The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Q?]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Wow really? My friend just watched this and said it was terrible! Not sure if I will watch this or not. Got Em!!

It's a remake of a danish movie, I've also read that it is not as good as the original.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765010/movieconnections

[Pondosinatra]

Alice In Wonderland

Rating: 4 out of 5

Alice (Wasikowska) is not your typical Victorian girl. She hates corsets and stockings and she keeps having the oddest dream over and over again. One day at a lavish party she finds herself faced with the prospect of being expected to marry an unpleasant man. Salvation appears in the form of the white rabbit from her dreams which she dashes after and soon finds herself once again in Wonderland. I only have the vaguest recollection of reading the story when I was a kid, so for me the fact that it doesn't stay true to the source (which is what most reviewers dwell upon) is irrelevant. In fact, if they had have paid attention they should have realized that the original story DID occur when she was a child - but she is now returning years later as an adult. About the only real negative aspect is that the story is somewhat simplistic, but what else would you expect from a Disney movie? All the actors give good performances, but I especially liked Carter's portrayal of the Red Queen. Visually I found the movie to be excellent. The 3D was also done well, especially considering that it wasn't filmed with 3D in mind (apparently the studio insisted it be added after the fact in order to cash in the current 3D fad, er craze). Frankly, I think I slightly prefer the world of Wonderland to that of Avatar. But then again I simply adore the twisted mind of Tim Burton. Don't agree with me? Off with your head!

[Al_The_Strange]

Got around to finishing "Where the Wild Things Are." Hmmm...

Entertainment Value: 3.5/5. It has its moments; some parts are funny and others parts quite dramatic. But there are some parts where the main kid is being overly annoying, and I felt that there really wasn't much of a story going on. Then again, what more could one expect from a movie adapted from a 10-page book? In the end, I felt it was alright.

Qualities as a story: 3/5. The character is strong and convincing, and other characters are pretty well-portrayed. I just don't feel that the story is terribly engaging; even though it is a bit of a journey, there's not much conflict (or at least most of it is internal).

Qualities as a film: 4/5. It is well-filmed. Writing and acting seem decent. Visuals are cool. Costumes, props, and sets are decent.

Emotional/intellectual impact: 3/5. I could tell even before I watched the movie that this would be an exploration into the kid's mentality, and he would come out more matured. There are some themes about childhood in there.

Total: 3.5/5. Decently made and well-conceived, but it didn't really thrill me as much as I had hoped. I'll have to see if future viewings change my mind.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Q!

It's a remake of a danish movie, I've also read that it is not as good as the original.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765010/movieconnections

Didnt even know there was an original. Got Em!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Q!

I'm very impressed by the performances of the actors (tom cruise especially), but I'm not sure what the whole point of the movie is, so I'm not a big fan of it.
Although I usually love movies I don't quite understand

i don't fully "get" the film either. but, i have tried to grasp some nuggets out of it, the big one being

[Show spoiler] that our parents/upbringing have a big impact on us today, and in many ways, most of the problems in our life can be resolved if we HONESTLY face our past, instead of trying to bury it.
-with cruise, he saw his dad mistreating his mom, hence (knowingly or unknowingly) carried that negative view of women to the extreme in his job.
-with the girl dating the cop, her abuse as a child preventing her from trusting anyone, and actually blame herself, hence believing she wasn't good enough for anyone.
-with donnie (macy) and stanley (both kids on game show): their parents forced them to become stars on a game show, more for the parents self-worth, than the childs well-being (i.e., "look at my kid, he is so smart", while the kid grows up with the mentality of "i need to get others to like me, just like i had to get mommy and daddy to like me when i went on the game show"...these kids are set up to fail in the real world, as not everyone will like you.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

i don't fully "get" the film either. but, i have tried to grasp some nuggets out of it, the big one being

[Show spoiler] that our parents/upbringing have a big impact on us today, and in many ways, most of the problems in our life can be resolved if we HONESTLY face our past, instead of trying to bury it.
-with cruise, he saw his dad mistreating his mom, hence (knowingly or unknowingly) carried that negative view of women to the extreme in his job.
-with the girl dating the cop, her abuse as a child preventing her from trusting anyone, and actually blame herself, hence believing she wasn't good enough for anyone.
-with donnie (macy) and stanley (both kids on game show): their parents forced them to become stars on a game show, more for the parents self-worth, than the childs well-being (i.e., "look at my kid, he is so smart", while the kid grows up with the mentality of "i need to get others to like me, just like i had to get mommy and daddy to like me when i went on the game show"...these kids are set up to fail in the real world, as not everyone will like you.

