Yea, that movie was pretty retarded. I wonder how much "truth" was in the "based on a true story."

A lot actually. Horrifically.

You can read up on the case online there's some info on it. IIRC it's one of the major turning points for LAPD starting to clean up it's act.

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Knowing "Hey this is almost interesting and cool...no wait it's terrible".

Punisher: War Zone The most fun utter garbage I've seen in a while. It had the decency to move the Punisher back to NYC where he belongs. I'm still recovering from the Thomas Jane one being set in Tampa. Tampa?! Jigsaw and his crazy brother were great and Julie Benz is specializing in Killers killing killers movies (this, Saw V, Dexter, Rambo, Boondock Saints)

Syndoche New York Excellent. Charlie Kaufman scores again.

Just finished watching "Pride and Glory" and once again (for me) Edward Norton doesn't dissappoint. I really liked just about every single movie I've seen with Edward Norton in it. Here's what I've seen with him:

Primal Fear: my introduction to Edward, and a great movie with a massive twist.
Rounders: My favorite poker movie.
American History X: good stuff
Fight Club: I didn't see the big twist in this one coming at all.
Death to Smoochy: If you haven't seen this, you gotta. Black comedy parody of Barney and children's TV programming? You bet.
Frida: Ok so the movie wasn't awesome, but Norton was in it and Salma Hayek gets naked, so it's worth it.
The Italian Job: Crime caper movie
25th Hour: Another dark, grimy drug movie.
Kingdom of Heaven: ok this one was only ok, but I do like the time period.
The Illusionist: magic wooo
Pride and Glory: moving at the end to me... good drama.

Looking at Rotten Tomatos I see Pride and Glory didn't do well with critics; oh well-- I really enjoyed it and I recommend it. The only thing that didn't sit well to me was the overuse of the word "fuck" at the beginning. It came out of their mouths so much at the beginning that it seemed sometimes like it didn't fit. I think some of the lines would have been better delivered without it.

know1ng: fucking sucked after the first half

itsl ike they didnt even write an ending for it. what the fuck were they thinking?

Body of Lies: Yet another example of why my hate for Leonardo DiCaprio is unfounded. Enjoyable flick, and my father especially got a kick out of pointing out all the places in Jordan he'd been.

I think back in the day we hated him like a boy band, but honestly, I have enjoyed just about every movie I have ever seen him in.

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yeah the departed was ok

saw monsters vs. aliens yesterday morning, and it is hilarious. the story and action are all pretty boring, but it has the supporting comic actor all-stars cracking jokes for like the first hour, which is awesome. my friends and i were definitely laughing harder than any of the other parents in the theater. also it was almost exactly as long as the average piece of shit kid's attention span, which is a plus, because about two minutes before the end, the kid down the row from me started losing his mind. stupid kids.

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Saw Fast and Furious this weekend. Exactly the kind of movie you'd expect, though with a few better humorous moments than I expected. Decent movie for what it was. It's almost sad how much older both Paul Walker and Vin Diesel look. I'm like "fuck, how bad did I age in the past five years if that's how they look now?"

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Twilight (hey the GF person bought it, shes crazy for the books) Pretty much what I expected, its the boy band of vampire movies. I suspect it'd be better if I was a 15 year old girl. Why do the vampires even go to high school?

The General 1928 - Buster Keaton, its the one with all the trains. Its amazing, except its a Civil war piece and he's a rebel. It was showing at the Kennedy Center with an orchestra doing the score so I'm sure that helped.

Evil Aliens Extreme cheap gore Alien scifi comedy from Britain. Clearly their answer to Troma films. A few laughs and cute British chicks.

Elizabethtown. Saw it for the first time in 3+ years this afternoon, part of the whole "watch DVD collection" project...

I will start off by saying I have only seen one other Cameron Crowe directed film before this- Jerry Maguire, which is (from what I have heard/read/been told) much different than many other of his films. Never seen Say Anything, Heathers, Almost Famous- which (again heard/read/etc) seems similar in makeup and nature to Elizabethtown. Thus I don't have any basis of comparison to how good/poor it is to his previous similar works.

