**Rerun's Movie Reviews**

[MooseMom]

I still have my doubts about 3D.  Maybe I'm just old, but then again, my husband would watch paint dry if it was in 3D.  Just seems that all too often, the story suffers.  Plus, I hate wearing two pairs of glasses.  Plus I get motionsickness pretty easily.  Plus I like to whine.

[YLGuy]

I saw True Grit with my son tonight.  I enjoyed it.  I read the book many years ago and what I can remember the movie was very close to the book.  I saw the John Wayne version and liked that too but I think Jeff Bridges made a better Rooster Cogburn. 

[Poppylicious]

I still have my doubts about 3D.  Maybe I'm just old, but then again, my husband would watch paint dry if it was in 3D.  Just seems that all too often, the story suffers.  Plus, I hate wearing two pairs of glasses.  Plus I get motionsickness pretty easily.  Plus I like to whine.

You? Whine? I've never noticed! *chuckles*

I think that at the moment a lot of films depend on the 3D factor as a means of getting people perching their bums on seats; Avatar is an example (the storyline is weak) but it was the first major film (we saw Final Destination 3D a few months before, and that was impressive) to be 3D so everybody and his uncle wanted to see it.  As people get used to it and it loses the WOW! factor the storylines will have to be stronger.

I imagine it's here to stay.  And before long you won't be needing to wear the glasses, which will negate that excuse and you'll have to think of another ...

 

[cariad]

Once again, NetFlix shamelessly profits off of our laziness!

We finally watched Crazy Heart I think it's called? I thought the acting was interesting, though the lead female was, well, kind of an idiot. Nothing new there. I thought it would be better than it was. If you're looking for something to pass the time, the dialogue was very good but the film just did not capture my interest.

Although, when we heard the phrase from the country singer about 'playing toilets' Gwyn and I both decided that this was based on the life of the man we heard about in an interview while driving through Wales. It wasn't the man himself doing an interview, it was someone else and he repeatedly used that phrase. In fact, I think the interview was with Elton John. Can't remember exactly, but I generally find stories based on someone's life more interesting than yet another pic about an alcoholic musician, so wish they had played that up a bit more.

Spoiler to follow:
Oh, but are films more predictable these days, or have Gwyn and I become psychic? The minute the female lead said she didn't know what she would do if she lost her child, I declared "That boy's as good as gone" and Gwyn replied "Oh, yes."

[MooseMom]

Poppy, I saw Avatar and have to say that it was a visually stunning film.  The story wasn't so much lame as it was unoriginal...glorious native civilization threatened by greedy barbarians.  History is full of these scenarios, unfortunately.  I've seen some brilliant films in 3D, but they've worked mainly because of fabulous writing and storytelling.  But too many 3D films so far have just made me want to whine...

Cariad, Crazy Heart just never appealed to me, so I'm glad to hear that I haven't really missed much.

Re foreshadowing, I always know that if a young, female character passes out, she's pregnant.

I really enjoyed True Grit.  The dialogue is such fun!

[Rerun]

True Grit with John Wayne is one of my all time favorite movies, so I'm going to see the new True Grit Friday night......  we will see!  I've heard good things.

         

[Chris]

Since I got a new blu-ray player for Christmas, I have watched 3 current movies and started one more.
1. Sorcerer's Apprentce was very entertaining even with some slow spots.
 
2. The Losers, ehhh it would be better to watch when it comes on TV for free. It seemed like it was based off the A-Team show. Ending was disappointing when the.......at  the .......
 
3. Clash of he Titans was just OK. I preffered the original 1980's stop motion special effects. The movie does have a small, very small similarity with the 1980's film, but you have to pay attention. However this film was more entertaining than The Losers.
 
4. The Expendables, not sure yet since I fell asleep shortly after starting it late at night.

[paris]

Beth and I took the day off, stayed in our pajamas, and watched Toy Story 3, Goodbye Charlie, and Eat Pray Love all while working on a puzzle.  Perfect day!   I loved Toy Story 3 -- and yes, you will cry.   I really enjoyed Goodbye Charlie--also a tear jerker.   And adored Eat Pray Love (not as good as the book - but a nice movie).  Of course, I love Julia Roberts. 

