The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[two40]

Oldboy (2003)

Six months ago I read The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an epic tale of revenge and retribution set in 19th century France. Today I watched Oldboy, an equally epic tale of revenge spiced with remorse that draws much of its themes from the classic Dumas novel.

Oh Dae-Su is a hapless drunk who on the birthday of his young daughter is held at a police station. His friend bails him out only to lose him minutes later when Oh goes missing. Oh awakes imprisoned in a hotel-like room. His early state of confusion is quickly replaced with anger, followed by fear and then a crushing sense of despair. He goes through the rest of the spectrum one might experience while in confinement for a long time with the only companion being a lone television set. Occasionally a tune plays, gas is released in to his room and he falls unconscious. When he awakes he finds his room cleaned, his hair cut and clothes changed.

After 15 years of this routine and with his escape plan nearing completion, he is inexplicably released. A series of events, long planned, are set in motion and controlled by an unknown puppeteer. With time running out, Oh Dae-Su sets off to avenge himself and discover what past events led to his tormenting 15 year imprisonment.

The script unashamedly draws on many of the themes from The Count of Monte Cristo. It even references the fictional work - a respectful nod to a classic work that has been adapted to all manner of media and translated in dozens of languages since its original serialised publication in 1844. Oldboy is a modern take on the old tale, albeit liberally laced with its own twists and grey characters. It is beyond me to meaningfully compare the two works, but I can say that the novel is an established classic while this lose adaptation is an established classic-to-be, only awaiting its ageing.

4/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by two40

Oldboy (2003)

[Show spoiler]Six months ago I read The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an epic tale of revenge and retribution set in 19th century France. Today I watched Oldboy, an equally epic tale of revenge spiced with remorse that draws much of its themes from the classic Dumas novel.

Oh Dae-Su is a hapless drunk who on the birthday of his young daughter is held at a police station. His friend bails him out only to lose him minutes later when Oh goes missing. Oh awakes imprisoned in a hotel-like room. His early state of confusion is quickly replaced with anger, followed by fear and then a crushing sense of despair. He goes through the rest of the spectrum one might experience while in confinement for a long time with the only companion being a lone television set. Occasionally a tune plays, gas is released in to his room and he falls unconscious. When he awakes he finds his room cleaned, his hair cut and clothes changed.

After 15 years of this routine and with his escape plan nearing completion, he is inexplicably released. A series of events, long planned, are set in motion and controlled by an unknown puppeteer. With time running out, Oh Dae-Su sets off to avenge himself and discover what past events led to his tormenting 15 year imprisonment.

The script unashamedly draws on many of the themes from The Count of Monte Cristo. It even references the fictional work - a respectful nod to a classic work that has been adapted to all manner of media and translated in dozens of languages since its original serialised publication in 1844. Oldboy is a modern take on the old tale, albeit liberally laced with its own twists and grey characters. It is beyond me to meaningfully compare the two works, but I can say that the novel is an established classic while this lose adaptation is an established classic-to-be, only awaiting its ageing.

4/5

i was gonna watch this last night. but netflix instant only has horrible english dubs so i'll wait for the blu

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i was gonna watch this last night. but netflix instant only has horrible english dubs so i'll wait for the blu

Darn Dubs, It's a really good film aswell

[Al_The_Strange]

“A Christmas Carol” 2009, Disney, starring Jim Carrey.

Can’t say that I’ve been thrilled to see this; not that I was doubtful of Jim Carrey’s performance or the film’s graphical quality, but I’ve seen plenty of versions of this story plenty of times.

