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Present Movies: The First Showing!

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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby 220chrisTian » Apr 12, 2014 1:42 pm

@Warrior: Both my review (footnote) and that post on my blog list reviews that I read, written by Christians I trust. They explained the movie in detail, including what's wrong with it! I don't recommend this film to anyone. Where is your love and valor for the truth?!

Has anyone seen "Perfect Sisters" (2014), with Georgie Henley? It premiered in 11 theaters yesterday. Half were one night only (April 11). The film is still in New York, Toronto, North Hollywood and Cupertino CA, and Little Rock.

http://www.skandarandgeorgie.com/2014/0 ... ector-qas/
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Warrior 4 Jesus » Apr 12, 2014 6:06 pm

Okay, fair enough. But please don't question my love and valour for the truth. I take much of the Bible as literal history (yes, even the Creation, Fall, Great Flood, Tower of Babel etc.) There are plenty Christians who don't subscribe to such beliefs, everything in Genesis is seen as mythology or allegory etc. (especially Genesis 1-11).

Yes, I thought the Noah movie was very good, but as an alternative take on the Genesis account, not something to use as a teaching tool for non-Christians. I, in no way, shape or form, take Aronofsky's version as fully truthful. I just don't think it's the problem some Christians make it out to be.
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby narnia fan 7 » Apr 13, 2014 8:20 pm

I saw Captain America:The Winter Solder last week and absolutely loved it definitely one of if not the best MCU movies, the story is vary thrilling the characters are great and everyone gets their chance to shin, The action is some of the best I have ever seen in a movie, I don't wont to give too much away but I highly recommend it

9/10
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Cymru » Apr 21, 2014 1:21 pm

I agree Narnia fan 7!! I finally got to see it Saturday. That said, I felt the end credit scene was probably one of the most disappointing. So short...I wanted more!!

Also, once the film got to the big turning point and started revealing secrets, the whole thing reminded me of That Hideous Strength! I kept waiting for Mr. Bultitude to show up!

In the end though, I'm happiest about Marvel giving my favorite Avenger a film worthy of his great character. :) <3

Now I can sit back and enjoy proper anticipation for Maleficent!
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby DamselJillPole » Apr 29, 2014 12:05 am

I wasn't going to watch Divergent until I had read the book so last week I read the book within 2 days and saw it this past Saturday. I thought it was amazing and very true to the book. :)
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby PrinceCor004 » May 26, 2014 1:50 pm

This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of seeing the new Godzilla film with my Mum. :) Below is the review I wrote up for my FB friends, if anyone is interested in reading my thoughts. ;))
-----------------

With a long and varied history over the last 60 years including 28 Toho produced films, two animated series and now two American adaptation, Godzilla rests on the top of a very short list of cinematic creations that have been able to survive the test of time and enter the public conscious for six decades straight.

So now we come to it at last. The great film of our time. A new American rendition of the great Gojira. Is it worth the wait? Can it hold it's own against the original film(s)? And probably most pressing of all, is it actually a true Godzilla film (unlike the 1998 adaptation)?? In a nutshell, yes... with a few drawbacks.

Story:

The plot is rather straight forward kaiju fair with a heavy emphasis on the human element. Monsters are discovered, government tries to figure out what they are, the monsters escape and wreck havoc, everything builds to a final showdown in an iconic city where all the monsters have a knock-down drag-out brawl while the humans do... something. Fortunately director Gareth Edwards handles all of this with a steady hand and keeps the film moving along at a nice pace, stopping long enough for plot details to be explained or characters to have a moment to breath.

One of the drawbacks here is that the story relies on the old "hero conveniently being wherever the action is" trope, though this time it doesn't stick out as badly as one might expect. A final point that should be made is that the finished product turned out surprisingly well to have had no less than six writers working on the script (although only three are credited in the final film)

Characters/Acting:

Brian Cranston is the best actor in the film. There, I said it. You're welcome Breaking Bad fans. In all honesty Cranston (Joe Brody) is the most interesting and fleshed out character. It's unfortunate he's not in the film any longer than he is, though he completely captivates you in the small amount of time he has. Aaron Taylor Johnson (Ford Brody) is better than most critics have given him credit for, though his acting does seem to stall out by the third act (which most of the cast does for some reason). Elizabeth Olsen (Elle Brody) is fine in her role, playing a believable young mother trying to deal with kaiju running rampant.

