20170419:
As with any video game to movie adaptation (e.g., Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)), Assassin's Creed (the movie) only makes references to its source material's gameplay in a handful of places and instead needs to focus on the plot. However, this transition can sometimes feel unsatisfying, as the gameplay mechanics are often what drives the entertainment value of the game, and their reduction to a fraction of the movie results in an underwhelming experience.
Suppose for a moment that the movie adaptation of a video game was nearly equivalent to just the cutscenes of the same video game. What portion of video gamers would be satisfied with just watching the cutscenes? I'm not sure, but I do know there is an audience for it, because there exists YouTube videos which simply compile all the cutscenes from a video game. However, I would also cite the twitch.tv community which is contains a large audience that enjoys watching other people playing video games. Unfortunately, the evidence I can conjure for either side is too broad to be helpful, but my intuition remains that movie adaptations of a video game can often remove an essential piece of the entertainment.
Note, however, that the movie's story is original and distinct from any of the currently released games.
With respect to plot, I was confused about the other prisoners. That was perhaps the most disappointing part of my viewing experience.
On a different note, I would commend the choice to portray the Animus, a machine that allows a person to experience their genetic memory, as one that requires a physical simulation in addition to a mental simulation (in the video game, the user simply sits in a chair and is plugged into the Animus, an experience not unlike plugging into The Matrix). This choice is more action-oriented and works especially great from a visual point of view.
At the end of the day, I had fun watching the movie, but mainly because I had previously played some of the game. Even so, the movie had room for improvement and fails to surpass the typical film adaption of a video game. Off the top of my head, a successful adaptation is the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), followed by Mortal Kombat (1995).* Actually, Resident Evil (2002) would be my personal favorite.** At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have BloodRayne: The Third Reich (2011).***
*Apparently the film's sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) is among the worst.
**I've only seen the first sequel, but it's on my to-do list to watch the entire series.
***I've read that the first two films were just as bad as this third one.
[20171113 Edit]
Instant Comments:
Credits:
Slackline performers.
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment)
Assassin's Creed (2016) Justin Kurzel. 115 min
Relevant Links:
Assassin's Creed (IMDb.com)
Assassin's Creed (RottenTomatoes.com)
Assassin's Creed (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Passengers (2016)
20170419:
After taking a nap I watched Passengers with Ada.
The film had a good story. With that being said, while I didn't know how it could have been better, I felt like something was missing.
While I seldom watch trailers, I recall seeing the trailer for this movie somewhere and I think it threw me off with respect to the direction which the story would take.
Overall, I would recommend the movie to both fans of sci-fis and thrillers.*
*Remark: this movie only has 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. A little reading suggests that many critics are troubled by the underlying plot which is interpreted as being creepy. With that being said, I would disagree. The situation would drive most people in the protagonist's position to either commit suicide or wake another passenger.
[20171113 Edit]
Instant Comments:
None at this time.
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment) (English subtitles)
Passengers (2016) Morten Tyldum. 116 min
Relevant Links:
Passengers (IMDb.com)
Passengers (RottenTomatoes.com)
Passengers (2016 film) (Wikipedia.org)
After taking a nap I watched Passengers with Ada.
The film had a good story. With that being said, while I didn't know how it could have been better, I felt like something was missing.
While I seldom watch trailers, I recall seeing the trailer for this movie somewhere and I think it threw me off with respect to the direction which the story would take.
Overall, I would recommend the movie to both fans of sci-fis and thrillers.*
*Remark: this movie only has 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. A little reading suggests that many critics are troubled by the underlying plot which is interpreted as being creepy. With that being said, I would disagree. The situation would drive most people in the protagonist's position to either commit suicide or wake another passenger.
[20171113 Edit]
Instant Comments:
None at this time.
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment) (English subtitles)
Passengers (2016) Morten Tyldum. 116 min
Relevant Links:
Passengers (IMDb.com)
Passengers (RottenTomatoes.com)
Passengers (2016 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
20170419:
During a flight, I saw this movie playing on someone else's screen (I later noted this was at the 26 minute mark). It was not until I saw that he refused to pick a gun that I decided to watch the movie from the beginning on my own screen (with sound).
