Movies Dragonlord's 2014 Movie Guide

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics Review of SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Rotten Tomatoes: 43% Approval Rating (50 out of 116 critics like it)

Consensus: A Dame to Kill For boasts the same stylish violence and striking visual palette as the original Sin City, but lacks its predecessor's brutal impact.

New York Daily News - 2/5
Some pop fiction exists in its own world. But once you find that particular planet dull, sitting till the end feels like being trapped in a funhouse. Which brings us to “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” The sequel to one of the most visually striking movies of the last 10 years continues the graphic novel-inspired landscape of its predecessor. But the characters don’t click, and the action feels dull. Willis’ dead cop appears in a few dream sequences, which only reminds us what we’re missing. Without a similarly defined hero in the sequel, this “Dame” has nothing to kill for.


Comingsoon.net - 7/10
A relatively worthy follow-up to what was a breakthrough movie for its time loses some luster from the time passed while still delivering the originality of Miller's visuals and Rodriguez's flair for action. For the second time this year, it's Eva Green's presence that saves another sequel to a Frank Miller adaptation after "300: Rise of an Empire" earlier this year, maybe because Ava is a character with a lot of different sides and Green's daring enough to expose more of herself than we've seen before. Even so, one would never think they could tire of Eva Green's naked breasts, yet even they wear out their welcome.


Rolling Stone - 2/4
The followup to 2005's eye-popping Sin City is neither the dazzler I hoped for nor the disaster I feared. Fighters and femme fatales are the staples of Frank Miller's just-famed graphic novels. And Robert Rodriquez was wise to ask Miller to join him again to direct. The movie looks good enough to inspire a million screensavers. It's just that Sin City: A Dame To Kill For doesn't explode onscreen the way the first one did. Miller's monochrome palette, splashed with color that shines like a whore's lip gloss, doesn't startle as it once did. It's like running into an ex-love and realizing that, damn, the thrill is gone.


James Berardinelli - 3/4
For those who appreciated Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's 2005 campy, kinetic film noir homage, Sin City, the 2014 follow-up, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is unlikely to disappoint. It's more of the same and, although a good deal of the freshness associated with the original has evaporated and the stories aren't quite as well packaged, the second installment remains enjoyable, fast-paced, and visually inventive. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For isn't likely to win many new converts but it won't drive away those with a penchant for this kind of supremely violent, hyper-stylized content.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Friday Box Office:

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Tanks with Paltry $2.6 Million

Bad news rocked the North American box office Friday as New Line and MGM's YA tearjerker If I Stay slowed and Sin City: a Dame to Kill For quickly turned into a bomb. Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, If I Stay was widely expected to win the weekend with an $18 million-plus debut. Now, it is poised to take in roughly $16.3 million, meaning it will likely lose the No. 1 spot to Guardians of the Galaxy. The weekend's other new high-profile opening, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, placed a dismal No. 6 Friday with $2.6 million for a projected $8.5 million weekend.

The original Sin City was a box office hit, taking in $29 million and the top spot during its opening weekend in 2005 despite its heavily stylized aesthetic. Demand was high for a follow-up, but A Dame to Kill For appears to be a case of too little too late as reviews are tepid and the audience simply isn’t there. After having its release date delayed nearly a full year, the follow-up—co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller—should come in at number six overall this weekend.


Box Office: 'Guardians' Poised to Beat 'If I Stay'; 'Sin City 2' Bombs, Falls to No. 6

 

[taurus]

LIFE AFTER BETH

Release: August 15 (Limited Release)

Genre: Zombie Comedy

Director: Jeff Baena (feature film directorial debut)

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Anna Kendrick, John C. Reilly, Alia Shawkat, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas McDonell, Paul Weitz, and Paul Reiser

Synopsis: Zach (Dane DeHaan) is devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza). But when she miraculously comes back to life, Zach takes full advantage of the opportunity to share and experience all the things he regretted not doing with her before. However, the newly returned Beth isn

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

GUARDIANS Becomes Biggest Movie of the Summer in the U.S.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy -- $17,631,000 weekend; $251,884,000 total
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- $16,800,000 weekend; $145,610,000 total
3. If I Stay -- $16,355,000 weekend; $16,355,000 total
4. Let

