Sky High

Yes its the Disney super hero flick and yes, sorry to say but I really enjoyed this movie. Granted there are some lame ass "too Disney-esque" moments in the film but for the most part, this movie was pretty enjoyable and not a bad way to kill some time.

Acting was decent, gained some funny performances from Kurt Russell and Patrick Warburton (his voice anyway). The concept of the super hero school and the classes/systems they have are pretty clever and the costumes for the film were pretty damn snazzy I don't mind saying.

I'm glad Disney is doing fine work consistently with their animated world and live action world with the likes of Pirates, Pixar, and Enchanted backing them up, I expect some pretty good stuff from Disney to come in the future. Or hope so anyway.

Nonetheless, it is still gratifying to see Disney acknowledge that 2D animation has a legitimate place in the cinema of today. Particularly since barely a couple of years ago they were coming out with such myopic and dispiriting statements as "Showing 2D animation to kids these days is like showing them something in black and white", wherein they manage to insult not only everything upon which they built their once-mighty empire, but just about every single classic movie made before the 1960s. Bringing just a little of it into Enchanted is certainly a step in the right direction.

I will probably end up seeing Charlie Wilson's War, if only when it comes to my campus's student cinema. I wasn't a huge fan of Mike Nichols' previous film, Closer, but I think that had more to do with the acting and the dialogue than the direction itself.

Well put and well said, I totally agree, I really don't care who animated the opening sequences. Either way its still traditional animation and its nice to see it come from somewhere rather then no one at all.

Enchanted was a marvelous movie and I was quite impressed with it. Like I said about Sky High, I've been pretty pleased with Disney's recent films both lived and animated. They've talked about making Enchanted a trilogy.

Planning 2 more films in connection with Enchanted. If this first film though is any indication of what's to come then I say, bring em on!

The Cannonball Run

This movie if officially my favorite thing to watch. That's not to say it's necessarily a good movie; it's just ludicriously fun to watch.

I honestly think that anyone who thought that traditional animation was going away were kidding themselves. It was knee-jerk reactions on both sides. It was both the audiences who thought there was too much CGI and the studios who thought it was actually feasible to phase out traditional animation. 2D animation can never and will never die. It's an impossibility.

I myself cared quite a bit. I loved the movie, but I knew something was amiss with the animation. While good, it wasn't quite Disney, it was parody. I guess that makes sense seeing as the movie itself was a parody. Their animated movie I'm most looking forward to is Rapunzel with director Glen Keane. He and his team have put together CGI that has the fluidity and warmth of 2D and the depth of CGI. It looks like a moving oil painting, absolutely stunning.

that sounds cool, ill have to check it out

Right now (litterally-- as I type!) I'm watching O for AP Lit. It's an adaptation of Othello, the last book we read.

So far I'm liking it-- it's got good music and the acting's pretty good. It's rated R, but hey, what are you gonna do? Still highly fantastic. (Even if it IS the first twenty minutes...)

On the 2D animation debate: yeah, it's great to see it back. From most accounts, the main ones to thank for that are Pixar men John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, 2D aficionados who, thanks to the Disney-Pixar merger, now find themselves in key creative positions in Walt Disney Animation Studios, and it's largely through their influence that Disney have committed themselves to the revival of the form. All eyes will be on the 2009 release of The Princess and the Frog, a 1920's Jazz Age fairy tale that will be directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, Hercules, The Little Mermaid), and will be Disney's first traditional animation since 2004. I'm certainly looking forward to how it turns out. :D

Peter Jackson's King Kong. It's a great remake of the classic, but it lacks the savagery that the original had.

The Killer

Kiss Kiss, Bang bang

A John Woo film for the first one, best of his work I've ever seen and I always loved Bang, bang. One of the funniest scripts I've ever heard, the dialog is so sharp and witty I couldn't stop loving how smart this movie's writing was.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Not to be confused with the live action remake of the late 1990s (which was by and large terrible, even if it did have Mark Williams in the cast), this is easily one of Disney's most spirited and endearing animated classics, and it was a pleasure to catch up with it again after so many years thanks to a special Xmas on-campus screening. It's really too bad that contemporary Disney have been leaving this one to gather dust in their infamous vault for so long. To my knowledge, they haven't allowed it to properly see the light of day for well over a decade, and even then it was chiefly to pave way for that gratuitous remake. Clearly, there's no accounting for the Disney corporation's tastes.

