The Unofficial Ongoing Current Movies in Theaters thread

1. I actually don't think that the Japanese re-envisioning of Unforgiven has been given a proper theatrical release other than playing a few select festivals.

2. And according to IMDb, Calvary doesn't have a US release until August.

3. Most of my friends who have seen Snowpiercer say that it's entertaining. I'm intrigued, but also cautious, since I didn't care much for the director's previously lauded film, The Host. That said, there was a big hullabaloo surrounding it as the Weinstein Brothers were attempting to drastically edit the director's original cut for American audiences. Have since heard that they came to an agreement with the director and the original cut is what's out now.

Yeah there were a few showings in May at the Seattle film fest.

And I haven't gotten an answer from my friend but I'm gonna assume it was pirated in some manner or another. It looked like normal dvd/home theater pc quality. And the movie was still good.

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Originally Posted by My Pet Powder Goat

Watched 'snowpiercer' last nite. great traditional Asian story masquerading as a sci-fi flick...

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'cept that the source material it's based on is a French graphic novel from the '80s... :)

Finally saw it last night in Nevada City, of all places. Overall I enjoyed it, although I felt it could have used a little more exposition in the set-up/intro.

The action sequences were nuts. Lottsa elements borrowed from the likes of Escape From New York, Road Warrior, Wizard of Oz, 1984, and other films/books.

I took my 80 y/o dad along and he loved it. He thought the acting and special effects were top-notch,

Definitely one of the better action films to hit screens this spring/summer.

And, yeah, there's some socio-political undertones to keep you thinking after it has ended.

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Originally Posted by dookey67

'cept that the source material it's based on is a French graphic novel from the '80s....

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Ya, I "misspoke" meant it had that unique action style many Asian films have.



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Wow ....... I think I must have necrotic brain tissue. Wasn't that impressed with Snowpiercer - think it was the superficial character development which I realize was done consciously, but still .... Was hoping that Allison Pill would impress - she died nicely, though.

As for the Lego Movie - must be a generational thing, being a Lincoln Logs and Erector Set kid myself; had to fight to keep from leaving the room prematurely.

Maybe Lucy or Guardians of the Galaxy will revivify my shriveled brain cells. High hopes for Calvary - really liked The Guard.

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Originally Posted by PB

Wow ....... I think I must have necrotic brain tissue. Wasn't that impressed with Snowpiercer - think it was the superficial character development which I realize was done consciously, but still .... Was hoping that Allison Pill would impress - she died nicely, though.

As for the Lego Movie - must be a generational thing, being a Lincoln Logs and Erector Set kid myself; had to fight to keep from leaving the room prematurely.

Maybe Lucy or Guardians of the Galaxy will revivify my shriveled brain cells. High hopes for Calvary - really liked The Guard.

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Agree that the characters were rather stock in Snowpiercer, plus the story was cobbled from elements of Road Warrior, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Escape From New York, The Wizard of Oz, and 1984 (to name just a few), but the pacing was great, the acting pretty solid, and the action sequences well choreographed and intense. Also the CGI didn't suck as it usually does in a lot of Asian films.

Am equally intrigued by Lucy (although Luc Besson's films have been slightly suspect over the past decade-and-change, especially those he's been writing/producing. Was a little disappointed with The Family, his first directing stint in awhile, but again, Lucy looks intriguing). Ditto for Guardians of the Galaxy, though I fear it will either be awesome beyond compare or completely sucky. Don't know how I missed that Calvary is directed by the same chap that brought us The Guard, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Just saw a poster for The Novemeber man. Looks like it could be interesting given the cast and director...

Lucy: entertaining but nothing to get too excited about.

Saw 'Chef' tonight to a surprisingly packed theater. Very immersive film with lots of heart, funny, with a great soundtrack.

You're going to want to eat after this film.... Where can I get a great Cuban sandwich in VT?!!

Sooo .... Calvary's released, but it's only playing in 4 FUCKING THEATERS IN THE ENTIRE GODDAM COUNTRY?!?!? WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS????

