These are the films that are better seen in the theater than at home. Well, I could argue that all movies are better on the big screen than the small one and I think I’d have a lot of support with that. But what I really mean is there is a bigger difference in these movies than dramas or comedies when you rent them instead of going to the theater. The true art of these films lie in the sound and the spectacle. I can’t imagine seeing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy for the first time on my small television. I’ll remember, for the rest of my life, the moment the Black Riders came charging out in The Fellowship of the Ring. And the musical score of the film completely enraptured me.
It’s no surprise to me, then, that my least favorite film in this category was the only one I saw at home. I had heard good things about it but missed it on it’s first run. Once it was available at Red Box, I rented it and gave it a shot. On Blu Ray which always helps. But I think it lost its charm when downsized. I strongly urge audiences to see these films in a theater because it makes a world of difference.
I like to get lost in films, to completely forget the outside world while becoming immersed in another. This is near impossible at home for me. I get so easily distracted. The phone will ring. A visitor will show up. A fellow watcher will want to pause to get something to eat or go to the bathroom. There is no pause button at the theater and [hopefully] no phones ringing. And at home, I have this nasty habit of checking to see how long a film is and how much time is left throughout the film. Another one of Ted’s sayings was, “If you’re counting the beers, you’re not enjoying them.” This can speak to so many things, but whenever a student would ask how long a movie was, this was his response.
So I guess my point here is to quit being a passive audience. Be an active one. I don’t mean walking around the the theater and talking while it’s being shown. Actively prepare yourself: get in the car, drive to the theater, get your ticket [and possibly snacks], sit down, turn off your phone, and brace yourself. Hopefully you’ve chosen wisely and will enjoy the next couple of hours. Watching a movie doesn’t have to be a lazy activity. Work for it, because it’s worth it when all of these variables come together for a perfect movie-going experience.
Here are the Action/Adventure films I have seen this year:
Hanna - Joe Wright is probably my favorite working director. And I’m saying that as of September 2011. I’ve seen four of his films and have loved three of them. That’s a pretty high percentage if you think about it. Anyway, his latest is Hanna, the story of a young teen girl who was trained to be an assassin by her father. Saoirse Ronan (pronounced Sear-sha) plays the titular character, being hunted down by Cate Blanchett. It’s been a while so I can’t remember all the details, and I don’t want to ruin it for you anyway, but let’s just say it’s a wild ride. I liked it very much. So different from Wright’s other films I loved (Pride & Prejudice and Atonement) but I could still tell it was him. The music by The Chemical Brothers was a great layer to the action and quiet moments alike. It really made some of the sequences pop. Definitely happy I saw this in theaters. It was a great experience. (8/10)
Source Code - I really had no intention of seeing this one, but after I heard from multiple sources in the media that it was a well paced and original thriller, I thought I’d give it a shot. Boy, am I glad I did. Jake Gyllenhaal could be really good if he picked his roles better. I’ve never seen a movie quite like this. It was a bit sci-fi, a bit suspense, a bit action. In a nutshell, a bomb exploded on a train in Chicago. Jake’s character was tasked with trying to stop it, by reliving the last 8 minutes before it went off, over and over again, to try and figure out what happened. There are more layers to it, but discovering it yourself while watching it would be more satisfying than if I told you. If you like action at all, this is one for you. Best original action movie I’ve seen in a long time. (9/10)
X-Men: First Class - I loved the first two X-Men films from the early 2000s. Absolutely loved them. They are probably still my favorite super hero films. Then I saw the third one. Then the Wolverine one. And my love started to diminish for the world of the X-Men. When I heard that they were semi-rebooting the series, I was skeptical. Then after hearing the cast list, I was encouraged. I knew I'd see it no matter what, so I was glad there were some great actors and actress in it. And it was great! Michael Fassbender totally took over the film with his role as Magneto. His quiet power is breathtaking. And James McAvoy is a great player on the other side of the mutant coin. I love them both and they were perfectly cast. I cannot wait to see both of them in these roles again. (I hope I don't live to regret that statement.) (9/10)
Super 8 - I have loved J.J. Abrams since my days of Alias and Felicity. Then came Lost. Then came Star Trek. Who'd have thought that I'd like Star Trek? But I really really did. And supposedly this is the first TRUE Abrams movie, his tribute to the films he loved growing up. I really got that feeling while watching it. It was about a group of young teens making a movie and accidentally capturing an alien in their footage. Kyle Chandler, a favorite of mine from television's Friday Night Lights, plays the father of the main teen character and sheriff of the town. A great summer film for people of all ages. Well, maybe twelve and up, depending on a child's tolerance for aliens and tense moments. (8/10)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - If you know me at all, you are probably aware of my love for the Harry Potter books. I've always seen the films in the theater, but never anticipated them as much as the novels. But I was really looking forward to this one. It was fantastic. As good as I could have hoped for. It included the great moments and added some really cool moments in the battle. I didn't mind it so much because Rowling didn't describe the battle in specific detail. McGonagall has a wonderful moment, as did Mrs. Weasley. I laughed and I cried. I cried really hard. Sirius Black has an incredible power over me. A fitting end to a wonderful series. It defies a rating so I won't include one.
