The Last Movie(s) You Watched... (quick one or two sentence reviews)

[Jrzag42]

After getting into the fanmade web series The Frollo Show, I've been wanting to rewatch Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Today I finally gave in and started paying for my own D+ subscription, and I have finally watched my funni hunchback movie. Man this film rocks, the only problem as far as I'm aware is some outdated terminology. I don't understand how this was ever successful, I can't imagine any kids wanting to see this, but I don't know anything. Frollo is the perfect villain in just how unlikable and irredeemable he is, and Hellfire is such a song. Not a big fan of the gargoyles, there have been attempts to edit them out but I just think they need to be toned down.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame. ... I don't understand how this was ever successful, I can't imagine any kids wanting to see this, but I don't know anything. Frollo is the perfect villain in just how unlikable and irredeemable he is, and Hellfire is such a song.

It honestly wasn't. It was kind of the end of the Disney Renaissance, which had already been on a downward slump. It succeeded (barely) based on momentum from the past few films and an onslaught of marketing and cross-promotion, most notably with McDonalds. It's crazy how the best songs in the film are either outright about religious persecution or about how Esmeralda has such an insanely banging body that every hetero male would go to Hell to get with her. Such an underrated film for adults...barely passable for a Disney kids' film! (check out those sexy flames!)

 

[Prism_Skywalker]

First Knight (Starring Sean Connery) - Solid enjoyable sword fighting film! Great open shots for the sword-fight cinematography and that final duel score, oh give me more please! - 7/10

Ridley's Scotts - Kingdom Of Heaven Theatrical Cut, is it the worse version, probably, I've never seen either cut before this but, I can say I've seen the theatrical and my biggest complaint was some things felt anti-climactic and I didn't like how they filmed the close up parts of the battles, you can barely tell what's going on during the sword fights during the big war scenes. I doubt this is fixed in the directors cut... - 6/10

 

[TM2YC]

Ridley's Scotts - Kingdom Of Heaven Theatrical Cut, is it the worse version, probably, I've never seen either cut before this but, I can say I've seen the theatrical and my biggest complaint was some things felt anti-climactic and I didn't like how they filmed the close up parts of the battles, you can barely tell what's going on during the sword fights during the big war scenes. I doubt this is fixed in the directors cut... - 6/10

Definitely check out the longer cut, it's nearly an hour longer because whole plots and characters were 100% removed in the shorter cut. It's arguably one of the most significantly different "Director's Cuts" ever. The theatrical is just a technical exercise in getting from the first to the last page of the script in the shortest amount of time, the longer cut is the real movie.

 

[mnkykungfu]

It's arguably one of the most significantly different "Director's Cuts" ever

I'm with @TM2YC , but that said, I've seen three cuts of Kingdom of Heaven and none of them lived up to the film I wanted it to be. Bizarrely, every cut has some improvements, and then takes out or changes some things that were already good! And there's just no getting over Orlando Bloom's rather limp portrayal of a medieval hero. The various material out there is honesty pretty ripe for a fanfix fanedit, though.

 

[Eyepainter]

Goldfinger (1964)

I don't think the film deserves its reputation as the greatest Bond film ever made, but there's no denying that it's a fun ride, and one that ranks high on rewatchability. The action sequences are exciting for their time, Sean Connery once again proves that he's still the greatest Bond, the villains are iconic and many have tried replicating them (and mostly failing) in future Bond films ever since.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Me and my new roommate only decided to watch this because of our own curiosity for the game itself, but I have to admit, this was a pleasant surprise. I don't know if it'll hold up on repeat viewings, but I'm glad I saw it. The second half redeems a lot of wrongs with this one, and I was surprised by the emotional core behind Chris Pine's performance. The humor was a lot wittier than I anticipated, and I didn't expect Hugh Grant to play an evil jerk so well. Give this a watch if you haven't already.

 

[mnkykungfu]

^Goldfinger is definitely pretty high up there. Maybe From Russia With Love?
I really loved the D&D movie. When you think how effortlessly some pretty mediocre blockbusters rake in the dollars, it feels like D&D should've made at least twice as much as the latest F+F or superhero film.