Chris, I got my husband a blu-ray for Christmas so he can stream Netflix.  He may never leave his Man Cave!

[jbeany]

The critic from my local paper reviewed Jack Black's version of Gulliver's Travels.  He hated it, and complained that the script took too many liberties with the book, since Swift couldn't possibly have written a potty joke about the giant Gulliver peeing on the royal palace to put out a fire.  Whoops. 

From Part 1, Chapter V.   .......   I was alarmed at midnight with the cries of many hundred people at my door; by which being suddenly awaked, I was in some kind of terror. I heard the word burglum repeated incessantly; several of the Emperor's court making their way through the crowd, entreated me to come immediately to the palace, where her Imperial Majesty's apartment was on fire, by the carelessness of a maid of honor, who fell asleep while she was reading a romance. I got up in an instant; and orders being given to clear the way before me; and it being likewise a moonshine night, I made a shift to get to the palace without trampling on any of the people. I found they had already applied ladders to the walls of the apartment, and were well provided with buckets, but the water was at some distance. These buckets were about the size of a large thimble, and the poor people supplied me with them as fast as they could; but the flame was so violent, that they did little good. I might easily have stifled it with my coat, which I unfortunately left behind me for haste, and came away only in my leathern jerkin. The case seemed wholly desperate and deplorable; and this magnificent palace would have infallibly been burnt down to the ground, if, by a presence of mind, unusual to me, I had not suddenly thought of an expedient. I had the evening before drank plentifully of a most delicious wine, called Glimigrim, (the Blefuscudians call it Flunec, but ours is esteemed the better sort) which is very diuretic. By the luckiest chance in the world, I had not discharged myself of any part of it. The heat I had contracted by coming very near the flames, and by my laboring to quench them, made the wine begin to operate by urine; which I voided in such a quantity, and applied so well to the proper places, that in three minutes the fire was wholly extinguished; and the rest of that noble pile, which had cost so many ages in erecting, preserved from destruction.

Hey, it was a political satire.  Of course Swift wanted to piss on the royal family!

Yes, I have an English degree.  I can't help it.

[Chris]

Chris, I got my husband a blu-ray for Christmas so he can stream Netflix.  He may never leave his Man Cave!

I use redbox because I do not rent many movies. So instead of paying an $8 monthly fee that I may not even use for a month, I just walk across the street and rent a movie I might like. However most of te time I am buying DVD's, which I think I still will do since I do not see the difference between blu ray and regular DVD's except price. However my blu ray has wireless and I can watch various content included from Sony such as concerts, movie previews, then there is the various online services of YouTube, Pandora radio (love it), and other stuff I never heard of o the internet for entertainment.
 
Next film I want to rent is A Day or is it Night (?) With Orson Wells. Could be HG Wells too, should pay more atention to trailers.

[Poppylicious]

2. The Losers, ehhh it would be better to watch when it comes on TV for free. It seemed like it was based off the A-Team show. Ending was disappointing when the.......at  the .......

I loved The Losers when myself and Blokey saw it at the cinema ... I couldn't stand The A-Team; it was probably my least favourite cinema trip this year.

However most of te time I am buying DVD's, which I think I still will do since I do not see the difference between blu ray and regular DVD's except price.

I had a massive problem being able to see the difference between Blu-ray and ordinary DVD (and also between HD and ordinary telly) to begin with.  I think some of us are just designed to not notice that Blu-ray and HD are far more superior!  I do notice sometimes, but not always and Blokey finds it very irksome.  Now that I'm used to watching Blu-rays instead of DVDs, and HD tellybox channels instead of ordinary tellybox channels, I'm beginning to actually realise that there is a difference.

 

My local (and nearest) cinema has made me very slightly just a tad angry this week.  I want to see Chatroom (British film, about Internet chatrooms funnily enough) but they're not showing it.  Am I the only person this ever happens to?!

[Rerun]

True Grit with John Wayne is one of my all time favorite movies, so I'm going to see the new True Grit Friday night......  we will see!  I've heard good things.

