Solo does the movies, PD farts in his general direction with his appalling taste

[Solo]

Damn. I love Bale too, but not THAT much. I mean, he's not even the best Batman! Bruce Wayne? Yes. Michael Keaton was a better Batman though.

[Robo]

He's just playing Patrick Bateman for Wayne anyway.  I'd wager that's most of the reason he was chosen.

[Solo]

An older, not as fit, less psychotic Bateman? Pretty much yeah.

[TakingBackSunday]

I can't imagine the screenplay would be that awful since both brothers Nolan worked on it instead of Goyer.

[brawndolicious]

Why did they put goyer on batman?  Why do they hate batman?

[The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment]

Why did they put goyer on batman?  Why do they hate batman?

Yeah, they hate him enough to have had Goyer crank out a fantastic script. Moron.

[TakingBackSunday]

Why did they put goyer on batman?  Why do they hate batman?

Yeah, they hate him enough to have had Goyer crank out a fantastic script. Moron.

It's few shortcomings were probably becuase of Goyer.  Begins is my favorite super-hero movie ever, but there were, as Solo mentioned, some iffy parts.  I liked Goyer's work, and I do like that he's back as a producer (and somewhat helped writing as well).  But I just feel better having the Nolans be completely in charge of it.

[The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment]

As do I. But hiring Goyer instead of some other hack like Akiva Goldsman was a blessing, not a curse. Nintenho is just stupid.

[brawndolicious]

Yeah, they hate him enough to have had Goyer crank out a fantastic script. Moron.

The script was the only thing that flawed the movie.  A lot of very out-of-place moments with the characters.

It's few shortcomings were probably becuase of Goyer.  Begins is my favorite super-hero movie ever, but there were, as Solo mentioned, some iffy parts.  I liked Goyer's work, and I do like that he's back as a producer (and somewhat helped writing as well).  But I just feel better having the Nolans be completely in charge of it.

It's VERY, VERY, VERY good if he's not the main writer since that is something he simply has no talent in doing.

Besides BB, what has Goyer done that was decent?

[Bloodwake]

My favorite comic book movie is Batman Begins, yet I see the flaws in the film as well (especially once he returns to Gotham).

Still, I enjoy it more than either Spider-Man film.

[The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment]

My favorite comic book movie is Batman Begins, yet I see the flaws in the film as well (especially once he returns to Gotham).

Still, I enjoy it more than either Spider-Man film.

qft

[Cheebs]

I have more faith in the new script for one reason. Goyer is replaced by Nolan's brother who wrote The Prestige and Memento with Christopher Nolan. Goyer was mostly responsible responsible for the "cliche" extra action in the third act and the stuff with the water supply. He was brought in by WB to make it more of a summer blockbuster. Chris Nolan has more leeway this time.

[The Fake Shemp]

That's not true at all, Cheebs. Goyer was in on the movie from the first draft.  Nolan had nothing to do with the script until afterwards, and all he did was pretty much expand and move around the action in the third act from the original draft.

And Nolan would love for him to return, but Goyer is pretty busy with his own projects and directing gigs that he couldn't commit.  So Nolan and his brother are working off a story that he created.

[Robo]

You guys are making me want to see BB again, despite the fact that I damn near hated it the first time around.  Maybe another viewing is in order.

[Cheebs]

That's not true at all, Cheebs. Goyer was in on the movie from the first draft.  Nolan had nothing to do with the script until afterwards, and all he did was pretty much expand and move around the action in the third act from the original draft.

And Nolan would love for him to return, but Goyer is pretty busy with his own projects and directing gigs that he couldn't commit.  So Nolan and his brother are working off a story that he created.

oh? Regardless Goyer is out and The Nolan brothers are doing it alone that in itself is something that will be helpful

[Solo]

You guys are making me want to see BB again, despite the fact that I damn near hated it the first time around.  Maybe another viewing is in order.

I really like it, aside from my previous qualms. And I also think S-M2 is superior, as I already stated. But BB is still pretty darn great. Since Ive already said what I hate about the film (Bale's Batman, and pretty much everything from the League of Shadows appearing at the Wayne Manor until the end of the final action set piece. AKA I pretty much love the first 60% of it and the last 5%. Also, there are some pretty grating lines to be found here and there), Ill say some of the things I do love about it.