 

[Eyepainter]

^Goldfinger is definitely pretty high up there. Maybe From Russia With Love?

Interestingly enough, From Russia with Love is my favorite of the Connery films, even though I do think the ending could've used some improvement.

I really loved the D&D movie. When you think how effortlessly some pretty mediocre blockbusters rake in the dollars, it feels like D&D should've made at least twice as much as the latest F+F or superhero film.

I think a lot of it has to do with the film being advertised as a Marvel wannabe. If you watched the trailer like I did, it looked like another cynical cash grab, especially with the one-liners and the usage of Led Zeppelin. This was the same marketing strategy used for Suicide Squad (2016), and most people didn't want to waste their cash on another one of those. Perhaps if the trailers and marketing hadn't been so lackluster, it would've been more successful.

 

[addiesin]

I think a lot of it has to do with the film being advertised as a Marvel wannabe. If you watched the trailer like I did, it looked like another cynical cash grab, especially with the one-liners and the usage of Led Zeppelin. This was the same marketing strategy used for Suicide Squad (2016), and most people didn't want to waste their cash on another one of those. Perhaps if the trailers and marketing hadn't been so lackluster, it would've been more successful.

I think it's simpler. I don't think mainstream audiences have a positive perception of "dungeons and dragons". Most people hear the name and either go, "oh, that's for nerds"; Or "I've heard of it but it seems complicated, and I haven't played the game, so I don't know if I need to know the rules just to understand the movie, and finding out sounds like work."

 

[Eyepainter]

I think it's simpler. I don't think mainstream audiences have a positive perception of "dungeons and dragons". Most people hear the name and either go, "oh, that's for nerds"; Or "I've heard of it but it seems complicated, and I haven't played the game, so I don't know if I need to know the rules just to understand the movie, and finding out sounds like work."

We don't live in the world of Revenge of the Nerds anymore. A lot of things associated with nerdiness are more widely accepted now than they were in the past. In fact, there are more people playing D&D than ever before, with sales in North America alone reaching 12 to 15 million players over the last 5 to 10 years. Hell, it was even showcased proudly in Stranger Things season 4.

So, while it's a nice theory, I don't think the simple answer makes enough sense in this case.

 

[addiesin]

We don't live in the world of Revenge of the Nerds anymore. A lot of things associated with nerdiness are more widely accepted now than they were in the past. In fact, there are more people playing D&D than ever before, with sales in North America alone reaching 12 to 15 million players over the last 5 to 10 years. Hell, it was even showcased proudly in Stranger Things season 4.

So, while it's a nice theory, I don't think the simple answer makes enough sense in this case.

You're free to feel like what I've said isn't valid, but the truth is we're both expressing opinions, not facts, about why people didn't see the film. Plenty nerdy things are accepted, that is true. But D&D is a very specific brand, and to the uninitiated it looks like homework. Literally the books are bigger than some of my college textbooks were. I'm not knocking it, I play it. I just think you're overestimating the game's audience. 15 million customers over 10 years is approx 1.5 million customers a year, which sounds like a lot for a small business but for a huge franchise it is not. The US has over 300 million people. I think you'd be hard pressed to find an adult who hasn't heard of Dungeons and Dragons, brand awareness isn't the issue. Again I go back to the mainstream public perception (not my own perception) that if it's called Dungeons and Dragons, it will be complicated, or otherwise difficult to understand without prior knowledge.

You think people didn't like the trailers. I don't think people even got that far.

 

[mnkykungfu]

You think people didn't like the trailers. I don't think people even got that far.

I don't play D&D, but the trailers looked great to me. Had to convince my girlfriend to go though, and certainly none of her friends went. (She loved it once she saw it, for the record.)

 

[Ray Danger]

I'll weigh in to say I think @Eyepainter AND @addiesin have it right about the D&D movie-
The trailer had everything awful about current trailers AND D&D is still seen as THE nerdiest thing.

