The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i'm usually very lazy and instead of renting i just blind buy something. but i'm trying to change that. so i've been going through my collection and see what i want to actually keep and what i own right now because i blind bought it on a "spur of the moment" impulse, which i'm learning to not do as much

I tend to see most movies I'm interested in in the theater so that I don't have to rent that much, but there are always exceptions (How to Train Your Dragon being the most recent because our theater had it in only 3D ).

I never got into blind buying, renting has always been a cheaper option for me.
The only blind buys I've made where:

Quantum of Solace when I purchased Casino Royale -

Into the Blue because it looked fun and was $8 -

Daredevil -


Of course, Daredevil came in the 3 pack with the Fantastic Four movies on Black Friday 09. So I looked at it as I paid XX.xx a piece for them all if I enjoyed Daredevil, or I paid X.xx a piece for the two Fantastic Four movies if I didn't like Daredevil. Either way it was a good price, but I ended up liking Daredevil, so it was the lower of the prices

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I tend to see most movies I'm interested in in the theater so that I don't have to rent that much, but there are always exceptions (How to Train Your Dragon being the most recent because our theater had it in only 3D ).

I never got into blind buying, renting has always been a cheaper option for me.

i hate the theater and it's way too expensive so if i blind buy for say $15 (dvd days) it was only about $5 than the theater and if i liked it, i got to watch it as much as i wanted, so i just waited for the dvd (now the blu).

ironically enough, all of your blind buys were blind buys i made, only during the dvd heyday. small world

i used to blind buy a lot on blu-ray because upgrading my dvd's seemed "boring" because i already knew if i liked the movie or not, which didn't seem fun (that sounds super stupid doesn't it? ), so i would hold off buying movies i actually enjoyed on blu-ray (like Into the Wild, which still bugs me because i don't have it on BD yet) and buy things that would end up being crap (a la: The Haunting in Connecticut, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Resident Evil: Degeneration....).

[surfdude12]

yeah I'm with Bearcat here. Seriously Diesel -- how do you put up with the theater -- insane ticket prices (cost of a blu on amazon ), at best blu-ray PQ/AQ (with a decent HT), and risk of cell phones, talking, etc ....I probably go 1-2 times per year.

[Diesel]

Ticket price for me = $4.75


I go during the week (during the day when possible) when its half price and the theaters are mostly empty. Slashes the cell phone / talking probability by a large amount since its usually older people and not teenagers



It's by far the best option of seeing a movie that I'm really anticipating for me: no waiting another 4-5 months, not having to drop $20 on something I haven't seen, our theater has more power to the sound than my HTiB


I went to the theater over 20 times last year for about 15 movies or so.



Sure, my renting from the PSN / Amazon on Demand is cheaper by a dollar, but it involves a long wait.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah I'm with Bearcat here. Seriously Diesel -- how do you put up with the theater -- insane ticket prices (cost of a blu on amazon ), at best blu-ray PQ/AQ (with a decent HT), and risk of cell phones, talking, etc ....I probably go 1-2 times per year.

yep yep
if my theater has Black Swan that may finally get me to go (first time since The Dark Knight) but i have low hopes of my city getting Black Swan

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Ticket price for me = $4.75


I go during the week (during the day when possible) when its half price and the theaters are mostly empty. Slashes the cell phone / talking probability by a large amount since its usually older people and not teenagers



It's by far the best option of seeing a movie that I'm really anticipating for me: no waiting another 4-5 months, not having to drop $20 on something I haven't seen, our theater has more power to the sound than my HTiB


I went to the theater over 20 times last year for about 15 movies or so.



Sure, my renting from the PSN / Amazon on Demand is cheaper by a dollar, but it involves a long wait.

i guess $4.75 ain't bad, and if you don't have to deal with teenagers and cell phones then that works out pretty well. i've gotten used to waiting till release. actually, i don't even pay attention to what's out in theaters or "coming soon" because all that does is make me anxious to see something when i know i will wait anyway

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Jhiggy will be pleased to hear that The Double Life of Veronique is getting the Criterion treatment and will be released in February.

Au contraire. I'm pissed. Why? Because after discussing whether to get the dvd or the UK blu with several members in the Criterion forum, I decided to buy the Criterion dvd. I was assured that there would be no further blu release of the film because Artificial Eye had it. Last nite at 2 am I opened the plastic wrap on the film because I knew that its packaging was absolutely beautiful inside and couldn't wait. Then today I find out it shockingly will get a Criterion blu release! Now I have to offload the dvd.