While Hacksaw Ridge doesn't best Saving Private Ryan (1998), it's still a top-notched war film and I would highly recommend it to war film fanatics.
Actually, given the nature of the protagonist as a conscientious objector, anyone who loves a good biopic would likely enjoy this film as well.
[20171113 Edit]
Instant Comments:
A prompt indicates the footage was intended to be viewed on a widescreen monitor.
What? He picked up a brick.
Oh, it's the actor who played the character who says "Mr. Anderson" in The Matrix [i.e., Hugo Weaving]
At times she looks like Scarlett Johansson. [20171113: I'm not sure who this note is referring to. If it's referring to Teresa Palmer, I'm look at pictures now and none of these images look like Scarlett Johansson. I'd have to watch the movie again to know.]
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Mel Gibson. 139 min [bot documentary The Conscientious Objector (2004) directed by Terry Benedict]
Relevant Links:
Hacksaw Ridge (IMDb.com)
Hacksaw Ridge (RottenTomatoes.com)
Hacksaw Ridge (Wikipedia.org)
During a flight, I saw this movie playing on someone else's screen (I later noted this was at the 26 minute mark). It was not until I saw that he refused to pick a gun that I decided to watch the movie from the beginning on my own screen (with sound).
While Hacksaw Ridge doesn't best Saving Private Ryan (1998), it's still a top-notched war film and I would highly recommend it to war film fanatics.
Actually, given the nature of the protagonist as a conscientious objector, anyone who loves a good biopic would likely enjoy this film as well.
[20171113 Edit]
Instant Comments:
A prompt indicates the footage was intended to be viewed on a widescreen monitor.
What? He picked up a brick.
Oh, it's the actor who played the character who says "Mr. Anderson" in The Matrix [i.e., Hugo Weaving]
At times she looks like Scarlett Johansson. [20171113: I'm not sure who this note is referring to. If it's referring to Teresa Palmer, I'm look at pictures now and none of these images look like Scarlett Johansson. I'd have to watch the movie again to know.]
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Mel Gibson. 139 min [bot documentary The Conscientious Objector (2004) directed by Terry Benedict]
Relevant Links:
Hacksaw Ridge (IMDb.com)
Hacksaw Ridge (RottenTomatoes.com)
Hacksaw Ridge (Wikipedia.org)
Sing (2016)
20170419:
Although this movie started slowly, it became more exciting about halfway through.
I would also praise it for it's selection of songs and its feel-good ending.
Overall, while not among the best computer-animated movie I've seen, I would recommend it as a family movie worth watching once.
[20171114 Edit]
On 20171113, Netflix determined the movie for me as a 94% match. As a result of my viewing on 20170419, I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
Instant Comments:
There was an article about racism and gorillas, but if you listen to the accents, the elephants sound African American and the gorillas sound English.
Lol. Throws himself onto the car. (during the car wash)
"Come on. You wash, I'll dry."
Credits:
Squids.
Watched approximately 10 minutes, starting from approximately the 30 minute mark 20170108
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment)
Sing (2016) Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet. 108 min
Relevant Links:
Sing (IMDb.com)
Sing (RottenTomatoes.com)
Sing (2016 American film) (Wikipedia.org)
Although this movie started slowly, it became more exciting about halfway through.
I would also praise it for it's selection of songs and its feel-good ending.
Overall, while not among the best computer-animated movie I've seen, I would recommend it as a family movie worth watching once.
[20171114 Edit]
On 20171113, Netflix determined the movie for me as a 94% match. As a result of my viewing on 20170419, I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
Instant Comments:
There was an article about racism and gorillas, but if you listen to the accents, the elephants sound African American and the gorillas sound English.
Lol. Throws himself onto the car. (during the car wash)
"Come on. You wash, I'll dry."
Credits:
Squids.
