Topic: RossRoy's Random Viewings

[Najemikon]

You should save a few "overrated"s or you'll run out!  Actually, it's a moot point because they simply can't be overrated. You don't have to like them, but just take a step back and look at them in context and The Incredibles is some way ahead of its time and Ratatouille is a work of genius. I was blown away by both that and Wall-E. Pixar aren't perfect (who is?), but I've said it before and I'll say it again: Pixar are the best and most important American studio producing today. Especially with the near-demise of Miramax leaving indie somewhat in the cold.

Overrated, my ar....

[snowcat]

Lol, animation wise id say they are the most important western company, but ;P they need to be careful,  they get alot of praise. Often over praising something causes problems ;P I don't think anything beat Toy Story until Up... But, this new film Newt looks strange, kid of rushed... maybe thats Disenys hold on them ;P who knows? after all... Bolt was pretty much a pixar film

[Critter]

As for Pixar, I think they have made a few mistakes! they are overrated XD

Ghibli, PIXAR, Disney. Gee Emma it seems none of the animation studios are up to your standards. Do you like any of them at all?

[Achim]

Lol, animation wise id say they are the most important western company, but ;P they need to be careful,  they get alot of praise. Often over praising something causes problems ;P I don't think anything beat Toy Story until Up... But, this new film Newt looks strange, kid of rushed... maybe thats Disenys hold on them ;P who knows? after all... Bolt was pretty much a pixar film

Yes, Pixar will eventually fail. It's nature. We'll see it when it happens. But so far even their bad films are better than most others.

As for your comment on Newt: it's mainly a feeling I had with most Pixar films... A film about fish...? A film about talking cars? A film about a cooking rat? Are they nuts? But they always pulled though and even the ones that seemed weird at first turned out much better than expected.

My favorites are Toy Story, The Incredibles and Wall-E (the latter two I liked ever since seeing the first trailers).

[snowcat]

As for Pixar, I think they have made a few mistakes! they are overrated XD

Ghibli, PIXAR, Disney. Gee Emma it seems none of the animation studios are up to your standards. Do you like any of them at all?

I love Pixar, and Ive been studying Disney for 5 years, I write essays about Disney frequently off my own back for many college publications. I love Disney, BUT they are overrated, many things are overrated and it crosses into many places film wise.

[snowcat]

Lol, animation wise id say they are the most important western company, but ;P they need to be careful,  they get alot of praise. Often over praising something causes problems ;P I don't think anything beat Toy Story until Up... But, this new film Newt looks strange, kid of rushed... maybe thats Disenys hold on them ;P who knows? after all... Bolt was pretty much a pixar film

Yes, Pixar will eventually fail. It's nature. We'll see it when it happens. But so far even their bad films are better than most others.

As for your comment on Newt: it's mainly a feeling I had with most Pixar films... A film about fish...? A film about talking cars? A film about a cooking rat? Are they nuts? But they always pulled though and even the ones that seemed weird at first turned out much better than expected.

My favorites are Toy Story, The Incredibles and Wall-E (the latter two I liked ever since seeing the first trailers).

I agree and I will see what happens when its released, but... I think subjectively, and I say subjectively because I feel people are telling me im wrong for disliking pixar films :p I dislike certain films they have released, because they didn't seem right. To me, I did not enjoy them.

So now, for the sake of all that is holy, lets move past this animation argument ¬_¬

[Kathy]

I just want to add my thoughts  - better late than never - or maybe not! I have never taken a course in movies or anything related to film. I base my opinions coming from an outsiders point of view. For example, I would probably lump Anime and Animation into the same category although, after reading these forums, I can understand there are vast differences. And, although I own several Anime DVDs - I haven't yet watched them. That being said...

I like a movie for what it does to me - how it makes me feel. What does it do for me physically, mentally or emotionally? For the most part the movies you have discussed all do one thing for me - they make me feel happy. Even thinking about the lamp in Pixar brings a smile to my face.

I loved every one of the movies that have been discussed. I watched many of the Disney ones ever since I was a child. And yes, I saw many of them in the cinema many, many years ago. Mary Poppins, which my grandmother took me to, remains one of my favorite films of all time. Yes, I know that Dick Van Dyke's accent is, let's say not the best, but I don't care. I love him in it!

It might be that animated films were something I couldn't wait for when I was growing up. Animated films, to me, are just something special. Walt Disney was a pioneer. He brought to TV and film something so different and new I couldn't wait to see what it was. Even now, looking back, I am grateful to him for his genius.  I even like the music in the Disney films (sorry Pete!). I could mention dozens of Disney songs that I adore - Pinocchio's "When You Wish Upon A Star" still gives me goosebumps.

And the characters - love them! They become real to me. I care about them. I still get a lump in my throat when Bambi's or Nemo's mothers die. These type of movies, to me, can never be overrated. I watch them over and over and never tire of them. Well, let me qualify that -after watching Wall-E a dozen or more times in a row with my niece and nephews, I did get a little sick of it. But, after a few months, I watched it again and what happened? I was happy.

In a way I am grateful that I never learned about the technical aspects of film making. I don't want to think and analyze animated films, I just want to enjoy them. I want to go away humming their songs with a smile on my face.

[RossRoy]

In a way I am grateful that I never learned about the technical aspects of film making. I don't want to think and analyze animated films, I just want to enjoy them. I want to go away humming their songs with a smile on my face.

 

Completely agree. I can understand some people like arguing the technical aspects of movies, but I so often feel like they are missing the point because they concentrate on the technical, instead of letting the movie work its magic.

[Achim]

In a way I am grateful that I never learned about the technical aspects of film making. I don't want to think and analyze animated films, I just want to enjoy them. I want to go away humming their songs with a smile on my face.

