What Did You Watch Today?

[Johnny Drama]

watched life on mars 6.5/10 okay but not something I would watch every week but would prob catch it if I was in

also saw some series 4 O.C 8/10 - quite entertaining picked up from series 3

[TAFKA Castroneves]

Night at the Museum (2006)

I really enjoyed watching this movie, and to be fair it was much more than what I was expecting. But I wasn't expecting much. The plot is pretty predictable after a while which does detract from the viewing, however the casting is pretty much top notch. Dick Van Dyke, Robin Williams and Steve Coogan get special mentions for putting in great efforts, without Coogan infact this movie would have dropped off a lot in my view. The movie slips from a kids film very much into a comedy as it progresses and that is to good effect. Overall I would say that the idea of a museum coming to life at night is pretty cool - and while the story was predictable it was good fun.

8/10

[YI]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - 8/10

This is about my third or fourth viewing, but it never stops being clever. I love that whole satirical feel of the picture and yet it has some great action moments as well.

(Still kinda pissed that the WB fucked it over in its release, too. It had so much more potential than $4 million in the US.)

Edited January 5, 2007 by Steve Mandela

[Mysterio2000X]

Layer Cake - 8/10

Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, impressively edited. I honestly think this has surpassed Snatch as my favorite British Mob film yet (and God knows there's a lot of them). The film stars Daniel Craig (by far one of my favorite actors) as "The Narrator", one of the highest earners and best sellers of cocaine within his drug organization. Unfortunately, he wants out and, as we all should know by now, wanting out means certain death.

This is a great film with few, but incredible twists and turns in nearly every act. The Narrator's plans for freedom are foiled when his boss asks him to search for the daughter of a former associate of his, which then combines with a plot of a stolen shipment of high-grade extacy that The Narrator just so happens to find himself involved in.

Great film, a must watch for any fan of crime movies.

[ROC]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - 8/10

This is about my third or fourth viewing, but it never stops being clever. I love that whole satirical feel of the picture and yet it has some great action moments as well.

(Still kinda pissed that the WB fucked it over in its release, too. It had so much more potential than $4 million in the US.)

Fucking brilliant movie. My favourite release of 2005. Witty, funny and downright dark. Plus it had Robert Downey Jr. in it, which is always a plus. Plus I only saw it at the cinema because what we originally were going to see was no longer showing (Can't remember what we were going to see) and that was the next thing that was either a 15 or an 18 that was on. Great film.

Was one of the few films that me and my buddies have left and thought, "Wow, that was a good film" and actually said it was a good film. The only others that spring to mind in the past couple of years have been "Severence" and "The Wedding Crashers". Bear in mind we normally only see comedies though.

[Ananas]

The Pursuit of Happyness - 7.5/10

I can't remember a single performance this year which comes close to the one Will Smith gives in this film. The movie itself is solid, with a wonderful ending, but it's all about Smith, and one would hope this is the year he gets over that first Oscar hump.

[Ananas]

The Knights of Prosperity - 1x01 - Pilot - 7/10

Pretty good first episode. Nothing amazing or anything, but it was a fun show to watch. Finally ABC gets something funny for once. >_>

[YI]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - 8/10

This is about my third or fourth viewing, but it never stops being clever. I love that whole satirical feel of the picture and yet it has some great action moments as well.

(Still kinda pissed that the WB fucked it over in its release, too. It had so much more potential than $4 million in the US.)

Fucking brilliant movie. My favourite release of 2005. Witty, funny and downright dark. Plus it had Robert Downey Jr. in it, which is always a plus. Plus I only saw it at the cinema because what we originally were going to see was no longer showing (Can't remember what we were going to see) and that was the next thing that was either a 15 or an 18 that was on. Great film.

Was one of the few films that me and my buddies have left and thought, "Wow, that was a good film" and actually said it was a good film. The only others that spring to mind in the past couple of years have been "Severence" and "The Wedding Crashers". Bear in mind we normally only see comedies though.

Edited January 5, 2007 by Steve Mandela

[Guest 1-2-Ringo!]

Having watched all of the West Wing, I feel the need to review it . So there are some minor spoilers ahead.

Martin Sheen = God. That is all. And Bradley Whitford too >_>. Seriously, if I was to make a list of my favourite TV characters, these two would probably make it in at this point. Probably John Spencer too.

