2012 Films Thread

[Steve9347]

Hollywood keeps trying to one-up itself with bad sequel ideas.

 

First, there was 'Anchorman 2', which I fear will ruin a really good thing, seriously, one of my favorite movies. Then the bastards in Hollywood announced 'Dumb & Dumber 2', a true sequel by the Farrelly Bros actually staring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, which we can all probably admit is just an awful idea that will obviously pique many of our collective interests just because we grew up loving and quoting the original.

 

Now comes word of a possible 'Twins' sequel - 'Twins: Triplets' where Arnold and Danny discover they actually have a third sibling... Eddie Murphy!

 

Gun + head = please.

[mumbles3k]

Has anyone seen "Case de mi Padre," the current Ferrell movie where he's speaking in Spanglish for most of it?

 

As far as the best movies for 2012 so far (there's no way I will agree with THE HUNGER GAMES for that category):

 

 

The Lorax

21 Jump Street

The Chronicle

The Grey

Red Tails

Friends with Kids

The Secret World of Arietty

 

 

Well, that could be right. Unless you included some of the movies that officially came out in December, 2011 and stretched into the New Year, the list is pretty bleak.

 

 

There haven't even been that many movies that were even 100% "entertaining": Safe House, Journey 2, Act of Valor, Contraband and Project X had their moments, but none of them were worth the price of admission.

 

I don't know if you have to include TITANIC 3-D on the list, technically it's NOT a new movie.

 

Out of that list, the only ones I've seen are:

 

21 Jump Street

Chronicle

The Grey

Red Tails

Safe House

Act of Valor

 

I enjoyed 21 JUMP STREET, CHRONICLE, and (ironically) ACT OF VALOR. But the only one I'd watch again is RED TAILS.

 

To me, THE HUNGER GAMES and HAYWIRE stand way above anything else so far. But then again, it's only April, and this year looks very promising.

 

TITANIC 3D doesn't count, or else that would clearly be the winner. However, I will say that the 3D conversion is excellent. If I didn't know better, I would've said they shot it in 3D.

[Kyyle23]

love the new Avengers spots showing Hulk destroying aliens. Also, I saw a screengrab of the aliens. Weird looking, here is a rundown of the possibilities of what they are

[FlaSoxxJim]

love the new Avengers spots showing Hulk destroying aliens. Also, I saw a screengrab of the aliens. Weird looking, here is a rundown of the possibilities of what they are

 

Korbinite/Beta Ray Bill was certainly the first thing that came to mind when I saw the still.

 

I'm hoping Joss Whedon nails this film. I have very high hopes for it.

[Kyyle23]

Korbinite/Beta Ray Bill was certainly the first thing that came to mind when I saw the still.

 

I'm hoping Joss Whedon nails this film. I have very high hopes for it.

 

It looks like non stop action, I also have very high hopes

[Balta1701]

[caulfield12]

I watched HAYWIRE and WRATH OF THE TITANS this weekend.

 

I thought Haywire made zero logical sense, but it had a great director, somewhat better and definitely tighter dialogue, and a worthwhile cast. Carano is one of those actresses like Linda Fiorentino or Michelle Monaghan who's not quite hot, but definitely watchable and interesting, if merely for her physical presence and stunts/kickboxing.

 

As an aside, can Channing Tatum be in any more movies this year?

 

I defer to Ebert's review of Titans. I would say it was the worst 3D movie I've ever seen, if not for the existence of CONAN. Although I do have have to admit a small crush on Rosamund Pike, who plays Queen Andromeda, ever since I saw her as Madonna's fencing foe in one of the Bond movies.

 

 

And finally, I tried to make it through Bucky Larson, but that might actually be the god awful worst movie EVER. Has anyone else seen it? Not just as a native Iowan, for the stupid jokes and stereotypes, but anyone from Adam Sandler and Christina Ricci on down should have been horribly embarassed when this movie actually made it to the theatres. It definitely should have been a straight to video release, and Kevin Nealon, you are REALLY not funny now.

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2012 by caulfield12

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Saw the Hunger Games today. Really liked it. I'm very interested in what is going on in their future world, and want to learn more about that part of the story. Only things I didn't like was the obvious love story and how those "dog" type beasts that were created chased them for a good quarter mile, but never caught them. What the hell, how could they possible outrun 4 of those things for more than 5 seconds?

[caulfield12]

That, and they telegraphed everything too much by having the Gamekeeper (Wes Bentley) designing them in the studio...and removing all their harrowing, human characteristics, so they weren't really scary at all compared to the dreadful/ominous feeling evoked in the books.

 

 

 

Huge box office fight coming up this weekend with Titanic 3D, American Reunion and Hunger Games. All expected to end up in the $30-35-40 million range.

