What Emmanuelle Movie Did You Just Watch?

[Ari]

I had toys as a kid. But what 17 year old that isn't a massive nerd or a girl has the toys when he was 8 still in his room?

Heh, I laughed at this. Then I felt kinda depressed. Then my He-Man and Skeletor figures had a quick fight and I felt better again.

[Lisa]

Haven't seen any of the Toy Story Movies

Wait, what, you?

[Nathan]

Well, I've seen bits and pieces. Looks like they would have The Disney Effect on me.

[Bobby Bear]

The Box.

I enjoyed it, despite a substantial loss of engagement in the final third. The only reason this probably didn't bug me more is because I'm so used to feeling disappointed by "reveals"/"conclusions" in these sorts of thrillers.

Cinematography was otherwise pretty good.

Agreed. The Langley shots, in particular, were gorgeous and menacing in a wonderfully natural way.

You'd only say that if there was nothing else to compliment the movie on.

In most cases, yes, but Where The Wild Things Are is a good example of an exception to this rule. Slick cinematography wasn't that movie's only noteworthy feature (it also had some great voice work and an interesting tone) but it was so above average that a special mention was in order. The Box doesn't look nearly as cool as W.T.W.T.A., but I'd say it still belongs in the same category.

Set design was nice too. They did a good job of recreating the look and feel of the 70's.

I was impressed by this, too. Mostly because it didn't have that "look how authentic this all is!" feel.

A great premise, look, soundtrack and talented people, all undone by a completely unengaging mess.

Did you not, at least, think the first act was a very effective attention grabber?

Sounds like I'm calling my dealer and renting Southland instead.

I'd recommend against that.

[Captain Russ]

Knowing the categorical absurdity of the premise and the reveal of Langella's agenda, I'd rather watch something that lacks any pretention to the contrary that it is fucking nuts. So while I wait for this to be freely distributed by an OnDemand service, I'll stick with pimps lacking the ability to self-terminate.

[Abraham Smashington]

YES

[Ben Thomas]

Did you not, at least, think the first act was a very effective attention grabber?

Well, it was ok. But I already knew the premise. So the first act was largely given the 'Cliff notes' treatment by the trailer.

Great use of Bell Bottom Blues and a decent James Marsden performance aside, the rest just did not work for me at all. It was the very definition of 'meh', and this is from someone who does not apologise one iota for loving Donnie Darko. I'm really pulling for Richard Kelly, cos he's a talented guy and his ability to frame a shot and create a tense sequence is unquestionable.

But things like the Pointlessly Creepy Waiter Kid and the obsession with Abyss-lite water effects bug the living shit out of me. He needs to stop trying to be David Lynch and find his own voice again. I can't believe that, after the monumental failure of Southland Tales, being let loose with such a dynamite premise and the toys and cast required to make it work, he delivered something so banal and artificial.

I felt like this with Shyamalan - I'm gonna give him one more shot to prove me wrong, but if he goes all The Happening on me, I'll happily declare him a one-hit wonder. (To clarify, I love The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and yes, even Signs, almost unreservedly)

[Abraham Smashington]

I fucking love Southland Tales.

[Ed Hocken]

Tried to watch five minutes of that wreck, couldn't do it. I went full blown George C. Scott from Hardcore at that point.

[Captain Russ]

You've got the taste of a Calvinist sometimes, so I'm not surprised.

[Ed Hocken]

Well that and I don't believe in the idea that if you start a movie YOU HAVE to finish it. Even though I have nothing going on, my time is still too precious to waste time on boring and or/infuriating garbage.

Although reading about Southland Tales was entertaining as shit.

[PHEDG]

Splice. This went in every direction you can imagine.

  Spoiler: my name is jeff, i don't know what spoilers are 

Torture. Incest. Rape. Beastiality

. It was all over the place with sub par acting. No amount of cg could save this abomination.

[Abraham Smashington]

Seriously man....Those better not have been some major spoilers. I haven't read/watched anything besides the trailers and we're going to see it this weekend.

[Captain Russ]

Sounds like Brody earned his paycheck in the most demeaning and absurd fashion.

Until Predators, where he

  Spoiler: Splice spoiler reference HERE 

fucks a predator and blames his night beneath the sheets on his wife's insistence.

Having said that, I might as well get hammered and laugh.

[Ben Thomas]

I agree with ed on Southland. It took me three sittings to get through and I'm not sure it was worth it. The film just does not work on any level aside from camp curiosity. There are individual ideas and scenes that are decent but their all half-baked and go nowhere. Timberlake's character has some of the worst writing imaginable. The whole 'pimps don't die' thing smacked of trying wayyyyyy too hard.

But the films biggest crime? Wasting Dwayne Johnson. That man gives it his all in everything I've seen him in and he just can't seem to land a decent project. The Rundown notwithstanding - I love that film.