The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[iam1bearcat]

The Lives of Others

there is very little i can write here that can describe my feelings about The Lives of Others. when i started it, i was extremely intrigued, instantly engaged, the directing was almost hypnotizing and the story was very interesting to me. but, at first, i found myself... bored? i thought to myself, "how long is this going to go on?" and even thought that if i did make it through, would i watch it ever again?

and i remember distinctly jhiggy saying something a long the lines of this being the best film of the last 10 years (something close to that i believe). and i thought, "am i missing something?" because i didn't see it.

now, here is what i had written around the 90 minute mark:

acting: A, directing: A, story: A, writing: A, score: A
score right now if someone would ask: C(ish), around 3.5/5

but once all 132 minutes rolled past, something clicked. something changed. something... finally gelled and made sense to me. as soon as it ended, i started it back up, and am again watching it now as i write this. the film essentially if very focused and small, with a grander message. when i first heard the plot of "secret police in the Germany / Berlin area (called the GDR) that secretly spy on people" i thought the movie would cover a large range of people. but once i got over that... dissapointment(?)... i learned to love and admire the film for what it was showing me instead of what i had thought it would show me.

focusing on a well known screen play writer and his well known actress girlfriend, the head of the secret police (The Stasi), believes the writer doesn't truly believe in what the country's government is forcing. and some others in the Stasi (and above) also agree, so they begin watching, listening... and waiting for the writer (Deyman's) to make his move. over the course of the 132 minutes, the story slowy develops (it does take time, give it time), the pieces quietly falling into place, and everything fitting perfectly where it should be. the main officer following Deyman is a man named Wiesler. he starts as a cold, vicious, true to his country man of the law. he is a villain, but at the same time, so so so much more.

the film exceeds on all levels: tension, suspense, intrigue, character development, big twists, and an unnerving, suffocating atmosphere. and to think, all this from a first time writer / director!

it may seem strange once you see my score, seeing as how long it took me to appreciate and understand the film, but we've all had an experience where repeated viewings made a film better or we liked it more. i didn't need a second viewing, and the film isn't hard to follow, something in me at first just didn't really connect with it overall even though i acknowledged how great the pieces are, but once i got closer to the end, like i said, something clicked and i knew what i was watching was nothing short of a masterpiece.

i wish hollywood could make a film half as good as this on a regular basis. but they can't.

maybe i enjoy it more than most because i love history and the dark nature of the Germany / Berlin regime in that time fascinates me (being an American and all, it's shocking to see what other government's have the power to do in such a cold and calculating way while the Unites State's government seems to make miss-step after miss-step no matter what the political party), but if you enjoy history, or original and thought provoking dramas, definitely look into The Lives of Others. i previously said Tell No One was my new favorite foreign film, well, now #1 is The Lives of Others, and it will be very hardpressed to be removed from that spot.

one of the few films that truly deserves a "perfect" score i believe. and a film that while i may not be able to watch it on a regular basis like a Pixar film or a comedy, it is quickly climbing up my "favorite movie" list. it might even be in my top 5... a few more hours will certainly help decide...

5/5

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Jiggy just dont go see the movie being bias, watch it with a clear mind, and you will see why some rumors might just be true.

I will respect you more if you honestly didnt go into the theater already thinking its a 4. Ive seen the reviews you've given on this site and a fan boy will give inception 15/10 but i have no doubt that you will rate it 10/10. Thats if your honest with yourself.

Lol so if he's honest with himself, it's an automatic 10 for him? Films are different for everyone. Some people walk out of a movie blown away because it was something really new and cool, but if they step back and take a look at the direction, acting, etc. they might realize that it's an awesome film, but not necessarily a high caliber film.

Personally, I can't wait to see Inception. I think it's gonna kick ass!

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Lol so if he's honest with himself, it's an automatic 10 for him? Films are different for everyone. Some people walk out of a movie blown away because it was something really new and cool, but if they step back and take a look at the direction, acting, etc. they might realize that it's an awesome film, but not necessarily a high caliber film.

Personally, I can't wait to see Inception. I think it's gonna kick ass!

lol yeah i just had to add that last part but i do have total confidence in him rating it 10/10. This movie hit the rock bottom with action/suspense/Thiller/Mystery/ and most of all creativity!

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Lol so if he's honest with himself, it's an automatic 10 for him? Films are different for everyone. Some people walk out of a movie blown away because it was something really new and cool, but if they step back and take a look at the direction, acting, etc. they might realize that it's an awesome film, but not necessarily a high caliber film.

+1 - or he can acknowledge it's a great film, but might not be his cup of tea. i've had to do that a few times films where the pieces were great and whatnot, but it just didn't float my boat.

