Generic "Movies out in October" thread

[bjornolf]

Anybody have a review of Max Payne? Jason?

I'm hoping to see a review of this one. I'm a fan of the games, so I'd like to see the movie, if it's any good. Thanks. ;)

[Cavlaw]

I've played the first game a little, but confess I'm not a fan. Based on the previews of the movie I've seen, it looks like a cross between The Corruptor and Constantine, which would not be pretty.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I've played the first game a little, but confess I'm not a fan. Based on the previews of the movie I've seen, it looks like a cross between The Corruptor and Constantine, which would not be pretty.

I loved both games, and still reload either for fun..but it looks like the movie is less than ...something. And from what I've read, the movie is less than... something. Sniff, sniff.... There's a dog around here to blame somewhere.

P.S. I thought Constantine was a great day in the theater..kids, wife and I had fun with that one. Worth the matinee price.

[bjornolf]

Somebody on the radio mentioned his fear that it would turn out like constantine, but the movie reviewer they were interviewing said that the winged creatures were really a VERY small part of the movie, and that most people were too busy worrying about them and when they'd appear.

I'm also shocked that Body of Lies got so panned at rotten tomatoes. I've heard very good things about that one. And yet Quarantine did good, and I've heard nothing but bad things about that. Mostly that it's a VERY poor takeoff on cloverfield.

[snowdenscold]

I'm also shocked that Body of Lies got so panned at rotten tomatoes. I've heard very good things about that one. And yet Quarantine did good, and I've heard nothing but bad things about that. Mostly that it's a VERY poor takeoff on cloverfield.

I saw Body of Lies last night and thought it was very good. Gorgeous, sweeping desert shots, two great actors and enough tension that I was drawn in for the entire movie. Thought the guy playing Hani was good too - interesting that he's Italian/Austrian but I was sold w/ him playing a Jordanian.

[JasonEvans]

I also saw Body of Lies (at a preview, shoulda posted my thoughts here-- sorry) and found it pretty good. I was not a fan of the ending or how they got there but I enjoyed a lot of the rest of it. DiCaprio was very good. Crowe was all right. I think it is worth seeing, for sure, though partly because the current crop of films in theaters are so -- well -- croppy ;)

--Jason "September and October are almost always baaad months for quality films" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Oh, I completely forgot to mention, while I have not seen Max Payne, the reviews are simply awful. It is at 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, which takes some work.

The Detroit News says:

Max Payne may be the worst movie of the year. The "may be" qualifier is only because the year isn't over yet.

The LA Times says:

Miserable, in every sense of the word.

Rolling Stone says:

Max just drags on as it drags you down. If you stay and watch the endless end credits, there's a short scene that hints a sequel is coming. That's what I call real pain.

And the SF Chronicle writes:

A critic can stay alert through movies that would put elephants into comas, but I doubt most people will stay awake for Max Payne.

--Jason "seems like it might be worth waiting until DVD... or never watching at all" Evans

[CameronBornAndBred]

Mostly that it's a VERY poor takeoff on cloverfield.

Quarantine is a remake of a Mexican film..like Hollywood likes to redo the Japanese horror movies. I'm pretty sure the original came out before Cloverfield, and from what I've read, Quarantine is very true to the original, except it's in English. (They scream "aaaaaah" instead of "aaaaaaj")

[YmoBeThere]

Max Payne finished 1st at the box office this weekend ahead of the other noted newcomer, Oliver Stone's W. Beverly Hills Chihuahua and The Secret Life of Bees(also debuting this week) also outdrew W. I guess a movie about a lame duck sitting President with a very low approval rating just isn't much of a draw.

[Tommac]

Saw Appaloosa today and thought Ed Harris and Vigo Mortenson were great, but that the story was not so good. Renee Zelleweger was also in it and I just don't see her in a western. Jeremy Irons was also good. My son thought there wasn't enough action. He's probably right. 3:10 to Yuma had a better story, but Appaloosa probably had better actors.

[JasonEvans]

I have renamed this thread because it seems to be about a lot more than Max Payne.

-Jason "look at me, I'm an all powerful mod who can change thread titles" Evans

[2535Miles]

And yet Quarantine did good, and I've heard nothing but bad things about that. Mostly that it's a VERY poor takeoff on cloverfield.
I saw Quarantine this weekend and I thought it was very good. The poor takeoff on Cloverfield comparison isn't fair. The only thing it has in common with Cloverfield is that it's shot first-person/documentary style. Cloverfield was hardly unique or innovative in this approach, see The Blair Witch Project or go back even further to 84 Charlie MoPic.

I thought Quarantine's balance of violence and gore was brilliant. With a few exceptions, the violence is sudden and brief and there's relatively little gore, especially compared to more modern zombie movies. That leaves plenty of room for suspense. There are plenty of "typical" scenes where you're expecting a shock and they don't deliver it, only to sneak it on you moments later when you've begun to relax. I also had empathized with some of the characters, and was really starting to feel desperate towards the end of the movie.

I have two critiques: 1) The opening sequence went on too long, and 2)...
SPOILER ALERT
The final scene of the movie was included in the trailer, which was extremely lame. At that part of the movie, you just knew how it was going to end and that sucked. If they had excluded that scene from the trailer, viewers might've had some hope that the CDC would come in and rescue her, or that she'd make it out alive.

If you're a fan of Zombie movies, I'd recommend this one in a heartbeat.

[JasonEvans]

SPOILER ALERT
The final scene of the movie was included in the trailer, which was extremely lame. At that part of the movie, you just knew how it was going to end and that sucked. If they had excluded that scene from the trailer, viewers might've had some hope that the CDC would come in and rescue her, or that she'd make it out alive.



Heck, just check out the poster. Giving away the ending ain't nothing to these people.

http://iconsoffright.com/news/Quarantine_Poster_hr.jpg

--Jason "trailers are never made by the same people who make the movie-- and it shows" Evans