Rate That Movie 2!: Electric Boogaloo

[NSpan]

I found Anjelica Huston's part to be the surprise breakout for me. Her part reminded me a lot of my own mother, lol.

She's been playing the perennial "mother" role her whole career. Check out Choke, Buffalo '66, the Royal Tenenbaums, the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the Addams Family, the Darjeeling Ltd.,... hell, I'd even say her role in Captain EO was pretty mother-ly

[Chienfantome]

You're welcome Shryke !

Be assured my friend that Haddock is throwing all the lines you're hoping for (it's funny cause I went to see it in english, and of course it chaged a lot because the names in french are not the same for some characters, and Haddock's lines are very different. I'll probably see it a second time dubbed to get all the french lines I grew up with !).
Some people find there is a lack a characterization for Tintin, but they don't seem to remember this is exactly how Hergé wrote the character, very blank and fresh of true informations about him so he could morph into a hero in all sorts of situations.

As for Prof. Calculus (named Tournesol in French), unfortunately, he is completely absent from the film. Which seems weird since it's where he's supposed to meet Haddock and Tintin, in this particular adventure, but the truth is, the script does not take much of The Red Rackham Treasure book, almost nothing.
I'll also add that the bad guy of the film, Sakharine, is very well done too. Visually he is one of the best shaped character, and Daniel Craig perfectly fits the role.

[numbersix]

The Ides of March: 6/10
A well made political drama with a rather strong cast (Clooney! Gosling! Tomei! Giamatti! PS Hoffman!). As a director, Clooney loves to embody the cool (if not cold) style of 70's thrillers. Plus, when was the last strong political film made in America?
Sadly, the film does fail on a fundamental level. I didn't believe it. I didn't believe the naivety of Gosling's character. He says he's more experience than any man his age, yet when he finds out the dirt, he's shocked to his core. He's a frigging spin doctor, scandal is something he has been seeing. And the reveal of what upsets him is actually pretty tame when you look at politics. There was a great deal of so-what regarding the plot, so it all felt a bit overblown and silly. I can't help but think of the brilliant political satire The Thick of It and its spin-off movie In the Loop, where "scandals" like what happens in this movie is so common that it's considered part of the daily routine, and the real drama (and comedy) is the attempt to lead the media and opposition astray. I also don't really buy what happens to the female victim, consdiering her character is portrayed to be quite strong and driven.

The Silent House: 5/10
This is the original Uruguayan film, not the US remake. It's a horror all shot in a single take. An impressive task, no doubt (though Russian Ark is more impressive due to its scale). Interestingly, I found this decision made it feel more like a found footage horror. The lack of editing made you feel trapped in the house. But this decision also had its down side, with eerie moments being very predictable due to the camera having to hit its mark to frame it right. There's also the problem of POV, as we're following one character and then when the twists come in you kind of feel they don't quite work because the film takes on an entirely different tone. An interesting experiment, but not one that worked to well for me.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Drive - B+

Pretty good movie, but the movie was always going to disappoint after that impeccable opening scene.
Ryan Gosling was good, although I think Carey Mulligan's husband delivered the best and most layered performance in the film.
The whole style of the film was cool, but it got to be too much after awhile - really how many times can you slow motion the film and set it to 80s synth pop instrumentals before it becomes tiresome...

So apparently I saw a early cut of Drive, and not the theatrical. I was wondering around IMDb and saw this in the Drive Trivia page:

An early print of the film contains tracks from The Social Network.

which annoyed me when I watched the movie. I wondered why they used the main theme from The Social Network in two different scenes.

I guess I'll have to try and find the theatrical and see what's different.

[Chienfantome]

Contagion 6.5/10
I went to Brussels to see this one. Well, I didn't go just for that, but I took advantage of being there to see it as it's only getting released in Paris in 10 days. Not bad. The main quality of the film is also its limit, in that it is a clinical narration of the spreading of a contagion. The power of the implacability described is strong, but it also neutralizes any empathy for the characters described. Great cast though.

Real Steel 5/10
No surprise whatsoever in here. The film is an addition of expected sequences and dialogues, it's all too predictable to be really enticing, but strangely, it's still working. Efficiency over originality. It could have been worse.

