Buttered Popcorn: Buzzmans Movie Review Thread

[Rivers17ncsu]

i actually didn't mind a couple movies on your top 10 worst list.

 

[Buzzman]

Agree to disagree. I thought it was terribly trite.

I can't believe I spent $12 on that.

wth, your theater sucks. $4 in and out the door for me. Add in Another $7 if I want a popcorn and drink.

i actually didn't mind a couple movies on your top 10 worst list.

Which ones specifically?

 

[BrntO4Life]

wth, your theater sucks. $4 in and out the door for me. Add in Another $7 if I want a popcorn and drink.

Don't see a movie in LA. You'd figure it would be cheaper considering they film travels less than 10 miles to the theater, but no.

 

[Rivers17ncsu]

our local theater used to be $2 before like 5 or 6 and after only $4. Maybe another $5-7 for drink/food

 

[wingsfan77]

I watched Kick-Ass for a second time after buying the blu ray at Best Buy for $12...what a great movie. After I watched it the first time I was telling my friends about it and they were like "Isn't that just another movie where a regular guy becomes a superhero?" I just laughed....oh yeah and Lyndsy Fonseca FTMFW.

 

[Maynard]

Blue Valentine (2010)

watched this last night. i was thinking i would start it since it was around 130 am then finish it if i liked it. I ended up staying up and watching the entire film.

this one was great. its all about the writing, story and acting. and it did all 3 extremely well. very very good movie....

never heard of it until your review. thanks!!

 

[Buzzman]

Unknown (2011)

Liam Neeson stars in this taut thriller as a man who regains consciousness after an auto accident only to discover that another man is impersonating him, and that no one -- not even his wife (January Jones) -- recognizes his identity as the real Dr. Martin Harris. Finding himself with an unexpected ally (Diane Kruger), Harris struggles to solve the mystery and hang onto his own wits, while also being stalked by anonymous killers.

In the much anticipated sequel to the action packed thriller Taken comes Unknown. What? This isn’t a sequel to Taken; it’s a completely separate film with entirely different characters? Well it sure fooled me. In all seriousness though, Taken was a fun but vastly overrated flick, and Unknown tries to duplicate that same success with Liam Neeson once again taking playing a no-ends badass looking for answers instead of his daughter.

What they don’t tell you this time around is that you will spend most of the movie watching Liam Neeson run around having conversations on who he really is and what was his identity before he got into the car accident at the start of the film. That I perfectly fine for folks like myself that weren’t so fond of Taken, but it was just plain boring watching someone run around with little no information ever fed to you. It tries to pull a-not-as-clever-as-they-think 180 on you that ends up being just plain forgettable.

Liam Neeson does his best Liam Neeson impersonation, and boy does he nail it in those last 25 minutes, but too bad he was nowhere to be found the rest of the film. His partners in crime are the beautiful January Jones who’s about as good as a lifeless manikin. Boy did it look like she was out of it the entire time. The other, Diane Kruger, seemed to struggle keeping an accent going. One minute she’s American, the next she’s German, then Russian, which is it bitch?

Unknown falls into the spot of not being a good enough film to stand by itself for others to enjoy, while taking a different route that should leave Taken fans thinking they were gipped out of their time. The film just felt too lazy to be anything labeled as anything but mediocre. 2011 shitfest moves onward.

Overall Score: 4/10

 

[Buzzman]

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Led by their skillful staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart), a platoon of gutsy Marines, including Santos (Michelle Rodriguez), Simmons (Taylor Handley) and Lockett (Cory Hardrict), fight to protect all humankind from astonishingly powerful aliens who've suddenly invaded Los Angeles.

A brief introduction full of clichés reveals the mall group of soldiers you’ll be following. Out of the dozen or so, you’ll only come to care about one character, SSgt. Nance (Eckheart). He is naturally a leader and commands the screen whenever he’s involved. Thankfully that is most of the film. Eckhart is the glue that holds an otherwise mediocre cast together. The others either have too small of a role to create something or are throwing out so many one-liners, you can never take them serious as a character.

