The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Haha only half star is a 2 1/2 star? Just make up your own rules then lol. Also your description for your 2 1/2 star is funny and kinda contradicting lol. "Not good but pretty good" I had to man. Got Em!!

well, I find that this rating is the hardest-- there are lots of movies that I see that are "average"-- neither good nor bad--

2 stars means mediocre or simply average
3 stars means good

it seems like the 2 and 1/2 fits for all those movies in between....

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

"Quarantine" gets a 3/5 for me. I didn't think it was that terrible either, but then I saw "[REC]" and found it was more intense. "[REC] 2" is better yet (and probably one of the scariest movies ever! ). Both "[REC]" movies come recommended, but I know most folks don't seem to like "Quarantine" much.

Come to think of it, I rated all of them kinda high. Just compared to the absolute best remakes ever...

Will have to check it out.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

well, I find that this rating is the hardest-- there are lots of movies that I see that are "average"-- neither good nor bad--

2 stars means mediocre or simply average
3 stars means good

it seems like the 2 and 1/2 fits for all those movies in between....

Haha I hear u. Got Em!!

[Marcus Wright]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I am constantly confused by rating systems on this forum-- if a 3.5 rating out of 5 is mediocre then I assume
4.0 is good, 4.5 is very good and 5.0 is great?

if that's the case
1.0 and 1.5 would be bad, what then merits 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0????

I would say like this.

1-1.5 - fail
2-2.5 - adequate/passable
3 - medicore
3.5 - above average/decent
4 - good
4.5 - excellent
5 - masterpiece/great great movie

[AKORIS]

seems like a lot of us have different values for the star ratings we give movies--

just a suggestion but when we are all discussing movies and giving "our" ratings maybe we should add a word reminding everyone what the rating means--

everybody should know what a 1 star and a 5 star rating means but perhaps the mid-level ratings... there's definately a difference among the 2 to 4 star ratings...

example--

I give this movie 3 stars (good)

or I rate this movie 2 stars (mediocre)

etc

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

seems like a lot of us have different values for the star ratings we give movies--

just a suggestion but when we are all discussing movies and giving "our" ratings maybe we should add a word reminding everyone what the rating means--

everybody should know what a 1 star and a 5 star rating means but perhaps the mid-level ratings... there's definately a difference among the 2 to 4 star ratings...

example--

I give this movie 3 stars (good)

or I rate this movie 2 stars (mediocre)

etc

Well since most of us atleast give some kind of review for the film, we can tell if the person liked it or not and how much if the rating confuses us lol. Got Em!!

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Well since most of us atleast give some kind of review for the film, we can tell if the person liked it or not and how much if the rating confuses us lol. Got Em!!

correct in most cases CZAR but I'm thinking back to your HAlloween movie thread and I was giving 3 skulls to numerous movies and everybody was thinking I thought the movies were mediocre!!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I need to see more Ang Lee films. I've only seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hulk. And Crouching Tiger is in my Top 50 of all time. I'm looking at Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm...

I've had The Ice Storm towards the top of my queue for a while but haven't got around to it yet. Definitely see Brokeback Mountain, it's an excellent film. I agree with you on Crouching Tiger, one of my favorites!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Ride with the Devil

[Show spoiler]Blu-ray

Criterion Collection 1999 149 min

This film felt like a made for TV movie. Big time.

I was immediately taken out by the dialogue. It was far too deliberate in an effort to sound eloquent. Where Deadwood succeeds in its raw poetry, this missed by a mile.

I found the story meandered too much and felt disjointed in its connection of the events of the era. It also underemphasized some of the really important events, like the Lawrence Masacre in Kansas, and failed to explain the preceeding events that led to the Raid.

The whole thing just plugged along and felt uninspired. What could have been epic felt very mediocre.

Nice camera work for the most part.

The costume and hair department tried way too hard IMO, with over the top pajama-esque confederate clothing with "look at me" bright colors and loud patterns. I know hairstyles and facial hairstyles were unique to the era, but I had to at some of the flowing manes and goatees.

A moderately Ok movie in terms of entertainment. Just didnt capture the intensity of the US Civil War.

Film 3/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 4/5

I agree, nothin too special here. I love Jewel and was excited to see her in this, but nothing about the film really pulled me in.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Ride with the Devil

[Show spoiler]Blu-ray

Criterion Collection 1999 149 min

This film felt like a made for TV movie. Big time.

I was immediately taken out by the dialogue. It was far too deliberate in an effort to sound eloquent. Where Deadwood succeeds in its raw poetry, this missed by a mile.

I found the story meandered too much and felt disjointed in its connection of the events of the era. It also underemphasized some of the really important events, like the Lawrence Masacre in Kansas, and failed to explain the preceeding events that led to the Raid.

The whole thing just plugged along and felt uninspired. What could have been epic felt very mediocre.

Nice camera work for the most part.

The costume and hair department tried way too hard IMO, with over the top pajama-esque confederate clothing with "look at me" bright colors and loud patterns. I know hairstyles and facial hairstyles were unique to the era, but I had to at some of the flowing manes and goatees.

A moderately Ok movie in terms of entertainment. Just didnt capture the intensity of the US Civil War.

Film 3/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 4/5

I'm sorry to hear all the mediocre reviews, I ordered this from B&N during their big sale and it's still on the way; I guess I'll get to judge for myself soon enough .

