What's the Last Movie You Watched?

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Twelve Years A Slave - Run, Nigger, Run/10 ... A+

[Golden Taters]

Watched Moonrise Kingdom and I really enjoyed this. It's a really fun movie, a lot different than what I was expecting. I recommend checking this out if you haven't already.

[MvP]

Casino (FINALLY, this has been #1 on my imaginary "movies I need to watch" list for years and kept ignoring it because I'm intimidated by 3 hour-long films)

Incredible the first 75%, mediocre last 25% but it's classic Scorsese/10

Indie Game: The Movie

Good reminder to never work on a passion project/10

Punch Drunk Love

Paul Thomas Anderson/10

[JimLeavy59]

Man of Steel- HOLY SHIT/10

[MvP]

Lars and the Real Girl

much emotion such doll/10

[Warner2BruceTD]

Inhuman Resources

I'm not a big fan of horror, but this held my attention and had some clever moments. Sort of a Saw ripoff, but horror gets to do shit like that with no shame. Enjoyed.

[dell71]

Man of Steel- HOLY SHIT/10

Is that HOLY SHIT that was good, or HOLY SHIT that was bad?

[JimLeavy59]

Is that HOLY SHIT that was good, or HOLY SHIT that was bad?

Good.

[Villain]

MoreThanAFeeling/10

[Glenbino]

Best Man Holiday

/5

Sequels to successful films are the norm in Hollywood these days, but “The Best Man Holiday” is a prime example of when movie studios should leave well enough alone.

15 years since the success of his film “The Best Man”, director Malcolm D. Lee tries to re-capture the magic by getting the gang back together for a Christmas romp. Unfortunately, the charisma of the cast isn’t enough to distract viewers from a thin and uneven plot.

The film catches viewers up with what has been going on in the lives of the characters since the first film, making it easy for new viewers to jump into the story. Credibility is strained within the first three minutes of the film as viewers are introduced to the most successful wedding part of all time; featuring the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, a New York Times best-selling author, the headmaster of a upper class Manhattan private school, a millionaire consultant, an Emmy award winning network executive and a reality television star.

Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) returns as the film’s protagonist initially would seem to be the most down on his luck of the group of friends. Stewart has had a rough go of it since the success of his first book and, after recently being laid off from his job at NYU, is at a loss for ways to provide for his pregnant wife Robin (Sanaa Lathan).

Harper’s prayers are answered when he is invited to the home of his friend and NFL star Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut) for Christmas. Harper knows that a biography on his friend would be a surefire way back to the best-seller list, however he is hesitant because of the fallout stemming from his previous relationship with Lance’s wife Mia (Monica Calhoun).

Julian Murch (Harold Perrineau) has now gone on to marry and have children with Candace (Regina Hall), his love interest from the first film. However, Real Housewife of New Jersey Shelby Taylor (Melissa De Sousa) still has eyes for Julian, and isn’t afraid to let Candace know about it.

The most endearing character in the film is Quentin Spivey (Terrence Howard). The strength of this film is its comedic takes, and Howard is pitch perfect in his delivery and timing. Quentin was also quick to call out his friends when it was clear they were being over-the-top dramatic. If only Howard could have been sitting next to the director’s chair doing the same thing.

This film is funny, if you see it there will be scenes that will make you laugh. The problem is that around those scenes, there’s about 108 minutes of story that will have you watching between your fingers.

The film is un-even in the way that it tries to deal with some really serious issues pertaining to friendship, relationships and death. However, Lee’s method of jumping from a scene about a serious illness to crotch jokes is jarring and borderline insulting.

Fans of the first film will surely enjoy the chance to catch up with some old friends in this long-awaited sequel. However, at a time of year when theaters are filled with movies that have legitimate Oscar buzz there are films more worthy of your money.

[Glenbino]

Delivery Man

/5

In a re-make of his 2011 French-Canadian film “Starbuck,” director Ken Scott delivers a heartwarming story about fatherhood, friendship and maturity with “Delivery Man.”

The film chronicles the life of David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn), a loveable loser indebted to the mob, whose life is thrown further into flux when he learns his girlfriend Emma (Cobie Smulders) is pregnant and he is unsure whether he is ready to be a father.

David’s world is rocked again when he finds out that due to excessive sperm donations in the past, in conjunction with some shady dealings by the bank, he is the biological father of 533 children.

When 142 of the children file a class-action lawsuit against the bank in order to have the identity of the donator (known to them at that point only as “Starbuck”) revealed, David receives and envelope with the identities of his children. When his curiosity gets the best of him, David opens the envelope and begins to reach out and the children privately without ever revealing his true identity.

After helping a few of his biological children out of jams, David becomes obsessed with seeking out and helping as many of the names in the envelope as possible. This often comes at the expense of spending time with Emma as she is pregnant with their child.

