Buttered Popcorn: Buzzmans Movie Review Thread

[Buzzman]

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), plus those they love, must deal with the chain of consequences brought on by a marriage, honeymoon, and the tumultuous birth of a child...which brings an unforeseen and shocking development for Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

Every film in this franchise has improved slightly each time. With that trend contuing with the fourth one, you’d think it’d be a pretty decent film by now. The thing being though is that the very first one was so bad that even a drastic improvement wouldn’t make it all that much better. The one really positive thing that can be said about the third is that it has finally made the franchise somewhat bearable when a member of the wolf pack isn’t on-screen. But when they happen to be on-screen, get ready for a riot because they are so bad, you may find yourself getting some good laughs out of them.

This time around the gang gets into a little trouble when Edward doesn’t pull out and knocks up Bella. This isn’t your typical pregnancy either; you see this is a vampire baby that is killing Bella from the inside and she refuses to get rid of it. This is the part of the story that doesn’t manage to blow. The choices have consequences and this baby seems to affect each character in a different way. It helps establish some sort of development for these vampires for the first time in four movies. This journey to keep her alive keeps the story going, but it all feels a bit boring because the ending is already written in stone and the world knows it, so they miss out on a few opportunities to actually establish itself seriously. Instead they have to show these damn wolves. Their storyline of wanting to destroy the baby and Bella in the process is every bit as a joke as it sounds. There isn’t a single moment when they are on screen that doesn’t make you want to stop watching. The build-up to this epic battle between the two races comes to a shitty conclusion that feels all but made up on the spot. There are times when you stick to the books material and you don’t; this is one of the times you don’t follow true to the pages.

Kristen Stewart seems to finally decide to show a bit of emotion rather than do her famous stare into the screen. Part of that came from the effectively haunting CGI used on her to make her skin and bones; it is quite scary and very believable looking. Pattinson continues to be stuck in a terrible page to screen character that never quite feels right and unfairly looks bad. The key to the film and the complete downfall of this franchise has to go to Taylor Lautner. I have never seen somebody so bad on screen. Nothing about him is real nor likeable; he is a complete moment actor that hopefully goes away as fast as he came. Anytime the films attempt to get something going, here comes Jacob and time to give up trying.

You already know if you’d like to see this. You’re either a fan or not, and if you thought the third was watchable, than you should be able to get through this one. Its better, but not by much.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

 

[j.hen]

 

Yeah she was going to MIT for Astrophysics so she was heading in that direction anyway. I guess this simple theory would be a good one, Earth1 girl is a "failure" and Earth2 is a success.
Either way I think it's important that things happened the way that they did. That car ride when they said what they'd do if they ever met the other version, this is the only possible outcome where they both get to do just that.

Funny how I didn't think of any of this stuff before. The ending seemed simple and straightforward until I started posting in this thread.

 

I got the feeling from the ending that the guy from Earth 1 went to Earth 2 and probably talked to his family/himself and shared what happened on Earth 1, then most likely went and talked to the girl from Earth 2 and she then felt compelled to make the journey to Earth 1 and comfort herself.

 

[Houston]

lol at blaming the werewolves, they have always been and still are the best part about the series.

Edward and those gay vampires are the reason it sucks. The first half leading up until the werewolves appearance was unbearable, they made it better.

 

[Houston]

 

I got the feeling from the ending that the guy from Earth 1 went to Earth 2 and probably talked to his family/himself and shared what happened on Earth 1, then most likely went and talked to the girl from Earth 2 and she then felt compelled to make the journey to Earth 1 and comfort herself.

 

Possibility of the trips not being made at the exact same time:runaway: Mind blown!

 

[j.hen]

Such a good flick.

 

[Buzzman]

lol at blaming the werewolves, they have always been and still are the best part about the series.

Edward and those gay vampires are the reason it sucks. The first half leading up until the werewolves appearance was unbearable, they made it better.

I about pissed all the soccer moms off in the theater when I burst out laughing when the wolves started talking to each other through their thoughts, and that entire sequence with that battle between the two at the end was so lame and creepy. Part of it comes with Taylor Lautner though, guy is so fucking bad. He even makes the complete;y shitty minor vampire characters look good.

 

[Buzzman]

 

Possibility of the trips not being made at the exact same time:runaway: Mind blown!

