Rapid-Fire Movie Reviews
I’m guessing many of you were able to make it out to the movie theater over the holiday season. So let’s hear what you saw and what you thought. I would be especially interested to read any thoughts you have on the following:
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Revolutionary Road
Bedtime Stories
Marley & Me
Defiance
Valkyrie
Gran Torino
Yes Man
The Wrestler
Seven Pounds
The Spirit
Any others?
Advertisement
Posted on January 7, 2009, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 55 Comments.
Steve Evans
RJH
Scott B.
John C.
Susan M
Aaron Brown
ninemoons
arandomjohn
kulturblogadmin
Kyle M
Brad
KulturBlogGuest
MCQ
Wm
Rebecca
Ivan
Geoff J
btdgreg
Clark Goble
Aaron R.
Tim J
Bedtime Stories:
If you go in looking for a great analysis on bedtime stories in general and a wonderful deep message, you will be dissapointed. But if you go in with your kids looking for a fun colorful romp, it’s not too bad. Eric D. Snider slaughtered it, giving it a D+, and IMDB gave it a 6.7/10, but I’ll give it a lighthearted 7.
Gran Torino
I’m only 1/2way through it, but it’s been a great story so far. Clint Eastwood as the grouchy old man next door who doesn’t want help from anyone, the Hmong people that have moved in next door, the tumultuous relationship with his feeling-of-entitlement kids, along with being the best tough guy pushing 70. Again, I’m 1/2way through and I love it
On my list to watch over the next few days are:
Slumdog Millionaire
Benjamin Button
Yes Man
The Spirit
The Wrestler
brandt wrote: “Again, I’m 1/2way through and I love it”
Did you text this comment from the movie theater?
My wife and I enjoyed “the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” It’s 3 hours but the story is told well and we hardly noticed the time.
I’m seeing The Wrestler tonight and will provide a review.
I was pleasantly surprised by Valkyrie. There are great actors, and it has some exciting moments. I’m not going to a Tom Cruise movie for historical accuracy, so I’m not sure how well it tells the actual story, but I enjoyed it.
I saw no new film over the holidays. None of these films really interested me.
I’m kind of interested in Valkyrie, even though Tom Cruise looks ridiculous in his eye patch.
Please no one spoil the ending for me; I can’t wait to find out if they manage to assassinate Hitler.
We saw The Day The Earth Stood Still on Christmas day. My husband loves the original. The remake was…OK.
Danithew just killed any slight interest I had in seeing Benjamin Button. Three hours? What is wrong with people? If you can’t do it in less than two, just don’t do it.
I wonder how many pages F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story takes. I bet you could read it in a lot fewer than three hours.
I think you’re right. It’s a 159-minute movie based on a 32 page short story.
I suggest “Let the Right One In.”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
While Stephanie Meyer was basking in her hype, some Swedish guys gave us one the finest vampire stories of all time. Rumor mill says the Americans already are trying to put together a remake.
Day the earth stood still was about 2 and 1/2 stars out of 4. But there was one part that really made me think. (not word for word) The Sec of State was asking the alien what he was doing and why he was on our planet? He reponded your planet? It is not yours. There are thousands of species here why do you think you own it? Made me think about what I actually do have the god given right to do?
My teenagers loved Yes man
I also wonder why so many here feel compelled comment that have not seen a movie or have nothing to say about them. I guess I just don’t understand bloggers very well.
I saw Benjamin Button over the Holidays. I disagree that you don’t notice the length. It was a well-made movie but it is way too long. There is one sequence in particular, involving Cate Blanchett’s character getting hit by a taxi, that is just ridiculously interminable, for no reason whatever. Ditto the scenes involving Tilda Swinton’s character: way too much screen time for little or no reason.
The movie has only the most tenuous connection with the original story by Fitzgerald. For all practical purposes, it is not the same story at all.
Despite the editing problems, I liked the movie and would recommend it, but it would have been a much better movie if it was shorter. Especially pay attention to the advice Benjamin gives his daughter, near the end. There are some lovely parts to this movie and that is one.
Also, it makes you think about the flow of time and the stages of life; how we deal with children vs. the elderly and why. All in all, well worth seeing.