The first two-thirds of the film are what actually make it an ambitious film. Rather than focus on the large-scale war that is going on, it follows this small group and their mission to save some civilians trapped behind enemy lines. It creates intense scenes that keep your attention at its highest. The aliens are kept in the dark, with them no more than a blur in battle. It helps put you in the film keeping you as ignorant to the enemy as the soldiers in the film. The last third of it really disappoints though. It turns the film into explosion with a rather faceless villain and all to puzzle perfect conclusion.

One constant annoyance in the film is its attempt to humor its audience. I’d have to have at least three pairs of hands to keep track of the one-liners and emotionless moments it attempted. It just isn’t funny to watch a soldier in a full out battle have the time to say such witty remarks and do some sort of cliché shooting or kicking to a dead alien. It’s bearable when it happens once or twice, but Battle LA tries it every chance it gets.

It tries to be very ambitious; watching it, you can’t help but see similarities of several other alien films like District 9, Independence Day, and even Transformers. Combining all of these things into a giant collaboration was risky, but overall the end product was a fairly entertaining film that is good despite the disappointing factors that come along with it.

Overall Score: 6/10

 

[stevsta]

It tries to __ very ambitious;

be

 

:shifty:

 

sorry couldn't help it good review as always

 

[Buzzman]

be

 

:shifty:

 

sorry couldn't help it good review as always

IDK what you're talking about, I see a "be" where you took it out.

 

:moon:

 

[Buzzman]

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

From the writers of "That '70s Show" comes this retro dramatic comedy set a decade later, in the financial boom of the late 1980s, about a recent college grad trying to figure out what to do with his life. Amid the goings-on at a raucous Labor Day party, brilliant but underemployed Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) learns a slew of lessons about life and love.

Every year receives a film that is supposed to be an absolute tribute to the 80’s riding on its music, clothing, and overall craziness. The year 2011 brings along with it Take Me Home Tonight; a coming of age comedy that just happens to be set in the 80s.

First and foremost, it wants you to know it’s in the good ole eighties to the point of over-kill. I love the time and everything about it, but they go a little crazy with the time period, sometimes feeling lazy and creating a mess. Surprisingly, they nailed the look and characters of the time period, but it was the music that they seemed to struggle with. There was no rhythm or pattern to the tunes, just felt like an iPod set on shuffle mode.

Despite the trailers showcasing a raunchy comedy, it falls more into the romantic comedy in the same way She’s Out of My League fell into. The film’s comedy can be extremely funny at times, with some parts rather annoying, but it seems to create a fine line on when to treat the film as a silly one, and when to turn it into a more serious matter on something most of us all eventually come to answer, what do you want to do with your life?

The cast isn’t perfect but I really enjoyed everyone. Grace may feel like a bit cooler Eric Foreman, so he obviously feels comfortable in the role. Fogler as his crazy best friend, Faris as his awkward sister, and her boyfriend all get some good laughs and the film wisely cuts away when you can get overwhelmed but their style of comedy. Teresa Palmer is there to basically look gorgeous and she aces it, but unfortunately doesn’t get nude, which is a shame for an “R” film.

Take Me Home Tonight is a funny film that despite sitting on the shelves for four years, manages to question why the hell it sat for so long. It certainly isn’t the best of its kind, but it succeeds in so many ways that you can’t help but enjoy it. If you enjoyed last year’s sleeper comedy, She’s Out of Your League, this film is right up your alley.

Overall Score: 7/10

 

[Buzzman]

Paul (2011)

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg star as two science-fiction freaks who, while on a quest to discover what lies at the heart of Nevada's infamous Area 51, cross paths with an alien (voice of Seth Rogen) on the run from earthly authorities.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been two of the funniest people in Hollywood. Their previous two collaborations were Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, genre films that just had people rolling on the floor. Needless to say their third attempt, Paul, came with high expectations. By the time the credits rolled, it filled those lofty expectations.

This time around, they tackle the inner geek inside them by parodying beloved science fiction films of all decades that happens to start at Comic-Con. There are the blatant obvious ones, but unless you really remember a lot, you could honestly miss dozens of them. They were done in such a manner then it never went overboard to the point of annoyance.

The cast all around just gelled together to create a hilarious good time. It never dwelled too far into any one characters’ past, which kept the pace moving good. Pegg and Frost as best friends have one of the best bromances in film. You can just tell these two are best friends in real life. Kristen Wigg was the highlight of the actors, giving a hilarious out-there Jesus freak turned rebel performance. It is her funniest role as an actress. The smaller roles with Jason Bateman, Bill Hadar, and that dude who gets his ass beat in Superbad did wonders with their limited screen time. This might have been one of the funniest all around comedy casts since The Hangover. Nobody was wasted and made some sort of contribution to the film.