This was opportunity to turn that perception around, just as Marvel has done, but the marketing was terrible.
I'd dig a well-done D&D flick, but this didn't look at all like something I'd wanna see & clearly I wasn't alone in that.

 

[mnkykungfu]

^Given all the positive word of mouth about the film now @Ray Danger , do you now want to see it?

 

[Ray Danger]

Eh, not really.
I haven't heard much about it & don't know anybody IRL who's seen it.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Hmm, I mean, everybody here praised it and the reviews were all strong, so...? What I'm getting at is maybe you're really not particularly inclined to see it even if it's really well-done. Maybe that's the battle the film was facing in general, too.

 

[Prism_Skywalker]

Another movie review slate: Just watched the following four films:

Ridley Scott's The Duelist - 3/10
X-Men Apocolypse: 8/10 - Really liked it, may not be the most comic accurate (haven't read comics) but had a great time!
The Last Samurai - 7/10 (Great action movie, and is Tom Cruise doing something besides jumping off cliffs with vehicles)
X-Men Dark Phoenix: 6/10 (I really enjoy it but man do I wish it was better and had the original plans fulfilled, #releasetheskrullscut)

 

[Ray Danger]

Hmm, I mean, everybody here praised it and the reviews were all strong, so...?

All I can say is that it looked bad, I don't pay attention to reviews of movies I haven't seen & I don't have any friends who saw it.

What I'm getting at is maybe you're really not particularly inclined to see it even if it's really well-done. Maybe that's the battle the film was facing in general, too.

I'd say for the general public, that's certainly a hill it had to climb.
For me, if it looked good, I'd have gone. They failed to sell it.

 

[mnkykungfu]

My other watch for International Talk Like a Pirate Day:

The Pirate Movie (1982)
An Australian film meant to be a modernized spoof of The Pirates of Penzance, I'd say that it falls victim to the trap of a lot of great comedy by being highly specific to the time and audience it was made for.... except that it flopped back then, too. More just silly and bad than anything, but does have a few charms.

and also...

L.A. 2017 (1971)
One of the first things Steven Spielberg directed, this was essentially a TV movie shoved into a standalone episode of the anthology series "The Name of the Game". The directing isn't amazing, but Spiely does manage to realize this really interesting "future" sci-fi world of a dystopian 2017 due to climate change. Not the worst thing he's done!

Atom Eve (2023)
This prequel streamer film to the series Invincible focuses on the origins of the titular character, who's basically an amalgam of several sci-fi/comic book tropes. I've been reluctant to get into the animated series as Invincible has always seemed just "average with a couple of nice twists sometimes" to me, and I used this as a tester. Based on this, the series seems to want to make up for lower budget animation and simple writing by shocking you with the brutality of how characters are treated....I think it's a pass for me.

 

[Eyepainter]

The Naked Gun (1988)

When it comes to movies that are designed to just be hilarious laugh riots and nothing more, there are few movies that do it as well as this one. Hilarious from start to finish, it's impossible not to watch this without smiling. Don't bring your Oscar-watching friends to this one, and enjoy.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)

Although still very funny, it's hard not to notice the drop in hilarity here. The first movie felt like jokes were flying at you within seconds of each other. This one feels like most of the jokes occur every minute. Maybe the first movie was a hard act to follow or maybe the Zucker/Abrahams team was starting to lose their sense of humor, but it shows. And while the political message is well-intentioned, it doesn't belong in a franchise like this. Still, the film has so much going for it that I'll recommend it despite its flaws.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

And if 2 1/2 felt like the jokes were only coming at you every minute, this one feels like the jokes are coming at you every several minutes. While it's still good, it is the weakest link in the trilogy. I'm glad they stopped at this one, because you can tell the ideas were running dry at this point. I'm reluctant to compare them to the Seltzer/Friedberg films, since this movie is funnier than those, but the movie does go in that direction, especially with the Thelma & Louise scenes. They felt like humourous recreations of other films than actual jokes. The climax at the Oscars also proves that the team didn't learn their lesson on the politics of 2 1/2. While still recommended, I prefer the other two more.