The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Cazy Heart

I liked it a lot. Acting was very good across the board, but Bridges was very very good. Casting was excellent. Colin Farrel was seemingly an odd choice for his role, but he looked the part and provided a great job, even nailing the accent. Directing was strong enough. Editing was seamless and fluid. Cinematography was quite good. And of course the music was great (and I am not even a country music fan)

I liked the simple tale. Never give up. We have seen it before, but its heartwarming and pleasant to revisit.

Film 4/5
PQ 4.25/5
AQ 4.25/5 (Dialog was crystal clear and well prioritized. Thats important to me for "talky" flicks)

Agreed for the most part. My review was a few pages before. I thought it was a good film but far from great. A simple 3 star, forgettable film for me.

[Romulus]

I thought the acting in Crazy Heart was superb but the story just didn't drag me in.

I watched Walkabout last night for the first time (on Netflix Instant).

Borderline hallucinogenic in some of the scenes, I was in complete awe. I felt like some parts distracted from the flow of the film but overall it was tremendously enjoyable. You can definitely tell that the director was a previous cinematographer. It worked out for him as most of the story telling was done through the shots. For a film that came out in 1971 I was extremely impressed with the quality and camera work.

The film reminds of Days of Heaven in some ways in how nature tells the story and how little dialogue is present. I'm going to be making my first Criterion purchases very soon with these two titles being the first.

Overall I gave the film a 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommended.

EDIT: I'm only going to be thinking about the film more and more over the next few days. Lots of themes to be explored and I feel the only way I can wrap my head around is to watch it again.

Jhiggy, I also saw how you recommended those books a couple of pages back. I'm going to look into them. Now that summer is around I can sit back and start reading more books and watching more films of course.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I've given "Moon" a bit of thought...

[Show spoiler]I'm proposing the theory that all of it is figurative. I believe that the moonbase is really some kind of mental thing in the main character's head, and all these clones are representations of parts of himself that he buried deep inside his own mind (perhaps as a result from marriage, work, etc). Thus, these parts of him become isolated, lonely, and dissilusioned.

The scene where he's talking to his family on Earth, I see it as he's seeing himself on the outside with his family (a "through the looking glass" kind of thing).

When he leaves the base at the end and returns to Earth, he is literally "coming down to Earth," in the sense that he is leaving behind this state of limbo and returning to reality.

But considering certain scenes, I'm not sure if this interpretation could work. But I still believe that it has something like this going on.

I might have to buy a copy after all...

I am looking forward to watching this again. When the price comes down I am buying it.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Agreed for the most part. My review was a few pages before. I thought it was a good film but far from great. A simple 3 star, forgettable film for me.

Did I miss your comments on Triangle, or have you not written anything yet.

I want to hear you try to describe it because its almost impossible.

[iam1bearcat]

currently watching Dark City... and the only word i can think of so far to describe the movie is "absurd". review coming shortly

because i know everyone cares right?

[kurtis21]

Originally Posted by Johnothan Pedak

8mm
4/5

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

This film made me feel dirty!

I agree with you jhiggy....One of the most DISTURBING movies I have ever seen! There are some SICK people out there!

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by kurtis21

I agree with you jhiggy....One of the most DISTURBING movies I have ever seen! There are some SICK people out there!

this movie was one of the most unpleasant movies I've ever seen-- already been mentioned-- but it really did make you want to take a shower after watching it to feel "clean" again

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Crash (1996) NC 17

Well, that was a waste of time. I Netflixed this because it sounded odd, dark and twisted. And it was. But not in a good way. Huge and a loud WHATEVER MAN. Lame. Thats all I am typing....I've wasted enough of my life on this film.

1.5 /5

totally agree-- one of Cronenberg's worst films ever-- virtually unwatcheable

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Romulus

I thought the acting in Crazy Heart was superb but the story just didn't drag me in.

I watched Walkabout last night for the first time (on Netflix Instant).

Borderline hallucinogenic in some of the scenes, I was in complete awe. I felt like some parts distracted from the flow of the film but overall it was tremendously enjoyable. You can definitely tell that the director was a previous cinematographer. It worked out for him as most of the story telling was done through the shots. For a film that came out in 1971 I was extremely impressed with the quality and camera work.

The film reminds of Days of Heaven in some ways in how nature tells the story and how little dialogue is present. I'm going to be making my first Criterion purchases very soon with these two titles being the first.

Overall I gave the film a 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommended.

