Yes, it's on DVD, so it would be classed as a Past Film. Go right ahead. Be brutal.

I love Bridge to Terabithia!!
I find it to be a great movie. The theology spoken by the girl-
I don't think we're meant to take it as literal theology- sound theology.
It's just a girl's opinion, that I don't think was being pushed as "The Truth"

good point! she's 6 years old, so she doesn't know everything! and in the book, Jesse's dad says, "May Belle's not God."

Avatar is a great film literally. The only thing that almost ruins it is all the cursing. I don't like it but it doesn't ruin the whole movie for me because it is so well made, even the story is the very best that I've seen in years.

I don't think Avatar is a bad movie, I just didn't like it. It was well made, had a decent (if cliche) plot, action, decent characters, but even so I just didn't feel like it "connected" with me, you know? I wouldn't be interested in seeing it again.

While I enjoyed Avatar tremendously when seeing it in theaters, it was almost entirely because of the experience itself, and not the story. What I mean by this is that when seeing the film in 3D I felt like I was transported into this beautiful new world, full of exotic creatures and breathtaking scenery. Avatar was a movie that was made to show off James Cameron's groundbreaking 3D technology and this world that he had created, and it did just that. Watching the movie on DVD in my home would not do it justice (I really doubt even seeing it in a 2D theater would have been even half of the experience).

That said, I doubt I'll ever watch it again. There was nothing original about the story; it has been done over and over again. I didn't really feel any emotional attachment to any of the characters, with the exception of Neytiri. In a story where it's essential to relate to the human characters, this is not a good thing. But, once again Cameron gave us cliche, cookie cutter characters that more resembled a 15-year old boy's stereotypes of what these people would act like, and not actual people.

Sam Worthington also didn't do anything for me. I saw him give that exact same performance earlier in the year in Terminator: Salvation, and then again in Clash of the Titans. The man has yet to prove to me that he has any acting range at all, and why he's become the next big thing is beyond me.

That being said, I still think the action was good, the SFX even better, and of course the world of Pandora with all its inhabitants, and the spectacular way they were brought to life was nothing short of breathtaking.

One movie I forgot to mention that I loved growing up with was Black Beauty. I used to watch it every night before I went to bed when I was little. I was very much in love with horses and I still am.

Wow, I haven't been here since page 31. A few things to add to the conversations I missed:

I saw 2012 in the theaters, and I didn't really like it. It just felt so overblown and disorganized and unrealistic to me - although I thought it better than Emmerich's Independence Day, which is possibly one of my least favorite movies of all time. However, regarding the film possibly being anti-Christian, wasn't there a big moment with the president in the chapel? I particularly remember such a scene, because it struck me as rather unusual.

Thanks for mentioning Driving Miss Daisy, narnia1! It piqued my interest a while back and I'm adding it to my to-see list now.

I just saw the original movie of Bridge To Terabithia - filmed in 1985. the quality was very bad, but the acting was shockingly of poor quality!

I think you're letting your love of the new version cloud your perception a bit. Yes, the film quality is poor, but you have to expect that from old TV films. Other than that, it's not half so bad as you've described. In the end, I'd rate both it and the Walden movie about the same, although I do like that the PBS version was set in the intended time period and didn't have any unnecessary fantasy sequences. However, the only adaptation of a Paterson book that has in any way was Jacob Have I Loved - also a PBS special, by the way.

And now, a few of the movies I've seen recently (all new to me):

The Magnificent Seven - I've not seen many Westerns, and wasn't sure how I would take to the genre, but when this came on TCM I recognized the title and decided it would be as good a place to start as ever. Well, either it just isn't my genre or this just wasn't the Western for me (I almost wrote, "my inner Western"! ). I didn't sympathize much with any of the characters, it was as a whole pretty predictable, and forgettable enough for me to be able to recall much else about it. Oh, aside from the King of Siam masquerading as a cowboy. 5/10