- Bale as Bruce Wayne. Excellent casting, and he brought a real weight to the role that no one has before.
- pretty much the entire cast, mostly great actors in mostly great form.
- the approach they took to the look and feel of the film (minimal CG, moody lighting, great cinematography, etc).
- the score. I usually am indifferent to Newton Howard and HATE Zimmer, yet strangely, their pairing led to my favorite score of 2005. Totally love it.
- the editing/pacing. The final act aside, the pacing in this is stellar, namely in the first hour.

and most importantly:

- the aforementioned first hour or so (from the opening to Bruce returning to Gotham). Awesome, just awesome. Pretty much entirely character development, and pretty much perfectly paced and cut together. If the whole movie were this good, then it would be the first masterpiece of the genre.

[Robo]

I know I posted a minimal review somewhere on GAF, but I can't find the damn thing. 

What I disliked most about it boiled down to some really piss poor action sequence directing (or action sequence style choices) on Nolan's part, which is a damn shame.  We're talking surpassing the mighty Bourne on the shakey cam front-- and being a dyed-in-the-wool Hong Kong kung fu cinema fan, I have no patience for stuff like that.  The entire technique only serves as a gimmick to "fake" quick, high tension fights or otherwise, but in turn makes everything confusing, disorienting, and sloppy looking.  As an equal part action/drama, the action half fails miserably.

But because I think the shakey cam topic has been beaten to death, I'll also add that while I enjoyed the beginning parts with Wayne becoming Batman, when he actually becomes Batman is when the film takes a nosedive.  I don't think the use of Scarecrow as a villain was particularly well implemented either.  His presence is felt, but he never seemed to be a serious threat.

I should watch it again just to see if my initial impression is the one I'm going to stick with.

[Solo]

For sure. A second viewing never hurts, unless the movie in question was completely awful the first time.

[The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment]

Here's hoping for a Batman/American Psycho hybrid in the near future.

[Solo]

Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006) - 9/10

This will be the Coles Notes review, since I already did my long-winded one when the film was released theatrically. Quite simply, the best Bond film in some 40 years, if not ever. Daniel Craig is the best actor to ever play the role of James Bond, and his performance is excellent. The movie is the kick to the balls that the franchise needed so badly. Not the best film of 2006, but easily the one I had the most fun with, and one I will enjoy for many years to come. The DVD for the film is also fantastic. The sound mix is extremely lively, and the video transfer is absolutely pristine. Highly recommended, for Bond fans and general movie fans alike.

[G The Resurrected]

Shitty Extras and no screen tests come on

[Solo]

I'm talking about A/V presentation, not extras. What is there is fine anyways though. You'll have to wait for the next re-release of the series to get in-depth CR features though, count on that.

[G The Resurrected]

Yeah i fucking hate sony now, fucking horrible redips are not cool. The last jamesbond had lots more extras. And it was a shitty bond movie.

But yea it looks great and sounds great.

[Solo]

That's how they make money - by holding back extras for the inevitable re-issue in 5-6 years. Slimey tactics, but they work.

[Cheebs]

Die Another Day was before Sony bought the franchise though. A different studio did the DVD if I recall correctly.

[Himu]

I watched The Muppet Movie for the first time in years last night. Luvs it.

I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night as well, for the first time. I rented quite a few movies: The Muppet Movie, Eternal Sunshine, Muppets Take Over Manhattan, Oldboy, and Chinatown.

I liked it enough, despite the fact I feel it's a bit over hyped. I love romance comedy stories, so Eternal Sunshine fit the bill perfectly, but it felt flawed all over the place as I watched it. I love the story, the acting, the script, but the direction...holy moly was it bad (imho). Some scenes (like the baby scene) felt utterly confusing and incoherent. I don't know if it was because I was tired as hell, but some scenes left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite all of that, I loved the movie, and I would watch it again if I could. I've been wanting to see it for years.

[Cheebs]

I watched The Muppet Movie for the first time in years last night. Luvs it.

I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night as well, for the first time. I rented quite a few movies: The Muppet Movie, Eternal Sunshine, Muppets Take Over Manhattan, Oldboy, and Chinatown.

