In the Theaters

Mr_Shiftright

I love all the symbolism and the obscure references in CAST AWAY.

His real-life wife's name is Wilson BTW.

I like how he comes out of "a cave" into the light, and of course out of despair, into hope. He receives a gift from the sea (where we all came from you know) and saves his life....but he has to abandon Wilson in order to save himself. So he lets go of the past in order to live in the future.

The ending is ambiguous, as he stands in the crossroads, but it is interesting that it might be a stranger, a betrayed woman, who offers fulfillment. As she says when giving him directions..."and that way, a whole lotta nothin".

It's a great film. Only a really good actor like Hanks could have pulled it off, since much of the film is only him talking to himself.

ateixeira

I say he definitely went back to see that woman! Not ambiguous to me! LOL

Mr_Shiftright

Funny parody of Cast Away:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntW9mh2ddkY&NR=1

ateixeira

Nothing really, just a Satellite phone, GPS, ... LOL

ateixeira

Leave your brain at the door and you'll catch a couple of laughs, but this film got a bit too raunchy in some places, and I usually have a high tolerance for that kind of stuff.

Skip it, and maybe watch it on video if you like this sort of film. Your girlfriend will roll her eyes a couple of times, though.

lemmer

I saw an advance preview showing of Super 8 a couple of nights ago. It was extremely formulaic. It is getting great reviews. I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars.

ateixeira

The trailer tells us exactly nothing about it. Worth the $10? Or wait for DVD?

ateixeira

As with most sequels, it doesn't live up to the original.

The humor is forced; they try too hard.

The first one was fresh and original, this one is a reboot that isn't as well executed, and the humor gets too raunchy to even come close to the original.

lemmer

I'd wait for the DVD. It isn't worth the cost of a night at the movies.

ateixeira

I have a BluRay player and a nice projector, so I'll still get the big screen effect at home. Thanks for the tip!

michaellno

One of the most anticipated movies of the year (by gearheads, at least), this movie was both intriguing and disappointing.

First, a bit of a spoiler ... if you were looking for something along the lines of "The Transporter", but with a better plot, you'll be sad to discover that there is not nearly as much driving - or chase scenes - as you thought.

Anyway, back to the review. The movies' highlights are in the cinematography and character development. This movie shows a side of LA not often captured on film - dingy strip malls and back alley auto repair shops among them. There is not a lot of dialogue with the main character - many times he's filmed simply driving, yet his facial expressions convey his thoughts pretty well.

Casting Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman as the villians was particularly interesting - both pulled off their roles with gusto. The female characters, too, were strong, though the Christina Hendricks character was not in the movie nearly as long as the trailer leads you to believe.

As to the action scenes, there has been much written about the plausibility of a Chrysler 300C keeping up with a Mustang 5.0 in a chase, but suspension of disbelief has become commonplace in today's movies. To my knowledge, there was no CGI involved, so it was nice to see an 'old school' type of chase.

The movie was way more violent than I would have expected, but even so, it was not over the top gory.

Very independent feel to it - I loved the retro 80's title sequence (shades of Risky Business or To Live and Die in LA), and the soundtrack, while reusing some songs several times, was sufficient in adding to the overall mood of the film.

Would I recommend it? Yeah, probably so. Just make sure you've adjusted your expectations accordingly.

ateixeira

Watch it or hand in your auto enthusiast card and quit Edmunds.

It's that good.

I love how it portrayed his rivalry with Prost, and they were fair about it in the end.

I did think that Mansell should have gotten more attention, but overall a phenomenal film, even my wife loved it.

ateixeira

Cheesy, typical Disney, Hollywood happy ending and all, but the kids and wife loved it.

Ashley Judd is not aging well, surprisingly.

michaellno

Did you see it at a theater?

I, too, want to see it, but not sure it's been released here in Denver.

michaellno

Ashley Judd is not aging well, surprisingly.

Too much time in the sun cheering her husband on at the racetrack?

Or, perhaps, not many scripts for her to choose from, so she's let herself go a bit.

Either way, very sad to hear.

kyfdx

Say it ain't so!

Mr_Shiftright

I loved the book.

kyfdx

While I like Pitt and Hill as actors, I have to believe the book is better... Statistics don't translate well to the screen.. (haven't seen it)

lemmer

My wife saw Moneyball and said it was very good. And she doesn't know a baseball from a football.

kyfdx

Really?

Don't you live in Alabama?

Mr_Shiftright

" she doesn't know a baseball from a football."

Neither do some of the major league teams' infield players. :P

ateixeira

Yes, it was a small theatre in downtown DC that tends to show indy films. The theatre was PACKED! Sold out, and this is several weeks after the release, so you know it's getting great buzz.

ateixeira

I'm hoping to see that film next.

My wife is opening her horizons a bit, I guess she tired of romantic comedies (I know I have!).

Mr_Shiftright

Remember that Seinfeld episode where the girls and guys go to the movies, and at the ticket office they split up...the women go through the door marked "The Muted Heart" and the guys go see something like..."Exterminator IV" or some such...pretty funny.

ateixeira

When the kids are older I can *totally* imagine doing that.

ateixeira

Touching film based on a true story, which makes it all the more appealing. They didn't sugar-coat it, despite the fact that it's a comedy, mostly. A lot of brutally honest moments that I really liked.