 

[Bullitt68]

I figure Sin City 2 can use all the help it can get, so I'll throw this review from Dragon's thread on the film in here, as well:

Sin City was a comic book movie, and as such, I wasn't a really big fan. Sin City 2, however, was a true film noir, and I was really impressed with how much Rodriguez and Miller toned things down from the first one. No silly feline cannibal serial killers or smelly yellow pedophiles. Just good old-fashioned noir tales of greed, corruption, betrayal, and revenge, all of which made for, IMO, a damn good movie.

*SERIOUS SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*

Spoiler

Sin City 2 is FAR from immune to criticism, however the very fact that I was willing during the viewing of the film and am still willing now upon writing about it to engage the film so thoroughly with respect to its narrative details and its characterizations already puts it above its predecessor (although I will give Sin City credit for the way the main stories were linked by the protagonists' refusals to deviate from their own personal ideas of morality) which I felt was far too indulgent with its over-the-top ludicrousness.

Sin City 2 begins with Marv trying to piece together his night (starting the film off with the tenuousness of memory gives the film its noir stamp of approval right off the bat). It was a smart decision to kick things off with Mickey Rourke (who is by far the best thing about this movie, and to be honest, is the best thing about both movies) and to use the memory trope to provide, through Marv's recollections, a recontextualization of Sin City, especially Old Town.

From this little prologue where Marv recalls how he got all bloodied and banged up (turns out he found some frat boys picking on a wino and decided to make them pay), the film moves to Joseph Gordon Levitt's storyline. This was a fantastic storyline in a lot of respects, but revealing that JGL's cocky gambler character, Johnny, was one of Senator Roarke's sons served literally no purpose and only hurt a storyline that didn't need that extra "twist." The idea of a naturally lucky guy going into Sin City and getting turned upside down and inside out by the morass of its corruption, its greed, and its brutality was already very compelling, added to which, the idea of him getting up, dusting himself off, and going right back into the belly of the beast for no other reason but principle, made for an extremely powerful plot. It also helps a lot that Powers Booth is a beast of an actor and absolutely revels in this villainous role, but at the same time, he was so good and the story was so intriguing that I couldn't help but feel a little letdown by how rushed the final confrontation between him and JGL felt. Still, though, I found this to be a very smart and very interesting storyline.

The second storyline with Josh Brolin (mercifully taking over from Clive Owen the duties of Dwight) was even better, yet continuing with my paradoxical reaction to Sin City 2, it also had even more unfortunate mistakes that kept it from being as great as it could've/should've been. His relationship with Ava Lord (who is, as you have no doubt heard, naked for pretty much her entire appearance in this film) is as classically noir as it gets, and Ava is as pure a femme fatale as you'll likely find this side of Bette Davis in In This Our Life.

This storyline also has two sub-plots. It's anchored by the destructive relationship between Dwight and Ava, but it also features a rivalry between Marv and Manute for who gets to hold the title of #1 enforcer as well as an even smaller sub-plot featuring a spiraling cop (my man, Christopher Meloni) ensnared in Ava's web. The Marv/Manute thing is the best part of the film, as hilarious as it is bad ass, just vintage Marv. Meloni's sub-plot, however, is utterly retarded, and that really kills me to say because Meloni's presence in the film was the main reason I actually went to see this in theaters aside from Mickey reprising his role as Marv. Meloni is a phenomenal actor, but his storyline was so painfully perfunctory and so terribly conceived that I actually think it should've been cut out of the film entirely. And why Jeremy Piven agreed to play Meloni's partner, the most thankless and superfluous role in the whole film to be played by a name actor, is absolutely beyond me.

Despite my complaints, though, this is really the storyline in the film, and once you get past Brolin growling nonsensical gibberish about "letting the monster out" and the storyline really picks up, it's great. I also geeked out when they had Ava enter Kadie's the same way Jane Greer enters the Mexican cantina where Robert Mitchum is waiting for her in Out of the Past, one of the quintessential films noir featuring one of the quintessential femmes fatale.

