Films

Posts about movie, actors, and film in general

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition is even more disappointing than you imagine

November 18, 2015 1 Comment

Rather than providing the rich, more deliberately paced, character moment-filled version of the movie that Peter Jackson’s extended cuts usually provide, The Battle of the Five Armies is even more jam-packed with mindless battles and stupid sights gags. And let me tell you, that kind of sucks. I’ve perhaps been more forgiving of the Hobbit movies than they deserve. I don’t pretend they are great cinema, and readily acknowledge they are deeply flawed to the point of often being downright awful. Still, I love aspects of PJ’s cinematic Middle Earth enough so that I let their flaws slide and instead focus on the parts that I like, considering them a lesser but still accepted part of my beloved Lord of the Rings movie family. Much…
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Films

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Why I think Jurassic World stunk (and you should, too)

October 27, 2015 3 Comments

It was kind of hard to escape Jurassic World this summer. The fourth movie in the Jurassic Park series (though it conveniently ignored the first two sequels), it was a HUGE smash hit, raking in $1.6 billion worldwide and jumping to the #3 spot for all time box office. Even adjusted for inflation, it sits at #23 for all time box office. Not too shabby. What was shabby was this film. And I’m going to tell you why. On paper, I should have fallen head over heels for it. I LOVE dinosaurs. I LOVE dinosaur movies. I LOVE the Jurassic Park series, both books and movies, even the subpar installments like Jurassic Park 3. Big creatures destroying stuff? Loads of spectacle? A non-stop adventure filled…
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Films

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Sandra Bullock has a cool (but flawed) approach to closing Hollywood’s gender gap

September 13, 2015 0 Comments

It’s no great secret that aside from a small handful of silver screen legends, Hollywood is not a place where older women thrive. There have been a slew of complaints about a lack of roles for older actresses — and in Hollywood, “older” often means “not in your 20s,” even for actresses like Anne Hathaway — a battle cry that has been growing in recent years. While some (like Russell Crowe) say the fault is with the actresses, not the scripts, studies show that in Hollywood, men talk and women show skin. Vulture also took a look at some films and found that in general, men age but their love interests do not. Sandra Bullock has developed a pretty good tactic for getting good roles even…
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Films, Random Musings

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X-Men: Days of Future Past is super great

June 6, 2015 0 Comments

This is. The last one, and my marathon is over. Happily, we’re ending with a good ‘en: X-Men: Days of Future Past What do you get when you mix a nonsensical script, high school level acting, dodgy made-for-TV special effects, and a ridiculously sluggish, sleep-inducing pace? Not Days of Future Past, which is neck and neck with X2 as the best of the seven-film X saga. I mean, what DOESN’T this thing get right? It opens with a bang, showcasing a grim dystopian future and wickedly creative use of mutie powers, plus gruesome mutie death. Logan is quickly sent back in time and the plot is instantly surging along. Unlike flicks like X-Men, Origins and The Wolverine, Days of Future Past knows where it’s going…
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Films, Geek Stuff

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The Wolverine: The one that doesn’t suck (as much)

June 5, 2015 0 Comments

Another day, another X-movie. By now you should know the drill, so let’s go: The Wolverine (unrated extended edition) Poor wittle Wulberine’s heart is broken because he stabbed his crush to death, then a Quirky Asian Girl shows up and brings him to Japan, where he fights ninjas and sleeps with gorgeous women. This second Wolverine movie is a huge upgrade from the first insomuch as it’s not a colossal pile of excrement. In fact, there is a lot to like here. Exploring the thread’s of Jean’s death was a good choice. Gettin into Logan’s adventures in Japan was a great choice. The tone is somber and moody and pretty much on point. Great acting by Jackman. Ninjas! Suppressing his powers was a total plot…
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Films, Geek Stuff

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