Last Movies You Have Rented - Page 335

ClosetRTWatcher · 10-26-2009, 02:42 AM

Adventureland - It was just okay. By the end I was just waiting for it to be over. Given that these people were supposed to be 20-somethings, I was annoyed that every discussion and interaction revolved completely around alcohol, pot, and sex.

Sunshine Cleaning - I enjoyed this one. It was dark and entertaining. I expected a bit more humor mixed in, but I was okay without it. It was interesting to see Amy Adams in a not-so-sweet role.

Race to Witch Mountain - It didn't keep my attention, but the kids seems amused by it.

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**Critical** · 10-26-2009, 05:10 AM

I just watched My Life in Ruins on OnDemand today. It's the one starring Nia Varadalos as a tour guide in Greece. Totally formulaic and cheesy, with some seriously bad stereotyping of nationalities, but the male lead is a god and there ended up being some nice moments. Plus, since they shot on location in Greece, there was some really beautiful scenery.

Arielflies - I thought the sequel to Center Stage was horrid, what about you? The girl who was the lead was NOT a good dancer, particularly ballet. At least Amanda Schull (who starred in the first movie) was with SF Ballet. The girl in the sequel was clearly NOT a ballet dancer. I hate it when they do that and think the audience won't notice. It's not like she was such a great actress that they couldn't pass her up. There are plenty of great dancers out there who can act too. They messed up the Cooper character too. Can you tell I hated it?

Arielflies · 10-26-2009, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critical

Arielflies - I thought the sequel to Center Stage was horrid, what about you? The girl who was the lead was NOT a good dancer, particularly ballet. At least Amanda Schull (who starred in the first movie) was with SF Ballet. The girl in the sequel was clearly NOT a ballet dancer. I hate it when they do that and think the audience won't notice. It's not like she was such a great actress that they couldn't pass her up. There are plenty of great dancers out there who can act too. They messed up the Cooper character too. Can you tell I hated it?

I can tell.

As far as ballet, the movie made a point that she was self-taught and lacked technique, which was great for segueing into the bar lesson scenes. The part I didn't quite buy was the millionaire's daughter. The actress playing her looked too old for school and really hard. Her, I would buy as coming off the street. I didn't realize Amanda Schull was an established ballerina with the SF Ballet, but yes, she was wonderful - and had the technique -

And what was with Cooper in the second movie? His character was really awkward - not the smoothie of the first movie. I guess because he was pretty much a sideline player, they toned down his part.

And the happy ending was so Cinderella.

**Critical** · 10-28-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arielflies

I can tell.

As far as ballet, the movie made a point that she was self-taught and lacked technique, which was great for segueing into the bar lesson scenes. The part I didn't quite buy was the millionaire's daughter. The actress playing her looked too old for school and really hard. Her, I would buy as coming off the street. I didn't realize Amanda Schull was an established ballerina with the SF Ballet, but yes, she was wonderful - and had the technique -

And what was with Cooper in the second movie? His character was really awkward - not the smoothie of the first movie. I guess because he was pretty much a sideline player, they toned down his part.

And the happy ending was so Cinderella.

I think she had just been taken on as a member of the corps when she got cast in the movie. She was with SF until about 2006, when she retired. I saw her in a TV movie really recently and, according to her imdb profile, she's been working a lot this year.

I hated what they did to Cooper and to Jonathan in the second movie. The second one felt so amateurish, from start to finish. That performance at the end? Awful. What can I say, I'm a connoisseur of dance movies!

ClosetRTWatcher · 11-01-2009, 11:28 PM

The Proposal - I liked this one a lot! It was cute and corny without being dumb.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - I should have paid attention to the negative reviews and not have even bothered with this one. It was pretty bad and a waste of my time.

CrossingGuard · 11-02-2009, 05:39 AM

Recently I went through all of the free movies that OnDemand had (I wasn't in the mood to spend money on a movie

), and I came into two well-known movies: Jumanji and Sleepless in Seattle.

I liked Jumanji. It's something I would go buy on DVD. Actually, I kind of want the board game now.

It freaked me out sometimes (I'm not one for scary movies, so that just shows how easily scared I get), but I liked it all in all.

