Only God Forgives and other movies I felt were 'meh'

[danny_galaga]

I know it must seem like every movie I see I like, but often times it was so 'meh' that I couldn't be bothered mentioning it here. Although sometimes it would be nice to warn others 

Tonight I saw Only God Forgives. Exploitation movies are alive! In so much as the trailer promised a lot more than the movie could deliver. I don't know how to describe how this movie sucked, other than to say that a number of people left before it finished. It starts off very violently, which should catch your attention. It doesn't. Set in Thailand, Ryan Gosling stars as an ineffectual boxing ring owner cum drug dealer who is possibly gay. He channels all that darkness that he did so brilliantly in Drive (which wasn't perfect, but it still got a 4/5 from me), but it's to no avail in this movie. Just looked it up, and unbelievably both movies are directed by the same guy. It almost felt like someone was trying to copy the other directors style. Maybe he forgot what to do. The other main character is a psychopathic karaoke singing police commissioner with a sixth sense for danger. On paper this should work. It doesn't. It sucks. You know it's not working when you understand that the scene should be serious, but you and others in the cinema find yourselves laughing out loud. I bet Quentin Tarrantino loves it

2.5/5

So here are a few other movies that I wasn't overly excited about recently:

This is the End

The highlight was how impressive Channing Tattums humility is

3/5


After Earth

Started off badly. Kid can't really act. Nice, considered effects that add a bio-organic feel to spacecraft.

3/5



The Great Gatsby

Dunno why, just 'meh'

3/5



The Hangover III

I knew not to expect too much, but was still disappointed. Best scene was the burglar alarm.

2.5/5



Olympus Has Fallen

A Die Hard wanna-be

3/5



Lincoln

Should have been about the character Tommy Lee Jones was playing. His character, and his acting were the best part of the movie. Not enough of Tommy I say!

3/5



Anna Karenina

I might have been thrown by the 'stage play' style of the movie, which was clever. The bottom line of the movie is 'most people suck'.

3/5



The Sweeney

I like a good 'Geezer' flick. This wasn't really one of them, even though it starred the king of geezers- Ray Winstone

3/5



Django Unchained

I honestly feel people are embarrassed to say this movie isn't really that good, like Kill Bill. Recent best from Tarrantino for me is Inglorious Basterds. Best is still Reservoir Dogs in my opinion

3.5/5



Gangster Squad

Another one that really looks like it should work. But it doesn't quite pull it off. Good costumes and props, guns etc.

3/5



The Hobbit

I know I'm a dummy for not realising, but suddenly the movie's finished and the fricken mountain is still on the horizon. Waddaya mean it's another trilogy!?!   

3/5



Skyfall

Close to getting 2.5/5 from me, but I have a soft spot for Daniel Craig. James Bond is done now. Time to wind up the franchise.

3/5

my score for recent movies you may have seen:

  5/5 - The Way Back, The Kings Speech, Michael Clayton, In Bruges, Gran Torino, Mary and Max, Moonrise Kingdom

4.5/5 - Taken, Iron Man, Reign Over Me, Watchmen, The girl with the dragon tattoo

  4/5 - True Grit, Traitor, Bedtime Stories, Sunshine, pineapple express

3.5/5 - 300, Max Payne, You dont mess with the Zohan, Yes Man

  3/5 - That new Indiana Jones flick, Disturbia, That new TMNT flick,

2.5/5 - Angels and Demons, The Hangover III, Only God Forgives

  2/5 - The Love Guru. Note: My 2 is probably someone elses 1. Just leaving room for worse!

[ark_ader]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

I could understand is people were immobile, but if you got two working legs it is better to experience the real thing, even if it is a street you have lived on for many years.  The flicker show should be limited to one a month, the rest of the time spent interacting with the living.

In short: Less cinema, less disappointment. Real life is much more enjoyable.

[Rick]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

I could understand is people were immobile, but if you got two working legs it is better to experience the real thing, even if it is a street you have lived on for many years.  The flicker show should be limited to one a month, the rest of the time spent interacting with the living.

In short: Less cinema, less disappointment. Real life is much more enjoyable.

That's like... your opinion, man.

(...and I didn't even like The Big Lebowski.)

[fallacy]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

I could understand is people were immobile, but if you got two working legs it is better to experience the real thing, even if it is a street you have lived on for many years.  The flicker show should be limited to one a month, the rest of the time spent interacting with the living.

In short: Less cinema, less disappointment. Real life is much more enjoyable.

Fairly sure you can do both.

Django Unchained

I honestly feel people are embarrassed to say this movie isn't really that good, like Kill Bill. Recent best from Tarrantino for me is Inglorious Basterds. Best is still Reservoir Dogs in my opinion

3.5/5

I liked that movie, I was expecting jack ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- from it but it turned out to be one of the more fun and entertaining pictures that I have seen In a long while.

[danny_galaga]

I have to say, although I've listed Django here as a 'meh' movie, 3.5/5 isn't a bad score. just that Tarrantino can do much better.