I have to hand it to Robert Zemeckis and the cast; this is certainly one of the better adaptations. At the very least, it’s one of the most entertaining, given the slick CGI/3-D effects, and a number of scenes involving peril and pursuits. There’s a lot of eye candy throughout, and at times I felt it really was all for show rather than progressing the story (especially the carriage chase; very over-the-top). I also feel that the film has one too many goofy scenes that contrast too much with the scary scenes, and the movie’s overall tone. Then again, maybe I just take this story too seriously…

Despite these few quibbles, the story remains pretty faithful to the original story, skimping out on very little and including all of the right scenes and dialogue. A lot more detail could have been added (like visiting the ships at sea or the union workhouses), and some of the dialogue has been changed in weird ways (like the Ghost of Christmas Present’s speech, saying something to the effect of “men of the cloth not upholding the Christmas spirit.” What? Is that a criticism of the church, or a statement about hypocrisy in general, or what? ). But a lot of excellent detail has been added to the story as well, such as making the Ghost of Christmas Future into a

[Show spoiler]shadow

, or Scrooge burning the business card the charity people give him…there’s a lot of brilliance in some scenes, and in a way it reminds me of how detailed and how much quality acting/direction was in Zemeckis’ earlier works, for this is on a similar level.

Regarding the graphics, they looked pretty good. Character animations have improved since “Beowulf” and “The Polar Express,” and I think a couple of parts almost looked photorealistic (the dance scene stuck out primarily…before they overdid the dancing and made it all cartoony). It still seems a little stiff and unnatural in some areas (I still think “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” and the one “Animatrix” episode have the best CGI human animation ever). There’s certainly a lot of detail in the environment; London in 1843 looks exactly as it should, right down to clothing, props, animals, carriages, food, drink, and everything.

And of course, the voice acting is brilliant. Jim Carrey made an excellent Scrooge, and everybody else was great. Character designs reflected their respective actors very subtly, and their “acting” was good. Music was jolly good too.

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

Recommendation: Yep.

I’ll probably buy a copy someday.



“A Christmas Carol” 1954, Desilu, starring Frederic March.

My folks got this cheap…for a good reason. It appears to be a TV production of very cheap quality. It’s only an hour long, so they cut this story up all to Hell. A lot of essential scenes are truncated for a very short and to-the-point presentation, and a lot of the dialogue has been modified for better accessibility. It’s okay for a quick run-through of the story, it’s not like it has huge plot holes or anything, but it still feels very skimpy, and there are definitely fuller versions of the story out there. It’s especially odd that the Ghost of Christmas Future has been reduced to a single scene with a black crow on a tombstone…apparently that’s all you need.

The movie has its moments; Frederic March makes an awesome Scrooge. But he’s also pretty laughable at times. In the final shot, as he’s listening to Tiny Tim singing, he has like 20 different facial expressions, as if he’s having an internal dilemma with himself. I guess he’s supposed to be reacting to the music, but I could easily imagine him as a psycho with voices in his head, and maybe this is going through his mind:

“Huh…what’s that…you want me to kill the family? Yes, that’s a brilliant idea! Then I could take their money! No, wait, I can’t that’s illegal…huh, what? You want me to enslave their children and pay Bob only 1 penny a day? Umm…yeah, that could work…”

And speaking of music…yes, this movie has a few musical numbers, but without being a full-blown musical. I got the impression that the music was obligatory, the same way CGI chase scenes are in the above version. The film has an okay production value and I have no complaints about the way it’s filmed, but it does have its shortcuts. If there’s anything worthwhile seeing in this version, it’s seeing the various ghosts incarnated as other people Scrooge was familiar with (the Ghost of Christmas Past being in the semblance of his old girlfriend, for example). And of course, it’s worthwhile seeing Scrooge’s final scene and wondering WTF was going through his head?!

3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 2.5/5, film: 2.5/5)

Recommendation: Nah, there’s better versions. I’d only see this for a laugh or too.

DVD looked okay, but sounded terrible. Probably wouldn’t make for good BD material.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by two40

Oldboy (2003)

[Show spoiler]
Six months ago I read The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an epic tale of revenge and retribution set in 19th century France. Today I watched Oldboy, an equally epic tale of revenge spiced with remorse that draws much of its themes from the classic Dumas novel.