Loved it and my wife did too. Bring a friend or a date, either will like it.

ateixeira

Mixed feelings about this one. We liked parts of it, but there are some gaping holes in the plot, inconsistencies. They seem to go for too many politician cliches, also.

What do you expect when the same guy who plays President also directs the film? Clooney's better when someone else directs.

jipster

Great in the beginning. Thought it would rank up there as one of decades best. Slowed down and soured towards the middle. Picked back up and rode it to the finish line with several opportunies to take the lead, but faltered down the stretch. Still 3 "jip" stars.

ateixeira

Didn't meet expectations. Too all over the place, and very anti-climatic towards the end.

Disappointing.

ateixeira

Good one, not the usual role for Clooney but he thrives. Wife and I both gave it a thumbs up.

ateixeira

Not for the faint of heart, and some scenes are down right disturbing, but the movie was fantastic, best in recent memory.

It's almost like 3 movies rolled in to one. Pay close attention, the character plots are interesting.

slorenzen

I thought i was well done, but very disturbing.

I already knew in my head about the abuse towards blacks in the south, but this really brought it home to me.

5 stars!

ateixeira

We liked it, too.

FWIW we have a nanny but the whole time she was with us she had health care and I paid all the taxes, more than you might imagine:

* worker's comp
* state unemployment
* federal unemployment
* health care
* social security (her share and mine)
* medicare (her share and mine)

I have no idea why you would bring someone in to your house to watch your kids and not make sure they are motivated and happy. :shades:

Kirstie_H

We waited for The Debt to come out on DVD. Looked like a good one, with a great cast. The first 30 minutes moved so slowly and lacked any elements to intrigue me. We turned it off.

On the other hand, Friends with Benefits, which we picked up out of sheer desperation, was a lot better than expected and turned out to be a quite enjoyable, if unsubstantial, movie.

Mr_Shiftright

Not as keen as you on The Descendants. George Clooney really needs to stop being George Clooney in every movie. It was an interesting movie in that every character is completely unlikable. :P Also a very sappy ending.

Mr_Shiftright

Simply brilliant.

lemmer

George Clooney is not an actor so much as he is a movie star. People want to see Clooney playing Clooney. I don't but apparently everyone else does.

If you want an actor, there are people like Gary Oldman available.

Kirstie_H

Or Nicholas Cage.

(I almost couldn't keep myself from choking on my own giggles as I posted that.)

ateixeira

I know what you mean, but in that case, check out Up In The Air. For once he's the underdog.

Mr_Shiftright

Didn't see that one...I can only stand one Clooney film a year.

kyfdx

I just need one...

Oh Brother, where art Thou?

I love that movie....

Mr_Shiftright

That WAS a good movie but man, it was the soundtrack!

Anyone seen THE GREY?

I was thinking of checking out that new Glenn Close movie, where she impersonates a man, but it got fairly stinky reviews (ALBERT NOBBS)

Karen_S

I love a good horse story and Spielberg did a credible job converting from stage to screen, but the play is far more impressive.

Karen_S

...okay.

Good:

The Avengers - I'm not a big fan of Marvel characters and only knew about Iron Man and the Hulk, but my husband and son thought it was great.

Hunger Games - I wouldn't have read the book, but several of the teens I work with in a theatre program were so enamored with it I decided to give it a chance. It's definitely written for 16-year-old girls in mind, but it wasn't horrible like "Twilight". (Don't get me started on that one.)
I thought the film was a good adaptation of the book. I think they did a better job than the Potter series did, however, HG isn't nearly as complicated as Potter.

Not so good:

Dark Shadows - I was hoping this one would be at least entertaining, but bleah.

Prometheus - Okay, I haven't seen this one, but friend saw it in iMax. Story? Not so great, but any film in iMax is amazing, so says he.

What's next? I'm hoping to get some time to see Rock of Ages. Hope it's good.

Kirstie_H

We loved The Avengers as well! It was well done, and even though my tolerance for long movies is low, there weren't any slow parts and the story was well-written enough to keep my attention. That's probably the first movie we've seen in a year in the theater - we have a 100" screen in the basement and the popcorn is cheaper there, so we usually wait unless it's a must-see on big screen. I'd say Avengers was worth it.

Karen_S

A 100" screen??!! And in your basement?! You must be able to count the nose hairs on every actor! :P

ateixeira

I also have a projector in the basement, 110" here.

Your neck gets sore watching tennis, because your head swings side to side.

kyfdx

We have a 52" LCD in the basement.... but, my teenager never lets me come down there..

So, 36" tube upstairs...

I let my wife talk me into a nice new sofa up there, so I'm due for an HD upgrade.. coming soon!

michaellno

Dark Shadows - thought it was going to be a bit funnier than it was. Didn't realize it was a 60's TV show first.

Rock of Ages - read an article that Tom Cruise spent 5 hours a day honing his voice for this movie. Turns out he has opera singers in his family history, so it must not have been too hard for him to find those talents. Am keeping my fingers crossed on this one, too.

jipster

Just read the book a few months ago, pretty good.A bit "slow" at times for my personal taste. Looking forward to seeing the movie.