The Muppet Movie is indeed a classic. Of the Henson-Era muppet films(he died after the first 3) I'd rank them as:
1. The Great Muppet Caper
2. The Muppet Movie
3. The Muppets Take Manhattan


Family movies aren't done like that anymore. Hilarious for adults just as much as kids without resorting to LOL POP-CULTURE REFERENCES

[beelzebozo]

muppets from space is pure hilarity.

[Cheebs]

no.

[beelzebozo]

yeah, i see your point.

[Himu]

Who cares? What do you think of my Eternal Sunshine thoughts?

[beelzebozo]

my problems with it have less to do with coherence and more to do with relatability; i think it's coherent in a very kaufman sort of way, with it being possible to arrange all those disjointed pieces into a chronology that ultimately makes a lot of sense.

i actually enjoy adaptation quite a bit more as a film for a number of reasons, not the least of those being that it lays out a set of laws about writing and successfully breaks every one.  beautiful.

[The Fake Shemp]

I never really understood the Adaptation hate.  It's a pretty neat film.

[Himu]

my problems with it have less to do with coherence and more to do with relatability; i think it's coherent in a very kaufman sort of way, with it being possible to arrange all those disjointed pieces into a chronology that ultimately makes a lot of sense.

One of my biggest problems with the film is the way the memories are presented.

It's obvious the scenes should be fragmented and "wtf?" because they're erasing his memories during the film, but at the same time I think the director could have presented them better. At one point I thought it started to get annoying.

[Ichirou]

I liked it enough, despite the fact I feel it's a bit over hyped. I love romance comedy stories, so Eternal Sunshine fit the bill perfectly, but it felt flawed all over the place as I watched it. I love the story, the acting, the script, but the direction...holy moly was it bad (imho). Some scenes (like the baby scene) felt utterly confusing and incoherent. I don't know if it was because I was tired as hell, but some scenes left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite all of that, I loved the movie, and I would watch it again if I could. I've been wanting to see it for years.

I think the confusion was intentional.  A lot of the dream/memory sequences are somewhat incoherent but I "got" them.  My bigger problem with the movie is the casting - I think Jim Carrey is just miscast.  I don't think the guy has the acting chops to do dramas.  He goes after these projects in some attempt to legitimize himself as an actor and I don't think it works to the benefit of the films he does.  I think The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, and The Majestic  (all of which I like) would have been better films with different lead actors.

[brawndolicious]

The directer wanted Carrey, don't know/remember why since I haven't seen the movie.

[Ichirou]

The directer wanted Carrey, don't know/remember why since I haven't seen the movie.

Yeah, I don't get it.  Carrey's good at physical comedy, but I've never bought him in a dramatic role.  I'm not even knocking those films, since some of them are truly great (Truman Show), and I'm really really fond of others (The Majestic, which reminds me of Capra and Sturges movies).  I just think if they'd gone a different route with casting they could've ended up as better films.

[brawndolicious]

I need to see it.

[Solo]

I love Eternal Sunshine, and Carrey's performance.

[The Fake Shemp]

I never saw the movie.

[Tauntaun]

it was pretty good

[TakingBackSunday]

You people will all laugh–but I at least thought Carrey should've gotten tons mroe praise than he did for his role in the flick.  Hell, that year, I've wanted him to get nominated for fucking something.  He was awesome in it.

Love that movie.

[Himu]

I saw Chinatown tonight. Amazing movie. People these days would hate it though, because it's takes patience. The ending was really sad. It was a well done ending, but I just felt sorry for the characters. Jack Nicholson's role was pretty good. His character wasn't that interesting, in my opinion, but the dialogue was great stuff.

[Ichirou]

I saw Chinatown tonight. Amazing movie. People these days would hate it though, because it's takes patience. The ending was really sad. It was a well done ending, but I just felt sorry for the characters. Jack Nicholson's role was pretty good. His character wasn't that interesting, in my opinion, but the dialogue was great stuff.

Watch The Two Jakes next.  The Chinatown sequel...not nearly as good, but still very entertaining.

