Sam's Thread of Chattin' w/ Jake & Other Robust Subjects

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Godzilla for me tomorrow after work. I was quite proud of the title of my email to the work-folk I'm going with.

Spoiler

He's not the Gojira; he's a very naughty boy

 

[Uncle Sam]

This job that you have, is it really more important than going to the cinema lots?

No, but I suppose it's what's funding the little cinema-going I do do.

Godzilla for me tomorrow after work. I was quite proud of the title of my email to the work-folk I'm going with.

Spoiler

He's not the Gojira; he's a very naughty boy

Unless Gojira is Japanese for "messiah" - and it may well be - I don't get it.

I'll go see Godzilla as soon as it gets shown in 2D at a sensible time. Missing out on genuinely fantastic small films is one thing, missing out on middling blockbusters and sitting outside the zeitgeist - that I just cannot do.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I've got a date with Godzilla tomorrow as well. After The Book Thief. It's gonna be a long day.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

1. Noah ★★★★★
2. Starred Up ★★★★★
3. The Wolf Of Wall Street ★★★★
4. Delivery Man ★★★★
5. Pompeii ★★★★
6. Non-Stop ★★★★
7. Labor Day ★★★★
8. Under The Skin ★★★★
9. Bad Neighbours ★★★
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★
11. Nymph()maniac: Part 1 ★★★
12. Her ★★★
13. The Raid 2 ★★★
14. Stranger By The Lake ★★★
15. Last Vegas ★★★
16. The Book Thief ★★★
17. The Lego Movie ★★★
18. Need For Speed ★★★
19. Grudge Match ★★★
20. Dallas Buyers Club ★★★
21. Nymph()maniac: Part 2 ★★★
22. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ★★★
23. Sabotage ★★★
24. Godzilla ★★★
25. The Other Woman ★★★
26. Muppets Most Wanted ★★★
27. The Two Faces Of January ★★★
28. 12 Years A Slave ★★★
29. Out Of The Furnace ★★★
30. The Stag ★★★
31. The Monuments Men ★★★
32. That Awkward Moment ★★★
33. Cuban Fury ★★★
34. The Railway Man ★★★
35. A Long Way Down ★★★
36. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★
37. Robocop ★★
38. American Hustle ★★
39. Transcendence ★

Not a good year for film at all.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

For a guy who gave 5 stars to Noah I guess it's a bad year...

 

[Uncle Sam]

1. The Lego Movie ★★★★★
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★★
3. Calvary ★★★★
4. The Raid 2 ★★★★
5. The Wolf of Wall Street ★★★★
6. Inside Llewyn Davis ★★★
7. Her ★★★
8. Locke ★★★
9. Frank ★★★
10. 12 Years a Slave ★★★
11. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★
12. Only Lovers Left Alive ★★
13. Godzilla ★★
14. American Hustle ★★
15. The Wind Rises ★

I've no problem with Godzilla barely being in the film - and I mean being barely in the film - but that means you have to make the stuff where he's not there interesting, which it's undoubtedly not. Getting a charismatic lead would have been a start. People who care more about the survival of sixty-year-old tropes than a quality film may well be pleased.

Spoiler

Killing Bryan Cranston off within the first half an hour was a huge mistake.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't agree. I think that's the best thing they did.

 

[The Butcher]

I don't agree. I think that's the best thing they did.

Agreed. I think trailers and promotional material set up the expectation of more. From a story perspective, it made sense, and personally, it was a punch in the gut. I would've been fine with more, but they did it right.

 

[Danger Burger]

I can see the argument that having a good actor in the whole movie would increase its entertainment value, but his death (and that second where I thought Olsen would take her top off) was one of the few I cared the most in the movie.

 

[Uncle Sam]

There was nobody else to invest in. There was generic general, generic Japanese scientist and generic generic Hollywood frontman (and his generic girlfriend). For me, the film died a death after thirty minutes - all the precocious children in the world couldn't save it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I'd prefer to be left thinking that Cranston could've saved it instead of being show that he couldn't.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Going with Brody as a surname was a poor choice.