I never thought of that, that is such a great idea, great theory JHen. I gotta go buy this movie this week.

 

[dell71]

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)

Overall Score: 5.5/10

Have to agree with Houston. I've liked the werewolves way better than the vampires in this series (haven't seen this installment yet, though). And one more thing: I thought the first was the best of the series to this point...still not a good movie, but the best of the series with the second being the worst by a pretty wide margin.

 

[Buzzman]

I feel like the first ones budget really provided the film with some of the sjittiest moments in the series and had the worst dialogue a film not trying tobe funny can have. The addition of Jacob makes the choice of words even worse.

 

[Buzzman]

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.

Earlier this year, there was the fifth entry in the Fast and the Furious series and it was filled with so much over the top action that it ended up being awesome. That was a movie that used action as its story; because of it the story was actually a piece of shit. Mission Impossible IV is the perfect example of when a movie uses action set pieces as a part of its story rather than it be its story. It’s really an amazing accomplishment when you take it all away because the plot is every bit as generic as you could come up with.

To sum up the movie in one sentence; Tom Cruise and company must save the world from a nuclear world war started by a man out for power. It doesn’t end up going the path you completely expect it to go, but if you really expect the bomb to drop, then you’re fooling yourself. In-between the big action pieces, they actually put together a plan, reveal interesting tidbits about the characters and what has happened to them in-between installments. They feel like a bigger mystery then they are because they slowly reveal this information over the entire film rather than throwing it all at you at once. It’s actually some good material that works well with the series.

Where the film takes a giant leap is in the action. Some films have one or two wow moments, three fi you’re pushing it, but Mission Impossible ends up with five completely wow moments that end up going all out. Whether it be a ten minute fight inside a futuristic parking garage of moving spots and levels to a building being completely leveled to badass cat fights. They have it all and do it well. The two sequences that are so god damn awesome come fairly close to each other so it never gives you a chance to catch your breathe. Ethan Hunt has to climb the Burj Khalifa (the tallest skyscraper in the world) and get into a room from the outside. IA lot of shit goes wrong and it gets you on the edge of your sea, jumping up at times for fear of the constant reminders of the height. This is a great accomplishment considering you know there’s no way he would fall, but it still keeps you in awe. Moments after that scene, there is a long chase through the city during a sandstorm that is nothing short of badass. It’s one of the best forty minute stretches of action I’ve ever seen.

Tom Cruise comes back as Ethan Hunt and for the first time in years, seems like he’s where he belongs. Climbing buildings and running through cities catching bad guys is what he does best and would love to see him do more of it. Paula Patton as the sexy eye candy not only handles that well, but actually contributes as well. It’s nice to see a film not hold the woman back and treat her as the agent were told she was and can be. Simon peg returns this time as a field agent and not an analyst, but still manages to bring the jokes with him about the change for him. He’s the bulk of the comedy that never overstays his welcome. The new addition to the franchise is Jeremey Renner as Brandt. This was an origin story for him that could possibly spin-off into another story that could be a lot more interesting, but for this film, he was a little bit cheesy and portrayed in the wrong manner. I think I’d rather just see Hunt and Brandt team up again for another installment. I loved what I got from this ensemble.

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the action movie even critics will love. That seems to be a rare combination that you really shouldn’t be taken for granted because the two just don’t normally mix. If you want to sit down and have a badass two hours, you cannot go wrong with this, it’s the best in the series by far and probably reignited a candle that was thought to be on its last wire.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

 

[Buzzman]

Young Adult (2011)

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either.

Jason Reitman has been a director that always manages to fascinate me with his very different but awesome films such as Thank You for Smoking and Up in the Air; even the one I didn’t love and feel is slightly overrated, Juno, was still a fairly entertaining flick. With Young Adult, Reitman makes a movie that feels so far away from Hollywood, it’s hard to not fall in love with it. Young may not be his best film to date, but he does manage to create his best character yet in Mavis Gary.