The Princess and the Frog - I really, really enjoyed this. It's one of the few Disney movies past Beauty and the Beast that I've really enjoyed (The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Emperor's New Groove being the two others that pop up in my mind). It never moved me to a state of ecstasy, like certain shots and moments in the best animated movies do, but it was just a good, fun ride, with well-developed characters and great music. Traditional animation is back, folks! - 8/10

An Education - I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, it had an excellent cast, as is evidenced by the fact that Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, and Sally Hawkins come on for ten minutes max apiece! Carey Mulligan is excellent in what will surely be remembered as her breakthrough role, and definitely deserved her Oscar nom (although Meryl Streep's Julia Child is still my favorite female performance from '09), while Alfred Molina gave a wonderfully tragicomic performance. That said, the subject matter is definitely a little disturbing, and without being explicit, the more intimate scenes between Mulligan and Peter Saarsgard's character are highly uncomfortable (which was probably the point). And yet because of various things I've been going through recently, the movie had a profound personal impact on me. So, yeah, the jury's still out on this one. 7/10

Hercules - Entertaining in its own right, this still is first-class evidence of how poorly Disney's animation department were doing up until just recently. Yow. The story is a bizarre adaptation of the Greek myth, the plot scarcely makes sense (the gods can't defeat the titans but a half-god half-man can? whaaa?), and even the usually wonderful Alan Menken's turns in a forgettable score. The movie is saved only by James Woods' hilarious turn as Hades and Susan Egan's fast-talking Meg, a delightful riff on old screwball comedy heroines such as Rosalind Russell's Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday. 4/10

Robin Hood - Continuing my Disney viewings. I may have seen this one when I was a child, but if I did, I don't remember it. I did have a cassette tape that featured audio from it, so that probably caused some of the uncertainty. Anyways, I found it delightful. The mixture of accents (and musical styles!) did bother me a little, but otherwise, what a witty, light-hearted adventure. Special props to Sir Peter Ustinov for his brilliant Prince John. 8/10

Iron Man - I was somewhat resistant towards seeing this, but I'm glad I did, and will probably go see the second one once it hits the local dollar theater. Robert Downey Jr. turns in a great performance, as does Gwyneth Paltrow in one of her best parts in years. Great dialog and humor. I did think it ran out of steam a little near the end, and

I had more - including The Godfather, Twelfth Night, and The Last Days of Disco - but I think that's enough for now.

I just watched "The Incredibles" (PIXAR) tonight! I love that movie!

^ditto. It's great .

yay lys is here! *hint* you're wanted on the book thread!

The Princess and the Frog - I really, really enjoyed this. It's one of the few Disney movies past Beauty and the Beast that I've really enjoyed (The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Emperor's New Groove being the two others that pop up in my mind). It never moved me to a state of ecstasy, like certain shots and moments in the best animated movies do, but it was just a good, fun ride, with well-developed characters and great music. Traditional animation is back, folks! - 8/10

I haven't seen this movie yet only b/c of the voodoo stuff. Is it a huge part of the plot?

An Education - I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, it had an excellent cast, as is evidenced by the fact that Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, and Sally Hawkins come on for ten minutes max apiece! Carey Mulligan is excellent in what will surely be remembered as her breakthrough role, and definitely deserved her Oscar nom (although Meryl Streep's Julia Child is still my favorite female performance from '09), while Alfred Molina gave a wonderfully tragicomic performance. That said, the subject matter is definitely a little disturbing, and without being explicit, the more intimate scenes between Mulligan and Peter Saarsgard's character are highly uncomfortable (which was probably the point). And yet because of various things I've been going through recently, the movie had a profound personal impact on me. So, yeah, the jury's still out on this one. 7/10

I want to watch this movie, mostly b/c of Carey Mulligan. But I've been hesitant b/c of the, erm, plotline . It does seem like it would be uncomfortable. I don't know. I don't think my parents will let me watch it anyway .