A Most Wanted Man: only see it if you you are patient and of the Le Carre persuasion i.e. loving of the factoids. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the recent Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy re-make.

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Originally Posted by PB

Lucy: entertaining but nothing to get too excited about.

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Kind of have to agree here.
The film is an amalgamation of ideas previously put forth in "Flowers for Algernon", The Lawnmower Man, and 2001 A Space Odyssey, amongst others.
That said, the first 1/3 of the film is really well done, has great pacing and action. Sadly, things start to disintegrate during the second 1/3.
On the whole it felt as if it had been severely edited to appeal to the short attention span Hollywood seems to feel most Americans possess; in many places the film seemed overly rushed.
Call it a pretty decent modern drive-in feature, if you will.

Saw Guardians of the Galaxy with my 11yo son on Monday night. We were both highly entertained.

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Originally Posted by Tippster

Saw Guardians of the Galaxy with my 11yo son on Monday night. We were both highly entertained.

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Recently saw GotG, as well.
Super fun cinematic romp with nods to Firefly, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Last Starfighter, and Star Wars. While the story is not highly original, the film has great pacing, a terrific cast that gels together nicely, and a tasty throwback soundtrack. The whip snap pacing and cheeky dialogue go a long way to making it a hoot. Easily one of the best "summer" action movies to come down the pike in a long, long time. I'd pay to see it again, perhaps even in 3D.

I thought guardians was awesome - so funny and well done. Wondered about Chris Pratt pulling off role but he is right up there with RDJ for bringing the superhero laughs.

Yup! x4 here! Saw GotG yesterday and it way exceeded my expectations. Sorry now I didn't fork the extra $3 for 3D.
Read Fantastic Four comics as a kid and the Ronan character was portrayed perfectly.

Saw GOTG in 3D here on Tuesday night. I was also very entertained. My wife thought some of the jokes were kind of corny but she is often too serious about stuff :rolleyes2.
The way all of the Marvel Studio's movies are tying together also brings a lot of intrigue into watching the movie. The Infinity Stones back bone is a pretty cool concept to pull off.

Don't really follow the comics or know the backstory of GotG, but

Possible Future Spoiler Alert Below !!









because of the way it ended, are they like official superheroes with powers now?

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Originally Posted by NoPostholio

Don't really follow the comics or know the backstory of GotG, but

Possible Future Spoiler Alert Below !!

because of the way it ended, are they like official superheroes with powers now?

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They aren't anymore powerful than they were before the ending scene. Although the reveal at the very end that Peter Quinn (Star Lord) is half human/half ancient alien may allow him to realize that he has some sort of undiscovered powers.

^^^Forgot that part, living up to his moniker. The star Lord schtick and that wrestler dude were some funny shit.

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Originally Posted by My Pet Powder Goat

Saw 'Chef' tonight to a surprisingly packed theater. Very immersive film with lots of heart, funny, with a great soundtrack.

You're going to want to eat after this film.... Where can I get a great Cuban sandwich in VT?!!

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I've been advising friends who are going to see Chef to make sure they've got the ingredients to make Cubanos at home for afterwards. I had to stop at the market and stock up on my way home (and they were fucking tasty).

But apart from the food, I had two main issues with the movie:
(1) No conflict whatsoever. No one is in any danger whatsoever the entire film, everyone pretty much is sympathetic and more or less gets along. Even the "mean" critic isn't particularly nasty, just a bit snarky. It's basically a high-production-value Travel Channel show about driving around in a food truck.
(2) John Faverau has not one, but two supermodel-gorgeous women lusting after him (Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson)? My suspension of disbelief doesn't stretch that far.

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Originally Posted by NoPostholio

Don't really follow the comics or know the backstory of GotG, but...

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This might help (but one should also keep in mind that Hollywood has been taking some liberties with the various Marvel (and DC) characters when transferring them from page to celluloid):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia...xy_(2008_team)

(also keep in mind that the "original" GotG were from 1969 and quite different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia...xy_(1969_team) )

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Originally Posted by Pegleg

(2) John Faverau has not one, but two supermodel-gorgeous women lusting after him (Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson)? My suspension of disbelief doesn't stretch that far.