EDIT: I'm only going to be thinking about the film more and more over the next few days. Lots of themes to be explored and I feel the only way I can wrap my head around is to watch it again.

Jhiggy, I also saw how you recommended those books a couple of pages back. I'm going to look into them. Now that summer is around I can sit back and start reading more books and watching more films of course.

Feel free to shoot me a pm and I'll give ya some book recs!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

currently watching Dark City... and the only word i can think of so far to describe the movie is "absurd". review coming shortly

because i know everyone cares right?

I care. Because I LOVE Dark City.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Did I miss your comments on Triangle, or have you not written anything yet.

I want to hear you try to describe it because its almost impossible.

I'm gonna write it later tonite...I have to write a review for that, Bicycle Thief, and Sergio.

And yes, it can be explained! It's actually reasonably straight forward if you're familiar with the myth of Sisyphus. There are two possible explanations, although one makes more sense than the other in a lot of ways.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

currently watching Dark City... and the only word i can think of so far to describe the movie is "absurd". review coming shortly

because i know everyone cares right?

Definitely! I've come to enjoy your reviews.

[iam1bearcat]

Dark City

as seems to be the case with most films i've been watching lately, Dark City will require repeated viewings before i come to a solid score for this film. however, based on first impressions of Dark City (theatrical cut), i'm giving it a 3/5.

the film starts off a tad too quickly. scenes feel jumbled together, we're shown a bunch of different characters, settings and given a bunch of questions. one by one, it starts to quickly add up and the questions are present. "what the f*** is going on?",

[Show spoiler]"why are there weird little alien / bugs in these Hellraiser wannabes?"

, "why do i have no connection to any of these characters, other than possibly Mr. Murdoch?", "who are these crazy trenchcoat wearing people?" and the list goes on...

as much as the film shoves absolutely every incoherent puzzling moment in the world at you within the first 15 minutes, the film does a terrific job of slowly piecing it back together. and it does this by slowing the movie down. i like fast paced movies, but the opening of Dark City moves too fast for its own good. it's easy to get lost in a single moment and then never feel that you can catch up. luckily, if given the chance, it is possible.

i'm still unsure how i feel about Rufus Sewell playing main character John Murdoch. i don't think i've seen him in anything before or since, but he's certainly not the best actor in the world. he does a solid job for the most part here, but his expression and acting isn't always top of the line. some scenes he falls weak in, and while we as the audience are supposed to connect with him, i never really felt like i did. mainly because

[Show spoiler]he has powers. he's not like a normal person, which is fine, we can still connect with some characters who have powers (Luke Skywalker or Spider-Man anyone?), but i never felt like i was Murdoch and i was learning with him as the movie progressed - until the way end. also because his expressions are mainly the same, i rarely saw him with a different look on his face then, "huh?" or "i'm freakin' angry!"

the story is extremely original. can't say i've seen anything like this film before, so props for being to bring something substantial and new to the table. it definitely is sci-fi, there is no getting around that, so if this genre isn't your cup of tea, don't even bother because this film is flat out sci-fi, not just "sprinklings" of it. and for me personally, it almost felt 'too sci-fi' for it's own good. almost like Alex Proyas (director / writer) wanted to add as many crazy "wtf?" moments and ideas as possible.

in the end, it all connects pretty damn well for the rocky start the film had. i don't believe i'll ever hold it as highly as some of my personal sci-fi favs (Alien, Aliens, Sunshine, Moon among others), but i enjoyed it more and more as the film continued and the questions began to be answered with realistic / somewhat understandable reasons. but again, maybe with repeated viewings it will slowly creep into my mind as a sci-fi favorite, but not after one viewing. and maybe the same goes for Kiefer Sutherland's character and his horrible, horrible haircut

3/5

edit: i anticipate this review being ripped to shreds by both jhiggy and squid puppet, so feel free to tear into it

ADDITION: I loved the look and the feel of the film. even though it clearly looks and feels like a late 1990's film, it fits the movie well. it reminds me a lot of The Crow (which Proyas directed) and Beetlejuice for some reason. when the

[Show spoiler]buildings move it really felt like a Tim Burton / Beetlejuice moment, which was creepy, because Beetlejuice is creepy haha

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Dark City

as seems to be the case with most films i've been watching lately, Dark City will require repeated viewings before i come to a solid score for this film. however, based on first impressions of Dark City (theatrical cut), i'm giving it a 3/5.

the film starts off a tad too quickly. scenes feel jumbled together, we're shown a bunch of different characters, settings and given a bunch of questions. one by one, it starts to quickly add up and the questions are present. "what the f*** is going on?",

[Show spoiler]"why are there weird little alien / bugs in these Hellraiser wannabes?"