Hercules - Entertaining in its own right, this still is first-class evidence of how poorly Disney's animation department were doing up until just recently. Yow. The story is a bizarre adaptation of the Greek myth, the plot scarcely makes sense (the gods can't defeat the titans but a half-god half-man can? whaaa?), and even the usually wonderful Alan Menken's turns in a forgettable score. The movie is saved only by James Woods' hilarious turn as Hades and Susan Egan's fast-talking Meg, a delightful riff on old screwball comedy heroines such as Rosalind Russell's Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday. 4/10

ugh this movie is soooo bad. I've always been a huge fan of REAL Greek mythology and legend and this movie makes my skin crawl. To think I liked it when I was younger (and more foolish )!

Robin Hood - Continuing my Disney viewings. I may have seen this one when I was a child, but if I did, I don't remember it. I did have a cassette tape that featured audio from it, so that probably caused some of the uncertainty. Anyways, I found it delightful. The mixture of accents (and musical styles!) did bother me a little, but otherwise, what a witty, light-hearted adventure. Special props to Sir Peter Ustinov for his brilliant Prince John. 8/10

so is this the animated one? I haven't seen it in a long while but I remember liking it...

Iron Man - I was somewhat resistant towards seeing this, but I'm glad I did, and will probably go see the second one once it hits the local dollar theater. Robert Downey Jr. turns in a great performance, as does Gwyneth Paltrow in one of her best parts in years. Great dialog and humor. I did think it ran out of steam a little near the end, and I thought Jeff Bridges looked absolutely ridiculous in that giant robot suit, but it didn't take away too much from the film. One of the better superhero movies, surely. 7/10

I haven't seen this yet. I'm resistant . Why? Well b/c it was part of the reason PC didn't do well! As much as I dislike PC, if it had done better, maybe...well idk, there would be more enthusiasm about the series. But anyway...

I watched Lorna Doone a few days ago. It was pretty good- Lorna actually kinda looks like one of my really good friends . I really liked the actors they picked- everyone was perfect! I just wish it was longer . Oh but I didn't like that they added

Spoiler

the scene where John kisses Ruth .

I plan to post in the Books! thread tomorrow. I just have way more to catch up on over there than I do here.

The voodoo is quite prevalent in The Princess and the Frog - quite surprisingly so, in fact - but I've yet to meet anyone, young or old, who was incredibly offended and/or frightened by it. And evil sort of betrays itself again, which is nice. There are certainly some things about the film that I don't 100% agree with, but I don't think they should deter a single viewing at least.

From what I know of your family, I don't think there's any possible way your parents would let you see An Education, Glenstorm. I'm not sure if I want to see it again myself. Again, I've seen movies that are more explicit, but very few that are quite as uncomfortable. I fast-forwarded through two scenes as it is.

EDIT: Oh, and yes, the Robin Hood I watched is the animated film from the 70s. Great fun.

I live rather close to where Princess and the Frog takes place and after going to New Orleans a few times I've never actually met anyone who does voodoo. The jazz in real life really is a fun thing to go see and be around. I love Princess and the Frog, they really captured the essence of New Orleans very well.

Wow. Hercules isn't a classic but that rating is just harsh, Lysander!

I recently watched the Italian movie - Life Is Beautiful. It was very good. At times it's hilarious and other times it's an incredibly tense and sad drama. A very powerful movie but not for the faint of heart!

Suffered through Jackie Chan's latest recently. He actually used to make decently funny martial arts movies, but this new babysitter spy thing was awful. I think I laughed maybe twice during the whole course of the movie. The plot was recycled from The Pacifier and the characters were all bland stock characters. And don't even get me started on the villains. I was insulted on behalf of Russians everywhere.

4/10 looks harsh, but for me 5/10 means "average" (5 and 6 being the middle ratings in such a system), and I felt Hercules was distinctly under average. I didn't hate it (that'd be a 1 or 2/10) but I didn't like it either.

You know, I can't believe I haven't seen Life is Beautiful before. *adds to his to-view list*

Really? Interesting. I wouldn't even bother with watching something below 6/10. My rating system must be very different. 7 is good, 8 is very good, 9 is excellent, 10 is close to perfection (or maximum enjoyment).

Yes,Life is Beautiful is very good but the fast-paced Italian language may be hard to get used to at first. That's what I found - trying to read English subtitles while listening to their incessant chatter.