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I loved it. But then I'm a hardcore fan of these comic book adaptations. ;-)
The Barefoot Contessa
This 1954 film, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart, was a delight to watch. It's my 15th (!) Bogart film in under four moths and it's the 15th in a row that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Either I'm picking all the good ones from Bogart's list of films, or they truly are, all of them, superb.
The Barefoot Contessa, however, isn't a Bogart film in the first place. It's an Ava Gardner film and my goodness is she wonderful in it. The dialogues, often a bit risqué for the time, are fantastically written and even better delivered.
If you can appreciate great films from the golden days of Hollywood, watch The Barefoot Contessa!
My ranking goes as follows:
1- Lethal Weapon 2
2- Lethal Weapon 1
3- Lethal Weapon 3
4- Lethal Weapon 4
How would a Bond played by Lazenby or Craig (the 2 best Bond athlete IMO) tackle Steve Rogers?
Would Bond be on the recieving end of a sound trashing? Would he make the fight interesting while it lasted? Would he play dirty and somehow earn a draw? Would he surprise Cap and win?
It sure would be a fight for the ages...while it last!
Your opinions Gentlemen?
My personal rank.
1. Mission: Impossible. (1996)
2. M:I 3 (2006)
3. Ghost Protocol. (2011)
4. M:I 2 (2000) I will say that I like Two more than I used too. The shift in tone is still a very odd one. Since the original was a cold war esque thiller and 2 being a balls to the wall action set piece. I don't hate it now. But it's still number 4 on my rank.
Captain America is a super soldier, the apex of human physical ability. Cap would massacre Bond.
(spoiler free!)
I was never too big into the Raimi films but the recent Spidey reboot is my thing entirely. I've just come back home from seeing this second film in the reboot, only to tell you all that you must give this one a try. It's just great fun and at the same time there are deeper issues, though not entirely dissimilar to Nolan's Batman, that make the film rather mature. The effects are incredible to say the least and Zimmer's score - here's a first - actually left me wanting more! I can't wait for number 3.
But first: X-Men, Guardians, Big Hero Six, ... ;-)
Being a fan of superhero comics and films, I can honestly say I'm living in a golden age. :D
Gigantis? What happened to Godzilla's voice? I watched the American dub version of this film, and they decided to make some changes by calling Godzilla "Gigantis" (which is kinda lame) and change his roar which I couldn't differentiate from the other monster he fights in the movie, Anguirus. It wasn't that signature Godzilla roar. For some reason, the English dub makes the characters sound goofier and at times it seems like they were trying to match the lips on the Japanese actors (which made some lines sound silly). However, if this is sequel to the first movie, then it's this a different Godzilla? Are there more Godzilla's around? Overall, the film was fine, but I think after watching this one, I did like the first one better.
Grade: C
Godzilla vs King Kong
Finally Godzilla enters the age of color! This felt more like a movie to me maybe because I'm not used to seeing films in black and white. The feeling reminded me of Dr. No or From Russia with Love in regards to film color and how it's shot. Again, I watched the American dubbed version which made the Japanese character sound silly, but this film also had some comedic elements as well. It wasn't as serious with regards to the threat Godzilla poses as in the first two. It seems King Kong would be good match for Godzilla, but they didn't explain how King Kong existed? Was he a regular ape exposed to radiation? And why does electricity make him stronger? Those things just didn't make sense. The battle at the end was cool, but what happened to Godzilla?! They both fall into the ocean and only King Kong comes out? Godzilla comes from the sea, he couldn't just drown! I guess I'll wait til the next film.
Also yaaay for bringing back Godzilla's name and original roar!
Grade: C+
Rank:
Godzilla
Godzilla vs King Kong
Godzilla Raids Again
Maybe, these would change if I saw the original Japanese versions, but we'll see.
A+ all the way around.
