Rate The Last Movie You Saw.

[fernandito]

The Orphanage - 8/10
Timecrimes - 7/10

[Mattrick]

Godzilla: What a terribly unbalanced movie. The first half told a very good, family centric and character driven story that really surprised me and having Bryan Cranston to help hit those dramatic notes really helped, but the second half just simply forgot it's characters, which wouldn't be so bad in a film that forgot it's characters from the beginning as opposed to one who spent the first thirty developing and getting us to know these characters just for them to set absorbed in an on-rails, go from point A to point B to setpiece C to disaster D and it's very good narrative was lost. The second half of the movie almost had no plot and I actually thought the main character died numerous times because

Spoiler:

he was playing Finding Nemo with a nuclear warhead

. Aside from the complete devolution of everything that made the first half good, it's all very well made: the CGI is rarely flashy and really helps set up an atmosphere, there is no slow motion or really any tricks and there was a definite Cloverfield approach in rarely showing us the full scope of the monsters for most of the movie, mostly from the smaller perspectives watching it on the ground or the TV and there are some really nice shots in it as well. From a production value it's a pretty top notch Blockbuster except for one small problem: it's not the least bit exciting. There are many sequences in the movie that are understated spectacles locked into fixed perspectives that really allow the scope of the monsters and the film to breathe. This final gripe is spoiler filled so don't read unless you haven't seen

Spoiler:

In this film presumably tens to hundreds of thousands of people die, entire cities get laid to waste, a nuclear bomb goes off, a nuclear plant crumbles to dust and a husband tragically loses his wife (in the first five minutes or so at that) but they can't kill a kid (who also conviently finds his family without actually looking in the midst of the confusion and chais) or a dog who magically frees himself from his leash like it was made of paper...grow some balls...are you telling me in all those people that died there wasn't a single kid or dog or cat or horse or whatever in there somewhere? I just watched Mimic and two kids die brutal deaths in it!

After the first half this was getting a solid four stars from me, and if it wasn't for how nice the second half was to look at, it would have gotten two stars from me, so I'm going in the middle. 3/5

[Mattrick]

The Orphanage - 10/10
Timecrimes - 7/10

Fixed it.

[fernandito]

Nope, 8/10 is just fine.

[Mattrick]

Thomas is sad now.

[fernandito]

Godzilla - 6.5/10

[thegunslinger41]

Neighbors 8.5/10

[Still Servant]

This was a film I had been eager to see ever since finding out that Joseph Gordon-Levitt had both written and directed it. The subject material of a man's addiction to porn also promised something both a little more subversive and a little more frank than the usual rom-com, but even with my high expectations for something a little different, this film really surprised me in so many ways.

Firstly, it's a great examination of how some people can have unrealistic expectations of both sex and relationships, not just because of porn or even how much media and advertising use sex to sell easily, but with movies too, particularly more traditional, generic romantic films (there's a wonderful example with cameos from Channing Tatum and Anne Hatherway doing a little bit of self parody at one point). It also avoids telling the story you'd expect it to tell with the romance angle, and while I won't give much away, it's wonderful to see a romantic film where neither of the leads are exactly perfect.

Also, gotta say that while this film does have more than a few unexpected layers (particularly in the development of Jon), it also has to be said that this film is fucking hysterical. This is partially due to Don's rather frank narration (his reasons for why he actually prefers porn to actual sex are just brilliant to listen to), but also it's full of little things like the expressions Jon's mostly silent sister keeps making as she texts. Oh, and I have never found a log-on sound funnier than in this movie. (Well, maybe with one nsfw exception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUaSQBHgH-0) Its repeated use throughout the film is just so brilliantly done, especially when it comes up when its least expected. As it goes on though, you do hope to hear it less, not because it's annoying, but because you begin to realise just how addicted to porn Jon really is.