The Ides of March 7/10
Maybe because I'm not huge on Clooney as a director, I wasn't that much excited about the film, but it is a very solid film that pleasantly surprised me. Well, it's hard to assemble such a great cast, Gosling, Hoffman, GIamatti, Tomei, Wright, Clooney, and mess it up. In its first part the film was the most interesting, building around the "behind of the curtain" which was most of all a great opportunity to see fantastic actors working, but I liked the fact Clooney didn't try to speak to the neophyte of politics but tell the story with the words needed. Now, I think the last act is a bit silly and doesn't really go where it could have gone, but it doesn't ruin the film either. And I quite like the ending.

[Donte77]

3 Musketeers. I liked it and it looked amazing. The movie was fun if not quite gritty. LOL 7 out of 10 in 3D

[Shrykespeare]

I'll also add that the bad guy of the film, Sakharine, is very well done too. Visually he is one of the best shaped character, and Daniel Craig perfectly fits the role.

Craig plays Sir Francis Haddock, right?

And I remember the villains from the Secret of the Unicorn being The Bird Brothers. Of course, I know they're combining the story with that of The Crab With The Golden Claws, and I remember the villains of that film being Sheikh Omar Ben Salaad and Haddock's treacherous first mate, Allan. Maybe I'm remembering a different story.

[Chienfantome]

The screenwriters have reshaped the intrigue a bit, Shryke, and so they took a bit of liberties concerning characters. Sakharine is the main vilain of the film, and he is portrayed by Craig. Sir Francis Haddock is portrayed by Andy Serkis. Alan and Ben Salaad are here too, the first one especially, as Sakharine right hand man. The second is just passing by.

[silversurfer19]

Last night we watched The Thing (7/10), and you know what, I was mildly surprised to see that it was a largely faithful prequel/remake of Carpenter's classic sci-fi horror, and on top of it was extremely entertaining. I mean, it would be wrong of me to expect this new addition to the cannon of The Thing remakes to be able to capture the magnificently trembling fear and isolation of the 1982 version, and so while the likeable Mary Elizabeth Winstead is no RJ MacReady, I accepted this version as a fun, very gruesome and indeed chronologically complementary addition to the series.

I can kind of see where all the criticism has come from, I am a huge fan of Carpenter's version and this is like a version for the 21st century A.D.D crowd, with lots of CGI which ultimately loses much of its intensity and ambition, but that doesn't stop it from being a hell of a lot of fun to watch. At times it is certainly able to recreate the cold, claustrophobic atmosphere, and while the CGI effects can't come close to the previous creature, I was left with a sort of euphoric feeling upon the closing credits. So while I'd still recommend the 1982 version over this every single time, it was nice to see a classic remake not turn out horrible for once.

[NSpan]

I was looking forward to the Thing prequel--but, after the reviews came in, we neglected to catch it at the theater across the street. But your review has somewhat restored my hopes. Though, now we'll have to drive to the next town over to see it. Dammit.

I also still want to see the Rum Diary. Even if it sucks, I want Bruce Robinson to make a few bucks and have initiative to get back into the director's chair again soon.

[silversurfer19]

Hopefully I haven't raised them too high as it is most certainly flawed, it's hard (and unfair) to compare it to one of the greats of the genre, but of course we do, but I did enjoy it for what it was.

I'll be seeing The Rum Diary the first moment we get the chance when we hit the US. If it is even half as good as Withnail it will be one of my favourites of the year. I'll also be catching Fright Night, hopefully The Skin I Live In (though it doesn't look like its playing anywhere in Orlando), Contagion and Drive. Oh and a reissue of A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Got a busy couple of weeks.

[Ron Burgundy]

goin to watch Tintin tonight!!!

[Chienfantome]

Yeah Ron !!! Can't wait to read someone's opinion on the boards !

[Ron Burgundy]

Tin Tin, was nothing short of spectacular. A mesmerizing adventure filled with mystery and wit. Surprised that it only had 7.8 on imdb and 85% on RT, but that should go to 8 when it hits the US, i hope. Spielberg and Jackson crafted a possible franchise here, the animation, music and even the voice acting was terrific.

[Ron Burgundy]

9/10, and just pips Xmen as the best film of the year