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Post by LivingDeadGirl on May 31, 2008 14:13:29 GMT -5
Watched Halloween 2 last night on satellite. It'd been awhile since I watched it, not as good as the first of course. Tonight I plan on watching Revenge of the Sith, but I probably won't get back over here to post it before the deadline tomorrow so I thought I'd go ahead and mention it.  |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on May 31, 2008 16:26:13 GMT -5
For a Few Dollars More (1965, Sergio Leone)
Nice coincidence having seen this on Clint Eastwood's birthday... part 2 of the Man with No Name trilogy surpasses the first movie on the basis that it's Leone's original film, as opposed to a tribute to Kurosawa. Here, Leone shows us his signature style mixed in with Ennio Morricone's haunting score. Still, it falls short of the masterpiece that was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 9/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 2, 2008 15:52:54 GMT -5
Well... that was interesting! Like all of you, I haven't been able to log in for the last few days so everything is a couple of days behind now. The final scores for this month. May: FRANCHISES Heineken Skywalker = 18 Slayrrr666 = 16 ZapRowsdower = 9 Bartwald = 8 Quorthon = 6 Pulpmariachi = 3 LivingDeadGirl = 3 Congrats to Slayrrr for the high score this month! The complete tally for the year so far: Heineken Skywalker = 80 Slayrrr666 = 38 ZapRowsdower = 36 LivingDeadGirl = 19 Pulpmariachi = 17 Bartwald = 8 Quorthon = 8 Sybillness = 7 |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 2, 2008 16:23:55 GMT -5
This year has already given us the blockbuster IRON MAN, and throughout the summer and later in the year we'll be getting THE INCREDIBLE HULK, WANTED, THE DARK KNIGHT, HELLBOY 2, THE SPIRIT and probably a couple of others I'm not remembering right now. Comic books and graphic novels turned into movies are bigger than ever, so the genre/category for June is...
COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVEL ADAPTATIONS
And don't forget, Comic Books and Graphic Novels does not neccesarily mean "Superhero". Lots of movies based on comics and graphic novels have had nothing to do with Superheroes, so try to watch a mixture of things.
A few rules to follow: (The "NEW RULES" are specific to this month's category, so please be sure to read them. The rest of the rules are basically the same ones as previous months.)
NEW RULE 1. This one's obvious, but all films this month have to have been based on a comic book, graphic novel, comic strip, Japanese Manga or any other printed form that includes a combination of text and illustrations to tell a story. The subject matter can be of any type including sci-fi, drama, comedy, horror, etc. And it doesn't have to be live-action, meaning animation is allowed too.
NEW RULE 2. The same rule that applied to "Franchises" month will apply here, and to all future Genres/Categories: No more than two films from any series will actually score you points. So, for example, if you choose to watch all 3 of the X-MEN movies, no more than two of them should be posted here. Feel free to watch as many as you want though and post them in the regular "Just Watched" thread. The reason for this is if someone who is participating is really into a particular film franchise, I don't want them to fullfill their entire quota for the month with just one series. As always, the point of this is to watch a wide array of movies, not just what you're already comfortable with or would be watching anyway.
NEW RULE 3. As usual, all movies watched have to have been theatrical releases. There have been a few comic/graphic novels that have had direct-to-video animated movies, ie: JUSTICE LEAGUE, AVENGERS, etc. Only actual movies that were released in theaters will count. The same rule applies here that has applied for all previous categories. No made for tv or made for cable movies. Movies that first aired on HBO, USA, Showtime, Sci-Fi Channel, etc., are not eligible. No television mini-series or direct to home video features either.
4. Whenever you watch one, feel free to post it in "Just Watched Movies" like you normally would, or even write a review for "Review Hell" if so inclined, but most importantly, post in this thread, so that I can keep track of what everybody's watching and can more easily calculate the final scores. Feel free to tell us what you thought of the film and score it using the 1 to 10 system, ie: 1 being just awful, 5 is average and 10 being perfect. Half points, ie: 8.5/10 are also allowed.
5. You have until June 30th and then on July 1st I'll announce the next genre or category. After June 30th, any Comic Book or Graphic Novel films you watch are purely for your own enjoyment and no longer count towards your total score.
6. I will periodically update the scores for this genre so that everyone can see where they, and everyone else, is at. At the beginning of the following month, I will add the new scores to the previous month's scores, to get a complete tally and show the total scores for the year so far.
7. Try to watch at least four, one per week, but the more you watch, the better your chances at being awarded the "2008 Movie Genre Of The Month Club Grand Prize"!
But even better, hopefully at the end of it all, you'll feel like you saw a bunch of movies you might not have watched otherwise and actually enjoyed some of them.
If there's something I forgot to cover or there are any additional concerns or questions, feel free to post them here so that I can answer for everyone to see.
Also, if any other members of The Board decide to join us, no problem. Just post here that you're in or whatever. You might be a bit behind at first, but the more the merrier.
Cheers and good luck everybody!
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jun 3, 2008 3:03:25 GMT -5
Ghost in the Shell (1995, Mamoru Oshii)
I can tell the Wachowski brothers received much inspiration from this film when creating the Matrix. I have also never seen more animated tits before in my life. The movie is deliciously violent and refreshingly original. Unfortunately, Netflix's instant viewing feature gave me the dubbed-over version as opposed to the subtitled version, and the English voice actors were terrible. Why can't they get good actors, like what they get in Miyazaki's movies? Anyway, nice action and an unsettling ending - as well as introducing us to many philosophical questions that the Matrix would later make famous, Ghost in the Shell is one I highly recommend. 9/10
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Post by Quorthon on Jun 3, 2008 11:39:44 GMT -5
Hey Heineken, before May was out over the weekend, I watched Predator and Alien vs Predator: Requiem (review forthcoming) and I hope those buggers count. I know that there are only 2 Pred movies and only 2 AVP movies, but when counted together, and including the Alien movies, they seem to me to easily count as franchise films.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 3, 2008 13:42:23 GMT -5
Q, I went ahead and updated your total scores for the month and for the year. I agree that the AVP movies count as part of both the ALIEN and PREDATOR series.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jun 5, 2008 19:25:18 GMT -5
Not that it matters since Q got the points anyway, but wasn't AVP also a comic book before it was a movie? I could have sworn it was...