Thanks.
yes, you're right about that, the thought did cross my mind about that.
I guess I was distracted by

[Show spoiler]The dude jumping out of a building and gets hit by a shothgun (?), and when it's "raining" with frogs.

Thanks for your thoughts dude.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Q!

Thanks.
yes, you're right about that, the thought did cross my mind about that.
I guess I was distracted by

[Show spoiler]The dude jumping out of a building and gets hit by a shothgun (?), and when it's "raining" with frogs.

Thanks for your thought dude.

[Show spoiler]The raining frog scene was a definite WTF moment for me, but if there's one main theme that I found most interesting (aside from the parent-child thing), it's the idea that random stuff happens all the time and drastically affects our lives (or deaths). I found element of randomness interesting.

[Downhere]

Zombieland - 4.5/5

PQ - 4/5
AQ - 4/5

Great, great movie. It's just one of those hilariously entertaining fun films that you don't get all too often. Great performances by everyone in the film and great cameo in the middle which was hilarity.

[Al_The_Strange]

Rented "The Fantastic Mr Fox" today.

Entertainment value: 4/5. Pretty fun movie. Moved at a brisk pace. The story and characters kept it interesting. There were some funny parts, but it was a different sort of humor than what I was expecting; almost like a Charlie Brown style, with the intellectual dialogue.

Qualities as a story: 4.5/5. This movie could have easily been done as a live-action crime drama, ala "Ocean's 11" or "Lock Stock Two Smoking Barrels" or something (this is only my impression; I've never read the original book). The movie seems to share the same structure and character archetypes as certain capers (and possibly even gangster movies); they simply changed the setting and made the characters into animals. And I think it's really cool that way. Aside from all that though, the movie does have a decent plot that's well-planned and decent characters.

Qualities as a film: 4.5/5. Animation quality was strong and detailed. Maybe not 100% smooth, but any awkwardness was probably an intentional effect. Voice acting was good (George Clooney was perfect for the role; then again, this might be another reason why this story reminded me of "Ocean's 11").

Emotional/intellectual impact: 3/5. I think there might be some themes of existentialism at work here, as shown through the dialogue.

Total: 4.5/5 (rounded up from 4.3). Quite interesting and fun.

[jeffrow]

up in the air = B+

[lDlisturb3d]

I just watched Shooter 8/10 because of lossy AQ
Sunshine 9/10 good movie, great PQ and AQ was stunning.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Q!

Thanks.
yes, you're right about that, the thought did cross my mind about that.
I guess I was distracted by

[Show spoiler]The dude jumping out of a building and gets hit by a shothgun (?), and when it's "raining" with frogs.

Thanks for your thoughts dude.

yeah, Al is right:

[Show spoiler] the frogs was a tribute to the plague of frogs in the bible (Exodus 7:25), where moses (with god's help) sent a ton of frogs all over egypt, to get pharoh to surrender the israelites. Pharoh's plans got screwed up. Same in the movie: various people's plans were halted/stopped. In general, I think the plague of frogs is just a way of saying "don't rely too much on your plans, as life can always throw you a curveball". i think the frogs are just symbolic. they could represent some dude driving slow in front of me tomorrow, who causes me to miss an appointment, etc.

[Diesel]

Casino Royale/Quantum of Solace (I had a double feature today ) - 5/5

I for one thought Quantum of Solace was a fantastic movie and not craptastic like some did.

When watched back to back the two films work very well as on long movie. Great story spanning the two films. Can't wait for the next one.


