**Rerun's Movie Reviews**

[CebuShan]

FNL = "Friday Night Lights", the TV series based upon the book about high school football in a small Texas town.  Very, very critically acclaimed and worth watching if you can find it.  It ran for several seasons and ended just a year or so ago.  I'd guess you could find it on Netflix, perhaps.  I don't think I've seen it in syndication.

Oh yeah. There was a movie first. I didn't care for it and only watched the show a couple of times when I was really bored. I have a friend that said it was because no one in my family was involved in football. (Marching band didn't count) I just couldn't understand most of the characters.

[MooseMom]

I read the original book some years ago, and so I was excited when the movie came out.  It was adapted for the movie by Peter Berg, who I really liked when he was in Chicago Hope (does that date me or what?!).  But the movie literally made me sick; the camerawork made me motion sick, so I had to leave.  I finally saw the movie once it came out on DVD...on a smaller screen, it didn't make me want to 

As for the TV show, Peter Berg worked on that, too, but it was different from the movie as the characters/actors were different.  You don't have to know anything about football to enjoy the show.  It was a simple premise, really, in that it followed the lives of several people/families in town.  It was filmed in the Austin area, and several of the cast members ended up buying property there.

[cariad]

I watched a sweet documentary called Darkon. I adore documentaries and especially documentaries about micro-cultures that are all around us but that we never see.

This follows the created adventures of Live Action Role Players. I came to watch the film when I was trying to find a quote for a classmate who is studying the motivations in online gaming worlds. I actually found the quote, remarkable because I only remembered it from an article some 5 years ago. That led me to the film. It dragged in places - I did not need to see the one individual's young son practicing sword play in their living room for what seemed like ages, but most of it was completely fascinating. I could never do something like that, I would just feel way too silly, but it seems to make a lot of people very happy. I vastly prefer to hear of people doing this than staring at a computer screen 10 hours a day over an online version of a fantasy game.

[cariad]

Ah, yes, and I saw an IMAX film with Liot maybe two weeks ago when Aidan was over at a friend's house. It was called Born to be Wild. It followed rescue and rehabilitation centers for orphaned elephants in Africa and orphaned orangutans in Borneo. I found it all extremely interesting, and Liot adored it and said that's what he wants to do with his life (I believe him, too - he does not change his mind like other children). Just looking at the landscapes, though, the Africa segments got me so moody. Borneo was lush and beautiful, but I just have this strong emotional reaction to the dry grasslands of African savannah. It's like homesickness. I want to return there so desperately.

[CebuShan]

Is anybody else besides me excited about "The Avengers"? We've been catching up on the superhero movies that we missed recently. Just watched "Captain America". Loved it!         The Marvel Comics movies are great because you don't have to think too hard to watch them!   

[Poppylicious]

I'm not 'excited' about the Avengers film, but I will be dragged along to see it.  I love Iron Man (or maybe I just love Robert Downey Jr.) and I enjoyed Captain America, but I've never see Hulk (the film, obviously I used to watch the 70s(?) tellybox shows) or Thor so have no idea how I'll take to it.

We saw The Cabin in the Woods last night.  I really enjoyed it; it was gorey and slightly odd and very Joss Whedon.  Sigourney Weaver (really don't like her!) spoilt it towards the end, but she got her just desserts so all was well with the world when we left the cinema.

 

[MomoMcSleepy]

You need to see Thor!  I never care about looking at men, but Thor made me feel li,e I was in middle school again, all giggly.  So very attractive, like he was pushed right out of a mold...good grief, see it, if only for that!

It is entertaining, too.  There are really funny moments.  My husband pretty much only takes me to comic book movies, so I have seen them al, and am super excited for the Avengers, though I am more excited for Prometheus later in June.

Hulk was kind of sad...

I loved Cabin in the Woods, my husband took me for  my actual birthday, but we liked Sigourney, thought she was good for that part, you know, cause of who she was and the ending...hits the fans and people who don't like her both the right way.  My husband made me watch all of the Alien movies, too.  He is a huge movie buff, and spend the first few years we were together getting me caught up so I could understand his jokes, I guess..  . Love song for my babe...

[Poppylicious]

You need to see Thor!  I never care about looking at men, but Thor made me feel li,e I was in middle school again, all giggly.  So very attractive, like he was pushed right out of a mold...good grief, see it, if only for that!

Ah, I tend to go for dark, moody, not particularly muscular, souls so I'm not sure that Thor would make me gush like a giggly schoolgirl!

... though I am more excited for Prometheus later in June.

Blokey is really looking forward to that too.  I'm happy to go along as it does look really good from the trailers, but I've got to get over the fact that it's basically one of the Alien films, and I didn't like them. I suspect that Alien is where my dislike of SW came from.

