deanzel
VIP
11

233 followers

'MURICA

West Side Story

Like an NFT of a classic musical: it was technically well-made and looked really good but I got no emotion from it.

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@saint-pauly Just watched this in theaters and kind of agree. It was just... kind of there. I can't even count the number of times that I checked the time on my phone.

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Tomb Raider

Just got back from seeing the new Tomb Raider. Not bad. Solid action albeit nothing too original going on here. Alicia Vikander was a pretty good Lara Croft, and I actually liked the way she developed in this one from the newbie that constantly gets 'owned' to the badass dual-gun tottin' lady at the end. As for the movie itself, there is fun action, some ancient "riddles", and a little bit of the "supernatural" thrown in. It was basically an update on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (like almost verbatim with the formula minus Nazis), plus some National Treasure bits thrown in. A tried and true plot line, but not groundbreaking.

While I wasn't the biggest fan of the "bad guy" played by Goggins in terms of his intimidation factor, I thought that they did a real good job on making his motivations quite real and believable. He's not out to destroy the world or conquer everything. He just wants to get this thing over with, find/give the weapon to his evil organization, and go back home to his family. Not bad. You could really feel his desperation in everyone of his scenes. As for the other characters, I didn't really like the incorporation of the twist, but it is what it is. Can't really go into it much more without spoiling things.

I'm not too confident with the way that they setup the sequel/s to come. I didn't really get the whole "the evil Trinity organization is everywhere" vibe that they really wanted to emphasize in the end. Plus, the movies to come will have quite a different feel since we now have a relatively "proven" Lara rather than the girl making all these rookie mistakes and learning from them. Kind of like how Casino Royale was for the Bond reboot, with Quantum of Solace being a big let down. Anyway, solid action and adventuring. Nothing too original here, but some decent character development along the way for this reboot. I give it a good 6/10.

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@deadpoolmerc11 Well, 6/10 is a pretty decent score for me (I try to deflate scores as much as I can). If you read my review, you'd see that I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit and was pleasantly surprised by it.

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When We First Met
6

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Where's Blake and Ders mannnnnn fuck it I'll be on the roof gettin ripped

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@mr-sackamano If they were in this movie, I would have been FULLY TORQUED!!

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What We Do in the Shadows
8

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

I did not expect to like this one as much as I did! While I would say that the bucket for vampire movies is getting too crowded, I will certainly not fault an entertaining one for this!
The characters are rather quirky and it's shot mockumentary style (like The Office) which might be off-putting for some but you have at least give them credit for going through a variety of jokes here! Oh, and let's not forget Stu! Everyone loves Stu!

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@sp1ti FOR STU! Stu! Stu! Stu!

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A Ghost Story

I have been wanting to watch A Ghost Story for the past month, so when my local theater started showing it a week ago as part of its Indie lineup, I couldn't wait. And I get why it has a 91% on RottenTomatoes and lots of positive reviews and all that but... man, is it a boring movie.

I get that it is a well-made with great editing, direction and some amazing long single-shot scenes. I get the poetic message that it is trying to send, and it does a good job with that. However, I just can't get over the fact that the entire movie is incredibly boring. I honestly could not wait for this movie to finish (which is tough to do with a movie that is less than 90 minutes long).

Imo don't watch this in theaters. Wait for it to come out on home video. At least you can fast-forward at home...

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@allori No, I know and appreciate the direction, editing and cinematography in the movie. It's one of the first things that I mention especially with some of the fantastic long single-shot scenes. That doesn't keep it from being boring. And it's a little bit more of a pain when you've paid $15 and driven out to go watch the movie in theater rather than you just downloading a pirated version of the film...

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Arrival
10

Shout by stormsm
BlockedParent2016-11-12T07:42:24Z— updated 2023-07-07T22:18:02Z

If you're looking for an action and "turn brain off now" film, just don't watch it and spare us the 6-7 hearts review.

I for one, am very tired from 500$m crap like Indi Day and Marvel's poop. So I was very excited to watch this one.