I watched the Japanese version of this one and I liked it a lot. I did watch some of the English dub, but it seems liked it wasn't much different aside from calling Mothra, "The Thing" and some deleted scenes. I liked the pacing even though some scenes ran a bit too long (like the battle at the end with the baby Mothras). Good story (even though it had some similarities to Kong, but I liked they way this one was told better), the characters were all right (it was nice; however recognizing some actors from the previous films) and good action - always wondering how Godzilla would face again a giant moth, but it was challenging. The end especially when the baby Mothra were doing "string shot" all over Godzilla. I guess BUG can beat FIRE. :D
Grade: B+
Rank
Mothra vs Godzilla
Godzilla
Godzilla vs King Kong
Godzilla Raids Again
I saw this on Wednesday and I too felt Raimi's offerings were largely mediocre to poor but there were a few incredible scenes. However, Maguire as Peter/Spidey was horrible casting and many creative decisions just infuriated me. However, with Webb's reboot there were still a number of things I had issues with but TASM was a huge step in the right direction in realising the wonderment of the comics. The casting of Garfield was a massive coup and probably one of if not the best casting if any comic book character to date because the role of Perer/Spidey isn't easy. In TASM, most of spidey's humour came off making Peter/Spidey seem like a major douche and at times unlikable but still, it was better than the silent and depressing, face-revealing Maguire interpretation.
For TASM2, the movie expands and goes bigger and better than the first. First thing's first, Sony image works who I have been disgusted with and chastising their work on the spidey movies since 2002 knocked it out the park. They did an incredible job with all the effects. The way spidey moves, the way he looks, it's exactly how I always imagined him too be on screen. Spidey web-slinging in the comics was always a mind blowing thing to see, he always looked like a show off acrobat in the most elaborately poetic way BUT that was just a natural way of how he moved and it's a thing of beauty. This movie doesn't wait until the end of the movie to give us a 5 second sequence of the visual delight of spidey swinging the way he should. Gone are the painful pedestrian, swing from A to B sequences and instead, the movie is littered with spidey swinging the way some artists like Larsen, McFarlane and Bagley would depict our hero moving with an incomparable style and grace. It's just so beautiful.
In terms of tone, this movie can be compared to the Avengers. It's more light hearted than TASM1 but conveys an emotional seriousness that really holds the film together. Peter is haunted by the promise he made to Captain George and Peter desperately wants to know the truth about his parents, especially after the bombshell Aunt May delivers to him. The villains aren't overly deep but their motivations are understandable and definitely serviceable but the thing to remember is, as is always the case from Amazing Fantasy #15 back in 1962, spider-man's story has always been about the life of Peter Parker and this movie confidently realises this and conveys it with comfortable ease. Max who becomes Electro is a tragically isolated and pitiful character. He's one of those people who you just feel sorry for because his life and the way he gets treated by most people is just ridiculously sad. Rhino is a hammy Russian a-hole nothing more and Harry as the green goblin, brilliantly played by Dane Dehaan does better in this film than Franco did in 3 films. Sure, Harry becomes the goblin quite quickly but his motivations are desperate and understandable. The movie may rush things at times to fit a lot into one movie but it simultaneously allows everything to make sense to the audience. This is in NO way like SM3 just to be clear.
The relationship dynamic between Peter and Stone's Gwen is just so perfect and realistic. I couldn't stand the relationship dynamic between Peter and MJ in Raimi's movies, it all felt so artificial and it didn't help that Dunst's characterisation of the MJ was not only way off of who MJ is supposed to be but she was just so unlikable too. Webb conveys Peter and Gwen's relationship as a beautiful, engaging driving force that really glues everything together. By the end of the movie let's just say ASM#121 was done quite some justice.
If you're into comics, into comic book movies, definitely check this out. It may not be to everyone's tastes but for me, as a die hard spidey fan, this movie is the definitive spider-man movie.
8/10
I really like the Mission Impossible tetralogy and the first movie is either the best or the second-best... :)
Play misty for me - Clint Eastwood as leading actor and director, and I prefer this movie easily over the later Fatal attraction, a great movie that through slowness gradually builds up to its climax.
Blade Trinity - Blade vs Dracula fun enough some nice one-liners by Snipes, more by Reynolds and main attraction of this movie is the young Jessica Biel in thight leather outfits. By no means a great movie but it is entertaining enough at 01.00 in the morning.
I haven't seen one bad review for it anywhere! It blew me away (and I had very, very, very high expectations for it), and it's my favorite Marvel film thus far.
I'll be seeing it very soon in honor of my late father who loved Captain America and saw him as his favorite comic book hero. :)
Eh wasn't that great. The effects were cool but there was no substance. No meat and potatoes. The characters felt one note to me. Very predictable movie.
