The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[iam1bearcat]

i just rated 139 movies in my netflix account and on every one except for 5 netflix was either dead on with what i was going to rate it or half a star off. 134 out of 139! i think i need to deactivate my account! they know me too well! that freaks me out now!

[Marcus Wright]

How to traain your Dragon.

It just seemed like a very regular animation, could have been part of series.
Besides, it was just to children oriented (in both what was happening and the jokes, which were very few) which isnt bad overall but is bad for me.

3/5

[surfdude12]

Hero

Film: 3.5/5
-good story overall. I love the Eastern-philosophy and mood that permeates the film. I could have entered Zen mode while watching this! I confess that I loved the atmosphere/tone of the film, more than the characters/plot. That Eastern atmosphere/tone which underscores paying attention to every detail and staying present just really resonates with me.
-A candidate for "most beautiful film ever" along with The Fall, Days of Heaven, and Barry Lyndon, IMO. I caught myself saying "holy shi%" about 30 times (no joke, that many) throughout the film, solely based on the visuals.

PQ: 3.5/5 (good, not bad, but not reference level)

AQ: 4.5/5 (I was initially disappointed that the only native Chinese audio was a DD 5.1 track, but this track was great! I had my receiver down at 53 volume, which I can't recall ever having it down that low for a movie. This track is great)

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Hero

Film: 3.5/5
-good story overall. I love the Eastern-philosophy and mood that permeates the film. I could have entered Zen mode while watching this! I confess that I loved the atmosphere/tone of the film, more than the characters/plot. That Eastern atmosphere/tone which underscores paying attention to every detail and staying present just really resonates with me.
-A candidate for "most beautiful film ever" along with The Fall, Days of Heaven, and Barry Lyndon, IMO. I caught myself saying "holy shi%" about 30 times (no joke, that many) throughout the film, solely based on the visuals.

PQ: 3.5/5 (good, not bad, but not reference level)

AQ: 4.5/5 (I was initially disappointed that the only native Chinese audio was a DD 5.1 track, but this track was great! I had my receiver down at 53 volume, which I can't recall ever having it down that low for a movie. This track is great)

I've held off on buying the film because of the PQ. It is an excellent film--the story gets even better and makes even more sense the more times you watch it, trust me. Visually, it's a feast. Gotta love Yimou's use of color and the schemes he uses for different scenes. House of Flying Daggers is the same.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I said I'd agree with about 12 of those, so I bolded the 8 that I disagree with. Unless my rithmutic is kaddywampuss.

Crowe. GREAT actor IMO, one of my favs, but hasnt had enough variation in roles to get at what he may have inside. I know, Gladiator to A Beautiful Mind is a big jump, but he mostly plays the brooding guy. I'll give him this though, he has emotional range.

Dicaprio. He's becoming excellent, LOVED him in Blood Diamond, but aside from Gilbert Grape, he is always the serious, intense guy. His last seven films in a row asked the same things from him. Too bad, because he could go all over the map, probably. He needs to take a huge left turn on role selection.

Cruise. Suffers from Hasrrison Ford Syndrome. No matter what role he is in, he is always Tom Cruise. He's a good actor, but he never disappears into the role, he never BECOMES that character like a DDL or Kingsley. He takes a lot of different roles, but his ability to dig deep during emotional scenes feels forced.

Pacino. Cant believe you picked him. He is a fantastic actor in his niche roles. Dark, serious, intense, badass on either side of the law. His emotional range is pretty shallow.....anger. And range of roles is nearly nill.

Law. While he has done a wide variety of roles, he also suffers from Harrison For Syndrome. Even in Cold Mountain he was Jude Law. I love him though.

Cheadle. Probably the worst sufferer of HFS. I like his charisma and he has a kinda magnetic charm, but range? I dont see it.

Dafoe. Its hard for me to say anything bad about him because he is one of my favorite actors, but I dont see a lot of range here. What I do see, and what I love, is a very real intensity. Its REAL.... it boils.

Norton. Same as Dafoe. Norton has had a fairly wide range of "characters", but not a lot of them were very different from one another. Not many of his roles asked much from him that the others didnt. Thats not to say he isnt great, because I think he is.

