Post by moviemouth on Mar 26, 2017 4:19:12 GMT
Yours:
The China Syndrome - good story and strong performances from the main trio. 7.5/10
Moana - I thought it was decent. 6.5/10
Rumble Fish - beautifully shot and well acted, especially by Rourke. 7/10
Slap Shot - I enjoyed it. Newman is good as always. 7/10
A View to a Kill - I've always had fun with it. The song from Duran Duran is one of the best Bond themes, Walken is an awesome villain, and it's just really entertaining for me. Moore is too old at this point, but he still plays the part well and Tanya Roberts performance is good for a laugh. 7.5/10
Return of the King - I also watched it this week and you are very wrong. 9.5/10
First Time Viewings:
The Rescuers Down Under (1990, Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel)
This was Disney's first animated sequel and it's actually pretty good and on par with the original. George C. Scott puts in strong work as the villain and the rest of the voice cast is very good. I liked the Australian setting and overall it's a fun little film.
7/10
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
This update of the 1940 classic is much shorter than the original, which was nice, but the most memorable segment was also in the first film and reused here. The music and animation are great, but I didn't care for it on the whole.
6/10
The Great Mouse Detective (1986, Ron Clements, John Musker, Burny Mattinson, and Dave Michener)
This Disney film is basically the studios take on Sherlock Holmes. It has a really good villain voice by Vincent Price, the main character is pretty cool, and it's pretty entertaining throughout. It felt like something was missing, perhaps a more interesting mystery.
6.5/10
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017, Macon Blair)
The directorial debut of Macon Blair is about a depressed woman who has her house burglarized and teams up with her obnoxious neighbor to track down the burglars. Many have said this one feels like a Jeremy Saulnier film (Blair has been in all 3 of his films) and I can definitely see it. I'm a big fan of Saulnier's last two efforts and I enjoyed this one a lot too. Melanie Lynskey is really good, as is Elijah Wood and they share strong chemistry together. The story went in some interesting directions and the last act was terrific. It's well shot, has a great soundtrack, and I loved the sudden burst of violence throughout. The mixed reviews made me go in a bit cautiously, but I liked it a lot.
8/10
Black Hawk Down (2001, Ridley Scott)
Based on a true story, this Ridley Scott directed war film is one I've been meaning to see for a while. I'm glad I finally watched it, because it's damn good. The cast is strong, it has good music, it's well shot, and the pacing is really good. The combat scenes are brutal and realistic and incredibly intense.
8/10
Kong: Skull Island (2017, Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
The latest take on the King Kong story has a cool Vietnam War era setting, complete with a great soundtrack fitting of the times. The cast is good, with John C. Reilly being the standout in terms of performance, as well as character. The effects are very good, there are some fun action scenes, and on the whole enjoyed it.
7/10
Repeat Viewings:
The Rescuers (1977, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Art Stevens)
I saw this one once before a few years ago and it held up well this time. It's not among Disney's best, but it's a fan film with some great moments.
7/10
The Hobbit (1977, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.)
This animated adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel is a film I really enjoyed as a kid, but it's been several years since my last viewing. I'm a little sad to say it doesn't really hold up anymore, but it still has some good stuff and is an easy watch at only 77 minutes.
6/10
The Lord of the Rings (1978, Ralph Bakshi)
I think I probably only saw this one once before and that was a long time ago. Honestly I found it kind of boring and wished I was watching Peter Jackson's version the whole time. Gollum kind of sucks in this version.
5/10
The Return of the King (1980, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.)
Since Ralph Bakshi's version only covered the first two books, the team behind the 1977 version of The Hobbit decided to finish the story. They leave out some important events and characters and the animation style is different from Bakshi's, as is the cast. I actually prefer Rankin and Bass' cast and animations style though. Gollum is so much better here and overall I enjoy this one a bit more than Bakshi's film.
5/10
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, Peter Jackson)
The first part of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy is the best of the three and despite its flaws is an enjoyable fantasy/adventure film. It relies too heavily on CGI and the dwarf characters aren't very well developed. Martin Freeman is really good in the lead role though and Ian McKellen is wonderful as Gandalf once again.The film is longer than it needs to be, but has pretty good pacing. The riddles in the dark segment with Gollum is the highlight.
7.5/10
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013, Peter Jackson)
This one lots of pointless filler, but is still pretty good overall. The love triangle si stupid, the film still too long, and there's more iffy CGI. The stuff with the dragon at the end is great though and Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job voicing it. Martin Freeman shines once again as Bilbo and the film is fun despite its problems.
7/10
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014, Peter Jackson)
This one isn't nearly as bad as I remembered, but it's still easily the weakest of the three. I hate all the stuff with Alfred (the unibrow guy), there's too much CGI, the battle scenes aren't all that exciting, and I don't like that Bilbo is made a side character in this one. The best parts are with Bilbo and Gandalf. Still, like I said, it's much better than I remembered.
5.5/10
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, Peter Jackson)
As a kid this was always my least favorite of the three (I've always like them pretty equally though), but in recent years it has become my favorite. It has rich storytelling, great characters, one of the best scores of all time, and incredible sets, costumes, and makeup.
9.5/10
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson)
A great continuation of the story that has some awesome new characters. Andy Serkis is brilliant as Gollum.
9.5/10
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson)
A terrific conclusion to the trilogy that does a wonderful job wrapping everything up. It was my favorite as a kid, but my least favorite now. Again, it's incredibly close between all three.
9.5/10
Godzilla (2014, Gareth Edwards)
I really enjoyed this one at the theater, but hadn't seen it since. It did not hold up well at all. Godzilla himself is still cool and the film has its moments, but the characters and performances are forgettable and the story just didn't hold my interest this time.
5.5/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
BEST ACTOR - Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
BEST ACTRESS - Melanie Lynskey (I Don't Fell at Home in This World Anymore)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Cate Blanchett (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
BEST SCORE - Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
BEST SCRIPT - Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens (The Fellowship of the Ring)
BEST DIRECTOR - Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
Fantasia - 7/10 I love classical music and the imagery that is put to it makes for trippy and cool movie, I especially lik the final segment
The Great Mouse Detective - 6/10 While I like the characters the story just didn't intersest me much.
Black Hawk Down - 8/10 Yup, wonderfully made, intense and emotionally compelling, great cast of characters too. I don't think he deserved a directing nomination that year though.
The Rescuers - 6/10 A bit better than the sequel due to a better story and a better villain.
Kong: Skull Island - 6/10 It has it's moments and I like the performances and the action is cool but the story is weak and too been there done that.
Godzilla - The movie is fine until Cranston dies and then we are left with the plank of wood that is Aaron Johnson's performance. It's not all his fault though becasue the writing isn't good either and it gets worse as the movie goes on. It has some great visual moments here and there though and the skydiving scene is pretty bad-ass
I think you know all my LOTR/Hobbit ratings. You have basically confirmed that I don't need to ever watch the animated versions.