The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

weird! i like a lot of moments in Hot Fuzz, but overall it just feels like overkill and lasts way too long. also doesn't help i'm not a huge action fan but am a huge horror fan, so that's probably why i love Shaun of the Dead and not real big on Hot Fuzz.

would like to see them do another film like this. have little interest in... Paul...

They've been talking about it for ages, aparantly it's being written this year

[Foggy]

The Descent

Oh god, I need to change my pants

Warning: This review maybe over long and slightly biased since it was analysed in class

When The Descent started I wasn't sure what to expect, I was thinking that it would be similar to Alien, where the mood and atmosphere would be consistently over brooding and each character would be killed off with a huge jump scare. It's sort of what I got, but I felt the film was a bit more actiony and featured a lot more brawling than I thought.

With that in mind however, the film is still one of the most excellently crafted Horror films ever made, that can go head to head with the likes of Alien and The Shining. The characters are well developed and the situations they are put in push their arks forward without it feeling unnatural and forced.

The mood is often crushing like being stuck in a tight cave, and the tension is well created through lighting and sound, with the likes of the nasty gore filmed to make you curl up in your seat and cringe. And the great shots combined with the lighting (lack of lighting specifically) to create a lot of empty space on the screen, adding to the claustrophobia. And that shot near the end with the main character climbing over the bones to escape is just amazing use of cinematography (and that was not from analysis, that hit me right when I was watching it).

Plus, since I'm a UK-eian, I got the uncut depressing ending.

The film continually seems to dodge every flaw it can fall into, the stock characters seem to even have parts in the plot, the characters are all well written and have there are characteristics without feeling stereotyped. Only one of the deaths feel predictable, and that pretty much only gets you into a false sense of security that it will start to become typical, and then boom, surprise after surprise after surprise.

The film is so effective in fact, that I'm slightly gutted at the fact I'm not a fan of Horror films as much, since I'll be avoiding the film almost like the plague from now on

10/10

I also started watching Dog Soldiers also which I'm enjoying so far to a certain degree, but I don't think it is as well made as The Descent and not just because of the lower budget

I'd like to hear a few more opinions on because Neil Marshall films and his style with how it's improved over his films, because you'll be doing my homework for me (Don't worry, I have my own ideas about him, but I was discussing this with a few friends on the bus home and it was pretty interesting what they said, since I didn't expect some of the things they said)

[iam1bearcat]

Great review Foggy! glad you enjoyed it as much as me and some others

I always admire how it isn't like other horror films:

- smart women! No falling at crucial times and twisting ankles

- I like how it starts as real fear (claustrophobia) and then leads to crazy mayhem

- once the psychotic onslaught begins, it is RELENTLESS!

A terrific film.

And glad you saw the great ending. A few months ago I realized I never saw the Americanized ending and wow, I thought it sucked. Like the "unrated" ending MUCH better.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Great review Foggy! glad you enjoyed it as much as me and some others

I always admire how it isn't like other horror films:

- smart women! No falling at crucial times and twisting ankles

- I like how it starts as real fear (claustrophobia) and then leads to crazy mayhem

- once the psychotic onslaught begins, it is RELENTLESS!

A terrific film.

And glad you saw the great ending. A few months ago I realized I never saw the Americanized ending and wow, I thought it sucked. Like the "unrated" ending MUCH better.

I'm usually not one for "downer" endings but I agree on this one that the director's cut was much better. The ending had a haunting quality to it that stuck with you after seeing it... this was an excellent horror film...

