As a huge Tim Curry fan, and having some nostalgia for the original mini-series, I went into this with muted expectations and a simple hope for something fun.
It totally delivered.
As many other reviewers have said the coming of age element of the film, and humor, and charming banter between the kids, is what will stick with me -- and the comparisons to "Stand By Me" are appropriate.
Also, fan of the mini series or not, the budget in the original limited what they could really pull off on-screen and having a big budget definitely aided in the imagery (particularly the "floating" scene).
It struck me as a labor of love as opposed to a hyped up unnecessary cash-grab (think Nightmare on Elm Street reboot). It won't make you forget Tim Curry's performance but I think it did enough to allow you to appreciate it as a separate entity.
I can see why people liked it but honestly I never got too engaged with it. I like action films but I felt totally burnt out by the time the first chase scene relented (and we met the brides). I felt like it was impressive action without any tension. Who are these people? Why do I care about them? Do I want to see them escape?
I mean, until we met the brides we had no idea why Theron's character was on the run in the first place or an ounce about her backstory.
Plus, I think having seen the Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome (the original Mad Max wasn't really a post-apocalyptic film so I don't count that) not everything was new. The vehicles were similar to the Road Warrior's but pumped on steroids a bit. The aesthetic was very similar. They did some things differently (the band and flaming guitar musician) and the pole vaulters were really cool towards the end.
I would say as far as a reboot goes it hits the mark. Miller doesn't shit on the previous films, instead pays due respect to them all throughout the movie, and pushed things to the hilt. It definitely wasn't an abysmal effort by any means.
I would compare it to a wildly gory and inventive horror film that doesn't have any scares. And I thought the hyper-fast editing during fight scenes was cheesy and cheapened the action. 5/10
As a teen in the 90s I remember this movie very fondly when it came out. It was a ground breaking comedy at the time. This kind of humor has become the norm and been built upon so it doesn't seem as special now but it was really something when it came out.
Stiller is great as the all too familiar tough luck nice guy and Diaz is adorable.
The ensemble cast sing-a-long to "Build me up buttercup" at the end was great. The Farrelly brothers never topped this one, in my opinion, as within the silliness and gross out humor the tortured lost love theme rang true to lots of people.
The scene where they're all boozing and flirting with the girls at the neighborhood bar while the bartenders are trying to keep up reminded me very much of the scene where the Gremlins take over the bar and Phoebe Cates is trying her best to deal with them. Maybe not a coincidence?
Impressively bad. Highlight is the male love interest threatening to knock Norma flat if she doesn't admit she loves him and marries him. And it's not ironic, we're really supposed to want them together.
I didn't laugh either and the sentimentality was rough at times. But the story, aside from those things, wasn't half bad. Kept my interest at the very least.
What a headache this thing was. Some of the films weren't even listed on imdb, had to be imported, or had to be found via link cos they didn't come up as a search result on this site.
Inevitably, there are a few that could not have been added but, all in all, it's as complete as it can get.
Sure, it seems like a silly idea for a list (much less a book) but if nothing else it'll serve as a wonderful resource for obscure films you wouldn't even think to sit down and watch otherwise.
Vastly succeeded my expectations. I thought the first one was quite good, but didn't latch on to it the way lots of audiences did, and HATED the second one.
The sense of humor in this one was very strong and Josh Brolin deserves an oscar nod for doing such a dead on impression of Tommy Lee Jones.
The ending, which I won't ruin, was incredibly touching. Just an overall delight.
I don't see how the original can be "a million times better" when both stories and their scenes are near identical. This film wasn't 'Hollywood-ized' at all. I saw the original first, and while I liked it a lot and it deserves props for coming first, this re-make (or, re-adaptation, whichever) is bred from the same cloth.
You're just being pretentious. Good movie, though.
Meh. The lack of story was a problem for me to get over and I didn't find the characters particularly sympathetic or interesting. The humor wasn't wry or clever.