Watched approximately 10 minutes, starting from approximately the 30 minute mark 20170108
Watched 20170419 (in-flight entertainment)
Sing (2016) Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet. 108 min
Relevant Links:
Sing (IMDb.com)
Sing (RottenTomatoes.com)
Sing (2016 American film) (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Backcountry (2014)
20170411:
I was told this movie was based on a true story, but I later found out that the movie was only loosely based on a true story. Regardless, the movie was intense.
If I were placed in a similar situation, I would have ended my trip and turned around after meeting the creepy dude.
Of course, I also would have prepared myself with a map, because I seldom assume that I know something so well as to not require reference materials. For example, if there was some sort of physics event that required answering high school physics questions and it allowed the competitors to bring a physics book, then I would bring one - despite my confidence in the ability to recall the material.
Furthermore, I would have taken away the phone, but kept it on hand.
Anyways, I suppose all the stupidity resulted in a thrilling movie. It's not a movie I would have picked and watched on my own. 7:46PM PT
[20170924 Edit]
Watched 20170411 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Backcountry (2014) Adam MacDonald. 92 min [loosely based on a true story]
Relevant Links:
Backcountry (IMDb.com)
Backcountry (RottenTomatoes.com)
Backcountry (film) (Wikipedia.org)
I was told this movie was based on a true story, but I later found out that the movie was only loosely based on a true story. Regardless, the movie was intense.
If I were placed in a similar situation, I would have ended my trip and turned around after meeting the creepy dude.
Of course, I also would have prepared myself with a map, because I seldom assume that I know something so well as to not require reference materials. For example, if there was some sort of physics event that required answering high school physics questions and it allowed the competitors to bring a physics book, then I would bring one - despite my confidence in the ability to recall the material.
Furthermore, I would have taken away the phone, but kept it on hand.
Anyways, I suppose all the stupidity resulted in a thrilling movie. It's not a movie I would have picked and watched on my own. 7:46PM PT
[20170924 Edit]
Watched 20170411 (Netflix, Instant) (English subtitles)
Backcountry (2014) Adam MacDonald. 92 min [loosely based on a true story]
Relevant Links:
Backcountry (IMDb.com)
Backcountry (RottenTomatoes.com)
Backcountry (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Bordertown
20170408:
The show was rated for me at 98% match. Okay Netflix... I'll check it out.
I watched the first season (Episodes 1-13).
While I was watching episode 9, I thought the show was similar to Family Guy. That's when I learned it was created by Mark Hentemann of Family Guy.
S1E1
"I used to be president of Estonia."
I don't understand why he would be deported if he was a natural-born U.S. citizen.
"Don't say the name of the show..."
S1E2
Star Wars reference.
Haha. "When am I gonna be on top." + punchline
Lol. Bowling night.
S1E3
Ha, a scene from Apollo 13.
S1E5
Hahaha. His attempts at wooing the mannequin.
S1E6
"What the Kimmy Schmidt?"
S1E8
"The twist is I'm Jewish."
S1E9
"Hmm, what's that? Wait a minute, that's turkey bacon."
S1E10
Lol. In unison, "Oh, you want to date women now?"
S1E11
HAHAHA. "He hates when other people pick his kids up."
S1E12
"Hey, we were built on top of the Cleveland Show set."
The show was rated for me at 98% match. Okay Netflix... I'll check it out.
I watched the first season (Episodes 1-13).
While I was watching episode 9, I thought the show was similar to Family Guy. That's when I learned it was created by Mark Hentemann of Family Guy.
S1E1
"I used to be president of Estonia."
I don't understand why he would be deported if he was a natural-born U.S. citizen.
"Don't say the name of the show..."
S1E2
Star Wars reference.
Haha. "When am I gonna be on top." + punchline
Lol. Bowling night.
S1E3
Ha, a scene from Apollo 13.
S1E5
Hahaha. His attempts at wooing the mannequin.
S1E6
"What the Kimmy Schmidt?"
S1E8
"The twist is I'm Jewish."