Oh Dae-Su is a hapless drunk who on the birthday of his young daughter is held at a police station. His friend bails him out only to lose him minutes later when Oh goes missing. Oh awakes imprisoned in a hotel-like room. His early state of confusion is quickly replaced with anger, followed by fear and then a crushing sense of despair. He goes through the rest of the spectrum one might experience while in confinement for a long time with the only companion being a lone television set. Occasionally a tune plays, gas is released in to his room and he falls unconscious. When he awakes he finds his room cleaned, his hair cut and clothes changed.

After 15 years of this routine and with his escape plan nearing completion, he is inexplicably released. A series of events, long planned, are set in motion and controlled by an unknown puppeteer. With time running out, Oh Dae-Su sets off to avenge himself and discover what past events led to his tormenting 15 year imprisonment.

The script unashamedly draws on many of the themes from The Count of Monte Cristo. It even references the fictional work - a respectful nod to a classic work that has been adapted to all manner of media and translated in dozens of languages since its original serialised publication in 1844. Oldboy is a modern take on the old tale, albeit liberally laced with its own twists and grey characters. It is beyond me to meaningfully compare the two works, but I can say that the novel is an established classic while this lose adaptation is an established classic-to-be, only awaiting its ageing.

4/5

I didn't know "Oldboy" was an adaptation (or a rip-off?) of the "Count of Monte Cristo." That's pretty interesting; I'll have to see/read the original story some day.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

[Show spoiler]
Film: 2/5
-story about a British POW in Japanese prison camp. Japanese captain at the camp is intrigued by a new British prisoner (Bowie).
-I never felt engaged by any of the characters or dialogue. It was never clear why a certain decision was being made by someone, and what their motivation was. In a prison type film, this has to be clear to the viewer, otherwise how can you understand the characters and their intentions? In Shawshank, for example, we know 100% why the warden is doing what he's doing. Things just happened, leaving me scratching my head.
-Very very very slow film. That by itself is not an issue for me. My main issue was the poor script and how I never felt like I knew why things were happening. But a disclaimer to those people who hate slow films: beware. About 5 minutes of action in this one and 120 minutes of dialogue.
-Acting was good, didn't hurt the film.

PQ: 4/5
AQ: 4/5

Dang it, I blind-ordered it from the B&N sale! Looks like I'll be in for another slow and confusing one...

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

gotcha. i am revisiting Gladiator, eventually, so that may ease your anger towards me a bit

It's going to take a lot. You did add Out of Sight to your queue, so we'll see.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Darn Dubs, It's a really good film aswell

that's what i keep hearing and the opening song that plays (only for like a minute though) was so beautiful and excellent i was so excited to watch it and then i was like "wait a minute... " so i'll have to wait. oh well. i've waited this long, i can wait a bit longer.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

that's what i keep hearing and the opening song that plays (only for like a minute though) was so beautiful and excellent i was so excited to watch it and then i was like "wait a minute... " so i'll have to wait. oh well. i've waited this long, i can wait a bit longer.

When you say that you're waiting, does that mean you've ordered it, or are waiting to order it, or waiting for a better edition?

I got the film as part of the "Vengeance" trilogy set, and it was a nice deal. All three films were good, have decent PQ/AQ, with English subs, and have shedloads of extras.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

When you say that you're waiting, does that mean you've ordered it, or are waiting to order it, or waiting for a better edition?

I got the film as part of the "Vengeance" trilogy set, and it was a nice deal. All three films were good, have decent PQ/AQ, with English subs, and have shedloads of extras.

ah, 'waiting' for me, in this use, is 'waiting for the disc from netflix'

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

ah, 'waiting' for me, in this use, is 'waiting for the disc from netflix'

Right on!