The shows play a lot like Studio 60, one major problem lurks in the background while characters deal with minor issues. The Sorkin touch is still present here, as you often have characters debate on topics ranging from homosexuals, to abortion, to taxes and all that other junk. This does get tedious, but it strongly begins to disappear around the second season. Well not disappear as much as there's a lot less of it. There's also a suspension of disbelief involved. I really doubt that someone that's a liberal bordering on socialism would get anywhere near the White House. I also doubt the Republicans would ever present a pro-gay marriage, pro-choice candidate for president. Ever. But that's something you can easily overlook.

The humour in the show is awesome. I'm thinking of Leo-Margaret and Toby-Josh-Sam exchanges in particular. The scene in the fourth season where Josh, Toby and Donna change time zones unwittingly, for example, still has me laughing. And this exchange too:

Margaret: Can I just say something for the future? *I* can sign the president's name. I've got his signature down pretty good.

Leo McGarry: You can sign the president's name?

Margaret: Yeah.

Leo McGarry: On a document removing him from power and giving it to someone else?

Margaret: Yeah. Or do you think the White House Counsel would say that's a bad idea?

Leo McGarry: I think the White House Counsel would say that's a Coup D'Etat.

Margaret: I'd probably end up doing some time for that.

Leo McGarry: I would think. And what the hell are you doing practicing the president's signature?

Margaret: It's just for fun.

Leo McGarry: We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the hill.

The storylines, up until the Israeli-Palestinian stuff of season 5 was cool too. I loved the whole shooting, MS, kidnapping and Qumar angles. And for a show about awesome Democrats, we've got a few cool and likable Republicans too. Richie ("you're what my friends would call a superior sum'bitch) made for a likable candidate. John Goodman was godly as Glenallen Walken, from the whole "you're relieved Mr. President", to the obsession with his dog, to addressing the press and saying "I wish the bastard was still alive so we could kill him again" about the Qumar terrorist. Ainsley Hayes is also cool (and hot :perv:), as is that fag guy that Donna slept with. Of course, Arnie Vinnick is awesome as well, making you root for him purely because he's like a conservative President Bartlet and he's unfathomably honest.

There's only three irritating things about this show really:

- Sam (Rob Lowe) leaves in the fourth season, and he was awesome.

- Once Sorkin left, the new writers didn't know how to write Toby nearly as well. He went from a lovable grumpster to a guy who starts screaming halfway through the second sentence everytime he spoke. "How do I feel CJ? How do you THINK I FEEL? DO I LOOK HAPPY?". He lost his edge and became incredibly secondary.

- Santos and Vinnick. Don't get me wrong, I like both of them. But they built a character so unbelievably awesome in Bartlet that I had trouble getting behind both of them. Especially, by the last episode I hated the new president and wanted more Bartlet :'(. The guy was just awesome from the very first episode when he threw the bible-thumping anti-semites out of his office. His rant against that reporter chick later in the season was also godly and mark out worthy:

President Josiah Bartlet: Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

Dr. Jenna Jacobs: I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.

President Josiah Bartlet: Yes it does. Leviticus.

Dr. Jenna Jacobs: 18:22.

President Josiah Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.

And of course, the Latin rant in season two is just glorious.

All in all, the whole show is awesome, up until I'd say mid-way through the fifth season, where it's just decent. Nonetheless, go watch it all now . Everyone. *glares at Fitzy and Beatnik*.

Edited January 5, 2007 by 1-2-Ringo!

[TGC]

The Descent - 9/10

I might be one of the few true horror fans that never got around to watching Neil Marshall's feature film directorial debut Dog Soldiers. It was highly recommend to me by several people whose opinions I generally trust on such things, but I never actually rented the damn thing. After seeing The Descent, I will be locating Dog Soldiers this weekend and viewing it. The Descent was one of the most inventive, fun, scary, and interesting horror films I've seen in a long time.

Fans of the film from the UK and around the world will remember the proper ending this film had when released in 2005. Fans of the film in the US who only saw it in theatres when released in 2006 will remember an ending that is different. Anyone who rents the US DVD will see the proper ending as it was intended, as well as every uncut gore and violence scene. In a DVD extra feature, Neil Marshall explains why Lionsgate decided to go with a different ending as opposed to the longer original ending, and in a way it makes sense, but it is not what the writer/director intended. If you've only seen the theatrical US release and enjoyed it, I urge you to seek out the DVD and watch again, as well as the short extra that explains why Lionsgate altered it, with his approval. I would also urge anyone and everyone to watch the behind the scens documentary included on the DVD. It goes 42 minutes, but it is a fun, quick, insightful 42 minutes.

