Weekly Box Office and Film Discussion Thread

[bandit]

You know, I was never able to articulate exactly what it was about John Carter that left me so cold. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it was not one I would really get excited about either. You hit the nail on the head. I never really felt like I cared a whole lot. Even in the supposedly epic battle sequences, I really felt the film lacked some kind of surge of forward momentum. More than anything I was patiently going along for the ride and picking and choosing what I liked...like a giant film buffet that was...atleast not what you paid for. No more.

 

[bandit]

I will add that, I actually enjoyed Tangled....Even if it isn't Disney at its best.

 

[jvcarroll]

You know, I was never able to articulate exactly what it was about John Carter that left me so cold. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it was not one I would really get excited about either. You hit the nail on the head. I never really felt like I cared a whole lot. Even in the supposedly epic battle sequences, I really felt the film lacked some kind of surge of forward momentum. More than anything I was patiently going along for the ride and picking and choosing what I liked...like a giant film buffet that was...atleast not what you paid for. No more.

I agree. They really should have focused on one part of the story, simplified the arc or just made it on a tighter budget as a miniseries. I feel that the director failed the actors and the author. Why was this not billed as being from the creator of the Tarzan books and the inspiration for Star Wars?

 

[bandit]

Well, let me just say this. Even if the movie felt a little lacking in parts, it will never have been as bad as the laughable, woefully ill conceived and absurd Love Never Dies. I knew a sequel to Phantom of the Opera was a very bad idea.....But seeing the said bad idea brought to life through a mediocre musical score and hammy, cliche dialogue that clunkily carries a plot that reads like bad fanfiction and SOMEHOW then manages to be incredibly boring, drawn out and at the same time unintentionally hilarious....was kind of like a bad dream you get from eating something spicy at odd hours.


Honestly! The charm of the original was that the music itself was a seduction....the lines blurred.....It wasn't just rumpy pumpy!!! And the phantom doesn't even lurk anymore. He barges through doors and talks about past trysts! AND DID EVERYONE FORGET HE WAS A MURDERER!?

Anyway.....I know it's an aside but I just had to get that off my chest.
John Carter was ATLEAST watchable!

 

[bandit]

Sorry. I liked the original Phantom in Gaston Leroux's book....Not this whiney, angst ridden Nicholas Sparks version of him.

 

[Hayley B]

I will add that, I actually enjoyed Tangled....Even if it isn't Disney at its best.

Me too and I liked Princess and the Frog too.

 

[Drtooth]

From the reviews I read, this story exists mainly to please very young viewers. I've heard its far less sophisticated than many of the other films. Is that incorrect?

I wouldn't tend to say so, but considering the bear's out of the bag, there's a LOT more humor in the film when said person turns into a bear and becomes the comic relief for a sizable part of the film. But like I said, as far as story goes, it's the best Princess thing to come out of Disney, at least since the Little Mermaid-Aladdin period. Still, I gotta say I'm disappointed that they had to market the movie with fashion dolls. It does seem a little hypocritical, but that's the only merchandise that apparently appeals to little girls anyway.

But I wouldn't say it's unsophisticated. It has very touching moments that aren't over the top cryfests (like Up and Toy Story 3). It's no Ratatoullie (which was too sophisticated for the little ones... the gourmet food jokes were destined to go over a lot of heads anyway), but it's certainly a lot more sophisticated than some of their earlier films, not to mention both Cars films. Plus, it doesn't just stand on a soap box like Wall*e does. It's a Pixar film that doesn't seem like one, and that means they aren't stuck in the cute thing learns a lesson rut.

It seems like a movie Disney would have made on their own, if they weren't so destined to follow the formula, as aptly explained by the Warner Brothers and Sister...

I actually enjoyed Tangled....Even if it isn't Disney at its best.

I missed that due to my inability to want to hang around for an hour and a half, not to mention being in a bad mood that day and not wanting to take it out on the poor film. So I saw Yogi Bear and had a very grouchy time. I have to admit, that was kind of fun to be in a ticked off mood and seeing a bad film and to be able to complain about it.

But like I always say, Disney took slack for being the Princess movie factory, and then when they stopped everyone was like "HEY! Where's the Princesses?!?" Lilo and Stitch was one of the few post-Princess movies that actually hit a cord with the audience... at least before the CGI conversion... and even then, it took until Bolt.

 

[Drtooth]

Some interesting things about Avengers...

The movie is approaching (or has approached) the 600 M mark

Just a little further and it can unseat the over rated Titanic. I think it can make it before all is said and done. Hopefully the second run theaters can give it a boost before it comes to home video (really insanely early... it's due AUGUST!) But it's far too long in the box office to get rid of Avatar's record.

Also, sour grapes loser who made the Battleship movie blames Avengers for the film being a flop

Sure... don't blame the fact it was an idiotic idea that the populous is in agreement about. Joss Whedon made a good movie. Try doing that.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

Good to hear. It is a great movie and deserves all the money it gets.
I saw Madagascar last night. Seriously, why'd this movie get good reviews? It was juts weird and dumb.
They were lucky to be the only family film for two weeks, becuase I don't think many people would go to that over Brave.

 

[Drtooth]

Madagascar is dumb... but in the sense that it doesn't take itself seriously and tries too hard to stand on a soap box about something it really doesn't believe in. It's far less smug and self satisfying than their Shrek franchise. Madagascar is all about loud nonsensical fun, and it has an obvious following of younger kids. Like younger than 6. Ones that wouldn't appreciate Pixar's (relative) subtlety and maturity.

I find that Dreamworks turned a corner, and started giving us smart movies like Monsters Vs. Aliens, Kung Fu Panda, and Megamind (which was a little adult... but only because the subject matter is a little sophisticated for younger kids). Madagascar's the last franchise that came out of the earlier era, and hopefully this is the last movie before the Penguin spinoff. I think they ended things nicely, anything else will spoil it.