The third and final storyline, with Jessica Alba fighting a losing battle against her growing desire to avenge Bruce Willis and kill Roarke is just fucking terrible. I thought Alba's part in Sin City was by far the worst, and so it is again in Sin City 2. Willis showing up as a phantom is dumb, Alba becoming a depressed alcoholic is stupid and she doesn't have the acting chops to play it convincingly, and Marv not having a problem with her downward spiral into homicidal mania makes no sense for his character and the relationship he has as her protector. It was just shitty from every angle.

Overall, it's a very strong effort, much stronger than I thought Rodriguez was capable of especially considering how awful most of his recent movies have been. Fans of Sin City should definitely enjoy it, while those (like me) who were let down by the first one but felt there was still untapped potential should be pleasantly surprised to see Rodriguez and Miller deliver on a lot of the promise of their first effort.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

THE NOVEMBER MAN

Release Date: August 27 (Wide Release)

Genre: Espionage Action Thriller

Director: Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job, No Way Out, Thirteen Days)

Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Olga Kurylenko, Luke Bracey, Will Patton and Catarina Scorsone

Synopsis: Code named 'The November Man', Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is a lethal and highly trained ex-CIA agent, who has been enjoying a quiet life in Switzerland. When Devereaux is lured out of retirement for one last mission, he must protect valuable witness, Alice Fournier, (Olga Kurylenko). He soon uncovers this assignment marks him a target of his former friend and CIA prot

 

[TheStruggle]

DOUBLE TOASTED REVIEW: Matin

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics Review of AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

Rotten Tomatoes: 30% Approval Rating (14 out of 46 critics like it)

Consensus: After an intriguing setup that threatens to claw its way out of found-footage overkill, As Above/So Below plummets into clich

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Critics Review of THE NOVEMBER MAN

Rotten Tomatoes: 36% Approval Rating (33 out of 92 critics like it)

Consensus: The November Man has a few of the ingredients necessary for a better-than-average spy thriller, making it all the more disappointing that it falls back on dull genre clich

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Box Office Report:

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Becomes No. 1 Movie of 2014

James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy has become the No. 1 film of the year to date at the North American box office, flying by fellow Marvel Studios superhero film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The quirky tentpole, made by Marvel and Disney, took in an estimated $3.8 million on Friday, pushing its domestic total to $262.1 million (Winter Soldier earned $259.8 million). Globally, it has earned north of $500 million.

Guardians will easily rule the Labor Day holiday despite being in its fifth weekend. The movie has pulled off the biggest surprise in memory with its record-breaking performance, and has helped to shore up the ailing 2014 summer box office, although revenue is still down a whopping 15 percent from last year. Box office analysts believe that it will finish its run with upwards of $300 million. Gunn took to Facebook today to share his thoughts on its success:

"To quote my favorite little monstrosity, 'Oh... Yeah.' And although io9 may be right, that people like the movie because it's funny, I like to believe it's because WE GAVE A SHIT. You aren't numbers to us. You deserve to be given something we the creators believe in and that isn't just seeking a big opening weekend. I love my characters, I care about the quality of the movie, and Marvel was cool enough to let us take some risks. Hopefully, THAT'S the lesson - that we'll see more spectacle movies coming out of Hollywood that the filmmakers actually believe in, and that take risks, NOT just a bunch of superhero or space movies trying to be funny."


Box Office Milestone: Guardians of the Galaxy Becomes Highest Grossing Movie of the Year

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Weekend Box Office:

Guardians of the Galaxy Easily Tops Weak Labor Day Releases

1. Guardians of the Galaxy -- $16,313,000 weekend; $274.6M total
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- $11,750,000 weekend; $162.4M total
3. If I Stay -- $9,260,000 weekend; $29.8M total
4. As Above/So Below -- $8,342,000 weekend; $8.3M total
5. Let’s Be Cops -- $8,200,000 weekend; $57.3M total

A slow Summer at the domestic box office came to a quiet end this weekend. Guardians of the Galaxy held on to first place and added an estimated $16.5 million, which ranks eighth all-time among fifth weekends. It was off just five percent from last weekend, which is a great Labor Day hold. The 10th movie from Marvel Studios has now earned $274.6 million at the domestic box office, making it the top-grossing film of 2014 to date in North America. Even with the Summer season coming to a close, Guardians is still on track for at least $305 million total.

