Another Movie Thread - Because We Love Them So

[Sabra]

This one is about "I Expected to Loathe This Film, But It Was Great."

I finally watched "Avatar" and really liked it a lot. I was expecting another overly long, self-indulgent James Cameron "tour de force," and was pleasantly surprised.

What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

[LavCat]

What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

In the way of movies? I confess I have not watched any movies since my chair broke. I can't sit at the computer without pain these days.

Last film I saw was The White Ribbon, which I thought was good but rather creepy.

[--Pete]

Hi,

What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

Hellboy -- expected garbage, found a good comic book based film. Not up to the level of Watchmen, but still a good effort. Much better than all the Spier/Super/Bat man glitzers.

--Pete

[NuurAbSaal]

Hi,

What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

Hellboy -- expected garbage, found a good comic book based film. Not up to the level of Watchmen, but still a good effort. Much better than all the Spier/Super/Bat man glitzers.

--Pete

I'd like to second that. All the other movies I watched recently have been letdowns though, ranging from "oh well..." (Machete) to "oh.my.god" (Last Airbender).

take care
Tarabulus

P.S.: Ha, thought of another one: "American Pimp". Was expecting some... well, actually, wasn't expecting anything, got a brilliant sort-of-documentary.

[Jim]

This one is about "I Expected to Loathe This Film, But It Was Great."What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

Hi,

I don't pay $6.50 to see a movie @ my favorite Harkin's theater, that I might expect is not good, I like to read a review first depending on the genre.

There are movies I will see no matter what the critics say. e.g. 300 [Spartans] I loved it, I bought the Directors Cut.

I have a Roku & Netflix for streaming to my 57" HD TV [bragging ] so I can view a movie I thought was not good without spending alot of cash.

When I did have cable there were times I would watched a movie I did not see in the theater and I would say "Ouch" I wish I had seen that one on the BIG Screen!!!

Since I can't think of one I will need to think on this one.

[DeeBye]

Hellboy -- expected garbage, found a good comic book based film. Not up to the level of Watchmen, but still a good effort. Much better than all the Spier/Super/Bat man glitzers.

--Pete

Hellboy 2 is even better than the first one, IMO. Guillermo del Toro is the master of creature movies. The Troll Market scene is incredible.

I watched Tron: Legacy recently and I liked it a lot. Jeff Bridges was great.

The best movie I have seen lately was The Fighter.

[Taem]

I don't pay $6.50 to see a movie @ my favorite Harkin's theater, that I might expect is not good, I like to read a review first depending on the genre.

Whaaat? I pay $15.00 a seat at the local IMAX 3D theatre. A night out can be rather costly nowadays!

RE: Avatar; had similar emotions about going to see it for the first time, and a similar feeling afterwards. I like James Cameron movies, however this movie looked to me like just some aborigine knock-off that’s been done a thousand times before, however once I saw it, I was very surprised and highly impressed with the story.

Another one that blew me away was Inception. I had just saw Shutters Island and was hugely disappointed by it - I predicted the ending like 15 minutes into the movie - so I was not expecting Inception to be a good movie, and instead, it turned out to be one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life! Go figure.

A few kids movies that came on Netflix watch instantly recently have also got me thinking Hollywood might be on the mend with “good” movies for once. Trying to think what they where… I’ll have to check my que and edit this post.

[Sabra]

This one is about "I Expected to Loathe This Film, But It Was Great."What has pleasantly surprised you lately?

Hi,

I don't pay $6.50 to see a movie @ my favorite Harkin's theater, that I might expect is not good, I like to read a review first depending on the genre.

There are movies I will see no matter what the critics say. e.g. 300 [Spartans] I loved it, I bought the Directors Cut.

I have a Roku & Netflix for streaming to my 57" HD TV [bragging ] so I can view a movie I thought was not good without spending alot of cash.

When I did have cable there were times I would watched a movie I did not see in the theater and I would say "Ouch" I wish I had seen that one on the BIG Screen!!!

Since I can't think of one I will need to think on this one.

Generally I only go to see film in the theaters when it comes to the $2.00 movie picture show. I break that rule to take The Boos to the movies though. They love to go to the Disney stuff. It is hard to justify the cost of seeing a film in a theater. Then too, it seems that people no longer appreciate that they should not talk during the film. Sheesh!

Jim, I agree! "300" is an amazing film. It's like something out of a graphic novel. I really enjoyed it.

[Jim]

Whaaat? I pay $15.00 a seat at the local IMAX 3D theatre. A night out can be rather costly nowadays!

Avatar, Inception. Shutters Island I predicted the ending like 15 minutes into the movie

Hi,

$6.50 is a senior price + I have a Cup $4.95 & T Shirt $24.95 I purchase each year that entitles me to a large soda for only $1.00 & a Free Medium popcorn worth $4.95 each time I go to the movies. Movie/Drink/Popcorn = $8.50 total. GO HERE...Loyalty Cup & T-shirt

Shutters Island & Avatar...I really liked it, Inception...I like it.

This friday @ 4pm I will see: Atlas Shrugged the movie!

[lorecraft]

I was pleasantly surprised by Tangled, which entertained the entire family ages 2-7 for the kiddos and my wife and I. On top of that, we've watched it 3 times now. For some reason, I really enjoyed the humor.

