 22, 2009, 09:00:17 PM

A SERIOUS MAN: A putzy Jewish physics professor suffers from a series of problems including a failing marriage, bratty kids, students willing to do anything for a passing grade, financial troubles, and a ne'er-do-well brother. It's a retelling of the Book of Job as an absurdist comedy; frequently funny but also confounding, with a notorious non-ending. So intensely Jewish that you'll feel your ready to be mitzvahed after one viewing. 4/5.

Rev. Powell · November 27, 2009, 12:08:21 PM

THE BOX: A couple receives a mysterious box with a button and instructions that, if they push it, two things will happen: they will receive a million dollars, and someone they don't know will die. Very poorly written, with plot holes, a drawn out middle section full of scenes that are creepy but have nothing at all to do with the main story, and no real dramatic interest in the main characters' plight. Might have been better off seeing NEW MOON instead, but the line was too long.

1.5/5.

Rev. Powell · December 02, 2009, 12:37:42 PM

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS: A journalist accompanies an agent working for a secret, experimental psychic warfare Army unit (the Jedi Knights of the New Earth Army) on a mission deep into the Iraqi desert. Gets points for originality, but needed a lot more belly-laughs. The star-studded cast (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges) seem a bit wasted. 2.5/5.

Newt · December 02, 2009, 01:45:22 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on December 02, 2009, 12:37:42 PM
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS: A journalist accompanies an agent working for a secret, experimental psychic warfare Army unit (the Jedi Knights of the New Earth Army) on a mission deep into the Iraqi desert. Gets points for originality, but needed a lot more belly-laughs. The star-studded cast (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges) seem a bit wasted. 2.5/5.

Well that's disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing that one.

Rev. Powell · December 02, 2009, 05:44:13 PM

Quote from: Newt on December 02, 2009, 01:45:22 PM
Quote from: Rev. Powell on December 02, 2009, 12:37:42 PM
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS: A journalist accompanies an agent working for a secret, experimental psychic warfare Army unit (the Jedi Knights of the New Earth Army) on a mission deep into the Iraqi desert. Gets points for originality, but needed a lot more belly-laughs. The star-studded cast (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges) seem a bit wasted. 2.5/5.
Well that's disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing that one.

Some people seem to like it, but none of the three I was with really loved it. I'd give it a shot on DVD, though. You won't lose much on the small screen.

BoyScoutKevin · December 08, 2009, 06:01:27 PM

"Old Dogs" w/ Robin Williams, John Travolta, and Seth Green. Green was the biggest surprise of the three. Who'd have thought that little Oz from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" had a flair for comedy.

And with cameos by Ann-Margaret, Matt Dillon, and Bernie Mac. This film has something of a historical significance for future film historians, as it is Mac's last film appearance before his death.

And if one stayed around to the closing credits, one saw that "Happy Birthday to You" is a copyrighted song. Yes, if you use the song for commercials purposes, you have to pay a copyright fee to the copyright holders.

Jim H · December 08, 2009, 06:18:27 PM

Saw A Christmas Carol in IMAX 3D. My main interest in this was to test out IMAX 3D, actually. RealD (most common system) is a mixed bag for me. Good feeling of depth, but it HORRIBLY breaks up for me whenever there is horizontal motion, with tons of illusion ruining ghosting and glitching looking artifacts. I'm evidently in the minority on that, but not the only person. Anyway, I still am willing to see 3D films once in a while, but I find the glitching so distracting from involvement in the storyline, that I generally only see the 3D version if it is a film I expect has a weak storyline or that I've already seen in 2D (happened with Up).

Anyway, as far as IMAX 3D goes... It looked a bit better in motion, but worse when still. It also looked a bit brighter to me. Overall, I would say it roughly evened out. Unfortunately, this means I'm not going to be seeing too many films in 3D. There is a third system I have only used once, which used motorized shutter glasses and worked much better for me, but it's hard to find theatres using it (closest is 100 miles away). It's too bad, as I enjoy 3D when it's working right.

