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[Thad]

Burn After Reading: I can understand why the critics are panning it, since the Coens have set the bar so high at this point -- it's not going to win Best Picture like No Country, and it's not going to have the staying power of Fargo or Big Lebowski.  But I can also safely say that I haven't laughed so hard since...well, since about 3 weeks ago at the PUMA sketch on The Daily Show, but I'm not sure of the last time I laughed so hard at a movie.

Basically it's what the Coens do best -- over-the-top characters played by an incredibly talented cast.  McDormand, Clooney, Swinton, Simmons -- I'd say Malkovich just edges Pitt out as the craziest of the lot.

I think if it were another director the critics would be saying kinder things; definitely recommended.

[Thad]

Zack and Miri Make a Porno isn't Kevin Smith's best movie but it isn't his worst either.  Some good laughs, the obvious romantic comedy plot is sufficiently balanced by dick and fart jokes that it never becomes cloying, and he's gotten a lot better at giving his characters distinct voices instead of making them all sound like the same person.  Good cast, good grossout humor, nothing especially deep or insightful to say.

[Kazz]

The love plot was tedious (aren't they all) and their comments about how they're just friends and would never, ever feel that way about each other were blatantly insincere from the start (intentionally so, I imagine).

That's really my only complaint.  It was my favorite Kevin Smith movie.  The Star Wars geekdom was kept to a minimum, Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks did brilliant freaking jobs, and there weren't any extraneous and distracting running jokes or scenes.  Everything that was intended to be funny was actually funny, and everything that was supposed to be touching... well, Elizabeth Banks is apparently a master of giving off precisely the right impression with her facial expressions.  She shined like the fucking sun in this movie.

[clutch]

Went to see Appaloosa on Thursday with very high hopes. A western (!) with Ed Harris (!!), Viggo Mortensen (!!!) and Jeremy Irons ( 8=====D ----3 ) spells awesome to me. While it was very good, one should know going in that the movie is a very traditional western, with nearly all the action tucked into the last half-hour and a shockingly low body count. Don't go looking for Tombstone.

[Lady Duke]

I cried a little at the end of Zach and Miri, but that's only 'cause I'm such a chick ;-;

[Thad]

Role Models is one of those movies that's a lot funnier than it looks in the commercial, because a lot of the jokes revolve around people (and especially children) saying the word "fuck".  Also, the climactic SCA battle is pretty entertaining.

Jane Lynch is the best character.

[Arc]

The Return of Ian Fleming's James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace: Casino Royale Part II is the most artistically shot and paced of the adventures, yet also the driest, quietest, and possibly most contemplative outside of choice portions of On Her Majesties Secret Service. The villain's masterplan is a ham-fisted snore, but that isn't the thesis to the work, which instead centers around the twisting of vengeance.

Bond drives too much. Cars. Boats. Planes. He isn't given much to do but react to minutes and minutes of gunfire in these scenes, and the stunt coordinator from the Jason Bourne films doesn't linger long enough (being the stunt coordinator from Jason Bourne and all). Not to abandon the approach altogether, the hand to hand choreography and delivery work.

All the returning characters from Casino Royale come off as darker, wounded. If audiences are expecting lush fantasies, they'll come up short. If a cold, not necessarily inventive but otherwise solid follow-up is in their bag of expectations, then they'll find a ride worth taking.

[Thad]

Very continuity-heavy for a Bond flick, and the way they've set up Quantum/SPECTRE indicates there's plenty more where that came from.

[clutch]

Saw Quantum yesterday and was impressed by the studio's apparent willingness to cut down the sexxx appeal in order to emphasize the character's thirst for revenge. In the end, my only disappointment with the movie was the decision to embrace the Bourne style for the fight scenes. I did find the "green" motif a little nauseating, though [spoiler](where are they topping off their hydrogen-powered car in the middle of South America, anyway?)[/spoiler].

[Thad]

I think framing the conflict as a battle for natural resources was a good way to modernize a Cold War premise.  I didn't think it was preachy, and of course it gave the conflict only the cursory acknowledgement that you'd expect from a Bond film.

But I was quite surprised that the "private industry owned Bolivia's water" story was a major plot element in a Bond film, of all things.  (Actually, I'd just days before been talking about this and couldn't remember which country it was.  Thanks, Bond movie!)

[clutch]

I think framing the conflict as a battle for natural resources was a good way to modernize a Cold War premise.  I didn't think it was preachy, and of course it gave the conflict only the cursory acknowledgement that you'd expect from a Bond film.

I meant more because the whole movie was essentially a propaganda piece for the "greenwashing" movement. He may have driven a few hydrogen-powered cars, but only to get to the airport where he jetted off in a chartered plane. Way to save the earth, Cap'n Planet.

[Arc]

I didn't think it was preachy

Essentially. A strength of previous James Bond films has been that they've respected the audience enough to assume that they can grasp the consequences of master plans, without delivering a two minute silent piece of sad children and old women going thirsty.

Consequently, props to Quantum for not having Bond [spoiler]personally blow up the dam[/spoiler], instead entrusting [spoiler]Camille to finish her duty to her people, simultaneously giving her a new mission in life.[/spoiler] Audiences were thankfully spared an ending of a smiling James Bond making out with Camille, all while happy ethnic children dance and rejoice around them.

[Thad]

I meant more because the whole movie was essentially a propaganda piece for the "greenwashing" movement. He may have driven a few hydrogen-powered cars, but only to get to the airport where he jetted off in a chartered plane. Way to save the earth, Cap'n Planet.

Ah.  Then yeah, hard to argue with that.

I didn't think it was preachy

Essentially. A strength of previous James Bond films has been that they've respected the audience enough to assume that they can grasp the consequences of master plans, without delivering a two minute silent piece of sad children and old women going thirsty.

I see that as less pushing a political agenda and more manipulating the audience's emotions.  Like the attempted rape scene near the end, it's just a really lazy way to establish that the villain is a very bad man.

And it's not like Bond villains have ever been particularly complex characters.

[Friday]

And it's not like Bond villains have ever been particularly complex characters.

I think the closest they come to more than just BAD GUY was Janus/006. But maybe that's just my like of Sean Bean.

Best kill line ever, too.

"For England, James?"

"No. For me."

[Romosome]

Bourne style for the fight scenes

man, I liked the Bourne movies and this does not bode well for me

nauseating

yeah, that

[Rosencrantz]

Bolt isn't anything amazing or unique, but it's enjoyable and is considerably better than pretty much any other non-Pixar CG movie. (However, John Lassetter was the executive producer, for what that's worth.)

[Misha]

the bourne style fighting is something I have no problem with, but the jerky with infinite cuts from different angles often to things that aren't relevant camera work seriously pisses me off.

[Büge]

the bourne style fighting is something I have no problem with, but the jerky with infinite cuts from different angles often to things that aren't relevant camera work seriously pisses me off.

Shades of The Musketeer.

[Thad]

I think most people in this crowd would share my view that Repo: The Genetic Opera is awesome.  If it's playing in your town, go see it.

Full blog to follow.

[Misha]

transporter 3 is terrible movie, and not in a good way. the plot joins quantum of solace's in the "why the hell isn't captain planet handling this?" territory, there's nowhere near enough action and not enough of it is any good and none of the characters are at all interesting or entertaining.