 

Completely agree. I can understand some people like arguing the technical aspects of movies, but I so often feel like they are missing the point because they concentrate on the technical, instead of letting the movie work its magic.

I want to agree too! I have read some many books about the technical aspects and watched so many special features laserdiscs and DVDs that now this knowledge often stands between me and the enjoyment of, or at least immersion in, a movie.

[snowcat]

I tend to try to ignore my education when I watch a film although, sadly I notice bad cuts more then anything, when a scene changes to another quickly i notice it, However, I tend to watch a film based on the story, not actors, music, genre whatever. I like to watch a wide variety of films.

Whilst i can agree that having an technical education can change the way you see things I can also say its not as bad as you think :p I can still appreciate a film with bad voice acting! heck I love Mary Poppins regardless of Dick Van Dykes accent :p

I like to avoid over analysing a film unless I really have to, maybe thats my problem with Wall-e i couldn't see it as a film because i was looking at it as a social experiment

[addicted2dvd]

I agree as well... as much as I love movies I would never...ever take a class in it as I know it would do nothing but ruin my enjoyment of what I love so much.

[RossRoy]

Starship Troopers

WHAT THEY SAY

From the bridge of the Fleet Battlestation Ticonderoga, with its sweeping galactic views, to the desolate terrain of planet Klendathu, teeming with shrieking, fire-spitting brain-sucking special effects creatures, acclaimed director PAUL VERHOVEN crafts a dazzling epic based on Robert A. Heinlein's classic sci-fi adventure. CASPER VAN DIEN, DINA MEYER, DENISE RICHARDS, JAKE BUSEY, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, PATRICK MULDOON, and MICHAEL IRONSIDE star as the courageous soldiers who travel to the distant and desolate Klendathu system for the ultimate showdown between the species.

MY THOUGHTS

Fun over the top science fiction. I like the little "propaganda" segments, they add a nice touch of irony to the movie. The bug effects are quite nice too! Let me guess... ILM? ....<goes off to check>..... their name is there, but they're not alone! Anyways, I liked the effects. It was also very nice to see Dr Horrible, along with John Danziger and Sam Fisher. (click to show/hide) But why oh why did they have to kill the cute girl, and have the uglier one go on to be captain? A nice popcorn flick, the way I like them!

RATING

[RossRoy]

Journey to the Center of the Earth

WHAT THEY SAY

Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) teaches earth sciences at the university and heads the Center of Volcanic Activity. Max Anderson, Trevor's brother, built the monitoring system and placed the units around the world 10 years earlier. For some unknown reason, Max did not return, leaving behind a wife and son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Sean's mother leaves the teenager at Trevor's house to get some quality time with his uncle. They look at Max's copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne and find a secret code. Back at the monitoring center Trevor compares the volcanic activity numbers and finds that they are exactly the same as the ones in the book. Trevor and Sean fly to Iceland to check one of the units and to see if they can find some information about where Max went. Trevor hires a beautiful mountain guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), to take them up the volcano. During an electrical storm on the volcano, they get trapped in an abandoned mine. They search for a way out of the mine and discover a wall filled with large diamonds. Unfortunately, the floor they are standing on can't hold their weight, and they fall down a volcano tube for miles and miles until they reach the center of the earth. Once there, they encounter prehistoric glow birds, flying piranha, man-eating plants, and T-Rex dinosaurs that have been extinct for millions of years. They find that they are seeing the same things that were printed in the Jules Verne book. This gave them hope that someone was able to escape from the center of the earth and return to the surface. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

MY THOUGHTS

It's a fun movie, but nothing too special. Quite run of the mill stuff. But, as adventure movies go, it was quite enjoyable. I watched the standard version. I did try watching the 3D version (the movie comes with the glasses), but I can't stand it. The 3D effect doesn't work too well on a small screen, and like I've said before, the effect is not worth the color shift in the picture. Although there are a few camera angles that just don't make any sense without the 3D Consider this movie popcorn-flick territory again!

RATING

just posted these here because I use this thread as a view log.

[RossRoy]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

WHAT THEY SAY

The battle for Earth continues in this action-packed blockbuster from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. When college-bound Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers, he must accept his destiny and join Optimus Prime® and Bumblebee® in their epic battle agains the Decepticons™, who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy the world.

MY THOUGHTS

I don't care what anybody says: I loved it! Oh sure, some parts are completely silly and I can't believe why someone thought it'd be "cool" (B crying? WTF!) I also didn't care with the robots "bleeding" or "losing teeth" while fighting, also why the heck do they have fog coming out of their mouth the speak? Anyways, enough with the bad stuff, it didn't deter what the movie should be about - Robot Fights! And we do get plenty of them! I wish the camera would be a little farther away, and not shake as much.. but I loved the slowmo kills! One in particular who gets his face literally torn in halves! Way cool! They even used the SR-71 "Blackbird" as one of the robots! I know I'm loving this movie way more than I should, after all, the whole plot is just an excuse, and in the end doesn't matter. But I can't help it, I loved it! Maybe even more than the first one, if that's possible...

RATING:

[RossRoy]

The Forbidden Kingdom

WHAT THEY SAY

Individually, they've starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial-arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, JET LI and JACKIE CHAN join forces to create the greatest epic of them all - 'The Forbidden Kingdom'. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st century kung-fu fanatic who's been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you're a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Kingdom has arrived.

MY THOUGHTS

Great movie! The fights are well choreographed, the story is interesting, the women are beautiful and the music sounds good! But I must say, the imagery is the star. Some of the shots are just breathtaking. And you get to see Jackie Chan vs Jet Li! What more could you ask for?

RATING