My guess is brandt downloaded the movie off the internets.
Jerry: It’s human nature to complain. But if you were referring to my comment, all I said was I don’t want to watch a 3 hour movie.
I do bash movies I haven’t seen quite a bit, though. I know what I like, and what I don’t like is big name Hollywood actors (too distracting, I’m always aware of who they are IRL), movies that are too long, and in general, movies that most people love.
Movies I’ve watched recently and loved (on DVD):
Birdy
Breakin’
Rize
Breakin’ 2
Beat Street
Next movie I’ll probably watch is Ice Pirates.
So feel free to ignore anything I say about movies.
I really want to see The Wrestler but it doesn’t open here for a couple of weeks. I’ll check it out then.
I’m moderately interested in Benjamin Buttons because Brad Pitt continues to impress me and I really like David Fincher’s work (with one big exception), but all of the Forrest Gump comparisons trouble me. A lot. I’ll probably hold off.
Best movie I saw on DVD over the holidays? Man On Wire. Best film of 2008 IMO.
I only saw Seven Pounds. Whether you like it or not depends on what you expect going in. If you expect an epic romance (as recent TV ads promote) you will hate the movie. If you expect a heartwarming story of personal redemption, you will hate the movie (or at least you should). If you just want to play along with the mystery of what the title is referring to, you might actually enjoy it (although I think the answer is unfairly too far out of the box).
I really want to see Man on Wire, Brian. I almost picked it up for Christmas but didn’t.
“I also wonder why so many here feel compelled comment that have not seen a movie or have nothing to say about them. I guess I just don’t understand bloggers very well.”
Indeed. If bloggers were limited to writing about things they have actual knowledge or understanding of, the blogosphere would suddenly implode into a puff of nothingness.
Susan,
You can’t say the words “Breakin’ 2″ without the words “Electric Boogaloo.” It’s not allowed.
Maybe he got an Oscar screener? My brother-in-law who has only the loosest ties to the movie industry used to be sent DVD screeners every December and January. So it’s possible, though unlikely, that brandt is watching the movies legally.
I took in a couple movies at the dollar theater.
BOLT was fun. My daughter loved it. It’s a little predictable, but it has a kick-ass action sequence at the top.
And I highly recommend ROLE MODELS. One of the funniest comedies of last year. It has a lot of heart. I’m ashamed to admit I found myself getting choked up. Great comic performances, especially from Christopher Mintz-Plasse who you might recognize from SUPERBAD, and Jane Lynch who has brightened up so many Christopher Guest films.
I saw most of Beverly Hills Chihuahua at the dollar theater.
Sadly, I cannot recommend it.
That means I’m going to *love* it. I do want to see it.
I’ll never understand people who spend the time to download bad camcorder recordings of movies off the screen. WTH?
I really want to see Seven Pounds, because I really like Will Smith. Reviews of it have been not kind. (Eric Snider for one.) My friend who saw it would only say that it was depressing. What should I expect?
I read Marley & Me, and I love watching dogs, so I’d probably enjoy the movie. Anyone see it?
FHL, my family saw Marley & Me and loved it, but we are very much into dogs, so that may have tainted their opinion. I have not seen it yet, but I intend to.
Brian, I think it’s fair to say that Bejamin Button is a bit like Forrest Gump in plot and in feel. Enough so that if you hated Gump, you will probably not like Benjamin Button. I liked Gump, and I think Button is an even better movie, despite being too long.
Marley and Me – having read the book beforehand, I spent the whole movie dreading what was going to happen at the end. And then they RUBBED IT IN! Instead of just, you know (spoiler) killing the dog off quick, they dramatize it to take forever and it ends on a real downer. Nowhere near as sad as the book, but also not as funny as the book.
Would a person who’s not read the book and doesn’t love dogs like Marley & Me?
I’m nervous for Benjamin Button. I LOVE Fitzgerald. My all time favorite author.
I tivo’ed Heaven’s Gate. Longish. Not good.
gabby, I can’t answer about Marley & Me, but as for BB, Fitzgerald is my favorite author too, by far. I think no one else can touch him. I’ve read everything he wrote twice and Gatsby countless times. Believe me, the movie has almost nothing to do with the story. Don’t go expecting Fitzgerald. But it’s still a good movie.
gst, good lord, why?