Btw, rumor has it that Soderbergh's Solaris will be released by Criterion next year, along with Lolita and Malick's Badlands. Maybe Sin Nombre too due to the current IFC deal.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i guess $4.75 ain't bad, and if you don't have to deal with teenagers and cell phones then that works out pretty well. i've gotten used to waiting till release. actually, i don't even pay attention to what's out in theaters or "coming soon" because all that does is make me anxious to see something when i know i will wait anyway

For certain movies I go at midnight. Full price, but its the people who are there to watch the movie and its usually the best crowd to watch it with
But I don't do that that often (mostly because of the full price being $9.75 )


Well being one of the big three news posters for the movie sections....I'm pretty well aware of when most things are out and details on them



So....when is Tammy and the T-Rex night?




Have you guys seen The Innocents (1961)? I think I'm going to watch that sometime in the next week or so.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Btw, rumor has it that Soderbergh's Solaris will be released by Criterion next year, along with Lolita and Malick's Badlands. Maybe Sin Nombre too due to the current IFC deal.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

So....when is Tammy and the T-Rex night?

it might just be tonight! i accidentally took a four hour nap today so chances are i will be up late and unless i feel like watching something i already have about 10 times, i might youtube it. and then somehow write a review that captures how truly magnificent it is

[Gamma_Winstead]

I saw Charade recently. I liked it a lot. I'd place it in High Tier 2 of the films I've seen. However, another viewing, which I will definetly have soon, may put it into tier one. I just adore Audrey Hepburn.

I saw Skyline and Unstoppable this weekend. I gave detailed though on Skyline elsewhere.

Unstoppable caught me off gaurd. I felt it to be a fantastically done thriller in the bein of Speilbergs Duel. Pine and Washington were great leads, and as usual Rosario Dawson is just awesome. I was very happy with my viewings of the film, and it's actually on my list of films I'll purchase.

The early years of Blu-Ray saw me purchasing damn near every film that came out. However, I've recently been staunchy with my purchases. I'm limiting what I actually buy/blind buy. It's nice.

[AKORIS]

[

Have you guys seen The Innocents (1961)? I think I'm going to watch that sometime in the next week or so.[/QUOTE]



seen it several times--- it's one of the best ghost stories ever filmed imo---
beautifully photographed, very well acted, moody, scary in a couple of scenes, and ambiguous in it's conclusion-- cannot wait for a blu ray release!

[Marcus Wright]

The Pianist.

Its a personal favorite of mine, nothing to hide.
War World 2 movie I have seen and like more than any other movie on that topic.
Beautifully written and executed movie.
Leading actor is perfect.


5/5

[surfdude12]

Night of the Hunter (DVD)

Film: 4/5
-set in a "To Kill A Mockingbird" type small town.
-at the beginning: GORGEOUS aerial shots of the town and surrounding area, including a car entering the area. Reminded me of the opening sequence of The SHining. Also, other aerial shots later on in the film. A very deliberate technique used to perfection. Loved it. Very eerie, just like Shining.
-film is about a preacher who is jailed, and who learns a family secret from his cellmate, and so sets out to cash in on this secret when the preacher gets out.
-infinite buffet of themes, which the film tells us right off the bat -

[Show spoiler]a great parable about how a good tree can't produce bad fruit and a bad tree can't produce good fruit, so LOOK TO THE FRUIT if you want to find out what tree you have. the preacher is the prime example of a bad tree who can't produce good fruit. many are fooled by his charisma and think him to be noble, but if they really looked at his deeds (fruit), they'd see he is nothing but a degenerate.

-constant edge-of-your-seat suspense. everything you want from a Criterion in terms of gorgeous cinematography, but is also never slow-paced and keeps the suspense going
-I will probably buy this, although its right at "maybe" since I"ve already bought a ton

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Ticket price for me = $4.75


I go during the week (during the day when possible) when its half price and the theaters are mostly empty. Slashes the cell phone / talking probability by a large amount since its usually older people and not teenagers

dude you should write a book: "Diesel's guide to stretching your dollar at the Movie Theater...and avoiding joykillers"

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Night of the Hunter (DVD)

Film: 4/5
-set in a "To Kill A Mockingbird" type small town.
-at the beginning: GORGEOUS aerial shots of the town and surrounding area, including a car entering the area. Reminded me of the opening sequence of The SHining. Also, other aerial shots later on in the film. A very deliberate technique used to perfection. Loved it. Very eerie, just like Shining.
-film is about a preacher who is jailed, and who learns a family secret from his cellmate, and so sets out to cash in on this secret when the preacher gets out.
-infinite buffet of themes, which the film tells us right off the bat -

[Show spoiler]a great parable about how a good tree can't produce bad fruit and a bad tree can't produce good fruit, so LOOK TO THE FRUIT if you want to find out what tree you have. the preacher is the prime example of a bad tree who can't produce good fruit. many are fooled by his charisma and think him to be noble, but if they really looked at his deeds (fruit), they'd see he is nothing but a degenerate.