This one is more like Spielberg's Encounters from the Third Kind. It's more about the characters in the film and the amazing journey they go through. It's mostly about the human behavior that will make you think.

While it's not an End of the World aliens movie like Battle: Los Angeles, it still offers great amount of military presence and plenty of stuff that's going on.

So if you actually want to care about an intelligent movie and use your head - go. Otherwise, go watch an X men.

Highly recommended for some audience 10/10.

2-feb-2017 edit: Just came out on Bluray and I saw it again. Definitely keeping my rating.
Watching again at July-2023, excited towards Dune II : Excellent. Excellent film. So called plot-holes listed here are negligible when the overall product is really thoughtful and masterfully crafted.

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@blakblu Umm you do know that "foreshadowing is a literary device by which an author hints what is to come" (as per Wikipedia), and not some kind of super power, right? I was specifically talking about the hints and cinematic techniques the director, Villeneuve, and the screen writer, Heisserer, were using to foreshadow the ending, not that I thought the humans were granted some amazing power of ''foreshadowing"!!! Please, learn the basics of Cinema/Literature 101 (or just attend a High School Literature class for more than 5 minutes) before attempting to troll others. Good lord...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing

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Your Name.
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Possibly Shinkai's best work so far, and as a massive fan of both 5cm and Garden of Words I do not say that lightly. The animation is breathtaking as always but some scenes go beyond mere visual splendor and are just mesmerizing. The characters are so fun to be around and you'll find yourself rooting for them and hoping it all works out. I was slightly concerned when I saw the "boob fondling" scene in the trailer but even that becomes a genuinely charming gag throughout the movie, believe it or not!

As to be expected of Shinkai, the film also takes you on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows and keeps you guessing how it will end until pretty much the last minute.

I cannot recommend this enough.

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@maniacb Well, I just watched the newer rip that came out last week (much better than the DVD screener) and really enjoyed the movie. Great visuals, music and voice work. The story and feels were solid. It's not the greatest anime movie ever, but it is definitely Shinkai's best so far. I was about to get triggered at the end if it had a 5cm/s type ending...

I'll definitely watch it in theaters too when it comes out over here. Thanks, Funimation...

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Your Name.
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Possibly Shinkai's best work so far, and as a massive fan of both 5cm and Garden of Words I do not say that lightly. The animation is breathtaking as always but some scenes go beyond mere visual splendor and are just mesmerizing. The characters are so fun to be around and you'll find yourself rooting for them and hoping it all works out. I was slightly concerned when I saw the "boob fondling" scene in the trailer but even that becomes a genuinely charming gag throughout the movie, believe it or not!

As to be expected of Shinkai, the film also takes you on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows and keeps you guessing how it will end until pretty much the last minute.

I cannot recommend this enough.

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@maniacb Were you able to watch this in theaters? I can't believe that I have to wait until April 7 for it to come out in the US... murica?!?!?! D:

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Arrival
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

10

Shout by stormsm
BlockedParent2016-11-12T07:42:24Z— updated 2023-07-07T22:18:02Z

If you're looking for an action and "turn brain off now" film, just don't watch it and spare us the 6-7 hearts review.

I for one, am very tired from 500$m crap like Indi Day and Marvel's poop. So I was very excited to watch this one.

This one is more like Spielberg's Encounters from the Third Kind. It's more about the characters in the film and the amazing journey they go through. It's mostly about the human behavior that will make you think.

While it's not an End of the World aliens movie like Battle: Los Angeles, it still offers great amount of military presence and plenty of stuff that's going on.

So if you actually want to care about an intelligent movie and use your head - go. Otherwise, go watch an X men.

Highly recommended for some audience 10/10.

2-feb-2017 edit: Just came out on Bluray and I saw it again. Definitely keeping my rating.
Watching again at July-2023, excited towards Dune II : Excellent. Excellent film. So called plot-holes listed here are negligible when the overall product is really thoughtful and masterfully crafted.

