The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

[Show spoiler]

Just sharing my CC joy.

That's badass dude!

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

I'm waiting on yours al. I know it'll take 2 post but im waiting lol.

Here it is! I included the DVDs as well on the left, and in the middle are a few Blus with Criterion DVDs inside of them as well. Still waiting on a few: "Modern Times" on Blu, and a few more DVDs.



Pic's kinda small on this forum; if you can't see 'em, the titles are:

[Show spoiler]

"Salo: 120 Days of Sodom" DVD (also got on Region-B BD; nutty, ain't it? )
Sergei Eisenstein Sound Years DVD Box Set ("Ivan the Terrible" and "Alexander Nevsky")
"Brazil" DVD
"Bicycle Thieves" DVD
"Battle for Algiers" DVD
"The Hidden Fortress" DVD
"Ace in the Hole" DVD
"Le Samourai" DVD
"The Blob" DVD
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Spartacus" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Monty Python's Life of Brian" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Ran" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Yojimbo/Sanjuro" BD Box Set
"The Seven Samurai" BD
"Kagemusha" BD
"M" BD
"The Third Man" BD
"The 400 Blows" BD
"Charade" BD
"House" BD
"Playtime" BD
"Pierot Le Fou" BD
"Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" BD (still haven't seen )
"Black Narcissus" BD
"Wages of Fear" BD
"Gomorrah" BD
"Hunger" BD
"The Magician" BD
"The Seventh Seal" BD
"Antichrist" BD

lDlisturb3d, I think you got more Criterion Blus than I do.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by dag

Awesome.

I've seen just about all of those this year myself. Oh, how I love Criterion.

Me 2 lol.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

so... what you're saying is, is that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was your most anticipated movie of 2010... and you loved it... correct?



what do you mean by that?

HAHAHAHA good try. There's no way...

Transformers is a cool as movie with amazing special effects. Some like watching the Discovery channel seeing the wild. While i like see amazing technical special effects and the wild. Special effects are apart of our evolution of computers, and im personally very into technology.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Here it is! I included the DVDs as well on the left, and in the middle are a few Blus with Criterion DVDs inside of them as well. Still waiting on a few: "Modern Times" on Blu, and a few more DVDs.



Pic's kinda small on this forum; if you can't see 'em, the titles are:

[Show spoiler]

"Salo: 120 Days of Sodom" DVD (also got on Region-B BD; nutty, ain't it? )
Sergei Eisenstein Sound Years DVD Box Set ("Ivan the Terrible" and "Alexander Nevsky")
"Brazil" DVD
"Bicycle Thieves" DVD
"Battle for Algiers" DVD
"The Hidden Fortress" DVD
"Ace in the Hole" DVD
"Le Samourai" DVD
"The Blob" DVD
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Spartacus" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Monty Python's Life of Brian" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Ran" (Studio BD, Criterion DVD)
"Yojimbo/Sanjuro" BD Box Set
"The Seven Samurai" BD
"Kagemusha" BD
"M" BD
"The Third Man" BD
"The 400 Blows" BD
"Charade" BD
"House" BD
"Playtime" BD
"Pierot Le Fou" BD
"Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" BD (still haven't seen )
"Black Narcissus" BD
"Wages of Fear" BD
"Gomorrah" BD
"Hunger" BD
"The Magician" BD
"The Seventh Seal" BD
"Antichrist" BD

lDlisturb3d, I think you got more Criterion Blus than I do.

D@mn nice!!!! I love your collection. You've got movies that i would love to own on blu like THE THIRD MAN . I wish it wasn't OOP.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

That's badass dude!

Thanks bro. It hurt my pockets though

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.”