This film is definitely one of the best rom-coms I've seen in a while, and it's a film I wished I had been able to see at the cinema when it came out. Needless to say, I'll be keeping an eye out for any more JG-L directed films. 9/10

Really great review, James. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm a huge fan of JGL's work and I can't wait until he writes and directs another film. I must say that I feel Don Jon is one of the more misunderstood films to be released in recent memory. It's right up there with Lars and the Real Girl. People watch the trailers for both of these films and automatically think they know what they are getting. In reality, both films have way more to offer than what is at the surface.

I haven't found the time or desire to write full reviews for some of the films I've seen recently. Hell, I can barely find the time to watch movies. I worked 7 days straight last week and 8 to 8 on Sunday. Needless to say, I took today off and went to the movies to watch not one but two films. There's nothing like spending the day in a dark theater. Even though both films I saw are hardly great, I had a fun time.

Godzilla - 7.0/10

Most of the problems I have with Godzilla, Matt already covered. I won't repeat them, but I will add one of my own. The male lead was a big problem for me, at least when he is on the screen, which is sometimes rare. I like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, I just don't think he's a very good actor. I liked him in Kick-Ass and well, that's about it. He hasn't done much. I thought he was at his best in Nowhere Boy where he played a young John Lennon. In Godzilla, Taylor-Johnson literally has 1 facial expression. Needless to say, Godzilla actually has way more facial expressions.

Like Matt also mentioned, Godzilla has a lot going for it. The film looks good and the special effects are downright jaw-dropping. I also thought the music was very good. Easily some of the best music I've heard in a summer blockbuster since Jurassic Park.

I will say that I've never been much of a Godzilla guy, so I don't know much about the Godzilla lore except what has seeped into my pop culture knowledge. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Godzilla

Spoiler:

wasn't the villain in the film. He was the hero. Like some kind of prehistoric bounty hunter or an Old West gunslinger that strides off into the sunset as the dust settles.

Pretty cool actually.

Neighbors - 7.5/10

I'm a sucker for Seth Rogen. I've pretty much seen everything he's been in. Neighbors is a harmless enough comedy, but it certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel or take its place among other similar sophomoric comedies. Once you get past the fact that somebody that looks like Seth Rogen can attract somebody as beautiful as Rose Byrne, the film settles in quite nicely.

Although I don't have kids yet, I'm at the same age as the characters and I can relate to their plight. I feel like the world has passed me by and I'm no longer cool, at least in the eyes of the tweeting teens and college kids. Growing up seems to be a constant battle for me. It's great to be an adult, but the problems and stress that come with it do not outweigh the carefree lifestyle of my youth.

One of the best parts of the film is Zac Efron. I know he's kind of been typecast, but he does a nice job here as the pretty-boy, hard body and even harder partying frat dude. I think Efron has some acting chops and even a little bit of comedic timing. The biggest problem with Neighbors is the fact that most of its funniest moments were spoiled by multiple trailers. A growing plague in the industry.

[fernandito]

Godzilla - 7.0/10

Most of the problems I have with Godzilla, Matt already covered. I won't repeat them, but I will add one of my own. The male lead was a big problem for me, at least when he is on the screen, which is sometimes rare. I like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, I just don't think he's a very good actor. I liked him in Kick-Ass and well, that's about it. He hasn't done much. I thought he was at his best in Nowhere Boy where he played a young John Lennon. In Godzilla, Taylor-Johnson literally has 1 facial expression. Needless to say, Godzilla actually has way more facial expressions.

Like Matt also mentioned, Godzilla has a lot going for it. The film looks good and the special effects are downright jaw-dropping. I also thought the music was very good. Easily some of the best music I've heard in a summer blockbuster since Jurassic Park.

I will say that I've never been much of a Godzilla guy, so I don't know much about the Godzilla lore except what has seeped into my pop culture knowledge. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Godzilla

Spoiler:

wasn't the villain in the film. He was the hero. Like some kind of prehistoric bounty hunter or an Old West gunslinger that strides off into the sunset as the dust settles.

Pretty cool actually.

One of my biggest problems with Godzilla was that he didn't feel like the main character of his own movie! I know the director was going for the classic Godzilla film where the monster is hyped up during the first half of the film and then have it pay off during the second, but it just didn't work in this film where all of the actors (save Cranston) were so one note.