David Strathairn gives a decent performance as a more sympathetic army commander stereotype while Ken Watanebe is great as Dr. Serizawa... though after a point he's not given much to do (more a fault of the script than anything).

Special Effects:

Easily some of the best CGI I've seen in a while. More gritty and realistic than Pacific Rim, but definitely in that quality range. There were some quick shots that featured less than stellar computer effects, but these were only fleeting and never occurred during the "money shots".

It should also be noted that Edwards took the time the effort to try and film as much stuff on locations or sets as possible, lending an even more authentic air to the whole film.

Godzilla:

THIS is how you do an American Godzilla. Staying true to both the form and attitude of the Toho creation, this Godzilla is easily one of my favorite designs for the character. Both noble yet very intimidating, Godzilla is everything he should be in this installment. While many have bemoaned his "hero" status in the film, it really is more of a case of Goji having a one track mind of killing the MUTO's and we (humans) merely benefit from him taking out the bigger threat.

MUTO's:

Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism's, the MUTO's are a fine addition to the pantheon of Godzilla advisories. Resembling a cobbled together miss-mash of the Cloverfield monster, the Bugs from Starship Troopers and Gyaos (from Hiesei Gamera Trilogy), the MUTO are given plenty of screen time and genuine character throughout the film. The winged male is probably the coolest whole the massive female puts up the better fight with Godzilla.

Music:

I'll be reviewing the album on my blog this week, so I won't go into too much detail here. Suffice it to say, Alexandre Desplat does a perfect job at matching the visuals Edwards puts on screen as well as giving that extra oomph to the proceedings when needed. Just don't expect anything sounding remotely like Akira Ifukube.

Directing/Cinematography:

For only his second feature and his first Hollywood production, Gareth Edwards handles directing duties like a pro. While there are certain things that need work in his style, the overall feel of the film is from a director more accomplished. Edwards definitely has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to improve from here.

The cinematography is stunning helps to ground the whole film in a sense of reality. Even the monster sequences are shot beautifully, even with the constraints of the "human point of view" trappings Edwards insisted on.

Closing thoughts:

Legendary's Godzilla, while not living up to all the hype, is a very solid installment in the Godzilla series and a decent jumping off point for a new series. Hopefully the sequel will correct some of the problems found in this first film and give us an even better Gojira flick in the future. As is, I can definitely recommend this one to both fans and casual viewers alike. Let them fight!

Score:

3 1/2 out of 5
Avvie by the great Djaq!

http://bennettsreviews.blogspot.com/

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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Lady Haleth » May 27, 2014 11:20 am

I saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a few days ago. It was very good. Nice special effects, and a good love story, but it ends sadly :(( Gwen . . ..
Electro and Green Goblin were appropriately creepy, and there were lots of funny bits. (Like the scene where Peter is covered in feathers, or the one where he's holding a giant dead fish. Or when he tries to say his face is dirty because he's been cleaning the apartment's non-existant chimney. Also, the fact that he can't seem to figure out how to do laundry made me crack up laughing). His banter with Harry Osborn was also funny, which makes it all the worse when Harry becomes the Goblin. Also, Peter's scenes with that little kid, (the one who stands up to the Rhino in the end), were just sweet. But I'm definitely going to miss Gwen :(( I cried when she died. The fact that Spider-man, with all his power, couldn't save the girl he loved was just heartbreaking.


I also saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier again recently. I'll give some details:
I really like Steve and Natasha's friendship. It was nice to see a man and a woman as friends, and not have them fall in love. Their scenes in disguise were hilarious. I also liked Steve's friendship with Sam. He was friendly, funny, and awesome in a fight.
The fight scenes were well done, and the special effects looked amazing.
Alexander Pierce was creepy, mainly because he didn't look like a 'typical' supervillain. He didn't have an over-the-costume or an evil laugh--he just looked like an ordinary man. And that made him even scarier.
Computer-Zola is even creepier. I had fun imagining what Colonel Phillips' reaction would be if he found that Zola had uploaded his brain onto a computer on what used to be his army base. :p
My favorite scene is probably the one where Cap gives his speech and inspires the loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to fight against HYDRA--and that one man refuses to launch the Helicarriers. It reminded me of the scene in The Avengers where the old German man refused to bow to Loki.
To finish up . . . The Winter Soldier himself is both frightening and heartbreaking. His final fight scene with Cap aboard the Helicarrier, and his rescue afterwards, made me cry.
So I guess you can tell I really liked it.
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Warrior 4 Jesus » Jun 15, 2014 5:46 am

GODZILLA is back!