S1E9
"Hmm, what's that? Wait a minute, that's turkey bacon."
S1E10
Lol. In unison, "Oh, you want to date women now?"
S1E11
HAHAHA. "He hates when other people pick his kids up."
S1E12
"Hey, we were built on top of the Cleveland Show set."
Tropic Thunder (2008)
20080823:
Thanks to ticket stubs, I can log movies I've seen on the big screen! Of course I can't say all that much about them except what little of the movie lingers in my mind.
Lol, I remember this movie being hilarious. The lines and humor being similar to what you get in Zoolander (2001).
[20110110]
20170408:
To be honest, I thought this movie would be subpar and the primary reason I decided to watch it (other than it being on 'My List') was because Netflix gave it a 98% match. And, in this situation, it was absolutely right because I loved the humor in this movie.
In fact, I'd have to say it's better than Zoolander (2001), an old favorite of mine (though I primarily enjoy Zoolander for nostalgic reasons).
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up. I gave the movie 7 out of 10 on IMDb.
20230626 Comment:
I was watching a YouTube video where Bill Hader was on Late Show with David Letterman. In it he talks about his interaction with Tom Cruise on Tropic Thunder. I didn't remember either of them in the movie, but then again, I don't think I'd have been able to name any other actor in the movie other than Ben Stiller. In any case, I should watch this movie again.
Instant Comments:
Alpa Chino
Scorcher parodies The Core
"Who left the fridge open?"
Let It Loose parodies The Nutty Professor
Haha. Tobey Maguire doesn't go by an alias...
I don't know what that parodies. [Wonder Boys]
Very similar to the beginning of Saving Private Ryan.
Lol. The number of times he gets shots and flails is hilarious.
Hahaha. "Somebody said they were close to me?"
Oh, it's Steve Coogan. I recently saw him in Around the World in 80 Days.
Holy shit. Land mine.
I don't go out of character until the DVD commentary.
He says "Load and lock" but it's "Lock and load" [Urban dictionary says it's short for "locking the magazine/cartridge into the gun and loading the ammunition into the gun's chamber"]
Mentions to Rain Man, Forrest Gump, Being There, I Am Sam:
Hahahahaha. The punchline was great. ("went home empty handed...")
Mentions Planet of the Apes (1968).
I remember this from the trailer, and one of the few lines I remembered before watching today:
"A hooker, okay, you killed a hooker." His agent knows exactly what to do.
Ha. "You should have got an Oscar."
HAHA! "I'm just like a little boy, playing with his dick when he's nervous." - Kirk Lazarus
"Lance" [A reference to Lance Bass who later makes a cameo]
Hahaha! "I'll cradle the balls, stroke the shaft, work the pipe, and swallow the gravy. Get it over here, buddy. Let's do this."
"I know who I am. I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"
Lol. So I was looking at the Wikipedia article, and it mentions Tom Cruise, and I was wondering where Tom Cruise even appeared in the movie. Taking a closer look, he was the studio executive! That beard and bald head really threw me off!
2=20170408
Released 20080813.
Watched 20080823 Theatre. Century Theatres Huntington Beach 8:15P $7
Watched 20170408 (Netflix, Instant)
Tropic Thunder (2008) Ben Stiller. 107 min
Relevant Links:
Tropic Thunder (IMDb.com)
Tropic Thunder (RottenTomatoes.com)
Tropic Thunder (Wikipedia.org)
Thanks to ticket stubs, I can log movies I've seen on the big screen! Of course I can't say all that much about them except what little of the movie lingers in my mind.
Lol, I remember this movie being hilarious. The lines and humor being similar to what you get in Zoolander (2001).
[20110110]
 |
| Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) |
20170408:
To be honest, I thought this movie would be subpar and the primary reason I decided to watch it (other than it being on 'My List') was because Netflix gave it a 98% match. And, in this situation, it was absolutely right because I loved the humor in this movie.
In fact, I'd have to say it's better than Zoolander (2001), an old favorite of mine (though I primarily enjoy Zoolander for nostalgic reasons).