5/10.
That's a shame, the film blew me away, and I'm usually not into movies where everything that could possibly go wrong, does.
I normally like movies like that. But It just didn't do it for me this time around. I think Ghost Protocol did it best. :))
@WillyGalore, Cap2 demonstrates that comic book movies, when done well, can be truly epic. But then we already knew that since Donner's first Superman film. Too bad Warner didn't realise it till the mid 2000s. ;-)
I've watched it again on my television and it doesn't hold that 'Wow factor' as much as it did in the theatre.
It's still fantastic but I wanted to touch upon something else. I've recently been watching the Star Trek films (which I plan to document) and I can't believe that I just noticed the Wrath of Khan inspired ending that we have here. A main character dies while sacrificing their life for the crew and then we hear a voice-over with a visual inkling of hope that they might still be alive. TWOK has always been a favorite and it amazes me that it's influence can still be felt in many films to this day.
Really heavyweight stuff here.
This is so true. Still a good film, but a big screen and unusually good 3d enhanced the experience very much.
Another strong outing, the only setback would be that they make Godzilla seems a bit goofy. The costume was a bit thinner, his head looked like a Boston terrier with bulgy eyes. When he fell, he flailed around like a little kid having a temper tantrum, I mean, this wasn't the menacing Godzilla I knew from the first two films. Also the battle between him and Rhodan, it seem like they were having a volleyball match as they threw rocks back and forth. Ghidorah seemed a strong foe and I like the design. I wish they would have explained Rhodan a bit more (I did have to read his solo film summary in order to get his backstory). Aside from that, the characters were good and it was nice to see future Bond girl Akiko Wakabayashi (Aki in You Only Live Twice) in one of her earlier roles.
Grade: B
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Looks like Godzilla has enter the space age in this film. I liked that the setup was a bit different than previous films that the citizens of Japan were battling an alien threat rather than Godzilla or any other giant monster. The same issues with the Godzilla costume are found here, otherwise, it was solid film.
Grade: B+
Rank:
Mothra vs Godzilla
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Godzilla
King Kong vs Godzilla
Godzilla Raids Again
Perfect film for an Easter Sunday (followed by 2 Bond films of course).
I want my minions of my own. :-)
While I can admit to not being part of the true demographic of this film, I'm still going to spill my guts about Rio 2.
There's almost nothing original about this film, almost nothing we haven't seen a gazillion times before. Granted, this film will mostly be watched by very young kids and they deserve to get familiar with our clichés through modern films. Even then, is it too much to ask for at least one thing that would make this film stand out a little bit?
A quick list:
2. Fatherbird-in-law doesn't like his daughterbird's choice of a husband.
3. Daughterbird's friend from way back is now hot stuff in the tribe and will attract her attention, rendering city bird jealous and all.
4. So city bird will do what he can to show he's still special and in doing so actually messes things up quite a bit.
5. Luckily a chance will present itself where his city smarts will make city bird the ultimate hero.
6. And so fatherbird-in-law, who previously always got city bird's name wrong, now suddenly knows it very well.
There's more but I listed the things that annoyed me most.
Even then, I'm a very tolerate film viewer. So as long as I get outstanding graphics, a great score and many good laughs, I'm game. Well... here's the thing. The graphics are like most other Pixar / Dreamworks films. Nothing special, you know. John Powell's score is just like any other Pixar / Dreamworks score. Nothing special, you know. As far as the laughs are concerned, I wish I could have said the same thing. But the comedy is below "nothing special": it's overall lacking! A few simple "oops! didn't see that coming! *stone hits face*" moments aren't doing it for me any more. At least Ice Age and Despicable Me have some unique, genuinely funny moments. This film is one big flying cliché and little else.
So unless you're below 10, I doubt you haven't already seen this film a million times before. I expected more from the sequel to Rio. Rio was an acceptable film, also not the most original of films but good enough to keep the flow going.
One compliment I will give Rio 2: the voice work is nice. Jessie Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway do a good enough job. But that's about it. I watched the film with a couple of young kids in the theatre and their amusement stimulated mine a lot more than the film did.
Treat Rio 2 with caution. It's not a "bad" film but it's very mediocre, 2.5 out of 5 stars stuff. I suppose those 100 minutes can be spent a lot better.