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

someone woke up and decided to have a big bowl of Great, 'Witty Comment Flakes' for breakfast today

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

since everyone else already made their lists (and i swear to god we better not have 55154372 pages of everyone reposting their scores again ) i'll post mine because it's super easy

Gladiator - incomplete. started watching it once about 4 years ago, never finished. wasn't really into it
Kingdom of Heaven - never seen it
Braveheart - no interest in seeing it
The Last Samurai - 4/5. almost afraid to watch this again since every time i do the score drops
Troy - no interest in seeing it (don't even start Squid )

that was pretty easy

After reading your other posts after this one on Gladiator, its definitely worth revisiting. You might like it more, or at least finish it this time

Kingdom of Heave DC is definitely worth looking in to. If someone is looking for lots of action and buckets of blood, they won't find it here. It's very story driven. The battles are there to enhance the story, not the other way around.

Braveheart was pretty good (obviously since I gave it a 4.5/5), but it is in the One and Done category...I think it was one of the founding members actually.

Troy...well, yea, Squid will be along shortly and get you to watch it so I'll leave it at that

Originally Posted by killowertz

Nope, no smiley face or wink after this one.

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I absolutely agree with you.
I love that movie to death.
Its on of my probably top 20 personal favorite movies.
It just has such a good feeling of adventure to it.

5/5 for Odyssey for sure.

I haven't seen it in like 3 years, but I remember really enjoying it when I did see it. I'm sure the entire thing is on Youtube somewhere.

Originally Posted by tbizzle

I love Armageddon, Into the Blue is good, and being a car guy I love The Fast and the Furious.

American components, Russian components....ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!!!

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i've seen Armageddon about 100+ times used to watch that movie relentlessly a few years ago. so cheesy but awesome

Indeed, Armageddon is a fun movie

if you've seen any of my conversations with Diesel, you'll know that for whatever reason, i seem to have some sort of man-crush on Paul Walker, as everything he's been in i've really enjoyed. and that's the same for Into the Blue (and Alba of course ) and The Fast and the Furious. and i have absolutely no love of cars or street racing or rap music. that's just one damn fun film! can't wait to own it someday (hopefully pick it up cheap during the holiday season )

[Diesel]

How to Train Your Dragon

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, I didn't really know what it was about. I knew there were Vikings, there were dragons and then there would be Craig Ferguson
But that's about it.


The first half hour or so was pretty
The main guy was annoying, I didn't laugh more than twice at the "funny stuff" (both were from Ferguson's character) and was just generally disinterested, it didn't pull me in.
But to fair, I was still sleepy when I started the beginning, so perhaps on a rewatch I would enjoy it more.

But once he found Toothless and started befriending him it was uphill big time.

Toothless was easily the best character for me
He was hilarious and at the same time cool.

The rest of the characters and the story grew on me after that point as well, so Toothless elevated the entire movie for me

I liked Gerard Butler as the dad and as I've already mentioned, Craig Ferguson as...well whatever his name was with no leg.

The fat kid with the stats was pretty funny the rest of the movie.


The flying sequences were VERY well done, it looked great and was very fun to watch. Great job on those.
Those spawned my favorite line of the entire movie that made me bust out laughing,

[Show spoiler]"Thanks for nothing you useless reptile!!"

Going in to the ending portion, I thought, "

[Show spoiler]Oh great, here comes the predictable when all of the dragons are going to show up to help fight the big one

"....BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! And I was sooooo happy that it didn't because what we actually got was great.


A very strong movie overall (even with my for the first portion).

One and Done collection? No. I want to watch it again, and would consider buying it one day if I found a very good price on it. We'll see.

Until I rewatch it at a later date and reevaluate the first segment of the film, I'm going with:

Rating - 4.5/5



*If I rewatch it and the first portion is better than I found it this time, I'll bump it up to a 4.75/5 as long as I enjoy the rest of the film as much as I did this time.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Diesel

How to Train Your Dragon

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, I didn't really know what it was about. I knew there were Vikings, there were dragons and then there would be Craig Ferguson
But that's about it.


