The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Talk to Her (Hable Con Ella)

[Show spoiler]
2002R 105 minutes

Netflix synopsis

Pedro Almodóvar's Oscar-winning drama explores the bond forged between two men under tragic circumstances. When a bullfighting accident sends his girlfriend, Lydia (Rosario Flores), into a coma, Marco (Darío Grandinetti) visits her in a clinic where he befriends nurse Benigno (Javier Cámara). Shy and a bit strange, Benigno tirelessly tends to another patient, Alicia (Leonor Watling), a comatose ballet dancer and the object of his obsession.

Watching this film was a weird experience. I liked it, but feel like I shouldnt.

Its told in a non linear style that pieces things together quite well. I liked that a lot. During the beginning we learn to like Lydia. However, when we later learn that Lydia is in a coma because she was gored by a bull, I stopped caring about her. This makes things akward because I am supposed to care about her. I find bullfighting barbaric, heinous and cruel so it didnt upset me that she got what was coming to her, in my eyes. I also had less respect for her boyfriend Marco becuase he obviously condones the the slow, painful, torture and killing of an innocent animal for the sake of entertainment. I was supposed to feel sad for him because of his loss, so, akward again.

Benigno is built up as a gentle and caring (male) nurse and we really learn to like him. When the film takes a twist and Benigno is accused of a vile act, I didnt know what the heck to feel. Kinda betrayed. Maybe that was the point. I could no longer root for him, but I think I was supposed to.

On paper there are plenty of reasons why I should hate this film, but I actually liked it. I think its because it was well made and the story was well told. But man, I hated the characters I was supposed to like. Weird. Weird experience too.

3.5/5

That's part of its brilliance! You get so conflicted inside you have to triage your own morals. It was after reflecting on the film that I truly appreciated it. And the writing was excellent. Almodovar gives his characters so much depth and purpose to the story. It was the most recent movie I've seen to crack my top 100. Glad you gave the director another chance.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

If it made Steve's tops it's hard to think I would be disappointed. Your favorites tend to sit well with me (maybe because we're the only Miyazaki fanboys on here ).

Yep, our Miyazaki love is insane. Picked up Nausicaa today (again).

Originally Posted by DjMethod

A true masterpiece. Was this your first viewing?

I was fortunate enough to see a theatrical screening of this. Speaking of, they're playing Downfall here in a few weeks. I'd love to see that on the big screen. Might go.

It was my first viewing. I'm ordering the Canadian Blu-ray version.

[Steve46]

I just saw this on Blu-ray. PQ is outstanding when it's supposed to be and grainy when the shots are from his camcorder.

It's still at least a 4/5, maybe a 4.5.

Originally Posted by Steve46

127 Hours

Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring James Franco
94 minutes

Like Cast Away and I Am Legend, 127 Hours relies mainly on the performance of one actor. I tend to enjoy stories like that for some reason.

The tale begins with some very annoying music and I was glad when that part was over. We then get an idea of Aron Ralston's character. He obviously thinks he's immortal and in no danger despite the risks he takes.

He regularly explores canyons and caves on his own without telling anyone where he's going,

[Show spoiler]but this time it backfires and he's trapped in a crevice by a loose boulder.

The majority of the story takes place

[Show spoiler]with Ralston trapped and we see how he deals with the problem. He tries everything he can think of to escape and uses a camcorder to record his thoughts in case he doesn't make it out alive. There are also a series of flashbacks and imagined events. The title suggests that he'll escape in 127 hours, so the story is really about how he does it.

Once the main story begins, I enjoyed Franco's performance. It won't win any awards, but he did a decent job. I like stories that deal with what happens in our minds and this certainly made me think about what I would do in that situation.

Danny Boyle certainly challenges himself by working in a wide range of genres. I'm glad I saw this one and will eventually own it.

Overall 4/5

[dag]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

127 Hours

[Show spoiler]Year: 2010
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco
Length: 90 minutes























Emotionally devastating, completely riveting, and an awe- inspiring jaw dropping ending.

P.S. Don't read back cover of the blu, it tells how long Aron's story lasts, which I thought sucked knowing beforehand.

4.5/5

You post could very well be review of the year.

[volcomsocal]

Buried - 2010

That was an EFF'D up movie.

1/5

[Marcus Wright]

Originally Posted by volcomsocal

Buried - 2010

That was an EFF'D up movie.

1/5

I couldnt finish it too.
1/5 from me too.

[volcomsocal]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I couldnt finish it too.
1/5 from me too.

Oh I finished it. It's just the ending was EFF'D up. Depressing.

[Al_The_Strange]

Effed up and depressing?! And only 1/5?!! WTF, that sounds like a 5/5 movie in my book!

[volcomsocal]

Grown Ups - 2010

I was pleasantly suprised with this movie. I was laughing from start to finish which is pretty rare on newer(last 10 or so years) comedies for me. The cast was perfect, as I'm sure they're all friends, for the most part. You could really feel the chemistry between all the actors which was really nice. For a comedy, it had a real genuine feel to it. Pq and aq were irrelevant because I streamed it online with Netflix.

4/5

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I couldnt finish it too.
1/5 from me too.

You can't score it if you didn't finish it

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Effed up and depressing?! And only 1/5?!! WTF, that sounds like a 5/5 movie in my book!