-constant edge-of-your-seat suspense. everything you want from a Criterion in terms of gorgeous cinematography, but is also never slow-paced and keeps the suspense going
-I will probably buy this, although its right at "maybe" since I"ve already bought a ton

adding this one to my collection for sure!! Robert Mitchum was great and underrated imo

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

adding this one to my collection for sure!! Robert Mitchum was great and underrated imo

yeah he was great, a very good

[Show spoiler]villain. The old lady at the end was also a great heroine. I thought Mitchum had a unique balance of being the mean/nasty villain, but in a smooth, refined kind of way.

Very rare to see that combo.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I know!! There is some dude who stole my avatar, but if you look closely: his is a zoom-in shot of Lenny. YOu can't see the polaroid. Clearly a bootleg fake.

Haha yep that's the one. I change up my avatar sometimes but keep them all logged in a "Profile Pics" album you can see on my User Profile. You might recognize most of them. I think I've kept my Ventura one the longest:

[Show spoiler]

Your last one was funny. I once was going to ask you "hey DJ -- is that a whispering scene? What's he whispering in her ear?"

Originally Posted by Diesel

Ticket price for me = $4.75


I go during the week (during the day when possible) when its half price and the theaters are mostly empty. Slashes the cell phone / talking probability by a large amount since its usually older people and not teenagers

$5.50 for me. Century/Cinemark Theaters is $5.50 for the first showing of the day and there are at least four Century locations around me. 3D blockbusters are really beginning to irritate me though. At least with Avatar they didn't stage the cinematography to flaunt the 3D aspect (unlike Megamind, RE: Afterlife, or Saw 3D). I even saw Megamind in 2D and it was still painfully obvious (things randomly thrown at the screen). NOT "cool" in my book.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Au contraire. I'm pissed. Why? Because after discussing whether to get the dvd or the UK blu with several members in the Criterion forum, I decided to buy the Criterion dvd. I was assured that there would be no further blu release of the film because Artificial Eye had it. Last nite at 2 am I opened the plastic wrap on the film because I knew that its packaging was absolutely beautiful inside and couldn't wait. Then today I find out it shockingly will get a Criterion blu release! Now I have to offload the dvd.

That blows. I've been in that situation before but not with a Criterion title. You should sell the DVD online... you could make back the B&N sale price for sure.

Btw, rumor has it that Soderbergh's Solaris will be released by Criterion next year, along with Lolita and Malick's Badlands. Maybe Sin Nombre too due to the current IFC deal.

Haven't seen ANY of these. I am so excited Amarcord is getting the blu-ray treatment though.

[iam1bearcat]

There Will Be Blood

year: 2007 (limited release) / 2008 (worldwide release)
director: Paul Thomas Anderson
starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano

i've reviewed and watched There Will Be Blood more than enough times to make up for a short review here. almost everyone on this thread knows my love for this film, and my love of all Paul Thomas Anderson films probably rivals that of Surf to Kubrick among other users to their particular director of choice.

David Fincher used to be my favorite director, mostly because Fight Club is my favorite movie (and then also because Zodiac is also high up on my favorites list as well), but the rest of Fincher's work is just very in my book (haven't seen The Social Network yet ), but P.T.A's work? all of it is simply marvelous, and very, very different.

odd, because i'm a very "sci-fi" / "think out of left field" type of person. i don't think of the obvious answer for things. i think big, bold and unorthodox and find the 'normal' answer and way of doing things very bland. so knowing that my favorite director is one who makes nothing but heavy character driven pieces is almost as baffling to me as it would be to those who know my tastes and preferences. but Anderson's films are all a work of magic. Anderson writes great characters, great scenes and has an expert eye for directing a scene and great range with structure of his films. in a sense, when watching, i know my gf didn't find anything "super obvious" about the directing being great, but she never had anything she would have done differently. no super flashy camera tricks, no lens flares, no shaky cam, no jump cuts, no tricks or quirks. a lot like Kubrick: slow moving scenes that build off one another and put you right where you need to be in a film to the point where it doesn't feel like you're watching a film but where you're in the film with the characters watching nearby

