The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

Yeah, i think Criterion does get a free pass sometimes, but it's hard not to trust them when each movie comes with a five paragraph description about how they found the original print in a sunken pirate ship off the coast of Sri Lanka and paid an army of monkeys $1 a day to scrub the barnacles from the damaged negative.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Repulsion

Film: 4.5/5
-incredible suspense/horror film
-great direction/camera work, showing wonderful emotional shots to capture each sequence and the state of mind of the character (critical for this film)
-

[Show spoiler]as I said in my first review, at first I thought the girl was acting all weird because she wanted to be a nun and/or hated men because (a) she kept looking at the nun convenant, (b) hated hearing the sister doing it and (c) was disgusted with herself after kissing the dude. however, as I think is pretty obvious, her delusions and general emotions are based on childhood abuse of her dad (as shown in the final photo shot of the film). POlanski did a great job by starting the film with a zoom-out from her (adult) eyes, and concluding the film with a zoom-in into her (child-photo) eyes.

PQ and AQ: 4.5/5 (Hey, its Criterion, right Jhiggy? )

[Show spoiler]sorry, couldn't resist no, i get what you were saying about Illusionist.

It's Polanski so he never gets a free pass in my book

[Romulus]

Sometimes I think Criterion films get an automatic 5 star rating for the film itself because it's Criterion. (I'm referring to the official reviews on this site)

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

The most beautifully filmed movie of all-time gets a free pass

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

It's Polanski so he never gets a free pass in my book

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Foggy

You are kidding me right!

wow i didn't know it was a crime to not have seen the original. Calm down baba

[lDlisturb3d]

The Illusionist
PQ 5/5
AQ 4.5/5
Movie 4.5/5

Pretty Damn Good
Take the prestige and make it a love story and you have this great movie, excellent storyline and great twist at the end. Edward Norton is famous for twist at the end of his movies so standby because there's one waiting in this film. Highly Recommended.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Maybe they're just things I'm seeing, but aren't necessarily intended. Example: as you recall,

[Show spoiler]there is a subplot of one of the mafia head guys who gets involved in dumping waste. He digs out a quarry to dump tons of barrels of waste (illegally), to make a fortune. He uses Caterpillars to load up the barrels and dig out the dirt. Then, as I'm sure you recall, there is another subplot involving the 2 teens who steel the guns and try to overthrow the boss in town (with Scarface quotes ). As you recall, the mob boss has the 2 teens killed, and to get rid of them, puts their bodies into Caterpillars to dispose of. I see an interesting parallel here: the kids/teens who get involved in the mafia end up becoming waste, after which they are disposed of and buried, just like barrels of toxic waste

That I can see. It makes sense;

[Show spoiler]I do remember thinking about how children are pulled into this world to become collateral damage. I just never made the connection between human bodies and trash.

It is a rather bleak and sobering message indeed.

Multiple viewings are indeed warranted. I just need to get in the right mood for it.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

No way man, i love the trilogy!! Original and amazing!

original and amazing? yes. to an extent.
well made films that carry a logical story and aren't smothered with careless side plots, giant massive action sequences, and films that last WAY TOO LONG? not even close (imo)

good, fun films. but they have way too many flaws (at least the sequels do) that brought down their scores. i still enjoy the films (for the most part) but they definitely are not top teir action / adventure films. well, the first one is, but again, not the sequels (and again, imo of course)

[Al_The_Strange]

Requisite viewing for the 4th of July: “Independence Day.”

I remember seeing this as a youngster (what was I, twelve or something?) and thinking it was the coolest thing since “Star Wars.” The immensity, intensity, imagination, and adventurous spirit of the action and SFX really boosts this film’s entertainment value. The story is pretty much jam-packed with all sorts of drama, comedy, politics; it’s one of those movies that’s so full of detail and nuances that it becomes an immersive fantasy of its own.

These days, I can’t help but to nitpick a little. Having seen this oodles of times, I can say that some of the drama is sappy, some of the action is silly and absurd, some parts of the plot don’t really make sense, and some SFX are starting to show their age.

All that being said, it’s still very thrilling. The pacing is fast, the dialogue has always amused me, the acting seems spot-on for what it’s supposed to be, the direction is splendid, and the production designs are very original.