Limitless - The only one of the films in this bunch that I didn't see in theaters, which may contribute to the fact that I didn't like it as well. Bradley Cooper is fast becoming a lead actor and movie star, something I don't think I would have predicted when I was watching Alias all those years ago. Not that I have a problem with it. And I will say a large part of the reason I watched this was for Abbie Cornish, who I have loved since Bright Star a couple years ago. This wasn't a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't really get into it. (6/10)
The Debt - Really like this one, though I did have some issues. Kind of like the film Last Night in my previous post - I liked half of the movie. The film follows a team of Mossad agents (Israeli intelligence agency) who are tasked with capturing the Surgeon of Birkenau - a doctor who worked for the Nazis performing experiments. This operation takes place in the 60s, where the doctor leads a normal OBGYN practice. The female agent, Rachel, is pretends to be a patient to confirm his identity. The other two agents are men, both of which are attracted to Rachel. While I really liked the operation part, the romance storyline was a favorite part as well. It all blended together well and didn't become overly dramatic. But then came the present storyline where the agents have to deal with the situation again in the 90s. The operation didn't go as planned and it comes back to haunt them. I think the movie would have been better had it stuck to one time period. Preferably the first. It was much more engaging. (8/10)
It’s no surprise to me, then, that my least favorite film in this category was the only one I saw at home. I had heard good things about it but missed it on it’s first run. Once it was available at Red Box, I rented it and gave it a shot. On Blu Ray which always helps. But I think it lost its charm when downsized. I strongly urge audiences to see these films in a theater because it makes a world of difference.
I like to get lost in films, to completely forget the outside world while becoming immersed in another. This is near impossible at home for me. I get so easily distracted. The phone will ring. A visitor will show up. A fellow watcher will want to pause to get something to eat or go to the bathroom. There is no pause button at the theater and [hopefully] no phones ringing. And at home, I have this nasty habit of checking to see how long a film is and how much time is left throughout the film. Another one of Ted’s sayings was, “If you’re counting the beers, you’re not enjoying them.” This can speak to so many things, but whenever a student would ask how long a movie was, this was his response.
So I guess my point here is to quit being a passive audience. Be an active one. I don’t mean walking around the the theater and talking while it’s being shown. Actively prepare yourself: get in the car, drive to the theater, get your ticket [and possibly snacks], sit down, turn off your phone, and brace yourself. Hopefully you’ve chosen wisely and will enjoy the next couple of hours. Watching a movie doesn’t have to be a lazy activity. Work for it, because it’s worth it when all of these variables come together for a perfect movie-going experience.