[Still Servant]

Totally agree, Feev. Also, Elizabeth Olsen is too good of an actress to be wasted in a role like that. Also, I'm not sure I see why you needed Juliette Binoche in the role of Cranston's wife.

[Heather19]

So I watched this movie The Reincarnation of Peter Proud this past weekend. It takes place in one of my neighboring towns, and a lot of it was filmed around here. Kinda funny to see so many places I know featured prominently in a movie, especially how they put them all together. They really should film more movies out here.

[DoctorDodge]

This was a film I had been eager to see ever since finding out that Joseph Gordon-Levitt had both written and directed it. The subject material of a man's addiction to porn also promised something both a little more subversive and a little more frank than the usual rom-com, but even with my high expectations for something a little different, this film really surprised me in so many ways.

Firstly, it's a great examination of how some people can have unrealistic expectations of both sex and relationships, not just because of porn or even how much media and advertising use sex to sell easily, but with movies too, particularly more traditional, generic romantic films (there's a wonderful example with cameos from Channing Tatum and Anne Hatherway doing a little bit of self parody at one point). It also avoids telling the story you'd expect it to tell with the romance angle, and while I won't give much away, it's wonderful to see a romantic film where neither of the leads are exactly perfect.

Also, gotta say that while this film does have more than a few unexpected layers (particularly in the development of Jon), it also has to be said that this film is fucking hysterical. This is partially due to Don's rather frank narration (his reasons for why he actually prefers porn to actual sex are just brilliant to listen to), but also it's full of little things like the expressions Jon's mostly silent sister keeps making as she texts. Oh, and I have never found a log-on sound funnier than in this movie. (Well, maybe with one nsfw exception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUaSQBHgH-0) Its repeated use throughout the film is just so brilliantly done, especially when it comes up when its least expected. As it goes on though, you do hope to hear it less, not because it's annoying, but because you begin to realise just how addicted to porn Jon really is.

This film is definitely one of the best rom-coms I've seen in a while, and it's a film I wished I had been able to see at the cinema when it came out. Needless to say, I'll be keeping an eye out for any more JG-L directed films. 9/10

Really great review, James. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm a huge fan of JGL's work and I can't wait until he writes and directs another film. I must say that I feel Don Jon is one of the more misunderstood films to be released in recent memory. It's right up there with Lars and the Real Girl. People watch the trailers for both of these films and automatically think they know what they are getting. In reality, both films have way more to offer than what is at the surface.

Cheers, Mike. As for watching a trailer for a film and believing you know exactly what you're getting, along with Don Jon, I had the exact same experience with Filth. The red-band trailer made it look like a very black comedy in excess, but both myself and Melike were pleasantly surprised when we discovered there was a great deal more to it. I was glad to see that with Don Jon, although a noticeably more optimistic film by comparison, gave me a similar experience of discovering some wonderful hidden depths, as well.

So I watched this movie The Reincarnation of Peter Proud this past weekend. It takes place in one of my neighboring towns, and a lot of it was filmed around here. Kinda funny to see so many places I know featured prominently in a movie, especially how they put them all together. They really should film more movies out here.

I know what you mean. There was a British gangster film in the late 90s, Essex Boys, that was very loosely based on a true story. One thing I liked about it was that it was (for this particular Essex boy, at least) very recognisably shot in my home town, particularly down the seafront, which I really appreciated. It has to be said that Southend seafront does look great at night, with its mix of clubs, pubs and arcades all brightly lit. There was a James MacAvoy film, Starter for Ten (great British romcom, by the way) that had some scenes supposedly set in Southend, but it's one of those movies where if you're a local, you'd laugh your fucking arse off at how it clearly wasn't shot where you live.

Then again, there was a line of dialogue at least ("It's my ghetto blaster." "Which ghetto's that?" "It's Westcliff-on-Sea!") that was so incredibly spot-on that it just about made up for it!