The first half hour or so was pretty
The main guy was annoying, I didn't laugh more than twice at the "funny stuff" (both were from Ferguson's character) and was just generally disinterested, it didn't pull me in.
But to fair, I was still sleepy when I started the beginning, so perhaps on a rewatch I would enjoy it more.

But once he found Toothless and started befriending him it was uphill big time.

Toothless was easily the best character for me
He was hilarious and at the same time cool.

The rest of the characters and the story grew on me after that point as well, so Toothless elevated the entire movie for me

I liked Gerard Butler as the dad and as I've already mentioned, Craig Ferguson as...well whatever his name was with no leg.

The fat kid with the stats was pretty funny the rest of the movie.


The flying sequences were VERY well done, it looked great and was very fun to watch. Great job on those.
Those spawned my favorite line of the entire movie that made me bust out laughing,

[Show spoiler]"Thanks for nothing you useless reptile!!"

Going in to the ending portion, I thought, "

[Show spoiler]Oh great, here comes the predictable when all of the dragons are going to show up to help fight the big one

"....BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! And I was sooooo happy that it didn't because what we actually got was great.


A very strong movie overall (even with my for the first portion).

One and Done collection? No. I want to watch it again, and would consider buying it one day if I found a very good price on it. We'll see.

Until I rewatch it at a later date and reevaluate the first segment of the film, I'm going with:

Rating - 4.5/5



*If I rewatch it and the first portion is better than I found it this time, I'll bump it up to a 4.75/5 as long as I enjoy the rest of the film as much as I did this time.

I had no idea Gobber was Craig Ferguson, I really need to start paying better attention to detail, I guess.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Collateral

[Show spoiler]year: 2004
director: michael mann
starring: tom cruise (vincent), jamie foxx (max)

in my opinion the best movies are movies that hypnotize you by their performances (among other things), and Collateral is one of those films. it's engaging, it's tense, edge of your seat thriller, frightening and even at times hysterically funny when really, no jokes are being made (just the delivery by Cruise and Foxx in certain situations makes it funny). i blind bought this when it came out a few months ago and am glad i bought it. and after watching it again tonight i can safely say this is staying in my collection (i've recently been trying to figure out what i actually want to own and will watch and what i feel i should own because it's on blu-ray but don't fully enjoy or get many viewings out of) and will be viewed quite a bit.

+ Tom Cruise. he really is an absolutely fantastic actor. i may like other actors more, but Cruise is certainly in a league very few actors (i feel) reach. watch Collateral and then watch The Last Samurai. aside from physical features, his performances are so different it's boggling to know this is the same actor in both roles. and he SUCCEEDS in both roles. and in Collateral, playing a no nonsense hit man is something i didn't really think he could do. but he passes with flying colors. if i were to rank his performances, his portrayal of Vincent here would be extremely high on that list. the intensity, the furious, simmering "under the skin" anger that is only unleashed at certain times. amazing

+ Jamie Foxx. it would be easy to say Cruise steals the show, mainly because being a hit man will be something fans like more than say, a cab driver who plans to open his own limousine service, but Foxx i believe is just barely better here. his character has more range, and that's why. when we meet him he is quiet, reserved, somewhat confident, but Foxx's demeanor changes greatly when

[Show spoiler]he goes in the club and pretends to be Vincent ("I said, I think you should tell him to put the gun down before I rip it out of his hand and beat his *****-ass to death with it.")

but then switches back again. great performance all around and the old adage that competition breeds success is truly evident here. cruise and foxx both step their games up big time which pays off 10-fold for the film.

the film certainly isn't action packed. a lot of scenes take place in max's cab and the fact that i never lose interest in the film while watching these scenes (for the first time or for the fifth) is a true testament to the writing. performances aside, if the writing would have sucked, watching two guys in a cab would be mighty boring to some degree, but not here. the wide range of topics covered from simple mundane stuff to more serious, pressing matters is all handled with great care.