Cold War opening credits draw the viewer into the dark, anxious times of the late 50s/early 60s. A sombre but intriguing tone is set for the rest of the movie. “Godzilla” is well-written and acted (Brian Cranston is a stand-out – no surprise there). The CGI/visual effects are brilliant without threatening the story and the locations are properly realised. There’s a real humanity to the movie but also an impressive understanding of the scope needed to tell such a tale, quite a tricky balance to get right. Great restraint is shown in revealing Godzilla. I wouldn't have minded a little more of Godzilla and a little less of the ‘other’ monsters, which were a little too reminiscent of the "Cloverfield" monster for my liking. Also, it could've done with a touch of humour. This is a really good movie. No, it doesn’t have the silliness of “Godzilla” (1998) or the orchestral action and unadulterated fun of “Pacific Rim”, but what “Godzilla” (2014) does deliver is a harrowing drama/thriller that highlights the truth - sometimes we're helpless in the face of danger, sometimes we need another to save us.

Warning: Not for children. “Godzilla” contains science fiction violence and adult themes. Several scenes are eerily reminiscent of 9/11 and the Fukushima tsunamis.

8/10
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby fantasia » Aug 06, 2014 8:05 am

My husband and I went on a spontaneous date to Guardians of the Galaxy last night after dropping our kid off at my parents house. :D (I think this is the first movie I've seen in theaters since Desolation of Smaug. :ymblushing: ) I really liked it... with the exception of the language which was like stepping back in time to all of those campy 80s movies.

I thought all of the characters were well developed considering I knew NOTHING about the comic books prior to hearing this movie was in the works. So it was pretty easy to follow along. The story was a bit more believable (well, relatively speaking) than a lot of the other recent Marvel and DC Comics' movies. It was funny in the right spots and serious in the right spots. So yeah, on the whole, big thumbs up from me. :) Probably the Marvel movie I've liked the most since Iron Man. I liked it waaay better than The Avengers for sure.

One of the weirder reactions I had though, was that I wanted to put this movie in the same family as the Star Trek series. ;))
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby 220chrisTian » Aug 20, 2014 11:58 am

The Giver opened in theaters last Friday. Has anyone seen it, someone who's also read Lowry's novel? I loved this book, but I hated the trailers. I thought they'd changed too much. The IMDb/Metacritic reviews (critics and users) weren't promising either. /:)
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby shastastwin » Aug 20, 2014 1:12 pm

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm fairly hopeful about it because I've read a couple of interviews in which Lowry expressed favorable feelings toward the production, even going to far as to say she wished she had written some of the changes they made into the book.

http://www.hypable.com/2014/07/16/the-giver-author-lois-lowry/
http://io9.com/lois-lowry-explains-how-the-giver-movie-improves-on-her-1610582880
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Lady Haleth » Sep 22, 2014 1:50 pm

I loved Guardians of the Galaxy too. I expected to like Star-Lord and Groot, but I certainly didn't expect to like Gamora and Drax as much as I did. And Rocket was hilarious!

I also liked that we finally (with the exception of that one henchwoman in Iron Man 3) got to have a female villain. Nebula was cool. Ronan was insanely creepy. (He was bathing in his enemies' blood! Ew!)-shudders. So was Thanos, for that matter.

Favorite bits:

Star-Lord giving Gamora his mask when they were stuck in space.

Rocket and that one guy's fake leg.

Groot drinking from the water fountain.

Rocket turning off the artificial gravity.

Drax and metaphors.

Groot sacrificing himself.

The Guardians defeating Ronan.

Dancing Baby Groot.

I liked that the Guardians didn't really start out as particularly heroic. Yet they ultimately decide that they're going to do whatever it takes to stop Ronan. On a completely different note, I liked all the different colors and settings. Knowhere really was 'a wretched hive of scum and villainy.'
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Shadowlander » Nov 14, 2014 1:32 pm

I snuck yesterday afternoon and caught a matinee showing of Interstellar.

And I loved it. I've been a huge fan of space exploration, colonization, and general purpose space junkie since I first saw Star Wars in 77'. The Voyager flybys of the late 70's of Jupiter and Saturn only heightened this interest and I spent a lot of time going through National Geographic issues of that and watching any Sci-Fi movie or TV program I could get my eyeballs on. Oh how I always wanted to be an astronaut (and perhaps one day will be still) and make those long treks to far away worlds and to see wonders no one else has seen. Contact (1997) built upon this innate desire of mine and I'd have given anything to take that space probe off to Vega instead of Jodie Foster. So many countless worlds out there to visit and explore, chart and give names to.

