Buttered Popcorn: Buzzmans Movie Review Thread

[Fox1994]

Hmm... Still mentally flipping a coin on that one.

 

[Palooza]

I went into Scott Pilgrim with the lowest of expectations - I hate Michael Cera, the trailer made it seem miserable, I hate campy movies and I am incredibly tired of the "based off of a comic book/graphic novel" nonsense that has flooded the movie industry.

And in the first 15 minutes of the movie I told myself "holy shit, I think I'm going to like this movie." I proceeded to love the shit out of it. The lower your expectations for this movie, the better the experience. Edgar Wright knows how to direct. He deserves 97% of the credit for the awesomeness of this movie. (Kieran Culkin gets 2% and the source material gets an automatic 1%)

Also, smoke some weed beforehand, I know I did.

 

[Palooza]

x2.

 

[Buzzman]

I went with the exact opposite. I hated everything about it but everything and everyone said it was amazing. So I was expecting a lot, felt like I ate dinner but got no dessert.

 

[Nukleopatra]

The Expendables (2010)

Plot: A team of really shitty actors head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

0.5 out of 4.

 

[Buzzman]

The Messenger (2009)

Plot: An American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.

Story: Here is a film that aims for the heart and rips right through it. It shows a side of war that is long past overlooked. The idea of delivering the news of a fallen soldier’s death to their next of kin might pop into your head, but it’s seen as a small afterthought compared to the bigger picture of war. Yet here in this film, it might be the toughest job someone has to do on a consistent basis. They show six of these “confrontations” and every single one of them is filled with such raw emotions, it’s a little unsettling to watch. There was one scene in particular with a father and daughter, and the instant mood swing between them was a fantastic piece of writing. The side-story with the widowed wife matched the pace of the film so it never felt out of place, but it was so overshadowed compared to everything else, it might have been better then it actually felt.

Characters: The movie would not have worked without the outstanding performances by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster. While Harrelson’s Captain Tony Stone earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, this was his movie. His past and present were that of a broken man just wanting to feel something, which is why he does this job for the army. It wore him down to the lowest point he could get and watching that on-screen pulls at your gut. Ben Foster’s Will Montgomery on the other hand, represented everything Tony Stone wanted to be, but you can tell it was not the life he neither planned nor wanted. Foster is great at hiding his characters intentions and breaking away from the same path Tony Stone had taken. Both powerhouse performances turned this film into something special.

Others: It was an outstanding look into the consequences of war and that heroes don’t need a gun. To be able to hold yourself together and do this on a daily basis must be brutal. The film writing and execution make it feel real, almost like a documentary. While it didn’t get the hype that The Hurt Locker received, it’s nearly as good and is easily one of the best films with the Iraq War setting.

Overall Score: 9/10

 

[Palooza]

when Woody cried, I cried.

 

[Buzzman]

Repo Men (2010)

Plot: Set in the near future when artificial organs can be bought on credit, it revolves around a man who struggles to make the payments on a heart he has purchased. He must therefore go on the run before said ticker is repossessed.

Story: Bear in mind, I have never seen the musical version of this blatant rip-off (Repo: The Genetic Opera with I will refer to as the other film). The film has the nice shock factor off these guys casually doing their job, with some even enjoying it. It has some nice action sequences and that concept is new since the other film was rarely seen. The problems started when Remy (Jude Law) had an accident and started to reconsider his profession because after that you didn’t see any more repossessions and the film was a very boring game of hide and seek. It wasn’t until the climax when you realized how hilarious this filmed turned out. Who knew you could do all that shit to one’s body and still manage to basically have sex while doing it. The very end explained how that could all happen, but that’s for you to find out.

Characters: Everyone except Whittaker (who seemed to be having a blast the whole time) seemed to have been on cruise control anxiously awaiting their checks to clear. Everyone was stale the entire movie until the end when they must have all downed a red bull and went to work with surgical tools. Remy and Beth share one of the most bizarre intimate moments I’ve seen and watching the whole film was worth it just for that.

Others: Repo Men is a generic tale but somehow was a watchable one. I guess it knew if your going to go over the top you might as well go all out for one moment and truly give the audience something to talk about. If you’re not into torture porn movies like Hostel, this isn’t your stuff here, but if you can withstand the movie, the ending will be worth the wait.

Overall Score: 5/10

 

[wingsfan77]

LOVE Chuck, started watching halfway through season 1 and got hooked...and yeah, Sarah is ridiculously hot

 

[Maynard]

she should have black hair and wear a spandex outfit

 

[Buzzman]

she should have black hair and wear a spandex outfit

is it bad that I just t NOW understood what you meant lol And Mass Effect 2 is my 2nd favorite game on the 360.

