Movies "The last movie you've seen" thread

Write a mini-review of the last movie you've seen, whether it was in the theater, in the airplane or at home.

TRY TO KEEP SPOILERS AT A MINIMUM!

I Am Legend

Starring: Will Smith
Seen at: Cinema

Storyline's done before (28 Days Later), but it's been pulled off decently in this flick. The special effects guys have done a very good job of transforming New York City into the desolate wasteland it is in the film, and Will Smith does a believable job of portraying someone who's on the brink of losing sanity. All in all, atmospheric and suspenseful, and touching at moments. What's less impressive are the 'other' special effects though, which really cheapen the overall experience. Surely, someone should've noticed halfway during the production and decided to do something about it? Anyway, if you watch the film, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Score: 6.5 out of 10
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Film: Pan's Labyrinth
in spanish "El Laberinto del Fauno"

Director: Guillermo del Toro

I saw it some days ago in DVD with DTS and it is a very very very nice movie.
Its all in spanish, :-( but it's very well produced, and it has very good spectial effects.
It has some details of roman/greek mythology.

the name in english is "Pan's Labyrinth", references to the creature as a greek God Pan, but the original title "El Laberinto del Fauno" references to the creature (Faun) witch is a Roman mythologic creature

IMDB:
In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again

Score: 8.5 out of 10
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Film: The Hogfather
Starring: Great A'Tuin and some of his/her parasites.
Seen on: DVD
At long last one of Terry Pratchetts Discworld books finally gets the live action treatment. Probably the best Discworld book to be adapted as there is little of the worlds mythology and the amount that there is is easily explained. I have to say that i found some of the casting to be poor at best. Mark Warrens Teatime (Te-ah tim-eh) had the most annoying psuedo American accent. Nigel Planer as the wizard was too old, Joss Akland was again too old and don't talk too me about Nobby Nobbs. As you are reading this it may sound as though i hated it. Well i didn't. I just have different characters in mind when i read the books. It is a good adaptation and stays true too the book but just doesn't quite hit the mark for me.

Score:7 out of 10
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When a book you are already a fan of is finally adapted into a film the characterisation is never perfect. I had the same problem with Lord of the Rings, but I still enjoyed the films because I just accepted it.

I also really enjoyed The Hogfather when it was originally aired a year ago. Very nicely made, and although as you say some characters were not quite right for their parts, or they were too old, they all acted well and made it an enjoyable experience.

Now to the last film I watched.

Film: The Golden Compass
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ian McKellen, Eva Green, Christopher Lee... and too many more to list.
Seen at: Cinema

This is one of the current "must see" films everyone is talking about. I read the books a few years ago and really enjoyed them. The second book especially. So I was excited to see how they had converted it into a film.

The first book, and this film, really just introduce you to the universe, dust, the Alethiometer, and the characters the form the good and evil sides of the story. It is the second, and next film, where things will really get interesting.

The big problem with this film is that in the book many aspects remained a mystery until later, when they were either slowly discovered and unveiled, or left unanswered until the next book. In the film everything gets answered straight away, or the audience is told about it instantly. Therefore is really removed most of the mystery from the story.

*spoiler warning*
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In the first book you don't even discover what dust can do or in the existence of alternative worlds. But in the film you are told all about it in the first few minutes of the film starting.

*spoiler over*

I would say that the film feels on a level with the recent Narnia film. That also didn't live up to the book, or the original BBC production. It followed the story fine, but played it by numbered without much real feeling injected by the director. Especially when you compare it to how the Lord of the Rings films were directed and produced.

You could also compare The Golden Compass to Happy Potter. The first Potter film did a brilliant job of introducing the audience to the mysteries of the magical world and Hogwarts, and The Golden Compass should have been told in a similar manor.

But don't get me wrong, this film is still very nicely made and the characters are well cast too. The only ones I was not 100% convinced by were the bears. The animation hasn't quite polished enough for the level we have come to expect. And also the film leans heavily on CG in nearly ever scene.

If you haven't read the books I expect you will enjoy the film more because the whole story and universe will be new and interesting. If you have read the books then you will still enjoy the film, but will be a little disappointed about the lack of mystery or the dulled down characters and world.

It should have been made in a similar vain to Lord of the Rings, aimed at adults and approached from a serious perspective. Instead it has been directed with children firmly in mind and has suffered for it.

Score: 6 out of 10
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Apparently, The Golden Compass was a box-office disappointment (it didn't even rake in enough cash to break even), so now it's a question whether New Line is willing to continue the series.

I'll still go see it - even if it might not be a perfect film, from what I've seen in trailers it's a fun piece of entertainment.
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I've also heard that it hasn't done well at the box office, which seems odd as all the kids seem to be talking about it. Maybe it actually came out at the wrong time of year. It's definitely not a bad film and I would say it is much better than the recent Narnia effort.
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Halloween, the new one from Rob Zombie. Watched the DivX. I only wanted to see this one because it was directed by Rob Zombie. It's a remake of the first one, but not better, and not worse. Acting is very poor, it's a bit darker and you can see all the chicks naked, but that doesn't add anything to the movie. And the movie is sometimes very questionnable, like are they ra*ing the girl in Michael's cell??

Score: 4 out of 10
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I always question why they need to remake a film that was already a cult classic and a defining film in the genre. It is different when an original isn't good and needs to be remade, but when the original stands up well in it's own right I don't think there is a need. Look at the Dawn of the Dead remake as a good example.

I've not seen the new Halloween yet, and will probably wait until it is shown on Sky.
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Cloverfield

Starring: Michael Stahl, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman
Seen at: Cinema

Very much hyped through a massive viral marketing campaign carried out over the past months, but does it live up to the expectations?

I'd say, partly it does. Producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves managed to portray the chaos, destruction and panic of a city under attack by the unknown very effectively. There are some set pieces that are simply breathtaking. It's just a shame, though, that in trying to be as 'authentic' and 'realistic' as possible, the camerawork is truely nauseating, to the point of it being incredibly difficult to focus on anything at all. If you thought the shaky camera in The Bourne Ultimatum was bad, be prepared for an over-the-top experience here.

All in all though, I thought Cloverfield was a well done, tense film. It definitely could've done with a bit more background information, and the movie's ending might seem a tad abrupt, but I've enjoyed it nonetheless. Worth a look, if you don't have motion sickness.

Score: 6.8 out of 10
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