[Lepidopterous]

Frustrating day. My 60 GB PS3 died this morning. Gone with the Wind is stuck inside. I called the local repair shop because it's been less than 90 days (80 something) since I last brought it in. He tells me bringing it "back" in doesn't renew the 90 day warranty so I was effectively 4 1/2 months out of warranty, then tells me to hold on while grunting "Mondays!". I bought a new 320 GB PS3/Move bundle at Best Buy

[Show spoiler](another extra expense on top of a speeding ticket driving back from frisco and holiday shopping)

and came home to restore my backup on it. It froze so I had to force shut it down. I restarted and all my backup data was corrupted. After an hour of whining, I rebooted it and the data was magically there again. The restore has just finished but no PS1 or PS2 files transferred over .

On a lighter note, I watched my copy of Walk Hard today at a friend's (unrelated to the sale). Huge PQ and AQ upgrade on the DVD which I've seen numerous times. One of my top 3 favorite comedies. There isn't a single moment I'm not laughing. I realized this time through how perfect a role this is for John C. Reilly. He has excellent dramatic, comedic, and stage talent, all utilized to the fullest in his explosive performance as Dewey Cox. He really made it his own while keeping the spoof strong (both subtly and overtly). Most dismiss this as an idiotic slapstick, but I find it much more appealing than that. If you truly get all the jokes, you will find new things to laugh at with each viewing.

My taste for comedies is very different from others because I love deeply detailed characters with specific and unique personalities, as one can tell from my top 3:

1. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
2. Zoolander
3. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Other comedies I love for the main character include The Cable Guy, The Pink Panther films (Sellers), Anchorman, and Undercover Brother. Most of these are considered "stupid" comedies by most, but when it comes to comedies, it's the characterizations and expressions that make me laugh. Just thought I'd share.

[Steve46]

Sorry to hear about your PS3.

Comedies rarely work for me either. All the dumb ones are out for starters. I like comedy within drama, or animated comedy the most. The list would include:

As Good As It Gets
Fargo
Inglourious Basterds
Amelie
Micmacs
A Very Long Engagement
Bolt
Up
Ratatouille
Being There
Pink Panther (Sellers)
Naked Gun series
Dr. Strangelove

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

correct in most cases CZAR but I'm thinking back to your HAlloween movie thread and I was giving 3 skulls to numerous movies and everybody was thinking I thought the movies were mediocre!!

Yea I hear u. To me 3 stars means a decent film. Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

I agree, nothin too special here. I love Jewel and was excited to see her in this, but nothing about the film really pulled me in.

I LOVE Jewel. Her concert Blu-ray is fantastic.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Hep

I'm sorry to hear all the mediocre reviews, I ordered this from B&N during their big sale and it's still on the way; I guess I'll get to judge for myself soon enough .

Hey, you got it for 50% off, right?

It couldnt decide if it was going to be a full blown character study, or a film focusing on the war. In the end both elements suffered IMO. I'm not trying to rag on it further, just giving you an idea of where I felt it came up short.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Sorry to hear about your PS3.

Comedies rarely work for me either. All the dumb ones are out for starters. I like comedy within drama, or animated comedy the most. The list would include:

As Good As It Gets
Fargo
Inglourious Basterds
Amelie
Micmacs
A Very Long Engagement
Bolt
Up
Ratatouille
Being There
Pink Panther (Sellers)
Naked Gun series
Dr. Strangelove

I'd add Something's Gotta Give to that list.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I'd add Something's Gotta Give to that list.

Yeah I own it and like it. Nicholson does comedy so well.

[Steve46]

Most of my ratings will be at least 3.5/5. This is because I rarely watch something that I don't have an interest in seeing. Most are watched because of one or more of the following reasons:

A recommendation from someone in this forum
From a director I like
Containing actors I like
A genre I like
Something Ebert loves (I often agree)
An adaptation of a story I know I like

Then I rate things according to genre. For instance, most comic book adaptations are of little interest to me. Therefore The Dark Knight (5/5) and Batman Begins (4/5) stand out.

Many of my favorites are dramas and I believe the best films come from that genre. So a 4 or 4.5 in drama could be better than a 5 in comic book adaptations.

The only things that score lower than 3.5 are things which disappoint according to my expectations. So while I can stand most James Bond movies, Never Say Never Again and the Dalton installments are only worth a 2.5.

If I'm forced to watch my least favorite genre - comedy - it's going to score really badly unless it's clever rather than dumb. So Little Man gets 0.5/5 and Zohan 1/5, whereas Strangelove would get a 4.5.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Steve46

If I'm forced to watch my least favorite genre - comedy - it's going to score really badly unless it's clever rather than dumb. So Little Man gets 0.5/5 and Zohan 1/5, whereas Strangelove would get a 4.5.

I thought Little Man was funny. I never wanted to see Zohan but then I saw a clip of Mariah Carey-Cannon and instantly wanted to see it. Got Em!!

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by CZAR

I thought Little Man was funny. I never wanted to see Zohan but then I saw a clip of Mariah Carey-Cannon and instantly wanted to see it. Got Em!!

The people I watched it with loved both.

Everyone is different.

I find humor such as:

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room.

Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?

I couldn't really say. He wasn't circumcised.

Funnier than people getting hit in the groin five times in succession or running into someone's breasts.