My Movie Watching Project

Ghostbusters - 4.5/5
I've seen it, but hadn't seen it in many years. Bill Murray is, of course, great. Sigorney Weaver looks amazing, even for the 80s.

I really do feel that the 80s were, for the most part, a blot on human history. Very few good things came out of the 80s. This includes people.

I try not to hold the 80s against movies made in the 80s, but it's impossible to escape.

Eddie Murphy was originally supposed to play Winston Zeddemore, and I always wonder how Ghostbusters would have turned out if this had happened. I don't think it would have been nearly as great because Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray would be competing for laughs and Peter Venkman wouldn't be as interesting as a result.
 
It wouldn't have been a problem. If you notice, Winston gets a staggering number of good lines when you consider it's kinda THREE GHOSTBUSTERS AND THAT OTHER ONE. Had Murphy been Winston, it would've felt like a four-man ensemble in a different way. I like Ernie Hudson in it a great deal, and he does a good job, but I think he doesn't 'fit' in as well as Murphy might've since Murphy was part of the SNL crew of the time (and it was written for him).
 
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince - 4/5
I'm really enjoying these. I wish I could understand them better though. The accents are so thick that we are having trouble understanding them...I'm having to provide a running commentary for my 6-year old.

Elektra Luxx - 0/5
Ho-lee-crap. This was awful. Everything about it was awful. The acting was terrible, the editing was terrible, the story was stupid and pointless...I think I started having a panic attack because I was afraid it wasn't going to end. How can competent actors be this bad? I've seen Marley Shelton and Joseph Gordon Levitt in other movies; they aren't this bad.

11:14 - 4.5/5
This, on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise. Clever plot and storytelling. Some parts were a little too silly but they did little to take away from the overall film.

O Brother Where Art Thou - 5/5
Another one of my favorite movies - I've seen it before but just wanted to rewatch it. I think I would appreciate it even more if I remembered Homer's Odyssey better. George Clooney & Tim Blake Nelson's performances are awesome.
 
Robin Hood: Men In Tights - 3/5
Pretty funny, kind of dated, but not too bad.

Predator - 3/5
Another example of a movie that probably would've been a lot better if it got moving faster. I did like how they built suspense by not showing the creature but the ending where he finally "appears" could've been better. The costume effects on the Predator were great, especially for the time it was made.
 
The Lion King - 5/5
Not officially part of the movie watching project but I got it and watched it with my kids, and was reminded what a top-to-bottom amazingly solid movie this is. The part where Simba and Nala first rediscover each other ("Can You Feel The Love Tonight") is seriously a better romantic scene that almost any movie I've ever seen. Also, my son's mind was blown once he realized that Mufasa was Darth Vader.

The Beaver - 4/5
Parts of this were so awkward that I couldn't tell if it was being sad or funny, but I liked this. Go ahead and make fun of me if you want, but it was good aside from the weird musical score in places. I like Mel Gibson, personality problems aside, and thought he was good here.

Underworld - 2.5/5
A couple of plots twists that would've meant more if I'd been made to care more about the characters. Too long. And vampires....ugh. Good action scenes. I converted all 3 of the movies to watch but I don't know if I'll continue with the rest.
 
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 - 4.5/5
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 4.5/5
My kids and I watched Part 1 and liked it so much we ran to the theater over the weekend to see Part 2 rather than wait for it to come to video. Awesome end to the whole thing, and I think I'll post more in the actual thread because I had some questions about things I wasn't clear on.

The Wolfman - 4/5
I'm not a big fan of vampire or werewolf movies but this was entertaining. After reading some of the reviews after I watched it it seems clear that some people think it's a poor remake and missing elements from the original, but I never saw the original (at least not that I can remember) so it didn't affect my enjoyment of it.

Snakes On A Plane - 4/5
I put this off and put this off because it looked stupid, but it was fun stupid so it was OK.
 
OK, I haven't updated in a while. Plus, the Detroit Tigers were in the ALCS and I didn't get to watch as many movies lately.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 3/5
This is easily the worst of the trilogy. I can't remember what I rated this when I saw it in the theater, but I'm sure it was higher than 3/5. It shouldn't be. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was absolutely horrendous and almost ruined the whole movie. The acting and the dialogue were worst than the first 2 by far; not that they were good before. The positive with #3 is that the effects and the Transformer fights were above and beyond. There were seriously incredible. Part of that is the 7-year-old E thrilled to see "real" Transformers fights, but I think anyone can appreciate that the last half hour carried the entire movie.

Fast Five - 5/5
Was not expecting to like this. Watching a movie about racing cars has about as much appeal to me as watching real cars race for 2 hours, but Proj said this was good so I gave it a go. I didn't know that they changed the franchise starting with this movie. The stunts were incredible, especially anything having to do with the vault, and the story was solid, too. I was impressed.

The Last Samurai - 4/5
I went through a mini Tom Cruise kick and decided to watch this - I really enjoyed it. Lots of cliches but everything about it was solid.

Die Hard 2 - 3/5
I do not understand the appeal of these movies. At least the first 2, anyway. I haven't see the others. The one-liners are comically bad. Who writes that crap? But just like the first one, the last third or so was almost worth sitting through the rest of it. I've decided to keep with these because I have to hope that they stopped writing one-liners like this. It might not sound like much but it was so stupid it ruined the movie for me.

Mission: Impossible 3 - 5/5
The best one so far. I liked the twists and of course the action was great.

The Fighter - 5/5
Every actor in The Fighter was amazing and the last fight was intense. I can tell the level of intensity in a movie fight by whether or not my arm/hand subconsciously twitches along with the punches. It did a couple times here.

Mission: Impossible 2 - 4/5
The plot was good but lacking, especially compared to the other films. It just wasn't as engaging. But the action sequences were great.
 
Ultimate Houde said:
Die Hard 2 is the worse of the franchise.

1 and 2 might as well have been the same movie.
 
You need to add Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to your list.
 
I don't remember anyone here saying much about Chronicle. Did you guys see it and like it? I watched it last night and thought it was really good. Having re-read Miracleman lately I was struck by some of the similarities in that final battle.

I also watched Step Brothers over the weekend and thought it was hilarious.
 
I liked Chronicle too. It has Wallace from The Wire in it and I love that guy.

Step Brothers is amazing.
 

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