You know that bitch in high school that was slutty hot, got whatever she wanted, and stepped all over everyone she thought she was better than? Young Adult tells the story of that girl once she moves past high school and is inserted into the real world. Right from the start you are thrown into her world that has now become a state of depression clinging to the glory days of the past. When she gets a invitation to her ex flames- now wife’s birthday, she gets it stuck in her mind that the only way she can be happy is to have him back; and so begins the bizarre journey of Young Adult. You witness Mavis go through a lot of effort to woo her ex Matt, but it’s all pretty much moot. Right from the start you get a pretty understanding that he’s very much in love with his wife and are happy. What’s entertaining is that she doesn’t care; she will break the marriage if she has to. It’s quite comedic, but depressing at the same time, watching her go through this so blindly. She really has nothing and watching her head spiral to the end, never grasping what’s she’s actually doing is sort of tragic. At its conclusion, you feel sorry for this woman, but like all bitches, she doesn’t care about you.

Charlize Theron is absolutely perfect in this movie. Everything about her, from her clothes, to her face, her preparation, and her dialogue, just oozes out a person so disgusting, the devil himself would be proud. Despite appearing to have it all, she is a broken shell. Theron kills it going against the Hollywood type in playing a character that nobody is supposed to like, but still find enjoyable to watch. It’s because of her. The character is a lovechild from Reitman and Cody and what they produced was the best side of Theron. In a smaller, sort of buddy who asks questions to fill in back story role, Patton Oswalt is great. He’s a comedian that has shown flashes of a dramatic actor and he’s given the chance to show a darker side that you can hear in his comedy. His character is key in unraveling the disguise off of Theron’s Mavis and did a splendid job with it.

Young Adult is a dark social comedy that centers on an unlikeable character that does nothing but keep you watching. It’s one of the very best performances of the year that flashes the brilliance that is Charlize Theron. She is more than just a pretty face. If you’ve ever loved Reitman, you’ll surely love this. It’s almost if they continued Juno’s story and had her regret giving the bay away and she fell into a fire of chaos. It’s a late tiny sleeper of a film that is big in more ways than one. Be sure not to miss it.

Overall Score: 9/10

 

[Buzzman]

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history

In 2009, Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the character Sherlock Holmes hit the big screen and it was something we have seen a lot before in other films but was a breath of fresh air within the title characters universe that we accepted it as new. It definitely wasn’t but it helped the film appeal to a much larger audience then was to be expected from a Holmes film. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel that at times topped the quality of original, but seemed much too bloated for its own good to keep it from surpassing the first one as a whole.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with their most threatening villain yet in the great Professor Moriarty. His motives are bland and generic, but the interactions between him and his foes give off a menacing appeal that helps make the character the ultimate enemy for Holmes. This chess battle that they literally metaphor is thrown into your face way too much, treating the audience as if they are stupid by saying what they’re doing rather than just doing it. It got as repetitive as the constant decision to use slow motion. They movie had quite a bit of good action pieces, but when they take ten minutes to finish, even action junkies begin to stop drooling. Guy Ritchie obviously didn’t get the memo about Sucker Punch. The biggest disappointment of the film was its inability to restrain its blockbuster side of things. Throughout the entire film, the characters laugh, rack jokes, act so heroic that you never feel anybody is in any danger. What’s worse is that placed directly in the middle of the film is a scene that oozes the films full potential; you’re disappointed by everything that comes after. For a few minutes Sherlock Holmes was vulnerable, he was breakable, and best of all he was fearful of something. If you adapted a film around just that one scene it could have been fantastic, but instead all you get is commotion on screen.

With Robert Downey Jr, you don’t exactly get a wide range of characters, you simply get one; a cocky, egotistical dick that you can’t help but like. He’s more of the same here, but the layer of recoating doesn’t feel as entertaining as before since you’ve seen it so many times already. Jude Law gets a little more into the action this time and his chemistry between him and Downey are front and center. It’s the films biggest strength and even is better than before. It’s too bad that the rest of the film wasn’t. The villain is Professor Moriarty played greatly by Jared Harris, a recognizable by not famous face. He is the exact opposite of the first films villain. Where’s Mark Strong was a weak, scared little phony, Moriarty is a menacing character that when given the chance to unleash his menacing side is quite good. The problem lies with the tone of the film. He felt a little out of place in a film that seems content with pleasing the families rather than the adults in the crowd. Did I mention Noomi Rapace was in the film? O I didn’t; its probably because she is such a wasted character that she was completely forgettable. What a wasted casting.

