What ELSE (other than KUNG FU) has everyone been watching?

[Secret Executioner]

Afternoon at the theater, saw two films.

 

Irrational Man (USA, 2015)

Seems to be a tradition by now that Woody Allen has a new film released each year. Following an anthology comedy set in Italy (1), a story about a socialite widow from NY ending up living with her lower middle class sister in San Francisco following her husband's death (2) and his period piece set in the South of France about fake magicians (3), Woody Allen now brings us a story about a philosophy professor named Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) who is to teach in a Summer University in Rhode Island. The tormented fellow will eventually end in a couple of love triangles as he maintains affairs with both a colleague named Rita who in a unhappy marriage (this character - played by Parker Posey - is more secondary and her husband is barely in the film) and one of his student named Jill (played by Emma Stone) who already has a boyfriend named Roy, as well as in a murder case in the second half of the film.

 

Where to start with this one ? I wasn't sold on the rather weak French trailer, but ultimately it's GREAT. Joaquin Phoenix is very impressive as a self-destructive, alcoholic professor who becomes a lively person following a strange epiphany. His character is complex, you're never sure whether to sympathize or not with him, as in spite of his many demons, he's also obviously brilliant as proven with how smart he is and how elaborate his lessons seem to be (you get a lot of philosophy talk in the first third). But the real star here for me was Emma Stone. Her character is actually the most important and the best developped overall. Writing a young girl torn between her boyfriend and another older guy could have easily torn into a train wreck of a character, but not here. You can feel her torment, her doubts. She knows what she does isn't right, she realizes her mistakes and she's ultimately very human but also kind of mature. A very strong female lead if you ask me, plus I'd be lying if I said I didn't find Emma Stone very cute. 

The two characters get a great development from their narrations - you have regular pieces of narration by either of them and these aren't mere exposition, but really contribute to the characters' development. The narrations even accentuate the suspense by foreshadowing bad stuff is about to occur. 

And speaking of suspense, while the early part of the film is really solid with Abe arriving, his relation with the other teacher and later with Jill is interesting and provides some good scenes (some are pretty intense), the movie gets even better when the murder case is brought in because the movie goes Hitchcockian. Yup, the way the murder-related events are handled is top-notch. and coming from someone who loves the tension Hitchcock could make you feel in his films, that tells you you're in for some great stuff. I wish I could say more, but the less you know, the better. Hell, I was barely aware there was a murder case in this (except for a couple of reviews I read), so maybe I already said too much.

 

Footnotes:

(1) To Rome with Love (2012) was a pretty funny movie that had 4 different storylines all meshed together in one movie, so it would jump a bit randomly between the various arcs. My favorite was the one where Woody Allen himself appeared playing a stage director whose rather strange ideas never really worked well and who wants to do something with her daughter's fiancee's father and his great singing skills - only he can sing only in the shower. The other stories involved a guy whose girlfriend gets lost in the city and who passes a call-girl (who showed up to the wrong room) as her at a party with many socialites, another (that I really like) sees a middle-class worker played by Roberto Benigni who keeps ranting about stuff in vain becoming a media sensation as everyone wants to know what he thinks (including about a lot of insignificant stuff). I don't really remember the last storyline, guess it must have been bland or forgettabl. But two are downright hilarious (though the one with the prostitute can be great for the people who like classic mistake-/misunderstanding-based comedy, which I'm not a fan of).

(2) Blue Jasmine (2013) I didn't enjoy as much as TRwL, though I've considered purchasing the DVD just for Cate Blanchett's great performance (I've let it pass a few times but will probably come to it, while I don't see myself purchasing TRwL anytime soon - guess I must have changed my mind, or it has a better re-watch value). I realize thinking back that I remember more about it than I thought, notably her bad relations with her sister's husband, issues with her late husband's son and also the way it all ended for her husband. Beside Cate Blanchett's performance though, nothing much comes back to mind.

(3) Magic in the Moonlight (2014) is one I haven't seen, as the trailer wasn't that engaging and I read a lot of bad reviews for this one. It marks the first Woody Allen/Emma Stone collaboration though.

