The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

It is an excellent film and worth the risk of being disturbed. Don't say I didn't warn you though

don't worry, i'll definitely remember and hope for the best

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Agreed, I also liked him a lot in Reign Over Me. Haven't seen Spanglish yet, it's been in my queue forever.

Its very warm. Plus the Tea Leoni and Paz Vega factor help.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Amores Perros - 4.75/5

Great film about three intertwining stories that revolve around people and their dogs. I was very impressed with Inarritu's direction, especially being that this was his directorial debut... and I love his style in this one. The entire cast was great and gave excellent performances. I'll revisit 21 Grams soon and then watch Babel again, then I'll be ready for Biutiful - which now I'm even more stoked for

Btw, for anyone on the fence about seeing this, the

[Show spoiler]dog fight scenes

aren't that bad. Not much is shown at all, and even what you hear isn't very brutal. However, there are some shots of

[Show spoiler]"dead" dogs

in the film. As an animal lover, I hate to see animals harmed but this film isn't very disturbing or hard to watch at all. I highly recommend this one.

Hmmmmmmmm

Blood Diamond - 4.5/5

I like this one more every time I see it. Great story, solid direction, great score and some great cinematography showing the gorgeous, lush African landscape. I'm a fan of Djimon Hounsou, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly and they all put forth great performances. I love the chemistry between Connelly and DiCaprio and everytime I watch this, I find myself

[Show spoiler]hoping that they'll get together! But of course that doesn't happen. It's tragic, but he dies a beautiful death, acting on the goodness in his heart beneath his tough exterior and greedy motives, reuniting a father and son and saving their lives. In the end, he gives his blood back to the land that he calls home. I love his last shot where he's laying against rock in the warm sun high up on a beautiful hillside, watching the sunset. A beautiful death indeed.

Agree, especially the spoiler.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Not a lot of people give Sandler a chance in "serious" roles. Since you enjoy him, I strongly recommend Spanglish if you havent seen it. A nice romantic drama with a small spalsh of humor.

Big +1.

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Haven't seen Spanglish yet, it's been in my queue forever.

It surprised me and is one of my personal favorites. I still consider Punch Drunk Love his best performance though.

[SquidPuppet]

Antichrist

Oh my. I liked it.

Let me start with this, I abandoned seeking themes and watched it as a literal work. Meaning, I took what was on screen as "it is what it is" and nothing deeper. After watching the bonus material and interviews with Von Trier and Dafoe, I am glad I did that.

However, because of that, the title is all wrong. God is here? God abandoned us? Satan rules? NONE of that is depicted anywhere in the movie other than the in the ramblings and writings of a mentally disturbed woman. Its never projected as a reality.

I thought the black and white prologue was fantastic, yet obviously trragic.

I felt a great deal of empathy for the woman as she

[Show spoiler]slipped farther and farther into her psychosis. As the story unfolds we can see that she was troubled long before the loss of her child. She commits acts in a "Blackout" state similar to an alcoholic, and regrets them when she shifts back to reality.

I found the realism of the Mans failure to help her very well portrayed. A therapist can NOT treat a spouse effectively. He is unable to be objective because he loves, and is in love with the patient. She will only grow to resent (as properly depicted) Him for his "arrogance" as she cant separate therapist from spouse. Treatment is doomed to fail from the onset. This was a HUGE error in judgment on his behalf, and the consequences were grave indeed. Could she have recovered with treatment from a different Mental Health Professional? We'll never know.

Some viewers may see the film as mysogynistic, but in reality it is far from it. It depicts the woman as

[Show spoiler]suffering at the hands of a mental illness. Suffering to a degree the audience cant begin to comprehend. Some forms of insanity are painless for the patient because they have no idea that they are mad. In Her case, she was well aware of the fact that she was slipping farther and farther away from reality and moving towards a dark and evil place. The anguish and anxiety would be tremendous, unbearable. Hence the self destructive behavior. Anything to escape the guilt and pain. Anything, a fleeting orgasm, a punch in the face, anything strong enough to take her mind away from where it want to go. Anything to stop being pulled towards that dark place. She is very aware of how troubled she is and fears abandonment. Can you imagine living that way.

The other tragedy we witness unfolding is His.

[Show spoiler]We watch as a good man tries to do the right thing. To save his wife from a complete and irreversible breakdown. In the process of failing, he comes to realize that there were many warning signs of her demise well before the event that is commonly believed to trigger it. He feels guilt for missing all those signs. He feels guilt for the death of his son. He feels guilt for not helping her earlier. In a final act caused by overwhelming fear, rage, desperation, horror, passion and guilt, he terminates her life. He will now return to a life racked with tremendous guilt for all eternity. Tragedy.