[Mattrick]

Neighbors - 7.5/10

I'm a sucker for Seth Rogen. I've pretty much seen everything he's been in. Neighbors is a harmless enough comedy, but it certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel or take its place among other similar sophomoric comedies. Once you get past the fact that somebody that looks like Seth Rogen can attract somebody as beautiful as Rose Byrne, the film settles in quite nicely.

Although I don't have kids yet, I'm at the same age as the characters and I can relate to their plight. I feel like the world has passed me by and I'm no longer cool, at least in the eyes of the tweeting teens and college kids. Growing up seems to be a constant battle for me. It's great to be an adult, but the problems and stress that come with it do not outweigh the carefree lifestyle of my youth.

One of the best parts of the film is Zac Efron. I know he's kind of been typecast, but he does a nice job here as the pretty-boy, hard body and even harder partying frat dude. I think Efron has some acting chops and even a little bit of comedic timing. The biggest problem with Neighbors is the fact that most of its funniest moments were spoiled by multiple trailers. A growing plague in the industry.

Effron was good and I thought Neighbours was a good film for him to molt from his teenage image while still kind of tying it around his neck. I'm hoping for him to have a bright future. But to me, the most surprising part of the film was David Franco who didn't have near the screentime as Rogen/Byrne/Effron but made more of his scenes than they did. It was nice to see Rose Byrne in a lighter role too where she gets to show some personality because it's been a few years sine Bridesmaids. I've always thought she was a good actress whose either been diluted in an ensembled like X-Men First Class or given a limited range in genre films like Insidious 1/2, 28 Weeks Later and Sunshine.

[Still Servant]

Good point about David Franco, Matt. I meant to mention that I really enjoyed him in Neighbors. I actually really like Franco as an actor. The first time I saw him was on Scrubs and I've seen much of his work since. I think Neighbors is actually his best stuff. I know a lot of people are annoyed by him, but I think he has talent.

I also love Rose Byrne. The first film I saw her in was Troy and she really caught my eye for multiple reasons. Even though the war is said to be started over the beauty of Helen, played by Diane Kruger, I felt Byrne's character was way more beautiful. I think Byrne is a great actress too and I'm not sure why she hasn't become a household name yet.

[Ricky]

Godzilla

I’ve never seen a Godzilla movie. That may be hard to believe, but it’s true. I know the basic pop-culture knowledge about the creature and its film legacy, but not much more. But the marketing campaign and teasers (that showed just enough intrigue and monster-induced havoc) for Gareth Edwards’s reboot of the classic franchise made me think to change that.

In a suspenseful prologue, two scientists (played by Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins) are called to investigate a giant skeleton and two (related?) egg-shaped pods, while a nearby nuclear plant experiencing seismic activity collapses. While it’s publicized that the disaster was attributed to an earthquake, plant supervisor Joe Brody (played by a fully-committed Bryan Cranston) is convinced that something else, something bigger, is to blame.

15 years later, it seems as if whatever caused the seismic activity is about to emerge again, and in addition to Cranston’s determined, truth-seeking Joe, we’re introduced to his military son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and his wife, Elle (Elizabeth Olson), who, while great in her role, isn’t given much to do. Taylor-Johnson’s Ford is good in small doses—playing the concerned son or the contented husband—but just doesn’t have the charisma (or character development) for him to become the film’s main protagonist. This could have been remedied by switching Cranston’s position in the film with Taylor-Johnson’s. We sympathize much more with Cranston than the stone-faced military husband. Such a reversal of focus would have made for a more intrigue-based film (while also giving us more of an emotional attachment to the character and his successes and failures in unraveling the mystery and attempting to prevent disaster) rather than a military-focused one. After all, wouldn’t we rather learn about and revel in the unfolding history of the iconic beast, rather than inside information about the military’s plan to destroy it?

To see whether or not these characters are working is to ask ourselves: would we care if any of them met their demise in the film? Probably. But not for the right reasons. When they’re put in actual danger we find ourselves thinking, Aw, she’s such a good wife! or But he loves her! or Aw, what a cute kid! rather than having real, emotional ties to the characters like we do with Cranston’s Joe Brody.