 

[wingsfan77]

just watched "The Losers" the other night and thought it was a very solid movie, not spectacular in any way but definitely a good movie. "Call me legless Pooch one more time and you'll be headless Jennsen" haha

 

[Buzzman]

The Karate Kid (2010)

Plot: Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.

Story: The whole point of a remake should be to improve upon a film that wasn’t really good or to bring the film into the eyes of a different generation. Here with this remake, they basically used the same exact scenes and scenarios just with a 12 year old kid instead and moved from California to China. This was a downgrade from the first one, which was good in its own cheesy way. By casting Jaden Smith, the same scenarios from the first were just awkward and plain unbelievable here. A shining example of this is when the bullies beat up Dre, Chan comes in and basically beats the crap out of them but it’s alright because he never physically hit them. Add in the fact that they had the nerve to create their own crane kick makes this a piss poor job.

Also, can anyone tell me why the moved to China in the first place? It’s not like his mom had an incredible job offer. It just seemed like they moved there for the film’s own reason. Would have been nice to see what the hell she did to get there.

Characters: Jaden Smith takes over for the boy not named Daniel Larusso and does a much better job then his previous effort, The Day The Earth Stood Still, but still has ways to go until he wipes that from our memory. Initial impression is that same whiney kid, but he grows onto you with the little things little kids enjoy. Its tough to remember he’s still only twelve despite it seeming like he’s been around for already too long. Jackie Chan is the most respectable thing about this remake. He adds a little life to his character then the previous and might be the only improvement over the original.

Others: This remake was solely for the money because nothing in the film brings back that same cheesy feel you got when watching the original. It’s tough watching Jaden Smith “act” because your always thinking that he’s only there because his dad. Maybe eventually he can break out of that but not with these types of movies. If you want to watch little kids fantasize about holding hands and slapping each other, have at this, otherwise just pop in the original and get pumped to the awesomeness that it was.

Overall Score: 4/10

 

[Houston]

The Karate Kid (2010)

Plot: Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.

Story: The whole point of a remake should be to improve upon a film that wasn’t really good or to bring the film into the eyes of a different generation. Here with this remake, they basically used the same exact scenes and scenarios just with a 12 year old kid instead and moved from California to China. This was a downgrade from the first one, which was good in its own cheesy way. By casting Jaden Smith, the same scenarios from the first were just awkward and plain unbelievable here. A shining example of this is when the bullies beat up Dre, Chan comes in and basically beats the crap out of them but it’s alright because he never physically hit them. Add in the fact that they had the nerve to create their own crane kick makes this a piss poor job.

Also, can anyone tell me why the moved to China in the first place? It’s not like his mom had an incredible job offer. It just seemed like they moved there for the film’s own reason. Would have been nice to see what the hell she did to get there.

Characters: Jaden Smith takes over for the boy not named Daniel Larusso and does a much better job then his previous effort, The Day The Earth Stood Still, but still has ways to go until he wipes that from our memory. Initial impression is that same whiney kid, but he grows onto you with the little things little kids enjoy. Its tough to remember he’s still only twelve despite it seeming like he’s been around for already too long. Jackie Chan is the most respectable thing about this remake. He adds a little life to his character then the previous and might be the only improvement over the original.

Others: This remake was solely for the money because nothing in the film brings back that same cheesy feel you got when watching the original. It’s tough watching Jaden Smith “act” because your always thinking that he’s only there because his dad. Maybe eventually he can break out of that but not with these types of movies. If you want to watch little kids fantasize about holding hands and slapping each other, have at this, otherwise just pop in the original and get pumped to the awesomeness that it was.

Overall Score: 4/10

My favorite part about this film was Jackie Chan. My favorite Jackie movie is "A Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" and in the movie he was learning kung-fu from a "master".
I haven't seen Jackie do a real Kung-Fu movie in I don't know how long. So it was pretty nice to see him actually talking and teaching Kung-Fu, instead of just playing that same lucky guy role he's been playing for years.

IMO this wasn't a money grab, it was a Jaden grab. As bad as you may think this movie was, little kids loved it and Jaden's fan base grew exponentially after this movie. Smart move by Will Smith if you ask me...

 

[Buzzman]

LOL im sure Sony made this film for Jaden and not so they themselves could get money.

 

[Houston]

LOL im sure Sony made this film for Jaden and not so they themselves could get money.

I don't know much about making movies but both of Jaden's parents help produced the movie. I can't speak for everyone who made this but I'm sure Will's and Jada's #1 priority was to make their son bigger. It's not like they needed the money.

I don't think it was a money grab on their part. But if you want to look at it that technically then every big screen movie has someone who's only there to "grab money".

 

[Buzzman]

Sony was the distributor and financed to make the film. They were the cash cows here. I doubt they give a fuck about Jaden, they only cast him because Will Smith was like "Look I'll do Men in Black 3 if you cast my son"

 

[Buzzman]

Piranha 3D (2010)

Plot: After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents.

