The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[BladeRunner2007]

I agree. I love the slow pacing of Halloween. Rob's second half feels really rushed and makes it kinda boring to me. You said it, it builds no tension. I still like Rob's remake a lot, but Carpenter's Halloween is a perfect horror film imo.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“A Bug’s Life.”

Didn’t ever seem like anything great at first glance, but it gets better with each viewing. The story’s pretty similar to “The Seven Samurai,” replacing people for bugs, and throwing in a little bit of a gangster flavor with the bad guys. But the film has unique characters and an upbeat adventurous spirit of its own, and is quite entertaining.

Animation quality is top-notch, even after all these years. The film makes excellent use of (and pokes a lot of fun at) the actual characteristics of all the different bugs, and can be somewhat educational for kids. Production design is very well-done, ranging from cute to imaginative, and is never overly fantastic.

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4.5/5)

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near like reference quality!

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5



“Halloween.” The original.

This film has never truly excited me, much less scared me (heck, it takes a lot to scare me; I have a fear of the unnatural, not of slow-walking masked murderers). I understand it is an incredible achievement; the film was made for so little money with a very limited production value, but yielded a huge profit at its time. And it’s one of (if not THE) original slasher movie ever made.

The opening scene definitely freaks me out, and there are some creepy atmospheric scenes here and there. But otherwise, I feel the story’s a little too simple and uninvolved, most characters are pretty dumb, and the pacing is slow. Photography has always felt very plain to me, despite the clever use of POV shots.

I used to consider this film very boring, but over time it grew on me a little more. But (…please don’t kill me…) I prefer the remake instead.

3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 3/5)

This Blu-Ray came with a DVD collection I got, and it’s not a bad deal. The picture looks a bit soft in many scenes, but considering its age and origin it’s likely the way the film was made. Film grain is persistent throughout, and some of the darker scenes may look murkier because of it, but it’s never overly-noisy. Sharpness and detail is good. Overall, it’s probably the best I’ve seen of it. Sound quality is so-so; dialogue seemed really subdued, but the music was good.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 3/5



“Halloween II” The sequel to the original.

I think this sequel is a little better, even if it is more of the same. Photography seems a little more distinctive and solid here. Production value is upped a little more. The story and characters receive a little more background.

I especially love how Dr. Loomis becomes so fanatical in this film; the man’s hilarious. Some scenes are a little dumb (how is it that Laura crawls around in pain one minute, then gets up and runs the next? And what’s with Michael walking through doors? ). But the film has its charm and entertainment value.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5)

I really need to see A Bug's Life and the Incredibles.

As for Halloween, I won't flame you. You state that you prefer the remake, and there's nothing wrong with that--it's a matter of preference. The original is obviously a better film, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like it more. The remake is more of your modern horror film with flashy direction instead of mood and excessive violence instead of subtlety. I consider Halloween (original) one of the five best horror films of all-time, like most people. As for the PQ, I was very impressed. Considering the budget the film was made on and its age and genre, I was shocked how good it was at times.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I really need to see A Bug's Life and the Incredibles.

As for Halloween, I won't flame you. You state that you prefer the remake, and there's nothing wrong with that--it's a matter of preference. The original is obviously a better film, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like it more. The remake is more of your modern horror film with flashy direction instead of mood and excessive violence instead of subtlety. I consider Halloween (original) one of the five best horror films of all-time, like most people. As for the PQ, I was very impressed. Considering the budget the film was made on and its age and genre, I was shocked how good it was at times.

I get what Halloween means to the horror genre but to me Michael Myers is just not a good villain. He's too slow and he seems to lack personality, not to mention a knife? Just shoot him or cut him in half.

[Steve46]

The Ladykillers (1955) 3.5/5
PQ 3/5
AQ 4/5

I thought it would be interesting to watch Peter Sellers in an early role, but it was Alec Guinness who stole the show. Herbert Lom, Cecil Parker, Danny Green and Katie Johnson were all effective. The plot was pretty simple and it's a comedy showing a heist that went wrong.

Quite an enjoyable watch overall, but very dated. It was interesting to see London in the 1950s though. The old cars and steam trains instead of what you would expect now. The buses and phone boxes look the same.

The picture quality was weak if you judge it by current standards. I can't give it more than 3/5 and it might not be worth that. Detail was lacking and the color palette looked weird. It's in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, so beware if you are a black bar hater.

Audio quality was good. From screeching birds to steam train whistles, it was all very clear.