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I'm usually not one for "downer" endings but I agree on this one that the director's cut was much better. The ending had a haunting quality to it that stuck with you after seeing it... this was an excellent horror film...

agreed. although, it was depressing yet, oddly, maybe optimistic at the same time. at least, i always wondered

[Show spoiler]if when we leave her and the camera zooms out, is what we just saw with the bone pit the way out? did she actually see the way out? or was it all imagined? or did she want to stay because she saw her daughter?

of course, the absolutely dreadful sequel answered these questions, but i tend to believe that it doesn't exist

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

agreed. although, it was depressing yet, oddly, maybe optimistic at the same time. at least, i always wondered

[Show spoiler]if when we leave her and the camera zooms out, is what we just saw with the bone pit the way out? did she actually see the way out? or was it all imagined? or did she want to stay because she saw her daughter?

of course, the absolutely dreadful sequel answered these questions, but i tend to believe that it doesn't exist

I believe that she

[Show spoiler]imagined the bone pit escape because A) There is a clear moment where we see when she starts to dream, and B) that Bone pit scene is filmed so artisticly, it almost seems unreal. I also believe that she decided that she lost all hope and decided to re-unite herself with her dead daughter.

That's what I took away from it

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

agreed. although, it was depressing yet, oddly, maybe optimistic at the same time. at least, i always wondered

[Show spoiler]if when we leave her and the camera zooms out, is what we just saw with the bone pit the way out? did she actually see the way out? or was it all imagined? or did she want to stay because she saw her daughter?

of course, the absolutely dreadful sequel answered these questions, but i tend to believe that it doesn't exist

me too! I was enjoying the sequel for the first half hour, then it got worse and worse... and my reaction by the end was

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I believe that she

[Show spoiler]imagined the bone pit escape because A) There is a clear moment where we see when she starts to dream, and B) that Bone pit scene is filmed so artisticly, it almost seems unreal. I also believe that she decided that she lost all hope and decided to re-unite herself with her dead daughter.

That's what I took away from it

that was how I took it as well...

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I believe that she

[Show spoiler]imagined the bone pit escape because A) There is a clear moment where we see when she starts to dream, and B) that Bone pit scene is filmed so artisticly, it almost seems unreal. I also believe that she decided that she lost all hope and decided to re-unite herself with her dead daughter.

That's what I took away from it

well, if you wanna know the "truth" i can let ya know. but i think you'd be much happier with your own feelings on how it ended and not what some crappy direct-to-video sequel tells you

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

me too! I was enjoying the sequel for the first half hour, then it got worse and worse... and my reaction by the end was

yeah, the amount of ridiculous stupid things that took place were mind blowing. so, so bad

[Icedburden]

The Descent 2 was beyond terrible. A movie that was great though was Blue Valentine. Damn, Gosling and Williams OWNED those roles. very impressed with that movie.

[Diesel]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen




Rating - 3.5/5


___________



Remember the Titans


Previously reviewed...and I don't have a funny picture for this one.


Rating - 4.5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen




Rating - 3.5/5

this would be my review for the same film...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Icedburden

The Descent 2 was beyond terrible. A movie that was great though was Blue Valentine. Damn, Gosling and Williams OWNED those roles. very impressed with that movie.

agreed on both counts.

The Descent 2 - awful. so bad they didn't even have it for sale for a long time on amazon! (i think because i was trying to sell them my dvd of it which i stupidly blind bought but they didn't even have a listing for it lol)

Blue Valentine - brilliant. absolutely brilliant.

[Foggy]

So tomorrow I shall be reviewing Dog Soldiers and a MYSTERY MOVIE, that shall not be reveal until I review it tomorrow, it's open to guess (unless I'll be offended by it)

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Descent

[Show spoiler]
Oh god, I need to change my pants

Warning: This review maybe over long and slightly biased since it was analysed in class

When The Descent started I wasn't sure what to expect, I was thinking that it would be similar to Alien, where the mood and atmosphere would be consistently over brooding and each character would be killed off with a huge jump scare. It's sort of what I got, but I felt the film was a bit more actiony and featured a lot more brawling than I thought.

With that in mind however, the film is still one of the most excellently crafted Horror films ever made, that can go head to head with the likes of Alien and The Shining. The characters are well developed and the situations they are put in push their arks forward without it feeling unnatural and forced.

The mood is often crushing like being stuck in a tight cave, and the tension is well created through lighting and sound, with the likes of the nasty gore filmed to make you curl up in your seat and cringe. And the great shots combined with the lighting (lack of lighting specifically) to create a lot of empty space on the screen, adding to the claustrophobia. And that shot near the end with the main character climbing over the bones to escape is just amazing use of cinematography (and that was not from analysis, that hit me right when I was watching it).