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I'mma have to go with hot chicks dig schlubby dudes who can cook (much like they often dig hefty dudes with a sense of humor)...as long as they are confident, that is (the dudes, not the chicks).

Also saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this week.
Skip it.
Shoulda known better that any film with only 10% real actors and 90% CGI generated ones was gonna suck. They really dropped the ball with this sequel and it will be interesting to see if they bother to continue the series or just let if quietly die off. Gary Oldman seems to just be cashing checks in crappy remakes/re-envisionings these days, too.

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Originally Posted by dookey67

This might help (but one should also keep in mind that Hollywood has been taking some liberties with the various Marvel (and DC) characters when transferring them from page to celluloid):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia...xy_(2008_team)

(also keep in mind that the "original" GotG were from 1969 and quite different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia...xy_(1969_team) )




I'mma have to go with hot chicks dig schlubby dudes who can cook (much like they often dig hefty dudes with a sense of humor)...as long as they are confident, that is (the dudes, not the chicks).

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Thanks dookey - prob a good move on their part leaving out telepathic dog

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Originally Posted by NoPostholio

Thanks dookey - prob a good move on their part leaving out telepathic dog

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yeah, he woulda stolen all the wisecracks from the talking vermin, I mean racoon.

Oh, wait. Cosmo was in the movie...but if you blinked you probably missed him as it was a short cameo.

^^^in the Benicio scenes?

Yes, you see Cosmo when they enter the Collectors museum and you see him again after the museum gets blown up (Benicio pets him).

Well, Boyhood pretty much blew my mind. It's much more than just the fact that that it took 12 years to make. It couldn't have been done any other way, and the story was sublime. I'm not sure I've seen a life tale as pitch-perfect. A tour de force, I say. Two thumbs up.

It'll be interesting to see if it gets any major award recognition, because it's pretty different.

I tried to start a thread about Boyhood right after I saw it and it went nowhere. I was still unable to communicate how I felt, so maybe just writing "It was lyrical" was underkill.

FKNA great film about little moments in a little life, but man - just about every step in his life hit home with me (other than his Mom's failed marriages.) The scene where he and his bro were checking out the Vicky's Secret catalog, the fucking around in the construction site, etc... so well done. I think it needs at least two Academy Award nominations: Best Picture and Best Director.

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Originally Posted by Tippster

I tried to start a thread about Boyhood right after I saw it and it went nowhere. I was still unable to communicate how I felt, so maybe just writing "It was lyrical" was underkill.

FKNA great film about little moments in a little life, but man - just about every step in his life hit home with me (other than his Mom's failed marriages.) The scene where he and his bro were checking out the Vicky's Secret catalog, the fucking around in the construction site, etc... so well done. I think it needs at least two Academy Award nominations: Best Picture and Best Director.

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Yeah, exactly. I wrote my post right after I saw it, then looked up the NYT review and it had a line that resonated with me:

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its pleasures are obvious yet mysterious. Even after seeing the film three times, I haven’t fully figured out why it has maintained such a hold on me

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It's remarkably hard to explain what was so engaging.

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Originally Posted by PB

Sooo .... Calvary's released, but it's only playing in 4 FUCKING THEATERS IN THE ENTIRE GODDAM COUNTRY?!?!? WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS????

A Most Wanted Man: only see it if you you are patient and of the Le Carre persuasion i.e. loving of the factoids. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the recent Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy re-make.

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Wait... someone actually enjoyed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?

boyhood din't kill me the way the it has everyone else. thought it was a good musing on the messes that parents can make, the alkaholic teacher was downright harrowing, but I thought it was more about the parents than the kid. Just my $.02.

Saw Apes w/ my 13 YO son...It was entertaining...not great. I grew up with the original which back then was way cool. CGI is starting to get annoying to a point in some films it just pathetic (IMO).

Next was GoTG and that was a lot of fun! Liked a lot with the comedy included.

Saw "Calvary". Almost fell asleep. Had to go for more popcorn to find a reason to stay awake.