There’s not really much of a plot to this WWII POW-themed prison movie, but that doesn’t stop it from being wholly boring. From the start, the film features a fair amount of interesting (and memorable) scenes, a cast of fairly interesting characters, and a fair amount of rough brutality. For the latter, it can be frustratingly difficult understanding why certain characters are so mean-spirited. But it’s even more frustratingly difficult accepting any character as purely good or purely evil; they’re all evenly developed with depth and humanity that expresses both the harsh malice of war and the camaraderie of peace. This can make the movie rather convoluted and off-putting, but it is fitting in its own right; the film doesn’t favor one culture over another, even though the two conflict constantly (and ultimately, the differences between honorable Japanese etiquette and honorable English manners stand out as a prominent theme throughout this film).

The film is well-filmed with plenty of interesting photography, unique settings and locations, interesting color and lighting schemes, and a quality realistic-looking production value. Performances (including the talents of Tom Conti, David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Takeshi Kitano) are strong. Ruichi Sakamoto also performs the music score, which is quite interesting.

4/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5, intellectual impact: 1/5)

Recommendation: Yes, for those looking for a prison movie on similar lines to “Bridge on the River Kwai” or “The Great Escape,” albeit without the action.

This Blu-Ray started off with alarming quality; noisy, grainy, soft, and with iffy-looking contrast. After those first few minutes though, it started to clear up, and throughout the last 3/4ths of the movie it looked as perfectly brilliant as any other Criterion title. Sharpness and detail are phenomenal for the most part; there’s some specks and debris here and there, but the vast majority of the image is clean. Sound quality is pretty good, for it is clean and clear, but nothing really stands out beyond the dialogue.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Wicker Park

[Show spoiler]2004 PG-13 115 minutes

DVD

A pretty fun tale of romance and stalking. With a twist. Well, in an innocent way, for the most part, kinda.

Josh Hartnett and Diane Kuger are/were (?) in a romantic relationship. Rose Byrne and Matthew Lillard are involved as well. But something (wrongly) separates Josh and Diane and a complex web of stalking and unkown interconnections begins to tighten and unravel all at the same time.

Told in a highly nonlinear fashion, you need to keep on your toes to follow the players through the chain of deceptive events.

I thought the acting and chemistry were all pretty good here. The directing and editing keeps the odd sequence of events plausible. Cinematography was pretty good, captuing a COLD Chicago winter.

Overall a good flick.

Recommendation: Check it out

4/5

Nice! I have this on DVD and want to give it another watch soon.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Seven Samurai (Criterion blu)

PQ: 4.5 (out of 5)

Wow! No way did I think it would look this good. Some scenes are just stunning.

AQ: 4 (out of 5)


Film: 4 stars (out of 4)

My copy is still waiting for me sealed. I'm looking forward to the PQ. Modern Times was so clean and detailed. Watched it with the fam on Thanksgiving.

Review:

It's easy to see why theyshootpictures, the most authoritative rating system, has this ranked as the greatest film of all-time.

I'd agree but doesn't Citizen Kane top that list?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Hep

Tangled

I went to see Tangled with my five year old daughter last night. We both loved it. The story is well handled, beautifully balancing action, comedy and melodrama. The animation is top notch. There is a flooding quarry scene with water that will have you gasping for breath. 3D is used to great effect. Make no mistake, this movie was meant to be seen in 3D. There were a number of shots that had my daughter reaching for floating lanterns and butterflies. Thankfully none of it felt gimmicky (save for a one second clip of Flynn climbing down a rope). The only improvement I could envision would be a minor rewrite of a somewhat cumbersome narrated set-up at the beginning.

With the benefit of 20 hours of hindsight, I can honestly say that this is the best film to come out of Disney proper since Beauty and the Beast. At its core is a classic Disney princess fairytale for little girls to love - but there is plenty to hold everyone’s attention. The characters are very well developed. The animals are often more fascinating than their co-stars; the horse in particular seems to think he’s a pig, hogging the audience’s full attention during his scenes. That isn’t to say the humans are dull, but only compared to a brilliantly exaggerated quadruped and chameleon.