When I think of Pitt, I cant help see the deeply emotional, troubled and passionate Paul from A River Runs Through It. Or how he embodied psycho killer Early Gray from Kalifornia. Then we have comdeic abilities in The Oceans films and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Skip over to the ultra effeminate NUMBskull in Burn After Reading and then visit the calculating, sinister control freak that was Jesse James. Or watch Achilles in sword fights, then jump to WWII to see the mega smarmy Aldo Raine and scoot over to catch Button. Legends of the Fall to Interview with a Vampire anyone? Seven Years in Tibet to Snatch anyone?

Additionally, while Pitt doesnt always execute accents well, I give him huge props for at least accepting so many roles that require him to at least try. At least six that I can think of right now.

To Summarize, he kills, he cries, is a badass, is a major wimp, is crazy, is romantic, sings, does comedy, dances etc. He's almost as cool as Hugh Jackman.

Crowe--Gladiator to The Insider to A Beautiful Mind to Master/Commander. Enough said, since the point is comparing him to Pitt. Does he have the most range? No, but certainly more than Pitt. Not even close.


DiCaprio--Grape to Blood Diamond to The Aviator to The Departed to Titanic to Hoop Dreams. Once again, not even close.

Cruise--he only appears to be Tom Cruise because we know him so well. That doesn't mean he doesn't have range. Born on the Fourth of July proved that. His variety of roles and what those roles demanded of him makes him surpass Pitt, who has never been asked to have that range of emotion. Cruise has tackled almost every genre.

Pacino--his resume speaks for itself in terms of surpassing Pitt.

Law--absolutely does not suffer from Ford syndrome. Cold Mountain, Gattaca, Road to Perdition, AI. Completely different roles and requirements. And I'm not even a big fan of his. Once again, not the greatest range but certainly more than Pitt.

Cheadle---no range????? I suspect you haven't seen enough of his films. Earl the Goat to Paul Russussabagina????? I don't even need to list more than two films to prove my point there.

Dafoe--Platoon to Last Temptation to The Loveless. Certainly not the most range on the list, but those films alone make him surpass Pitt.

Norton--widely considered to have great range, for starters. The Hulk (superhero) to The Illusionist (Austrian magician) to American History X (neo-nazi) to Kingdom of Heaven to Fight Club to Primal Fear (altar boy). Not sure what your argument is here.

Pitt is a good actor but his roles simply haven't required much range. His resume is full of the charming yet troubled roles. Even Jesse James is a derivation of that, while it harnessed the sex appeal. His role in Troy doesn't even count because his acting was poor in that film it relied once again on his sex appeal. Seven Years in Tibet required an accent (which was universally considered terrible) but nothing out of the ordinary for him. Legends of the Fall required nothing out of the ordinary for him, even though he did an excellent job there. Vampire relied on his sex appeal and nothing else. His greatest attempt to expand himself? 12 Monkeys. He's a very good actor and doesn't get enough credit and while he does have range, he simply has nowhere near as much range as those I listed. Even if you disagree with the ones I listed, I could've kept going.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Hero
Film: 3.5/5
-good story overall. I love the Eastern-philosophy and mood that permeates the film. I could have entered Zen mode while watching this! I confess that I loved the atmosphere/tone of the film, more than the characters/plot. That Eastern atmosphere/tone which underscores paying attention to every detail and staying present just really resonates with me.
-A candidate for "most beautiful film ever" along with The Fall, Days of Heaven, and Barry Lyndon, IMO. I caught myself saying "holy shi%" about 30 times (no joke, that many) throughout the film, solely based on the visuals.

Yes! It used to be my favorite Asian film, based on the power of the visuals and fight scenes alone. They're beautiful!

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I've held off on buying the film because of the PQ.

I thought the PQ was adequate. Certainly could be better, but I doubt it'll be remastered/re-released any time soon.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

You guys should see her in Chaplin. Shhhhhhhh. Nude scenes. Shhhhhh

How could I forget about that?!

[Psychonaut]

How To Train Your Dragon - Not as cutesy as most kid movies and had some pretty epic animation going on. I didn't feel like the message of the movie was being beat into my skull.

3.5/5

[Psychonaut]

Madagascar - Style but no substance. Not very funny either. Seemed more like a fragile vessel for bringing high profile voices to the same table.

2/5

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by ArmyOfDarknessAW

I know my opinion is much different when it comes to the Resident Evil movies but here is the order i put them in.