Advertised as a bit of a comedy? Yeah, I don't know what happened there.

Saw 'the 100 foot Journey' with wifey Friday.
Really well done, grade a food porn, with a cute story.
Kinda chick-ey, but it held its own as a story.
The Father character just killed.

Caught Tusk today, the latest from Kevin Smith.
Interesting flick for sure.
Very bi-tonal, teetering between creepy and over-the-top-forced camp, with the latter kind of winning out, much to my chagrin.
The first 2/3 are excellent with Michael Parks and Justin Long delivering some stellar performances.
Last 1/3 (final act) gets a bit cheesy, especially due to the presence of (presumably) Canuck actor Guy LaPointe.
Dialogue is crisp and classic Kevin Smith.
Lottsa Canadian jokes, which I laughed at, but if you're from north of the border you might not dig so much.
Interesting conceit, but wish it had stuck with the creepy angle a bit more.
Not quite at the level of Clerks, Chasing Amy or Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but intriguing to a degree (again, the first two acts are pretty damn bueno).


Incidently, the brainstorming session for the film is kind of cool (makes me wish Smith had made the film he outlines as it sounds a lot more savage, despite all the laughing he does whilst brainstorming): http://smodcast.com/episodes/the-wal...the-carpenter/

Gone Girl - top-notch thriller, great plot twists, well cast and acted. Most fun movie I've seen in a while.

Saw Fury on Saturday night. Wife and I both enjoyed it. Sorta like if Inglourious Basterds had been directed by Spielberg and featured tanks. Some dark and brutal images of WWII, but with some bits of lighter dialogue. Shia TheCow redeemed himself for Indiana Jones.

I wasn't expecting the cleaning the face out of the tank scene.

20,000 Days on Earth:

Great, surreal docu about Nice Cave. Really gets inside his head and provides intense insight into his songwriting and overall aura.

http://nickcave.com/films/20000-days-on-earth/

JOHN WICK
uber slick revenge flick with decent cast and quick pacing. the story is more or less The Rover set in the present day in NYC. Some "fairy tale" elements in regards to the underground crime community, but not bad if you are able to suspend a lotta disbelief.

THE EQUALIZER
ended up being a fitting double bill for a Tuesday. Denzel plays a character he's played many times over the years: the retired bad-ass drawn back into the life due to his overwhelming sense of moral justice (think Man on Fire, for example). Like John Wick, the film is slick, but goes for a bit more of a humanistic approach, as versus John Wick's kind of nihilistic slant.

Neither film are stellar, but both are entertaining if you like gratuitious violence of the guns-n-knives-and-bare-fists-to-the-thorax variety.

Saw Nightcrawler the other day. wowzer....Just give Jake Gyllenhaal The Oscar right now for playing a thin, pale, creepy, autistic(y), bugeyed sociopath that discovers that chasing down car wrecks, fires, homicide, and anything else that "bleeds it leads" for the local new stations fits his eerily detached life. A very "Taxi"esque movie that shines very little, if any, redeeming light onto the protagonist character.

Watch it without seeing the trailer, Which gives up too damn much about the plot

still got to see John wick, Fury, and interstellar; a good lineup of movies.

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Originally Posted by My Pet Powder Goat

Saw Nightcrawler the other day. wowzer....Just give Jake Gyllenhaal The Oscar right now for playing a thin, pale, creepy, autistic(y), bugeyed sociopath that discovers that chasing down car wrecks, fires, homicide, and anything else that "bleeds it leads" for the local new stations fits his eerily detached life. A very "Taxi"esque movie that shines very little, if any, redeeming light onto the protagonist character.

Watch it without seeing the trailer, Which gives up too damn much about the plot.

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Spot on. I saw Nightcrawler today and it totally reminded me of Taxi Driver in a a lot of ways. There's an underlying social commentary on how sensationalist the news has become, but towering over that is JG's creepy protagonist who will go to all ends to scoop a story. Has what is easily one of the best car chase sequences in recent cinematic memory; may even rival To Live and Die in LA, in terms of West Coast car chases.
Adding it to my Top 10 Films of 2014 list.