I like Elizabethtown. I thought the story was funny, good pace for a 2+ hour long movie, and it came across to me as a "film" rather than a "movie". Good Midwestern city with the traditional hometown values and beliefs and dialogue/action. For some reason, I became a huge fan of Kirsten Dunst after watching it. Always liked her, but wasn't the great fan. She just has this charm, this girl-next-door look and attitude that is awesome to see.

The end made me somewhat sad, in the sense that Bloom never spent much time towards the end with his father. He regretted not taking that cross country trip with his father, that father/son bonding experience. I guess since my father and I have a similar distance from each other, not as close as I/we want to be, etc etc... I can relate to the situation. Thus the sadness.

8/10. And if you want to jump over me not putting in a spoiler- the movie came out in 2005. Geez I am sure a lot have seen it already

2 down, at least 140+ more to go lol.

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I like Elizabethtown, in spite of a lot of it being wasted movie. really the first two acts of the movie are pretty bad, but once it becomes the story of bloom and dunst and this family, it turns into the best third act cameron crowe has ever done.

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DaVinci Code.

As a movie, not that great. As someone who is a Catholic, the whole premise and theory is interesting and fascinating. I can only hope that it is just a movie idea, and not actually true. Like it was said in the movie, would you want your entire premise of your faith completely destroyed because everything you ever thought about your faith became a lie?

I read somewhere that the author actually stated that it is just fictional ideas, a story... so that helps reaffirm.

Don't worry I plan on seeing Observe and Report this weekend, so will have an actual newer movie review soon

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Cc, this is not intended as a slam, but if you took anything in the DaVinci Code at face value, you may want to brush up on your Catechism again.

There are plenty of legitimate (for varying definitions of the word) mysteries and points of historical interest.

Mamma Mia! Fuck why? Now I have to kill people. This is bad. Horribly bad. God fuck bleach eyes.

For those that may not have had the means to find "let the right one in" before now, it was just released on DVD.

Check it out.

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I concur, see Let the Right one In.

Also 'Ne le dis a personne' (Tell No One) is also out on DVD recently. Highly recommended.

apparently the english subtitles have been altered a little and that has hurt the dvd release, but it's still a great movie. it's like twilight except made by people who know how to make movies

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Before I get into Observe and Report... I did not take anything from DaVinci Code at face value. I knew it was just a movie/story. Although the idea of having something brought public that would essentially destroy an entire religion (whether it be Christianity or Muslim or Hindu or any)... the consequences of such a statement/proof be told would be incomprehensible to the patrons of that religion. I mean "IF" Jesus married Mary Magladene (sp) and they had a child... I mean, that would change soooo many people's views of Christianity/Catholicism. And just that idea that "IF" something was out there that was being protected under secrecy for thousands of years is something else.

Anyways-

Observe and Report

First hour was very funny. Lots of laughs. Started to get to be the dumb humor that these types of movies are known for, but still funny nevertheless.

Then the next 30 minutes were... bland. Trying to all of a sudden throw in some moral/ethical/inspirational message. Extremely weak of course. Not much laughter there.

However... the last 15 minutes were tears-in-eyes funny. Entire theatre was howling with laughter. One of the funniest ends to a movie in some time.

BTW- when did Anna Faris get huge boobs? I remember her from the Scary Movies, and I never recalled her "that" large. If she paid good money for them, then the doctor did a great job

Highly recommended. I can only imagine the outtakes on the eventual DVD will be just as funny...

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I Netflix'd this recently. I was hoping for more, though I didn't regret watching it.

I found some of the directing frustrating, much of which I attributed to the overuse of dramatic pauses in conversation. On top of keeping my foot tapping expectantly, it made much of the dialogue feel more contrived. I may be partly to blame, as I chose to watch the movie with dubbing instead of subtitles.

3/5!

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Couple of movies I didn't see on this thread.

Cinderella Man - This is a great film. It's about a washed-up boxer from 1930s New York who, in spite of the depression, works to make a name for himself again. Though it's not fast-paced or or an action film, I did find myself on the edge of my seat a few times. I think anyone can enjoy this one.

Midnight Meat Train - This movie is abominable. Its only saving grace is that the ridiculous amount of gore is comical enough to distract you from the plot - and I guess this is a spoiler, so beware - but the plot boils down to underground zombie aliens are hungry for brains, and also they love the subway and have mind control powers. The director was mistakingly under the impression that we humans are XL Hefty bags of blood - especially the petite (and clothed) blondes. This film may be a decent candidate for drunk movie night.