 

 

 

The two new entries are getting tons of positive reviews, especially for Stiffler and Jason Biggs. Titanic received an A from EW.com's review:

 

There are two ways that it now looks different — and, if anything, they're both examples of how a movie can age almost karmically well. Fifteen years ago, the movie's class-war theme — the swells in their tuxedoes lounging amid the Titanic's creamy classical splendor, versus the lugs in steerage, led by Leonardo DiCaprio's penniless rapscallion bohemian Jack — seemed a fairly standard old-movie trope. Hollywood, after all, has never stopped fingering the rich as villains, and Cameron's portrayal of a gilded class seemed (intentionally) locked in its time. What a difference one global economic meltdown and the rise of our own gilded one percent makes! To me, Billy Zane's unctuous performance as Rose's jerk-of-high-finance fiancé looks more resonant and less cartoonish than it did then. It now speaks to a sense of entitlement that's on the rise in our world.

 

The other way that Titanic has gained with the years is that it's all but impossible to watch the sinking of the Titanic itself — an instant human abyss almost beyond imagining — without thinking of 9/11. And by that I don't mean to imply that Cameron, in some mystical way, anticipated the 21st century's most infamous day. I mean that it's more potently clear than ever that the levels of dread and tragedy he packed into this movie cannot be consigned to some iconic historical event from 1912. That kind of mass death and horror is something that technology, in different forms (a gargantuan ocean liner; a gargantuan building and a speeding airplane), makes possible, and always will.

[Steve9347]

That, and they telegraphed everything too much by having the Gamekeeper (Wes Bentley) designing them in the studio...and removing all their harrowing, human characteristics, so they weren't really scary at all compared to the dreadful/ominous feeling evoked in the books.

I thought the fact that the dogs were the departed contestants was idiotic and stupid, in the book.

[GoodAsGould]

I thought the fact that the dogs were the departed contestants was idiotic and stupid, in the book.

 

Why? I thought it added to the idea of how disgusting the government in the Capitol is and shows how little they value people in the districts if the Hunger Games wasn't enough an insult.

[LittleHurt05]

That, and they telegraphed everything too much by having the Gamekeeper (Wes Bentley) designing them in the studio...and removing all their harrowing, human characteristics, so they weren't really scary at all compared to the dreadful/ominous feeling evoked in the books.

 

I enjoyed seeing the GameKeeper telegraph everything. It added emphasis to the fact how the whole Capitol thought of it as some fun game, while these kids are being slaughtered.

 

It would have been cooler if they would have added the human characteristics. To give the similar dreadful feeling they had in the book, the human characteristics had to be portrayed with much detail IMO, nothing very cheesy visually, and it might have taken extra screen time to fully show who they were. Maybe they decided it wasn't worth the extra $$$/time?

[CrimsonWeltall]

I enjoyed seeing the GameKeeper telegraph everything. It added emphasis to the fact how the whole Capitol thought of it as some fun game, while these kids are being slaughtered.

 

I liked the part where the GameKeeper put much-needed supplies in the Cornucopia to lure people in, but the rest of his interactions were stupid. How would you like to bet $1000 on some Tribute who then gets killed because the GameKeeper spawned 4 gorilla-dogs top of him? The games were neither sporting, fair, nor entertaining.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I liked the part where the GameKeeper put much-needed supplies in the Cornucopia to lure people in, but the rest of his interactions were stupid. How would you like to bet $1000 on some Tribute who then gets killed because the GameKeeper spawned 4 gorilla-dogs top of him? The games were neither sporting, fair, nor entertaining.

 

What I kept waiting to happen was see where the "sponsors" came in. They made such a big deal about needing to be sponsored, but when did that even come in to play? I never saw anyone get a care package from a sponsor. They did do the part where a "much needed item" was placed on that table, but they didn't say it had anything to do with sponsors, it seemed it was a risk/reward type thing that everyone had a chance to do.

[StrangeSox]

What I kept waiting to happen was see where the "sponsors" came in. They made such a big deal about needing to be sponsored, but when did that even come in to play? I never saw anyone get a care package from a sponsor. They did do the part where a "much needed item" was placed on that table, but they didn't say it had anything to do with sponsors, it seemed it was a risk/reward type thing that everyone had a chance to do.

 

It was important in the book.

[LittleHurt05]

What I kept waiting to happen was see where the "sponsors" came in. They made such a big deal about needing to be sponsored, but when did that even come in to play? I never saw anyone get a care package from a sponsor. They did do the part where a "much needed item" was placed on that table, but they didn't say it had anything to do with sponsors, it seemed it was a risk/reward type thing that everyone had a chance to do.

