CINEMA: Regal Division Street 13, Portland, OR AUDITORIUM: 8 PRESENTATION: 35mm/Dolby Digital PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Picture just a smidge out of focus, overhead can lights flickered off/dim individually, sort of creating a distant lightning effect (I think they have non-dimmable CFL's in them) RATING: Three stars (out of four)
I still love the old Act III plexes. This is your classic "Stadium Riser" build, though Regal switched out the seats for their higher back ones in the stadium area (the sloped floor still has the Act III seats).
THE PLOT: Them cows done got blowed up! Wackiness ensues.
Harrison Ford made this movie for me. He was just awesome in this. The aliens came off as "B-movie guys in rubber suit" types, which frankly is how it should be.
It exceeded my expectations.
Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 08-08-2011, 09:40 PM:
I saw this, I was really excited to see it. I couldn't wait to see but I had to wait till the second Friday.
Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of Daniel Craig. I like Olivia Wilde and Harrsion Ford is ok.
Let me just say, this movie proves all the more reason why I think Harrison Ford is no longer relevant. He wss the worst part. His time has past, its time to hang it up.
Craig was good and turned me into a Daniel Craig fan. Olivia Wilde was awesome.
The only redeming quality of this movie was that a whole bunch of people died.
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-08-2011, 11:56 PM:
I too was curious to see this as the trailer looked promising. Why couldn't Aliens visit New Mexico during frontier days?
They came to Hobbs in 1947, right?
The writing seemed like a third rate hack job comprised of several old stories barely sewn together.
I thought Craig was very good with the script at hand. Also liked Olivia Wilde. At last a lead actress with normal looking breasts!
The aliens were pathetic, kind of like they were on a very tight budget.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-09-2011, 12:38 AM:
I can't believe I am going to say this, so just consider it a coincidence. I am not a fan of Daniel Craig.
That being said, I got a huge kick out of DC's method of "kicking ass". Every time he would floor someone without barely moving and looking bored about it had me laughing out loud.
I AM a big fan of Harrison Ford. He was very good, as always. (I always make it a point to check him out on Letterman anytime he has a movie coming out, as his deadpan real life personality really cracks me up even though it seems to go over many people's heads.)
The trailers had me thinking this was going to be one heck of a stinker or a fun movie. Well it wasn't an extreme, but it definitely sided on the side of fun. If the aliens had not been so primitive in appearance, it would have been more convincing, but whatever.
Good sound mix too!
3.5 out of 5 stars
Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 08-09-2011, 09:57 AM:
I was looking forward to this I think more then anything else this summer. I was really let down, I agree with everyone that Daniel Craig was awesome as a bad ass. I've always been a fan of his, but he just played that western bad ass to a tee. Ford was great, not sure what your problem with him is Tom. This is probably the best he's been in a while.
I have to disagree with everyone here though, Olivia Wilde was just about useless. She didn't look like she belonged in the movie at all. And I'm a fan of hers, I believe she is one of the most gorgeous women working right now.
As a western I thought this was great, but like Brad said the aliens looked horrible. If you've ever played World of Warcraft of Fallout 3 there are creatures in those games that look just like the aliens. Really cheap design.
3/5 Posted by Tony Gallimore (Member # 5358) on 08-09-2011, 08:33 PM:
I guess I made the mistake of thinking this might in some way resemble an Indiana Jones adventure... boy was I in for a surprise. But all in all it was a good surprise. Harrison Ford immediately struck me as being out of character, but when they were kicking alien butt, his character became more understandable. Brad's got it 100% right on the aliens, the goonies would have been as believable. Overall the story line came together in the end and made for a reasonably balanced experience, not what I expected, but still a lot of fun. Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 08-09-2011, 10:06 PM:
I didn't really have any problems with the film. It is what it is.
And my only problem with the alien design is the same problem I have with any alien design in which all of the aliens look pretty much the same... why can't the designers add just a touch of something to show rank or class differentiation's? OK, the don't wear clothes. But some tribal body paint would at least be something.
The thing I REALLY liked about this film is that the credits are about 3 minutes. I'm exaggerating a bit, but not much. If I remember correctly, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS had credits that seemed as though they would never end.
Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 08-11-2011, 10:54 PM:
I should have realized that the DP (that shot 'Black Swan) shot this turkey - for a digital projection presentation of the film, the long distance shots looked really bad.
Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 08-15-2011, 03:04 PM:
I walked out of this movie despite that fact that I was seening it the beautiful art deco Del Oro Theatre in Grass Valley, CA.
It's the same old storyline we've all seen a 100 times or more.
Want to watch a quality western? Pick out any TV western (Bonanza, Rawhide, The Virginian etc.) and watch an episode.
Mike
Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 08-17-2011, 09:35 PM:
hate to be the one to say it
At 81 million to date, Cowboys & Aliens was a mega-flop
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-19-2011, 11:52 PM:
I don't think it's a "mega" flop, but it certainly didn't do what they hoped it would with the cast and filmmakers it has.
I thought it was pretty good, but agree that the aliens were sort of cheesy looking.
I liked Olivia Wilde, but she was an unmemorable character (well, except for the fun of looking at her).
I thought Harrison Ford was great as always. Daniel Craig was good too but I kept wondering when his James Bondian accent would kick in.
I liked that Olivia did NOT miraculously come back in the end. Most movies these days, there would have been some contrived dopey miraculous way that she survived and then she and Daniel could live happily ever after.
So far this year, "Rango" is my favorite Western. 3 out of 5 stars on this one.
Posted by Melanie Loggins (Member # 6454) on 08-28-2011, 05:46 PM:
I'm with Tom here. Harrison Ford should have stopped acting when his face stopped moving. At least here his character is supposed to be a gruff, emotionless machine.
I'm a huge Daniel Craig fan. He manages to make thinking on your feet look easy. (And sexy.) And Olivia Wilde (who will always be 13 to me) is certainly easy to look at, but had nothing to work with. Even her creepy eyes were added later.
The movie is good fun, though! Like, what if Shane had been forced to battle aliens. It's not art, but it was very entertaining. I never once felt compelled to stop it or check my email or go restock something.
Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 12-04-2011, 10:13 PM:
This colossal flop comes out Tues. Anyone picking it up?
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-04-2011, 11:24 PM:
I'm kind of curious why you would care.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-05-2011, 02:52 PM:
He wants to be invited over for movie night.
Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 12-06-2011, 12:05 AM:
In the end this was probably one of Toms favorite movies of the year and wants to know if anyone else is getting it so they can Skype together while watching it.
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 12-07-2011, 08:57 PM:
I never saw COWBOYS & ALIENS in a theatre because the movie did not interest me primarily because I do not care very much for westerns but I saw it on Blu Ray last night and enjoyed it very much. I have always liked Harrison Ford and like many of you, did not care for Danniel Craig especially his James Bond films. I must admit, I like him in C&A . The story got off to a rousing start and kept my interest throughout the movie and I thought it was a very clever idea making a science fiction story set in the old west.
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