This is worth a watch, but I don't think it would be something to return to very often.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

I get what Halloween means to the horror genre but to me Michael Myers is just not a good villain. He's too slow and he seems to lack personality, not to mention a knife? Just shoot him or cut him in half.

run = desperate
walk = controlled

Look at the best villans ever: Vader and Lecter. No running = not desperate = in control = very scary.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

I get what Halloween means to the horror genre but to me Michael Myers is just not a good villain. He's too slow and he seems to lack personality, not to mention a knife? Just shoot him or cut him in half.

haha I get what you're saying and it's not an uncommon opinion at all. Just like surfdude, the reason you're not a fan is the exact reason I am a fan! I like the fact that he seems to lack personality because to me personally, it makes him scarier. Serial killers oftentimes are such sociopaths that they are completely devoid of personality. The knife thing doesn't bother me either because although it's cliche now, Psycho and Halloween really made it popular.

[jhiggy23]

So I go out to the mailbox and what am I surprised with? My order from Deep Discount of The Lives of Others and A River Runs Through It. The last time I ordered from them I received my blu in a month. This time, I ordered last Sunday and didn't get a shipping email until Wednesday. SHOCKED it arrived this quickly.

Considering The Lives of Others is quite possibly my second favorite film of all-time, I'm pretty stoked to finally own it. The digibook of A River Runs Through It is beautiful. The cover art is bright and colorful. The inside book is very nice as well, with vintage fly fishing advertisements and paintings, in addition to a few essays and other things. Can't wait to watch it.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

So I go out to the mailbox and what am I surprised with? My order from Deep Discount of The Lives of Others and A River Runs Through It. The last time I ordered from them I received my blu in a month. This time, I ordered last Sunday and didn't get a shipping email until Wednesday. SHOCKED it arrived this quickly.

Considering The Lives of Others is quite possibly my second favorite film of all-time, I'm pretty stoked to finally own it. The digibook of A River Runs Through It is beautiful. The cover art is bright and colorful. The inside book is very nice as well, with vintage fly fishing advertisements and paintings, in addition to a few essays and other things. Can't wait to watch it.

I'll need to give ARRTI another go. I liked it, but wasn't moved as much as I expected to be. Its definitely in the "potential to be great" category for me. Does it hold up good to repeated viewings?

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I'll need to give ARRTI another go. I liked it, but wasn't moved as much as I expected to be. Its definitely in the "potential to be great" category for me. Does it hold up good to repeated viewings?

For me it does. It's just one of those films that means more to some people than others. We all know it's a film about family. For me, I remember watching it with my family many times growing up and I have one older brother who is 27, so I found it easy to relate to the brother aspect. It's a film that I consider beautiful and moving, but what I like is that it doesn't try to beat you over the head with sentimentality. I like the fact that it's more realistic and shows the flaws of the people in the film.

I've probably seen it about 10-15 times.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Dude, WTF?
At least you give reasons for your review. Anyone can respect that.

What's funny is: the reason you don't like it, is the same reason I LOVE it.

It's funny how that happens.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Simple: YES!! Slow: YES!!! A lot of today's movies try to be too complicated than they need to be, and the pace is so fast that films like Halloween appear to be slow.

I loved the simplicity of a babysitter on Halloween night. Curtis was great. I could smell the candles in the pumpkins when i watched it. The babysitting, the high school crowd, the kids trick or treating down the street: my mind bellowed "this is real. this is halloween. remember?" and the halloween memories would wash in, priming me up for some halloween action The pacing too was also perfect and is where the remake goes wrong:

[Show spoiler]Carpenter has Mike kill 3-4 people? in 2 hours? that's like 20 mins/person. Zombie on the other hand, has Mike kill like a dozen in one hour (second half of film), so its like a killing every 5 mins...way too quick and not allowing any time for suspense to build

my 2 cents

Right on! I do see what you mean, and I do agree that the film has a very realistic flavor. And with the slow pacing, it is certanly a moody film.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

As for Halloween, I won't flame you. You state that you prefer the remake, and there's nothing wrong with that--it's a matter of preference. The original is obviously a better film, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like it more.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

The remake is more of your modern horror film with flashy direction instead of mood and excessive violence instead of subtlety. I consider Halloween (original) one of the five best horror films of all-time, like most people. As for the PQ, I was very impressed. Considering the budget the film was made on and its age and genre, I was shocked how good it was at times.

I won't deny that the remake is rather trashy. I did find the flashy style visually entertaining, but I was more impressed by Michael Meyer's characterization. I might have to revisit it soon...

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest rental: “Hustle and Flow.”

Thanks to Czar and lDlisturb3d for recommending these films. I know this one wasn’t in Czar’s top 10 recommendations, but LoveFilm sends these out randomly more or less.

It’s a decent drama, with an uplifting and somewhat inspirational story. There isn’t much conflict aside from some outbursts of intense drama, but it is interesting to see how the guys came together to make the music and everything. Characters are strong, and I thought it was pretty significant in the end

[Show spoiler]when Djay and Skinny Black confront each other; the two seemed like interesting foils

. Acting is really good, photography is solid, production value is interesting, and the music is awesome!

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest rental: “Hustle and Flow.”

Thanks to Czar and lDlisturb3d for recommending these films. I know this one wasn’t in Czar’s top 10 recommendations, but LoveFilm sends these out randomly more or less.