I fought to stay awake, honestly.
I know that will spawn scores of pretentious comments suggesting I go back to watching movies 'more my speed' like 'Fast Five' and 'Epic Movie' and such. But I don't care. I didn't see a classic, I saw an emperor with no clothes.
It was definitely an impressive portrait of a world without hope, and better than the Book of Eli, for sure...but beyond that I found myself asking "what was the point?"
It's a good movie but I wouldn't recommend it as it didn't leave much of a lasting impression.
Started off promising, I liked the idea of a heroine with a phobia of space...then it straight turned into nonsense. It was on IFC, and even they were confused about which film it was as the description was that of the Tale of Two Sisters remake story (why I watched it).
It doesn't help that the make-up/scare fx are less convincing than what you see on "Scare Tactics".
I wouldn't even call this movie 'alien-lite', I'd call it resident evil-lite.
I get the sense that the director thought the creature fx and frenetic editing would make for effective horror. Instead it just came off silly and wound up dwarfing the psychological thriller aspects of the film.
Comments 1 - 19 of 19
Movie comment on It
artschoolsuicide
As a huge Tim Curry fan, and having some nostalgia for the original mini-series, I went into this with muted expectations and a simple hope for something fun.It totally delivered.
As many other reviewers have said the coming of age element of the film, and humor, and charming banter between the kids, is what will stick with me -- and the comparisons to "Stand By Me" are appropriate.
Also, fan of the mini series or not, the budget in the original limited what they could really pull off on-screen and having a big budget definitely aided in the imagery (particularly the "floating" scene).
It struck me as a labor of love as opposed to a hyped up unnecessary cash-grab (think Nightmare on Elm Street reboot). It won't make you forget Tim Curry's performance but I think it did enough to allow you to appreciate it as a separate entity.
Movie comment on Mad Max: Fury Road
artschoolsuicide
I can see why people liked it but honestly I never got too engaged with it. I like action films but I felt totally burnt out by the time the first chase scene relented (and we met the brides). I felt like it was impressive action without any tension. Who are these people? Why do I care about them? Do I want to see them escape?I mean, until we met the brides we had no idea why Theron's character was on the run in the first place or an ounce about her backstory.
Plus, I think having seen the Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome (the original Mad Max wasn't really a post-apocalyptic film so I don't count that) not everything was new. The vehicles were similar to the Road Warrior's but pumped on steroids a bit. The aesthetic was very similar. They did some things differently (the band and flaming guitar musician) and the pole vaulters were really cool towards the end.
I would say as far as a reboot goes it hits the mark. Miller doesn't shit on the previous films, instead pays due respect to them all throughout the movie, and pushed things to the hilt. It definitely wasn't an abysmal effort by any means.
I would compare it to a wildly gory and inventive horror film that doesn't have any scares. And I thought the hyper-fast editing during fight scenes was cheesy and cheapened the action. 5/10
Movie comment on There's Something About Mary
artschoolsuicide
As a teen in the 90s I remember this movie very fondly when it came out. It was a ground breaking comedy at the time. This kind of humor has become the norm and been built upon so it doesn't seem as special now but it was really something when it came out.Stiller is great as the all too familiar tough luck nice guy and Diaz is adorable.
The ensemble cast sing-a-long to "Build me up buttercup" at the end was great. The Farrelly brothers never topped this one, in my opinion, as within the silliness and gross out humor the tortured lost love theme rang true to lots of people.