[lDlisturb3d]

well i guess my next question would be how much did you like the ideal or The Matrix because Inception is about 10x better!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

lol yeah i just had to add that last part but i do have total confidence in him rating it 10/10. This movie hit the rock bottom with action/suspense/Thiller/Mystery/ and most of all creativity!

Sounds good man, can't wait to see it. I'm especially excited that 80% rated it a 10 over in the review thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Jiggy just dont go see the movie being bias, watch it with a clear mind, and you will see why some rumors might just be true.

I will respect you more if you honestly didnt go into the theater already thinking its a 4. Ive seen the reviews you've given on this site and a fan boy will give inception 15/10 but i have no doubt that you will rate it 10/10. Thats if your honest with yourself.

Oh no worries, I certainly won't be biased. I don't mean to take anything away from the film--everyone seems to really like it and I'm sure I will too. I'm simply saying that imdb ratings are a joke because they're not based on merit as much as they are about hype. TDK and Inception have no business being in the top 250, let alone the top 10. Why? Because time is important in determining how good a film actually is. Inceptions been out 3 days!!!! No way it should supplant long-standing objective classics in that amount of time.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Lives of Others

there is very little i can write here that can describe my feelings about The Lives of Others. when i started it, i was extremely intrigued, instantly engaged, the directing was almost hypnotizing and the story was very interesting to me. but, at first, i found myself... bored? i thought to myself, "how long is this going to go on?" and even thought that if i did make it through, would i watch it ever again?

and i remember distinctly jhiggy saying something a long the lines of this being the best film of the last 10 years (something close to that i believe). and i thought, "am i missing something?" because i didn't see it.

now, here is what i had written around the 90 minute mark:

acting: A, directing: A, story: A, writing: A, score: A
score right now if someone would ask: C(ish), around 3.5/5

but once all 132 minutes rolled past, something clicked. something changed. something... finally gelled and made sense to me. as soon as it ended, i started it back up, and am again watching it now as i write this. the film essentially if very focused and small, with a grander message. when i first heard the plot of "secret police in the Germany / Berlin area (called the GDR) that secretly spy on people" i thought the movie would cover a large range of people. but once i got over that... dissapointment(?)... i learned to love and admire the film for what it was showing me instead of what i had thought it would show me.

focusing on a well known screen play writer and his well known actress girlfriend, the head of the secret police (The Stasi), believes the writer doesn't truly believe in what the country's government is forcing. and some others in the Stasi (and above) also agree, so they begin watching, listening... and waiting for the writer (Deyman's) to make his move. over the course of the 132 minutes, the story slowy develops (it does take time, give it time), the pieces quietly falling into place, and everything fitting perfectly where it should be. the main officer following Deyman is a man named Wiesler. he starts as a cold, vicious, true to his country man of the law. he is a villain, but at the same time, so so so much more.

the film exceeds on all levels: tension, suspense, intrigue, character development, big twists, and an unnerving, suffocating atmosphere. and to think, all this from a first time writer / director!

it may seem strange once you see my score, seeing as how long it took me to appreciate and understand the film, but we've all had an experience where repeated viewings made a film better or we liked it more. i didn't need a second viewing, and the film isn't hard to follow, something in me at first just didn't really connect with it overall even though i acknowledged how great the pieces are, but once i got closer to the end, like i said, something clicked and i knew what i was watching was nothing short of a masterpiece.

i wish hollywood could make a film half as good as this on a regular basis. but they can't.

maybe i enjoy it more than most because i love history and the dark nature of the Germany / Berlin regime in that time fascinates me (being an American and all, it's shocking to see what other government's have the power to do in such a cold and calculating way while the Unites State's government seems to make miss-step after miss-step no matter what the political party), but if you enjoy history, or original and thought provoking dramas, definitely look into The Lives of Others. i previously said Tell No One was my new favorite foreign film, well, now #1 is The Lives of Others, and it will be very hardpressed to be removed from that spot.

one of the few films that truly deserves a "perfect" score i believe. and a film that while i may not be able to watch it on a regular basis like a Pixar film or a comedy, it is quickly climbing up my "favorite movie" list. it might even be in my top 5... a few more hours will certainly help decide...

5/5

Great review and I think you nailed it. It takes the whole film before you realize just how good it is. Some critics have rated it the best film of the past 25 years. Most critics rank it among the top 10 of the decade. For all those that think Inception is God's gift to movies--see this film and then let me know which is better

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I was supposed to see Inception tonite at 10:15 but I think I'm gonna pass. I def look forward to the movie, but it'll get over too late. I'm sure the movie is great but I also know that just like TDK, it's going to be VASTLY overhyped by the fanboys. (by that I mean that it may be a 4 star film, but I highly doubt it's one of the best films ever).