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@stormsm I absolutely loved this movie. Probably the best movie that I've watched this year. I just finished watching it for the second time (saw it opening weekend as well) and I loved the cinematography, all the subtleties, foreshadowing and masterful acting by Amy Adams. Knowing the big twist ahead of time (now), I was paying extra attention to all the hints and how the secret was revealed this time and was left in wonder all over again. And that final musical piece (Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight)... Gives me the feels every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN1B-tUpgs

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The Interview

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Utterly ridiculous decision for Sony to cancel this movie entirely. Mercia doesn't not negotiate with terrorists. A sad day for Hollywood and the movie industry in general. Hopefully this will see the light of day and we won't get bombed by North Korea.

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"Mission Accomplished."
- George W & Sony Pictures

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Guardians of the Galaxy
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

6

Shout by sp1ti
VIP
OG
13

I'm inclined to only give it a "meh". Feels like a movie I would have liked if I was a little kid. There were a bunch of characters that hardly had any lines and if they spoke they described their archetype, seriously? Marvel has a tendency to shoehorn in horrible dialogue for their "universe" but that was just especially low. And whatever the romance in this is supposed to be: not buying it^2.
The production values of the movie are high so it works as a popcorn movie but all the raving comments the movie had in advance had me hoping for a good movie.
(Baby Groot is one of the worst things I ever saw on screen btw.)

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@ManiacB

(p*◣‸◢)>========O (@sp1ti's taste = http://i.imgur.com/zepzamu.gif)

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Guardians of the Galaxy
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

6

Shout by sp1ti
VIP
OG
13

I'm inclined to only give it a "meh". Feels like a movie I would have liked if I was a little kid. There were a bunch of characters that hardly had any lines and if they spoke they described their archetype, seriously? Marvel has a tendency to shoehorn in horrible dialogue for their "universe" but that was just especially low. And whatever the romance in this is supposed to be: not buying it^2.
The production values of the movie are high so it works as a popcorn movie but all the raving comments the movie had in advance had me hoping for a good movie.
(Baby Groot is one of the worst things I ever saw on screen btw.)

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"Baby Groot is one of the worst things I ever saw on screen." - @sp1ti

(⌐■_■) ...

( ° ͜ʖ͡°)╭∩╮

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Guardians of the Galaxy
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

This movie was just pure Marvel at its best, firing on all cylinders (which means that it was absolutely spectacular). We are set off on one wild journey in a universe that not many other than the more hardcore Marvel Universe fans know of. I wasn't quite sure if this one was going to be as good as it was hyped, but I was gladly proved wrong. While Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't have quite the star power or following of The Avengers (honestly, what does?), I thought that the cast had just as good if not better chemistry during this hell of a raucous adventure. To pull off one of these large cast/group movies is no easy task. Zach Snyder, please take notes for the upcoming Justice League movie (and Batman vs Superman).

The standouts of this movie without a doubt are Chris Pratt (playing Peter Quill) and Bradley Cooper (playing Rocket) but all the characters (even the supporting ones) contribute to the hilarious dialog and tone of this movie. I never thought that I would laugh (and even shed a tear) from hearing the same line, "I am Groot" about 20 different times. Vin Diesel deserves an Oscar nomination for this one :) The humor is so good and ever-present that if I didn't know any better, I would have thought this was a summer comedy. The effects are absolutely stunning and the set pieces are quite original and brilliant.

Go watch GotG in the theaters and support this brilliant freshmen performance from this new generation of Marvel stars because, come on, "they're the Guardians of the Galaxy, bitch." I'm thrilled for this new franchise and where the new expanded universe is heading. Bring on The Avengers 2 and more Thanos!!