Story: While the story isn’t the strongest point nor relevant, it actually makes as much sense as it should. It just so happens that these piranhas break free during spring break, the busiest week of the year for the small town. With that in mind, you get exactly what you came for, tits and gore. The tits come early and often, with all of them a pleasure to the eyes; definitely the highest tits-per-minute in 3D. The gore was probably the best I’ve ever seen. Body parts getting ripped apart, blood spewing everywhere, and some of the most gruesome deaths I’ve ever seen. All that adds up to some kick-ass entertainment.

Characters: This is the type of movie where the characters have no value except the way they are chosen to die. Not to spoil anything, there will be plenty of characters you’ll fall in love with. One guy gets a certain body part bitten off with literally no meat left on his legs while another gets scalped. It was bloody brilliant. The actual leads don’t do anything to impress you, but they also don’t bring the film down with some campy story between them, they kept this about the violence and tits as much as possible.

Others: Piranha 3D, against all odds, is an incredibly fun film that pays homage to its inspirations and takes the crown in the gore department. This is exactly what a remake should end up as, an improvement over the original. What make it so enjoyable is it knew it wanted to be over-the-top (including having the actors asking for an Oscar) and delivered exactly what it promised plus more. It’s just a shame no one went and saw it. Thankfully it was so well-received a sequel was green lit. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Overall Score: 9/10

 

[Buzzman]

The Book of Eli (2010)

Plot: A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Story: When you first meet Eli while he’s walking west toward something even he doesn’t know. When he stumbles upon a trap setup for people like him you learn he’s well prepared to handle himself killing the group of men with ease; you know he’s been walking for a longtime without him saying a word. He is a mysterious and intriguing character that drives this movie into something more. His journey to deliver the world’s last bible into safe keeping appears to be a journey of stupidity, but could it be something much more then that? The twist at the very end of the movie questions everything you just witnessed and brings into question whether God had something to do with this. The very last scene may seem meaningless but answers that very question.

Characters: Eli (Denzel Washington) is what drives the movie forward. Sometimes his choices contradict his beliefs and he starts to lose a little of himself. You never really understand why he’s doing this mission until the very end, but that’s what makes the film so entertaining. He isn’t invincible, he’s just human. His foe, Carnegie (great ironic name of choice), is a man hungry for control and his drive to obtain this bible breaks him off his edge a little bit. As always, Gary Oldman, does a great job playing another type of bad guy. Solara (Mila Kunis) felt very out of place in this world. She was clean, neat, and her clothes were too in style. While her character added a little to the film, cutting her out wouldn’t have made it worse.

Others: The Book of Eli is a beautiful world. The camera style it used (D-Box) creates that 3D type of environment without actually using 3D. It just worked with this post-apocalyptic style because it was so dull that any type of color stood out. One thing I hear about this movie from others is its very religious focus, but while the main focus is the bible, it never goes too deep into it to actually agitate anybody. It uses it smartly by having it be an ambiguous plot device that may or may not be true and that’s what makes this film so enjoyable.

Overall Score: 8/10

 

[Bmore]

The Book of Eli (2010)

Plot: A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Story: When you first meet Eli while he’s walking west toward something even he doesn’t know. When he stumbles upon a trap setup for people like him you learn he’s well prepared to handle himself killing the group of men with ease; you know he’s been walking for a longtime without him saying a word. He is a mysterious and intriguing character that drives this movie into something more. His journey to deliver the world’s last bible into safe keeping appears to be a journey of stupidity, but could it be something much more then that? The twist at the very end of the movie questions everything you just witnessed and brings into question whether God had something to do with this. The very last scene may seem meaningless but answers that very question.

Characters: Eli (Denzel Washington) is what drives the movie forward. Sometimes his choices contradict his beliefs and he starts to lose a little of himself. You never really understand why he’s doing this mission until the very end, but that’s what makes the film so entertaining. He isn’t invincible, he’s just human. His foe, Carnegie (great ironic name of choice), is a man hungry for control and his drive to obtain this bible breaks him off his edge a little bit. As always, Gary Oldman, does a great job playing another type of bad guy. Solara (Mila Kunis) felt very out of place in this world. She was clean, neat, and her clothes were too in style. While her character added a little to the film, cutting her out wouldn’t have made it worse.

Others: The Book of Eli is a beautiful world. The camera style it used (D-Box) creates that 3D type of environment without actually using 3D. It just worked with this post-apocalyptic style because it was so dull that any type of color stood out. One thing I hear about this movie from others is its very religious focus, but while the main focus is the bible, it never goes too deep into it to actually agitate anybody. It uses it smartly by having it be an ambiguous plot device that may or may not be true and that’s what makes this film so enjoyable.

Overall Score: 8/10

Gonna have to rent it from RedBox.