The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Q?]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

HERO

Quentin is the man.

Who? What?

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

HERO

Wow this movie took me totally by surprise. Quentin is the man. The movie had any and everything you can look in for a movie. Very deep and impressive. I like this movie a lot. It would be right under Red Cliff and my Martial Arts War Movies

Movie 5/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 4/5
Overall 4.5/5

haha....it's not a Tarantino film. He "presented" it to American audiences, which basically means he financed its theater run here in the states. Same goes for The Orphanage, which was "presented" by Del Toro. Zhang Yimou directed it. He directed two other great films, House of Flying Daggers and Raise the Red Lantern (as well as the mediocre Curse of the Golden Flower).


The film is far too good and far too refined for it to be a Tarantino flick

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Q!

Michael Clayton.

I just caught this on the telly, so no PQ or AQ rating and I caught it about 30 min. in so I did not watch the whole movie.
But that didn't stop my from watching this, I quickly checked the plot summary of the movie to get into to it so to say and I got to say that it is a very solid movie.
Great performances and I really like the casting, Tilda Swinton was great and finally she didn't play the usual witch/evil woman, altough Sidney Pollack is really playing the same role as his Eyes Wide Shut role, but I still like it. A very intense thriller/drama about a guilt-ridden atorney that decides to make a case against an agrochemicals company instead of defending it, the company that would do anything to cover up their cancer inducing chemicals that has affected some 400 people. Michael Clayton is left trying to fix the whole situation with the atorney, as Michael has no other choice as he's knee deep in debt trying to cover for his brother.

[Show spoiler]The real hero in this movie is really the atorney Arthur Edens (played by Tom Wilkinson) and Michael Clayton (Clooney) though the main character, not exactly a very likeable character, his redeeming quality would be that he really cared for his brother, though a greedy "fixer" as was the atorney Arthur initially, this movie would really be about redemption. But in Claytons case it's only after they attempt to take Claytons life he really decides to take the "good path". I guess that is why I don't really see him as the hero, but rather a character that only really cares about himself in the end.

8/10
If you like talky thriller/drama movies, this should be an easy rent for you. great performances, great score, good script, well just very good overall.
Recommended.

Hey jhiggy, wondering if you've seen this movie? your thoughts?

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Q!

Hey jhiggy, wondering if you've seen this movie? your thoughts?

I liked the film and gave it 3 stars (out of 4) (note: I just checked imdb and I gave it a 7 out of 10 on there). I don't think it should've gotten an Oscar nom for best picture, because there were better films that year (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ratatouille, Into the Wild, The Assassination of Jesse James). That being said, it was much better than most of the nominees for this year.

I think the acting was top notch, the writing was great, the directing was good, and the score was very good.

I think Wilkinson was great but ran into an incredible supporting actor year, with Bardem, Hoffman, Affleck (who I think should've won), and Holbrook.

Clooney was great but had no chance because of Daniel Day-Lewis.

My main issue with the film is that Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for her role, which I think is one of the most ridiculous wins of the decade. I think Amy Ryan should've won for Gone Baby Gone, with Saoirse Ronan second for Atonement. I also think Ruby Dee was better, albeit in a very limited role in American Gangster. I've never been a Swinton fan and while she was good, I think her performance is extremely overrated.

My other issue is Tony Gilroy getting an Oscar nom for directing, which I have as much of a problem with as Reitman getting nominated for Juno. It quite literally pisses me off. Reason? Because Joe Wright's directing in Atonement was one of the best directing performances of the decade, let alone the year, and for some reason he didn't get nominated. I consider it possibly the biggest snub of the decade. I also think Sean Penn was better for Into the Wild, and Andrew Dominik for The Assassination of Jesse James (also one of the best directing performances of the decade).

That being said, I think the film is very good without a doubt.

[iam1bearcat]

Michael Clayton is a personal favorite of mine

[Q?]

