Buttered Popcorn: Buzzmans Movie Review Thread

[Buzzman]

They had a private press screening and I managed to sang two passes. If you manage to have a theater near you that does this you can probably get some as well.

http://www.gofobo.com
http://www.filmmetro.com

Both those sites give out extra passes. You can check your area on them. I'm lucky enough to have 3 theaters near me that end up doing these screenings. I just started trying with these in October and I got to see Unstoppable, Paranormal Activity 2 and The Green Hornet so far. There have been others, but I missed out on the tickets because I didn't check my e-mail.

 

[Palooza]

Country Strong early screening in Albany, NY

terrible.

 

[Buzzman]

True Grit (2010)

After her father is murdered by drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), hires Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal, to help her exact vengeance. The disreputable Rooster still has grit though, and mounts an epic search. The pair is joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also hunting for Chaney, in this updated Western from Joel and Ethan Coen.

True Grit doesn’t do many things wrong. By all rights, it’s another solid edition into the Coens brothers’ great career. They took an old film, and updated it with enough of a change to actually call it their own. The problem with the film is it’s merely a bore. There was not one moment in the film that got you leaning forward and stopped your breathing. You wouldn’t think that either because our two leads are chasing after a man for murdering the father of Mattie Ross, but the film doesn’t do anything to get you to feel remorse for Mattie. By the time they catch up with Mr. Chaney, you wonder why he’s such a wanted man because he doesn’t seem smart by any means, and comes off as a real coward. You never feel for any character, and that impacts a film like True Grit tremendously. It’s conclusion felt very anti-climatic and ran about ten minutes too short.

The films disappointment didn’t come from its two leads though. Hailee Steinfeld comes from typical Coens casting and gives a great performance as a witty girl well beyond her age of 14. She showed real determination to catch her fathers killer, yet unbelievably never grasped the danger of the situation, which was probably done on purpose. She held her grounds against her employee, Jeff Bridges. This is far from his best performance, but you can’t but help and see he had fun with it. He’s an unshakable, ruthless lawman who’d rather shoot then bring you in. He even gets to be amusing when the script allows it. He doesn’t try and recreate a better version of John Wayne, he just acts like Jeff Bridges. I don’t know what it was about Matt Damon, but something felt completely off about his character the entire film. Maybe he was just over-shadowed but this might be the worst I’ve seen of him on a long while. Brolin’s turn as the murdering Mr. Chaney is short and forgettable role. Fall asleep for five minutes and you’ll miss him completely.

True Grit has unbelievable buzz going for it come release time, but that buzz sets itself up for disappointment for its viewers. It’s funny because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the film as it is, a little character development probably doesn’t change anything, but I doubt many will ever watch it more then once. It had all the makings of another classic, Coen brothers? Check. Great Script? Check. Great actors? Check. Oscar buzz? Check. None of it seemed to really matter. Maybe if you head into the film with lesser expectation then I, then True Grit won’t be one of the disappointments it was for me.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

 

[wingsfan77]

Well that's kind of dis-heartening, but I'm not as much of a movie critic as you so maybe I'll enjoy it more haha. Not that critiquing movies is a bad thing.

 

[tigstah]

Well that's kind of dis-heartening, but I'm not as much of a movie critic as you so maybe I'll enjoy it more haha. Not that critiquing movies is a bad thing.

same here. going to see it regardless

 

[NAHSTE]

Eh, I kind of saw that coming from True Grit. It looks a bit too reliant on style/coolness of the main character.

 

[Maynard]

nice job on the green hornet screening

 

[Buzzman]

Tron: Legacy (2010)

While investigating the mysterious disappearance of his father, Kevin (Jeff Bridges), techie Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) lands in a beguiling computerized world of enslaved gladiators, where his dad has been living for the past 25 years. Joined by Kevin's trusted friend (Olivia Wilde), the father and son must journey across a breathtaking -- and perilous -- cyberscape in this 21st-century update to the beloved 1982 sci-fi classic.

28 years! That’s how long it has been since the original Tron changed the movie business forever. Still, that didn’t stop Disney from making a sequel and giving it a huge blockbuster budget. The real question is whether the technology nowadays benefited the sequel much more than the original.

The film starts off a few years after the events of the first film. Flynn has risen to the top of his industry. He says he’s discovered a breakthrough that will change the world as we know it. A few nights later, he disappears from the face of the planet, leaving his son with a fatherless childhood. The film does a nice job of showing what Sam has become without his father, with a sample of what has probably amounted to a dozen attempts to bring down the company his father left him. The real problem here is how you can really feel sorry for someone when you never knew the extent of their relationship with the person they lost.