The Wrestler + Slumdog Millionaire = best movies of the year
I saw these:
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Valkyrie
Gran Torino
Yes Man
The Spirit
I liked them all, even The Spirit, which wasn’t liked much by critics. But I really like that graphic novel style.
I’ll see Revolutionary Road this weekend (it’s just then coming out here).
And I’ll see the Wrestler and Defiance as soon as they get here.
These three I don’t have much interest in, and will only see them if I run out of other movies to see:
Bedtime Stories
Marley & Me
Seven Pounds
Kevin, of those, which did you like the best? I’m unlikely to see all of them, so I’d like to know which of them are your top three.
For me, probably Slumdog, Gran Torino and Valkyrie, in that order.
Slumdog was the best of the bunch.
I really like Clint Eastwood, and I liked what he did in Gran Torino a lot.
And I’m a WWII guy, so I almost always enjoy stories in that setting.
Brian, I think it’s fair to say that Bejamin Button is a bit like Forrest Gump in plot and in feel. Enough so that if you hated Gump, you will probably not like Benjamin Button.
I think the guy who wrote Gump (which, yes, I HATED) also wrote the BB screenplay. The more I think about it, the more I doubt I’ll see it.
Awesome. I’ll see Slumdog and Gran Torino for sure now.
How many people can come up with different ways to guess how brandt got those movies?
this has been fun
BTW, it was a DVD Screener
UPDATE: I could not go to The Wrestler, because of The Job.
Thanks, Kevin. It seems as though Slumdog is getting the most love. I have yet to hear a negative thing about it, while the others seem to be, “I liked it, but…” I’ll be sure and check it out.
Since I live overseas, the pickings for movies is slim. A co-worker invited me out for a guy’s night, and we watched the suckiest movie that ever sucked, “Max Payne.” It was rated “S” for Sucktackular.
I knew nothing about the film or the story. Half way through it, I leaned over and asked one of the other guys, “is this movie about vampires?” I still don’t know the answer to that question.
After the movie, I found an excerpt from a review of this steaming pile…
” Payne may well be the most tedious trip to a cinema you make all year. Truly, the minutes pass like hours. It’s akin to one of those straight-to-DVD titles you only ever find in petrol stations.”
Slumdog is interesting and fun. I thought the child actors were really good. The scene where the kid falls in the “toilet” was disgusting and hilarious at the same time. I rarely watch a movie twice but i would see this one again.
I’m fairly certain Clint Eastwood will win Best Actor for Get Off My Lawn whether or not he deserves it.
Wait. MCQ. We have the same favorite author? And hold him to about the same high esteem? I don’t know what to do with that…
I was interested in The Spirit, but then I read the reviews. Not interested.
Yeah it sounds like a disaster. But then I kind of figured it would be after the first trailer. I never really liked Rodriguez’ Sin City either though.
I’ve seen them all and they’re all crap.
That said, Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino were my three favorites of the season, and Revolutionary Road had one great character.
brandt,
Sorry for my part in the character assassination. I thought maybe you really were commenting from inside the theater!
Just saw Gran Torino tonight.
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT.
gabby, just put in on that shelf with all the other things that make you awesome.
Greg, now we have to come up with conspiracies about how he got the screener. Do I smell someone blackmailing Hollywood?
That I can do. Ha!
I appear to be the only person alive who didn’t like Gran Torino. Oh well. I’m right, and the rest of you are wrong. Deal with it.
Basically, I agree with fans of the film who say that Eastwood’s performance outshone those of the other actors. But unlike most others, apparently, I found most of the acting in the film so awful that it could never be redeemed by Eastwood. There’s just no excuse for the sh*tty performances in the film. None.
AB
Aaron, stop pussyfooting around and tell us how you really feel.
I’ve had several folks tell me they didn’t like Gran Torino, AB. You’re not the only one.
The best movie of the year is WALL*E.
Slumdog Millionaire is good, too.
Doubt was a very good play, so-so movie.
Milk has a great performance, not much else.
Revolutionary Road, isn’t.
The Dark Knight… isn’t either.