There Will Be Blood, in my opinion is his magnum opus. at least so far. had i been able to comprehend, understand and appreciate (and know of) Magnolia when it was released, i would have probably said that was his magnum opus. in a lot of ways, that could be seen as his magnum opus as well. There Will Be Blood is more centrally focused than Magnolia - smaller cast - but much larger in scale and story telling history. while all of Anderson's films have very obvious themes, they also carry many "under the radar" themes.

There Will Be Blood is very exquisite in nature that it is a period piece (about oil and how it has become what it is today), but also carries with it themes about humanity that were here long before us and will be here long after us: greed, selfishness, ambition, relentlessness, incredible work ethic, and determination. one of my friends believe No Country for Old Men is the better "western" focused film because "TWBB is about oil, and in 20 years, it won't have the same effect that NCFOM will have", which i personally find ridiculous, but to each their own.

Daniel Day Lewis gives a performance that i believe is unrivaled in any genre or decade of film. some may find that a tad much, but there are so many subtleties to the character. it could have easily been written and acted out as an overzealous, selfish loud and arrogant bafoon. but that's not at all what Lewis brings to the character. he's perfectly portrayed as someone everyone wants to be, and wants to be around, but at the same time no one would like to be around because of how focused and driven he is. he does things that some will find disheartening, but at the end of the day, i am still glued to every line of dialogue, every body movement and i still care for the character. he's not a hero. he's not someone to be admired for his personality, but very much respected for his work ethic and drive. how many films have someone like that?

oddly enough, the opening... 20-25 minutes or so i'd say, i found a lot of resemblances to 2001: A Space Odyssey. i may have noticed them before but not taken notice, but anyone familiar with both films will likely see what i mean below:

[Show spoiler]the opening shot in TWBB of the piercing music and shot of mountains, very reminiscent of the opening scene in 2001 with the apes. same setting, same feel... follow this up with how there is zero dialogue in TWBB for about the entire first half hour, and 2001 is of course very well known for it's minimal dialogue. and then, maybe this is a bit far fetched, but the apes in 2001 find the monolith, and then they learn to use the bones as weapons. Plainview learns and finds oil. both "characters" in the films discover something that enriches and forever changes their lives. and i believe that Plainview wasn't searching for oil (gold and silver) and the apes stumbled upon the monolith when it was by their "fighting area" / water hole.

i know this isn't much of a review of a great film (in my opinion, the best film of either 2008 or 2007 (depending how you look at release dates)) but to me, it's a film that demands - and gets - your attention from start to finish. and either you're invested and following along, or your bored and waiting for something to happen.

as i've said before, i could watch all 5 (currently) of Anderson's films constantly on a regular basis, every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of any one of them. i cannot say that for any other director. i almost (almost) can't even say that for any other films!

an absolute masterpiece in every category:
performances, characters, story, atmosphere, cinematography, score, directing, writing...

one of my absolute favorites

PQ: 5/5 - some truly gorgeous scenes but also has the grain and grit to it that it definitely should have.
AQ: 5/5 - no qualms here

5/5

[two40]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

David Fincher used to be my favorite director, mostly because Fight Club is my favorite movie (and then also because Zodiac is also high up on my favorites list as well), but the rest of Fincher's work is just very

The rest of his work is ? What about Se7en? Did you not like it?

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

There Will Be Blood is very exquisite in nature that it is a period piece (about oil and how it has become what it is today), but also carries with it themes about humanity that were here long before us and will be here long after us: greed, selfishness, ambition, relentlessness, incredible work ethic, and determination. one of my friends believe No Country for Old Men is the better "western" focused film because "TWBB is about oil, and in 20 years, it won't have the same effect that NCFOM will have", which i personally find ridiculous, but to each their own.

Not sure I'd call TWBB a film about oil and certainly not about how oil became what it is today. The oil was just a catalyst for the characters. Kind of an excuse and a stage for showcasing the extremes of church and business. For me, TWBB is a portrait of ruthless ambition and the price that has to be paid. The argument your friend puts forward about the relevancy of the two films in 20 years time and using that as a gauge of their quality is, well, you said it, ridiculous.

Thanks for the review. I've been toying with re-watching this film and you've just pushed me over the edge.