 

Sangue del mio Sangue AKA Blood of my Blood (Italy, 2015)

Italian director Marco Bellocchio offers us a strange movie that was based on some ideas he had. The theater I saw this one at offered a little document containing various informations on the movie, notably quotes from the director explaining a bit on the film.

Initially, the film was meant to deal with a true story that happened in the 17th Century in a covent in the town of Bobbio where a nun was sentenced for witchcraft and imprisonned within brick walls. But later on, Bellocchio decided to throw in a modern-day storyline dealing with current social issues such as frauds (it seems next to everyone in the village is involved as people claim to be disabled to get pensions, some don't pay taxes like they should...) and the way progress makes them harder as small towns are no longer isolated to the point local authorities can be corrupted without notice, the state selling out monuments to foreigners... The main link is the fact that a Count (who is a big part in the fraud things) lives recluded in the former covent/prison and that some Russian millionaire wants to buy the old prison to turn it into something else that would be profitable to him.

 

While this could sound as schizophrenic as a cut-and-splice Godfrey Ho movie (the switch between 17th and 21st Century is as unexpected as the changes in a Godfrey Ho flick BTW and there is next to nothing in common between the two parts either) (1), the movie is very solid nonetheless. The storyline with the witch involves a former soldier coming to the covent to get his brother's name cleared as he was a monk who killed himself and he is thus not given a proper Christian burial. The only way for this to happen is to prove the nun he was having an affair with acted on behalf of Satan and that he was thus cursed by her - making her a wtich. The trials involve various forms of torture that are to prove she's a witch (including one involving water (2)), but while it seems she isn't, she actually bewitched the brother too, making him insecure and causing him to act strange (notably getting horny for the two very religious sisters at whose he stays, leading to the implication he ended sleeping with them). The movie, after her being sentenced for witchcraft, switches to current days and this part can be linked to the first one in some aspects, notably actors seen in the historical part returning in similar roles or simply for cameos in the modern part. In the last few minutes, the movie closes the historical section out of nowhere (giving us an ending to the witchcraft arc as she is removed from her prison) and later switches to a kind of conclusion to the modern day part. It may be noted that one actor is very preeminently featured in the modern part and then appears as a new previously unseen character in the historical section, giving a sort of link between the two.

 

If this description (that is light on spoiler, except for the fact the nun is sentenced for witchcraft, but the summary gives it away too) sounds really strange and doesn't seem to add up to much in the end, let me tell you that the movie got me confused too. However, the acting is solid, I enjoyed the more developped characters (the soldier and the Count mainly, though I guess I should mention there's also a blind nun (3)) the cinematography is very nice (little nods like the two parts opening in the same way, the actors having similar roles...), the witchcraft storyline very well done and the soundtrack - made up essentially of choir music - is very nice and fitting (yeah, playing Heavy Metal for a movie that is set mainly in a covent or linked to nuns and religious people wouldn't be fitting, heh ? Wait, because there actually IS an Heavy Metal song in this film - I saw James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich mentionned in the credits (4)) and the movie is very well shot, the shots are made in very emotional ways - you feel for those characters, like when the nun is pretty much tortured into admitting she's a witch or the melancholy and despair of our lead thinking back of his deceased brother.

 

Some notes on points that may raise questions (I'm doing this on a slightly less serious tone, especially for (2) and (3)):

(1) yup, it really felt (to me at least) like a Godfrey Ho movie - that is to say done much better, without Ninjas or exploitative content, but still as confusing since the various parts aren't that well connected. Think "Godfrey Ho going artsy".

(2) yup, a part of the trial involves the nun being thrown into a river and if she floats, she's a witch. I guess Sir Bedevere would approve. (more seriously, she's actually tied up with chains so her floating would indeed qualify as witchcraft. I guess.)