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up. I gave the movie 7 out of 10 on IMDb.
 |
| Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) |
20230626 Comment:
I was watching a YouTube video where Bill Hader was on Late Show with David Letterman. In it he talks about his interaction with Tom Cruise on Tropic Thunder. I didn't remember either of them in the movie, but then again, I don't think I'd have been able to name any other actor in the movie other than Ben Stiller. In any case, I should watch this movie again.
Instant Comments:
Alpa Chino
Scorcher parodies The Core
"Who left the fridge open?"
Let It Loose parodies The Nutty Professor
Haha. Tobey Maguire doesn't go by an alias...
I don't know what that parodies. [Wonder Boys]
Very similar to the beginning of Saving Private Ryan.
 |
| Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) |
Lol. The number of times he gets shots and flails is hilarious.
Hahaha. "Somebody said they were close to me?"
Oh, it's Steve Coogan. I recently saw him in Around the World in 80 Days.
Holy shit. Land mine.
I don't go out of character until the DVD commentary.
He says "Load and lock" but it's "Lock and load" [Urban dictionary says it's short for "locking the magazine/cartridge into the gun and loading the ammunition into the gun's chamber"]
 |
| Rob Slolom (Bill Hader) and Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) |
Mentions to Rain Man, Forrest Gump, Being There, I Am Sam:
Kirk Lazarus: Everybody knows you never go full retard.
Tugg Speedman: What do you mean?
Kirk Lazarus: Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, 'Rain Man,' look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho'. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, 'Forrest Gump.' Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain't retarded. Peter Sellers, "Being There." Infantile, yes. Retarded, no. You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don't buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, "I Am Sam." Remember? Went full retard, went home empty handed...
 |
| Seargeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback (Nick Nolte) |
Hahahahaha. The punchline was great. ("went home empty handed...")
Mentions Planet of the Apes (1968).
I remember this from the trailer, and one of the few lines I remembered before watching today:
Kirk Lazarus: [to Tugg Speedman] What do you mean, "you people?"Ha. "Suck my unit."
Alpa Chino: [stares at Lazarus, and then gets angry] What do *you* mean, "you people?"
Kirk Lazarus: Huh?
 |
| Rick "Pecker" Peck (Matthew McConaughey) |
"A hooker, okay, you killed a hooker." His agent knows exactly what to do.
Ha. "You should have got an Oscar."
HAHA! "I'm just like a little boy, playing with his dick when he's nervous." - Kirk Lazarus
"Lance" [A reference to Lance Bass who later makes a cameo]
Hahaha! "I'll cradle the balls, stroke the shaft, work the pipe, and swallow the gravy. Get it over here, buddy. Let's do this."
"I know who I am. I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"
 |
| Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), Lazarus, and Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) |
Lol. So I was looking at the Wikipedia article, and it mentions Tom Cruise, and I was wondering where Tom Cruise even appeared in the movie. Taking a closer look, he was the studio executive! That beard and bald head really threw me off!
2=20170408
Released 20080813.
Watched 20080823 Theatre. Century Theatres Huntington Beach 8:15P $7
Watched 20170408 (Netflix, Instant)
Tropic Thunder (2008) Ben Stiller. 107 min
 |
| Speedman holds the head of Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) |
Relevant Links:
Tropic Thunder (IMDb.com)
Tropic Thunder (RottenTomatoes.com)
Tropic Thunder (Wikipedia.org)
Friday, April 7, 2017
The Parent Trap (1961)
20170407:
It's been such a long time since I've seen The Parent Trap and while I probably don't enjoy the movie as much as when I was a kid, it was still a joy to watch.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 92% match. While I enjoy the movie, I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down, because I don't want it as a seed for other movies.
Instant Comments:
Opening Credits:
It's been a while since I've seen this movie and I certainly forgot about the intro song. Though I remember most of the words once I heard the song.
Dialogue Coach
Movie:
Betsy and Ursula.