Godzilla’s first half is an interesting, character-driven creature film giving us a chance to discover and wonder and fear along with the characters. Then, however, in a strange twist of events, Godzilla is usurped in his own movie—and he (and the filmmakers) don’t seem to care. Rather than honing in on his origins and the threat that he poses to the world (after all, multiple countries are affected), all sense of a mystery unraveling is abandoned in favor of the appearance of the MUTOS (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms). Following their arrival, the film’s second half, though considerably more action-packed, is also, ironically, considerably less thrilling. When the MUTOs are on screen, the CGI is impressive and visually immersive, but the creatures as a whole are kind of silly (they look like metal-plated bat-crickets). They don’t evoke the same sense of intrigue that we have for the titular creature, and their presence seems justified to give Godzilla something to fight, providing epic battle sequences and the destruction of entire cities that the filmmakers believe the audience craves. As the minutes tick by, their time on screen lengthens which instead should be focused on the creature for which the movie is titled. (Some possible alternate titles for the movie: Where’s Godzilla?, Find the Nuke!, MUTOS: The Movie, How to Reunite with Loved Ones in the Midst of Disaster with No Trouble at All.)

My familiarity with the source material isn’t too extensive, but I’m not sure how I feel about Godzilla’s involvement in the film’s climax—and the film as a whole. Should we be rooting for the mysterious creature? Or should we be as terrified as the movie’s characters, fearing destruction, the loss of lives, and all that he is capable of?

Despite its flaws, Godzilla boasts an incredibly well-made, focused, and dramatized first half. The music—composed by Alexandre Desplat—is fantastic, doing exactly what a film’s soundtrack should do in this type of film: setting the scene and heightening our sense of intrigue while hinting at things to come. The film overall hits a lot of good points, but it’s also missing a crucial one: letting Godzilla—and the intrigue surrounding him and his history—be the focus of his own movie.

7/10

[Ricky]

Godzilla: What a terribly unbalanced movie. The first half told a very good, family centric and character driven story that really surprised me and having Bryan Cranston to help hit those dramatic notes really helped, but the second half just simply forgot it's characters, which wouldn't be so bad in a film that forgot it's characters from the beginning as opposed to one who spent the first thirty developing and getting us to know these characters just for them to set absorbed in an on-rails, go from point A to point B to setpiece C to disaster D and it's very good narrative was lost...Aside from the complete devolution of everything that made the first half good, it's all very well made: the CGI is rarely flashy and really helps set up an atmosphere...and there are some really nice shots in it as well. From a production value it's a pretty top notch Blockbuster except for one small problem: it's not the least bit exciting.

Totally agree 100%, Matt.

In Godzilla, Taylor-Johnson literally has 1 facial expression.

Like Matt also mentioned, Godzilla has a lot going for it. The film looks good and the special effects are downright jaw-dropping. I also thought the music was very good.

I agree with you, Mike, especially about the music. I thought it was really, really good.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Godzilla

Spoiler:

wasn't the villain in the film. He was the hero.

See, this was one of the main things I had a problem with.

Spoiler:

Godzilla being the hero then puts all the character development on the MUTOs' shoulders, and there's not a lot in the film to make us care or be intrigued about them like we are with Godzilla.

One of my biggest problems with Godzilla was that he didn't feel like the main character of his own movie! I know the director was going for the classic Godzilla film where the monster is hyped up during the first half of the film and then have it pay off during the second, but it just didn't work in this film where all of the actors (save Cranston) were so one note.

Agreed.

[Still Servant]

Fabulous review, Ricky. You and Matt captured so much of my feelings about the film.

You're totally right about Godzilla having his own movie hijacked from him. I kind of felt cheated in a way that the other creatures were getting so much screen time. I paid to see Godzilla fuck shit up, not some massive insect.

Interestingly enough, some of the people I've talked to were actually confused. They thought the first creature introduced was actually Godzilla. Granted, some of these people are stupid, but I can kind of see where they are coming from. At least at first.

[Ricky]

Thanks, Mike! I appreciate that.

And I can understand where those people are coming from, especially since--if I'm remembering correctly--the first MUTO is shown on screen before Godzilla is.