Interstellar spoke to me on a deep level, and it was a rush of exhilaration to my soul to see the things it had to offer. The plot goes something like this. Cooper (Matt McConaughey) is a retired astronaut and test pilot living somewhere in the Midwest. The Earth's resources are drying up and crops are failing on a global scale due to an unknown botanical pathogen known as "the blight", which kills off varying types of crops and gets bigger due to the nitrogren buildup as a result (as they explained it). Cooper, like 95% of the rest of the world's population, is now a farmer. All militaries have been disbanded and the world is focused only on survival. After Cooper's daughter, Murph, begins complaining of a ghost in her bedroom Cooper discovers that the phenomenon is actually a coded signal from...somewhere else. He deciphers some coordinates from the signals and discovers an old military base where he is taken into custody (along with his daughter) by what appears to be the remnants of NASA, who are claiming that while Mankind is on an inevitable collision course with extinction there just may be a little hope. It seems that some intelligence has created a stable wormhole in Saturn's orbit, and probes report that the wormhole (a point in space which occupies two separate places in the universe at the same time) has habitable worlds beyond that just may be Mankind's salvation. Cooper and a team of scientists are selected to board the Endurance, a long range spacecraft, and rocket through the wormhole to find and investigate those worlds beyond it. And what they find beyond is pretty amazing.

This is a sci-fi film that feels very real. I mean it's clear that shy of the long term cryogenic sleep chambers (which allow the crew to sleep for years at a time) pretty much everything in the movie is a working technology now. I had a huge grin on my face for much of the film, not because you're rooting for Cooper (which you are, as he's the "everyman" representative of the film) or because the heroes just escaped a seemingly inescapable situation, but because as a people we were made to explore. The special effects were apparently exorbitantly expensive but you can tell. They also used actual spacecraft models in lieu of CGI (take note George Lucas!) which makes it seem more real. This is not a film for everyone. If you're like me or have a big interest in space in general you will likely love this film and it will wow you with how small our little spot is in the universe. The soundtrack was very wonderful and it felt like a cross between the score for 2001: A Space Odyssey and Disney's old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with lots of what sounded like pipe organ music.

Five solid stars.
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby fantasia » Nov 16, 2014 12:22 pm

Thanks for the review SL. I don't follow movie releases closely anymore, so I didn't even hear about this movie until last weekend (I think?) when everybody started gushing about it. I'll have to check it out. Or at least have my husband check it out since it's up his alley more than mine. He can tell me whether or not I'd like it. ;)

Now the movie that I'm pretty sure I WOULD like that's out right now is Big Hero 6. Has anybody seen that one and would care to comment on it? I think most people I know that have seen it, liked it quite a lot.
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby ValiantArcher » Nov 16, 2014 3:38 pm

I'd been meaning to come in and briefly talk about Big Hero 6, but hadn't had a chance, fk. I went and saw it this past week with a couple of my sisters and a friend. We all really enjoyed it. :) It was fun, and the characters were good. There was a little bit of eye-rolling humour, but it was pretty much overshadowed by how emotional it was, which I hadn't expected. But I'm really glad I watched it. :) I don't know if that helps you out or not, sorry; I think I'm still processing it a bit. :ymblushing:
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Re: Present Movies: The First Showing!

Postby Fire Fairy » Nov 17, 2014 12:57 am

Just saw Big Hero 6 this last Tuesday, and I absolutely loved it!! :D I've been excited about it since I first saw the concept art, so you can imagine my excitement. The movie was funny and sad and heartwarming and exciting all at once, if you can imagine that. :p Baymax, especially, (although GoGo Tomago is my favorite character) was just a delight to watch. It also has a lot of really good themes in it, especially about not desiring revenge, and sacrifice and all of that. Also, if you're a fan of Marvel, make sure to stay for the scene after the credits. ;)

Some of my favorite lines (w/o spoilers):
"This armor may undermine my huggable and non-threatening design." - Baymax
"I spilled Wasabi on my shirt once...!" - Wasabi
"Woman up!" - GoGo
"We jumped out a window!" - Baymax
"Hairy...BABY! Hairy baby..." - Baymax
The Baymax fistbump (not a quote, but still funny) =))
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