"The nerve of her! Coming here with *your* face."
I never thought about that before. Susan already knows they look the same. So when she teases Sharon ("She's the spitting image of you-know-who?" "Who?" "Frankenstein!"), she's effectively making fun of her own image.
"Those monsters, they gopher trapped us!"; there's so much language that I probably never understood as a kid [20171120: It originally sounded to me like the character says "Those bastards" but it was brought to my attention that she actually says "Those monsters." Reviewing the scene a couple of times, I could more easily hear her say "Those bastards" than "Those monsters." However, to settle the issue, the captions clearly indicate that she says "Those monsters." In any case, my thanks to "Jessica" for the comment/correction.]
"Let's Get Together" plays during the dance.
Their birthday is on November 12.
Their tent name is called "Serendipity." I most definitely never noticed this before. [Serendipity is finding something when you're not looking for it]
Although thinking about it now, I don't know why parents would split up their children (especially twins) and not tell them...
That one girl and her skunk is one of the most memorable scenes. Haha.
"Tobacco and peppermint."
"Well what the heck were we just talking about then?" Haha. That confusing conversation is hilarious.
"Bourbon. Double. On the rocks."
In unison, "Surprise!"
"Never mind those angelic faces. I know vixen when I see them." [My girlfriend and I were recently playing an alphabet game and we were discussing the word vixen when we got to the letter 'V'.
Watched 20170407 (Netflix, Instant)
The Parent Trap (1961) David Swift. 129 min
Relevant Links:
The Parent Trap (IMDb.com)
The Parent Trap (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Parent Trap (1961 film) (Wikipedia.org)
It's been such a long time since I've seen The Parent Trap and while I probably don't enjoy the movie as much as when I was a kid, it was still a joy to watch.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 92% match. While I enjoy the movie, I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down, because I don't want it as a seed for other movies.
 |
| Sharon Mckendrick (Hayley Mills) and Susan Evers (Hayley Mills) |
Instant Comments:
Opening Credits:
It's been a while since I've seen this movie and I certainly forgot about the intro song. Though I remember most of the words once I heard the song.
Dialogue Coach
Movie:
Betsy and Ursula.
 |
| Mitch Evers (Brian Keith) and Maggie McKendrick (Maureen O'Hara) |
"The nerve of her! Coming here with *your* face."
I never thought about that before. Susan already knows they look the same. So when she teases Sharon ("She's the spitting image of you-know-who?" "Who?" "Frankenstein!"), she's effectively making fun of her own image.
"Those monsters, they gopher trapped us!"; there's so much language that I probably never understood as a kid [20171120: It originally sounded to me like the character says "Those bastards" but it was brought to my attention that she actually says "Those monsters." Reviewing the scene a couple of times, I could more easily hear her say "Those bastards" than "Those monsters." However, to settle the issue, the captions clearly indicate that she says "Those monsters." In any case, my thanks to "Jessica" for the comment/correction.]
 |
| Sharon and Susan |
"Let's Get Together" plays during the dance.
Their birthday is on November 12.
Their tent name is called "Serendipity." I most definitely never noticed this before. [Serendipity is finding something when you're not looking for it]
Although thinking about it now, I don't know why parents would split up their children (especially twins) and not tell them...
That one girl and her skunk is one of the most memorable scenes. Haha.
"Tobacco and peppermint."
 |
| Vicky Robinson (Joanna Barnes) and Sharon |
"Well what the heck were we just talking about then?" Haha. That confusing conversation is hilarious.
"Bourbon. Double. On the rocks."
In unison, "Surprise!"
"Never mind those angelic faces. I know vixen when I see them." [My girlfriend and I were recently playing an alphabet game and we were discussing the word vixen when we got to the letter 'V'.
Watched 20170407 (Netflix, Instant)
The Parent Trap (1961) David Swift. 129 min
 |
| Which is which? |
Relevant Links:
The Parent Trap (IMDb.com)
The Parent Trap (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Parent Trap (1961 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
20170406:
The movie had great comedic elements, but I was occasionally disappointed by some of the actors.
