Elmo's Cinematic Reflections

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Movie Forums Insomniac
I'll be going to a screening of Battleship tonight. I shall have my review up sometime early this weekend.
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Movie Forums Insomniac


No doubt hoping to emulate the success seen with the ‘Transformer’ films, Battleship practically makes itself out to be an unofficial sequel to the Michael Bay productions just replacing land with sea, Shia LaBeouf with Taylor Kitsch, Tyrese with Rihanna, and big robots with even bigger ones And on paper I’m sure it looked like a swell idea. Kitsch, fresh off the underperforming John Carter, plays Hopper, a bad boy type with a big heart who is thrust into the navy with his more respectable older brother (‘True Blood’ god Alexander Skarsgard), hoping to ask the Admiral (Liam Neeson) for his daughter’s (Brooklyn Decker) hand in marriage. Oh if only that was Hopper’s only problem.

After we briefly get our characters down we’re thrown some story about a signal from NASA that was sent out to another planet who have just so happened to respond. Putting the films $200 million dollar budget to good use, our intergalactic visitors take aim on the Naval force on the same weekend as their annual Naval Games. Initially believing it’s a possible routine task, Hopper and the crew (which includes Rihanna as a weapons expert) soon come to realize this threat is very real and very dangerous. What follows is 2 hours of loud noises and big explosions, all of which are impressive on the eye, but very little else as the script from Eric and John Hoeber (Red) seems to of been written on auto pilot with every cliched line you’d come to expect from this type of film thrown in to the point where it almost becomes comically ironic.

Casting wise the film goes for style over substance with Kitsch, Skarsgard and Decker all clearly hired for their looks rather than their talent, and Neeson was obviously just enjoying the chance to score a paycheck to hang in Hawaii for a few weeks as his severely underwritten role allows little more than steely gazes and a raised, intimidating voice. Surprisingly it’s Rihanna that shines the brightest with the singer cashing in on the tough but fun-loving persona she’s perpetuated throughout her music career turning in the films most natural performance.

A film like Battleship isn’t meant to be taken seriously and for the most part, save for a plot point in the final act of the film which takes it to an unintentionally hilarious place, it’s a lot of fun, ludicrous but fun. Regardless of how you feel you’re more than likely to walk out of the theater with a smile on your face, just the reasoning for your smile might differ from those around you.

Battleship officially opens nationwide May 18th.

My score:




Movie Forums Insomniac



In one word, this movie is brilliant. In a few more words, it's also scary, funny, surprising, and very entertaining. Was I laughing throughout the entire film like The Usual Suspect said he was? No. But I did laugh when necessary. If you've ever watched a horror movie, you probably know the set up. But right from the get go, literally from the first scene of the movie, you know things are going to be quite different from anything you've seen in a horror movie before this one.

Like everyone else, I'm not going to spoil anything about the movie. But you should know that it lovingly embraces all horror movies that have come before it while also forging a new path for itself and creating a horror movie mythology that stands alone, on its own terms.

As the plot unfolded, I sat in my seat literally giddy with excitement, partially because I knew what was about to happen and partially because I had no idea what was about to happen. I was right on both counts, and I couldn't have had more fun with this movie than I did. The Cabin in the Woods was remarkable, and a real classic tale that really surprised me.

I can't stress enough, you need to see this movie. If you've ever loved a horror movie, or hated a horror movie, or complained about how horror movies are all the same as each other, you owe it to yourself to see this. Drew Goddard's direction is beautiful, the casting is perfect, and the script is tight as can be. Trust me, you won't regret seeing this one.

My grade:




Movie Forums Insomniac


If there’s one thing that makes Iron Man work it’s Robert Downey Jr, the man has got such on-screen charisma that it makes everyone around him gravitate towards him and he has chemistry with everyone, even the robots.

Tony Stark is a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, he doesn’t give a crap about what people think of him, he just makes money and beds women. That is until he is injured while selling weapons in The Middle East, the experience changes Tony as for the first time he sees the accountability his company has. He’s no longer in the dark and he wants to make a difference. Downey manages to play all aspects of Stark brilliantly, the playboy, the genius and the humanitarian, all with good humor as well so when he does something rather out there it doesn’t feel out of context – like having the reporters sit down for a conference.

Everyone just has great chemistry with Stark, from Rhodes, his best friend played by Terrence Howard who gives a feeling that despite frequently never agreeing with each other they are good friends. The ever great Jeff Bridges has a father figure relationship with Tony which means when he’s revealed as the villain it’s almost a surprise. He does get a little cartoonish when he’s in his own armor but it fits the comic book origins.

And of course Gwyneth Paltrow fits the role of Pepper Potts like a glove, her rapport with Downey is one of the film’s highlights as you can see these two like each other but since he’s her boss neither can act on these feelings. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a good laugh with each other.