(3) yup, there's an old blind nun. But she's rather quite and doesn't throw flying contraptions of death around (she seems like a head of the place actually)

(4) yup, there is a freaking Metallica song in this movie, and it's pretty much the end credits song (a snippet can be heard a couple of times within the film).  Here is the version used:

 

 

[teako170]

Revisited Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955).

Would love to be able to go back to Vermont in the 50s where there was no cell phones, internet, Starbucks, and the rat race.

This film captures time in a bottle before so-called "progress."

 

[AlbertV]

Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 - Bottom line if you liked the first one, you'll like the second one. This is pretty much a one-time watch for me, like the original.

 

The Divergent Series: Insurgent - I haven't read the books, but saw the first movie, so I thought I'd see the second and it's a pretty good lead up into the upcoming third film, Allegiant. Naomi Watts makes a great addition as Four's estrange mother and Kate Winslet once again shows she can play a villain in her role of the city leader. 

 

 

 

[LamLok]

I continue in my way to rewatch Milkyway Image films and I decided on:

 

Breaking News (2004, Johnnie To) - Decent actioner where media play a big role, but this subplot wasn't handled good. All charecters are uninteresting and some of their decisions seemed forced only for purpose of story moving forward. Even action is in some places not well choreographed, which is unusual for To.

 

Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To) - Love letter to Hong Kong. It's pretty obvious that style of this film is inspired by early 60's italian/french films. It may look empty storywise at first, but as I mentioned it's all about the style. When I started watching To's films I noticed that music is always somehow "different" and doesn't sit well into the picture. But as I watched more of them I really started to like it. In this case, music is great and beautiful. Really light-hearted/light-toned and "peaceful" To.

 

Drug War (2012, Johnnie To) - I noticed that some people wasn't happy with fact that Johnnie To did film in mainland China. They say that chinese censhorship and rules make film predictable and plot suffers because of that. I disagree. Others can be limited and tied, but To uses censhorship in his benefit and bends and builds story around it greatly. Cold, focused, no toying around, yet you can clearly feel To's style (like in his more serious films like Election). Sun Honglei is awesome as police captain. In fact, all characters are good, even though we know nothing or very little about them. I like these dedicated characters which are pros at what are they doing. Great film.

 

+

 

Se7en (1995, David Fincher, rewatch) - Revisting this classic after many years felt good. This is one of those films where impact after seeing it for the first time is pretty strong. When I watched it again I already knew what to expect and nothing suprised me, but it's still solid depressing story.

[AlbertV]

The Duff - No, this is not about the Duff Guy from The Simpsons. This is a high school movie about a cult film fanatic and science geek whose best friends are very popular. At a party, her former childhood friend and neighbor turned football captain tells her she is a "DUFF" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). She flips out, breaks it off with her best friends and then decides she needs to find a way to be her own person and gets help from neighbor/football captain when he is failing science. 

 

I liked it for what it was. Mae Whitman (known for her role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and is more known as the voice of Tinkerbell in the Disney Fairies films) does well for a lead role debut. Robbie Amell (Formerly one-half of DC's Firestorm) is funny at times as the male lead role. Bella Thorne truly plays pure evil as the "most popular girl" in school and practical cyberbully while Ken Jeong plays it more straight as Whitman's favorite teacher. The gag reel is a hoot though, I couldn't stop laughing when it came to Jeong and comedian Chris Wylde, who plays the science teacher. 

 

Edited October 23, 2015 by AlbertV

[Tosh]

The Cat and the Canary (1939: Elliot Nugent: ***/****):

 

This was on Svengoolie the other weekend, was a great movie for a Saturday night.

[Tosh]

First 3 Harry Potter movies - Told the gf I'd watch these with her, I caught half of the first one before and some of the 3rd one but I'm going in pretty green on these movies, the first one the kids are very young, the next two are better imo as the kids are getting older. Can't help but compare the first 3 movies to the LOtR movies, giant spiders, moving trees, that Dobbie character is like a cross between Gollum and Jar Jar Binks, it will be interesting where it goes as the kids age.

