What was the last movie you've seen?

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indecks
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by indecks »

Razzmatazz wrote:Rented a few films this week after not watching much over Christmas..

Horrible Bosses - Not normally keen on these glossy comedies but this was good fun thanks to Spacey mostly. One of the three protagonists (not sure that's the right word for them) had a really annoying voice though. 7/10
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by dsheinem »

Razzmatazz wrote: meant to be as good as The Hangover (which I found overrated personally, the sequel however I was rolling in the aisles).
A) I completely agree with you that The Hangover is vastly overrated. I gave it 2/5 when i reviewed it in this thread.

B) You are the first person I have heard say they found The Hangover II to be funny. It was mercilessly panned in reviews and by the few people I know who saw it. Why did you think it was better?
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by noiseredux »

I did not see Hangover 2, but I'd give the first one a 2/5 too. Here's me watching the entire movie: "OK, well... maybe it'll start getting funny... NOW?"
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by Razzmatazz »

dsheinem wrote:
Razzmatazz wrote: meant to be as good as The Hangover (which I found overrated personally, the sequel however I was rolling in the aisles).
A) I completely agree with you that The Hangover is vastly overrated. I gave it 2/5 when i reviewed it in this thread.

B) You are the first person I have heard say they found The Hangover II to be funny. It was mercilessly panned in reviews and by the few people I know who saw it. Why did you think it was better?
I think it's because I didn't watch The Hangover until a year or two after it's release, and as it had a lot of hype from my friends, I watched it and was disappointed. Hangover 2 I found hilarious, I'm not sure why. It had the ridiculous over the top things happening to Ed Helm's character, and I love his reactions. The Thai gangland character, Mike Tyson singing, it was ludicrous but as I wasn't expecting much from it, I actually found it funnier. It wasn't great, I mean I wouldn't buy it but it was a good trip to the cinema. But I found Die Hard 4 at the cinema awesome and then watched it on television and it sucked.
Maybe as I'm paying a fortune at the cinema I make myself think I like a film when it's actually not!
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by BurningDoom »

Razzmatazz wrote:
dsheinem wrote:
Razzmatazz wrote: meant to be as good as The Hangover (which I found overrated personally, the sequel however I was rolling in the aisles).
A) I completely agree with you that The Hangover is vastly overrated. I gave it 2/5 when i reviewed it in this thread.

B) You are the first person I have heard say they found The Hangover II to be funny. It was mercilessly panned in reviews and by the few people I know who saw it. Why did you think it was better?
I think it's because I didn't watch The Hangover until a year or two after it's release, and as it had a lot of hype from my friends, I watched it and was disappointed. Hangover 2 I found hilarious, I'm not sure why. It had the ridiculous over the top things happening to Ed Helm's character, and I love his reactions. The Thai gangland character, Mike Tyson singing, it was ludicrous but as I wasn't expecting much from it, I actually found it funnier. It wasn't great, I mean I wouldn't buy it but it was a good trip to the cinema. But I found Die Hard 4 at the cinema awesome and then watched it on television and it sucked.
Maybe as I'm paying a fortune at the cinema I make myself think I like a film when it's actually not!
I hated The Hangover, too. I got a a few chuckles at first, but then it was same joke through the entire movie: I got way too messed up and did stupid stuff. It got old. It's just like the rest of my generation, glorifying drinking into some incredible experience (don't get me wrong, I've had my share of drunken nights, it's just not the ultimate activity to me).
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by REPO Man »

Fright Night remake. Good, but while it's worth the price of a 3D ticket (I saw it on DVD), it's not worth another viewing. However, if I get the chance to see it in 3D, I'm taking it.

One thing that pissed me off was that, once again, Christopher Mintz-Plasse gets stuck as a scene-stealing ancillary character. I mean, if less-talented actors like Zac Efron can get elevated to starring roles, why not CMP?

And how skanky was David Tennant? He spent half the movie looking like he'd reek of booze and was groaning with VD. In other words, a generic British rock star with too much eye shadow and leather. "Dirrty"-era Christina Aguillerra(sic, but who gives a fuck) called him trashy.

But as a horror movie? Meh. Sure, it's gorey, but there's no real suspense, drama or even any cheap jolts. And with its sparse humor, it's doubly meh as a horror comedy.

But as something to watch on a Friday night in? For every one movie that'd be better, there's THOUSANDS that you couldn't be paid to at least say you watched.


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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by Michi »

House
(aka Hausu)

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Once again TCM has surprised me by showing me something I totally didn't expect. I sit down for something they classify as horror and I'm instead treated to something that is a bizarre mix of horror, comedy, and action all mixed together to form some psychedelic, epileptic-inducing explosion of japanese cinema. And, dear god, did I love every minute of it.

Hausu is a bit difficult to describe, but I shall do my best to give you a summary. The story revolves around seven friends. One of the girls, nicknamed Gorgeous (I'll get to the other girls in a minute), has been planning on going on summer vacation with her father. It's obvious she's been looking forward to this, but when her father comes home from his business trip he surprises his daughter by introducing her to her new stepmother, a very pretty Haruko Wanibuchi, who literally floats onto the scene in the most ethereal way possible.

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Yes, her cloths literally float around her thanks to an angelic breeze that affects only her and no one else in the scene.

It's obvious by the way she's portrayed that this woman is probably the most perfect stepmother that anyone could ever hope for, but of course Gorgeous is still pissed. Her mother's death some years prior still weighs heavily on her and she wants nothing to do with the woman. So, feeling nostalgic for her mother, instead of vacationing with her father Gorgeous writes to her aunt, asking if she and her friends can spend their summer break with her. Of course the woman agrees and the seven girls take a psychedelic trip to Auntie's house.