I've heard so many things about Sleepless in Seattle. It's a legendary romantic comedy. I liked it, but not something I would buy on DVD. Maybe I will some time in the future, if it gets released for an anniversary. But I just couldn't get past how unrealistic it was. I know it's just a movie, and it's supposed to make you feel good inside (hence, the "feel good" nature of romantic comedies), but I just couldn't completely fall into it.

Columbia, MD · 11-11-2009, 09:18 AM

Australia -- Fantastic movie. The scenery is awesome and the actors do a magnificent job.

ClosetRTWatcher · 11-11-2009, 10:36 AM

Every Little Step - I really enjoyed this one. I know it's a little mean, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing Tyce get a "smackdown" of sorts. However, I thought in the film he came off as a pretty nice guy. There was one scene where he was auditioning next to two other guys and he seemed way off from what they were doing that I giggled a little at. The film overall was very nicely done. The transitions between the original tape footage that inspired the play and the newer audition material was handled very nicely. They also focused on a range of actors auditioning that was interesting, but not so large as to make it overwhelming to the viewer. (I should note that I have never seen the play. A looong time ago I saw the film version of the play, but I didn't remember much about it)

The Tale of Despereaux - The animation was wonderful, although the humans that were not key characters were all kind of generic. The message was pretty good, but kind of dark for an animated movie - what I took away from it was "even good people can do bad things when they have been hurt emotionally". I liked it, but I can't say I loved it.

ClosetRTWatcher · 11-15-2009, 01:09 AM

Drag Me to Hell - I really enjoyed this one. It had some great "jump out of your seat" moments, but was also hilarious. If you are into only serious horror flicks, this one is not for you. There was a mix of great special effects and really cheesy ones. There was a scene at one point where a shadowy figure was coming after the female lead and her bedroom featured a poster of a kitten hanging from a branch with the caption "Baby, hang in there"

Then a moment later she calls her boyfriend and the scene switches to an extreme close up of his iPhone as he sits in the background - the actor is the guy who plays "Mac" in the PC vs Mac commercials, so I was just rolling that it played off like a big Apple commercial

One of the people I was watching with thought the ending was too abrupt, but it didn't bother me.

Food, Inc. - Very interesting documentary about the food industry. Where our food really comes from, why the current paradigm is not sustainable, the very small number of corporations who control the vast amount of the food chain, some examples of people who are doing the "right thing", and some ideas about how we as consumers can affect change. I highly recommend for those who like documentaries. This is one of those issues I personally think everyone should be aware of.

ClosetRTWatcher · 11-15-2009, 07:30 PM

The Taking of Pelham 123 - Enjoyable action movie about a group of subway travelers being held hostage and a transit dispatcher is caught up in the negotiation. Denzel Washington and John Travolta are really wonderful actors! The film is rated R and while there is some blood, I think the rating is mostly due to the prolific swearing.

10-26-2009, 02:42 AM	#3341
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,522	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented Adventureland - It was just okay. By the end I was just waiting for it to be over. Given that these people were supposed to be 20-somethings, I was annoyed that every discussion and interaction revolved completely around alcohol, pot, and sex. Sunshine Cleaning - I enjoyed this one. It was dark and entertaining. I expected a bit more humor mixed in, but I was okay without it. It was interesting to see Amy Adams in a not-so-sweet role. Race to Witch Mountain - It didn't keep my attention, but the kids seems amused by it.

10-26-2009, 05:10 AM	#3342
Critical Bitten Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Merlotte's Bar & Grill Age: 41 Posts: 5,619	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented I just watched My Life in Ruins on OnDemand today. It's the one starring Nia Varadalos as a tour guide in Greece. Totally formulaic and cheesy, with some seriously bad stereotyping of nationalities, but the male lead is a god and there ended up being some nice moments. Plus, since they shot on location in Greece, there was some really beautiful scenery. Arielflies - I thought the sequel to Center Stage was horrid, what about you? The girl who was the lead was NOT a good dancer, particularly ballet. At least Amanda Schull (who starred in the first movie) was with SF Ballet. The girl in the sequel was clearly NOT a ballet dancer. I hate it when they do that and think the audience won't notice. It's not like she was such a great actress that they couldn't pass her up. There are plenty of great dancers out there who can act too. They messed up the Cooper character too. Can you tell I hated it? __________________ The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain

11-01-2009, 11:28 PM	#3345
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,522	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented The Proposal - I liked this one a lot! It was cute and corny without being dumb. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - I should have paid attention to the negative reviews and not have even bothered with this one. It was pretty bad and a waste of my time.