Once he gets a mysterious page from his dad and visits his arcade, he gets transported into The Grid. For a world of infinite possibility, it sure felt like an extremely boring and dull. Nothing ever feels intense, the games last about five minutes, and the car racing feels slow. This is very frustrating because it seemed almost impossible not to have vast improvements over the poorly aged Tron.

Once Sam finds his father, everything seems to just fall into place for the two of them. One is about to be captured? No problem, the other will rescue him at the last second. Need a ride to the portal? No problem, I just happen to have an empty ship going right in that direction. Need to retake back an item stolen from you? No worries, it’s left with just two guards and no security backup. It sort of had the vibe that the characters were following a brightly lit path that said “EXIT HERE.”

The film had a very satisfying conclusion between Kevin Flynn and his own creation Clu. You actually felt a sense of sympathy for Clu as his creator revealed his one flaw to him. It didn’t make up for a boring 100 minutes, but it left a better taste in your mouth once the credits rolled.

The special effects have been compared heavily to Avatar, but without question they are nothing alike. Tron: Legacy looks and feels like a 2D movie. Not once did I think to myself I was watching it in 3D as I wore those dumbass glasses. The world still did look beautiful, but once again, it felt so empty. The CGI they did with its villain Clu was perfect. In fact, it was so perfect, that it just didn’t look right. Maybe once we adjust to that form of CGI, we will feel more comfortable watching it.

Tron: Legacy doesn’t do many things wrong, but it just wasn’t an entertaining film. The two hours felt like four, and the plot was too simple in every way. It isn’t the film Disney wanted it to be, and it certainly wasn’t what longtime fans had hoped for. Tron: Legacy will be one of 2010’s biggest disappointments.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

 

[Maynard]

not surprised. the original tron sucked. it was over hyped for its time and didnt live up to it at all

 

[tigstah]

saw it, agreed with the review.

 

[NAHSTE]

Saw True Grit today and appreciated it quite a bit.

 

[Buzzman]

Saw True Grit today and appreciated it quite a bit.

I wanted to love it, instead I just liked it.

 

[red33]

Tron: Legacy (2010)

While investigating the mysterious disappearance of his father, Kevin (Jeff Bridges), techie Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) lands in a beguiling computerized world of enslaved gladiators, where his dad has been living for the past 25 years. Joined by Kevin's trusted friend (Olivia Wilde), the father and son must journey across a breathtaking -- and perilous -- cyberscape in this 21st-century update to the beloved 1982 sci-fi classic.

28 years! That’s how long it has been since the original Tron changed the movie business forever. Still, that didn’t stop Disney from making a sequel and giving it a huge blockbuster budget. The real question is whether the technology nowadays benefited the sequel much more than the original.

The film starts off a few years after the events of the first film. Flynn has risen to the top of his industry. He says he’s discovered a breakthrough that will change the world as we know it. A few nights later, he disappears from the face of the planet, leaving his son with a fatherless childhood. The film does a nice job of showing what Sam has become without his father, with a sample of what has probably amounted to a dozen attempts to bring down the company his father left him. The real problem here is how you can really feel sorry for someone when you never knew the extent of their relationship with the person they lost.

Once he gets a mysterious page from his dad and visits his arcade, he gets transported into The Grid. For a world of infinite possibility, it sure felt like an extremely boring and dull. Nothing ever feels intense, the games last about five minutes, and the car racing feels slow. This is very frustrating because it seemed almost impossible not to have vast improvements over the poorly aged Tron.

Once Sam finds his father, everything seems to just fall into place for the two of them. One is about to be captured? No problem, the other will rescue him at the last second. Need a ride to the portal? No problem, I just happen to have an empty ship going right in that direction. Need to retake back an item stolen from you? No worries, it’s left with just two guards and no security backup. It sort of had the vibe that the characters were following a brightly lit path that said “EXIT HERE.”

The film had a very satisfying conclusion between Kevin Flynn and his own creation Clu. You actually felt a sense of sympathy for Clu as his creator revealed his one flaw to him. It didn’t make up for a boring 100 minutes, but it left a better taste in your mouth once the credits rolled.