If the first Sherlock Holmes pleased you, than you should be satisfied enough by this disappointing sequel. It feels like much more of the same but with a better viallain and a weaker everything else. If the first one turned you off, I really don’t think there’s a batshit in hell that this would change your mind on the franchise. All I will remember from this film is the missed opportunity to turn it into something great.

Overall Score: 6/10

 

[Buzzman]

New Year’s Eve (2011)

New Year's Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

New Year’s Eve is everything that is wrong with Hollywood. It takes six or so different plot points going and has them all magically intertwine and decide that is enough. They half-ass the stories, don’t even attempt to create characters and just film whatever they feel like filming. It’s lazy, pathetic, and worst of all trendy; I don’t think there is a more perfect example of how stupid human beings can be when you see films like He’s Just Not That Into You or Valentines Day pulling in big bucks. But it’s the start of a new year and thankfully the crowds were smart enough to even avoid this pile of trash that they tried to pass off as a film.

I won’t even get into the dozen of short stories they managed to throw together because they are all either terrible or are good enough not to be called awful. What I do want to mention is just how stupid this film to managed to be. First you have Hilary Swank playing a female, she’s clearly meant to be a male so don’t try and force her gender on us. Secondly, you have Sarah Jessica Parker not playing a horse; big mistake. Thirdly, you have an absurd storyline of a woman trying to complete a list of resolutions for the New Year and she just so happens to find the right guy to accomplish them all. What’s worse is it’s not even in the top 5 clichéd moments of the film. The absolute worst part of the film is when everything is going wrong and the ball is stuck in limbo, Swank’s character gives a speech and every single person in Time Square is standing still in silence as if they are grasping each word she spews out of her mouth, all the while wearing some product placed Nivea hats. There is just no way everyone would respond that way in that situation. Its so god damn annoying and in a film full of clichés, it’s the one that stands out to me the most because it’s the farthest away from reality.

The best part of this film has got to be its big name cast that includes Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Robert DeNiro, Seth Meyers, Jessica Biel, Abigal Breslin, that kid from the Disney channel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Aston Kutcher, Cary Elwes, Common, Katherine Heigl, Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel, Ludacris, and Lea Michele. They somehow managed to not snag a single good working actor and instead settled with the names above. Real great job Gary Marshall; you managed to accomplish the great casting feat of paying dozens of people money to do absolteuly nothing.

If you’re a fan of Zac Efron, then A.) what’s wrong with you and B.) he gets the most and best screen time of the cast, so you should find it somewhat watchable. Otherwise turn and never look back on this trash.

Overall Score: 2/10

 

[j.hen]

That's the sequel to Valentine's Day isn't it? :troll:

 

[Buzzman]

That's the sequel to Valentine's Day isn't it? :troll:

That not possible. Ashton Kutcher is playing two different characters in each movie......wait nvm.

 

[Buzzman]

We Bought A Zoo (2011)

This holiday season, acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) directs an amazing and true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory.

There are two types of Cameron Crowes films. One that is pure gold like Almost Famous and one that is like Elizabethtown, aka pure shit. We Bought A Zoo has the look, feel, and dialogue of an Elizabethtown, but by the end of the film I didn’t really care about the bad things because the good things were so cute and charming that they created the illusion that I was watching the Almost Famous Cameron Crowe. It’s not a film I would ever put near the top of my list, but it is one I think I will continue to revisit every few months to put myself in a good mood. We Bought A Zoo is nothing ground breaking, but I can’t help but fall in love with it.

The story doesn’t matter all that much. There is a lot of oversentimental life lessons stuffed in here such as the moving on, letting go, and remembering the past to allow yourself to have a future. Sure, they do manage to sneak in some very good scenes that tug at your emotions but for the most part, that story isn’t what you’re focused on. What you do care about is this zoo they are building and how it brings the people involved together as a family. It isn’t done in a different way than you’d think, but the characters are portrayed in such a likeable manner, you can’t help but root for them to succeed. It’s not all depressing though; the Zoo is a beautiful sight to see. The animals and the world around them come to life and Crowe captures them in a way that makes them shine, as if they are angels. It is one of the more remarkable things the film managed to do.

