What was the last movie you've seen?

[Ack]

Funny enough, I've somehow seen most movies Zack Snyder has directed. I actually liked Dawn of the Dead the most, but I don't think of it as a real remake to Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

300 is a hell of a ride...the first time. It's a magnificent spectacle in a packed and darkened theater. But it doesn't hold up to repeated viewings. Truth be told, I found Sucker Punch the same way. It's a visual feast, but going back to it doesn't do anything for me. I've seen the spectacle. I don't feel the need to see it again. I liked Man of Steel despite its problems, but I haven't watched it since seeing it once in the theater. Watchmen...it got a lot right and a lot wrong in my opinion. I don't feel the attempt was totally terrible, but I have no desire to ever return to it.

I have yet to see his sequel to 300 or the Legend of the Guardians movie. I don't really care to see either.

[mjmjr25]

Just watched "The Barkley Marathons" - a documentary on netflix. It's about a super secretive 100-mile marathon through the Tennessee backwoods - you have 60 hours to complete it. Prior to the documentary of the 2012 race - only 10 had completed the race in over 25 years. It was charming, funny, and filmed quite well. It is 90 minutes long and seems much much shorter - it's very engaging. I recommend to anyone who likes documentaries, running, cynical humor, etc.

[Stark]

300 was good at the time, but it is definitely just a vapid action film, so I may not like it as much if I watched it today, I don't know.

I really liked Man of Steel, I know a lot of critics panned it, but I liked it a ton and Henry Cavill ended up being perfect. Speaking of Henry Cavill, if no one has watched The Man From U.N.C.L.E. yet, please do so. Such a fun film!

[flojocabron]

Haven't seen the movie yet.

but with the way facebook and the internet is abuzz over how good/shitty this movie is....

I had to go on imgflip and make this old meme pic relevant again.

[Pulsar_t]

I got free tickets to the latest silly spandex steaming pile of reel, should I go, or just not bother?

[Ack]

I got free tickets to the latest silly spandex steaming pile of reel, should I go, or just not bother?

You? No.



Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

With that title, part of me really hoped this would end up being a bawdy courtroom drama.

Massive spoilers to follow.

I also received free tickets to see BvS, so last night I checked it out. What I got was 2 and a half hours of mess. This movie is all over the place, and it's got enough divergent plotlines to fill three movies. Let me break them down:

1) Lex Luthor manipulates two superheroes into duking it out.

2) Superman continues to doubt himself in the wake of past actions.

3) Doomsday.

The third one pisses me off the most. Doomsday should have warranted an entire movie to himself after the Justice League was formed, instead of being stitched in to the end here for the sake of the spectacle. There are also a variety of singular plot elements to obviously hook into future films with no explanation here. And dream sequences/hallucinations. Seriously, there are a ton of dream sequences, most of which only serve to throw off the viewer while trying to show the anxieties faced by our titular heroes. But one in particular stands out, because it's a "What If..." storyline tossed in...and it's way more interesting than everything going on around it. It also goes on way longer than necessary, which kind of kills whatever mood it was trying to create.

With everything shoehorned in together, some important stuff gets left out, like...what is Lex Luthor's real motivation? I'm admittedly not as upset about this because I actually don't like Jesse Eisenberg's interpretation of Lex. He's basically Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, only crazier and with more rambling. I don't necessarily feel this is his fault so much as the fault of the script, but oh well. I prefer my Lex to be a cold and calculating oil executive-type. This version comes across as manic and vapid, calculating but insane to the point of appearing incapable at times.

Is there anything to like? Well, actually, yes. Jeremy Irons is wonderful...but it's Jeremy Irons. I'd find him wonderful if the film were three hours of him pissing in a bucket. Affleck's not actually bad as a much more jaded and aging Bruce Wayne. The emphasis on differences in ethics and worldview between Batman and Superman is well done, if a bit rushed, but it does capture the differences between Batman's much more conservative black-and-white violent outlook versus Superman's much more liberal, youthful, and open minded view. You really do feel like these guys would oppose one another even though they have the same ultimate goal in mind, and even the differences in their worlds are stark: Metropolis is a shining and clean city, while Gotham is a dark shit hole of dilapidation and crime.

Once the actual fight occurs, it pretty much goes the way you'd expect in a Batman/Superman brawl. Superman can straight up annihilate Batman but doesn't based on ethics, while Batman relies on deception, gear, and martial skill but is also more than a little crazy at this point. It happens in a believable way for these two characters, and watching Batman fight is a joy. The best fight in the entire movie is Bats taking down a troop of mercenaries armed to the teeth by just demolishing each guy, abusing the room, and tricking them into laying into each other. Batman gives no fucks, he breaks your bones and moves on.

There are a lot of nods to previous movies here too. Obviously Man of Steel is the direct link, but there is both a brief recount of Batman's origin at the beginning and subtle references to a pseudo-Dark Knight storyline in the past. Batman has definitely tangled with the Joker and likely Ra's al Ghul, but not necessarily Bane here. There are enough differences to show it's not the same set of films, but enough similarities to get the general nod.

Ultimately Batman v Superman is all over the place, and while it certainly has its highlights, it feels like the DC universe blew its wad on potential plot ideas with this one. It's too much, it's not well-paced, and it took a possible breaking point for the entire Justice League and threw it into the franchise way earlier than it should have. There is only one place the DC movies will really be able to go(hinted at but not shown openly), and it's the same direction that the Marvel movies are steadily going in. After all, what's bigger than Doomsday?

Oh, I stayed until the credits were over. There is no post-credits scene.

[MrPopo]

I agree entirely with your point three and I haven't even seen the movie yet. And what the fuck were they thinking putting it in the trailer?

[noiseredux]

I read the spoilers because IDGAF about this movie and will never see it.

I am a fan of Jessie Eisenberg's past work. I was baffled when they casted him as Lex. And even more so when I watched the trailer and wondered if it was a joke.

[Ack]

Yeah. There was just so much that could have been used in other ways. We could have used this plot for a Superman-only sequel to Man of Steel, a film that could have led to the initial formation of the Justice League(which is the primary focus of this movie), and a potential ending point for the franchise which would have made a great way to wind things down in however many years this current crop of DC films goes on.

Don't get me wrong, I think there is the potential for a good movie in here, but it's in pieces and buried underneath a lot of unnecessary storylines for the sake of...something. What could have ultimately been a great parable on America's political situation and a highlight of what DC Comics represents ends up instead a convoluted and monumental waste of ideas.

[darsparx]

I got free tickets to the latest silly spandex steaming pile of reel, should I go, or just not bother?

You? No.



Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

With that title, part of me really hoped this would end up being a bawdy courtroom drama.

Massive spoilers to follow.

I'm still going to watch it given the chance though XD It's a superhero movie, I've got to see it(I've still yet to see deadpool and really really want to...)