The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by CZAR

8 Mile - Finally watched my blu copy of this film. I have always loved this film and it was very cool to see it on blu. Eminem did an excellent job and I dont know why he doesnt do more films. His acting came off very natural and I think he has real acting skills. The film has massive replay value in my eyes. Very nice cast including Kim Basinger, Michael Shannon, Mikhi Pfifer, & Brittany Murphy. The freestyle battle at the end was epic and something I have rewinded many of times and watched over and over again. This was one of the better musical urban drama films and it comes highly recommended in my book. For Eminem fans its a must and even non Eminem fans. People shouldnt prejudge this film as it is very good.

Film Rating - 5 stars (out of 5)

PQ - 4 stars (out of 5)

AQ - 5 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!

A very solid film, no doubt. The ending is perfectly done as well, refraining from making a Hollywood ending.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Perhaps, but such a determination cannot be arrived at via. self-assessment. NPD's seem to have an insistency to self-assess. Diesel: we have another positive indicator. Recommend 3 judge panel investigation immediately. Jhiggy to lead the investigation (I want to stay neutral here).

I will try to refrain from acting like Mike Nifong or Giuliano Mignini.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah I think you recommended it to me! Thanks again!

And thank you for El Norte!

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

it's certainly one of mine as well. not that i've seen a whole lot, but i rarely hear anyone talk about this, and everyone's list of what they're buying from B&N didn't have Summer Hours on it. maybe like, 1 out of every 20. maybe everyone already has it? no idea, but it feels to me like it's an underrated film. but i may be wrong in that regard.

That's the case for many of the modern Criterions. You don't hear many people talk about films such as Summer Hours, A Christmas Tale, Everlasting Moments, Secret of the Grain, etc. The reason for this is that the older films are the ones people immediately think of when they hear Criterion, such as Seven Samurai, 400 Blows, Night of the Hunter, etc.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by two40

I was deeply moved both times I've seen this. They captured something special with this film and I was really impressed with the way they

[Show spoiler]managed to leave the viewer feeling optimistic amid such a sad ending.

I'm not ashamed to admit I cried both times.

Agreed. Hirsch got robbed of a nomination, especially in that particular year.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Good call on Revanche over Everlasting Moments. EM is a great film and I agree with Jhiggy in describing it as "an absolute gem", but I'm not sure it's a film I'd want to watch again. Not much replay value for me, whereas I liked Revanche enough to buy it at the beginning of the sale.

They're both excellent films but very different. I personally think they both have an equal amount of replay value. Revanche for its subtle themes and the complexity that lies under its surface. Everlasting Moments because despite its lack of complexity, its directing is absolutely exceptional and its the finest example I've seen on blu yet of a film looking the way it was meant to look.

[jhiggy23]

The Double Life of Veronique (Criterion dvd)


Film: 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)



Synopsis: Krzysztof Kieślowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films, a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, and human intuition. Irène Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, purely emotional bond, which Kieślowski details in gorgeous reflections, colors, and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak’s shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner’s haunting, operatic score, Kieślowski creates one of cinema’s most purely metaphysical works. The Double Life of Véronique is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.




Review:


Sublime filmmaking. This is cinema as art at its highest level. Kieslowski is known for Decalogue, The Double Life of Veronique, and the Three Colors Trilogy. Each of those films (the latter being a series of three films) has been included by virtually all major critics and publications as among the finest films of the last thirty years. The Double Life of Veronique is continually listed as one of the very best films of the 90s, and for good reason.

The first thing that stands out about this film is its direction. Kieslowski shoots the film through a golden sheen and is very experimental, by shooting through prisms and off of reflective surfaces. In doing so, he has created the most surreal looking "real" film I've seen yet. Whereas I thought the directorial experimentation in A Christmas Tale felt out of place, here it fits perfectly. Additionally, there are three shots in this film that are among the finest I've ever seen on film. One is the shot in the alleyway, another is the

[Show spoiler]spirit traveling above the crowd, and the last is the shot from within the coffin.

The next great thing is the score, which is haunting. But arguably the greatest thing about this film is Irene Jacob. Before this film she was unknown, despite having a small part in the excellent Au Revoir Les Enfantes. She's just an exceptional talent, which is why her performance won Cannes. It's too bad that she refuses to take more roles.

As for the movie itself, this is one of the more complex films I've seen. It really is what you make of it. What's the purpose of the double? I've never seen this cliche topic translate so well on screen. Jose Saramago did excellent with it in his book The Double, but it's much more difficult to film. I think you can take a lot away from the film each time you watch it. There are obviously socio-political ruminations that are far beyond my knowledge, since I'm not familiar with Polish or French history.

Overall, this is a must see for fans of true cinema and of films that require something more than idle watching.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

A very solid film, no doubt. The ending is perfectly done as well, refraining from making a Hollywood ending.