Matt Damon is the man. He can literally do it all. One movie he is a badass action star fighting to find his identity, another minute he’s a fat dimwitted funnyman taking down a company from the inside out. Here, he plays a father struggling to cope and take responsibility after the death of his wife. His journey to “start over” as he loves calling it in the film, is extremely solid; he is even capable of making you shed a tear for him. He creates such a great “everyday” character, you recognize this guy from the world around you. As for some of the other characters, Scarlet Johansson is so sexed down; you’d have a hard time realizing it was her at moments in the film. It makes you miss the pre-Hollywood days of her movie career. She’s a bit generic here, but that’s not her fault; more the choice of dialogue they gave her. Matt Damons two children are where the film hits and misses. The daughter Rosie adds a lot to the cuteness factor, but his son plays such a clichéd depressing character, you become a bit frustrated with him. He makes up for it in some scenes, but that probably comes from the unexpected reveals that come about throughout the story. Its not the all-world ensemble cast, but We Bought A Zoo works because they are so damn likeable.

Even despite its cheesy, clichéd, and overly depressing tones, We Bought A Zoo is awesome. It’s the exact definition of a family friendly drama where children will enjoy for the actual Zoo, but adults can enjoy the other messages the film manages to spew out. Don’t allow yourself to be scared off by the mixed reviews because there’s a great chance you’ll love it as I did. It was my favorite Christmas viewing yet.

Overall Score: 7/10

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Even despite its cheesy, clichéd, and overly depressing tones, We Bought A Zoo is awesome.

That is why I found it to be 100% not awesome.

It’s not all depressing though; the Zoo is a beautiful sight to see. The animals and the world around them come to life and Crowe captures them in a way that makes them shine, as if they are angels. It is one of the more remarkable things the film managed to do.

Well damn, maybe I would have liked it more if I shared that revelatory experience.

 

[Buzzman]

I really don't understand how you couldn't see the animals that way. That were beautiful.

As for the cliched part, I didn't let it affect the movie experience. It was a lot like Water for Elephants t me.

 

[Buzzman]

Shame (2011)

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.

Shame tells the tragic story of a man so blocked off the world around him; he cannot feel the satisfaction of anything. His emotions are locked inside and the key has all but been lost. The only real moments he has a sense of feeling is when he climaxes during sexual intercourse. Thus he is the absolute definition of a sex addict. It controls everything about his life. He cannot go minutes without an intrusive thought or actions. He has allowed the addiction to overtake him. It’s somewhat pathetic, but this kind of downward spiral without an end is sight is highly entertaining. It’s when his sister unexpectedly crashes onto his doorsteps that the film begins to show just how isolated Brandon truly is. The paths he takes and the choices he makes just to get that one fix is portrayed no different than when a junkie is craving for a fix of drugs. His world is spiraling out of control and when his sister needs his help, he is absolutely puzzled. How can he help somebody else when he can’t even help himself? It’s a question he struggles with; goes back and forth with, but ultimately has to answer. It’s a raw film with lots of questions and very little answers, but one that will leave you looking with fascination.

With no doubt in my head, Michael Fassbender gives the performance of the year. It’s hard to remember a time when I truly hated this actor, but with the year he had, he completely won me over to the point where I will see anything he acts in. His performance here is raw; it has no flashes, no camera tweaks, and no beautiful portrayals of his character. It’s just simply him walking around the streets of New York City wondering what the hell is wrong with him. The agony of it all is on full display during his sexual encounters, and his carefully chosen words to his sister should leave you feeling the same way I did. It’s the best performances you’ll encounter in a movie this year. As for his sister, Carrey Mulligan displays something you’ve never seen form her before. She degrades herself down to portray a weak, vulnerable, dirty, lost soul that is drowning. It’s as raw as Fassbenders performance, but she is allowed the much more juicer scenes. It’s pretty clear she is one of the most interesting young actors today that isn’t afraid to do anything as long as she likes what she sees in the script. The two seemed all to perfectly cast and help create Shame into one of the best movies on 2011.

Shame received the horrifying NC-17 Rating that should have all but killed its chances of awards or the general public of seeing it, but thankfully Fox Searchlight boldly picked it up and distributed it uncut for all to see. It’s a powerful film about addiction in a form that we’ve never seen before. It’s a film that the general public won’t applaud, but the real movie fans will fall in love with. Do not the let opportunity to see this get past your grasp, you will regret it.

Overall Score: 10/10

 

[Buzzman]

I have about 10-15 (only 3-4 are any good) films left to review and 2011 will be pretty much wrapped up for myself.