Ignoring the terrible acting and focusing more on the action (and also some of the visuals), then the movie was a delight to watch.
In different words, I would have changed the tone from dominantly comedy to more serious and lightly comedic.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 86% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
Instant Comments:
The actor Steve Coogan doesn't seem the part. Maybe his initial fake accent was terrible.
The accents in general are terrible.
I was curious how many days it would take to travel the world via just air balloon. [The record set for a solo flight around the world in July 2016 was for 11 days, two days faster than the previous record set by Steve Fossett in 2002]
I was expecting a more traditional Around the World in 80 Days story. But this movie has a different story (centered around Jackie Chan's character).
Hahahahahaha. When they dropped the statue of Hapi.
Ha. "Ding ding ding. Ding ding ding." She corrects him. "Ding dang dong, Passepartout, ding dang dong."
Sammo Hung is Wong Fei Hung.
Haha. The Wright Bros. are played by the Wilson brothers.
"I did? What's with the I did. We're the Wright brothers. We did."
"You had me at nipples."
Kathy Bates is Queen Victoria.
Jim Broadbent played Lord Kelvin wonderfully.
Credits:
Oh, the final credits song was "It's a Small World." [The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures]
Watched 20170406 (Netflix, Instant)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) Frank Coraci. 120 min
Relevant Links:
Around the World in 80 Days (IMDb.com)
Around the World in 80 Days (RottenTomatoes.com)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004 film) (Wikipedia.org)
The movie had great comedic elements, but I was occasionally disappointed by some of the actors.
 |
| Passepartout / Lau Xing (Jackie Chan) |
Ignoring the terrible acting and focusing more on the action (and also some of the visuals), then the movie was a delight to watch.
In different words, I would have changed the tone from dominantly comedy to more serious and lightly comedic.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 86% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
 |
| Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) |
Instant Comments:
The actor Steve Coogan doesn't seem the part. Maybe his initial fake accent was terrible.
The accents in general are terrible.
I was curious how many days it would take to travel the world via just air balloon. [The record set for a solo flight around the world in July 2016 was for 11 days, two days faster than the previous record set by Steve Fossett in 2002]
 |
| Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent) |
I was expecting a more traditional Around the World in 80 Days story. But this movie has a different story (centered around Jackie Chan's character).
Hahahahahaha. When they dropped the statue of Hapi.
Ha. "Ding ding ding. Ding ding ding." She corrects him. "Ding dang dong, Passepartout, ding dang dong."
Sammo Hung is Wong Fei Hung.
 |
| Monique La Roche (Cecile De France) |
Haha. The Wright Bros. are played by the Wilson brothers.
"I did? What's with the I did. We're the Wright brothers. We did."
"You had me at nipples."
Kathy Bates is Queen Victoria.
Jim Broadbent played Lord Kelvin wonderfully.
 |
| Orville Wright (Luke Wilson) and Wilbur Wright (Owen Wilson) |
Credits:
Oh, the final credits song was "It's a Small World." [The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures]
Watched 20170406 (Netflix, Instant)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) Frank Coraci. 120 min
Relevant Links:
Around the World in 80 Days (IMDb.com)
Around the World in 80 Days (RottenTomatoes.com)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004 film) (Wikipedia.org)
The House of Small Cubes (2008)
20170406:
While I was underwhelmed by the short, I would recommend it to others for the story it tells.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up.
Instant Comments:
His choice to continue down the house, or even to start after retrieving his pipe, is interesting.
Do the memories bring him sadness? Joy? Maybe multiple feelings?
The house started so simple. Then it had a large extension followed by shrinking extensions.
Aww. That clink at the end.
I think I watched this short once before.
Watched 20170406 (Netflix, Instant)
The House of Small Cubes* (2008) Kunio Kato. 12 min
*Tsumiki no ie (original title)
*La Maison en Petits Cubes
Relevant Links:
The House of Small Cubes (IMDb.com)
La Maison en Petits Cubes (Wikipedia.org)
While I was underwhelmed by the short, I would recommend it to others for the story it tells.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up.