Batman (1966, Leslie H. Martinson)
Much different from Burton's expressionism or Nolan's noir, this one is just plain camp. More akin to Schumacher if you will, except not insulting to the fans. The fun of this film was watching a much younger Adam West play detective. Ridiculous? Absolutely. There were a few moments, where through my laughter I'd shout out "WHAT?" But I found it to be a very entertaining camp classic. "Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb!" 8/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Jun 6, 2008 10:11:35 GMT -5
Judge Dredd-1994
A gloriously fun, cheesy action film that contains what I love about the genre: lots of chases and things blowing up. Put that in front of me for 90 minutes and I'm entertained. Add in a dose of cheese (the one-liners, the setting, dress and so on) and it just makes the film more fun. The addition of the super-soldiers seems tacked on merely to make the villain more of an asshole you want to see get brought down, but overall this one wasn't all that bad as some have said. One of Stallone's better 90s action films (behind the woefully-underrated Demolition Man) but still with enough fun to make it count.
8/10
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Jun 6, 2008 16:22:36 GMT -5
LivingDeadGirl, post here if you actually did watch REVENGE OF THE SITH as you posted above that you were going to do, and I'll gladly add it to your final score. Yes, I did watch ROTS, just didn't get to the computer in time before the deadline. Man, I really need to get my own internet back. |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 8, 2008 11:42:49 GMT -5
Not that it matters since Q got the points anyway, but wasn't AVP also a comic book before it was a movie? I could have sworn it was... Yes, it was and yes, it definitely counts. Judge Dredd-1994 One of Stallone's better 90s action films (behind the woefully-underrated Demolition Man) but still with enough fun to make it count. was fun, but I always thought CLIFFHANGER was his best 90's action film by far. And it's one of the better DIE HARD offspring. CLIFFHANGER = Die Hard in the mountains, UNDER SIEGE = Die Hard on a ship, SPEED = Die Hard on a bus. Yes, I did watch ROTS, just didn't get to the computer in time before the deadline. Man, I really need to get my own internet back. No worries, I updated your scores for the month and for the year. Now, go watch some comic book movies.  And to finally add to my score this month, I watched: SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007) Has some great visuals, ie: the "birth" of Sandman is beautifully done, and the various battles between Spidey and the 3 villains are well executed, but man, hipster-Emo Parker, the omelette making and Twist dance-off between MJ and Harry, and all the crying the various characters do, almost kills any momentum this series had in the first two movies. Sometimes you just want to stand over the shoulder of certain filmmakers while they're writing down their ideas for the next movie in certain franchises and say things like, "George, let's tone down Jar Jar a bit, he's waaay over the top." or "Uh, George? Steven? That scene where Mutt swings through the trees with the cgi monkeys? That's not going to work on any level.", or "Sam, you're turning Spidey into a pussy. Let's cut back on the dancing and crying." 7/10 |
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Jun 8, 2008 12:57:39 GMT -5
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer 6/10- Typical comic book action. I think I did enjoy this one better than the first one though. But it's been awhile since I watched it.
Sin City 8/10- Still one of my faves...
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 9, 2008 7:45:01 GMT -5
FANTASTIC FOUR (2005)
Above-average origin story of Marvel's first superhero family. The effects are pretty good and chessiness abounds, but a lot of it is played pretty light or campy anyway. The cast is true to their comic book counterparts, both visually and personality-wise.
6/10
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007)
A tad better than the first one, but only for the addition of The Silver Surfer. The Surfer looks exactly like the comic's version and is as noble sounding as I always imagined he'd sound, (Excellent casting of Doug Jones in the costume and Laurence Fishburne as the voice) but The FF don't seem to have as much to do in this one other than some silly stuff about them switching powers and Reed and Sue trying to get married.
Great cameo by Stan Lee.
6.5/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jun 10, 2008 8:27:48 GMT -5
HULK (2003)
Ang Lee's underrated superhero tragedy. Yeah, the first 40 minutes, before Banner ever transforms into The Hulk, might seem a little long, but once he "Hulks out", you will be rewarded. The film was criticized a lot for the Hulk's CGI look, but man, I really liked it. I thought he looked great. And the scenes out in the desert where Hulk is battling the military are still some of the best scenes in any Marvel comic book film. Watching him take out those tanks and then later the helicopters still puts a smile on my face. Now, that's the Hulk I grew up with. The stuff with his father? I can take it or leave it.
7/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Jun 11, 2008 10:15:59 GMT -5
The Fantastic Four-2005
I actually had a pretty fun time with this. My first experience with them (I simply knew of the group, and that one of them was called The Thing but knew nothing more) so this was a pretty fun entry into them. Wastes too much time in the middle segment trying to find the source of the powers, and while that does lead to some comedy, it did leave me bored at times. The action on the bridge was fantastic, if a little too CGI-supplanted, the fight at the end was great and used a little ingenuity, which is always nice to see, and there's some rather nice comedy to come from them, which always helps as well. A rather nice and surprising entry.
7.5/10
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