 

John Carter - Read these books as a kid, right off the bat I think they miscast the main character and after reading the negative reviews I gave it a pass at the theater. Still think they miscast John Carter, the actor is ok but should of cast older(Viggo Mortensen would of been a good fit), can tell this movie suffered from studio meddling, it looked great, especially the tharks, but they totally missed the mark on everything else, still entertaining but shame they didn't stick closer to the source material. 

 

Cane Toads; An Unnatural History - A documentary on the invasive amphibians and their spread across the Australian continent after they released 100 or so into the wild to control the cane beetle, and how the Ozzies deal with them, some amusing stories of some that have took them in as pets(one little girl naming her monster Toad "Dairy Queen").A good show on how invasive species with no predators can reek havoc on an ecosystem. 

[DragonClaws]

I watched The Fan last night starring Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes & directed by the late Tony Scott (True Romance). De Niro plays an obsessive baseball fan who live spirals out of control after he losers his job as a salesman. Well worth watching with a nice dramatic turn by Wesley Snipes. Nice to see him in a non action role. Benicio Del Toro makes an appearance in a smaller supporting role sporting a bad orange wig.

 

 

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

And I woke up with... The Heroin Busters (1977)  My favorite bit of Enzo Castellari celluloid follows undercover narc Fabio (Fabio Testi) as he tries to bring down a world-wide heroin ring.  Testi's identity is kept secret by David Hemmings' hilariously cranky Interpol agent and the last 30 minutes are some of the craziest action sequences Enzo ever shot.  Fabio was fantastic here;  his Errol Flynn-like swagger and charm, hippiesque vibe (and awesome 70s clothes) combine for a really fun take on a narcotics cop. Props too for Enzo showing just how awful heroin addiction is in and around a very entertaining, addicting movie. This film also boasts my favorite Goblin soundtrack (the Hong Kong flavored number tacked onto the opening credits is so transporting and such a relaxing song, I often have it on repeat for hours at work). When I first saw the Japanese dvd of this film a dozen years ago, that song snared me enough to watch the opening credits a good 10x before I proceeded onto the film itself.  Yeah, I'm like that. 

[AlbertV]

This weekend watched:

 

Identity Thief (Unrated) - funny comedy with Jason Bateman as the victim of identity fraud by Melissa McCarthy and it ultimately turns into the road trip from hell when he heads to Florida and finds her to clear his name. Of course things, get worse when Robert Patrick's skiptracer and two thugs for a drug dealer are after the duo. Very funny at times, very formulaic, but I liked it.

 

Bad Words - Another Jason Bateman film, this time his first as a director as well. He plays Guy, who because he dropped out of school before 8th grade, found a loophole that allows him to enter a national spelling bee. During the competition, he deals with a very hostile crowd, a very intolerable director of the bee who wants him ousted, but along the way, he befriends a 10-year old Indian boy who is also in the competition. Bateman is quite funny in this and his chemistry with young Ronan Chand is quite funny yet cute at the same time until they play serious mind games with each other in the latter half. A nice twist really meshes things together. 

 

Foxcatcher - Steve Carell definitely deserved his nomination as the late John duPont, who while being an industry heir, started a wrestling school and enlisted first 1984 Olympic gold medal winner Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum in one of his most serious performances to date) and later, Mark's older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo). The film delved into the eventual broken bond between duPont and the Schultzes that would result in the death of Dave Schultz in 1996 (just before his death, Dave was training 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, who had a successful run as a pro wrestler until his sabbatical earlier this year). Definitely a good film IMO.

Edited October 26, 2015 by AlbertV

[masterofoneinchpunch]

...

John Carter - Read these books as a kid, right off the bat I think they miscast the main character and after reading the negative reviews I gave it a pass at the theater. Still think they miscast John Carter, the actor is ok but should of cast older(Viggo Mortensen would of been a good fit), can tell this movie suffered from studio meddling, it looked great, especially the tharks, but they totally missed the mark on everything else, still entertaining but shame they didn't stick closer to the source material. ...