Playing at 2,640 theaters, found footage horror movie As Above/So Below opened to an estimated $8.3 million this weekend. As Above/So Below was clearly cheap to make, and it doesn't seem like Universal spent a ton to market it. Still, big studio movies opening at over 2,500 theaters really ought to be cracking $10 million, especially when they're in a front-loaded genre like this. With a "C-" CinemaScore, As Above/So Below is going to drop like a rock from here; it would be shocking if it closed above $25 million.

The November Man took sixth place with $7.7 million. That opening is noticeably lower than similar Labor Day releases like The American ($13.2 million), The Debt ($9.9 million) and Lawless ($10 million). Including its Wednesday and Thursday grosses, The November Man has now earned $9.4 million. The movie's audience was 55 percent male and 83 percent over the age of 25. They awarded it a solid "B+" CinemaScore. Still, it would be surprising if this ultimately wound up over $25 million.


Weekend Report: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Easily Tops Weak Labor Day Releases

 

[iThrillhouse]

DL I'm gonna write up a review for As Above So Below in this post, not sure if you keep the new movie reviews in this thread or not! so move it as you please!

iThrillhouse goes to the movies!
As Above So Below

I'm going to preface this review by saying this: I do not watch horror movies. I do not do horror well. I usually spend most of the time pulling my sweaters hood in front of my face, cowering like a little girl....but I wanted to spend some time with my sister and the missus so figured why not!

This movie had me laughing at some of the downright goofy cliche horror moments, and absolutely reeling in fear over the "what is about to happen!!!" moments

I've read a few reviews of this movie with some claiming the first act is great, but the second and third are garbage. To me this movie is atrocious in the first act, and like the movie gets deeper and deeper into the terror.

Claustrophobia isn't really a big fear or issue with me, but this movie really makes you feel like your trapped with these clueless explorers. The main plot device driving this movie is Nicklas Flemmels Philosopher stone...not Harry Potters but apparently a legit thing of legend (something I did not know ahead of time) Our lead heroine Scarlett seeks to complete her mad fathers work of discovering the legendary item to redeem him. Along with her is a former colleague, cameraman, and a team of three catacomb explorers to aid in the discovery. Certainly a lot of people in such a cramped space.

This movie relies heavily on jump scares, and believe me they scared the living fuck out of me in the theatre. Something about camera's swiveling from one direction to the other just drives the fear in you that when a camera returns to where it was originally facing there will be something there you won't want to see....and it actually doesn't happen that much...but the ambient noise that this movie pumps throughout the movie convinces you otherwise.

Don't get me wrong this movie, harps on the tried tested and true cliches of jump-scare horror - trapped in a cave system movies, but it works for the most part. Plot holes and plain silly gimmicks aside, I really enjoyed it. even if it means I wont sleep properly for a night.

If you're willing to accept that the movie is going to be a "found-footage" film that is way too implausible to be a found-footage movie and just strap in to the haunted house ride that it is, you'll enjoy it.

7/10

For those that have seen it or don't plan on it, my gripes and likes about the plot/characters below HEAVY SPOILERS