It’s a decent drama, with an uplifting and somewhat inspirational story. There isn’t much conflict aside from some outbursts of intense drama, but it is interesting to see how the guys came together to make the music and everything. Characters are strong, and I thought it was pretty significant in the end

[Show spoiler]when Djay and Skinny Black confront each other; the two seemed like interesting foils

. Acting is really good, photography is solid, production value is interesting, and the music is awesome!

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)

I actually have wanted to see this film. It was very well-received critically, I believe it stands at 82% on RT, and it got two Oscar noms. It's best remembered, however, for Three 6 Mafia winning an Oscar for best original song. Why is this important? Because the song was called "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" and Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar BEFORE Martin Scorsese (who won the next year, finally).

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest rental: “Hustle and Flow.”

Thanks to Czar and lDlisturb3d for recommending these films. I know this one wasn’t in Czar’s top 10 recommendations, but LoveFilm sends these out randomly more or less.

It’s a decent drama, with an uplifting and somewhat inspirational story. There isn’t much conflict aside from some outbursts of intense drama, but it is interesting to see how the guys came together to make the music and everything. Characters are strong, and I thought it was pretty significant in the end

[Show spoiler]when Djay and Skinny Black confront each other; the two seemed like interesting foils

. Acting is really good, photography is solid, production value is interesting, and the music is awesome!

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)

Nice!!!!! Good way to start it off. Yea it wasnt in my top 10 but it was on my bigger list that I initially gave u. Very good film and Im glad to see u enjoyed it as well. Terrence is a very good actor and the film felt so real. Cant wait to see the next one on the list u watch. Got Em!!

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I actually have wanted to see this film. It was very well-received critically, I believe it stands at 82% on RT, and it got two Oscar noms. It's best remembered, however, for Three 6 Mafia winning an Oscar for best original song. Why is this important? Because the song was called "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" and Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar BEFORE Martin Scorsese (who won the next year, finally).

Yea JHig u should check it out. Also that is kind of funny about the mainstream oscars giving an award to a song with that title but it was a great song nonetheless. I was just glad they kept an open mind and gave an award to something that was quality and not judge it based off the name. And comparing Scorsese to Three 6 Mafia is apples and oranges man. Anyhoo go watch it man. Got Em!!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I didnt like the movie either, but I thought Stewart did a darn good job.

Dont bother finishing it.

I'm still undecided how much I like the movie, but I will agree that Kristen Stewart was very good as Joan Jett. I own it and thought about selling it at one time, but for some reason I can't make myself do it.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by killowertz

I'm still undecided how much I like the movie, but I will agree that Kristen Stewart was very good as Joan Jett. I own it and thought about selling it at one time, but for some reason I can't make myself do it.

idk, I thought she was mediocre at the very best during the first hour. like I said, I'll reserve any definitive ratings or reviews until I see the whole thing. That being said, I won't be seeing the whole thing bc I'm not the one who rented it and I certainly won't do so. She actually texted me a few minutes ago saying she watched the rest of the movie and thought it was terrible.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“A Bug’s Life.”
4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4.5/5)
This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near like reference quality!

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5

“Halloween.” The original.
3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 3/5)
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 3/5


“Halloween II” The sequel to the original.
3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5)

i don't think i've ever seen anyone go from watching A Bug's Life to Halloween!

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

So I go out to the mailbox and what am I surprised with? My order from Deep Discount of The Lives of Others and A River Runs Through It. The last time I ordered from them I received my blu in a month. This time, I ordered last Sunday and didn't get a shipping email until Wednesday. SHOCKED it arrived this quickly.

Considering The Lives of Others is quite possibly my second favorite film of all-time, I'm pretty stoked to finally own it. The digibook of A River Runs Through It is beautiful. The cover art is bright and colorful. The inside book is very nice as well, with vintage fly fishing advertisements and paintings, in addition to a few essays and other things. Can't wait to watch it.

i've been meaning to pick this up as well, but the price is always hovering around $30 which seems a little much for me to spill on a movie. even though i absolutely LOVE this film.

[J.Cornelius]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i don't think i've ever seen anyone go from watching A Bug's Life to Halloween!

His name is quite apropos. Halloween is fun if not for the utterly hypnotic score.

[Pondosinatra]

Survival of the Dead

0 out of 5

I'm not even going to give this piece of garbage a proper review....it made Diary look like an Oscar nominee...

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i've been meaning to pick this up as well, but the price is always hovering around $30 which seems a little much for me to spill on a movie. even though i absolutely LOVE this film.

You should've done the Deep Discount deal of buy one get one free. The reason I held off for so long is because the price is always outrageous. With DD, I got that and the digibook of A River Runs Through It (which pretty much never drops below $20) for $28. I also got Crouching Tiger and A Passage to India for $21, and then another order with The Road and Shawshank digibook for $28. Great deals.