Here are the Action/Adventure films I have seen this year:
Hanna - Joe Wright is probably my favorite working director. And I’m saying that as of September 2011. I’ve seen four of his films and have loved three of them. That’s a pretty high percentage if you think about it. Anyway, his latest is Hanna, the story of a young teen girl who was trained to be an assassin by her father. Saoirse Ronan (pronounced Sear-sha) plays the titular character, being hunted down by Cate Blanchett. It’s been a while so I can’t remember all the details, and I don’t want to ruin it for you anyway, but let’s just say it’s a wild ride. I liked it very much. So different from Wright’s other films I loved (Pride & Prejudice and Atonement) but I could still tell it was him. The music by The Chemical Brothers was a great layer to the action and quiet moments alike. It really made some of the sequences pop. Definitely happy I saw this in theaters. It was a great experience. (8/10)
Source Code - I really had no intention of seeing this one, but after I heard from multiple sources in the media that it was a well paced and original thriller, I thought I’d give it a shot. Boy, am I glad I did. Jake Gyllenhaal could be really good if he picked his roles better. I’ve never seen a movie quite like this. It was a bit sci-fi, a bit suspense, a bit action. In a nutshell, a bomb exploded on a train in Chicago. Jake’s character was tasked with trying to stop it, by reliving the last 8 minutes before it went off, over and over again, to try and figure out what happened. There are more layers to it, but discovering it yourself while watching it would be more satisfying than if I told you. If you like action at all, this is one for you. Best original action movie I’ve seen in a long time. (9/10)
X-Men: First Class - I loved the first two X-Men films from the early 2000s. Absolutely loved them. They are probably still my favorite super hero films. Then I saw the third one. Then the Wolverine one. And my love started to diminish for the world of the X-Men. When I heard that they were semi-rebooting the series, I was skeptical. Then after hearing the cast list, I was encouraged. I knew I'd see it no matter what, so I was glad there were some great actors and actress in it. And it was great! Michael Fassbender totally took over the film with his role as Magneto. His quiet power is breathtaking. And James McAvoy is a great player on the other side of the mutant coin. I love them both and they were perfectly cast. I cannot wait to see both of them in these roles again. (I hope I don't live to regret that statement.) (9/10)
Super 8 - I have loved J.J. Abrams since my days of Alias and Felicity. Then came Lost. Then came Star Trek. Who'd have thought that I'd like Star Trek? But I really really did. And supposedly this is the first TRUE Abrams movie, his tribute to the films he loved growing up. I really got that feeling while watching it. It was about a group of young teens making a movie and accidentally capturing an alien in their footage. Kyle Chandler, a favorite of mine from television's Friday Night Lights, plays the father of the main teen character and sheriff of the town. A great summer film for people of all ages. Well, maybe twelve and up, depending on a child's tolerance for aliens and tense moments. (8/10)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - If you know me at all, you are probably aware of my love for the Harry Potter books. I've always seen the films in the theater, but never anticipated them as much as the novels. But I was really looking forward to this one. It was fantastic. As good as I could have hoped for. It included the great moments and added some really cool moments in the battle. I didn't mind it so much because Rowling didn't describe the battle in specific detail. McGonagall has a wonderful moment, as did Mrs. Weasley. I laughed and I cried. I cried really hard. Sirius Black has an incredible power over me. A fitting end to a wonderful series. It defies a rating so I won't include one.
Limitless - The only one of the films in this bunch that I didn't see in theaters, which may contribute to the fact that I didn't like it as well. Bradley Cooper is fast becoming a lead actor and movie star, something I don't think I would have predicted when I was watching Alias all those years ago. Not that I have a problem with it. And I will say a large part of the reason I watched this was for Abbie Cornish, who I have loved since Bright Star a couple years ago. This wasn't a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't really get into it. (6/10)
The Debt - Really like this one, though I did have some issues. Kind of like the film Last Night in my previous post - I liked half of the movie. The film follows a team of Mossad agents (Israeli intelligence agency) who are tasked with capturing the Surgeon of Birkenau - a doctor who worked for the Nazis performing experiments. This operation takes place in the 60s, where the doctor leads a normal OBGYN practice. The female agent, Rachel, is pretends to be a patient to confirm his identity. The other two agents are men, both of which are attracted to Rachel. While I really liked the operation part, the romance storyline was a favorite part as well. It all blended together well and didn't become overly dramatic. But then came the present storyline where the agents have to deal with the situation again in the 90s. The operation didn't go as planned and it comes back to haunt them. I think the movie would have been better had it stuck to one time period. Preferably the first. It was much more engaging. (8/10)
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