[LavCat]

Whaaat? I pay $15.00 a seat at the local IMAX 3D theatre. A night out can be rather costly nowadays!

The only time I saw a movie at an IMAX theater it was free (I was giving a paper at an imaging conference). It also left me nauseated for some hours. Such a deal! Needless to say I did not get to eat or drink at the reception afterwards. I could hardly stand. Ynir was with me at the conference, but as I recall I don't think he got to see the movie.

I am perfectly happy watching IMAX on my 27 inch monitor, about 18 inches from the screen. Dark Knight for example. The only way the experience could possibly be better as far as I'm concerned is if the black level of the display were a little lower. Movie theaters are over rated in my opinion.

[--Pete]

Hi,

Movie theaters are over rated in my opinion.

What she said. I'm perfectly happy with my 'little' 42" screen and my surround sound. I like not having people babbling around me. To sit in a comfortable easy chair that's not sticky with half dried soda and gum. To smell the vanilla candles instead of industrial lubricant passing itself as melted butter. It's nice to be able to pause for that occasional bathroom break. To replay that comment (over and over, sometimes) that the aficionado of the Brando-Stallone school of mumbles just failed to enunciate. To turn the volume up for the conversations and down for the effing special effects and car chases. To fast forward through those same effing special effects and car chases and shoot outs (and half assed sex scenes). To stop when the idiocy gets so high that reflux sets in. And to do that immediate (until 2 AM) second viewing when the occasional gem is discovered.

Pay for the privilege of an inferior experience???? Pull-ease!

--Pete

[Sabra]

I was pleasantly surprised by Tangled, which entertained the entire family ages 2-7 for the kiddos and my wife and I. On top of that, we've watched it 3 times now. For some reason, I really enjoyed the humor.

That movie was awesome, Lorecraft! I agree. I went with The Boos and the kids. Loved it. And I really don't care for that digital type of animation, so that's saying something.

[NuurAbSaal]

Movie theaters are over rated in my opinion.

With the possible exception of Sergio Leone movies .

take care
Tarabulus

[Jim]

Hi,

Movie theaters are over rated in my opinion.

What she said. I'm perfectly happy with my 'little' 42" screen and my surround sound. I like not having people babbling around me. To sit in a comfortable easy chair that's not sticky with half dried soda and gum. To smell the vanilla candles instead of industrial lubricant passing itself as melted butter. It's nice to be able to pause for that occasional bathroom break. To replay that comment (over and over, sometimes) that the aficionado of the Brando-Stallone school of mumbles just failed to enunciate. To turn the volume up for the conversations and down for the effing special effects and car chases. To fast forward through those same effing special effects and car chases and shoot outs (and half assed sex scenes). To stop when the idiocy gets so high that reflux sets in. And to do that immediate (until 2 AM) second viewing when the occasional gem is discovered.

Pay for the privilege of an inferior experience???? Pull-ease!--Pete

Hi,

Someone has to pay sooner [theater] or later [dvd/netflix] for the privilege of watching a Movie, good or bad, or they can't be made for your viewing pleasure Pete.

For me it's a day at the movies, a day out, sometimes I think I go just for the butter flavored popcorn, the movie is a perk.

[Sabra]

sometimes I think I go just for the butter flavored popcorn, the movie is a perk.

Guilty pleasures! I applaude you!

[kandrathe]

...

This friday @ 4pm I will see: Atlas Shrugged the movie!

I've heard they've made it fairly accurate to the book, which for me is a plus for any movie based on a book. I'm patently against Hollywoodization (which includes remakes of great old films and great foreign films). I just hope it doesn't take 10 years to finish the 2nd half of the story.

[--Pete]

Hi,

Someone has to pay sooner [theater] or later [dvd/netflix] for the privilege of watching a Movie, good or bad, or they can't be made for your viewing pleasure Pete.

I'm more than happy to let you pay for them to make movies for me.

For me it's a day at the movies, a day out, sometimes I think I go just for the butter flavored popcorn, the movie is a perk.

If you were around, I'd go to a movie or two with you -- just for the company. I'd even eat some industrial waste on packing material. But I'll draw the line at rat poison sweetener in caramel flavored water.

--Pete

[Sabra]

This friday @ 4pm I will see: Atlas Shrugged the movie!

Wow! Jim! I hope you will share your impressions. Thank you for the Link, and thanks too, Kan. I watched the trailer. I simply cannot imagine how that film can work and I am amazed that after how-many-years it's finally been made. And it's interesting that the producers chose to put it into the current time.

So Jim, bright and early on Saturday, please make your debut as a film critic?

[shoju]

Movie that I was expecting to hate but was pleasantly surprised by:


I have to say, I haven't seen any that fit this bill recently. Though I have seen several that were the other way around recently.

• Avatar. (It was Pochontas / Dances with Wolves in space for me. Meh)
  
• The Last Airbender. Ok, I lied. I knew this was going to suck the minute I saw shamanlamahastohaveatweestdingdong attached to it.
  
• I am Number Four. Compared to the book, this was awful. I read the book at my sons behest, and then took him and his squeeze to see it for his BDay. I was seriously underwhelmed.
  

I am hoping that Paul (going to see this weekend) is at least the irreverent humor I have come to expect from Simon Pegg movies. I did enjoy Shaun of the Dead, Run Fatboy Run, and Hot Fuzz so very much.