 

[Harthan]

There was nobody else to invest in. There was generic general, generic Japanese scientist and generic generic Hollywood frontman (and his generic girlfriend). For me, the film died a death after thirty minutes - all the precocious children in the world couldn't save it.

I'm with Sam on this one - Cranston was far and away the best actor and had the most interesting character in the film. I assume his death was meant to give us some drama for the main character, but good God was he boring. Did he even mourn his father? He was literally the most bland soldier they could have thought up. The only thing that seems to even get him excited in the entire film was the prospect of diffusing more bombs. Yikes.

Cranston was the only thing keeping a semblance of human drama together in the film. The only compelling thing without him was the monsters, and they just weren't on screen enough.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Going with Brody as a surname was a poor choice.

I kept reading that was some kind of 'Easter Egg'.

Now, I always thought that Easter Eggs referred to hidden extras in DVDs rather than homages and references in films. I've noticed this quite a bit in the last year or so and just wondering if anyone else thought the same thing?

Oh, X-Men Second Class tomorrow. Watching First Class to get me in the mood but I've got a feeling it won't be totally relevant for DOFP.

 

[Uncle Sam]

We live in a world where literally means not literally - just go with whatever bullshit people spout, it makes it easier.

I have tickets for X-Men 7 (7?) tomorrow as well. 3D. Shot in 3D, watched in 3D. Genuinely looking forward to it. That and the new Planet of the Apes, those are the blockbusters that'll be worthwhile this summer.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Ironically (probably not really ironic) the trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes played before First Class on the DVD.

I went 3D for Godzilla which worked well in some places but didn't make me think any less or more of it. X Men looks like its going to be a beautiful showcase of angry mutants shooting their powerful wads all over the shop; roll on 6pm.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

If that's a rating on enjoyment then go on your own, but I can watch a shitty movie with a bunch of friends and ending up having a great time, however that isn't going to make it the best movie ever or even a good one. Still, it's a pretty darn good list so keep up.

 

[Danger Burger]

The guy didn't even end up diffusing any bomb in the end, did he? He just kind of passed out right?? Someone else took care of it?

 

[Uncle Sam]

Nobody else took care of it, it fucking went off. I'm sure the people of San Francisco were chuffed.

 

[nightmare]

The guy didn't even end up diffusing any bomb in the end, did he? He just kind of passed out right?? Someone else took care of it?

Bomb about to go off? Fuck it, i'm taking a nap. Figure this shit out by the time I wake up.

 

[Danger Burger]

Nobody else took care of it, it fucking went off. I'm sure the people of San Francisco were chuffed.

Shit. Guess I was high on popcorn and entertainment by then.

 

[Uncle Sam]

1. The Lego Movie ★★★★★
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★★
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past ★★★★
4. Calvary ★★★★
5. The Raid 2 ★★★★
6. The Wolf of Wall Street ★★★★
7. Inside Llewyn Davis ★★★
8. Her ★★★
9. Locke ★★★
10. Frank ★★★
11. 12 Years a Slave ★★★
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★
13. Only Lovers Left Alive ★★
14. Godzilla ★★
15. American Hustle ★★
16. The Wind Rises ★

Cannot believe I walked out before the end credits scene, having just read what it was, and I feel like an idiot - but there were at least three people left in that room wearing bow-ties and sweater-vests and I just can't associate with those people.

Don't think there's been another blockbuster that's so effortlessly ground another blockbuster into the dirt in every single department within the space of a week. Bloody tremendous.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I'm going to need to watch it again I think but the cast were all capable of handling the heavier aspects of the story while also able to relieve any tension when needed. It wasn't as action orientated as I expected and was reminiscent of the first X-Men where the focus was on character development rather than over-indulging in any skirmishes.

Those final form sentinels were actually quite terrifying.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Actually forgot X-Men had come out. I guess I'll catch it today or tomorrow. Cheers, guys!

 

[Uncle Sam]

I was surprised to find a 12A with so much swearing and extreme violence in it, though I'm glad the kids are in on the fun.