Pretty much hits the nail on the head sadly. I truly do think it's a great film, maybe one of the best of the past two/three years. The amount of films that get over-hyped on this forum can be a little absurd sometimes. If you go into a majority of the threads about a specific film you'll see a majority of the time they are over-scored. I just think people aren't tough graders. Another thing I notice is when The Dark Knight came out people claimed it was the greatest thing ever. Then Avatar came out and people claimed it was the greatest film ever created. Now Inception comes out and I'm afraid it might suffer from the same fate. It practically hurts the film.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

HOLY SH*T this movie is number 3 on IMDB for top 250 movies of all time.

Wow that is ridiculous. It's a great movie but #3? Really??

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

lol yeah i just had to add that last part but i do have total confidence in him rating it 10/10. This movie hit the rock bottom with action/suspense/Thiller/Mystery/ and most of all creativity!

I rank films on a four star basis

It takes a lot for me to give a film four stars. Hell, I didn't even give Vivre Sa Vie four stars, what makes you think I'd give this film a perfect rating

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

well i guess my next question would be how much did you like the ideal or The Matrix because Inception is about 10x better!

I'm a huge Matrix fan and think it's one of the truly original ideas of the last 15 years. I have no doubt Inception is extremely clever too, but we'll see which is more ingenious. I'll make sure to state so in my review, although it will be months from now bc I'm not seeing it in theaters.

[Marcus Wright]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Wow that is ridiculous. It's a great movie but #3? Really??

Smth is definitely wrong here.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Sounds good man, can't wait to see it. I'm especially excited that 80% rated it a 10 over in the review thread

I'm excited too but I'd never take into account how ppl rated it there. Ppl did the same for Kick Ass and TDK--doesn't mean they're great films, it just means that ppl really liked them.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Pretty much hits the nail on the head sadly. I truly do think it's a great film, maybe one of the best of the past two/three years. The amount of films that get over-hyped on this forum can be a little absurd sometimes. If you go into a majority of the threads about a specific film you'll see a majority of the time they are over-scored. I just think people aren't tough graders. Another thing I notice is when The Dark Knight came out people claimed it was the greatest thing ever. Then Avatar came out and people claimed it was the greatest film ever created. Now Inception comes out and I'm afraid it might suffer from the same fate. It practically hurts the film.

Agree completely.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Pretty much hits the nail on the head sadly. I truly do think it's a great film, maybe one of the best of the past two/three years. The amount of films that get over-hyped on this forum can be a little absurd sometimes. If you go into a majority of the threads about a specific film you'll see a majority of the time they are over-scored. I just think people aren't tough graders. Another thing I notice is when The Dark Knight came out people claimed it was the greatest thing ever. Then Avatar came out and people claimed it was the greatest film ever created. Now Inception comes out and I'm afraid it might suffer from the same fate. It practically hurts the film.

Every movie you just typed is a great one. Just because its not your greatest of all time doesnt mean it isnt JOEY's!

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Pretty much hits the nail on the head sadly. I truly do think it's a great film, maybe one of the best of the past two/three years. The amount of films that get over-hyped on this forum can be a little absurd sometimes. If you go into a majority of the threads about a specific film you'll see a majority of the time they are over-scored. I just think people aren't tough graders. Another thing I notice is when The Dark Knight came out people claimed it was the greatest thing ever. Then Avatar came out and people claimed it was the greatest film ever created. Now Inception comes out and I'm afraid it might suffer from the same fate. It practically hurts the film.

Yup this is a point P@t_Mtl has made many times and lately I've been making it as well. Movie fans in general need to learn to be more objective and wait a bit before they throw up the best movie of all-time talk. It gets to be like the little boy who cried wolf, eventually people stop believing it and eventually become annoyed and resentful.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I'm excited too but I'd never take into account how ppl rated it there. Ppl did the same for Kick Ass and TDK--doesn't mean they're great films, it just means that ppl really liked them.

If you can watch a film numerous times and still get the same great effect then its GREAT IMO. Movies are meant to entertain.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Yup this is a point P@t_Mtl has made many times and lately I've been making it as well. Movie fans in general need to learn to be more objective and wait a bit before they throw up the best movie of all-time talk. It gets to be like the little boy who cried wolf, eventually people stop believing it and eventually become annoyed and resentful.

Good point.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

If you can watch a film numerous times and still get the same great effect then its GREAT IMO. Movies are meant to entertain.

I don't disagree on the first point--but that's where subjective and objective comes into play. If you watch a film numerous times and still love it, then you think it's great--subjective. If a film is considered by virtually every critic to be one of the all-time greats, i.e. 8 1/2, Godfather, etc, then that's objective. Godfather, 8 1/2, 2001==objective all-time greats. TDK, Inception, Avatar==subjective all-time greats.