Miscellaneous Movie Musings the Sequel

[innerSpaceman]

I didn't like "Rango," and that surprised me ... after being pleasantly surprised by nearly every non-Disney/Pixar animated film of the last couple of years. How to Train Your Dragon, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Monsters vs. Aliens, Megamind, and to a lesser extent Despicable Me were all pretty much good and/or adorable ... and four out of five of those much to my surprise.

Rango did zip for me. I didn't actively hate it, but it was absolutely meh.


Oh, and in the last year or so - Tangled (by Disney) was also really good, and I admit no desire to see Pixar's Cars 2 (though I'll likely Netflix it at some point.)

[cirquelover]

I didn't like Rango either but I did love Rio. The colors and details of the feathers was amazing.

[alphabassettgrrl]

"Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death" :

Every bit the B movie and awesome in the craptacularness. Predictable, but it's fun so I didn't care.

[Alex]

I really kind of loved Rango. It took me a while to get on board, but once it snagged me, I was good.

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, and seeing Contagion in a theater full of sick people (myself included) all snifling and coughing was a complete hoot - but the film, while gripping, also left me kinda meh. There were characters you liked, but no depth to any of them. Perhaps that's typical of this type of procedural - but it felt more like a really good TV movie than an excellent theatrical film.

Interesting topic though, and handled with care and integrity.

[flippyshark]

Like cirque lover, I was very pleasantly surprised by Rio. I just got my first HDTV a few weeks ago, and that title really pops! Not any kind of earthshaking story, but it's all invitingly pleasant and upbeat, with fun music and just plain jaw-dropping visuals. The character design, especially of the birds, is highly appealing, and the whole thing left me in a very good mood.

I'm on some kind of Tudor kick this week: A Man For All Seasons (great!), Anne of the Thousand Days, Mary, Queen of Scots ... I tried to watch the Netflix stream of the early thirties Private Life of Henry VIII, but it's faded, dupey, lousy audio - basically unwatchable.

[Alex]

Loved Drive.

[katiesue]

Maddie just made me watch The Man Who Cried which is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. OMG it's so horrible.

From the IMDB user reviews:

"I am hesitant to give any film with Johnny Depp lower than a five. Yet I'm pretty sure that Johnny Depp wasn't actually in the movie. Rather, it was a cardboard cutout of Johnny Depp, brooding, with his shirt half open. Other things were mysteriously lacking in this film, such as an ending...and a middle...and character development. Well, there was that moment that Johnny Depp cried. I found myself waiting after the credits for more plot development. And did ANYONE notice that Christina Ricci cannot sing? At all? Though that little girl singing Dido's Lament was probably the best moment in the film. In conclusion, Johnny Depp likes horses."

And another -

"I think it was supposed to be dramatic. I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't happening. Don't waste your time watching this movie, unless you want to see Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci stare at each other for an hour and a half. "

[alphabassettgrrl]

I think "Bimbo Movie Bash" will rival "The Man Who Cried" for worst movie ever. I love B movies, but this isn't even up to that standard. It's kind of sad.

[Snowflake]

Caught on TCM The Story of Temple Drake, a 1930's pre-code I've been positively dying to see for decades. Based on a Faulkner it, sadly, did not live up to the hype and the years of anticipation. The star of the film, for me, was the cinematography of Karl Struss. Absolutely top flight, deep shadows, depth of focus, mood, visually it had everything.

While I get how shocking it was for 1933, I really really missed the fun of the Warner Brothers pre-codes like Female and Babyface. Could have used a slight dose of humor in there somewhere.

I think I need a dose of The Women to cure me of the cinematic funk.