[Solo]

Rocky Balboa (Stallone, 2006) - 8/10

The second best film in the series, Rocky Balboa is a surprisingly touching and emotional film. Stallone wisely chose to mold this film after the original, and it is amazing how close in tone this feels to that film. Even the little details like re-visiting many of the original locations, to the re-appearance of minor characters, to the barrage of flashbacks, just felt right to me, and really drove home that nostalgic feel Stallone was no doubt going for. The movie is very corny, but then, that has always been the case for this series. But they pull it off with such honesty that I find myself relishing in it. Bill Conti turns in yet another fantastic score, and I really liked the cinematography and Sly's direction in this one. And at just over 90 minutes, the film never out-stays its welcome. The best thing this movie has going for it is Stallone, who once again proves that, when given the right roles, the man is one hell of an actor. His performance impressed me more than anything he has done in over a decade. A great little movie about having heart at any age, and an extremely satisfying conclusion to the series.

[The Fake Shemp]

It was a definite surprise and one of the most "warm" films I've seen in awhile.  It's a brilliant way to cap off the series.

[Bloodwake]

I love Eternal Sunshine, and Carrey's performance.

There ya go.

Me too. Fucking awesome movie.

[Solo]

It was a definite surprise and one of the most "warm" films I've seen in awhile.  It's a brilliant way to cap off the series.

Agreed 100%. Dare I say it? This actually makes me curious for Rambo.

[Ichirou]

It was a definite surprise and one of the most "warm" films I've seen in awhile.  It's a brilliant way to cap off the series.

Agreed 100%. Dare I say it? This actually makes me curious for Rambo.

The new Rambo movie better not be warm and soft.  I want lots of violent kills! 

"MURDOCK...I'M COMIN' TO GET YOUUUUU."

[Solo]

When are they starting production on Rambo anyways?

[Solo]

The Proposition (Hillcoat, 2005) - 9/10

Short and sweet: simply awesome "western" (what are we calling Australian westerns? BBQ westerns?). Great cinematography, great dialogue, awesome music, brutal and unflinching, and featuring Danny Huston being as awesome as always. Best western I've seen in ages. Not much more to say then that. If you're remotely interested in brutally realistic westerns, and like great casts (Guy Pearce, Danny Huston, John Hurt, Ray Winstone), see this without hesistation.

[Ichirou]

Seen the Sabata films yet, Solo?  Two of 'em star Lee Van Cleef, so I know you'd like 'em.

[Solo]

Nope. But anything with Van Cleef is worth a viewing. I will eventually, count on that. I have a real morbid curiousity to check out Grindhouse, despite not liking Rodriguez, and thinking QT is overrated, so I may see that today.

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm planning on renting a few movies tonight...

-The Maltese Falcon (if I can find it)
-Borat
-Children of Men

[Solo]

- Awesome
- Didn't like it
- Awesome

[TakingBackSunday]

Didn't like Borat? At all? Solo I loved you. 

[Mupepe]

I love Eternal Sunshine, and Carrey's performance.

QFT

That's the only one that I think Carrey did alright in with drama.  Mostly because he's supposed to be quirky in the film.  He's supposed to be a weirdo.

AND FUCK YOU HIMU!  ETERNAL SUNSHINE IS ONE OF, IF NOT MY FAVORITE MOVIE

[TakingBackSunday]

I love Eternal Sunshine, and Carrey's performance.

QFT

That's the only one that I think Carrey did alright in with drama.  Mostly because he's supposed to be quirky in the film.  He's supposed to be a weirdo.

AND FUCK YOU HIMU!  ETERNAL SUNSHINE IS ONE OF, IF NOT MY FAVORITE MOVIE

Have sex with me.  In any orifice.

[Solo]

Didn't like Borat? At all? Solo I loved you. 

Nah, I didn't. Which is strange, because I do find many of the Borat clips from Ali G to be pretty good. I think part of the problem is that Borat just got way too overexposed.

[Mupepe]

I love Eternal Sunshine, and Carrey's performance.

QFT

That's the only one that I think Carrey did alright in with drama.  Mostly because he's supposed to be quirky in the film.  He's supposed to be a weirdo.

AND FUCK YOU HIMU!  ETERNAL SUNSHINE IS ONE OF, IF NOT MY FAVORITE MOVIE

Have sex with me.  In any orifice.

  I choose your left ear