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observe and report is a good movie, but it's really more of a drama than the trailers suggest. yeah, it's really funny, but so is in bruges and that's like the most depressing movie of the last five years. i liked the way it resolved, but i can't tell if i enjoyed or was disappointed at how the viewer is led to believe after a bit that there's another level of psychological depth than face value. anyway, an enjoyable movie with a great soundtrack and some good laughs.

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the reviewer on NPR yesterday really liked Observe and Report.

The Departed
I enjoyed it and thought it was intense, but didn't like the wrap-up.

V for Vendetta
I really loved the first hour or so. I enjoyed the rest of the movie as it moved to its utterly predictable, but still enjoyable (if not mediocre) conclusion.

We Were Soldiers
Meh.

Way too cliche, but reasonably intense and lacked any real historical perspective.

Otherwise, decent throw-away war movie that has some "gritty" scenes.

Wedding Crashers
Watched it again for the second time on Friday, what an epic movie, forgot how good it was.

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Kuwen Furyblades
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn
Champion of Faydark

Felon - Way, way better than I expected. I'm constantly surprised by Val Kilmer's ability to disappear into a character. It took me a while to recognize him. Enjoyed it a great deal.

The Express - Decent movie. It's a shame so many of the dramatic turns in it have been hashed and rehashed by earlier, less involving sports movies.

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Too bad Val Kilmer is a douche in real life and can't get any good roles
I used to really enjoy him.

watch kiss kiss, bang bang and that one dave mamet movie he was in a few years back, he gets some good roles

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Pineapple Express: I was rolling. Though it really was a very bad movie. The dialogue though was full of random what the fuck.

Black Hawk Down
I thought it was OK, not spectacular. The characters ran together a little. But, as a historical perspective, it is really a sad commentary on the military under Clinton.

i was really pretty bored with black hawk down. as a military procedural, it was pretty good, but as a movie featuring people who talk, who gives a shit

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/agree

The Wrestler - Amazing movie, just saw it on DVD last night. Super performance from Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei is smoking for a 40 something I'd definitely toss some dollar bills her way. The ending almost makes you want to shed a tear.

give it an 11 out of 10, going to buy it next time I hit the store.

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Not really. Most people would do what they already do in the face of chinks in the armor of religion...cover their ears and just say, "That doesn't change MY relationship with God."

/me scurries back to R&R

Rachel Getting Married Finally saw this, and ended up liking it a lot. Such great dysfunction. No surprise Anne Hatheway got the Oscar nomination from this.

Marley and Me Aww he reminded my of the dog I had as a kid, especially at the end... *sniff sniff*

<this is totally the reaction the filmmakers were going for>

Tropic Thunder: Thoroughly enjoyable. Robert Downy Jr. was spectacular and Tom Cruise even surprised me.

Yes Man - Hilarious movie, Jim Carrey never ceases to entertain, and Zooey Deschanel is a great actress for those weird quirky roles shes often in.

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March of the Penguins
Enjoyed it last night as I was half asleep on the couch.

It's a documentary, so no real story. But, it is a fascinating and beautiful experience. Also, at only 80 minues long it is short, which is usually a good thing.

Remember the Titans

OK. Decent acting, but overall contrived.

I found it to be borderline depressing. =(

Poor penguins. Every other word out of the narrator's mouth seemed to be about them being hungry, miserable, cold, or dead.

Farce of the Penguins was a much better flick. Watch it.

Star Trek

Watched this last night. Despite opening today, our local Cinemark had four showings with the earliest starting at 7pm last night.

Succinctly: Great. Fucking. Movie.

First, they don't fall into the trap of feeling like they have to show you a ton of build-up. There's enough to understand the plot and to be introduced to the characters. Yet they manage to do this without making the characters feel two-dimensional. That might be because most of us are familiar with them already, but they did a good job overall of jumping right into the story.

Second, the effects are great, but not overblown. The ship interiors looked pretty slick, and you could immediately see a difference between the different races and their ships. In fact, at one point during the movie I noticed characters walking into what I thought was part of their own ship and it didn't match the rest. It wasn't until later that I realized why, and it made sense.