I'm not a Bond fan in general, but Craig is fantastic in the role.
The acting as a whole in the films are pretty good (for the most part at least).

The action scenes are also very good (Quantum)/great (Casino Royale).



PQ - 5/5 on both. They look fantastic.


AQ - I'm going to go with a 4.5/5 on both. They sound great but just a hair short of the 5/5 level of awesomeness.

[dolphinc]

Watched Ninja Assassin last night. Better film than I expected. Fight sequences were typical of a film like this but still enjoyed it.

[kurtis21]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Casino Royale/Quantum of Solace (I had a double feature today ) - 5/5

I for one thought Quantum of Solace was a fantastic movie and not craptastic like some did.

When watched back to back the two films work very well as on long movie. Great story spanning the two films. Can't wait for the next one.


I'm not a Bond fan in general, but Craig is fantastic in the role.
The acting as a whole in the films are pretty good (for the most part at least).

The action scenes are also very good (Quantum)/great (Casino Royale).



PQ - 5/5 on both. They look fantastic.


AQ - I'm going to go with a 4.5/5 on both. They sound great but just a hair short of the 5/5 level of awesomeness.

AMEN brother!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[lDlisturb3d]

Mr Brooks, great underrated movie, 10/10 loved it, thought it was brilliant

[D-Blitz]

A Single Man. Absolutely blew me away: haunting performance by Colin Firth (Oscar nomination extremely well-deserved) and incredible set design and direction for a first-time director. It's really one of those movies that make you start to think after you're done with it - there were people in the theatre staring at the credits after the movie ended (especially since the ending was ridiculously incredible)! I give it an 8/10 just because I felt that there were weaker acting performances in there and because the story and screenplay is not worth anything higher than that.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5gDj4wtFDY&feature=fvw

[lDlisturb3d]

Beowulf, great PQ and AQ and ok story but still entertaining

[Q?]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah, Al is right:

[Show spoiler] the frogs was a tribute to the plague of frogs in the bible (Exodus 7:25), where moses (with god's help) sent a ton of frogs all over egypt, to get pharoh to surrender the israelites. Pharoh's plans got screwed up. Same in the movie: various people's plans were halted/stopped. In general, I think the plague of frogs is just a way of saying "don't rely too much on your plans, as life can always throw you a curveball". i think the frogs are just symbolic. they could represent some dude driving slow in front of me tomorrow, who causes me to miss an appointment, etc.

Thanks, my opinion of the movie is now more colored, I'll keep all if this in mind next time I see it, I knew it referenced the bible, but had trouble with what it meant symbolically.
Thanks for the help

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

[Show spoiler]The raining frog scene was a definite WTF moment for me, but if there's one main theme that I found most interesting (aside from the parent-child thing), it's the idea that random stuff happens all the time and drastically affects our lives (or deaths). I found element of randomness interesting.

Most movies often follow a formula, this obviously doesn't, and the randomness in the movie seems more appealing to me now.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah, Al is right:

[Show spoiler] the frogs was a tribute to the plague of frogs in the bible (Exodus 7:25), where moses (with god's help) sent a ton of frogs all over egypt, to get pharoh to surrender the israelites. Pharoh's plans got screwed up. Same in the movie: various people's plans were halted/stopped. In general, I think the plague of frogs is just a way of saying "don't rely too much on your plans, as life can always throw you a curveball". i think the frogs are just symbolic. they could represent some dude driving slow in front of me tomorrow, who causes me to miss an appointment, etc.

I honestly never thought of the Biblical allegory or the figurative representations before...very interesting.

Originally Posted by Q!

Thanks, my opinion of the movie is now more colored, I'll keep all if this in mind next time I see it, I knew it referenced the bible, but had trouble with what it meant symbolically.
Thanks for the help

Most movies often follow a formula, this obviously doesn't, and the randomness in the movie seems more appealing to me now.

Yes, finally, something different and original!

I originally felt that the movie was good, but I didn't want to buy it or rewatch it. Now I might change my mind...