Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

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echan
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Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by echan »

Saw some movies over the Holidays.

1. Up in the Air. I first saw this movie at Hoffman Center but a fire alarm cut the movie short. So I can't really make a full review. I think it was just ok and not as good as I thought. I even figured out the twist (it you want to call it that) from the very start. I got a free pass but elected to see The Blind Side instead.

2. The Blind Side. I wasn't expecting too much from this movie, but really enjoyed it. Thumbs up!

3. Avitar. I saw this movie last weekend. If you see it, I suggest paying the extra money for 3D. The animation was terrific. I've heard from others calling it "Dances with Wolfs in Space." I'd have to agree, although I thought Dances with Wolfs got too boring and long. This movie was just as long but it flowed fast enough and the 3D was cool, making the long run time not an issue. I give it only a 6 out of 10.

Anyone else see other movies or agree/disagree??
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by eage8 »

I went to go try to see Avatar on Wednesday in IMAX 3D in columbia, I got there at hour before it started and it was already sold out :(

and this was almost 3 weeks after it came out. It stunk.
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

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Avatar
We don't go to the movies very often, however we did go see Avatar. IMO, it is the best sci-fi movie I've seen in ages. Yes the plot was predictable however, the story was engaging, there was never a moment where it felt "overdone" or the acting was sub-par. It had some really good actors/actresses that really make you believe in this story.

We saw the 3D version, I wasn't wow'd, though there were some very cool moments that the 3d effects played a big part in.

I Rate it a 9/10

Sherlock Homes

I went with my brother-in-law to see this movie. It was a lot better than I expected it would be. Fair bit of one-off humor, and some surprising moments. Jude Law and Robert Downey did a a really good job at portraying Watson and Holmes. Though I believe Johnny Depp would have played Holmes much better given his eccentric and esoteric inclinations.
I Rate it a 7/10
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by hepcatz »

Of the three I have seen Avitar. The special effects were really good and made the movie worth seeing. The movie itself although good was too obviously borrowed from other films. There were a lot of scenes, dialog, plot aspects from other films. I know it is difficult to be original however it was at the level where obvious so maybe it was done on purpose?
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by JoeTR6 »

I can't see 3D (no stereoscopic vision) so I passed on Avatar. That, and James Cameron seems to have diarrhea of the camera. During the last of movie of his I saw (Titanic), I spent 30 minutes thinking "sink already". We considered going to see Up in the Air or Sherlock Holmes, but instead pulled out some old DVDs we hadn't seen in a while. All three Lord of the Rings movies (extended versions) took ~11 hours over 5 days. The first Matrix movie is still pretty good, too.
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by matt.baird »

I also just saw Up In The Air and agree, it wasnt quite as good as a few reviews led me to believe. It was ok though.

Some of my favorites from 2009 though...

Star Trek - Excellent movie. You dont even have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy it (I'm not).

District 9 - Probably my favorite one from 09, A good thought provoking "what if" scenario about aliens coming to earth and getting stuck there. A relatively unknown director and cast. The great CGI work makes you forget that its not actors in suits playing the aliens.

Inglorius Basterds - Not an accurate movie of WWII by any means but if you like Tarantino flicks then how can you miss it. This is definately one of his best movies.

The Hangover - An over the top sort of raunchy comedy. But for one of those this is one of the best I have seen in years. Had me laughin out loud quite a few times.
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Re: Up in the Air, The Blind Side and Avitar

Post by david.valeri »

I loved Avatar and District 9.

Of Avatar, I thought this was pretty spot on: (Warning, minor spoiler alert) http://www.buzzfeed.com/reddit/james-ca ... err-avatar. As well as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dances_with_Smurfs. The effects were excellent and the 3D was pretty cool. I would recommend sitting a little closer than mid theater if you don't see it in IMAX so that the edge of the screen corresponds with the edge of your vision and you don't have 3D things passing out of your vision before they actually get to the periphery of your vision. The last 3D thing I saw was the Michael Jackson thing at Epcot when I was 10 so I really liked the novelty of it and the fact that it didn't overshadow the rest of the movie.

I loved how the story was told in District 9 and the effects were also great. It cost a fraction of what a normal blockbuster costs and it turned out to be a really good movie.

Star Trek was a nice reboot of the series, but I thought it had one too many of these moments with the skydiving and the big drill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqVqxWU-Itg. If you haven't seen Galaxy Quest, it is on the top of my list for Sci-Fi satires. Also of note in this category are Mars Attacks and Evolution.
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