Plus, since I'm a UK-eian, I got the uncut depressing ending.

The film continually seems to dodge every flaw it can fall into, the stock characters seem to even have parts in the plot, the characters are all well written and have there are characteristics without feeling stereotyped. Only one of the deaths feel predictable, and that pretty much only gets you into a false sense of security that it will start to become typical, and then boom, surprise after surprise after surprise.

The film is so effective in fact, that I'm slightly gutted at the fact I'm not a fan of Horror films as much, since I'll be avoiding the film almost like the plague from now on

10/10

I also started watching Dog Soldiers also which I'm enjoying so far to a certain degree, but I don't think it is as well made as The Descent and not just because of the lower budget

I'd like to hear a few more opinions on because Neil Marshall films and his style with how it's improved over his films, because you'll be doing my homework for me (Don't worry, I have my own ideas about him, but I was discussing this with a few friends on the bus home and it was pretty interesting what they said, since I didn't expect some of the things they said)

I blind bought this a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big horror fan, but it really worked for me.

As for Neil Marshall, I've only seen The Descent, Doomsday, and Centurion. I've liked all three of them, but I would considering Centurion probably his weakest of the three. Doomsday is definitely not a movie for everyone, but I do think he kept the same level of quality for that type of film as there was in The Descent.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Descent

[Show spoiler]Oh god, I need to change my pants

Warning: This review maybe over long and slightly biased since it was analysed in class

When The Descent started I wasn't sure what to expect, I was thinking that it would be similar to Alien, where the mood and atmosphere would be consistently over brooding and each character would be killed off with a huge jump scare. It's sort of what I got, but I felt the film was a bit more actiony and featured a lot more brawling than I thought.

With that in mind however, the film is still one of the most excellently crafted Horror films ever made, that can go head to head with the likes of Alien and The Shining. The characters are well developed and the situations they are put in push their arks forward without it feeling unnatural and forced.

The mood is often crushing like being stuck in a tight cave, and the tension is well created through lighting and sound, with the likes of the nasty gore filmed to make you curl up in your seat and cringe. And the great shots combined with the lighting (lack of lighting specifically) to create a lot of empty space on the screen, adding to the claustrophobia. And that shot near the end with the main character climbing over the bones to escape is just amazing use of cinematography (and that was not from analysis, that hit me right when I was watching it).

Plus, since I'm a UK-eian, I got the uncut depressing ending.

The film continually seems to dodge every flaw it can fall into, the stock characters seem to even have parts in the plot, the characters are all well written and have there are characteristics without feeling stereotyped. Only one of the deaths feel predictable, and that pretty much only gets you into a false sense of security that it will start to become typical, and then boom, surprise after surprise after surprise.

The film is so effective in fact, that I'm slightly gutted at the fact I'm not a fan of Horror films as much, since I'll be avoiding the film almost like the plague from now on

10/10

[Show spoiler]I also started watching Dog Soldiers also which I'm enjoying so far to a certain degree, but I don't think it is as well made as The Descent and not just because of the lower budget

I'd like to hear a few more opinions on because Neil Marshall films and his style with how it's improved over his films, because you'll be doing my homework for me (Don't worry, I have my own ideas about him, but I was discussing this with a few friends on the bus home and it was pretty interesting what they said, since I didn't expect some of the things they said)

I thought it was okay. I'm not too big on the film. Great middle though, and the camcorder scene was It must have been more effective (and claustrophobic) on the big screen (I only saw it on cable).

[Al_The_Strange]

During an evening gaming session, my dad popped in “A Bridge Too Far,” one of his favorite war movies. We really weren’t paying that much attention to it, but I have seen it before.