 

[MomoMcSleepy]

You need to see Thor!  I never care about looking at men, but Thor made me feel li,e I was in middle school again, all giggly.  So very attractive, like he was pushed right out of a mold...good grief, see it, if only for that!

Ah, I tend to go for dark, moody, not particularly muscular, souls so I'm not sure that Thor would make me gush like a giggly schoolgirl!

... though I am more excited for Prometheus later in June.

me, too on the dark, moody types, but lately I'm into arrogant blondes, like Eric on True Blood (the actor's father's the guy playing the older scientist in Thor, incidentally), and Thor.  I don't know what's come over me.  I surely like shorter guys, too,but now  like them tall...Maybe because I married a tall, confident , boisterous dirty blond Polish boy?. My husband is so much fun, and I wouldn't have looked twice at him in  high school!. Too loud for me.

Blokey is really looking forward to that too.  I'm happy to go along as it does look really good from the trailers, but I've got to get over the fact that it's basically one of the Alien films, and I didn't like them. I suspect that Alien is where my dislike of SW came from.

 

I suspect that's where everyone's dislike of SW came from....

oh, amid think this might posterity my response buried in the quotes, sorry...

[mcclane]

Is anybody else besides me excited about "The Avengers"? We've been catching up on the superhero movies that we missed recently. Just watched "Captain America". Loved it!         The Marvel Comics movies are great because you don't have to think too hard to watch them!   

my wife is really looking forward to the avengers !  She is an avid Marvels fan, while I lean towards DC, so our 'discussions' about who has the best superheroes can get heated at times 

[mcclane]

This film is an older film, but one that is controversial, it is Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust.

Aside from the 'harshness' of the film, it does convey a message of who really is the cannibal, or savage.  Is it people who live in the rain forests and has never experienced modern life, or is it us, those who are living in modern society, all for fame and fortune ?  Really gets you thinking,

Warning though, for those that are faint of heart, you may want to pass, but those that can watch it, this film is really interesting. 

[Poppylicious]

We saw Marvel's Avengers Assemble today.  I switched off briefly half-way through, but did enjoy it.  I thought Loki was lush (haven't seen Thor, so hadn't seen him before) but then I looked him up on imdb and have decided that I only like the character and not the actor (who has stupid hair).

 

[MomoMcSleepy]

I saw the Avengers in 3-D yesterday, and would like to see it again.  The script was of high-quality, as were the action sequences.  I didn't find Scarlett Johansson believable in the Iron Man movie, but loved her here.  I loved all the casting, Mark Ruffalo was a great Bruce Banner, and of course I love Thor and Loki and the Professor from the Thor movie.  There were a few times when I wasn't sure if someone was going to make it or die, etc., and that was great.  Samuel L. Jackson is a great Nick Fury, but I wish he could be more in the action (although I don't think his character generally is). 

My husband was super excited and has seen it 3 times already.    The Avengers was the first comic book that he ever purchased for himself.  He played the Ultimate  Avengers cartoon for me, and we watched Captain America recently to bone  up on our "history".

I thought Cap was AWESOME!   The character was played well and I liked the way he handled his new surroundings and didn't act like a weird alien time-traveller constantly (cause Cap is awesome, so I'd hate to watch him stagger about, plus he's got heart and wouldn't scare easily).

There are some funny moments, but they're mostly spoilers. 

My favorite quote ended up being somewhat controversial, I guess.  Insults were tossed around about Loki during debriefing, and Thor told Natasha to watch it, she was speaking about an Asgaardian, and his brother. 

Natasha: he killed 80 people in 2 days.
Thor: (beat) He's adopted.

I thought his delivery was perfect, and it was a funny line, but some adoptees and adopted parents were offended and found it hurtful.  It's too bad, cause it was pretty funny.  It's not funny that he was adopted, just that Thor was trying to distance himself from his defense.  Also throughout, Thor was conflicted and it pained him to fight his brother, even though he was an "adopted" brother, so I don't think this was any type of slight on adoption in general, but I wasn't adopted, so I can't say whether it would bother me or not.  I honestly didn't realize that it might hurt people until I read about it online.  I never thought about it.

Anyway, it was very well-done, and had other funny moments, clever dialogue, great effects, and characters you love to watch and root for.  I felt the screen time was shared well by the Avengers team.. Definitely worth seeing, but 3D viewing is not necessary,  it was done in post and movie is fine without it.. We get a sneak peak at Thanos at the end, a really nasty villain, and I hope they make a sequel and can get the people that they used in this movie for the second one.. Thee is adverts scene st the end that is somewhat entertaining,but not as revealing as the secret ascends at the end of the other Marvel Movies.

bottom line: made me want to read the comics.  Really.