11-02-2009, 05:39 AM	#3346
CrossingGuard Matar: The Best Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: California Posts: 4,945	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented Recently I went through all of the free movies that OnDemand had (I wasn't in the mood to spend money on a movie ), and I came into two well-known movies: Jumanji and Sleepless in Seattle. I liked Jumanji. It's something I would go buy on DVD. Actually, I kind of want the board game now. It freaked me out sometimes (I'm not one for scary movies, so that just shows how easily scared I get), but I liked it all in all. I've heard so many things about Sleepless in Seattle. It's a legendary romantic comedy. I liked it, but not something I would buy on DVD. Maybe I will some time in the future, if it gets released for an anniversary. But I just couldn't get past how unrealistic it was. I know it's just a movie, and it's supposed to make you feel good inside (hence, the "feel good" nature of romantic comedies), but I just couldn't completely fall into it. __________________ S19 - ~~Marisa~~, ~~Betsy~~, ~~Ashley~~, Natalie, Laura ; PR6 - Gordana ; MotRW - Matar, ~~Kojii~~ ; TAR15 - Brian/Ericka TC6 - Jennifer ; TBL8 - Tracey, Mo ; ANTPM13 - Nicole, Laura ; DwtS9 - Mark/Lacey, ~~Natalie/Alec~~, ~~Melissa~~ underlined, top favorite(s) ; ~~strikethrough~~, eliminated; bolded, winners!

11-11-2009, 09:18 AM	#3347
Columbia, MD One of a Kind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Between Baltimore and D.C. Posts: 423	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented Australia -- Fantastic movie. The scenery is awesome and the actors do a magnificent job. __________________ If you always see the road ahead, it's not worth the trip. Seventh Season, Star Trek Voyager

11-11-2009, 10:36 AM	#3348
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,522	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented Every Little Step - I really enjoyed this one. I know it's a little mean, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing Tyce get a "smackdown" of sorts. However, I thought in the film he came off as a pretty nice guy. There was one scene where he was auditioning next to two other guys and he seemed way off from what they were doing that I giggled a little at. The film overall was very nicely done. The transitions between the original tape footage that inspired the play and the newer audition material was handled very nicely. They also focused on a range of actors auditioning that was interesting, but not so large as to make it overwhelming to the viewer. (I should note that I have never seen the play. A looong time ago I saw the film version of the play, but I didn't remember much about it) The Tale of Despereaux - The animation was wonderful, although the humans that were not key characters were all kind of generic. The message was pretty good, but kind of dark for an animated movie - what I took away from it was "even good people can do bad things when they have been hurt emotionally". I liked it, but I can't say I loved it.

11-15-2009, 01:09 AM	#3349
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,522	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented Drag Me to Hell - I really enjoyed this one. It had some great "jump out of your seat" moments, but was also hilarious. If you are into only serious horror flicks, this one is not for you. There was a mix of great special effects and really cheesy ones. There was a scene at one point where a shadowy figure was coming after the female lead and her bedroom featured a poster of a kitten hanging from a branch with the caption "Baby, hang in there" Then a moment later she calls her boyfriend and the scene switches to an extreme close up of his iPhone as he sits in the background - the actor is the guy who plays "Mac" in the PC vs Mac commercials, so I was just rolling that it played off like a big Apple commercial One of the people I was watching with thought the ending was too abrupt, but it didn't bother me. Food, Inc. - Very interesting documentary about the food industry. Where our food really comes from, why the current paradigm is not sustainable, the very small number of corporations who control the vast amount of the food chain, some examples of people who are doing the "right thing", and some ideas about how we as consumers can affect change. I highly recommend for those who like documentaries. This is one of those issues I personally think everyone should be aware of.

11-15-2009, 07:30 PM	#3350
ClosetRTWatcher Pineapple! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Changing my name to Pistol Tanker Posts: 2,522	Re: Last Movies You Have Rented The Taking of Pelham 123 - Enjoyable action movie about a group of subway travelers being held hostage and a transit dispatcher is caught up in the negotiation. Denzel Washington and John Travolta are really wonderful actors! The film is rated R and while there is some blood, I think the rating is mostly due to the prolific swearing.