Suffice to say that it’s not one of my favorites. The movie’s pretty darn long, with uneven pacing. Some of the action and war scenes are hypnotically brilliant; in between, a sluggish narrative and some arguably wooden acting slows it down significantly. You could probably say the same thing about “The Longest Day,” but unlike that film, “A Bridge Too Far” lacks the adventurous spirit and quality characterization that keeps it interesting. But it’s not all bad; “ABTF” does have enough stand-out moments to make it a must-see for most war-movie fans. And by 1970s standards, it is pretty hard-edged, with surprising amounts of bloodshed and cursing (much more than I remembered).

The story’s pretty straightforward; I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, but it is a fine excuse to blow the s**t out of bridges, tanks, and soldiers alike. There are like a billion different characters, and none of them receive any exceptional character development. It is worthwhile seeing the motivations, planning, and execution of the film’s events.

The film has okay photography and editing. There is a huge cast of actors on display here: Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, and God-knows-who-else are all represented here. I find their acting rather dull throughout; nothing about anybody’s performances is very memorable. Writing is okay. Production value is very high, featuring a huge-scale cast and crew, with lots of quality sets, props, costumes, and SFX. Music is okay.

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

Recommendation: For war movie fans.




That’s it, my turn for my favorite old-fashioned war movie!

“Lawrence of Arabia”

I don’t know what it is about this movie, but every time I put it in, I am entranced. Even though it runs at over three hours long, with only a few major battle scenes, I’ve never once been totally bored by it. Even this one time when I was sick and I wanted something to sleep by, I put this epic in and I never once nodded off. There’s a certain hypnotic magic to it: I think mostly due to the beautiful desertscapes, majestic sense of adventure, the hard-edged portrayal of war, the sporadic action, and above all, deep characterizations. Combined with excellent camera-work, editing, and acting, the film is pure cinematic gold!

As I said, it’s long, and some folks may not find it terribly eventful. But even when hoards of Arabs aren’t running down their enemies with guns and swords, the emphasis on characters, politics, and cultural differences keep it genuinely interesting all the way through. Each scene is the perfect length, never running too long or too short, with hardly any drag. Each scene is also composed and blocked in such a way as to keep things in constant motion; characters are always moving and lively, and their actions always mean something in the long run. In the end, it keeps both the mind and the heart pumping.

The story’s timeless and well-told. I’m not clear as to how historically accurate this film is, but I believe it is based on true events and people (based on the writings of TE Lawrence himself I believe). The characters definitely take the spotlight; it’s very engrossing, and perhaps invoking, watching the main character transform from a sophisticated English colonel into a savage blood-thirsty psycho. The film also goes on to explore such themes as the differences in cultures and the differences between the civilized and the savage; these aspects mirror “Apocalypse Now!” (and by extension, Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness”), which also portrays characters turning more and more savage until they “turn native.” With the backdrop of the war between the Arabs and the Turks, the film delves into some very interesting history, politics, and tactics, all of which push the characters to their respective destinies.

The film has wonderful photography; most of the landscapes are beautiful, and most other shots are composed in a very interesting fashion. Editing is very interesting and helps make the film even more distinctive. Acting is top-notch: Peter O’Toole is perfect as the title character, Omar Sharif is likable and practically iconic in his role, Anthony Quinn is enjoyable to watch, and Sir Alec Guinness plays yet another wise old man. Production value includes excellent sets, props, costumes, locales, SFX, and some very huge-scale battles. Music is very good and classy.

This film remains my favorite “old” film (which I define as one that predates 1970), and ranks somewhere in my top 15.

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

Recommendation: Yes.

I’ve had this DVD for like ten years now; it’s been messing up in the hotel’s player and standard-def no longer does the film justice. I want my Blu-Ray for this now!!!

[Steve46]

Here's today's blog entry:

Salt (action, crime, mystery)
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Sony Pictures | 2010 | 101 min | Unrated | Released Dec 21, 2010



Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Disc:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc
BD-Live

The Film 4/5

Salt is full of action and includes an air of mystery. The opening scene takes us back two years and we see Evelyn Salt (Jolie) interrogated in North Korea. She's in pretty bad shape after being beaten, but refuses to talk, even when a tube is forced down her throat and gasoline is poured in. She's eventually released as part of a prisoner exchange and returns to work as a CIA agent. This all happens at the start of the movie and sets up what is to come.