, "why do i have no connection to any of these characters, other than possibly Mr. Murdoch?", "who are these crazy trenchcoat wearing people?" and the list goes on...

as much as the film shoves absolutely every incoherent puzzling moment in the world at you within the first 15 minutes, the film does a terrific job of slowly piecing it back together. and it does this by slowing the movie down. i like fast paced movies, but the opening of Dark City moves too fast for its own good. it's easy to get lost in a single moment and then never feel that you can catch up. luckily, if given the chance, it is possible.

i'm still unsure how i feel about Rufus Sewell playing main character John Murdoch. i don't think i've seen him in anything before or since, but he's certainly not the best actor in the world. he does a solid job for the most part here, but his expression and acting isn't always top of the line. some scenes he falls weak in, and while we as the audience are supposed to connect with him, i never really felt like i did. mainly because

[Show spoiler]he has powers. he's not like a normal person, which is fine, we can still connect with some characters who have powers (Luke Skywalker or Spider-Man anyone?), but i never felt like i was Murdoch and i was learning with him as the movie progressed - until the way end. also because his expressions are mainly the same, i rarely saw him with a different look on his face then, "huh?" or "i'm freakin' angry!"

the story is extremely original. can't say i've seen anything like this film before, so props for being to bring something substantial and new to the table. it definitely is sci-fi, there is no getting around that, so if this genre isn't your cup of tea, don't even bother because this film is flat out sci-fi, not just "sprinklings" of it. and for me personally, it almost felt 'too sci-fi' for it's own good. almost like Alex Proyas (director / writer) wanted to add as many crazy "wtf?" moments and ideas as possible.

in the end, it all connects pretty damn well for the rocky start the film had. i don't believe i'll ever hold it as highly as some of my personal sci-fi favs (Alien, Aliens, Sunshine, Moon among others), but i enjoyed it more and more as the film continued and the questions began to be answered with realistic / somewhat understandable reasons. but again, maybe with repeated viewings it will slowly creep into my mind as a sci-fi favorite, but not after one viewing. and maybe the same goes for Kiefer Sutherland's character and his horrible, horrible haircut

3/5

edit: i anticipate this review being ripped to shreds by both jhiggy and squid puppet, so feel free to tear into it

ADDITION: I loved the look and the feel of the film. even though it clearly looks and feels like a late 1990's film, it fits the movie well. it reminds me a lot of The Crow (which Proyas directed) and Beetlejuice for some reason. when the

[Show spoiler]buildings move it really felt like a Tim Burton / Beetlejuice moment, which was creepy, because Beetlejuice is creepy haha

I think its a great review, and accurate.

Personally, I LOVED the jumbled up, fast paced and confusing begining because it thew me right into that world WITH Murdoch. Confused, no clear memories, a barage of odd occurances. LOVED that. Then, as Murdoch slowly unravels the truth, we sit back and watch....and learn with him.

[Show spoiler]"When was the last time it was daytime?"

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I'm gonna write it later tonite...I have to write a review for that, Bicycle Thief, and Sergio.

And yes, it can be explained! It's actually reasonably straight forward if you're familiar with the myth of Sisyphus. There are two possible explanations, although one makes more sense than the other in a lot of ways.

I found it easy to understand. But, upon trying to explain it to a friend, I found it difficult to put it into words.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I think its a great review, and accurate.

Personally, I LOVED the jumbled up, fast paced and confusing begining because it thew me right into that world WITH Murdoch. Confused, no clear memories, a barage of odd occurances. LOVED that. Then, as Murdoch slowly unravels the truth, we sit back and watch....and learn with him.

[Show spoiler]"When was the last time it was daytime?"

i felt that it was almost trying to disconnect me from the world i didn't have anything to "hang on to" and was suddenly thrown into this chaotic, unknown world. which i did enjoy, but at the same time was almost too confused and lost to be able to pay attention to the dialogue / story we were being told.

it's weird disliking but still enjoying the same thing.
hard to explain to.