Okay with that out of the way, what can I say about the film? Well, not much really, as if you go into this with only the briefest of ideas as to what it was about, then the surprises are awesome. However, the general jist of the film is that one year ago a tragedy struck three female friends. Fast forward to a year later, and now six female friends, an American, some British women, and I beleive a Scottish woman or three, go to The Appalachian mountains to explore some caves. All seems well, until an accident occurs that threatens their lives. From here on out, roughly 15 to 30 minutes in, the film goes balls to the walls and never eases up until the very end. It is filled with good jump moments, true gross and grotesque scenes, and some awesome chills and thrills that anyone who pays attention and isn't a jaded film moron will enjoy. The characters are almost fully fleshed out, with the exception of one cliche and one who we know virtually nothing about aside from the fact that she is the younger sister of another, and you do grow to care about the majority of them through their actions, their losses, and their betrayals. It isn't perfect, no film is, but it is damn close especially in the horror genre. And yes, this is a horror film. It might not feel like it for the first forty or so minutes, but it is.

In a year when I saw some truly horrid "horror" films such as Stay Alive, the When A Stranger Calls remake, and the awful When The Hills Have Eyes remake, seeing this film reminded me what a truly exceptional genre horror can be when in the hands of a master. Neil Marshall is a master.

Edited January 5, 2007 by T-Fed

[Fitzy]

No, I will not watch shit, sorry.

[Guest 1-2-Ringo!]

A show with this:

Can never not be awesome.

[Ananas]

Children of Men - 8.5/10

Okay 2 Mexican heavyweight directors down, 1 to go. So far they're 2 for 2, and Children of Men is better than Babel in every way. It's a raw, foreboding vision of the future complimented by Alfonso Cuaran's visual style and a great lead performance by Clive Owen. After Prisoner of Azkaban and now this, Alfonso Cuaran is about a film away from being a true Hollywood heavyweight.

Dreamgirls - 8/10

I only saw this one because time constraints forced me to buy my CoM ticket on debit, leaving me with a gift certificate to cash in on a whim. Thank God for long lines. Energetic musical sequences, exciting visuals and standout performances make this film the best movie musical in some time. I almost feel sorry for Beyonce; her pitch perfect turn as Deena Jones is almost certain to be overshadowed by the amazing Jennifer Hudson come Oscar time. Eddie Murphy is also great as Jimmy Early, and it's a shame that next up he prepares to don a dress and play 500 roles in some shitty comedy again. Great movie, and an excellent surprise.

[Ananas]

Rocky IV - 6/10

This whole series depends on the ability to rally the audience around Rocky, and I must say that so far, this one is the least effective. Still, the "revenge" plot against the Communist oppressor storyline clearly rang true in the 80's, and even now it's easy to get behind it because we all love Creed. Good enough, even though it's the worst of the 4 I've seen so far.

[Ananas]

Little Miss Sunshine - 8/10

This is a great comedy that comes off sort of like Wes Anderson but with more heart. Its "dysfunctional" family is actually quite beautiful, and the film illustrates just how well this cast of characters, which includes a recent suicide attemptee, a heroin addict, a bespectacled beauty queen hopeful, a teenage boy on a vow of silence and a failing motivational speaker, really serve to compliment each other. There are some tremendously funny moments, and the last 20 minutes or so are perhaps the best I've seen in any film this year. Just really great, funny, inspirational stuff here.

P.S. Toni Collette and Beyonce for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy? Now that's a tough choice.

[stokeriño]

A show with this:

Can never not be awesome.

I have never watched an episode of the West Wing in my life, but that clip has left me sorely tempted to change that.

[Momo]

A show with this:

Can never not be awesome.

[TGC]

Snakes On A Plane - 8/10

Everyone knows what this movie is, and if you don't then you slept through late 2005 and 2006. The most overhyped film thanks to the internet possibly ever. The movie that the internet actually convinced the studio to go back and do five days of reshoots to give the fans the movie they were expecting, adding more gore, some gratuitous nudity, and the famous line of "Get these motherfucking snakes off my motherfucking plane." The film that everyone expected the internet community would make a huge hit and it would gross 100 million easy in just a few short weeks. The film that wound up making under 15 million domestically in its opening weekend and grossed only $59,377,419 worldwide in 2006.