Instant Comments:
His choice to continue down the house, or even to start after retrieving his pipe, is interesting.
Do the memories bring him sadness? Joy? Maybe multiple feelings?
The house started so simple. Then it had a large extension followed by shrinking extensions.
Aww. That clink at the end.
I think I watched this short once before.
Watched 20170406 (Netflix, Instant)
The House of Small Cubes* (2008) Kunio Kato. 12 min
*Tsumiki no ie (original title)
*La Maison en Petits Cubes
Relevant Links:
The House of Small Cubes (IMDb.com)
La Maison en Petits Cubes (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
20170405:
I watched this movie for the first time today and I loved it. However, I wish I had been able to rewatch the second movie beforehand.
Netflix rated the movie for me at 96 percent match.* I rated the movie on Netflix a thumbs up.
*After I watched the movie I went to look for a percent match and there was none. I recalled seeing the movie had a high percent match (in fact, 96%). I was taken by surprise to find that the score was no longer there. I was beginning to believe it had none in the first place. However, I suspected that the movies in "My List" are sorted by percent match.**
**The top 10 are currently tagged as Coraline (98% Match), Cool Runnings (New), Sword Art Online II (97% Match), Kung Fu Panda 3 (None), Fate/Zero (94% Match), Gantz:O (94% Match), Million Dollar Baby (92% Match), The House of Small Cubes (92% Match), 10 Things I Hate About You (91% Match), Gross Pointe Blank (89% Match), The Day the Earth Stood Still (89% Match), and Trollhunters (89% Match).
Instant Comments:
"Justice is about to be served!" [literally]
"Skadoosh."
I don't remember anything about Kung Fu Panda 2...
"Good. Again."
Aw. My eyes got teary when they start gathering around and facing their palms forward.
Haha. "Just take it. I have a bigger one."
Haha. Dramatic entrance.
Watched 20170405 (Netflix, Instant)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh Nelson. 95 min
Relevant Links:
Kung Fu Panda 3 (IMDb.com)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (Wikipedia.org)
I watched this movie for the first time today and I loved it. However, I wish I had been able to rewatch the second movie beforehand.
Netflix rated the movie for me at 96 percent match.* I rated the movie on Netflix a thumbs up.
 |
| Po (Jack Black) |
*After I watched the movie I went to look for a percent match and there was none. I recalled seeing the movie had a high percent match (in fact, 96%). I was taken by surprise to find that the score was no longer there. I was beginning to believe it had none in the first place. However, I suspected that the movies in "My List" are sorted by percent match.**
 |
| Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) |
**The top 10 are currently tagged as Coraline (98% Match), Cool Runnings (New), Sword Art Online II (97% Match), Kung Fu Panda 3 (None), Fate/Zero (94% Match), Gantz:O (94% Match), Million Dollar Baby (92% Match), The House of Small Cubes (92% Match), 10 Things I Hate About You (91% Match), Gross Pointe Blank (89% Match), The Day the Earth Stood Still (89% Match), and Trollhunters (89% Match).
 |
| Po and his biological father Li (Bryan Cranston) |
Instant Comments:
"Justice is about to be served!" [literally]
"Skadoosh."
I don't remember anything about Kung Fu Panda 2...
 |
| Kai (J.K. Simmons) |
"Good. Again."
Aw. My eyes got teary when they start gathering around and facing their palms forward.
Haha. "Just take it. I have a bigger one."
Haha. Dramatic entrance.
 |
| Tigress (left, Angelina Jolie), Monkey (right, Jackie Chan), Viper (center, Lucy Liu), Mantis (top-center, Seth Rogen), Crane (top-right, David Cross) |
Watched 20170405 (Netflix, Instant)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh Nelson. 95 min
Relevant Links:
Kung Fu Panda 3 (IMDb.com)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (Wikipedia.org)
 |
| Mei Mei (Kate Hudson) |