I Am Legend

Well, this movie was better than I expected, much better in fact. Will Smith does a remarkable job as the last man on Earth. Smith is usually bashed, unfairly in my opinion, for playing the same character over and over again. The same can not be said for this performance. Here he plays Robert Neville, a military viralogist and last surviving human after a plague has wiped out mankind. There is a sense of hopelessness and a touch of madness that Neville displays that is almost heart-breaking. One starts to wonder if his experiments to find a cure for the plague are simply to keep his mind running so he doesn't take a long walk off a short pier, or bridge for that matter. There are plenty of those around for Neville has decided to secure himself in Manhattan, now a depopulated wilderness of ruins after a failed quarantine just 3 years earlier.

The first two acts of the film were incredible. The sense of impending doom and crippling isolation creeps into every frame of the film in these parts. If it weren't for the few lines that Neville speaks to his dog, Sam, and a few flashback scenes it would be almost dialogue free. But that doesn't impede the film at all, in fact it just helps the mood. But the third act seems a little tacky and just not up to scratch with the rest of the film. From then on it becomes an action film of sorts and adds elements that really didn't seem essential or even wanted by the audiences. It also seems that the entire FX budget was blown on the cityscapes because the infected people that show up every now and then look like extras from a Stephen Sommers movie that never was.

All that aside, I'm willing to give this movie my recommendation. It is indeed one of Monk's picks and you should go see it if you have the bread.

PS: The Dark Knight trailer was worth the admission itself. If you have no other reason to go see this movie go see it for The Dark Knight trailer on the big screen. Or if you're one of those lucky enough to be in the vincinty of an IMAX, for the 6 minute Dark Knight prologue.

I am Legend

I also saw this movie and I also feel it was freaking amazing. I always expect Will Smith to revert back to his old, youthful jokester, one liner routine but every time I do, I get surprised and he pulls off another magnificent performance for each film. This one is no exception, its deep, its dark, and its very powerful.

You really get the sense of total isolation and being alone in this world, he really seems even more lost and sad then Tom Hanks did on "Cast away". I thought all the flashbacks, limited music use, and even the origins behind the virus were all excellent stuff. This is not an action fest or a gore and guts kind of movie.

It's a dark, intense, dramatic movie that looks and feels wonderful and those dark creatures in the film seem realistic and believable then drastically preposterous Apocalypse mutants of the past. You could really see such creatures existing. I even felt the ending came out better then I expected.

However, I have to disagree on the Dark Knight. I don't think its worth spending 8 dollars to see just one trailer, better to wait for it on the internet, especially after I saw Heath Ledger talking with the Joker make up and all my excitement fell out the window as I was reminded painfully of his appearance.

I really want to feel excited for this movie but.......after seeing him talk in it, I'm not so sure. His acting looks great, just...not...everything else.

Kevin and I saw I Am Legend last night. Smith was indeed a marvel to watch.

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
It's my 2nd favorite HP movie. Azkaban is still the best.

Back to the Future Part II
My personal favorite of the BTTF series.

Spoiler Below

Hitman, which I have to say, was one of the better film adaptions based on a game.

Heh, but then afterwards, decided to get out two DVDs, one was The Simpsons Movie, cause I wanted to see it again and the other I haven't watched yet, but am going to see it today.

Well, despite my slight reservations about being a 21-year-old guy going to see a film that appeared to be marketed towards 8-year-old girls, I bit the bullet, went with my gut and went to see Enchanted. I did not regret it. :bloocross:

Maybe it was to do with the fact that my previous cinema trip was to see the turgid, ponderous The Golden Compass, but this movie seemed like such a breath of fresh, rose-perfumed air to my soul. Yes, it's played broad; yes, the tone is pitched at a primarily family- (and female-) friendly level; and yes, it's wholly predictable in all respects. Enchanted's triumph is that it's witty, lively and just knowing enough to take these old-fashioned values - innocence, earnestness, simple, safe fun - and deliver them in a way that makes them feel fresh even to a jaded modern audience. Key to this is the wonderful approach the film takes to its own "Disney-ness"; though it's billed as a outright satire in the vein of Shrek, I feel that Disney have accomplished something far more impressive here, playing things just tongue-in-cheek enough to keep it feeling modern, relevant and self-aware, yet at the same time giving us a movie that's reverent and earnestly loyal to the pure Disney spirit, with the ultimate effect being that that spirit is reinvigorated and revitalised, reminding us why we fell in love with it in the first place. :frankiesmile:

Thanks to the skill with which the foundations of this production have been constructed, those tasked with executing it simply have a ball (no fairy-tale pun intended :P). Patrick Dempsey is a good straight man and an engaging lead; as one Ain't It Cool review pointed out, Timothy Spall seems to have found his true incarnation as a bumbling animated sidekick; Susan Sarandon is underused but good value as the showboating evil Queen; and in Rachel Covey's Morgan and director Kevin Lima's CG chipmunk Pip, the film delivers both an effective cute kid and an endearing animal sidekick, two of the most difficult things to get right in a family movie. Top marks amongst the supporting cast, though, go to James "Cyclops" Marsden as the dashing dimwit Prince Edward. Marsden has always struck me as being the kind of clean-cut, spotless matinee idol that would have been all the rage about 50 years ago, but just seems kind of bland now, hence his seemingly perpetual role as "Nice Guy Who Gets Blown Off In Favour Of The Real Hero" (see also: X-Men, Superman Returns); to his great credit, though, he seems to realise this inherently comical fact about himself, and sends it up to great effect here. The scene from the trailer in which he gets run over by the cyclists was the thing that persuaded me to see this, and the winsome way in which he delivers the line "Thank you for looking after my bride, peasants!" had me laughing for about half a minute. 8D

For me, though, the fact that I enjoyed this movie as much as I did can be credited primarily to two people. The first, obviously is Amy Adams; I know it's been said by every critic in every review, but she simply IS a Disney princess made flesh, all doe-eyed innocence, (literally) over-animated twirls and beaming smiles. In less accomplished hands, the character of Giselle could have lapsed into irritating exaggeration or cloying sickliness, but Adams keeps her touchingly vulnerable, winsomely goofy and genuinely, earnestly and adorably sweet, selling her transition from two-dimensional caricature to three-dimensional human being without compromising the character's pure heart. What fully sold me on the film, though, was the musical contribution of Disney stalwart Alan Menken. I've been a huge fan of this man's work all the way back to Little Shop of Horrors, and the work he did with Disney in the late 80s and 90s - The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, amongst others - have produced some of Disney's most classic tunes. Simply hearing his name mentioned in regard to this project was enough to pique my interest, and then seeing the film...OK, so the more modern, poppy ballads "So Close" and "Ever Ever After" were more than a little bland, but when it comes to the film's three true Disney-style musical numbers, the ball went sailing clear out of the park. In "True Love's Kiss", we get a wonderful (and more than a little knowing) homage to the classic sound of Walt Disney's heyday, as well as a memorable thematic motif to anchor the peppy score; in "Happy Working Song", we get a hilarious, yet thoroughly accomplished, full-on parody that's as uplifting as it is amusing; and, in the majestic "That's How You Know", we get a full-on extravaganza of musical flavours that, to my mind, rivals anything Menken's ever done before, and one worthy of going down in history as a member of the classic Disney canon. Seriously. :wiltshock:

Perusing the movie news sites, I've noticed that Enchanted is being met with critical plaudits (93% on Rotten Tomatoes), audience adulation ($87 million and counting at the box office) and even early awards recognition (two Golden Globe nominations is pretty good for a Disney comedy!). I think that's a testament to the sheer feelgood lovability of this film; it's not high art, but it is the sort of film you'll watch, adore and treasure. I've heard talk of sequels, but frankly I'd rather not see them materialise; Pirates of the Caribbean was a textbook case of how to diminish a beloved property with superfluous additions, and trying to embellish or stretch out this perfectly-formed, self-contained little gem seems like a misguided and vaguely repellent idea. For the time being, though, if you've ever had any sort of fondness for Disney and fairy tales (I'd guess that's most people here), and you think you can put cynicism on hold for 107 minutes and simply enjoy this for the unassuming confection it is, then Enchanted comes with my highest recommendation. :frankiesmile:

YES! I am SO glad to hear you liked it Ditchy. I said it before in the best movies of 2007. "Enchanted" was Disney's smartest and most creative live film yet. They took something that could have been so silly and child minded and made it interesting, creative, and well cast into a movie that appeals to all ages.

I think the actors really sold it for me, they all played like REAL living breathing cartoons from the facial expressions to their exaggerated personality quirks. I've heard about sequels and they mentioned it before, I personally would love to see more from this film especially if this film is any indication of what's to come.