Its a very serious story about very serious subject matter, told in a very "Artsy" form. This may not work for you, it did for me. Disturbing? Only if you view He and She as evil, and they werent.

Performances were all fantastic.

Pacing was slow burn for sure. I liked it.

Thanks for the recommendations guys.

Film 4/5
PQ 4.25/5
AQ 3.75/5 Sometimes fabulous, but sometimes dialog was difficult to make out.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by volcomsocal

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

[Show spoiler]Maybe I'm crazy but I didn't enjoy this film. This was the first time I'd ever seen it. I rented it mainly because I've heard so many great things about the AQ of this movie. To be honest, I wasn't blown away. Terminator Salvation (my AQ holy grail) is MUCH better... hell, even Kick-Ass and The Dark Knight have better audio.

Another huge let down for me was the PQ. Now, I received the blu-ray copy of Master and Commander in the mail from Netflix, but I couldn't count how many times I was thinking to myself, "Am I watching a dvd?" This was probably the ugliest blu-ray I've ever watched. Not clear, not crisp, just plain blahhh.

Now the movie itself. This was one of the most boring movies I've ever seen... right up their with Inglourious Basterds, although not quite as bad. I would say a total of 30 minutes I was actually entertained. The story wasn't gripping, riveting, or exciting. Lack of character development didn't help either. And oh yeah, half the words spoken in this movie I couldn't even understand due to the thick English accent. I just don't see what people like in this movie.

Big let down overall 4/10




I'm not trying to be a scrooge. I love plenty of movies out there... just look at my collection. It's just this one really chapped my hide.

I gave it a 3.75/5. It was good but barely; just didn't work for me all that well. Bought it for $10 then sold it a few weeks later for $4.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Watching Aliens on TV, LOL@horrible acting in this movie. 5/5 still, one of the best sequels of all-time for sure, can't wait till the price drops on this set so I can get it.

...horrible acting...really?!

Okay I guess it is cheesy. Especially with the dialogue, but I still enjoyed it and probably wouldn't have it any other way. I always thought Sigourney Weaver and Michael Beihn were awesome here, and I didn't mind the others.

[Diesel]

It's definitely some "cheesy" dialog and the marines' (or whatever they were) acting, but it didn't really bother me either. Really good movie

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Antichrist

[Show spoiler]
Oh my. I liked it.

Let me start with this, I abandoned seeking themes and watched it as a literal work. Meaning, I took what was on screen as "it is what it is" and nothing deeper. After watching the bonus material and interviews with Von Trier and Dafoe, I am glad I did that.

However, because of that, the title is all wrong. God is here? God abandoned us? Satan rules? NONE of that is depicted anywhere in the movie other than the in the ramblings and writings of a mentally disturbed woman. Its never projected as a reality.

I thought the black and white prologue was fantastic, yet obviously trragic.

I felt a great deal of empathy for the woman as she

[Show spoiler]slipped farther and farther into her psychosis. As the story unfolds we can see that she was troubled long before the loss of her child. She commits acts in a "Blackout" state similar to an alcoholic, and regrets them when she shifts back to reality.

I found the realism of the Mans failure to help her very well portrayed. A therapist can NOT treat a spouse effectively. He is unable to be objective because he loves, and is in love with the patient. She will only grow to resent (as properly depicted) Him for his "arrogance" as she cant separate therapist from spouse. Treatment is doomed to fail from the onset. This was a HUGE error in judgment on his behalf, and the consequences were grave indeed. Could she have recovered with treatment from a different Mental Health Professional? We'll never know.

Some viewers may see the film as mysogynistic, but in reality it is far from it. It depicts the woman as

[Show spoiler]suffering at the hands of a mental illness. Suffering to a degree the audience cant begin to comprehend. Some forms of insanity are painless for the patient because they have no idea that they are mad. In Her case, she was well aware of the fact that she was slipping farther and farther away from reality and moving towards a dark and evil place. The anguish and anxiety would be tremendous, unbearable. Hence the self destructive behavior. Anything to escape the guilt and pain. Anything, a fleeting orgasm, a punch in the face, anything strong enough to take her mind away from where it want to go. Anything to stop being pulled towards that dark place. She is very aware of how troubled she is and fears abandonment. Can you imagine living that way.

