Rate That Movie 2!: Electric Boogaloo

[undeadmonkey]

i haven't seen any of the big mommas i'm proud to say

[W]

i haven't seen any of the big mommas i'm proud to say

Just the first one for me. It's no Nutty Professor, and even that wasn't great.

[Chienfantome]

Actually I have seen the first one in theater ! Yep, I have. I was with a friend of mine who, like me, has a fondness for what we call in France "Nanars", those films so bad they are fun, and he thought Big Momma could be one so we went to see it the way you go see nanars, which is dubbed. And it sure was bad, but really bad and not really funny

[Buscemi]

The best thing about Big Momma's House was Paul Giamatti. The fact that he wasn't in the sequel immediately brought it down many notches.

[Chienfantome]

I didn't even remember Giamatti was in the first one !

[W]

I knew there was a really good actor as the partner, but I couldn't remember which one.

[Shrykespeare]

Unknown - 8/10

Quite enjoyable. I didn't see the "twist" coming, which is always nice. I think I liked it more than Taken. Good film.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

So I really DID sit down and watch What Dreams May Come, finally.

I do love the idea, but like Buscemi said, the execution was off for most of it. Or maybe my expectations were. It's was a little more light-hearted than I thought it would be, what with all the paint and the purple bird pooping on Robin Williams at one point. Even the scenes in Hell seemed to be reined in a bit. (Speaking of Hell, at one point Max Van Syndow says that Hell isn't all fire and pain and that Hell is different for everyone, yet that's exactly how Hell is painted. There's fire and people moaning and all dark and dreary - just seemed contradictory.)

I do really like the idea of the film, and I liked the actress that played the wife. But it seemed overwrought at the end, like the music was trying to squeeze every ounce of emotion from you. I've experienced scores that do too much but it still plays well, and this is not one of them.

I did however really like the fact that the people in Heaven were in disguises. That was done brilliantly.

Overall, I respect the attempt, but I can't say I liked it or would recommend it.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Oh yeah, before I forget...

Unknown - B-

I didn't see the twist either, and I thought I'd figured it out from the trailer. But the whole thing was really tedious and too slow at parts. I only stuck through it just because I wanted to see the ending. They tried to liven it up with a nice car chase, but it's all shaky cam for 10 minutes then back to the slow detective work of Liam Neeson. Meh.

Blue Valentine - A

An actor's film, through and through. Gosling and Williams explode through the screen, if I had no previous knowledge of them, I would suspect this to be a documentary of a real-life couple falling apart. Loved it.

[Shrykespeare]

I Am Number Four - 8/10

I quite liked it. It was a bit juvenile, but quite enjoyable.

[Buscemi]

Just Go With **.5/****

It's what one would expect from an Adam Sandler movie. His movies are usually the same but I can't stop watching them. Also, I have to admit I liked Nick Swardson with a German accent.

Barney's Version ***.5/****

How the hell did Paul Giamatti not get an Academy Award nomination for this? His performance as the boozy, womanizing television producer Barney Panofsky is easily the third best acting performance of the year (behind Franco and Firth). Dustin Hoffman gives excellent support as his dad and the rest of the ensemble cast (including Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and even appearances by Canadian regulars Scott Speedman, Bruce Greenwood and Saul Rubinek) do a nice job. The mix of comedy and drama works perfectly and despite all his faults, you actually care for Giamatti's character by the end. One of the best films of 2010 and a film that deserved a much higher profile than it got.

And as some fun trivia, several Canadian directors make cameos in this (such as Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg playing directors on Barney's show and First Blood director Ted Kotcheff playing a train attendant).

[Ron Burgundy]

Aaaarrrghh!!
Im so bloody jealous, you guys all watch the most recent movies while im stuck in outback Australia (even in the cities we only get movies later ie: I Am Number 4 and Unknown come out this weekend). Anway, Unknown sounds good, ill make an effort to go when i get back to Perth in a coupla weeks. Leestu or Ozzy: keen to go see it?

[numbersix]

Barney's Version ***.5/****

How the hell did Paul Giamatti not get an Academy Award nomination for this? His performance as the boozy, womanizing television producer Barney Panofsky is easily the third best acting performance of the year (behind Franco and Firth). Dustin Hoffman gives excellent support as his dad and the rest of the ensemble cast (including Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and even appearances by Canadian regulars Scott Speedman, Bruce Greenwood and Saul Rubinek) do a nice job. The mix of comedy and drama works perfectly and despite all his faults, you actually care for Giamatti's character by the end. One of the best films of 2010 and a film that deserved a much higher profile than it got.

And as some fun trivia, several Canadian directors make cameos in this (such as Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg playing directors on Barney's show and First Blood director Ted Kotcheff playing a train attendant).

But don't you think its story and tone were all over the place? Is it a story about senility, how relationships go wrong, or a mystery about a friend's death? The elements never really come together (especially the last element, which ends the film). It's the most incohesive film I've seen in years.

[Leestu]

Aaaarrrghh!!
Im so bloody jealous, you guys all watch the most recent movies while im stuck in outback Australia (even in the cities we only get movies later ie: I Am Number 4 and Unknown come out this weekend). Anway, Unknown sounds good, ill make an effort to go when i get back to Perth in a coupla weeks. Leestu or Ozzy: keen to go see it?

Hmmm, I wouldn't exactly say I'm keen to see it. Out of major releases screening as of now I'd rather see True Grit or 127 Hours. But I am not totally against seeing it either, if it means the chance to catch up and have a beer or two afterward.

[Buscemi]

Six, I did notice that some of the pace did jump around but it may have just been scenes that were cut due to time (it is still a long film at 135 minutes). Also, I know that many things were changed from the book (for example, Dustin Hoffman's character was invented for the film).