What movie did you last watch?

[The Divine Ms. M]

The Conspiritor...not great, but was good & interesting...*wishes I'd payed more attention to history in high school*

[Ben Lahnger]

I found "Jumper" to be a very guilty pleasure.

Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 16%, and it got spanked by most of the critics. RT's Critic Consensus: "Featuring unmoving characters and loose narrative, Jumper is an erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects."

Awww ... I liked the special effects. I admit that Hayden Christiansen couldn't act well enough to play a corpse, and the rest of the cast (except Diane Lane in a very, very limited role and Jamie Bell as the second Jumper) are disappointing. Heck, even Samuel L. Jackson seems subdued as the villain of the piece.

And the story makes it hard to root for the hero; he has these amazing abilities yet turns a blind eye to people on television who are stranded in a flood with no immediate hope of rescue, he robs banks to finance a high profile lifestyle while leaving IOU's behind ... but gives no indication how he ever intends to pay these thousands and thousands of dollars back while he consumes like the idle rich.

And yes, the plot is a little sketchy and leaves many dangling threads, but after two script rewrites and three screenplay authors, that's not terribly surprising. The film did act in many ways like it was leaving the door open for a sequel.

Still, after watching the DVD at home thanks to my Netflix subscription, I liked it.

It cost $85 mil to make, and only grossed $80 mil in the U.S., but the foreign box office pulled in another $150 mil. There are talks of a sequel planned for 2013 release (at the moment ... that date could change.) I think I'd like to see it.

I'd like the idea more if they got a different lead actor for the next film.

[Beowulf]

Restless Natives (UK, 1985, directed by Michael Hoffman)

Restless Natives (1985) is a comedy film directed by and starring Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, and Ned Beatty.

Filmed in Scotland, the story follows the adventures of two young men who don masks (a clown and a wolf-man) and hold up tourist coaches in the Highlands. These modern highwaymen become local folk heroes as well as a tourist attraction in themselves.

The soundtrack features music by Big Country. This music was not released on an album but was combined into two lengthy tracks, each featuring various pieces of music and clips of actors from the film's audio, which appeared on limited edition formats of two Big Country 12" singles. It was released on CD for the first time on the 1998 Big Country collection Restless Natives & Rarities, where it is presented as a single 35-minute track.


Source

Trailer

Classic !!!.

[Ben Lahnger]

I saw an "Action Pack" showing of Starship Troopers at the Alamo Drafthouse, including live, in-theater pyrotechnics! And it was a blast!

My friend and I forgot about the pyrotechnics (the movie has a long set-up segment before the heroes actually start frighting the alien bugs) and so when the first explosion went off it really surprised us. And everyone immediately cheered very loudly.

Before the show started, there was an introduction while cap guns (along with 72 caps) were handed out, and we were told to ONLY shoot them off when there was actual shooting (the space marines shooting at the bugs) going on in the movie. Then there was a contest where two audience members had to compete to see who could suck the brains (frozen alcoholic beverage) out of a pair of mannequin's heads the fastest. That got us in the mood quick.

We definitely had the right audience for this one. People knew the best lines from the movie, there was lots of participation and some of the best laughs came from audience members using their cap guns inappropriately, like shooting at Johnny Rico's rival when the bozo asks Johnny's girl to dance! LOL!

I actually managed to make my 72 caps last through the whole movie (unlike some people who were impotently clicking their cap-less guns halfway through the film).

I've always liked this movie, and like Verhoeven's other great sci-fi film Robocop, the combination of visceral violence with the right balance of social satire makes this a film I can always come back to for a good time. But seeing it on the big screen (from a 35mm print) for the first time ever, in this venue, was the best time ever!

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

I saw an "Action Pack" showing of Starship Troopers at the Alamo Drafthouse, including live, in-theater pyrotechnics! And it was a blast!

My friend and I forgot about the pyrotechnics (the movie has a long set-up segment before the heroes actually start frighting the alien bugs) and so when the first explosion went off it really surprised us. And everyone immediately cheered very loudly.

Before the show started, there was an introduction while cap guns (along with 72 caps) were handed out, and we were told to ONLY shoot them off when there was actual shooting (the space marines shooting at the bugs) going on in the movie. Then there was a contest where two audience members had to compete to see who could suck the brains (frozen alcoholic beverage) out of a pair of mannequin's heads the fastest. That got us in the mood quick.

We definitely had the right audience for this one. People knew the best lines from the movie, there was lots of participation and some of the best laughs came from audience members using their cap guns inappropriately, like shooting at Johnny Rico's rival when the bozo asks Johnny's girl to dance! LOL!

I actually managed to make my 72 caps last through the whole movie (unlike some people who were impotently clicking their cap-less guns halfway through the film).

I've always liked this movie, and like Verhoeven's other great sci-fi film Robocop, the combination of visceral violence with the right balance of social satire makes this a film I can always come back to for a good time. But seeing it on the big screen (from a 35mm print) for the first time ever, in this venue, was the best time ever!

Ben,

That sounds really cool !!!.


Imagine how many caps they would need to give anyone for a Sam Peckinpah or early John Woo film ? :P

[Ben Lahnger]

Right? I think they've done some films where you'd have to have a lot more caps. In fact, now that I know what kind of cap guns they use, next time I may bring extra caps. I wonder what film will be featured for the next Action Pack?