I actually thought John Carter was underrated.  It looked outstanding in the theater (loses a little on the small screen, but still a fun watch.)  I've already seen it a few times.  I thought the ending could have been tighter but overall an enjoyable romp.  Of course many actors look miscast if you think of Viggo Mortensen.  Now imagine Viggo in Battleship.  I had not read the source material so I am not biased from that perspective.  I've been debating on picking up those books though.

[Secret Executioner]

The Martian (USA)

An exploring crew is forced to leave Mars early due to a storm, leaving behind one of them (Matt Damon) who's presumed dead after he was hit by flying pieces of equipment. However, it turns out said guy is alive and he has to try and keep alive until help arrives. Meanwhile, people from the NASA find out he's alive and try to send help.

 

I'm really mixed on this one. On the one hand, it's very realistic (I would say it's that kind of science-fiction that relies a lot on the science part), well filmed (the space scenes and the parts on Mars look gorgeous) and well acted movie (Matt Damon is great - and he should be when about 2/3 of the film focus on him -, but some other characters are interesting though you have that clicheed disaster movie politician who is actually the head of NASA - and is it me, or is that type of characters always played by the same type of actors ? They always are grey-haired grumpy guys), yet I found myself disappointed for some reason. Not sure if it's because there kept being problems (seriously, whenever something good happens you can be sure shit will mess everything up), because I could see the ending (whether it would be happy or not, not what happened) coming about 20 minutes before or if I kept comparing it (probably because of the "stuck in a hostile environment" theme) to the great Everest (Everest making you even more invested by the fact it's a true story*, although you can't tell anybody's fate 20 minutes before the end of the film which makes it stronger for me, especially when the movie misleads you), but I felt this film fell a bit flat in spite of its (many) merits - guess all the hype about how Ridley Scott finally delivered a great movie and the very positive reviews I read must have given me higher expectations for this one. On a sidenote, HK cinema veteran Eddy Ko makes a little appearance as the head of the Chinese space agency. 

 

My call ? Go see it if you like Matt Damon or if you have 2 hours and a half to kill (it doesn't feel that long TBH). As a sci-fi fan, I was partially pleased with the great looks and the fact the space thing was really well treated, though the spaceship that picked up the other crew members reminded me a lot of the one from the (IMO) much better and more interesting 2001 (minus the talking computer having a breakdown).

 

Footnote:

* I learnt in psychological criticism (yup, that exists) that it's been proven through studies that the same story will have more impact on the reader or viewer if the audience believes it to be true than if it's just there without mention of whether it truely happened or not.

[AlbertV]

Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (1989) - part slasher film/part action film. I was quite surprised by this film. It was an updated version of of course, Phantom of the Opera, about a young man named Eric who apparently was killed in a house fire and a new mall has been built where the house once was. Eric is still alive and horribly scarred, hiding out in the sewers under the mall, spying on his beloved Melody, who has gotten a job at the new mall. While Eric kills whoever threatens Melody, the one thing that is shocking is that Eric doesn't just use slasher style methods, but he is also...a martial arts expert!!! In fact, Eric gets to use his skills in a fight scene against a very psycho mall guard. It would be the only big fight scene of the film but in one scene before, Eric is seen practicing. Other than that, I really liked this film.

 

 

It may be interesting to know that the film was co-written by Robert King, who wrote the screenplay for Don "The Dragon" Wilson's film Bloodfist.

Edited October 29, 2015 by AlbertV

[masterofoneinchpunch]

The Princess and the Pirate (1944): I am a Bob Hope fan.  But then if you have read my mini-reviews in the past you know this.  His quips are usually quite good and he works well with dialog.  He created a unique personality that was one of the biggest comedic stars for a good period of time.  Of course it also helps when he has a strong supporting cast.  When you have Walter Brennan as a slightly insane pirate and Victor McLaglen as a bloodthirsty leader of seafaring bastards (who plays the role straight and vicious and makes a good pirate) then you know you are in good company (well not in the film).  Hope's films from the 40s are among my favorites with his filmography, but I like his comedy through the 1950s as well.