I’m not ready to say this will join the pinnacle of the Disney catalogue, but it is certainly an honourable return to form. At present I would rate this 4.5/5.

Thanks for the scoop Hep. I will probably see it this afternoon.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I do that with my comedy shows like Modern Family. Plowing through episodes of comedy shows just ruins the experience imo. I love having an episode of Modern Family to watch here and there. Linear shows are not as easy to follow broken up though, especially when I can only fit in a couple movies a week until my binge-watching over the holidays. Plus, intermittent watching makes it easier to just drop shows I'm not interested in, which tears up the completist inside me. I'll keep it in mind though.

Ever get to Elite Squad?

Back on 11/22

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Elite Squad(Tropa de Elite)

2007 R 117 minutes

DVD

3.5/5

I liked this film. I felt engaged. The amount and depth of corruption in the Brazilian Police Department was stressful, frustrating and fascinating. I cared about all the main characters and the outcome. I enjoyed watching BOPE kick ass...and boy did they.

That said, I cant say I was wowed. It just felt "pretty good".

Definitely worth seeing, but not a buy for me.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

this was in the bottom 5 of my "worst films of 2005" list.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???????

The intimacy of the camera work is fantastic.

The dialogue is sharp as a tack.

The acting is spot on.

The humor is grounded in reality, and the drama is poignant.

Where is Diesel? Get the ban hammer swinging.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???????

The intimacy of the camera work is fantastic.

Yes especially during the part when he was on the pay phone with his ex.

The dialogue is sharp as a tack.

The acting is spot on.

The humor is grounded in reality, and the drama is poignant.

Thats what i meant by intelligent humor. I agree.

Where is Diesel? Get the ban hammer swinging.

He said he hates the mains so i can see why it wouldn't of even sunk in.

[lDlisturb3d]

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Patrick O'Brian and Peter Weir
Mains: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany and Billy Boyd

"This ship is our home, This ship is England"

Plot (IMDb): During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.

My Take: First in for most let it be known that I'm a SAILOR so my review of the movie my be beneficial on its authenticity. I've heard from both ends about this movie. My fellow co workers say its awesome but other viewer say its either ok or they didnt like it that much. Well for me this movie was GREAT!!!!! Lucky Jack is the man and this is the way naval leadership should be. The movie felt so real and i was engaged the whole time. Even though its not an American Naval film a "Sailor" is a "Sailor" and nothing changes about the life on a ship. I loved every minute of the movie from the opening scene until the emotional ending. I thought Russell Crowe was AMAZING and above all stayed in character every second. I also like how this film shows you the different minds of the military. Lucky Jack is a harden Captain that wants nothing but to win no matter the circumstances while on the other had his friend (The Doc) is somewhat anti military. I really appreciated this comparison. I came into this movie with low expectations but was blown away. This film has also become one of my favorite war films and my ALL TIME favorite Naval film.

Conclusion: Master and Commander shows you first hand the life of a sailor and war with France. Its overall presentation is remarkable. The opening scenes quickly grasp your attention. I want to give this movie a perfect 5 but it didn't hit home that hard. I have no doubt with a 2nd viewing that i will raise it to 5. For now its a 4.5 and my favorite Naval film. If you like history get it. If you like the Navy get it. If you are a sailor of any kind GET IT, you will be pleased on the attention to detail that this movie provides. The drama, and suspense are also top notch and the AQ is ridiculous. Sounds like you're right there with ol "Lucky Jack".

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4.5/5

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Patrick O'Brian and Peter Weir
Mains: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany and Billy Boyd

"This ship is our home, This ship is England"

Plot (IMDb): During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.

