Movie Reviews 2.0

Is Dr Strange a remake of the first film ?

I don't think so. It's an origin story and it is set in the current MCU. In fact

In the after credits scene Dr. Strange is talking to Thor and this scene is supposedly taking place in the next Thor movie
 
Saw Doctor Strange yesterday. I know everyone says it but the film is trip as hell. I was kinda dizzy at some points. It was very good. Not a masterpiece.
The formula is the same as the rest of the films, frankly, but Marvel just has that way of making all their films so fun and good and just GOOD. Loved it.
 
Saw Doctor Strange yesterday. I know everyone says it but the film is trip as hell. I was kinda dizzy at some points. It was very good. Not a masterpiece.
The formula is the same as the rest of the films, frankly, but Marvel just has that way of making all their films so fun and good and just GOOD. Loved it.

Yep, it's formulaic but it's so much fun you can't really fault it :)

But i have to say i enjoyed the first third more than the rest (it was the most different to other MCU movies). I hope Dr. Strange gets at least one or two more standalone movies.
 
This night I will watch Dragonheart... again. It's been a long time since I last watched this movie. I hope I don't get disappointed... you know, like when you remember something the way it's not (way better, usually).
 
I saw Arrival this weekend. Still not sure I loved it. The end did raise a big question for me, but I rather discuss that when others have seen it too.
 
Saw Doctor Strange yesterday. I know everyone says it but the film is trip as hell. I was kinda dizzy at some points. It was very good. Not a masterpiece.
The formula is the same as the rest of the films, frankly, but Marvel just has that way of making all their films so fun and good and just GOOD. Loved it.

I put it in the same category as the latest Avengers and Star Trek movies. Too formulaic to be great, but solid entertainment. For me that's a bit disappointing for a trip to the cinema.

Hoping I like the Arrival better...
 
Went to see Dr. Strange Saturday & I really enjoyed it. Which kinda surprised me since I'm such a total Batman/DC fanboy & knew nothing about the character. Had some nice funny moments. BTW, I haven't even seen the last 2 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies(Ant-Man & Civil War). So it was a real surprise that I didn't get spoiled. It had a great self-contained story, but a couple winks & nods if you've been following the other movies. Can't wait to see Dr. Strange in more movies.

Tommy McClain
 
Dr. Strange here as well. Was surprised at the humor, and some of the visuals were refreshingly crazy for such a mainstream blockbuster.

Planning to see Arrival next.
 
Arrival I'm expecting to be more Hollywood drivel with little intelligence to it. I like being surprised though.
 
Arrival I'm expecting to be more Hollywood drivel with little intelligence to it. I like being surprised though.

It's quite brainy for a Hollywood movie. And the trailer is quite... I wouldn't say misleading, but I'll leave you guys to see it before commenting.
 
Dr Strange didn't really work for me. A second rate Iron Man with magic basically. Having watched the brilliant Civil War about two weeks earlier didn't do it any favors either.
I'm also wondering more and more whether there are actually any decent villain characters in the entire Marvel universe outside the realm of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men (both of which Marvel Studios cannot use) or Spider-man. Poor Mads Mikkelsen was about as menacing as Gene Simmons' "The Demon", and that extra dimensional purple testicle monster reminded me of the awful rendition of Galactus in Rise of the Silver Surfer.
 
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Remembering where all came from which was "children's" comic, it's easy to understand why the heros are always much better than the villians.

In terms of decent villians, Loki is about the best I can think of.
 
Just learned last night that my son wants to see Arrival as well which means waiting until Saturday since he's working nights. I'll have to keep dodging spoiler reviews a few more days...
 
Remembering where all came from which was "children's" comic, it's easy to understand why the heros are always much better than the villians.

In terms of decent villians, Loki is about the best I can think of.

What's curious is that there's always the one super hero who's utterly spoiled for choice when it comes to villains while the rest seemingly gets nothing. Batman is the most obvious choice here, but I think Spidey gets his fair share as well.
 
Instead of Arrival, we've decided to watch the other new movie with Amy Adams instead - Nocturnal Animals, the second film from fashion designer Tom Ford (first was A Single Man which I haven't seen yet).

Well, I find it kind of hard to properly express my thoughts and feelings about it...

This is a beautiful movie, but a lot of the things you see are disturbing and ugly in many different ways (for example that opening sequence...). There's also a lot of contrast between looks and what's under the surface. Much of what it's about is coldness and emotional emptiness, yet some of the scenes are incredibly intense. The structure is pretty complex with multiple timelines and a story within a story all unfolding in parallel, but you can always follow it and it never gets confusing. Practically all the actors are amazing, even if they're only in a single scene, but Adams, Gyllenhaal, Shannon and Taylor-Johnson still manage to stand out, and each in a different way. The movie is also far from perfect and you'll probably leave sort of unsatisfied, but it's still really worth seeing.

Also, I still want to watch Arrival ;)
 
S-VHS (or VHS2)

Very impressive sequel to the creative if uneven found footage horror anthology VHS. In VHS 2, a man gets a bionic eye implant, causing him to see the angry spirits who've been around him all along. But now that he can see them too, they are about to get hostile. It's not quite the kid-friendly PG 13 horror found in your typical Paranormal Activity, but it's not too far off either. We're off to a decent start here, but it's not a particularly spectacular episode. Especially compared to the kick-ass opener in VHS 1. Not to worry, though, because VHS2 is about to switch gears. Next up we follow an unlucky cyling enthusiast via the his helmet cam. Poor guy gets bitten by a zombie, eventually turning into one himself. Lots of gnarly first person zombie dining ensues. It's an inventive, rather yucky and darkly humorous, and actually somewhat tragic episode. Good stuff, but it gets better. The big centerpiece of the movie sees a team of young documentary filmmakers descend into the bowels of a sun-drenched, innocuous looking quasi-religious commune in Indonesia. It's an utterly disturbing 30 minutes long pummeling of the senses. Cinematography and direction courtesy of The Raid's Gerath Huw Evans are both top tier. Some pretty seamless and very impressive special effects are on display as well. And boy oh boy, are gore hounds going to be pleased with this thing. Could have easily been expanded into its very own, fully-fledged movie. Last but definitely not least we witness the violent interruption of a teenage sleep over party by a strange encounter of the third kind. It's very effective and quite chilling. Nowhere near as hard-edged as the two middle episodes, but unlike the first episode, this one absolutely delivers. The little grey men never looked this creepy.

The episodes are all tied together by an overarching narrative about a team of private investigators in search of a missing student. It's quite well done too, and it really ends the movie on a high note. That's a rarity in the genre if you ask me, so kudos to the team for that.

Highly recommended for horror fans.
 
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