Hope plays Sylvester the Great, a not-so-good actor “My act is known all over Europe; that's why I'm going to America” who is not particularly brave either.  He gets kidnapped along with runaway princess (Virginia Mayo: White Heat) by the bloodthirsty pirate Captain “The Hook” Barrett (Victor McLaglen: watch him in The Informer) and his ravenous and depraved crew.  Most of the film is him trying to stay alive regardless of the circumstances which forces him to dress up as an old hag, get saved as a wench for Walter Brennan, visit a pirate island, survive even more kidnappings and not get impaled by “The Hook.”
 
Is there any inside joke that is done more than the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby connections in either of their films throughout the years.  The more films you watch with them post-Road To Singapore (1940) that amount of references between the two is huge. Of course the film mentioned above has one (one of the best that I have seen), but it is crazy how many I've seen now.  They make fun of each other, they appear in uncredited roles, even later they put in old footage like in The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell (1968).  They were going to make one more Road movie together but unfortunately Crosby died of a heart attack before it could happen.

[AlbertV]

The Hills Have Eyes - the original Wes Craven film. I finally got to see it and I really liked it. I can see why Michael Berryman got major props for his role as Pluto, not that I haven't always been a fan of his (he's great in his cameo in Weird Science and his role as Lisker in the original Guyver live-action film). He's the youngest of the brothers who wreak havoc in the desert alongside Papa Jupiter. The film really was more about survival and the lengths both sides must go through in order to survive...

 

Most insane line of the film comes from Lance Gordon's Mars: "Baby fat...Baby fat and juicy!" 

 

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

In and around City Ninja and other insane real life stuff today, I just finished viewing Elio Petri's delightfully whacked mid 60s Sci Fi Satire, The 10th Victim (1965). It's about about an international hunt (The Big Hunt) centered around legalized murder. A couple (man and woman) hunt the other down and whomever kills their opponent wins. It takes the Battle of the Sexes to a completely different place. After killing her 9th Victim, Americans approach Caroline  (Ursula Andress) to televise her 10th hunt. 

 

Ursula is a lot of fun as the premiere female assassin, while Marcello Mastroianni is her male counterpart. When these two popular killers are pitted against each in Caroline's 10th Big Hunt, things get complicated and the duo fall in love. The romance means a lot  of clever fake outs and such, and do these two complete their Big Hunt? I am not saying.  

 

 I am a big fan of Elio Petri's dark satires (A Quiet Place in the Country - which is a terrific piece on the fine line between creativity and madness, and the Oscar winning Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion about a homicide detective who purposely kills his mistress to see if his peers will discover his crime.) So it's nice to say,  this mid 60s Petri piece is as entertaining as those on a completely different level. The humor is the most obvious here and the film is a Mod delight from the costumes to the sets and just the whole vibe. It has that swinging 60s future down pat. Andress is terrific: super sexy, sassy and she sounds great dubbed in Italian. She makes the movie for me. I don't know why I waited for almost a decade to see this. I am just glad I finally did.  Lots of fun. 

Edited November 2, 2015 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi

[DragonClaws]

Caught these over the weekend.

Legend Of Hell House (1973)

The Nightcomers (1972)

Ghosts Of Mars (2001)

Bullit To Beijing (1995)

 

Edited November 1, 2015 by DragonClaws

[paimeifist]

Just watched The Godfather 3.. Im of the rare opinion that it's a great film, and a fitting and powerful end to the series. Yeah it may* not be as good as the first two, but it's a damn fine film.

 

Ive seen many use Goodfellas as a reason this isn't that good.. To me that makes no sense, as the movies are VERY different and really shouldn't be compared.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Just watched The Godfather 3.. Im of the rare opinion that it's a great film, and a fitting and powerful end to the series. Yeah it may* not be as good as the first two, but it's a damn fine film.

Ive seen many use Goodfellas as a reason this isn't that good.. To me that makes no sense, as the movies are VERY different and really shouldn't be compared.