My Take: First in for most let it be known that I'm a SAILOR so my review of the movie my be beneficial on its authenticity. I've heard from both ends about this movie. My fellow co workers say its awesome but other viewer say its either ok or they didnt like it that much. Well for me this movie was GREAT!!!!! Lucky Jack is the man and this is the way naval leadership should be. The movie felt so real and i was engaged the whole time. Even though its not an American Naval film a "Sailor" is a "Sailor" and nothing changes about the life on a ship. I loved every minute of the movie from the opening scene until the emotional ending. I thought Russell Crowe was AMAZING and above all stayed in character every second. I also like how this film shows you the different minds of the military. Lucky Jack is a harden Captain that wants nothing but to win no matter the circumstances while on the other had his friend (The Doc) is somewhat anti military. I really appreciated this comparison. I came into this movie with low expectations but was blown away. This film has also become one of my favorite war films and my ALL TIME favorite Naval film.

Conclusion: Master and Commander shows you first hand the life of a sailor and war with France. Its overall presentation is remarkable. The opening scenes quickly grasp your attention. I want to give this movie a perfect 5 but it didn't hit home that hard. I have no doubt with a 2nd viewing that i will raise it to 5. For now its a 4.5 and my favorite Naval film. If you like history get it. If you like the Navy get it. If you are a sailor of any kind GET IT, you will be pleased on the attention to detail that this movie provides. The drama, and suspense are also top notch and the AQ is ridiculous. Sounds like you're right there with ol "Lucky Jack".

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4.5/5

Yet to see this one, I tried reading the book way back in the 80's and could not finish it, I just could not get into the style of writing of Patrick O'Brian. Maybe I should give the movie a try.

[Marcus Wright]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Patrick O'Brian and Peter Weir
Mains: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany and Billy Boyd

"This ship is our home, This ship is England"

[Show spoiler]Plot (IMDb): During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.

My Take: First in for most let it be known that I'm a SAILOR so my review of the movie my be beneficial on its authenticity. I've heard from both ends about this movie. My fellow co workers say its awesome but other viewer say its either ok or they didnt like it that much. Well for me this movie was GREAT!!!!! Lucky Jack is the man and this is the way naval leadership should be. The movie felt so real and i was engaged the whole time. Even though its not an American Naval film a "Sailor" is a "Sailor" and nothing changes about the life on a ship. I loved every minute of the movie from the opening scene until the emotional ending. I thought Russell Crowe was AMAZING and above all stayed in character every second. I also like how this film shows you the different minds of the military. Lucky Jack is a harden Captain that wants nothing but to win no matter the circumstances while on the other had his friend (The Doc) is somewhat anti military. I really appreciated this comparison. I came into this movie with low expectations but was blown away. This film has also become one of my favorite war films and my ALL TIME favorite Naval film.

Conclusion: Master and Commander shows you first hand the life of a sailor and war with France. Its overall presentation is remarkable. The opening scenes quickly grasp your attention. I want to give this movie a perfect 5 but it didn't hit home that hard. I have no doubt with a 2nd viewing that i will raise it to 5. For now its a 4.5 and my favorite Naval film. If you like history get it. If you like the Navy get it. If you are a sailor of any kind GET IT, you will be pleased on the attention to detail that this movie provides. The drama, and suspense are also top notch and the AQ is ridiculous. Sounds like you're right there with ol "Lucky Jack".

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4.5/5

I slept through this movie.
I was so boring.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I slept through this movie.
I was so boring.

Boring This wasn't a slow burner at all. I like it because i can appreciate it. You'll like it once u get older . Or enlist in the Navy haha.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I slept through this movie.
I was so boring.

Well, at least you didn't blame it on the movie .

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Yet to see this one, I tried reading the book way back in the 80's and could not finish it, I just could not get into the style of writing of Patrick O'Brian. Maybe I should give the movie a try.

I think the movie is amazing man. I'll be waiting on your review.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

I slept through this movie.
I was so boring.

Marcus i hope you don't like Pirates of the Caribbean then?

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Hep

Well, at least you didn't blame it on the movie .

Yeah he meant that he put Lucky Jack to sleep.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Yeah he meant that he put Lucky Jack to sleep.

Lol, and that would be quite a feat.