So is it any good, despite being massively overhyped? Yeah actually it is. It's stupid, and yet insanely fun. The visual effects involving the majority of the snakes is pretty god awful, and yet it manages to work. Most of the actors are bad, and yet it makes it work. It feels like a bad 80's film, and perhaps that was what the object was. Either or, it works. The plot is very simplistic. Some kid sees a murder, and is convinced by Samuel Jackson's FBI character to be a witness for the prosecution. They have to fly from Honolulu to LA. The bad guys figure out which flight and load the plane with poisonous snakes driven mad by pheromones. Let violence and death to the cliched character commence. That's really all there is to it, and that's all there needs to be. It has no message, no hidden meaning, no crazy metaphors for life, and it doesn't try to be anyhing but what it is, and I respect it for that. It's mindless fun, and as such it's highly recommended.

[TGC]

Justice Leage S1E1, E2, E3

Secret Origins

When The Justice Leage cartoon started on The Cartoon Network, it was the latest in a line of cartoons from the Paul Dini and Bruce Timm cartoon universe that had included Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond, based on characters created and published by DC Comics. Batman had been a terrific success for Fox Kids, as had the others, each lasting around five seasons. With voices provided by some notable names, the series were all smartly written and well animated, based on the classic versions of the characters that the fans had read or watched over the years and adored. Justice League was the series that would team up many of the classic DC characters on a team, much like The Super Friends had previously done on Saturday Morning Cartoons, but aimed at a more diverse audience, that being the actual comic book fans as well as children. The cartoon was a success, as the others before it had been, and lasted five seasons long before finally coming to an end due to a decision made by The Cartoon Network.

The three part series opener, Secret Origins, was based off of the same continuity as the Batman and Superman cartoon series, and began with Batman investigating problems with a space satellite. Superman quickly came to his aid, as the duo found themselves against three super strong human beings, it would seem, who spoke a bizarre language. Superman gets an image in his mind that incapacitates him, and Batman is forced to rescue The Man Of Steel as the villians escape. Fast forward over the next six months, and Superman is working with a US Senator to disarm the world's nuclear arsenal. Of course it's very soon after this occurs that what appears to be aliens attack Metropolis, and of course the world is almost helpless to defend itself against this much more technologically advance alien race. As the world is on the brink of destruction, Superman and Batman free J'onn J'onzz, the last surviving Martian who was being held in captivity. It seems that The Martian Manhunter knows this race of aliens, as he has encountered them in the past, and he came here to warn us before being captured. Soon after Superman, Batman, and The Martian Manhunter are joined by Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscria making her first appearance in "man's world", Hawkgirl, a former police officer from the planet Thanagar, Green Lantern John Stewart, a member of the intergalactic peace keeping force known as The Green Lanterns and assigned to protect the sector that Earth is in, and The Flash Wally West, the third man to hold the mantle of The Fastest Man Alive. It is this force of seven of the mightiest and smartest heroes on earth who will join forces to defend the planet against the alien invaders, in the end creating the super team The Justice League to protect the planet from all menaces.

At first glance, Secret Origins looks to be a cartoon version of The White Martians who come to earth and attempt to take over, and it might be, but the actual similarites to the comic book version are few and far between. The way that the JL bands together is completely original, owing very little if anything to the comic book version of the same team's creation as well, but this version works pretty well over all. The three part debut is lacking in any sort of character development, showing very basic versions of the characters personalities to start, but there is plenty of time to explore the heroes themselves in future episodes. Instead, the three parter decides to focus on some interaction between the team members, and plenty of action. Of note is the introduction of comic book mainstay Snapper Carr, a character with a long history in the DC comic book universe and with the JL, in a decidedly different role than ever seen in print.

All in all, despite being very action driven and plot heavy, the opening three parter works well to introduce the characters and the world they will inhabit to any new viewers, while never boring them. It is a good enough way to start what will eventually become an absolute fantastic series, but it is nowhere hear the high mark the series will eventually achieve.

S1E1, E2, and E3 Overall Grade B-

[Pepsi]

Children of Men - 10/10

One of the best films of the year. Hands down. Its the Clive Owen movie I've been waiting for ever since Croupier. I knew what the movie was about but I was not expecting it to be shown the way it was. The directing and just realness of it really adds to the heartbreak of a lot of the scenes. The finale is one of the best directed action scenes I think has ever been caught on film since the assault on Omaha beach in Saving Private Ryan. Honestly, this movie just left me utterly speechless. I loved it. Going to see it again tomorrow night.