What have you watched lately?

[anarky]

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

Watch this movie or you are pond scum. Love it, or you are a troglodyte.

From the first scene, where a street artist is painting a caricature of Tintin, and it's a picture by Herge, I knew it was going to live up to expectations. And it did. Exceeded them, even. The Academy needs to change its rules so that Snowy can win Best Supporting Actor. Or create a "Best Animated Dog" award.

I know War Horse is out as well and haven't seen it, but, disregarding it, it's the best movie Spielberg has made in about twenty years. Think about that. The guy who fucking made Jurassic Park, ET, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters, Schindler's List -- this is his best work in an entire generation.

It doesn't require any previous knowledge of the character. And is sufficiently different from the comic to not be predictable (beyond the broad strokes). The climactic final fight between Haddock and Saccharine I don't recall in the original, and it's a major doozy.

[anarky]

And Short Circuit this evening.

God damn, this movie is dated as hell but still fucking AWESOME!

"Newton Crosby, PhDork!"

[Rollo Tomassi]

Tintin is better than both Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan? That's a bit of an ask. I'll give you Ten Years without hesitation. I had to look up his recent filmography. A lot of it wasn't awful. There were decent films like Munich and Catch Me If You Can, but those were ultimately forgettable. The Terminal was pretty weak, as was War of the Worlds. And Crystal Skull was just crap. Minority Report was his last "good" movie and I wouldn't put it in his best ever.
A.I. was more of a Kubrick film and doesn't count.
But while the 90s had Amistad(weak) and Lost World(utter shite) and Hook(schmaltz), it also had SPR and Schindler. Those are good fucking movies.

[anarky]

I said "about" twenty, not "exactly" twenty.

Private Ryan was really undermined by the frame sequence, which was heavy-handed. It worked in Schindler's List, with the real survivors. Not so much when it's Matt Damon having a breakdown.

[anarky]

All right, I admit Private Ryan slipped my mind and I thought Schindler was a couple of years earlier than it was.

[anarky]

Three in a row, dick in a mouth for Grimmy!

Muppets. Not the best Muppet flick, but not the worst. Some Muppet tropes were sorely missing (I really wanted Janice to say something bordering on inappropriate, but she never did), but it still felt Muppet-y. I nearly shat myself over Dave Grohl in the Moopets, and cheered when I saw Sweetums rejoining the group in exactly the same way he joined in The Muppet Movie. Beauregard being in the broom closet for 20+ years was pretty classic, too.

[Ran]

Watched the GI Joe Resolute dvd I bought a few weeks ago from Big Lots.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I just watched the Clash of the Titans remake. My god Ralph Fiennes is a ham. I think the higher his salary on a film, the hammier his performance.

[anarky]

How much was he paid for Voldemort? The hamminess works there, though.

[jjreason]

Rio, the kids movie about birds for about the 3rd time. It's actually not a bad one at all, hence me mentioning it here for you fucktards with kids. Even has a half decent soundtrack.

[anarky]

I hope Duran Duran has a prominent place on the soundtrack.

[jjreason]

Tintin. The best Indiana Jones movie since, well, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Amazing use of the 3D - finally, a movie that incorporates the technique in a way that helps with the immersion as opposed to distracting you out of it. This year's Speed Racer for me.

[Rollo Tomassi]

This year's Speed Racer for me.

Well shit, now I HAVE to go see it. That's the finest six word review of a film I've ever read.

[jjreason]

To expand a little bit: "this year's movie that I really enjoyed, based on a previously-established & well-loved fantasy character for whom I'm have no previous knowledge or affinity".

[mabudon]

I saw Machete on tv a month or two ago. For all I'd seen it seemed like it was that kind of "tarantino funny" that is just flat-out offensive to me, but when I got to see it, fuck it is a GREAT movie, super violent (but the violence is Looney Tunes grade, honestly), really smart and easily the most hilarious not-comedy I have ever seen, I missed a bunch the first time through cos I was laughing so damn hard. It is literally hilarious right up to the end, there is pretty much NO sentiment whatsoever (in a sort of Arrested Development way)

I would give this film a Golden Deuce for so many reasons. Oh and Lindsay Lohan has a pretty long topless scene if you like that kind of thing, and she actually looks good (I didn't know who she even was but fine bubes damn)