[Show spoiler]right before we were told why the sun is never seen i was thinking, "why is this movie called Dark City?" and then we found out! and of course i guess i couldn't realize the whole movie takes place in the dark haha

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Dark City

as seems to be the case with most films i've been watching lately, Dark City will require repeated viewings before i come to a solid score for this film. however, based on first impressions of Dark City (theatrical cut), i'm giving it a 3/5.

the film starts off a tad too quickly. scenes feel jumbled together, we're shown a bunch of different characters, settings and given a bunch of questions. one by one, it starts to quickly add up and the questions are present. "what the f*** is going on?",

[Show spoiler]"why are there weird little alien / bugs in these Hellraiser wannabes?"

, "why do i have no connection to any of these characters, other than possibly Mr. Murdoch?", "who are these crazy trenchcoat wearing people?" and the list goes on...

as much as the film shoves absolutely every incoherent puzzling moment in the world at you within the first 15 minutes, the film does a terrific job of slowly piecing it back together. and it does this by slowing the movie down. i like fast paced movies, but the opening of Dark City moves too fast for its own good. it's easy to get lost in a single moment and then never feel that you can catch up. luckily, if given the chance, it is possible.

i'm still unsure how i feel about Rufus Sewell playing main character John Murdoch. i don't think i've seen him in anything before or since, but he's certainly not the best actor in the world. he does a solid job for the most part here, but his expression and acting isn't always top of the line. some scenes he falls weak in, and while we as the audience are supposed to connect with him, i never really felt like i did. mainly because

[Show spoiler]he has powers. he's not like a normal person, which is fine, we can still connect with some characters who have powers (Luke Skywalker or Spider-Man anyone?), but i never felt like i was Murdoch and i was learning with him as the movie progressed - until the way end. also because his expressions are mainly the same, i rarely saw him with a different look on his face then, "huh?" or "i'm freakin' angry!"

the story is extremely original. can't say i've seen anything like this film before, so props for being to bring something substantial and new to the table. it definitely is sci-fi, there is no getting around that, so if this genre isn't your cup of tea, don't even bother because this film is flat out sci-fi, not just "sprinklings" of it. and for me personally, it almost felt 'too sci-fi' for it's own good. almost like Alex Proyas (director / writer) wanted to add as many crazy "wtf?" moments and ideas as possible.

in the end, it all connects pretty damn well for the rocky start the film had. i don't believe i'll ever hold it as highly as some of my personal sci-fi favs (Alien, Aliens, Sunshine, Moon among others), but i enjoyed it more and more as the film continued and the questions began to be answered with realistic / somewhat understandable reasons. but again, maybe with repeated viewings it will slowly creep into my mind as a sci-fi favorite, but not after one viewing. and maybe the same goes for Kiefer Sutherland's character and his horrible, horrible haircut

3/5

edit: i anticipate this review being ripped to shreds by both jhiggy and squid puppet, so feel free to tear into it

ADDITION: I loved the look and the feel of the film. even though it clearly looks and feels like a late 1990's film, it fits the movie well. it reminds me a lot of The Crow (which Proyas directed) and Beetlejuice for some reason. when the

[Show spoiler]buildings move it really felt like a Tim Burton / Beetlejuice moment, which was creepy, because Beetlejuice is creepy haha

i totally agree

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i felt that it was almost trying to disconnect me from the world i didn't have anything to "hang on to" and was suddenly thrown into this chaotic, unknown world. which i did enjoy, but at the same time was almost too confused and lost to be able to pay attention to the dialogue / story we were being told.

it's weird disliking but still enjoying the same thing.
hard to explain to.

[Show spoiler]right before we were told why the sun is never seen i was thinking, "why is this movie called Dark City?" and then we found out! and of course i guess i couldn't realize the whole movie takes place in the dark haha

So you knew exactly how Murdoch must have felt then. And with patience, you came to understand all.

See? Its a perfect movie. Weeeeeeeeeeeee

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Adamant116

First of all, let me admit my system isn't the best HD-ready 42" and 2.1.

300
Movie - 3/5
Just made for cheap adrenaline rushing. Cheesy lines and brainless action. But it sure looks good, cinematograpically (?) speaking.
PQ - 3/5
Awful lot of grain.
AQ - 4/5
Nice pressure. Very low volume during dialogues but very high during action sequences though.
Overall - 3.5/5

Its suppose to look like that bro.

[Freekman]

Finally got to watch the part of Up that I missed (apparently the most important part, lol). As much as I figured out what I had missed when I watched it a couple days ago, it really added to the emotion seeing those first 10-15 minutes.