 

What about the medicine that flew in for Peeta? A parachute dropped in when Katniss was in a tree. I remember a few scenes where Woody Harrelson was chatting with the rich Capitol folk in an effort to gain sponsors.

[CrimsonWeltall]

What I kept waiting to happen was see where the "sponsors" came in. They made such a big deal about needing to be sponsored, but when did that even come in to play? I never saw anyone get a care package from a sponsor. They did do the part where a "much needed item" was placed on that table, but they didn't say it had anything to do with sponsors, it seemed it was a risk/reward type thing that everyone had a chance to do.

 

The only two uses of sponsors in the movie were the healing salve for Kat and...a healing salve for Peeta, both of which came with notes from Woody Harrelson.

 

Coming out of the movie, I had the same reaction as you: why did they make such a huge deal about sponsors over and over and over again when the only person who sent them anything was their rich coach? I read later that the sponsors buy the gifts and the coach sends them. Whatever.

 

I assume other sponsor gifts are mentioned in the book.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

What about the medicine that flew in for Peeta? A parachute dropped in when Katniss was in a tree. I remember a few scenes where Woody Harrelson was chatting with the rich Capitol folk in an effort to gain sponsors.

 

I was under the impression that those were from Woody Harrelson and not any random sponsors. They played up the fact that they need to be fan favorites and be loved, and then it appeared that never played any role in the end.

[StrangeSox]

I was under the impression that those were from Woody Harrelson and not any random sponsors. They played up the fact that they need to be fan favorites and be loved, and then it appeared that never played any role in the end.

 

Woody would be the one actually making the final call on those gifts but they're paid for by the sponsors.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Woody would be the one actually making the final call on those gifts but they're paid for by the sponsors.

 

Well then they did a terrible job portraying that in the film then, because it seems like a rather large plot hole.

[GoodAsGould]

Well then they did a terrible job portraying that in the film then, because it seems like a rather large plot hole.

 

I don't know about that, I went with 3 friends who never read the book and they figured the packages were from sponsors, think you just missed it.

[MiddleCoastBias]

Just got out of THE RAID: REDEMPTION... wow. Just... WOW. Unbelievable action movie. I know I posted a trailer to this movie months back as it was highlighted at the Toronto Film Fest, and the movie did not disappoint. It's by the same director as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon so just imagine that with guns, knives, and fists packed into the narrow hallways of an apartment building.

 

The action scenes are the best I've ever seen. Take the best scene in the Bourne series (the one that comes to mind for me is the one in the 3rd story apartment when Jason stabs the guy with the pen, etc. and then he jumps out of the window) and extend it 30x. It was so intense that I was legitimately left breathless at a few points; I can't count how many times I heard someone murmur "holy s***!" or "whoa...". That being said, it's one of the most violent films I can think of so it isn't for everyone; two young couples got up and left 12 minutes in.

 

Highly recommend. I might even see this one again in theaters, that excited.

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I don't know about that, I went with 3 friends who never read the book and they figured the packages were from sponsors, think you just missed it.

 

I mean, I saw Woody talking to the rich looking guy and shaking his hand, but that to me, made it seem like Woody was using his money/fame/charisma to get someone to give something to Katniss/Peeta, not that they did anything to actually earn it. Which is what I mean by it seems that the whole "be likeable and you will get stuff" didn't really show up in the movie because Woody was able to get what he wanted anyway. I don't know, it just bothered me that it played such a small or background role when they made it seem like sponsors were the reason anyone can survive. I was imagining weapons, food rations, camo, tents, and other important stuff being dropped to them, not just a can of vasoline and a bowl of soup.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Just got out of THE RAID: REDEMPTION... wow. Just... WOW. Unbelievable action movie. I know I posted a trailer to this movie months back as it was highlighted at the Toronto Film Fest, and the movie did not disappoint. It's by the same director as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon so just imagine that with guns, knives, and fists packed into the narrow hallways of an apartment building.

 

The action scenes are the best I've ever seen. Take the best scene in the Bourne series (the one that comes to mind for me is the one in the 3rd story apartment when Jason stabs the guy with the pen, etc. and then he jumps out of the window) and extend it 30x. It was so intense that I was legitimately left breathless at a few points; I can't count how many times I heard someone murmur "holy s***!" or "whoa...". That being said, it's one of the most violent films I can think of so it isn't for everyone; two young couples got up and left 12 minutes in.

 

Highly recommend. I might even see this one again in theaters, that excited.

 

I saw someone tweet about how it is just a non-stop action thriller where it's just constant battles for the entirety of the movie.

[MiddleCoastBias]

I saw someone tweet about how it is just a non-stop action thriller where it's just constant battles for the entirety of the movie.

 

The action start 4 minutes in. It ends 2 minutes before the credits.