Roger Ebert gave it a very good review.  I liked the movie as well, though it has been years since I have seen it (last time on VHS.)  My favorite film from Francis Ford Coppola is The Conversation which I feel is a bit underrated.   

I find it interesting that so many people (and movies) quote a line from the film "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." and do not always know the source or they put it down for your reason stated (one should not go into a Coppola film expecting a Scorsese movie) or the fact it is not quite as good as the first two (not many films are.) 

[paimeifist]

Roger Ebert gave it a very good review.  I liked the movie as well, though it has been years since I have seen it (last time on VHS.)  My favorite film from Francis Ford Coppola is The Conversation which I feel is a bit underrated.   
I find it interesting that so many people (and movies) quote a line from the film "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." and do not always know the source or they put it down for your reason stated (one should not go into a Coppola film expecting a Scorsese movie) or the fact it is not quite as good as the first two (not many films are.) 

I haven't heard of "The Conversation" till just now. I'll have to see it though, cause FF Coppola is the man. Another common criticism of the Godfather 3 that I don't think is completely justified is that its plot is convoluted... I think those claims are mainly brought by its subtle style of storytelling, something it has in common with the other two movies! It is not perfect but its biggest flaw is that it isn't as good as the other two, and as you said, not many movies are...

[DragonClaws]

Just watched The Godfather 3.. Im of the rare opinion that it's a great film, and a fitting and powerful end to the series. Yeah it may* not be as good as the first two, but it's a damn fine film.

 

Ive seen many use Goodfellas as a reason this isn't that good.. To me that makes no sense, as the movies are VERY different and really shouldn't be compared.

Part 3 is a good film and the first two films raised the bar very high. I have heard that Coppola had some problems with the studio during production and further problems with the U.S censor when editing the film for release. Robert Duvall turned down the chance to reprise his role over salary issues. He felt he should be paid the same as some of the other lead cast members.

[DrNgor]

Guardians of the Galaxy - That was a fun little space opera romp. The action sequences were well mounted, if not especially memorable. It was nice watching Gamora bust out some kung fu, even thought she has nothing on the kung fu babes of yesteryear. But what really made the film was the characters and how they interacted with each other, especially when they're insulting each other. Drax's reaction to Quill retrieving the walkman was priceless. 

 

Hotel Transylvania - Thematically, this was little more than a mish-mash of MONSTERS INC. and FINDING NEMO. But it was sweet and I can't complain about a movie that features so many classic monsters portrayed comedically and respectably. 

[paimeifist]

I am no fan of the overabundance of comic book films, and think the majority of them are a little over rated.. But Guardians of the Galaxy is truly a fantastic sci-fi adventure flick! Love that movie.

 

Yeah it was sad not to see Tom Hagen make an appearance in the 3rd, he was my favorite character throughout the series.

[AlbertV]

Watched the classic and original Meatballs last night ("Bruce Lee, Patron of Self-Defense"), then saw Wakaliwood's first action film, Who Killed Captain Alex?, which I reviewed on my blog

https://worldfilmgeek.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/review-who-killed-captain-alex-2010/

 

And I just finished watching the Korean spy action film Assassination, starring Gianna Jun, Lee Jung-Jae, and Ha Jung-Woo
https://worldfilmgeek.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/review-assassination-2015/

 

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

Disliked Guardians... myself and I enjoyed the 2008 comic series a lot. As much of a comic book fan as I can be, I pass on most films etc. just sticking with characters I am a fan of by and large. 

 

and in the pantheon of WTF comedic spaghetti westerns, I sat through Get Mean this morning. Still trying to process Tony Anthony's journey through Spain as he fights Moors, Vikings and others while escorting a princess back to her home turf.  Maybe it's better that I don't. I enjoyed Tony in Blindman (the very goofy Zatoichi take on a blind gunslinger who has to escort 50 mail order brides to their waiting grooms), but when his Stranger character says, "I got nothing!" in Get Mean, I think that's pretty apt of my attempt to process what I sat through.