Wow, quite lenghty

I actually liked Tilda's performance, had no problems believing she was real,

[Show spoiler]also when Clayton recorded her making the deal at the end, I thought that was really well done

, all her subtleties of her angst, almost constant dread of everything going wrong without being hysterical. But though I agree about Amy Ryan, love that movie btw and quite frankly I was über surprised of how powerful the movie was, considering Affleck directed that. He proved his worth finally (for me).
Atonement I've never seen, you've "hyped" it up for me will check it out.

Is there some easy way to keep track of all the movies you desire to see? I've said it so many times that I sometimes forget which movie I wanted to see

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

haha....it's not a Tarantino film. He "presented" it to American audiences, which basically means he financed its theater run here in the states. Same goes for The Orphanage, which was "presented" by Del Toro. Zhang Yimou directed it. He directed two other great films, House of Flying Daggers and Raise the Red Lantern (as well as the mediocre Curse of the Golden Flower).


The film is far too good and far too refined for it to be a Tarantino flick

Tarantino is the man?? Don't encourage me to start a list of great ones.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Q!

Wow, quite lenghty

I actually liked Tilda's performance, had no problems believing she was real,

[Show spoiler]also when Clayton recorded her making the deal at the end, I thought that was really well done

, all her subtleties of her angst, almost constant dread of everything going wrong without being hysterical. But though I agree about Amy Ryan, love that movie btw and quite frankly I was über surprised of how powerful the movie was, considering Affleck directed that. He proved his worth finally (for me).
Atonement I've never seen, you've "hyped" it up for me will check it out.

Is there some easy way to keep track of all the movies you desire to see? I've said it so many times that I sometimes forget which movie I wanted to see

Nice review--I don't disagree with you, and I think the scene you picked out is actually what won her the Oscar. Gone Baby Gone was good, although the ending I didn't like. Affleck has started to turn things around a bit--I thought he was good in State of Play. Interesting how he and his brother both had a good year that year.

I keep track of movies I want to see through netflix, where my queue is about 270 deep, full of movies I haven't seen and ones I want to revisit.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Tarantino is the man?? Don't encourage me to start a list of great ones.

Start a list of great what?

I'm not trying to start a Tarantino argument. My distaste for him and its reasons have been posted numerous times before.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Start a list of great what?

I'm not trying to start a Tarantino argument. My distaste for him and its reasons have been posted numerous times before.

ok ill leave it at that. I just think he's raw and uncut. all politics out the window with him. I love his writing and direction or anything he has to implement within films

[Q?]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Nice review--I don't disagree with you, and I think the scene you picked out is actually what won her the Oscar. Gone Baby Gone was good, although the ending I didn't like. Affleck has started to turn things around a bit--I thought he was good in State of Play. Interesting how he and his brother both had a good year that year.

I keep track of movies I want to see through netflix, where my queue is about 270 deep, full of movies I haven't seen and ones I want to revisit.

Thanks.

Casey has a very bright future.
Are you also saying you did not like Inglorious Basterds?

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I agree. A little raunchy, a little dopey, a little bit sassy. A great mix of silly, stereotype elements and moments. Its a romantic comedy for crying out loud. They have been silly since Doris Day made films in the 1940s and 1950s. I really cracked up at the

[Show spoiler]jello wrestling part.

Cliches? Yes! But the chemestry brought it to life and made it work for me.

Good stuff Squid. Yea man sometimes I dont know what critics are actually watching or do they take movies way to serious for their own good. I mean I watch them to enjoy and I do take them serious but there is no way this film should have rated low as it was. Anyhoo we all have our own eyes and whatnot so it is what it is. Glad to see u enjoyed it as well. Got Em!!

[CZAR]

Biker Boyz - Very good urban biker film starring Derek Luke. This had a wonderful cast with such people like Lawrence Fishburne, Terrence Howard, Larenz Tate, & Orlando Jones. The bike stunts were great and loved the acting. Meagan Good looked good as usual. Overall I would rate it 4/5 Got Em!!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Ugly Truth - Now this was a damn good romantic/comedy. I dont know how it got so many bad reviews thus another reason why I could careless about reviews. It had all the elements required for this type of film. Very good acting, great chemistry, very funny, and very good story. I didnt think it wouldve been this good and I was greatly surprised. I will add this to my collection no doubt.