The action is kept at a good pace as well, there’s not too much so we don’t get to know and love the characters but there’s not too little that the film is bogged down with dialogue. There’s probably four or five big action moments and they all last a good while. The film uses a good amount of humor, like a lot of the Marvel films, most of it is Stark’s quips but there’s also some slapstick moments near the beginning with Stark testing his new suit. None of it is laugh out loud hilarious but the giggles keep things going and light-hearted enough for this to be a fun movie.

In conclusion, Iron man is a great action film and a fantastic addition to the Marvel film universe. An absolutely brilliant performance by Downey who nails Stark to a tee.

My grade:




Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
If I'm looking for people to go to my Movie Musings thread it only seems fair that I keep up with the other reviewers as well. Somehow this thread had kind of slipped by my grasp but some really nice reviews.

In particular I share your love for Chronicle, Iron Man and the Rings trilogy. Though I would probably give all three Rings 5/5. Well maybe Two Towers a little lower



Movie Forums Insomniac



I can’t pin down what is so entertaining about this film, maybe because it’s just so damn entertaining, everyone is a characterture of the typical action movie role, it’s all over the top and ridiculous to the point where your disbelief is so suspended it’s giving Sully a run for his money and even then it’s still quite stupid. But it works, this film has its tongue boring a hole into its cheek, it knows it’s big, it knows it’s dumb so it goes all out to be the biggest and the dumbest.

In terms of acting, well there is not really any acting to be said, everyone just does what they’re supposed to do, Arnie is a brick shithouse cowman, he’s bulletproof, quick-witted and devoted to his daughter Jenny, played by a very young Alyssa Milano (Which made me feel very awkward). Cindy screams a lot and is generally useless until suddenly she becomes useful then we never see her again, Bennett has a moustache so that makes him the villain, he comes out with some one-liners that show how sadistic and evil he really is, some hit, some miss. And the two other main bad guys are just general bad guys, Cooke has a tough macho outlook and Sully is kinda creepy and little bit snobby. But we’re not here for acting we’re here to watch stuff blow up.

As I said before you have to go into the film open-minded, there’s a lot that happens that just couldn’t. From stuff like John escaping a plane through the wheel to surviving a police van crash caused by a rocket launcher. John survives so much more than a usual human, he has skin of titanium while everyone else is made of candy floss.

When he started a fight in a shopping center, I thought things were getting silly then in the last half hour (of a 90 minute film) he activates God-Mode and infiltrates the compound where his daughter is being held.

The final half hour really makes the film one of the best action films, everything up to this point has been fun but that infiltration is one of the most ridiculously entertaining action sequences I’ve ever seen. Arnie is the definition of a One Man Army, armed to the teeth and beyond he mows down every single bad guy with no worry about aiming, he catches all bullets fired at him with his mouth and spits the back and when he finds the time he shoots explosives just for fun. It’s big, it’s dumb. It’s just so much frickin fun.

Overall, just a damn entertaining film, full of action, explosions, one liners and a slight sense of parody running through the whole thing.

My grade:



Yes I totally agree. Downey is great as the cocky and smart Tony Stark. Really looking forward to Iron Man 3. Was not too crazy about number 2. The story was a bit "boring" but still entertaining to watch.



Movie Forums Insomniac
I'm getting a chance to see an advance showing of The Avengers this Friday. So I will have my review up shortly after.



Movie Forums Insomniac



I didn’t think much about King Kong when I first saw it, yeah it was good but it was too long to keep my interest. That was a few years ago and I haven’t seen the film in a while, this time around I enjoyed it a lot more but it’s still too long.

I’ll start easy with the acting, everyone is serviceable in their roles, no-one has anything truly difficult to do but they don’t ham it up or just float from scene to scene. Naomi Watts was a good choice for Ann, she’s got an angelic look which means you can understand why Kong falls in love with her but also you can never hate her for all the screaming she does (And she does do quite a lot). Not only that but Watts is a good actress so I’m glad they just didn’t pick any pretty face for the character, Watts manages to make her fear and terror and sadness all feel real.

Adrian Brody was good as Jack, he fitted the writer role better than the gun-toting one, his ‘Save the girl’ attitude bugged me a little but not enough to hate the guy. Also I didn’t like how quickly he and Ann fell for each other, it seemed like ten minutes went by and suddenly they’re in love. I don’t hate the character of Jack but I do think he could’ve been cut out and not a lot would’ve been missed.

The film did have two great roles though, firstly Jack Black as Carl, this is probably one of Black’s best roles outside of a comedy, he really sells the desperate producer act, he lies, he cheats and he might as well have stole, all to get himself out of the gutter. He’s never shown to be a villain or slimy he’s just a man pushed to edge and wants to have his time in the limelight.