=============================================

Want to see a GOOD vampire movie? Then I can HIGHLY recommend "Fright Night". I saw it early this evening and it was fantastic!

The lead actor, likably sympathetic Anton Yelchin is perfectly cast as the teen hero who thinks the neighbor is a vampire but can't get anyone to believe. David Tennant (Doctor Who) plays his role as magician/vampire expert Peter Vincent with relish.

The winning script by Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Marty Noxon expertly walks that delicate balance between comedy and horror. This is not a note for note remake of the original, so fans of that first film are in for surprises. The special... effects are spectacular, and the best special effect of all is how creepily believable Colin Farrel is as a vampire!

My advice: SEE IT IN THE THEATERS ... you won't be disappointed. Just don't see it in 3D ... the process of rendering a 2D movie into 3D reduces the brightness by 20%, and this film has plenty of dark and night scenes.

3.5 out of 4 stars!

[Spooky Spencer]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Want to see a GOOD vampire movie? Then I can HIGHLY recommend "Fright Night". I saw it early this evening and it was fantastic!

I have nothing to add to that... loved it. "Catch ya later...!"

[Beowulf]

Das Boot (USA,1981, Directed by Wolfgang Petersen)

Das Boot (German pronunciation: [das ˈboːt], "The Boat") is a 1981 German epic war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. It is an adaption of the 1973 German novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Set during World War II, the film tells the fictional story of U-96 and its crew. It depicts both the excitement of battle and the tedium of the fruitless hunt, and shows the men serving aboard U-boats as ordinary individuals with a desire to do their best for their comrades and their country. The screenplay used an amalgamation of exploits from the real U-96, a Type VIIC-class U-boat commanded by Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, one of Germany's top U-boat "tonnage aces" during the war.

For more info ...

Trailer

If anyone loves on the edge of your seat tension and drama, then this classic film is for you !!!.

[Ben Lahnger]

Das Boot is excellent. I saw it in theater originally, and later saw the extended directors cut on DVD. It's a long movie, but it was actually IMPROVED by the addition of the cut scenes. Yep, Beo, I can definitely get behind that recommendation!

[Renatus]

I've been working my way through the Dirty Harry movie series, I'm just finishing up the second to last film now.

[Renatus]

NOOO! I can't find anywhere to watch the dead pool online

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Renatus

NOOO! I can't find anywhere to watch the dead pool online

If you look on amazon there is a box set with all four films for a really good price, mine was 16 UK pounds which works out roughly to $25-30 US Dollars !!!.


So go ahead and make your day and treat yourself to that box set !!!.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by Renatus

NOOO! I can't find anywhere to watch the dead pool online

Originally Posted by Beowulf

If you look on amazon there is a box set with all four films for a really good price, mine was 16 UK pounds which works out roughly to $25-30 US Dollars !!!.

Actually, Walmart online has that package on sale for $22.96.

Or, you can view The Dead Pool via Instant Streaming with your $8 a month Netflix membership.

You want to watch it for free online somewhere and not pay the people who made it anything for their efforts? Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Actually, Walmart online has that package on sale for $22.96.

Or, you can view The Dead Pool via Instant Streaming with your $8 a month Netflix membership.

You want to watch it for free online somewhere and not pay the people who made it anything for their efforts? Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?

Well said Ben !!!.

[Renatus]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Actually, Walmart online has that package on sale for $22.96.

Or, you can view The Dead Pool via Instant Streaming with your $8 a month Netflix membership.

You want to watch it for free online somewhere and not pay the people who made it anything for their efforts? Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?

Well I could also go to the library too and get it for free from there, either way I have to save my money at the moment.

[Ben Lahnger]

I understand. I was teasing you. The library sounds like an excellent idea.

I gotta say, I'm on an extreme budget too, but I can afford $8 a month for Netflix ... I don't have cable TV or go out to eat much at all, so it's my biggest entertainment expense each month at the moment.

[Kasdeja]

Watched There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day Lewis is fantastic in this one!

[Saya]

The People vs George Lucas.

My sister is a far bigger Star Wars fan than I am, so it was funny to watch her rage over it XD

[Kasdeja]

Kung Fu Hustle.

[Fruitbat]

Drillbit Taylor.
Captain America.

[Valhalla]

Don't be afraid of the dark, the remake. I thought it was beautiful, it might actually be a buy when it comes out on DVD.

I picked up Saw and Silence of the lambs for 5 dollars each at Walmart the other day, will be watching them soon. One of the best parts of halloween is the scary movie sales.

[Kasdeja]

Onmyoji. Worse than b-rated Japanese flick. Still entertaining, though.

[Spooky Spencer]

Originally Posted by Valhalla

Don't be afraid of the dark, the remake. I thought it was beautiful, it might actually be a buy when it comes out on DVD..

I liked it, too. Nothing sympathetic about monsters like that. I kept waiting for someone to start smashing those little nibblers a lot sooner.

[Kasdeja]

Just finished watching The Reaping.

[Fruitbat]

Red Dog.

An Awesome, fantastic, story that is based on a dog that was well known amongst the locals and used to hitchhike around. He never belonged to anyone, but belonged to everyone.

*sigh* I miss my kelpie.