         

I saw True Grit in the Theater and it was great.  Just as good as the John Wayne one.  Jeff Bridges did a wonderful job as well as the rest of the cast. 

[Chris]

I saw Tron in IMAX 3D or so we thought because my friend I went with did not notice anything in 3D except one of the previews.
 
I wish I saw the original TRON first for a quick review, but movie gave the jist of it. I found the storyline a little off since the original Tron was in the early 80's and gave no impression it was in the future, but in Tron Legacy they had the storyline occuring in 1989.
It was an entertaining film but not as good as the original from my memory. The IMAX was to big for me to follow the screen easy so I will probably buy the DVD of it along with the original when it comes out in 4 to 6 months.
 
I enjoyed going to an adults only theatre, no kids or teens, dinner, appetizers, and drinks (even alcohol) was bbrought to you without interruption.
 
Next movie our group plans to go see is Nicolas Cage's new flick or Meet The Fockers.

[Rerun]

Date Night (2010)  Five Stars for Comedy               

Who knew simple dinner reservations under a different name could turn one New Jersey couple's date night so terribly upside-down? Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell) Foster leave their kids with the sitter (Leighton Meester) and head out for a night on the town -- as the Tripplehorns. Shawn Levy (Just Married, Night at the Museum) directs this action-comedy; Mark Wahlberg and James Franco co-star

[Chris]

Yes, that movie was funny. I saw that on my iPhone while in the hospital. Even the outtakes are funny. Definitely a 5 star comedy.

[Rerun]

Talk To Me (2007)  4 stars        

Oscar nominee Don Cheadle stars as real-life radio trailblazer Ralph "Petey" Greene, a high-school dropout and charismatic ex-con who leverages a prison disc jockey gig into a stint at a Washington, D.C., radio station. Along the way, he also gets his own television show -- and an invitation to the White House. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson co-star in this compelling biopic from director Kasi Lemmons.

[okarol]

Jenna and I saw "The King's Speech" last night. It's a really great film!
The story of King George VI of Britain, (Prince Charles' grandfather) his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
 

[cariad]

Watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland last night, sort of. What a disappointment. Johnny Depp will play the Mad Hatter is one of those statements you dream of hearing, and then this was the result. Depressing. I don't want the kids to watch the rest of it (they went to bed about halfway through) because it is difficult to follow and has some disturbing imagery. They were shaken by the Door Mouse pulling a creature's eye out. So was I, truth be told.

[cariad]

Oh, Gwyn and I have a question for anyone who might have seen Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland. Why on earth did Johnny Depp change the Hatter's accent? When he was sane and serious he had a Glaswegian but when he was Mad he was English. Is there some political statement there that we're missing?

[MooseMom]

I hated that movie.  Never liked the original story.  And as much as I like Johnny Depp, that accent was all over the place.

I'm really wanting to see The King's Speech.  Great cast.

[Chris]

Well with any Tim Burton fim, he adds a dark side to them, even in lighting. He was interviewed on why he does it that way, but I feel every film doesn't need it that way and he over does it. I would like to see him try a different style of filming.
 
We have Alice in Wonderland, but like Avitar, I'm just not interested in seeing it.

[Poppylicious]

I actually liked Burton's Alice in Wonderland (although I'm not a fan of his films usually) and didn't even notice Depp's accent changes during the watching of it, which is surpising because I'm incredibly anal about things like that.  Or, if I did notice I probably just assumed that it was because he was the 'mad' Hatter so thought nothing else of it.

 

[knittingdan]

I pretty much was done with Tim Burton around the time he "reimagined" Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I never actually saw his version, but I read an article where he was quoted as being "not a fan" of the original.  Then I heard he turned Willy Wonka into a pedophile.

[Chris]

I pretty much was done with Tim Burton around the time he "reimagined" Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I never actually saw his version, but I read an article where he was quoted as being "not a fan" of the original.  Then I heard he turned Willy Wonka into a pedophile.

Forgot aboutthat movie. It just looked to weird in the commercials. Some films shouldn't be remade, lke War f te Worlds and other classics.

[galvo]

I agree, Chris. I can't understand why they are producing a new "True Grit". The original was a classic. I hear, though, Jeff Bridges is great in the new one.