Third, the movie is genuinely funny. There are a few geek moments and quotes that go straight to the heart of the franchise, but there are many, many more moments that had the whole theater cracking up.

Overall, very entertaining. They don't go overboard in rebooting the franchise. They update the looks, but they still pay tribute to the original. There are subtle things throughout the movie that you can look at and immediately recognize as having come from the series or one of the original movies.

Oh, and there's nothing after the credits, so don't bother waiting.

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Good to know! Thanks!

I also can't believe how high a rating this got on Rotten Tomatoes. Basically if it was a non-ST movie...it would still be fantastic apparently.

I'll go after the rush, but I'm dying to see it.

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It was really good... fun entertaining movie, and one that non-Trekkies could get into (I hope!)

It was really good... fun entertaining movie, and one that non-Trekkies could get into (I hope!)


BTW... surely I'm not the only one that noticed the similiarities to another big Sci-Fi franchise....

Well to be honest, Lucas pretty much used Campbell's Hero Journey as a step by step formula.

Watched Star Trek yesterday as a Trekkie. And it's a movie well deserving of being canon. Plus it was a really enjoyable movie that catered to the non-trekkies and trekkies alike. My gf watched it with me and she enjoyed it just as much as I did.

Finally got around to watching Taken and I really liked it. I felt this rage in me as I watched Liam's character kick ass and take names. I wanted to jump in the screen and start fucking people up too!

Liam Neeson wrecked those Albanians.

Watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop last night, there were certainly a handful of parts where I laughed out loud but by and large, I was a bit disappointed by it.

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Kuwen Furyblades
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn
Champion of Faydark

I watched Battle for Terra last weekend. Not a bad movie, but not great either. Certainly something I'd let my kids watch and it has a positive message (plus a LOT of great actors lending their voices to the movie).

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Star Trek: Best Trek. I have no complaints at all. I want to see it again.

Twilight: This is what happens when you give your mother the password to your netflix account. First half of the movie was absolutely painful, but it wasn't so bad when some action started. Overall meh, though.

The Wrestler: I thought the actors did an outstanding job, but the movie itself was a depressing affair that left me in the bathroom trying to cut myself with the electric razor.

W.

Really enjoyed it. Not a fantastic movie in terms of what we normally use to judge, but interesting to see the spin Stone puts on what happened behind closed doors. I started listening to the commentaries and found them almost more fascinating than the movie.

I just watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind after realizing I hadn't seen it since I was around 15. As I wrote elsewhere:

Close Encounters is still amazing. It was interesting to see exactly how well the movie had aged compared to other pieces that are very obviously dated when you watch them again. Other than the hairstyles and the occasional choice of clothing, the piece was pretty timeless. There were still breathtaking shots and the story line was just the right mixture of wonder and suspense. Truly a masterpiece and has a well deserved spot in my "classics" list.

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Yes yes on Close Encounters. And I'm behind on my reviews:

The Man in the White Suit - 1950s British fantasy staring a young Alec Guiness Reminded me a bit of Flubber, but since this predated it I suppose it's the other way around. Enjoyable but its sleight.

Jackass 2 - Sigh. Why do I put myself through things like this. The Jackass ship has long since sailed. Some good bits, some not so good.

Machine Girl - Everything you could hope for in wacky Japanese Ultra Gore ™. Needs more Drill bra action in the sequel. I've always wanted to say that in a review.

Zoom- Academy for Super Heroes - Eh, it's no Sky High. Way too many Smashmouth songs. The TK girl is awfully cute and Courteny Cox has super blowing powers. I always suspected that.

Mr Brooks - Kevin Costner plays a great serial killer, and I enjoyed the William Hurt role. But as in most thrillers, improbabilities abound. And I disliked the ending, sigh.

UP was a really awesome movie. Pixar does it again. I was actually surprised at the number of "down" moments/topics in the movie, but it made the movie a stronger piece over all.

Now if only Drag Me to Hell is as good later today....

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Cute, fun, predictable. A harmless family flick, but still enjoyable. Ben Stiller is tolerable.

The Happening - Terrible, terrible, terrible. Plants releasing chemicals into the air around large crowds of people that cause those people to kill themselves? As a warning as to how we are treating the planet? Really?

Twilight - Pretty enjoyable, if a bit simple. I'd watch it again.