for whatever reason however, i don't feel Collateral is a 5/5 in my eyes.

i think it might be the pacing or structure of the film. i can't quite place it. i could see in time it jumping up to a 5/5 but there is just... something that seems a bit off. and i think it is the structure of the story, but that's certainly no biggie. the film is completely enjoyable, fresh and like nothing else. and to show how great a film it is, i turned it on while i was working on my Top 250 list, and ended up barely achieving anything as i got sucked in to the film - again.

highly recommended

PQ: 5/5 - i LOVE the PQ on this. it's not razor sharp, and has gorgeous grain in almost every scene. could look at this all day long.
AQ: 5/5 - i'm easily amused and impressed with AQ and Collateral succeeds here greatly. dialogue is crisp and sharp and when the action picks up, the sound is right on the mark.

does it make the Top 250?: YES. if it's not in the Top 50, it will be.
is it a necessary addition my collection?: absolutely. all around greatness: film, PQ, and AQ.

4.5/5

Great review. This was a great movie because of the acting for jamie and cruise. I think i slightly agree with you on the comparison between foxx and cruise. But at the end of the day they where both amazing and this is a good good film.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Diesel

How to Train Your Dragon

[Show spoiler]I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, I didn't really know what it was about. I knew there were Vikings, there were dragons and then there would be Craig Ferguson
But that's about it.


The first half hour or so was pretty
The main guy was annoying, I didn't laugh more than twice at the "funny stuff" (both were from Ferguson's character) and was just generally disinterested, it didn't pull me in.
But to fair, I was still sleepy when I started the beginning, so perhaps on a rewatch I would enjoy it more.

But once he found Toothless and started befriending him it was uphill big time.

Toothless was easily the best character for me
He was hilarious and at the same time cool.

The rest of the characters and the story grew on me after that point as well, so Toothless elevated the entire movie for me

I liked Gerard Butler as the dad and as I've already mentioned, Craig Ferguson as...well whatever his name was with no leg.

The fat kid with the stats was pretty funny the rest of the movie.


The flying sequences were VERY well done, it looked great and was very fun to watch. Great job on those.
Those spawned my favorite line of the entire movie that made me bust out laughing,

[Show spoiler]"Thanks for nothing you useless reptile!!"

Going in to the ending portion, I thought, "

[Show spoiler]Oh great, here comes the predictable when all of the dragons are going to show up to help fight the big one

"....BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! And I was sooooo happy that it didn't because what we actually got was great.


A very strong movie overall (even with my for the first portion).

One and Done collection? No. I want to watch it again, and would consider buying it one day if I found a very good price on it. We'll see.

Until I rewatch it at a later date and reevaluate the first segment of the film, I'm going with:

Rating - 4.5/5

*If I rewatch it and the first portion is better than I found it this time, I'll bump it up to a 4.75/5 as long as I enjoy the rest of the film as much as I did this time.

I re-watched this one too and changed my rating. This is an amazing fun ride and very cool film but it aint no Toy Story 3. Pixar has some type of magic with their movies. Maybe im just a fan boy.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Diesel

How to Train Your Dragon

[Show spoiler]
I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, I didn't really know what it was about. I knew there were Vikings, there were dragons and then there would be Craig Ferguson
But that's about it.


The first half hour or so was pretty
The main guy was annoying, I didn't laugh more than twice at the "funny stuff" (both were from Ferguson's character) and was just generally disinterested, it didn't pull me in.
But to fair, I was still sleepy when I started the beginning, so perhaps on a rewatch I would enjoy it more.

But once he found Toothless and started befriending him it was uphill big time.

Toothless was easily the best character for me
He was hilarious and at the same time cool.