Spoiler

CONS
-Heroines colleague friend in France translates aramaic to english and conveniently rhymes like a poem for them
-Cameraman voices no concern about the ghostly woman staring daggers at him the entire time
-"three cave explorers drawn to the expedition with the promise of 50% of the treasure" LOL
-Explorers have no gripe discovering that there friend they thought had been dead for over 2 years turns up alive and sporting completely blacked out eyes leads them to "an exit"
-scientists do not question the above ONCE
-The characters think they have found the philosophers stone and rejoice, until the cave roof collapses and they are forced to enter deeper until they reach the gates of hell! and are no longer able to return to the "non-hell" room which they are in
-the rediscovered friend somehow reappears in a "backwards oriented" room that they were just in with a dead knights corpse in the middle of the room, and proceeds to bash one of the party members head in...never seen from again...LOOSE END/UNEXPLAINED
-Per the above lead races back to the room to return the now discovered "fake-stone" to save her colleague (WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE)
-Movie is displayed/narrated as a found footage film pieced together by the headcams of all in the party.... with 4 of the 7 camera's being destroyed whilst traversing the caverns of hell....how was this footage obtained? (SERIOUS PLOT HOLE IF ACCEPTING THE NARRATIVE)
-So much of this movie reminds me of the south park where they just string words together to solve the problem.. "eggs...eggs come from chickens...chickens ...have feathers...LIGHT AS A FEATHER OF COURSE!" <-not literal quote but general idea. it happens WAY too much and so fast that you do not catch how the lead even solves this shit out herself.

PROS!
-black guy only person to say no to turning off all the headlamps in a room situated by a barely decayed knight's corpse
-the constant wavering of camera direction made suspense that much worse
-the actual discovery of each party members deep seeded guilt that kept haunting them made the movie an interesting discussion piece post-watch
-Although the characters logic to keep moving seemed flawed throughout, in reality if you're trapped in what MAY BE HELL, do you think just sitting and "waiting to die" or wtv would happen? shit no. you getting tortured bro, better tough it out
-The implausibility of so much of the movie would have been better if not a "found-footage" movie ... just my opinion
- the opening scene in the catacombs of Iran was surprisingly terrifying...was just expecting something freak as fuck the entire time
-LOUDDDD NOISES....actually really contributed to the overall success of the panic/fear/suspense of the movie
-They actually kept the two leads alive, and a random explorer who's character never seemed that fleshed out....very surprising for a horror movie

 

[LurkMore]

I visit these movie threads once in awhile and I never realized how much work Dragonlordxxxxx puts into these posts.

 

[iThrillhouse]

I visit these movie threads once in awhile and I never realized how much work Dragonlordxxxxx puts into these posts.

DL ....IS....the Mayberry lounge

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I visit these movie threads once in awhile and I never realized how much work Dragonlordxxxxx puts into these posts.

DL ....IS....the Mayberry lounge

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

DOLPHIN TALE 2

Release Date: Sept 12 (Wide Release)

Genre: Family Adventure Drama

Director: Charles Martin Smith (Dolphin Tale, Air Bud)

Cast: Nathan Gamble, Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Bethany Hamilton, Juliana Harkavy, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Lee Karlinsky

Storyline: It has been several years since young Sawyer Nelson (Gamble) and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Hospital, headed by Dr. Clay Haskett (Connick, Jr.), rescued Winter. With the help of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Freeman), who developed a unique prosthetic tail for the injured dolphin, they were able to save her life. Yet their fight is not over. Winter

 

[AgentOrange24]

I bet they find a new dolphin for the crippled one.

 

[Gambitpool]

I hate September. I go through movie withdrawal during this time. Though I might see the Drop on Discount Day. Looks interesting enough and the reviews are strong.

October can't come soon enough. Can't wait for Gone Girl.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I hate September. I go through movie withdrawal during this time.

I feel the same way.

Films coming out this September that I'm sort of interested in:

The Guest
A Walk Among the Tombstones
The Equalizer
The Boxtrolls
The Maze Runner

 

[Gambitpool]

I feel the same way.

Films coming out this September that I'm sort of interested in:

The Guest
A Walk Among the Tombstones
The Equalizer
The Boxtrolls
The Maze Runner

The trailers and TV Spots advertise it too much like Taken 3. But I've heard the book has a few unexpected twists and turns so I gained some interest in it.

My father's a huge Denzel fan so I might go see the Equalizer with him, but it looks the same as any Denzel action film since Man on Fire. Flight was a breath of fresh air from him. Would like to see more of that from him.

I'm slightly interested in the Boxtrolls, but its generally not the type of film I go to the theater for. Really have no interest in the Maze Runner and I don't know what the Guest is.

Ugh why can't January and September be Indie movie months? A few lucky Indie films are selected to recieve a wide release and marketing from studios. Stop it with the dumping months!