At times, this film comes off as a typical disaster sci-fi alien-invasion film, and in time it’ll probably be disregarded with as much disdain as “Earthquake” or something. But it’ll always have a place in my heart as one of the funnest films I ever grew up with.

4.5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)

The Blu-Ray for this is quite impressive. The video is very sharp and clean, with only a small amount of visual noise or softness in certain shots. All of the models and CGI graphics look refreshingly vivid, and I can see details everywhere that I never noticed before. Sound quality seemed great; action scenes are nice and loud, and some parts have really good bass. My only gripe about this release is that extras are limited.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5

And hey, I got to visit the Utah salt flats earlier this year. I totally recognized the area where they filmed certain scenes in this movie. It's awesome.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

original and amazing? yes. to an extent.
well made films that carry a logical story and aren't smothered with careless side plots, giant massive action sequences, and films that last WAY TOO LONG? not even close (imo)

good, fun films. but they have way too many flaws (at least the sequels do) that brought down their scores. i still enjoy the films (for the most part) but they definitely are not top teir action / adventure films. well, the first one is, but again, noth the sequels (and again, imo of course)

I'm one of the few that actually likes all three films of the Pirates trilogy, as well as all three of the Matrix trilogy (which is besides the point). I agree with the general consensus that the sequels are too long and too unfocused, with too many sub-plots. However, I still really enjoy them because to me, they're still entertaining.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

The Illusionist
PQ 5/5
AQ 4.5/5
Movie 4.5/5

Pretty Damn Good
Take the prestige and make it a love story and you have this great movie, excellent storyline and great twist at the end. Edward Norton is famous for twist at the end of his movies so standby because there's one waiting in this film. Highly Recommended.

Agree except for the mention of the Prestige. The films aren't even remotely similar! The Prestige is about obsession and involves

[Show spoiler]cloning/copying---sorry Gremal, it's true

and the Illusionist really is nothing other than a love story. I like the Prestige, no doubt, but The Illusionist is a superior film, although they're completely different.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Sometimes I think Criterion films get an automatic 5 star rating for the film itself because it's Criterion. (I'm referring to the official reviews on this site)

By default, the movie, PQ, and AQ scores are all high irrespective of them deserving it. It really doesn't bother me because I think oftentimes they deserve the high scores. These are films that are universally considered classics (with the exception of some of the rumored titles, such as Antichrist and Darjeeling), and although I don't like all of them I consider myself more in the minority. Dr. Svet, imo, is the best reviewer on this site and he's very consistent, although sometimes to a fault. I think he's correct regarding PQ and AQ in that he takes into account how the film has looked and sounded in the past and how arduous of a task it was to get it to where it is today. So, I really have no problem with that, even if sometimes I think he's wrong (such as the audio on The Third Man, which is not good at all).

My issue is that his reviews don't match up with the reviews of regular blus, which for PQ and AQ are judged much more harshly (with the exception of the classics, which are almost always given high scores by default). I think when it comes down to it, we all know how great Criterion is and they deserve the benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day, this is the best the films have sounded and looked and if you like them, they're worth the purchase.

[Riff Magnum]

Exactly. I'd have no problem with Criterion releasing every movie in existence. Not even the price factor would faze me.

[Foggy]

Shrek Forever After

5/10

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

wow i didn't know it was a crime to not have seen the original. Calm down baba

Seriously, you thought Jack Nichloson was in the Original Wolfman, it's not a matter of if you've seen it (I haven't, I'm an 16 year old) it's just really obvious that Jack N wasn't in The Wolfman.

[GLaDOS]

Rented: Unthinkable

It's a movie about torture..... how unthinkable of renting this piece of crap. 5/10

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by kotsedriver

Rented: Unthinkable

It's a movie about torture..... how unthinkable of renting this piece of crap. 5/10

[LordCrumb]

Legion

Damn I have good taste in films. 5/5 Another well done flick. I even didn't mind Tyrese Gibsons acting!

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

Exactly. I'd have no problem with Criterion releasing every movie in existence. Not even the price factor would faze me.

I agree, although we both know their selectivity is one of the things that makes them so great. The packaging, the restoration, and the incredible extras set them far apart from the pack.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by KaiGusto

Legion

Damn I have good taste in films. 5/5 Another well done flick. I even didn't mind Tyrese Gibsons acting!

I remember seeing this trailer and thinking to myself: "this looks like one of the worst films to come out in years." Glad you liked it though.