[Show spoiler]The restaurant scene with the panty vibrator was hilarious!

Its sumthin about Katherine Heigl that I like also. She isnt the finest woman out there but its still sumthin about her that gets me. Gerard is absolutely hilarious in this as well and it shows his versatility as an actor. Very good film and I would recommend it. Overall I would rate it 4/5 Got Em!!

Thanks for pretty much writing my review for me the next time I watch my copy of this movie. In other words, I agree pretty much completely with it, including the spoiler. I loved the movie and it was one of my favorite comedies of last year. I actually liked it even better than The Hangover. (yes, I really liked The Hangover too)

And yes, there is something about Katherine Heigl.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Q!

Thanks.

Casey has a very bright future.
Are you also saying you did not like Inglorious Basterds?

I haven't seen Basterds. Why? Because I didn't like R. Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, or either Kill Bill. Five movies is enough from one director, much like Shyamalan after Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water.

[kelvin555]

Angel Heart 6 out of 10 its a very predictable movie.

[LordoftheRings]

'Sherlock Holmes'. ...2.5 out of 5.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I haven't seen Basterds. Why? Because I didn't like R. Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, or either Kill Bill. Five movies is enough from one director, much like Shyamalan after Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water.

Inglorious Basterds.

Well I hope that you at least in the future would consider to rent it, out of all the Tarantino movies this is the one I'd recommend.
Christoph Waltz performance alone should warrant a viewing, both Golden Globe and Oscar well deserved!
This time around Tarantino actually manages to make a movie full of tension, that's what I miss these days know what I mean? just good old fashioned tension instead of epilepsy inducing action scenes.
I honestly think there's a good chance that you'd like this movie, don't like Tarantinos writing? Well the actors performances are what drives this movie, a great line up, even without Pitt, or put it this way even without Pitt if you don't like him.
Wow, I'm obviously bored at the moment, never have I tried so hard to recommend a movie.

Hell, I'll even rate it as it is what this thread is about.

9/10
Just as long as you bear this in mind, over the top rewriting of history has never been better!
Rent it!!!!

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Q!

Inglorious Basterds.

Well I hope that you at least in the future would consider to rent it, out of all the Tarantino movies this is the one I'd recommend.
Christoph Waltz performance alone should warrant a viewing, both Golden Globe and Oscar well deserved!
This time around Tarantino actually manages to make a movie full of tension, that's what I miss these days know what I mean? just good old fashioned tension instead of epilepsy inducing action scenes.
I honestly think there's a good chance that you'd like this movie, don't like Tarantinos writing? Well the actors performances are what drives this movie, a great line up, even without Pitt, or put it this way even without Pitt if you don't like him.
Wow, I'm obviously bored at the moment, never have I tried so hard to recommend a movie.

Hell, I'll even rate it as it is what this thread is about.

9/10
Just as long as you bear this in mind, over the top rewriting of history has never been better!
Rent it!!!!

I love watching great acting and Waltz's performance is so acclaimed I feel that I do have to see it at some point, it just won't be soon.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Q!

Inglorious Basterds.

Well I hope that you at least in the future would consider to rent it, out of all the Tarantino movies this is the one I'd recommend.
Christoph Waltz performance alone should warrant a viewing, both Golden Globe and Oscar well deserved!
This time around Tarantino actually manages to make a movie full of tension, that's what I miss these days know what I mean? just good old fashioned tension instead of epilepsy inducing action scenes.
I honestly think there's a good chance that you'd like this movie, don't like Tarantinos writing? Well the actors performances are what drives this movie, a great line up, even without Pitt, or put it this way even without Pitt if you don't like him.
Wow, I'm obviously bored at the moment, never have I tried so hard to recommend a movie.

Hell, I'll even rate it as it is what this thread is about.

9/10
Just as long as you bear this in mind, over the top rewriting of history has never been better!
Rent it!!!!

Totally agree. But don't bash brad he was a good comic relief