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A creepy old house in the country. Can't see a better way to start my vacation.

Once they're there they meet the kindly old woman and shortly after... start to drop like flies.

Let me start off by saying that, other than that quick summary, it's very hard to describe Hausu. It's an experience that's far easier felt for one's self than can be articulated by another. Any movie that has a girl finding a severed head

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Hmm, watermelon. I love waterme- Aaaaaahh! Holy S*&$!

and then has the girl try to get away, only to have the said head fly around and bite her on the ass

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It's either from a horror movie or from a bizarre Japanese porn fetish site.

defiantly should get brownie points for originality, but after you get finished explaining that one scene people are going to start looking at you strangely (the same way I'm sure some of you are looking at your monitors right now.)

So I'm not going to lie: This movie is bizarre. It'll probably make you scratch your head more than once. But this is a film more about aesthetics than plot.

Admittedly though, the visuals are another element that'll most likely distract many a viewer. Throughout the entire film no opportunity is missed to break up the scenes with old-school camera tricks, silent movie tinting,

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matte paintings, overlays,

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Argh! Stay away, hastily cut lip overlay! Stay away!

clip art, hand drawn cels:

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Nothing has been Photoshoped. These are all actual screenshots. Do not be alarmed.

You name a camera trick and they probably tried to shove it in the movie. Now, none of these tricks really help to drive the plot forward, but for visual enthusiasts this movie is a dream. Along with the creative trickery, all of the country backdrops are painted scenes, so the movie's earlier country scenes often feel surreal thanks to all the over-saturation.

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This is the least scary the house is ever going to look.

Once the girls actually get inside the house the scenes consist of more earthier shades, but even with all the pretty backdrops it's still should be pretty obvious that most of the movie was filmed in studio. That isn't to say that the film makers were trying their darndest to trick you into thinking otherwise. In fact, they make it obvious early on what they're doing.

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A backdrop within a backdrop after getting off the magic bus? I approve!

They just want you to know they put the extra effort into making the backdrops pretty and want you to appreciate it, damn it.

As for the characters, well, lets just say they're all pretty one dimensional. Each girl is essentially a personified personality trait. And in case anyone should get confused, they all have helpfully descriptive nicknames (I don't think they're referred to anything other than their nicknames). Other than Gorgeous, you have Melody (A musician), Mac (As in sto"mac"h), Prof (The smart one), Fantasy (A daydreamer), Sweetie (Really nice and helpful), and Kung Fu (Duh).

That's not to say, however, that the characters are unlikable. Far from it. Each girl knows her role and embraces it to the hilt. If Prof is going to be a poindexter, than damn it, she'd going to be the best poindexter she can be. Each girl's enthusiasm shows and thank god, because if you got the inclination that they weren't having any fun than the movie wouldn't be as entertaining. I'm not saying they're all great actresses, but their enthusiasm makes up for their faults. The enthusiasm also carries over to the secondary characters

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I think he's supposed to be the japanese equivalent of a hillbilly, as his grammar was atrocious, but that might have been the subtitlers fault.

giving you the impression that a good time was had by all.

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And no one had a better time than the skeleton, if his constant dancing in the background is any indication.

By now (if you haven't already stopped reading, that is) I've probably given you the impression that this movie is a farce of horror and nothing more than a constant giggle-fest. But do not be fooled. Hausu does have some genuinely disturbing imagery.

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Eye'm so happy you're here I could just Eat. You. Up.

It's just that most of those truly disturbing moments happen to be followed up with comic relief, either purposefully, or, as in the case of the ass-munching disembodied head, in a 'it's so bad/bizarre it's hysterical' kind of way. But looking at the rest of the movie it's hard to believe that those moments weren't intentional to begin with.

Suffice it to say that by the time the movie is half way over your head scratching will turn into exclamations of "WTF!" as the movie racks up the wacky and surreal factors. The deaths get more bizarre, crap starts flying everywhere and, if you're anything like me, you will laugh hysterically as Kung Fu goes all Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while she tries to singlehandedly kick the house's ass.

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Rowr! I have conquered possessed lumber! Feel my wrath, wood!

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Wait... where'd my skirt go?

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Ah! There it is.

Yes. This is a japanese ghost story. But this is not a japanese ghost story that takes itself seriously.

Nope.

Not in the slightest.

Ringu and Ju-on, this ain't. So if you're looking for something similar, look elsewhere as this will not quench your thirst. If however, you're looking for something more along the lines of Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness then welcome my friend, as this will probably be right up your ally. But I warn you now, this movie will leave you feeling like this

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....the hell did I just watch?

As for me, I'll probably be picking up the blu-ray now. Yup. That's how much I liked it.

For those who are curious, here's the trailer:
It's actually more coherent than that movie :lol:
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by dsheinem »

^ that looks amazing :shock:

The Criterion Blu-Ray is on sale on Amazon right now. Hmmmm....
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Michi
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Re: What was the last movie you've seen?

Post by Michi »

dsheinem wrote:^ that looks amazing :shock:
It is amazing. It's the most amazing thing I've seen in a year.
The Criterion Blu-Ray is on sale on Amazon right now. Hmmmm....
I noticed that. It's actually the same price as the DVD right now, so there's really no excuse not to get the blu-ray. And as far as I'm concerned it's very much worth the price.
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