The final thing I'm going to reveal is an encounter with a Russian defector. She's selected to interview him and discovers that there's a plan underway to substitute certain Americans with Russians. They become sleepers who will eventually act on behalf of Russia. He informs any agents who might be listening that Evelyn Salt is the name of one such agent.

Salt has a decision to make. Which of her colleagues can she trust? Should she stay and answer the accusations? Would it be better to run and try to prevent other sleeper agents from fulfilling their purpose? She decides to run and most of her colleagues see it as an admission of guilt. We're placed in her position and it's one with no obvious solutions. It has the same feel as the Bourne movies, with confusion surrounding her identity.

The CIA isn't happy that she evaded capture and sends agents to bring her back. This results in a huge chase scene in which Salt makes some unlikely decisions. If you're a fan of action movies, this is where the story really takes off. The first chase scene happens on a highway and sees Salt making improbable leaps between moving vehicles to evade capture.

Jolie looks capable of making some of the jumps, and we see her continually revise her plan as she flees her pursuers. The story keeps us guessing about the level of her involvement and we can't be sure what her motivations are. She's resourceful and uses her intelligence in order to predict the moves of her pursuers and discover the motivations of the Russian group.

If you enjoy movies such as Taken, Wanted, Bourne or Die Hard, this is your kind of story. The first adrenalin rush comes early and we rarely have time to breathe. There is a plot, although it's secondary to the action. This is a movie that entertains because of its pacing and spectacular chase scenes. There's not a great deal of thought required, but you will see that everything makes some kind of sense if you think about what you have just seen. Well, it makes as much sense as the average James Bond movie.

If you want to see Jolie running around, climbing, jumping and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, grab your popcorn and enjoy the ride. The loose ends are tied up neatly and the conclusion is satisfying. The acting is convincing, although Jolie never has to show the range of emotion that she achieved in Changeling. Schreiber and Ejiofor are always good and both play their roles well.

Video Quality 5/5
It's hard to fault the look of the movie. Colors appear natural and detail is strong. There's a fine layer of grain and the picture has considerable pop. I felt like I was in the middle of the action. Sony has delivered another great transfer.

Audio Quality 5/5
There's a lot happening on the screen and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track handles everything that's thrown at it. Chase scenes sound incredible, while scenes involving explosions and gunfire have the appropriate impact. Dialogue doesn't suffer either, and the surrounds are active throughout the duration of the movie. The score adds to the action scenes and completes the experience. You won't have any complaints about the presentation.

Special Features 4.5/5

The additional features all appear in full HD.

Spy Cam: Picture-in-Picture - The movie includes three cuts and this feature is only available on the theatrical version.

Filmmakers' Commentary

The Ultimate Female Action Hero (8:05) - Showing some of the stunts that Jolie performed.

The Real Agents (12:33) - Former spies talk about their experiences.

Spy Disguise: The Looks of Evelyn Salt (5:26) - A look at the various appearances Jolie used in the movie.

The Modern Master of the Political Thriller: Phillip Noyce (9:15) - Noyce explains why he has good insight into the life of a spy, and describes how he tries to capture the attention of the audience.

Salt: Declassified (29:47) - A thorough "making of" feature that goes into more depth about some of the things covered in the other features.

"The Treatment" Radio Interview with Phillip Noyce (27:12) - Elvis Mitchell interviews Noyce.

Previews

BD-Live

Salt is a well-crafted spy movie that's heavy on the action, although there are a couple of twists in there too. Jolie looks the part and is convincing in her role and the supporting cast does a great job. If you want to be thrilled for 100 minutes without having to think too much, this will get the job done. The Blu-ray presentation is excellent and the special features contain a wealth of additional information if you're curious.

Overall Score 4.5/5

[P@t_Mtl]

I really did not enjoy Salt. I find that these movies with over the tope action and silly stunts that no one can survive fall into the ridiculous real fast when they try to sound super serious. I prefer it in the style of Red, The Losers or The A Team, silly, over the top action that does not try to pretend to be serious or real.