The special effects have been compared heavily to Avatar, but without question they are nothing alike. Tron: Legacy looks and feels like a 2D movie. Not once did I think to myself I was watching it in 3D as I wore those dumbass glasses. The world still did look beautiful, but once again, it felt so empty. The CGI they did with its villain Clu was perfect. In fact, it was so perfect, that it just didn’t look right. Maybe once we adjust to that form of CGI, we will feel more comfortable watching it.

Tron: Legacy doesn’t do many things wrong, but it just wasn’t an entertaining film. The two hours felt like four, and the plot was too simple in every way. It isn’t the film Disney wanted it to be, and it certainly wasn’t what longtime fans had hoped for. Tron: Legacy will be one of 2010’s biggest disappointments.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

man i was so bored at this movie

my reason,

CPUs are fucking boring and the story doesnt make any sense.

They are fucking programs, what kind of personality could they possibly have,

 

[tigstah]

man i was so bored at this movie

my reason,

CPUs are fucking boring and the story doesnt make any sense.

They are fucking programs, what kind of personality could they possibly have,

lol....i dozed a couple of times. no 3d at all...wth

 

[Acesuper]

True Grit (2010)

After her father is murdered by drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), hires Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal, to help her exact vengeance. The disreputable Rooster still has grit though, and mounts an epic search. The pair is joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also hunting for Chaney, in this updated Western from Joel and Ethan Coen.

True Grit doesn’t do many things wrong. By all rights, it’s another solid edition into the Coens brothers’ great career. They took an old film, and updated it with enough of a change to actually call it their own. The problem with the film is it’s merely a bore. There was not one moment in the film that got you leaning forward and stopped your breathing. You wouldn’t think that either because our two leads are chasing after a man for murdering the father of Mattie Ross, but the film doesn’t do anything to get you to feel remorse for Mattie. By the time they catch up with Mr. Chaney, you wonder why he’s such a wanted man because he doesn’t seem smart by any means, and comes off as a real coward. You never feel for any character, and that impacts a film like True Grit tremendously. It’s conclusion felt very anti-climatic and ran about ten minutes too short.

The films disappointment didn’t come from its two leads though. Hailee Steinfeld comes from typical Coens casting and gives a great performance as a witty girl well beyond her age of 14. She showed real determination to catch her fathers killer, yet unbelievably never grasped the danger of the situation, which was probably done on purpose. She held her grounds against her employee, Jeff Bridges. This is far from his best performance, but you can’t but help and see he had fun with it. He’s an unshakable, ruthless lawman who’d rather shoot then bring you in. He even gets to be amusing when the script allows it. He doesn’t try and recreate a better version of John Wayne, he just acts like Jeff Bridges. I don’t know what it was about Matt Damon, but something felt completely off about his character the entire film. Maybe he was just over-shadowed but this might be the worst I’ve seen of him on a long while. Brolin’s turn as the murdering Mr. Chaney is short and forgettable role. Fall asleep for five minutes and you’ll miss him completely.

True Grit has unbelievable buzz going for it come release time, but that buzz sets itself up for disappointment for its viewers. It’s funny because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the film as it is, a little character development probably doesn’t change anything, but I doubt many will ever watch it more then once. It had all the makings of another classic, Coen brothers? Check. Great Script? Check. Great actors? Check. Oscar buzz? Check. None of it seemed to really matter. Maybe if you head into the film with lesser expectation then I, then True Grit won’t be one of the disappointments it was for me.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

I must say that after watching the 36:05 minutes of this movie, I have come across some cinematic drama that moved me back across my own great river I must cross. We shall see. So far, I am on the edge of my seat and just walked in the bitter chill so I could have a Coca Cola and pack of Special Blend lights to enjoy with this movie. We shall see, Buzz.


Edit

Wow..Buzz, that was a hell of a movie.. But maybe because I have always been a fan of good westerns. This is a purely good western film. Suspense. Pursuit. Good vs. Bad. Heroism.

 

[Buzzman]

Devil (2010)

A group of people trapped in an elevator realize that the devil is amongst them.

Let’s get it out of the way first. Yes, it was written by M Night Shyamalan. Yes, it has a shitty twist that thinks it’s clever. Despite that, it still manages to be a decent horror flick.

The film begins with a “random” group of people trapped inside an elevator. After a while, strange things start to happen to the group. Don’t worry though; we have a religious security guard who happens to be an expert on this sort of thing. You see, every once in a while the Devil leaves Hell and disguises himself as one of us and terrorizes a select group and leaves the biggest sinner for last. It feels cheesy at times, but that’s as bad as it will get.