The other tragedy we witness unfolding is His.

[Show spoiler]We watch as a good man tries to do the right thing. To save his wife from a complete and irreversible breakdown. In the process of failing, he comes to realize that there were many warning signs of her demise well before the event that is commonly believed to trigger it. He feels guilt for missing all those signs. He feels guilt for the death of his son. He feels guilt for not helping her earlier. In a final act caused by overwhelming fear, rage, desperation, horror, passion and guilt, he terminates her life. He will now return to a life racked with tremendous guilt for all eternity. Tragedy.

Its a very serious story about very serious subject matter, told in a very "Artsy" form. This may not work for you, it did for me. Disturbing? Only if you view He and She as evil, and they werent.

Performances were all fantastic.

Pacing was slow burn for sure. I liked it.

Thanks for the recommendations guys.

Film 4/5
PQ 4.25/5
AQ 3.75/5 Sometimes fabulous, but sometimes dialog was difficult to make out.

Awesome.

I agree, I'm still a little puzzled over the title, but the entire thing does provoke a lot of thought. It might become a new top favorite in time...

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Antichrist

Oh my. I liked it.

Let me start with this, I abandoned seeking themes and watched it as a literal work. Meaning, I took what was on screen as "it is what it is" and nothing deeper. After watching the bonus material and interviews with Von Trier and Dafoe, I am glad I did that.

However, because of that, the title is all wrong. God is here? God abandoned us? Satan rules? NONE of that is depicted anywhere in the movie other than the in the ramblings and writings of a mentally disturbed woman. Its never projected as a reality.

I thought the black and white prologue was fantastic, yet obviously trragic.

I felt a great deal of empathy for the woman as she

[Show spoiler]slipped farther and farther into her psychosis. As the story unfolds we can see that she was troubled long before the loss of her child. She commits acts in a "Blackout" state similar to an alcoholic, and regrets them when she shifts back to reality.

I found the realism of the Mans failure to help her very well portrayed. A therapist can NOT treat a spouse effectively. He is unable to be objective because he loves, and is in love with the patient. She will only grow to resent (as properly depicted) Him for his "arrogance" as she cant separate therapist from spouse. Treatment is doomed to fail from the onset. This was a HUGE error in judgment on his behalf, and the consequences were grave indeed. Could she have recovered with treatment from a different Mental Health Professional? We'll never know.

Some viewers may see the film as mysogynistic, but in reality it is far from it. It depicts the woman as

[Show spoiler]suffering at the hands of a mental illness. Suffering to a degree the audience cant begin to comprehend. Some forms of insanity are painless for the patient because they have no idea that they are mad. In Her case, she was well aware of the fact that she was slipping farther and farther away from reality and moving towards a dark and evil place. The anguish and anxiety would be tremendous, unbearable. Hence the self destructive behavior. Anything to escape the guilt and pain. Anything, a fleeting orgasm, a punch in the face, anything strong enough to take her mind away from where it want to go. Anything to stop being pulled towards that dark place. She is very aware of how troubled she is and fears abandonment. Can you imagine living that way.

The other tragedy we witness unfolding is His.

[Show spoiler]We watch as a good man tries to do the right thing. To save his wife from a complete and irreversible breakdown. In the process of failing, he comes to realize that there were many warning signs of her demise well before the event that is commonly believed to trigger it. He feels guilt for missing all those signs. He feels guilt for the death of his son. He feels guilt for not helping her earlier. In a final act caused by overwhelming fear, rage, desperation, horror, passion and guilt, he terminates her life. He will now return to a life racked with tremendous guilt for all eternity. Tragedy.

Its a very serious story about very serious subject matter, told in a very "Artsy" form. This may not work for you, it did for me. Disturbing? Only if you view He and She as evil, and they werent.

Performances were all fantastic.

Pacing was slow burn for sure. I liked it.

Thanks for the recommendations guys.

Film 4/5
PQ 4.25/5
AQ 3.75/5 Sometimes fabulous, but sometimes dialog was difficult to make out.

imo i think the story has 2 different meainings. I see every point you've made and i cant argue non of your theories. They all make sense, But if you throw religion in the mix it also makes sense. I look at the movie as a

[Show spoiler]A woman being the ultimate gate way to the devil because of the overall power she holds over man. This is why she steered away from her studies and started to actually believe the history of a woman in eden. I thought this point was really brought out when they had sex in the woods.