I movie I just watched is one I also wanted to mention as I strongly disagree with your comments on the "Pirates" movies. That being said, I just got finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and I feel loads better after seeing this movie again because I originally thought I disliked it.

Truth be told, I don't think anyone who has seen the Pirates movies in their entirety can honestly say these sequels were crappy or unnecessary. I'm currently watching all 3 in order and after seeing number 2 again, I've never loved the series more then ever. In truth, you got to bow down to Gore Verbinski.

Imagine the sheer brilliance he has to turn a Disney ride into a multi million dollar franchise, put Johnny Depp back on the map, and create a new classic Hollywood character like Indiana Jones or The Terminator with Jack Sparrow. The Pirates movies are incredible to me in every aspect the music, the characters, the costumes, the stories, and of course: the amazing actors.

Each one brings these new characters a step further from each movie, changing them drastically with new quirks but the same traits. Sparrow and Elizabeth have the absolute best chemistry this time around, their conversations and exchanges about being good/bad I think are the most interesting developmental points. Their conversations were great to watch.

Speaking of great things to watch, I forgot how many awesome sequences this movie packed. The monstrous Kraken destroying the second ship, the excellent 3 way fight between Norrington, Will and Jack on the spinning wheel, and the crazy cannibal island run with the bone cages. But my absolute FAVORITE aspect of this film comes from its greatest new character, Davy Jones.

I didn't think I'd find a better Pirate villain to love after the kick ass Captain Barbossa from part 1, but Bill Nighy signed, sealed, and delivered an incredib;e new character with an unforgettable appearance and cruel personality. I love hearing him say the most basic of lines because Nighy sells it with such flare. I love everything about these movies and if anymore do decide to emerge, they continue to shock and awe me.

Disney has created a whole new movie trilogy universe just like The Matrix, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings has.

^ Of particular note: KNX radio says that among celebrities who like giving autographs, Johnny Depp is at the top of the list. At the top of celebrities who don't like doing autographs: Will Ferrell.

Holy crap! Spoiler Below :wiltshock:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Finished all 3 Pirate movies and even though there were still a few confusing parts, I was amazed at some of the impressive battle sequences and performances from the pirates cast. Chow yun-Fat was simply kick ass as Sao Fang and it was such a treat to see Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa together again.

Christmas Vacation is a tradition in my family, we always start watching certain Christmas movies round Christmas time (obviously ::)) and as always on Christmas eve we watch "Muppet Christmas carol" before we go to church.

I went with my g/f and watched Enchanted. We were the only people in the theatre. It was a really good movie. James Marsden is one of my new favorite actors.

Heh, me and my sister just watched Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny on DVD.

And I have to say, it was a pretty good movie indeed, really enjoyed it.

T2: Judgment Day

One of the best & most impressive movies of all time! I'm listening to the theme right now.

beetlejuice. never really seen it, but it looks good so far.

..
U

Transformers-
This a good movie, one of the best this year. I ordered it OnDemand in HD, man it looks awesome. I'm gonna wait to get the 360 HD-DVD add on so I can get this on HD-DVD.

Mystery Train

A neatly-crafted anthology film comprised of three loosely intertwinning storylines about different guests who stay in the same hotel in a run-down area of Memphis on a particular night - a couple of young Japanese backpackers who've come there to pay homage to the city's various rock n roll-related monuments, an Italian woman who's treated to a suspicious anecdote concerning the hitch-hiking ghost of Elvis Presley, and a trio of friends who go into hiding after one of them guns down a belligerent liquor store owner.

As with every Jim Jarmusch film that I've seen (and the man is a fantastic film-maker), this is quirky, observent and makes wonderful use of atmosphere and understatement throughout. Makes me sad that such a huge chunk of his earlier stuff is presently so difficult to find. I really wanna see Down By Law and Night on Earth.

Bloodsport. Just the last half an hour or so. I've seen bits and pieces of it before too. It's definitely one of my faves as far a martial arts movies are concerned.

Fight Club.

Haha, this movie makes me laugh every time I watch it 8D

Hurrah, I finally got to see Enchanted. :D

I really enjoyed it. Sure, it was fairly schmaltzy in places, but after years of that sterile, would-be hip irony that became fashionable with the now-exhausted Shrek franchise, this itself came as quite a welcome little breath of fresh oxygen. I did have a couple of nitpicks. I for one would like to have seen them do a bit more with Queen Narissa in her live action, human form (because Susan Sarandon rules), and I don't think that the movie would have been any worse for leaving out that scene in which the chipmunk defecates (particularly seeing how Alvin and the Chipmunks already seems intent on providing the Xmas audiences with more than their fair share of said forest rodent bodily function gags :P).