It was interesting watching the group and every time the lights go out seeing which one would turn up dead. Each person had a case that pointed them out as the Devil but then they would turn up dead and you’d look at the remaining people. It kept you alert. It was interesting to watch up until the big reveal at the end. This was no random occurrence. Everyone was there at that moment because of every choice they made up to that point. The person revealed to be the Devil felt like a forced surprise that was a cop out.

What most people will say about the film come from the waning minutes of the movie, but you can’t forget that it was a fairly entertaining psychological thriller for 60 minutes before it pulled an M Night Shyamalan. It isn’t a great film by any means, but the lack of quality horror films in 2010 helps its case.

Overall Score: 6/10

 

[Buzzman]

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)

In this animated feature, high school student Terry McGinnis, who has inherited the role of Batman from now-retired Bruce Wayne, must confront Wayne's maniacal archenemy, the Joker -- long thought dead after a battle with the original Batman. To defeat the clown prince of crime, the new caped crusader must reopen a chapter in the original Batman's career -- the story of the night he fought the Joker for the final time.

Return of the Joker might have been the most controversial Batman film made according to the out roar it received upon release that it even led to an edited down version. This was supposed to be one of the best bat films in the series.

The idea of an aged Bruce Wayne being the mentor for another Batman is a very great opportunity to bring in a fresh story into a common universe. It’s something that has never been shown on screen before. The only problem? The new Batman is an annoying twat. He spends most of his time with stupid one-liners to criminals and spends too much time crying to Wayne. He will never be Batman in my eyes. The one great thing the film has going for it is its villain, the Joker. The film does a great job with the use of flashbacks to see the Joker’s last game he has with Batman and the huge effect it had on everyone involved. It’s pretty clear the Joker shouldn’t ever comeback but here he is, years later, terrorizing Gotham once again. It’s great because it goes ambiguous on whom this new Joker is and how he has returned. It’s fun to watch this new Batman underestimate this villain because we know what he’s capable of. Unfortunately, despite the great setup between old foes, its mystery surrounding the Joker is so far-fetched and unbelievable it, you’d think they thought its audience was dumb.

Return of the Joker isn’t the film its perceived as. Is it a solid addition to the Batman collection? Yes. But it’s barely in the top 10 of only Batman films. If you manage to not completely hate the reveal at the end, you’ll end up enjoying far more then I.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

 

[Buzzman]

Conviction (2010)

Convinced that her brother, Kenneth (Sam Rockwell), has been unjustly convicted of murder and incompetently defended by court-ordered attorneys, high school dropout Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) puts herself through law school in order to represent him in his appeal.

The real life story about the Waters incredible journey is far more fascinating as an idea then what you actually manage to get on screen. The years it took to achieve what Betty Anne accomplishes fills your head up quickly, but the time jumps shown in the film can be somewhat confusing and casually dropped onto you like it’s no big deal. The viewer is sort of cheated because what was a long struggle for them was about seventy five minutes for us. It was just a story that didn’t translate well to screen.

Some of the film’s best parts came with its use of flashbacks to give you an understanding on the relationship between Betty and Kenny. You see what drives her on her journey of impossible odds. It’s the only time you ever feel sympathy for these characters and that’s a damn shame because they are going through hell and back. In regards to the actual case, it pulls at you because it presents itself in a great manner. There are no twists, but the interviews between the two key witnesses have creative connectivity that bring light onto the corrupt cop involved.

Its inevitable ending might be the most anti-climactic scene given the circumstances. Maybe they purposely shot it in this manner, but after spending 16 years in prison, you don’t just say thanks, accord a hug, and be done with it. This should be the film’s easiest moment to shine and it just falls flat on its face. I think Sam Rockwell is a fine and underrated actor, but he just couldn’t make the scene work with the script that he had. Had they actually worked more development time for Kenny, maybe we’d understand that’s just the person he was and all would be fine, but that wasn’t the case.

Conviction tried so hard to be this year’s underdog story, but it tries too hard and misses too many times to work. It might have been better served to film it from Kenny’s point of view rather than his sister’s because Swank just doesn’t cut it for me and the story would have served up a far more captivating sense of thought with such an isolated environment. It’s a shame for a movie that could have been great to fall into such averageness.

Overall Score: 6/10

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

I had never heard of the movie, but just from that picture Sam Rockwell's hair/facial hair combo made me LOLIRL

 

[Buzzman]

I had never heard of the movie, but just from that picture Sam Rockwell's hair/facial hair combo made me LOLIRL

This is him at the end of the movie. Couldn't even tell it's him.