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And this is Chris Pratt's reaction to GotG opening to $94 million and the best August opening ever. Boom.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/977eaad30d77ab9716e122a75a10bb3b/tumblr_n18crbyFY51rrtza4o9_500.gif

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PERSONA3 THE MOVIE #1 Spring of Birth
7

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

This was a great adaptation to one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It's been a little while since I played the game, but its glory was all starting to come back to me as I was watching this first movie. While I enjoyed P4 as a game more, P3 definitely has a better and darker story which is more suited to an anime adaptation like this. And I think that from the first movie alone, the P3 movies have already shown to be better than P4 the Animation. Also, how can a movie with Mitsuru not be awesome?

I do think that Yuki Makoto (the name of the MC) was a bit too anti-social to start but I guess that it leaves a lot of room for him to develop in the next movies. We were beginning to see glimpses of it in the last quarter of the movie. The visuals were top-notch (much better than in the P4 anime series) and I think that the battles played out pretty well and never got too repetitive. While some may say that too many of the social links were cut, I thought that the creators did a great job with the pacing of the movie and were able to still flesh out the main characters with the little time given without things feeling rushed. And the music... Wow. Shōji Meguro is a based god amongst men. When I started to hear the high school and the dorm theme music, I just about lost it. All I need to hear is "Living with Determination (Iowato Dormitory Arrangement)" and my life will be f'n complete. If you haven't heard it, play the link below on repeat for the next 2 hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRYSk12SZvw

I am a complete Persona homer so I may overlooked some of the flaws of the movie. Still, I'm completely pumped for the next set of movies and I'm interested if the creators will still go with the same dark ending as in the game (perhaps with FES material added in) or make an anime-original ending. I'm kind of hoping for an original ending just to experience something different but the original ending is epic itself. Anyway, I can't wait for the next movie (and Persona 5!!) to come out and get some more Mitsuru action.

#Persona4eva

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@ManiacB This Persona 3 Movie cover art is now my new official profile backdrop. It is just too god damn bad ass and the Persona homer inside me just can't resist. I'm also a huge closet MC x Yukari fan. What can I say, I love my tsunderes. Just don't tell the Mitsuru fans.

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Wolf Children
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Mamoru Hosoda strikes again. In my opinion, this is his best overall work surpassing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. As Miyazaki and Ghibli seem to be slowing down a bit, Mamoru Hosoda is ready to take the torch. The concept of wolf children growing up in our world is something that I've never seen, but the themes of acceptance, finding your own path in live, and, of course, a mother's love are what truly hold and elevate this movie. The duality in the development of Yuki and Ame and where they want to end up in this world are the highlights of the film. I can't wait for the dub to be released. Go watch this ASAP.

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After letting this digest for longer, I think that I prefer The Girl Who Leapt Through Time over this mostly because I like romance a bit more. These are still two amazing works that must be watched by not just fans of anime but fans of all kinds of movies.

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Time of EVE: The Movie
8

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11
BlockedParentSpoilers2014-02-21T01:30:14Z

Science-fiction authors (and the Japanese) have always been interested in relations between humans and androids. This movie looks at this in a great setup: Having a café with one simple rule; No discrimination between humans and robots. Inside, human looking androids are indistinguishable by appearance (they are forced to have indicators on their heads outside) and can act independently from their owners. Since I'm a sucker for the kinds of stories where the line between man and machine is blurred I enjoyed this a lot and I think it's a strong sci-fi movie even outside the medium of anime (if you're not just an action guy).
(FYI: The movie is an extended version of an OVA series by the same name.)

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I liked this movie (and the ONA series) a lot too. I liked how this didn't stray into the more typical android-human romance (aka the Chobits) and focused more on all the relationships of the characters. I think the extended scenes (and HD) in the movie version added a good amount of intrigue to the story. This is definitely the definitive version of the story to watch for sure.

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Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent
7

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

7

Shout by sp1ti
VIP
OG
13

I guess it was alright? The third movie in the series improved on the CGI which is great but it still had many scenes where it felt like three different art styles thrown together in bad taste... The "Berserk Saga" Project seems game so I'll be looking forward for more of these. If they wouldn't have greenlit these movies it would all have been rather pointless. They didn't really improve on the first adaptation so at least getting some new stuff animated will be cool. Not recommended if you have not read the manga and want to experience "Berserk". There is too much back story missing for it to make an impact so these are more fan-service (unless you're just looking for some violence).