The movie itself is a competent version of the classic story. Jim Carey is a pretty solid Scrooge. There's only a slight bit of Careyisms in the film, mostly at the end, for those wondering. I thought his transition from miser to caring man was far too quick, it's virtually instantaneous. There are also several extended action sequences and chases, which seem irrelevant to me. In particular, his running from the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is redundant and overlong.

Overall, just an OK film. 6/10.

SkullBat308 · December 08, 2009, 10:52:24 PM

Ninja Assassin-

Good bloody fun!

Rev. Powell · December 11, 2009, 12:27:25 PM

I SELL THE DEAD: A Victorian grave-robber facing execution by guillotine tells a priest (Ron Perlman) how he and his ex-partner reaped greater profits by trafficking in "special" corpses. Original and atmospheric indie horror with a few very good scenes that never finds quite the right balance between terror, comedy and action; this story might have actually worked better in the hands of a major Hollywood studio. It would make a nice rental when it arrives on DVD. 3/5.

P.S. I really like the concept of these low-budget, experimental indie horrors being put out under the label "Scareflix." I liked this and I CAN SEE YOU, and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL got excellent reviews. This is a series to keep an eye on.

Rev. Powell · December 16, 2009, 11:51:24 AM

AN EDUCATION: Okay, this is something most badmovies.org viewers are going to want to stay far, far away from, but I like to get out of my comfort zone occasionally and, honestly, it was pretty good. A 16-year old Oxford-bound schoolgirl falls in love with a worldly older man. Well-done, believable coming-of-age tale with excellent performances, realistic characterizations, and few surprises. 4/5.

Psycho Circus · December 16, 2009, 12:58:45 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on December 16, 2009, 11:51:24 AM
A 16-year old Oxford-bound schoolgirl falls in love with a worldly older man.

That's way, way, way beyond my comfort zone...

Jim H · December 16, 2009, 01:07:04 PM

Saw The Princess and the Frog. Quite good, the best Disney animated film since The Lion King. That's what everyone is saying, and I agree. Good music, gorgeous animation, it's all there. Very likeable characters too. It's not their best film, but well worth watching.

BoyScoutKevin · December 21, 2009, 06:20:12 PM

Here's another one who saw "The Princess and the Frog." Disney's first 2-D animated film since 2004's "Home on the Range."

These are my thoughts on it.

It's surprising, at least to me, how much depth you can get out of something that's two dimensional.

And the story, in some aspects, is not that far off from what life was like in the segregated South ninety years ago, except, of course, for the talking animals.

See how many film references you can find in the film. I especially liked the one for "A Streetcar Named Desire."

And the music was not that bad neither. Probably Randy Newman's best work (IMHO.)

If one stayed for the credits, there's alot of people involved in making an animated film, and they do things besides animate.

And one can see Pixar had a hand in it. At the end of the credits, there's a list of babies born during the making of the film. Just like you'd find at the end of a Pixar film.

Rev. Powell · December 28, 2009, 01:33:50 PM

FANTASTIC MR. FOX: A chicken thief turned newspaper columnist fox causes problems for all the forest creatures when he unretires to stage one last caper against the three largest farmers in the region. Good storybook-style stop animation and excellent voice performances by George Clooney and the rest; Wes Anderson's quirky style translates well to children's films. 4/5.

Rev. Powell · December 30, 2009, 12:20:50 PM

RED CLIFF (2008): Absolutely thrilled (and shocked) that this came to town. The independent kingdoms of Xu and Wu form an alliance against the invading forces of the Han dynasty, led by the power mad Prime Minster Cao Cao, and their badly outnumbered forces make a stand at the fortress of Red Cliff. With a cast of thousands, the spectacular battles were expected, but what was not expected was the minute attention to battle tactics which makes it believable that the side with the better military strategists could defeat the side with the overwhelming advantage in troops. John Woo is back! This is my favorite movie of 2008, too bad I didn't see it until 2009. 5/5.