Resident Evil 5/5
Resident Evil Extinction 4/5
Resident Evil Afterlife 3/5
Resident Evil Apocalypse 3/5 almost a 2/5 i just don't get why people think this one is the best

No, my opinion on the Resident Evil movies is much different than a lot here:

Resident Evil 1/5
Resident Evil Apocalypse: N/A since the 1st turned me off that much
Resident Evil Extinction: N/A since the 1st turned me off that much
Resident Evil Afterlife: Might see since it actually looks like an action movie

Not knocking the people who really like these movies. I just couldn't stand the first one, that's all. Give me The Fifth Element any day over any of Milla's other movies.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Hero

Film: 3.5/5
-good story overall. I love the Eastern-philosophy and mood that permeates the film. I could have entered Zen mode while watching this! I confess that I loved the atmosphere/tone of the film, more than the characters/plot. That Eastern atmosphere/tone which underscores paying attention to every detail and staying present just really resonates with me.
-A candidate for "most beautiful film ever" along with The Fall, Days of Heaven, and Barry Lyndon, IMO. I caught myself saying "holy shi%" about 30 times (no joke, that many) throughout the film, solely based on the visuals.

PQ: 3.5/5 (good, not bad, but not reference level)

AQ: 4.5/5 (I was initially disappointed that the only native Chinese audio was a DD 5.1 track, but this track was great! I had my receiver down at 53 volume, which I can't recall ever having it down that low for a movie. This track is great)

i agree but why so low of a score. I thought that movie was amazing! It took me somewhere else!

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Trick 'r Treat

[Show spoiler]
since the girlfriend is absolutely terrified of horror films, i somehow convinced her to watch Trick 'r Treat. i told her, "it's a scary movie yes, but not in the 'scary man stabs the sh*t out of everything' way. and it's definitely not like that Saw garbage. but it definitely has an eerie presence about it and is creepy in ways that horror films should be." so somehow, she said yes.

15 minutes in and she refused to move her hands from her eyes

the thing i love most about Trick 'r Treat is just how fresh and exciting it feels. too many horror movie have the same tricks, the same cliches, a predictable "everyone gets killed gruesomely" plot and some sadistic weirdo as a killer. Trick 't Treat is a real treat because it has none of that

it has actually has GOOD things going for it.

the story mixes a tale of four different stories who all have a connection to Sam, a mysterious sack wearing small child who visits those who break his wonderful Halloween traditions. but the best, quirkiest part is that the scares come even without him on the screen. whether it's the diabolical dad, the kids who go listen to a ghost story about a school bus full of kids who drown in a quarry, or the "surprise" party with the gorgeous gals (very surprising in deed! ) the film succeeds with dark humor, and darker scares.

and then once you meet Sam, the scares REALLY come in. and while the first time i "saw" Sam i kind of chuckled, but he is a menacing little beast that shouldn't be taken lightly!

i love the atmosphere, the lovable, non-stupid characters (such a nice change, haven't seen that since The Descent) and the way all four stories connect. i wish more people knew of this film and would go in with an open mind. too many people think horror films are only good if they have gallons and gallons of blood, brutal kills and some stupid old man who kills you with traps (or one of his 1,673 assistants or whatever the fudge is happening in that franchise now a days). that's not the case, and Trick 'r Treat shows you what an original, thoughtful, fun and yes, scary horror film can and should be.

highly recommended. one of my best blind buys

5/5

[Show spoiler]

I thought this was a cool ass horror flick. I enjoyed it i think i gave it a 3.5/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

You guys should see her in Chaplin. Shhhhhhhh. Nude scenes. Shhhhhh

Sounds like a plan.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

That shouldn't surprise me, squid You are totally nse, and this is an advanced film.
One your tiny mind couldn't possibly comprehend.

[Show spoiler] :d :d :d :d :d :d :d :d :d :d :d - just to make sure you know i'm kidding

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Crowe--Gladiator to The Insider to A Beautiful Mind to Master/Commander. Enough said, since the point is comparing him to Pitt. Does he have the most range? No, but certainly more than Pitt. Not even close.


DiCaprio--Grape to Blood Diamond to The Aviator to The Departed to Titanic to Hoop Dreams. Once again, not even close.

Cruise--he only appears to be Tom Cruise because we know him so well. That doesn't mean he doesn't have range. Born on the Fourth of July proved that. His variety of roles and what those roles demanded of him makes him surpass Pitt, who has never been asked to have that range of emotion. Cruise has tackled almost every genre.

Pacino--his resume speaks for itself in terms of surpassing Pitt.