Glad to see u liked it as well. Yea I doubt Eminem wanted a Hollywood ending. He seems like a pretty real dude and doesnt sugar coat things. Got Em!!

[Diesel]

Since I had to scrub the planned Fellowship of the Ring viewing, I threw in Mission: Impossible.


Not a big review or anything for this one, just some key things that I'll mention. I haven't been writing big reviews lately, guess I just haven't had the inspiration/desire to do so


I really enjoy this movie. It's not a great movie but its a good fun ride with some along the way that I legitimately did not expect the first time I watched it.

It's actually my least favorite of the three films though.

Cruise is pretty good as Hunt and for some reason I think Ving Rhames is really cool

Some good action, some good moments and having

[Show spoiler]a helicopter crash down on and crush the bad guy to death is a pretty nice way to have your villain exit the movie

Rating - 4/5

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Glad to see u liked it as well. Yea I doubt Eminem wanted a Hollywood ending. He seems like a pretty real dude and doesnt sugar coat things. Got Em!!

Coincidentally his cd is in the cd player of my car right now.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Coincidentally his cd is in the cd player of my car right now.

What album?

I've been meaning to rent 8 Mile since the blu was released, just bumped it up in my queue. Right now it looks like this: Amores Perros, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Elite Squad, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Lives of Others, Ocean's Thirteen, Sophie's Choice, Changeling, 8 Mile, The Ice Storm.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Regarding their behaviors, which I barely mentioned in my above post, you can argue that a lot of it was legit. But that's not what I'm concerned about. I was pointing out the film was riddled with inaccuracies and stupid "movie" situations. Can you agree on that based on the facts that I provided?

I think I see what you're saying (some behavior = realistic, some behavior =fake), but we obviously disagree on the definition of "normal" behavior being applied

[supaflyz]

I really like this movie. I think its better than Toy Story 3. Audio 10 Video 10.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Good call on Revanche over Everlasting Moments. EM is a great film and I agree with Jhiggy in describing it as "an absolute gem", but I'm not sure it's a film I'd want to watch again. Not much replay value for me, whereas I liked Revanche enough to buy it at the beginning of the sale.

Agreed. Although I snagged EM 2 days ago. I do love the photography style (old style) cinematography, and the lead actress' performance is incredible - her ability to be reserved one minute and then show a burst of emotion the next!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I will try to refrain from acting like Mike Nifong or Giuliano Mignini.

OMG NIfong! Haven't heard that name in forever!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I think I see what you're saying (some behavior = realistic, some behavior =fake), but we obviously disagree on the definition of "normal" behavior being applied

Sorry, guess I didn't phrase that correctly. I'm not arguing that their behavior is unrealistic. Yeah, a bit of it is and I thought some of it was kinda stupid but overall it's fine. As I've said, I'm one of those people that pick apart a movie and find all of the unrealistic, fake, impossible stuff so that's what I was concentrating on, as well as giving my thoughts on what they should've done.

[bingtau]

I first caught this film a couple months back on IFC and really didn't know what to think except that it was one of the oddest films I've seen. Keep in mind I had to watch it with the volume turned down and no surround system. I must say now that having watched the Blu with the proper setup and audio I was pretty blown away with what I just saw. Let me just say that there's a couple cringe worthy scenes not for the weak of heart. It's not that these scenes are so shocking but how graphic they appear. There's some things that one might not want to see especially in HD and these scenes were the first time I ever questioned that. However this is truly a remarkable film that needs to be seen. Watch it loud. Film 4.5/5 Picture 4.5/5 Audio 4.5/5

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Sorry, guess I didn't phrase that correctly. I'm not arguing that their behavior is unrealistic. Yeah, a bit of it is and I thought some of it was kinda stupid but overall it's fine. As I've said, I'm one of those people that pick apart a movie and find all of the unrealistic, fake, impossible stuff so that's what I was concentrating on, as well as giving my thoughts on what they should've done.

trust me -- i was yelling at the TV too

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Good one.

May I be the other two judges? I'm so valuable that I can cover for the other guy.

Self-assessment is a symptom? I'll have to analyze my abilities further. You know, to get to the bottom of all your confusion.

dude -- I have a confession to make -- its not your egoism, but my envy that is the cause of my frustration...I wanna be a Baron!!!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by bingtau

I first caught this film a couple months back on IFC and really didn't know what to think except that it was one of the oddest films I've seen. Keep in mind I had to watch it with the volume turned down and no surround system. I must say now that having watched the Blu with the proper setup and audio I was pretty blown away with what I just saw. Let me just say that there's a couple cringe worthy scenes not for the weak of heart. It's not that these scenes are so shocking but how graphic they appear. There's some things that one might not want to see especially in HD and these scenes were the first time I ever questioned that. However this is truly a remarkable film that needs to be seen. Watch it loud. Film 4.5/5 Picture 4.5/5 Audio 4.5/5

Glad you liked it.

It's 7-2, right guys?