[Mattrick]

The music was good but there's a reason Alexandre Desplat just got an oscar nom for Philomena, because he's awesome. I didn't actually like Godzilla at all and found the MUTO's to be far more interesting (probably because they reminded me so much of the Cloverfield monster) and I enjoyed how National Geographic they felt, watching them kind of going through a mating ritual with offering the nuke as a mating gift and their dance and I think it would have been better to actually kind of see them mate but the film, of course, took the safe approach. Someone on Ebert's site in the comments was defending the movies dark realism of a monster attack and I said

Spoiler:

Dark realism? You mean the film that went out of it's way to show people falling out of a train EXCEPT of course for the kid who gets not only saved but miraculously finds his family in all of five seconds without even actually looking for them in a city of millions of dislocated people (I mean, The Impossible was an underwhelming film to me but it's best aspect was how well it conveyed dislocation in the wake of disaster) and Ford was like 'plot tied unrealistically mended' and went off for the nuke (again), and not to mention the dog that summons super canine strength to break snap his leash and outrun a storm surge that kills hundreds of people (but not the dog) and the camera pans over to more children who get inside a store whose plate glass windows barely crack against the pressure of millions of tonnes of rushing water filled with people and debris and cars etc...yeah, that's real dark realism there!

If there is one thing I can thank Godzilla for is that it made me appreciate Cloverfield 200% more when I re-watched it the other day...goddamn that is an awesome monster movie and I'm waiting for the sequel even more now, which has a slate on imdb.

[Randall Flagg]

Viewed "Her" on an in flight movie. I really enjoyed the film. In a slightly futuristic Los Angeles people are so "connected" (everyone walks around talking to to their self or others via an ear bud) that they are literally dysfunctional when interacting with others on a one-on-one personal basis. Joaquin Phoenix is a "personal note" writer for a future gift card company. He's bored, stifled and an extreme introvert. His life changes when he loads a brand new Operating System on his phones and computers. A sentient, digital (never physically seen) Scarlett Johansson becomes his personal assistant and "lover".
Johansson does a phenomenal job as a voice. Slowly paced, but never boring.
Don't want to spoil it so just go see it.
5/6 Beers on the RFSPRS.

[Mattrick]

Her quickly became one of my favourite movies. The second time through you really see how well constructed it is. I especially loved Jonze's use of silent images with music or dialogue playing over it. And for all the serious, contemplativeness of the film there are some very good laughs thrown in to balance it out.

[fernandito]

I need to do a review of X-Men, I fucking loved it.

Fucking loved it/10

[webstar1000]

I need to do a review of X-Men, I fucking loved it.

Fucking loved it/10

LOOOOL That is so good. I heard it is in the same category as Dark Knight... and that is one of my favs of all time! I seen Non-Stop last night and I loved it till the end... kind of let it go a bit but I would say 7/10. kris

[pathoftheturtle]

I need to do a review of X-Men, I fucking loved it.

Fucking loved it/10

LOOOOL That is so good. I heard it is in the same category as Dark Knight... and that is one of my favs of all time!

No way. Like First Class, it's still just in the Batman Begins category.

[Roden]

Viewed "Her" on an in flight movie. I really enjoyed the film. In a slightly futuristic Los Angeles people are so "connected" (everyone walks around talking to to their self or others via an ear bud) that they are literally dysfunctional when interacting with others on a one-on-one personal basis. Joaquin Phoenix is a "personal note" writer for a future gift card company. He's bored, stifled and an extreme introvert. His life changes when he loads a brand new Operating System on his phones and computers. A sentient, digital (never physically seen) Scarlett Johansson becomes his personal assistant and "lover".
Johansson does a phenomenal job as a voice. Slowly paced, but never boring.
Don't want to spoil it so just go see it.
5/6 Beers on the RFSPRS.

Agreed. It's one of the "way too slowly paced" movies I really enjoyed. It's almost like it gives you time to think about what's going on, the repercussions for humanity and so on. And it's all done in such a believable way. I think drinking enhances the experience also