Ark, you are absolutely right. But rather than give up going to the cinema, I've decided to give up teh pr0n instead 

I aim for maybe a (cinema) movie a week, sometimes it's none, one time it was 5 

[ark_ader]

I have to say, although I've listed Django here as a 'meh' movie, 3.5/5 isn't a bad score. just that Tarrantino can do much better.

Ark, you are absolutely right. But rather than give up going to the cinema, I've decided to give up teh pr0n instead 

I aim for maybe a (cinema) movie a week, sometimes it's none, one time it was 5 

I don't mean it in a condescending way, as I used to frequent the cinema and found it disenchanting too.

Taking a break and focusing on daily ritual and exercise helps to put the cinema back into its proper perspective.

[Vigo]

I've only seen a few of these movies, but I didn't think they were so bad. At the same time I agree quite a bit with you.

Lincoln, I thought was really good, and I agree about Tommy Lee Jones being the best. I appreciated the Lincoln bits though, especially the fact that he would randomly show up in offices and peoples bedrooms and just start telling a random long winded story out of nowhere. I guess I really dug Lincoln's style. 

The Hobbit, I knew was a trilogy going into it. I also knew it was going to include a bunch of stuff from Tolkien's Appendices. I also read the Hobbit as a kid, and knew it was in essence a kid's book. I think that most people who didn't like the movie were not expecting/welcoming all these things going into the film.

Skyfall I thought was the best Daniel Craig Bond. Definitely better than Quantum, but I can see how people like Casino better. I love old school Bond movies, and I like how this one came full circle with the Sean Connery films. I thought it tastefully went into Bond's past. I remember reading that one of the past Bond directors, during The Brosnan years, wanted to introduce James Bond's Dad as a character.  (To be perfectly honest though, I would be fine if the franchise ended at this point as well. I thought Skyfall ending at the beginning is a perfect way to stop. But as they always say. James Bond will return.)

I haven't seen Django Unchained yet, but I just wanted to comment on the Kill Bill thing you mentioned. I really only thought the first part was over hyped. The second part I thought was done really well, yet nobody seemed to like it because it wasn't plotless action like part 1. I grew up watching old kung fu movies and I thought part 2 was a really well done homage to the genre. The use of Ennio Morricone music in it was perfect as well. So many childhood memories bubbled up in that piece, and eh, Part 1 was at least mindlessly fun to watch.

[Ginsu Victim]

I loved This is the End. 4.5/5

Django Unchained? 10/10

I agree with Vigo on liking Kill Bill vol 2 more than vol 1. It's just the better film.

[shponglefan]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

And you're posting this on a forum dedicated to arcade machines? 

[Vigo]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

And you're posting this on a forum dedicated to arcade machines? 

.......and as a member of that forum with a post count well above 3000.

[Rick]

.......and as a member of that forum with a post count well above 3000.

Hey, he never said anything about typing.

[ark_ader]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

And you're posting this on a forum dedicated to arcade machines? 

Classic video games (except laserdisc) are not moving pictures as per cinema.

I will let you figure that out yourself.

[Vigo]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

And you're posting this on a forum dedicated to arcade machines? 

Classic video games (except laserdisc) are not moving pictures as per cinema.

I will let you figure that out yourself.

pic·ture  [pik-cher]
noun
1.
a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc.: I carry a picture of my grandchild in my wallet.
2.
any visible image, however produced

Need me to define moving for ya? 

[ark_ader]

I have realised that there is more to life than sitting around staring at moving pictures.

And you're posting this on a forum dedicated to arcade machines? 

Classic video games (except laserdisc) are not moving pictures as per cinema.

I will let you figure that out yourself.

pic·ture  [pik-cher]
noun
1.
a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc.: I carry a picture of my grandchild in my wallet.
2.
any visible image, however produced

Need me to define moving for ya? 

Have you got your "being stupid for no reason" hat on today Vigo?

....as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc.  You carry a picture of Mario and Donkey Kong in your wallet? 

I can understand it if I was comparing it to Dragon's Lair... but I am not.  8 bit games are not the same as Cinema. 

Uwe Boll might side with you though.   

[fallacy]

They are saying you clearly spend most of your time in front of a computer screen and  in fact are not outside, and playing a video game is no more interacting with the living than watching a movie.

[ark_ader]

Well right this minute, this very second I am outside (enjoying some freakish summer weather) on my tablet.  I treated myself to a 4G galaxy note 10, so I am outdoors more.

But most of my posts are done on my phone (my smaller note) so wrong again.

8 bit classic arcade games are not the same as cinema.

So go have a nice walk and type away.

[shponglefan]

Classic video games (except laserdisc) are not moving pictures as per cinema.

I will let you figure that out yourself.

So I guess there' s a difference between wasting time starting at a screen versus wasting time staring at a different screen? 

[danny_galaga]

Another 'meh movie', The Wolverine. I can't say I'm disappointed because I had heard it was over-hyped. I'm annoyed at how Jackman is becoming less and less like Logan. Ok, the height was a big one, but in this movie he doesn't even smoke a cigar!  3/5