It was quite good

[Hep]

Originally Posted by volcomsocal

Buried - 2010

That was an EFF'D up movie.

1/5

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I couldnt finish it too.
1/5 from me too.

Originally Posted by volcomsocal

Oh I finished it. It's just the ending was EFF'D up. Depressing.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Effed up and depressing?! And only 1/5?!! WTF, that sounds like a 5/5 movie in my book!

I just watched Buried last night. No time for a review now, but I'll give it 4/5.

[Show spoiler]I was sceptical they could make a movie that would hold my interest for 95 minutes...taking place entirely inside a box...apparently they can.

I love a good depressing film, and the ending kept me guessing.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by J.Cornelius

What was your take on the ending of the film?

[Show spoiler] It felt a bit contradictory to me, the killer for hire with Samurai instincts walks back into the same nightclub of a previous hit and just walks right up to his potential victim gun pulled, multiple witnesses see the gun not very stealth like. Was his intention to be shot down, just wanting to be caught because he could not bring himself to kill the piano player?

I just wrote a long explanation but when I pushed submit the post didn't come out? I'll have to rewrite it later

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by J.Cornelius

What was your take on the ending of the film?

[Show spoiler] It felt a bit contradictory to me, the killer for hire with Samurai instincts walks back into the same nightclub of a previous hit and just walks right up to his potential victim gun pulled, multiple witnesses see the gun not very stealth like. Was his intention to be shot down, just wanting to be caught because he could not bring himself to kill the piano player?

My other post was much longer and I forget what my whole intro paragraph was, but here's the interpretation:

[Show spoiler]you have to look at what he did as deliberate. his motivation may vary from person to person, but the deliberate nature of his actions is certain. in the first murder, everything was meticulously done. in the last scene, he gave up his hat and DIDN'T take the ticket, showing he knew he was gonna die and also that his face wouldn't be obscured. he then put on the gloves in front of the bartender, who had originally said he wasn't the guy in the first murder (making sure he saw him now). then he went up to the pianist in front of everyone. so, why did he do it?

my take is this: we know he was operating under bushido, or samurai code, which says that honor is the most important virtue. his boss hired him to kill the piano player. the piano player obviously knew and probably had a relationship with the boss, as evidenced by him being at her home at the end when he's killed (remember that Jef said that was one of the two reasons she would have lied for him). so, the piano player was a part of the plan and she helped them get away with it but they paid him to kill her anyways, thus destroying any honor they had. plus they tried to kill Jef, also dishonor. so, by association Jef was dishonored and the price a samurai must pay for that is "falling on his sword" and dying, which is essentially what he did.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

My other post was much longer and I forget what my whole intro paragraph was, but here's the interpretation:

[Show spoiler]you have to look at what he did as deliberate. his motivation may vary from person to person, but the deliberate nature of his actions is certain. in the first murder, everything was meticulously done. in the last scene, he gave up his hat and DIDN'T take the ticket, showing he knew he was gonna die and also that his face wouldn't be obscured. he then put on the gloves in front of the bartender, who had originally said he wasn't the guy in the first murder (making sure he saw him now). then he went up to the pianist in front of everyone. so, why did he do it?

my take is this: we know he was operating under bushido, or samurai code, which says that honor is the most important virtue. his boss hired him to kill the piano player. the piano player obviously knew and probably had a relationship with the boss, as evidenced by him being at her home at the end when he's killed (remember that Jef said that was one of the two reasons she would have lied for him). so, the piano player was a part of the plan and she helped them get away with it but they paid him to kill her anyways, thus destroying any honor they had. plus they tried to kill Jef, also dishonor. so, by association Jef was dishonored and the price a samurai must pay for that is "falling on his sword" and dying, which is essentially what he did.

[Show spoiler]I think the whole "falling on his sword" aspect was what I abstractly considered, but I never got the connection between the film and the bushido code (or else I never thought about it).

Great explanation!

I will revisit this film someday.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

127 Hours

4.5/5

Dang, sounds great.

Netflix will have this available on 3/29/11. I hate these deals they made with the studios.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Pretty much what Higgy said. She thickens the accent for the movie. It'd be like if I made a movie and started talking like a stereotypical southern hick

I reckoned ya'll aint no twangers.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

127 Hours

Year: 2010
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco
Length: 90 minutes

[Show spoiler]





















Emotionally devastating, completely riveting, and an awe- inspiring jaw dropping ending.

P.S. Don't read back cover of the blu, it tells how long Aron's story lasts, which I thought sucked knowing beforehand.

4.5/5

Loved this movie, who knew

[Show spoiler]Scooby Doo could be so terrifying

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

[Show spoiler]I think the whole "falling on his sword" aspect was what I abstractly considered, but I never got the connection between the film and the bushido code (or else I never thought about it).

Great explanation!

I will revisit this film someday.

Thanks Al! I just loved it..can't wait to see more of his films.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I loved the color palette though. Think they used a special lens for that?

Perhaps. But heck, nowadays they can do so much trickery in post production with comnputers, its really hard to say.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Effed up and depressing?! And only 1/5?!! WTF, that sounds like a 5/5 movie in my book!

+1 The ending was awesome, in a bad way, which makes it great.