The animation Paul was downright amazing; the best use of motion capture since Gollum in the LotR trilogy. He could have honestly passed as a real alien. Once again it seems like the smaller budgeted films always use CGI carefully and precise rather than go overboard and make it look like shit. Although felt like Seth Rogan rather than Rogen voicing the character, he did provide a consistent string of laughs, although quite a bit of them were shown during the trailers and TV spots.

The reason Paul works is because it ties together a consistent string of funny moments, has a great cast and goes all out with its rating. Yes the film curses a fuck ton, and at times goes on too much, but for the most part the randomness of it is what brings out its biggest laughs. Despite an average story, Paul manages to be hilarious and at the same time a tribute to science fiction films of the past. It is another great addition in the Pegg-Frost collaborations.

Overall Score: 8/10

 

[stevsta]

was iffy on going to watch paul, but I think ill head out on sunday to go check it out

 

[Buzzman]

The Switch (2010)

Still single and increasingly attuned to the cacophony of her biological clock, 40-something Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) decides that if she can't find a mate she'll still pursue motherhood with the help of a sperm sample that's not quite as anonymous as she thinks. As the baby grows up, Kassie's best friend, Wally (Jason Bateman), agonizes over whether to reveal that he secretly replaced the donor sample with his own DNA.

Why is it that when Jason Bateman finally gets a chance to be a leading man he either chooses a bad script or nobody goes to see it? The guy has most of the attributes you look for that most leading men have, yet he’s usually lurking in the background, lighting up the few scenes he gets.

Sorry about that little rant. Getting back to the film, it starts out pretty dull. They establish the relationship between Kassie and Wally and it’s pretty obvious they belong together but being in the rom-com world they don’t find that out until much later in the film. The beginning climax of the switch was an outstanding laugh, but then the film jumps like 10 years. With that jump neither character has changed, which is only possible in this ridiculous world they have created. They then stretch out a days’ worth of problems into weeks, have the two leads begin to enjoy each other’s company, overcome the little bump that stands between them and live happily ever after. It’s the same generic shit Hollywood keeps spinning out.

What could you really expect out of an Aniston flick? Her presence alone almost solidifies the film as average to poor regardless if she is bad in it or not. She just chooses awful scripts. She really needs to get a new agent because she’s becoming less bankable with each film. The Switch is a shining example of two talented folks that seem to be cruising without much effort, wondering when the hell are they going to be done filming; which tells you everything you need to know about the film.

Overall Score: 4/10

 

[Buzzman]

The Hangover (2009)

A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.

Way back in 2009, this film arrived into the cinema without a ton of pre-hype coming from the average moviegoer. By the end of its run, it was the highest grossing R-rated comedy in America, and for good reason. It was by all account a hilarious film by anyone who sat down and watched the film.

Its characters, settings, and dialogue were all top notch Grade-A material. The films characters were a giant mix of opposites that when thrown together had you constantly laughing. Bradley Cooper as a partying teacher, Ed Helms as a whipped Dentist, and Zach Galifianakis as an idiot loner all mashed perfectly together. It’s one of the few comedies that actually spotlights each character without creating a gaping hole in-between laughs. Even the side characters/cameos aren’t overshadowed in their limited time on screen. The entire 100 minutes runtime is a consistent laugh fest with more highs then lows.

The one truly negative side-effect the film brings to the table is how well it holds up. That isn’t even supposed to be a negative thing for w review, but since the film is two years old now, it seemed to contain quite a few shock jokes that were only hilarious the first time around because now you’re looking for it, instead of it popping in out of the blue. Don’t misguide that it’s still not funny, but after a few viewings it only becomes funny.

It did help break out all three characters into Hollywood mainstream and so far it’s for the better. All three have made another good film. Since and with a sequel just around the corner, we should prepare ourselves by jumping back into this film of good times, and hope that the sequel can live up to the high expectations the first one has created. (And hope Doug actually makes an appearance this time around.)