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Yup. These movies should definitely be watched after at least seeing the original 1997 anime (and preferably the manga). However, I will say that the 3rd movie was a huge improvement over the first two as they finally had a decent running time and things were actually added that weren't in the original adaptation. And I agree that the animation finally started to look more natural (I still was not a fan of the style). I hope that more parts of the Berserk saga will be animated too but honestly, I'd rather have Miura finish the manga within the next 10 years.

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Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey
6

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

Gnaahh~ here we wait again.. the third movie should be fun with the Eclipse finally happening. I even went back to see if there have been some more manga chapters released since I last read up only to realise that in the last 5 months only three new ones came out. I sure hope we don't have to wait another 20 years for it to complete >_>.

As for the movie itself: While I still enjoyed it overall there are plenty of issues. The CGI is still present but it feels like they amped up the use. While sometimes this works, there are many scenes where it looks choppy and ugly as hell. This is rather unfortunate since Berserk is known for Miura's awesome visuals. The other major drawback is the pacing/adaptation. The movie is too short given that the 25-episode anime for the same arc wasn't enough.. how are three movies supposed to work? They skip a lot but still have some scenes running longer which results in a weird pace. The biggest drawback because of that is the lack of character development. Their connection to the Band of the Hawk isn't really there as they hardly get any screentime (which lessens the impact the Eclipse will have), Griffith's determination is played down and Gut's just the muscle. For people new to the franchise it'll just be a medieval action story without much depth...

It would be great if it actually sold well in Japan but that doesn't seem to be the case. It would have been awesome to get the other arcs animated aswell although they would have to make improvement's to their CGI (I don't dare to imagine how the battle versus Ganishka would look).

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You speak the truth sp1ti. I did not like the first two movies at all (the third one was definitely an improvement) and most of it was due to length. So much was left out from the anime/manga versions which I think could have been added in pretty easily that would have given so much more depth. A lot of inner monologues and just thoughts which the anime showed in the same scenes would have brought so much more depth to these movies. And I couldn't stand the animation. Call me crazy but I think that I actually prefer the animation in the 1997 version. These first 2 movies just looked so unnatural and plastic. However, the original anime and manga are baller.

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Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu
9

Reply by deanzel
VIP
11

"El Psy Kongroo" has finally returned for one last finale (this is the official end to the series) and boy was it worth the wait. As an absolute lover of Steins;Gate (I'm possibly biased), this was a very fulfilling and emotional conclusion to the series and really did a good job of tying up loose ends and plot holes that still existed. As the original Steins;Gate was a story about the journey, struggles and decisions of Okabe through time, this movie gives Makise (one of my favorite tsunderes) a turn to shine and really emphasizes the feelings and conflicts of love that the current Steins;Gate world-line Makise was facing that were only touched upon in the OVA.

The continued development of the romance and the true revealing of feelings between the two time-crossed lovers were a treat, and the creators were able to give a more in-depth explanation of the reading Steiner ability and deja vu effect. I and, more importantly, Makise could also finally understand the pain that the current Okabe was still going through even though he had "saved" everyone which was a critical development in my eyes. I also really liked the difficult struggle between the "scientist" Kurisu and the "woman" Kurisu on the decision of whether to risk saving Okabe against his "wishes". The movie could have maybe touched a bit more on the other characters, but in 90 minutes, the resolution of the story between Makise and Okabe is the most important thing to nail down (and they definitely accomplished that).

It starts a bit slow (as do all Steins;Gate related things) but the emotional pay-off is well worth it in the end. You definitely have to have seen the series and OVA in order to get any of this. I loved the movie and it's a must watch for anyone who has seen Steins;Gate. This is the end that we have all been waiting for so don't delay and watch this immediately. Here's to one final goodbye and "tuturuuuu".

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Haha yeah. It started as a shout but the movie was too good for me to stop "shouting".

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