But nah, as I said this was by and large a lovely little film, and certainly a reason to feel a lot more optimistic about Disney's future than we could three or four years ago. Oh, and by the way, I seemed to be the only one in the audience who was genuinely and wholly enchanted by that scene in which Giselle cleans up the apartment with the assistence of those various adorable rats and roaches. How very typical.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Despite my curiosity of how they were going to amass a treasure or secret mystery that would top the first one, I wasn't sure what i was going to expect from this movie exactly. Turns out, it was a GREAT sequel to the first movie, they did a lot of interesting things in here I sure as hell wasn't expecting.

This movie doesn't quite live up exactly to the awesome first movie, but its a worthy sequel and I'm quite glad it was made. The story lacks the in depth mystery and intensity I feel the first one had. The creativity with the money symbols and glasses and stuff like that, I loved that and this one was all right.

The actual book itself was a great concept and it definitely had its unique points. But what I loved about this movie that I felt they did better then the first was the characters. Everyone is more involved, more active and more socially electric. Nic Cage and Diane Krueger have some HILARIOUS scenes together.

They really jazzed things up with them and even Riley Pool (computer guy) gets more involved, and more funny one liners. This movie is also freaking intense, they got some great action sequences and chases that just kept me captivated, it kept going and going and it never once lost my interest.

The villain turned out to be different then I expected as well, like I said, I was quite impressed at the improvements of the characterizations and the dramatic chase scenes. I think they really have a fun cast of characters who can work in almost any environment and I could easily see myself seeing a 3rd.

Overall, great sequel to a great movie. Btw, happy to hear you loved "Enchanted" Jekyll. I truly think that is one of Disney's best LIVE movies ever and one of the best movies I've seen in 2007. That movie and this one have really given me hope for Disney's future in the LIVE action movie business.

Sweeney Todd

Wow. I've been waiting for this movie for a year now, and it was so worth it! This writers strike better end for the sake of the Golden Globes, because I want to see this film win every one it was nominated for ;)

The whole movie was beautiful: the scenery, the acting, the costumes, the SINGING! And the bloooooood! Spoiler Below

I was also happy that no one in the theatre Spoiler Below

And ohhhh...Spoiler Below

The By The Sea bit was probably the funniest part. The look on Johnny's face in every scene was enough to get me going.

And the Spoiler Below What a poetic final image.

A downside: the people behind me talking throughout the whole movie and laughing at places that weren't even funny. Please, indulge me! I wanna laugh too! ::)

so...i guess i should go see it?

The Simpsons Movie

This replaces Borat as the funniest movie I've ever seen, hands down.

Yes ;)

The movie I'm watching right now (if it can be called a movie) is Tchaikovski's Nutcracker Suite. Lovliness of all lovliness if you ask me. I feel like putting on one of my ballet outfits, tights and pointe shoes and trying to dance along with them. So graceful, so sweet, so light and cheery. And the music....Ooooh, the music. Well, I like classical anyway.

Sorry but yeah, I'm a girly girl. Christmas isn't Christmas without my seeing The Nutcracker in some way or form. This year it's just on TV, but next year we plan to see it live. :frankiesmile:

oh, Tchaikovski is great, Lynnie! Absolutwely beautiful music.

Almost as good as the One, the Only... Richard Wagner

Die Walkure = Bliss

Mary Poppins on tv earlier on and I have to say.....I still love the movie ^^

That movie is just a classic indeed, one of my top movies of all time.

How the Grinch stole Christmas

The Ron Howard movie. It's been a while since I've seen it, or at least it feels like it more so then our usual holiday movie hit list. I think a lot of people didn't give this film the appreciation for all its magnificent hard work and amazing realistic fantasy effects. I mean, this movie REALLY brought Dr Seuss world to life.

The nose make up on the Whos was especially amazing, its hard to even tell its a prosthetic for half the actors. Jim Carrey really played a great Grinch, he gave him a life, a personality, and an identity that helped the movie drift out of its occasional sappy kid messages. I particularly loved seeing the "You're a mean one Mr, Grinch" musical number LIVE.