Law--absolutely does not suffer from Ford syndrome. Cold Mountain, Gattaca, Road to Perdition, AI. Completely different roles and requirements. And I'm not even a big fan of his. Once again, not the greatest range but certainly more than Pitt.

Cheadle---no range????? I suspect you haven't seen enough of his films. Earl the Goat to Paul Russussabagina????? I don't even need to list more than two films to prove my point there.

Dafoe--Platoon to Last Temptation to The Loveless. Certainly not the most range on the list, but those films alone make him surpass Pitt.

Norton--widely considered to have great range, for starters. The Hulk (superhero) to The Illusionist (Austrian magician) to American History X (neo-nazi) to Kingdom of Heaven to Fight Club to Primal Fear (altar boy). Not sure what your argument is here.

Pitt is a good actor but his roles simply haven't required much range. His resume is full of the charming yet troubled roles. Even Jesse James is a derivation of that, while it harnessed the sex appeal. His role in Troy doesn't even count because his acting was poor in that film it relied once again on his sex appeal. Seven Years in Tibet required an accent (which was universally considered terrible) but nothing out of the ordinary for him. Legends of the Fall required nothing out of the ordinary for him, even though he did an excellent job there. Vampire relied on his sex appeal and nothing else. His greatest attempt to expand himself? 12 Monkeys. He's a very good actor and doesn't get enough credit and while he does have range, he simply has nowhere near as much range as those I listed. Even if you disagree with the ones I listed, I could've kept going.

I do. Its not even close.

[Foggy]

Let The Right One In

Very absorbing film, eerie and creepy, yet very heartfelt.

[Show spoiler] I like the fact that we see the movie mostly through Oskar eyes, which makes it slightly more darkly sinister when you see that Eli is shaping him into it's provider. We can see it as very heartfelt, yet if you look deeper you see that it is manipulating her

I think the only negative is that I would of liked to have seen a little deeper into the paranoia of the neighbors and how they were being effective, I also though the

[Show spoiler]CGI cats

where hilarious, which wasn't what I think they were going for.

9/10

watching Superbad at the moment, one of my fave comedies of recent times

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Let The Right One In

Very absorbing film, eerie and creepy, yet very heartfelt.

[Show spoiler] I like the fact that we see the movie mostly through Oskar eyes, which makes it slightly more darkly sinister when you see that Eli is shaping him into it's provider. We can see it as very heartfelt, yet if you look deeper you see that it is manipulating her

I think the only negative is that I would of liked to have seen a little deeper into the paranoia of the neighbors and how they were being effective, I also though the

[Show spoiler]CGI cats

where hilarious, which wasn't what I think they were going for.

9/10

watching Superbad at the moment, one of my fave comedies of recent times

Great points for likes and Dislikes. The cats were pretty horrible lol. In addition i thought her

[Show spoiler]lover or caretaker was an idiot

But i gave it the same score 4.5/5! Its my second favorite Vampire flick right behind Interview with a Vampire which i LOVE!!!!!!!

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Great points for likes and Dislikes. The cats were pretty horrible lol. In addition i thought her

[Show spoiler]lover or caretaker was an idiot

But i gave it the same score 4.5/5! Its my second favorite Vampire flick right behind Interview with a Vampire which i LOVE!!!!!!!

I thought that about

[Show spoiler]the caretaker but then I realized that he was showing his old age, and Eli knows that, that's why it goes after Oskar. He gave up and his last acts where that he burnt his face so they can't get to her and gave his life too her. I would of at least of seen him do his job right once though

[lDlisturb3d]

Sex Drive (Theatrical Cut)

Ha this movie is pretty damn stupid! But i enjoyed it non the less. It had its moments here in there and the humor was pretty well paced. I really wanna see the Unrated because thats what people crave over.


4/5

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Now this s a cool little flick, I enjoyed every second of this movie. I thought the action was amazing and if anything cool as HELL. I loved every character and i thought Dorian Gray was the man! This movie made me really interested in him. If you wanna sick back and have fun this movie is a pick for sure.

Recommended

4/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I thought that about

[Show spoiler]the caretaker but then I realized that he was showing his old age, and Eli knows that, that's why it goes after Oskar. He gave up and his last acts where that he burnt his face so they can't get to her and gave his life too her. I would of at least of seen him do his job right once though

Exactly

[Show spoiler]she's been doing this for who knows how long.

Great Movie!!!