Movie comment on The Wild One
artschoolsuicide
The scene where they're all boozing and flirting with the girls at the neighborhood bar while the bartenders are trying to keep up reminded me very much of the scene where the Gremlins take over the bar and Phoebe Cates is trying her best to deal with them. Maybe not a coincidence?Movie comment on Their Own Desire
artschoolsuicide
Impressively bad. Highlight is the male love interest threatening to knock Norma flat if she doesn't admit she loves him and marries him. And it's not ironic, we're really supposed to want them together.Movie comment on Amazon Women on the Moon
artschoolsuicide
How is this film not recognized by some of these bad movie/cult film lists? For shame! Good stuff.Movie comment on Identity Thief
artschoolsuicide
I didn't laugh either and the sentimentality was rough at times. But the story, aside from those things, wasn't half bad. Kept my interest at the very least.Toplist comment on Destroy All Movies! (Guide To Punks on Film)
artschoolsuicide
FINALLY DONE.What a headache this thing was. Some of the films weren't even listed on imdb, had to be imported, or had to be found via link cos they didn't come up as a search result on this site.
Inevitably, there are a few that could not have been added but, all in all, it's as complete as it can get.
Sure, it seems like a silly idea for a list (much less a book) but if nothing else it'll serve as a wonderful resource for obscure films you wouldn't even think to sit down and watch otherwise.
Best,
- AS
Toplist comment on Destroy All Movies! (Guide To Punks on Film)
artschoolsuicide
I took a vacation out of country. I'll get back to it.Movie comment on Men in Black 3
artschoolsuicide
Vastly succeeded my expectations. I thought the first one was quite good, but didn't latch on to it the way lots of audiences did, and HATED the second one.The sense of humor in this one was very strong and Josh Brolin deserves an oscar nod for doing such a dead on impression of Tommy Lee Jones.
The ending, which I won't ruin, was incredibly touching. Just an overall delight.
Movie comment on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
artschoolsuicide
I don't see how the original can be "a million times better" when both stories and their scenes are near identical. This film wasn't 'Hollywood-ized' at all. I saw the original first, and while I liked it a lot and it deserves props for coming first, this re-make (or, re-adaptation, whichever) is bred from the same cloth.You're just being pretentious. Good movie, though.
Movie comment on Lilja 4-ever
artschoolsuicide
One of my favorite movies of all time. The acting and chemistry of the two young stars was unbelievably believable.It left me thinking a long whiles afterward about the subject matter-true story, on which it's based.
Toplist comment on Destroy All Movies! (Guide To Punks on Film)
artschoolsuicide
It'll be there. The list is a work in progress. I only just finished the C's.Movie comment on The Royal Tenenbaums
artschoolsuicide
Meh. The lack of story was a problem for me to get over and I didn't find the characters particularly sympathetic or interesting. The humor wasn't wry or clever.I fought to stay awake, honestly.
I know that will spawn scores of pretentious comments suggesting I go back to watching movies 'more my speed' like 'Fast Five' and 'Epic Movie' and such. But I don't care. I didn't see a classic, I saw an emperor with no clothes.
Movie comment on The Road
artschoolsuicide
It was definitely an impressive portrait of a world without hope, and better than the Book of Eli, for sure...but beyond that I found myself asking "what was the point?"It's a good movie but I wouldn't recommend it as it didn't leave much of a lasting impression.
Movie comment on The Uninvited
artschoolsuicide
Started off promising, I liked the idea of a heroine with a phobia of space...then it straight turned into nonsense. It was on IFC, and even they were confused about which film it was as the description was that of the Tale of Two Sisters remake story (why I watched it).It doesn't help that the make-up/scare fx are less convincing than what you see on "Scare Tactics".
Movie comment on Pandorum
artschoolsuicide
I wouldn't even call this movie 'alien-lite', I'd call it resident evil-lite.I get the sense that the director thought the creature fx and frenetic editing would make for effective horror. Instead it just came off silly and wound up dwarfing the psychological thriller aspects of the film.
'Meh', indeed.
Movie comment on The Box
artschoolsuicide
Started off with an interesting enough premise, then morphed into a convoluted over-the-top mess.Not a fan.
Movie comment on Ski School 2
artschoolsuicide
I would masturbate to the painter's nude scenes all the time when I was a teen. Youngsters now have it all too easy. This was a good flick.