[Poppylicious]

Saw Dark Shadows today. 

Hmmm ... Johnny Depp was brilliant (I'm starting to quite like him in my old(er) age) but the film was pretty average.  Not to the extent that I was just waiting for it to end, but it didn't grip me or seduce me.  Although JD may, if he wants to ...

 

[mcclane]

rented The Darkest Hour.  It was quite enjoyable, although some of the acting was abit 'meh' (the cast was made up of actors/actresses I've never heard of before).

Good action, and a sense of mystery surrounding the aliens.

[Poppylicious]

rented The Darkest Hour.  It was quite enjoyable, although some of the acting was abit 'meh' (the cast was made up of actors/actresses I've never heard of before).

Good action, and a sense of mystery surrounding the aliens.

I actually enjoyed that, but really hated the feel-good ending!

We saw The Dictator today.  It was very, very funny and I highly recommend it if you're after some light-hearted relief from the world at large.   

[CebuShan]

We just watched, "In Time". It was alright. Kind of scary to think about knowing exactly how much time you have left to live. Great statement about the difference between the "Haves" and Have-Nots".

[Poppylicious]

We saw Snow White and the Huntsman yesterday.  I spent most of the film thinking the Huntsman looked very familiar before seeing his name in the credits and realising I've seen him in another two films in the last six weeks or so anyway!  D'oh. The effects were quite good and I was completely baffled by the dwarves (easily baffled, me!)  Also, one of my ex-students was in it (William) although I still can't place him in the classroom.

 

[Poppylicious]

I want to post that I've seen Prometheus 3D, but I fear I'm just talking to myself ...

 

It was quite good, btw.  Full of religious undertones which - being a religious studies nut - really tickled my fancy.

[MooseMom]

I saw Prometheus yesterday, and I really liked it.  It was a terrific blend of sci-fi and horror.  The actress who played Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) was Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".  Prometheus was visually very striking and interesting.  My only gripe was how a squid-like creature could morph into a creature that bears no resemblance to a squid.  How a squid could "give birth" to a creature with an exoskeleton and a hard pointy head just seems too biologically bizarre, even for an alien species.  LOL!  Since that was a central part of the whole "Alien" prologue, that really bugged me.  But other than that, I enjoyed the movie immensely!

BTW, I saw Charlize Theron on Graham Norton...she's really funny!  Beautiful actresses often don't get credit for good acting ability, but I think she is a very accomplished actress.  She was on GN along with Jon Hamm and Steve Coogan; it was a great episode!  Graham Norton is the best talk show on the planet.  He always has the most interesting mix of guests.

[lainiepop]

so is prometheus  worth a look then? saw it advertised when we went before op to see American pie the Reunion (not as fUnny as other 3) Is it a bit like alien?! Trailer made it seem so.
took my son to see the muppets too wouldn't highly recommend that lol!
Has anyone seen snow white & the huntsman? That next on my list!x

[jbeany]

Prometheus is supposed to be the pre-quel to Alien, isn't it?  All the reviews I read for Snow White were awful.

[Chris]

Ince I wait till movies are opn DVD, I bought Underworld Awakening. It was not that great. A movie that I caught on Starz though was an intence film with a good ending with the use of dog training when to eat . The movie was called Columbiana, a suspence/ thrillewr/drama film. In and Out In 30 secopnds with the guy from Social Network and Zombieland was ok at times, but the language hampered it. I have Ghost Rider 2arriving Tuesday thanks to Amazon, but will wait till I am in New Yorkl to watch it.
 

BTW, I saw Charlize Theron on Graham Norton...she's really funny!  Beautiful actresses often don't get credit for good acting ability, but I think she is a very accomplished actress.  She was on GN along with Jon Hamm and Steve Coogan; it was a great episode!  Graham Norton is the best talk show on the planet.  He always has the most interesting mix of guests.

I like it when he puts audience members in the chair 

[MooseMom]

Yes, I think Prometheus is worth a look if you like sci-fi/horror; it is a well made film of this genre.  And yes, it is supposed to be a "prequel" to the Alien movies.

And yes, Graham Norton's red chair is one of his funniest bits!

[Poppylicious]

Prometheus is definitely worth a look (and I'm saying that as someone who hasn't seen Alien all the way through because I didn't like it.) 

I would recommend Snow White.  The love (tri)angle is a little odd, but there's action for the boys and fairy-tale connotations for the girls.  It's a good film for just melting into without having to think too hard about what's going on, if that makes sense.

I can't stand Graham Norton ... I didn't realise he was so popular in the States!