The rest of the characters and the story grew on me after that point as well, so Toothless elevated the entire movie for me

I liked Gerard Butler as the dad and as I've already mentioned, Craig Ferguson as...well whatever his name was with no leg.

The fat kid with the stats was pretty funny the rest of the movie.


The flying sequences were VERY well done, it looked great and was very fun to watch. Great job on those.
Those spawned my favorite line of the entire movie that made me bust out laughing,

[Show spoiler]"Thanks for nothing you useless reptile!!"

Going in to the ending portion, I thought, "

[Show spoiler]Oh great, here comes the predictable when all of the dragons are going to show up to help fight the big one

"....BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! And I was sooooo happy that it didn't because what we actually got was great.


A very strong movie overall (even with my for the first portion).

One and Done collection? No. I want to watch it again, and would consider buying it one day if I found a very good price on it. We'll see.

Until I rewatch it at a later date and reevaluate the first segment of the film, I'm going with:

Rating - 4.5/5



*If I rewatch it and the first portion is better than I found it this time, I'll bump it up to a 4.75/5 as long as I enjoy the rest of the film as much as I did this time.

Even though I would give this one a 5/5 and it sits somewhere in my Top 5 for the year, I do somewhat agree with you on the beginning. Nothing annoyed me about it (it's there for a reason), but the movie does really take off (no pun intended) once he finds Toothless.

Anyways, I'm glad you really enjoyed this as I obviously thought it was very impressive.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I also DVR'd American Gangster today. Never saw it. Anyone like it?

Meh for me.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

"You see what you want to see."

Everlasting Moments is a film about a Swedish woman's hardships in a working class family in the early 1900's. The main character, Maria Larsson, has an abusive and alcoholic husband, who finds work to support the family but continually uses his charm on other women. Never once before thinking about herself, she stumbles upon a discovery of self-interest when she learns to use an old camera of hers. In one particular scene involving the silhouette of a butterfly, she regards photography as miraculous. Her talent is certainly noticed by others, most notably by a photography shop owner. Throughout the film, she never acknowledges her unique vision of beauty.

[Show spoiler]Her resolution involved finally thinking of herself (finally giving herself some credit) when she takes a picture of herself for the first time.

Instead of utilizing her talent to financially help her family, she keeps it reserved as an escape from her struggles (as each photo captures an everlasting moment to imagine).

Maria is strong but unhappy. Although she is repeatedly punished when standing up for herself, it is made clear that she does not fear her husband. Instead, she looks at him as if seeing through his soul.

[Show spoiler]Her daughter said that in the end, her persistence to remain married was a mystery. When she came to her father with strong doubts, he reminded her of their vows, that only death shall part them. With her unique perspective, she understood from that point on why she must stay with him.

Maria understands the world like nobody else does. Only she can see the good in her husband which is why it is such a mystery to everyone else. His good intentions are subtle, but they are there.

[Show spoiler]A striking scene involves her husband raging mad at her when she startles him with a photo of their children. Although her husband is seemingly uncontrollable, she finds a path to his heart. In another scene, a mother tells Maria she wishes she aborted her child with Down's Syndrome. Maria responds with a request to take her daughter's picture. Almost immediately, the woman realizes in tears that the beauty was always there but only Maria could see.

A theme of guilt is prevalent in the film. The weight of consequences for individual actions bears down heavily on the family, and the characters seem to evolve from it. The cinematography is gorgeous. Inky, gritty, old-fashioned, and real at the same time. I love the color palette used for the film. The main actress gives a phenomenal performance as well. Her poignant expressions throughout the film add tremendous depth to the narrative and her mysterious character.

Overall, this is a masterpiece and must-see period piece.

5/5

Thank you for that nice review. This has been in my queue since 7/10/2010

I'm working on it. Really. I keep bumping "Must Sees" to the top, and thereby displacing other "Must Sees". I'm stuck in a LOOP damnit.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by killowertz

Please....

[Show spoiler]

.

That guy looks invincible.