Last OK Movie You Saw

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I really enjoyed Frozen but can't help feeling it would have been better with traditional animation. They still can't make dresses - which were in practically every scene - move convincingly and I found it really distracting and I think the reindeer lost a lot of his charm in 3D, it seems less friendly somehow.

[Waldorf and Statler]

It's a sweet movie with a nice message. "There can't be two decent guys out there for you"

[TheMightyEthan]

If that's what you thought the message was I suggest you work on your story comprehension.

[deanb]

Abusive parents lead to the near-death of a Kingdom?

[Mister Jack]

It's a sweet movie with a nice message. "There can't be two decent guys out there for you"

 

[TheRevanchist]

More than that, the basic premise that people worked together to get things done. No relying on a prince to save the day. Just people. A good step in the right direction for Disney.

[Waldorf and Statler]

If that's what you thought the message was I suggest you work on your story comprehension.

the other message was "Ethan is serious business when it comes to Frozen"

[TheMightyEthan]

Lol, sorry, your sarcasm irritated me.

[Hot Heart]

American Hustle

 

The film looks real nice and has some great performances all round, but you can't help feeling, "That's it?" by the end. A case of too much style over substance. And sheikh is pronounced 'shake', you morons!

 

Though I want to start calling microwaves, "science ovens."

[Waldorf and Statler]

The Interview

I like other Seth Rogen X James Franco movies better. This one was decent though.

[TheRevanchist]

47 Ronin

 

I had low expectations of this going in. Keanu Reeves as feudal samurai? Sounds preposterous. In ways, it was. But, after the film was done, it felt much better than my sensibilities predicted. Definitely okay movie.

[Mister Jack]

The Interview

I like other Seth Rogen X James Franco movies better. This one was decent though.

 

 

AMERICA WILL NEVER FALL TO COMMUNIST INVASION

[Mal]

It will fall to piracy.

[Waldorf and Statler]

It has already been pirated like almost a million times, largely from other countries though since there's no official release in those countries yet. And Sony thought that people don't wanna be patriotic with us.

[Mister Jack]

So I got around to seeing The Interview too.  I was planning to see it in a local independent theater with a friend, but the show was completely sold out so we ended up going back to my place and renting it on youtube instead (Why only youtube?  Why not PSN?  Blech.)  Anyway, I'm of the same opinion as Wally.  It's not as funny as Pineapple Express or This is the End but I wasn't bored or anything.  It'll sound weird to say this for a comedy but I was more invested in the story than the jokes.  I wanted to see if the writers had the balls to actually go through with killing Kim Jong Un.

 

 

They did.

 

 

It was alright, but I still hope it becomes a huge success, not just for the sake of sticking it to Kim but because this whole digital distribution thing was something I thought would take decades to become a legit practice for major film releases.  I want this movie to make a ton of money so Sony and then other studios will finally go "hey, maybe this same day digital release thing isn't such a bad idea after all."

[Waldorf and Statler]

Oh for the love of god please go same day digital more often, the issue is that for the price of 6 bucks many people could watch it so theoretically they'd be losing money. But not having to deal with movie theaters, loud people and overpriced snacks? PLEASE PLEASE DO SO*

 

 

 

*This does not take into account Alamo Drafthouse which is awesome

[Mal]

So for The Interview, did you guys rent it via Google Play? If so was the playback on a computer in HD? I'm asking since Youtube only has HD playback on select devices. Since both are owned by Google so I'm confused.

[Mister Jack]

I rented it on my PS4 using the youtube app.  Well, actually I had to rent it using my PC on youtube and then I watched it on my HDTV using the youtube PS4 app.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Mister Jack

[TheMightyEthan]

Looking at the help pages for both services, they appear to be the same: you can watch some stuff in HD on your PC, it depends on the video.

[Mal]

I guess I'm not watching the Interview then. This also might be a good time for me to invest in a Chromecast. My room only run off my PC. 

[TheMightyEthan]

According to the pages you can check for any specific video during the checkout process, you don't have to do it blindly.

[TheMightyEthan]

I just checked, and on Youtube it is not playable in HD in a web browser, and I can't figure out how to tell on Google Play but would assume it's the same.

[TCP]

I've seen a ton of movies on Netflix lately, let's go through the OK ones:

 

How I Live Now - What's up with the cousin lovin'? Is that normal in Britain? This movie kind of reminded me of 28 Days Later, how it all just fell apart half way through and turned into a depressing yet dull experience. But oh boy do I have the hots for Saoirse Ronan.

In Your Eyes - Pretty bad for a Whedon flick but oh boy do I have the hots for Zoe Kazan.

Cloud Atlas - Not as bad as I was expecting. It's the kind of film that might benefit from a second viewing. 

Submarine - I actually fell asleep half way through but there wasn't anything downright awful with it.

Edited January 22, 2015 by The Cowboy Poet

[deanb]

Yeah, Cloud Atlas is a "watch it twice" movie. We're currently trying to figure out a time for a third viewing (first for new housemate), but at 3 hrs long it's proving a pain for a group session.

[Hot Heart]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

 

As a huge turtles fan I knew I had to see this sooner or later. From what I'd heard, I was kinda hoping for something so terrible and campy that it's funny in its execution (Spider-Man 3, for example) but it disappoints in that regard. Although, Fichtner does a great job with some really stupid lines. "We're going to drain all their blood... even if it kills them!" Well, duh.

 

The story and "reimagining" or whatever you want to call it is hecka dumb and bad, and if I thought about it, I could probably find twice the number of plotholes I spotted while watching. It does feel like maybe they did re-do the Eric Sacks as Shredder stuff, because that element is completely absent yet they still go for a face-off between Splinter and this nobody Shredder... with no context/weight/history between them. Fortunately, the origin stuff is handled in little chunks, although, like a certain other '80s property it puts the human character centre stage so you're waiting twenty minutes before your first proper introduction to the stars of the show. There is a sort of story, but it definitely feels rudimentary rather than revolutionary.

 

That said, the effects and the way the characters come to life is highly entertaining. The actual designs of the turtles are still misguided, but the actors filling the roles do a great job. There's also a fair bit of humour peppered throughout, even if some of it is rather juvenile. Mikey's obsession with April is highly irritating (just like a teenager!) but also kinda messed up with how they've done the origin story and keep establishing her as family. Megan Fox is hot, we get it. Oh, and Will Arnett is great as usual; he needed more though.

 

Also, the action was pretty neat in parts. Some of it's too fucking busy (but not Michael Bay busy) so you miss a lot of the nuance, but there's a real great sequence involving a snowy cliff that has an old school action film feel, albeit one tuned up to 11 thanks to the wonders that modern effects technology is capable of. Splinter gets to kick some butt, too, which is nice.