Despite wanting to come forward, he is presented with the opportunity to countersue the bank with the help of his best friend and attorney Brett (Chris Pratt), which would be nullified if he were to reveal that he was Starbuck.

Pratt was brilliant in his role and seems to have mastered the art of physical comedy without being over the top. Every scene between Brett and his children is hilarious.

While there were plenty of funny moments in “Delivery Man,” the film’s most impressive moments came in the way it dealt with some of the more sensitive topics, such as David meeting one of his children with a mental disability.

Vince Vaughn is at his best in a familiar role as a down-on-his luck middle-aged man. However, unlike in “Dodgeball” or “Fred Claus” David’s story of personal growth is emotionally complex and refreshingly honest. His relationship with his own father is one of the more affecting elements of the film and provides a touching explanation for his sperm bank donations.

While the premise seems crass on the surface, “Delivery Man” is full of laughs for the whole family and would be a perfect Thanksgiving film to watch with your dad.

[Glenbino]

The Fifth Estate

/5

Heavier on style than substance at times, Bill Condon’s “The Fifth Estate” gives viewers a glimpse into the growth of Wikileaks while engaging them in the drama of the fracturing bromance between the site’s founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and former spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl).

Berg, whose book inspired the film, is introduced to the audience as a bored IT professional with a girlfriend whose life gets thrown more and more into flux as his involvement with Assange grows.

Cumberbatch’s time as the lead on the BBC’s “Sherlock” seems to have prepared him perfectly to take on the role of the reclusive genius Assange. From his voice to his mannerisms, Cumberbatch convinces the viewer that he is the Wikileaks founder.

While this relationship is the crux of the film, it’s arguably the least interesting and certainly the least important aspect of the larger story of Wikileaks. The portrayal of the relationship is definitely skewed in favor of Berg, which causes some credibility issues when you consider the source material for the film.

Assange is painted as an egomaniacal genius with little to no moral compass and a childhood mired in secrecy. The more lurid details of Assange’s personal life, especially his infatuation with female attention, are hinted at but never fully explored during the film. He believes that all information should be free, whether it endangers the lives of others or not.

Berg, on the other hand, is captivated by Assange’s vision for giving whistleblowers a safe haven. He acts as the pragmatic arm of Wikileaks, reigning in Assange before he can do anything truly catastrophic.

The relationship between Assange and Berg in the film is reminiscent of the one portrayed between Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin in the 2010 film “The Social Network,” which was also based on a book in which Saverin consulted.

Stanley Tucci and Laura Linney both deliver strong, albeit abbreviated, performances as composite characters of government officials who had to deal with the fallout of the leaks. Dan Stevens, Peter Capaldi and David Thewlis also shine during their brief screen time as the journalists who worked with the site during the time of the leaks.

While the ensemble of great actors in the film is impressive, it is disappointing in the end that so much of their screen time is eschewed in favor of delving deeper into the details of the personal issues between Assange and Berg.

One thing the film should be applauded for is the way it eventually portrayed the ramifications 2010 leaks from more than just the leakers’ perspective. The dramatized versions of government officials and journalists tasked with working alongside Wikileaks is compelling enough that it could be a film on its own.

Buried within the “good friend” vs. “bad friend” narrative of “The Fifth Estate” is a unique look inside the formation a group that caused a worldwide sensation, however its focus on the two male leads ultimately prevents the film from the ambitious task of telling the complete story of the Wikileaks scandal.

[JayDizzle]

Find Me Guilty - *** out of 5.

Vin Diesel plays as Jackie Dee DiNorscio, member of the Lucchese crime family and the only thing standing between them and a RICO case that'll put them all behind bars for good.

The film's marked from 2006 so we aren't getting the 'Fast and Furious' Diesel but instead a man who gives a charismatic performance of a hardened criminal who loves the ones who may not love him back.

He'd do anything, including asking the jury from the RICO case to "Find Me Guilty," even at the possible cost of his own life.

While this might sound serious, the movie plays like a comedy where Diesel alternates between behaving like a clown and drumming up serious moments when it comes time to show off a dramatic performance.

Also of note, Peter Dinklage does a fine job as one of the Lucchese defendants in the film going from stringent lawyer to one of those swept up in Diesel's act by the end of the film.

Feels like a real life "My Cousin Vinny" if you want to get mean about stereotypes and comedy law films.

I'd say rent if you get a chance and/or want to see Vin Diesel in something other than a muscle car and a tank top punching out The Rock.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Watched Closer start to finish for the first time in probably close to ten years. Lots of truth in that movie. Clive Owen goes hard. Jude Law is a fucking pussy.

Pieces of April, a Thanksgiving themed movie with Katie Holmes & Oliver Platt. Better than it sounds, which is admittedly awful.

[MvP]

21 Jump Street - good/10

Looper - very good/10

A Beautiful Mind (yes, for the first time ever) - great/10