Overall Score: 9/10

 

[Buzzman]

Never Let Me Go (2010)

As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them/

A few years ago Michael bay came out with a film titled The Island. It was about a facility that cared for clones so that when the “original” needed something they could take it from the clone. It had a big budget full of explosions, chase sequences, and a worldwide exposition. While I enjoyed it, critics did not. Well, Never Let Me Go is essentially the same film but turns it into carefully constructed outlook rather than a popcorn flare.

In this alternate universe that feels real in everyway outside of the actual cloning of a human being, we observe the lives of three friends from childhood until the end of their donations. As children, the film feels very slow with not much of a story, but it is important because it sets the table for the other two segments. When the film jumps into their late teens and the characters are free to explore the outside world, it becomes fascinating to watch as these characters experience something we are so accustomed too. Sex, contact, even soda drinks, are brought into their light and watching them experience these things for the first time is far more exciting than it should be.

However, the final segment of their story together sort of unravels neatly into place as it planned all along, but you can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by its conclusion. It was extraordinarily original, but I can’t help but feel I wanted something far different then what made sense. Watching an unhappy movie get more depressing every scene can take its toll on the mind, leaving you with a dissatisfied taste every now and then. For me, this film was the one. It’s slow pacing and unique outlook on these characters’ lives deserved better, but I can’t help but keep thinking back to The Island, and the far more approachable film Bay had made.

Overall Score: 5/10

 

[Buzzman]

Sucker Punch (2011)

In this mind-warping action thriller, Baby Doll (Emily Browning), a girl slated for lobotomy in a 1950s-era asylum, leads a group of young female inmates in an attempt to escape both their mental fantasy worlds and the actual institution where they are prisoners. To accomplish her plan, Baby Doll must steal five objects -- but is the man who's trying to stop her real, or a figment of her imagination?

Sucker Punch had everything going for it. Hot woman dressed in slutty outfits kicking the ass of soldiers, demons, robots, and even dragons. All the while taking place in a fantasy dreamland where pure awesomeness was supposed to ooze off the screen. No doubt you should be pumped to watch the film. The first five minutes go by and you think this is going to be fucking awesome! Then the next 110 minutes go by and think to yourself, what the fuck did I just put myself through?

You see, in Sucker Punch, things don’t have any sort of plan. Things happen just to happen. It gets to be downright ridiculous. The plot, if you want to call it that, is literally written as a list of items needed to escape this world the woman of Sucker Punch are trapped in. They follow that list to a tee, throwing no surprises at you along the way, throwing any form of entertainment out the door.

The savior for the film could have been its fantasy worlds, but despite the constant action, three problems hamper it down. The first deals with the world itself. The visuals can be awesome, but for the most part the PG-13 Rating destroys any chance of it being great. There is no blood, no swearing, and no vulgarity. It is boring in every way. The other problem is the world presented to the woman. At no point do the women look as if they are in danger. You know exactly how the scenarios will play out. It makes it a very frustrating watch. The last problem is the use of slow motion. Zack Snyder seems to love this feature, and with Sucker Punch he overkills it. I am certain if sped up all the slow-mo scenes into regular time, the film would be 30 minutes shorter. Whenever the film did one, I found myself rolling my eyes, knowing a boring scene is about to occur.

The woman themselves are nothing to speak highly of. All of them are about as stale as a three week old bag of open chips. They may look good, but none of them show anything special, they stare into the camera constantly unintentionally breaking the fourth wall, and feature some terrible dialogue. The only character to stand out was Jon Hamm playing the role of the High Roller, who had about two minutes on screen but played in the rare scene that created tension for the film.

It sucks that Sucker Punch was such an awful film. It took risks to be original, but not enough to make it stand out. I am positive a R rating would have been a much better fit for the film, but it was bumped down to meet its target audience and suffered greatly for it. This is the type of film that makes me doubt the new Superman film, but thankfully I know Zack Snyder can only go up from this.

Overall Score: 1/10

 

[1ke]

Whew....saved me some cash!

 

[Palooza]

I've heard the worst things about Sucker Punch, but I'm still extremely interested in seeing what it's all about.

 

[Buzzman]

I do see Sucker Punch as a film people will see regardless of opinion. Hell, I saw it knowing full well the reviews on it were shit and I thought it would be shit, and it held true to opinion.