So i believe that there what you are saying sounds good for the most part but there's still some deeper meaning to this film that many cannot figure out. I've read countless reviews of those who loved it liked it and hated it and they all steer in different directions. This movie is just a complex onion with in a onion . Heaven? Hell?

[Show spoiler]It seemed like they were in hell when they crossed the bridge or at least thats what the cinematography is trying to say.

At the end of the day i think this is a scientific and religious involved film. They both hold very strong meanings.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Awesome.

I agree, I'm still a little puzzled over the title, but the entire thing does provoke a lot of thought. It might become a new top favorite in time...

This instantly made it to the top list. Amazing movie, once i figure everything out im moving it to a 5/5 for sure.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

My Criterion spree is officially over. My haul was as follows:

[Show spoiler]1) Night of the Hunter
2) El Norte
3) Red Desert
4) Paths of Glory
5) Breathless
6) The Thin Red Line
7) Seven Samurai
8) The Double Life of Veronique (dvd--damn you Criterion)
9) Brief Encounter (dvd)
10) Night and Fog (dvd---how could I pass this up for $7, when it will likely never get a blu-ray release and wouldn't be improved if it did so, and when Francois Truffaut calls it the greatest film ever made?)

What about everyone else?

Originally Posted by Steve46

Picked up a few in the last three weeks:

[Show spoiler]The 400 Blows
El Norte
Play Time
Bottle Rocket
Charade
Mystery Train
Paths of Glory
Last Year at Marienbad

The Double Life of Veronique (UK Region B Blu-ray around $11)

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Hausu

[Show spoiler]The Last Emperor
Monsoon Wedding
For All Mankind
Modern Times

Not as much as some of you but I am happy when you think of how much they are here in Canada

Originally Posted by rkolinski

[Show spoiler]Paris, Texas
Seven Samurai
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
The Night of the Hunter
Paths of Glory
El Norte

Originally Posted by DjMethod

In order of purchase:

[Show spoiler]Seven Samurai
The Magician
Revanche
Everlasting Moments
The Thin Red Line
Modern Times

My current additions
The 400 Blows
The Antichrist
Breathless
Charade
Everlasting Moments
Kagemusha
Last Year at Marienbad
The Magician
The Night of the Hunter
Paths of Glory
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line

whooo, all blind buys except The Antichrist. I needed to see it asap so i netflixed it.

Criterion Addict??

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

My current additions
The 400 Blows
The Antichrist
Breathless
Charade
Everlasting Moments
Kagemusha
Last Year at Marienbad
The Magician
The Night of the Hunter
Paths of Glory
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line

whooo, all blind buys except The Antichrist. I needed to see it asap so i netflixed it.

Criterion Addict??

More like blind-buy addict

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

More like blind-buy addict

Ha this is true but i truly blind buy Criterions, I dont even look at the reviews on them, i read the back and thats it. I buy with confidence from them.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

My Criterion spree is officially over. My haul was as follows:

What about everyone else?

Previously I got:
"Antichrist" (couldn't resist!)
"Brazil" (on DVD)
"Charade"
"House" (a blind-buy, turned out to be interesting)
"Le Samourai" (on DVD)
"The Magician" (a blind-buy, and it turned out to be great)
"Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" (a blind-buy, still haven't seen yet)
"Paths of Glory"

Also decided to order (and am currently waiting on):
"La Haine" (on DVD)
"Modern Times" (a blind-buy)
"The Naked Lunch" (on DVD)
"Rashomon" (on DVD)
"Throne of Blood" (on DVD)

I think that covers all my Criterion wants for the time being.

[tbizzle]

Revanche
Walkabout
Paris, Texas
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line
The Darjeeling Limited

TTRL and SS should be here on Monday and Wednesday respectively, can't wait.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Its very warm. Plus the Tea Leoni and Paz Vega factor help.

Sounds good to me

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Ha this is true but i truly blind buy Criterions, I dont even look at the reviews on them, i read the back and thats it. I buy with confidence from them.

Yeah, if the write-up and content sounds interesting, they usually don't dissapoint (even if they do turn out to be long or confusing; I think just about all the Criterion movies I've blind-bought have been satisfying).

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

great review tbizzle!
and thanks for the info about

[Show spoiler]the dog fights

, if it's not that bad, i may just be able to see it.

I think you'll love it, it's got all the makings of an excellent bearcat drama.... and then some

[Foggy]

Criterion doesn't exists in the UK, the closest thing I've got to it, is that my friend has the Criterion version of Armageddon (which is region A, so it doesn't work over here)......Go figure