The second great role is Andy Serkis as Kong, Serkis showed he could use motion capture to great effect with Gollum and he’s no difference here. He makes Kong’s animalistic actions and voice all authentic and frankly quite brilliant, it’s hard to believe that it’s a man instead of just plain C.G.I. but Serkis makes the character and the role his own.

Now after watching the LOTR trilogy I know Jackson is a great director and here is just more evidence, he manages to create an epic scope of this world that time and God has forgot, from, his nightmarish Tribal attack to his sweeping shots of New York and the jungle. Jackson really has an eye for the camera and he knows how to shoot a good action scene, the T-Rex battle is a highlight of the film and Jackson does a fantastic job of it all.

The visual effects are also sublime. Kong looks utterly convincing, in a close–up near the end of the film you can even see every single hair on his face which is impressive. The destruction Kong causes in New York and the panic that everyone has is also wonderful to observe especially considering that Kong isn’t really there, for a few seconds you almost believe he is.

Now for the downside, as I’ve said before the film is too long, I’m fine with long films but this felt like it could’ve lost about 30, 40 minutes and it would still be a great film. Even some of the action scenes drag a little, the T-Rex fight, while a highlight, did go on a bit. It’s not enough to make me bored of the film, but it’s enough to make me lose interest for a few minutes.

Overall a great film with superb directing and visual effects, adding more to the evidence that Jackson and Serkis deserve all the praise they receive. The running length is the only major problem and that’s subjective. Definitely see this one and form your own opinion.


My grade:




Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
I think it's probably as good as or better than my second fave LOTR movie, and I love all of those.
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In my opinion not the best movie but the scene where King Kong fights the T-Rex was really well made. So we both agree on that I clearly remember enjoying that scene while the rest was a bit of



Movie Forums Insomniac



You know all those good things you’ve heard about this film, it lives up to the hype and more, this right now is my favorite film of 2012 and for good reason, everything just works fantastically.

The characters are all great, they’re played just as well if not better than they did in their individual films. Mark Ruffalo is easily the best Banner and as a result the best Hulk, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye just brought a smile on my face whenever he was on-screen. Even Scarlett Johansonn brought more to Black Widow, making her smarter, stronger and able to kick even more ass while looking fantastic doing so. Of course it was no surprise that Tony Stark got the best lines, but don’t worry he doesn’t overshadow anyone.

Speaking of lines this film was written incredibly well, Whedon shows his natural talent for writing and directing here and utilizes both to great effect. The natural Whedon dialogue makes the less action-packed scenes great to watch, because you can hear that great script at work. Listening to every line whether it be funny, bad-ass or dramatic it all works perfectly.

The film strikes a good balance between different emotions and the action scenes are literally action-packed. There’s still enough room for some actually really funny moments and a dramatic part half-way through that just sucker-punches the hell out of you. There were a few fight scenes in the first hour or so that were simply great to watch, but the entire last act in New York will knock your freaking socks off.

The Avengers is shot incredibly well. There’s tension, there’s explosions and there’s more than a few bits that make you want to cheer. What makes the film really great is that it is a "Team movie". These people are a team and they work together, there’s not just one person doing all the good work with everyone else just getting one good scene - everyone works well and everyone kicks major ass.

I don’t want to give too much away so I won't say anymore apart from you need to see this film right now. It is definitely the best super-hero movie ever made (Yes, I am saying it’s a better super-hero film than The Dark Knight), and it’s one of the best action films in years.

Oh by the way, do stay after the credits for an extra scene because even with the most basic comic book knowledge like I have it’s an exciting scene. You see a certain someone and when I saw them I thought, "Is that who I think it is? Wait a minute, HOLY CRAP!!I I know who that is. This is going to be good."

My grade:



She-ra's Avatar
Princess of Power
Elmo, Sorry to highjack your thread but I was just wondering if you are going to review...


Being Elmo

It just seems appropriate
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Hmm, still not sure about this Avengers. Just dunno if I can be arsed, tbh. I mean, I love Whedon because of Buffy & Angel, but I was unimpressed with Iron Man and Thor. Thor wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I think I may have to wait for the DVD or something.



Good whiskey make jackrabbit slap de bear.
It's pretty good, Prestige. The group achieve a nice chemistry and there's plenty of humor to balance out the action. I rate it
+, but that by no means says the movie is of bad quality. It's more of a personal reason.

Do see it.
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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."



Movie Forums Insomniac
Elmo, Sorry to highjack your thread but I was just wondering if you are going to review...


Being Elmo

It just seems appropriate

You're not hijacking my thread She-ra. It would be an appropriate choice for me to review and yes..I just might do so.