The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Fighter

5/5 Dont miss it.

Question for those who saw it.....

[Show spoiler]When Dicky was in prison and had finished the withdrawls, he walked down that hallway and dropped to his knees and adopted a "praying" position. To me, this moment was epic as he was surrendering and was breaking out of the denial of his drug addiction. He was coming to terms with the bad reality of his past, and the need to change for the future.

Is it me, or did the director cut away WAY TOO soon? I wish he would have let the camera linger a lot longer. I think it would have been way more impactful and poignant.

[Show spoiler]Great point, Squid. I definitely agree that they should have had that shot last a little longer. For as big an impact that probably made on Dicky's life, they should have made it more meaningful in the film.

As for your Christian Bale comparison to Daniel Day-Lewis... I think Bale is on his way up there. I wouldn't say that they are on the same ground yet, but they both have their fair share of memorable performances. It doesn't help that DDL has a couple of Oscars to show off.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

What's up with all the spoiler tags on people's top 15? What's to spoil?

it makes it more exciting to see one by one. and clicking a spoiler tag is always a good rush of endorphins

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I've been speculating that the kid must represent something. Don't know what. The future maybe? A legacy? Destiny? And it just jumped out the window, and she let it happen. Great.

... he slipped...

[Show spoiler]

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

... he slipped...

[Show spoiler]

Better yet!

[Romulus]

Well because everyone is doing a list I will too! Here are my top films, which is geared more towards favorite.

#15

[Show spoiler]
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

#14

[Show spoiler]
The Thin Red Line (1998)

#13

[Show spoiler]
The Elephant Man (1980)

#12

[Show spoiler]
Casablanca (1942)

#11

[Show spoiler]
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

#10

[Show spoiler]
The Fountain (2006)

#09

[Show spoiler]
Memories of Murder (2003)

#08

[Show spoiler]
The Godfather Part II (1974)

#07

[Show spoiler]
12 Angry Men (1957)

#06

[Show spoiler]
Dr. Strangelove (1964)

#05

[Show spoiler]
The Lives of Others (2006)

#04

[Show spoiler]
Children of Men (2006)

#03

[Show spoiler]
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

#02

[Show spoiler]
No Country for Old Men (2007)

#01

[Show spoiler]
Apocalypse Now (1979)

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i almost kind of miss the days when we weren't even close to agreeing on anything

I definitely do. It really sucks when I actually stop hating somebody.

haha, well i gotta be honest

Nothing wrong with that. I was actually saying it's a good thing as Mila Kunis is quickly moving up in the actresses ranks with me. Too bad I have no interest in Black Swan as I could use a new Mila Kunis movie to go along with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Book of Eli.

mine too! i was surprised since i ordered it so late to release. now i just gotta save my $5 coupon for Salt and hope it's one of those titles that goes on sale real quick. granted it doesn't expire until March, but i'd like to get Salt sooner rather than later.

i think you'll really enjoy Easy A. such a fun film!

I knew mine was coming, but I was surprised that today was going to be the delivery date since it shipped yesterday. They seem to be sending most of the orders recently One Day because of the holidays.

I have little doubt I will. I'd be lying if I said it was amongst my most anticipated of the movies that I have blind bought over the month's time, but the fact that pretty much everything I have read about this has been really positive really helps my confidence in regards to the movie.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Well because everyone is doing a list I will too! Here are my top films, which is geared more towards favorite.

[Show spoiler]

#15

[Show spoiler]
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

#14

[Show spoiler]
The Thin Red Line (1998)

#13

[Show spoiler]
The Elephant Man (1980)

#12

[Show spoiler]
Casablanca (1942)

#11

[Show spoiler]
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

#10

[Show spoiler]
The Fountain (2006)

#09

[Show spoiler]
Memories of Murder (2003)

#08

[Show spoiler]
The Godfather Part II (1974)

#07

[Show spoiler]
12 Angry Men (1957)

#06

[Show spoiler]
Dr. Strangelove (1964)

#05

[Show spoiler]
The Lives of Others (2006)

#04

[Show spoiler]
Children of Men (2006)

#03

[Show spoiler]
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

#02

[Show spoiler]
No Country for Old Men (2007)

#01

[Show spoiler]
Apocalypse Now (1979)

That's a high quality list.

[Steve46]

1. Mulholland Dr.
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. The Green Mile
6. Blue Velvet
7. Kill Bill: Volume 2
8. No Country for Old Men
9. Fargo
10. American Beauty
11. Kill Bill: Volume 1
12. The Departed
13. The Silence of the Lambs
14. Amélie
15. Jackie Brown

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Good to have you back. Your absence was louder than your presence!

[Show spoiler]that made sense in my head

You need to see Black Swan pronto. It was a terrible film.

[Show spoiler](my attempt at obscuring the massive 2 year hype we've shared for it)

Haha thanks buddy!

If I can't find anyone to go see Black Swan with me, hell I'll just go by myself.

[Marcus Wright]

My Shrek Marathon Final Results

Shrek - 4.75/5

Shrek 2 - 5/5 (The most fun and best of the series)

Shrek 3 - 4/5 (clearly falls short from prevous 2 but still very enjoyable)

Shrek 4 - 3.5/5 (I though this one was the worst because it followed differrent logic than previous 3, it was more serious rather than fun, which is incosistent with my imagination of what Shrek should be like)

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Fighter

Short and sweet. I dug it. There is a (3 layer) story within a story within a story going on here. Cool.

Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), older brother to Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), trains his younger sibling for boxing matches. Simple. But not really. The movie is about family and personal struggles. There is a ton of heavy and emotional stuff going on under the surface here. A family coming apart at the seams struggles to stay connected, but its tough, really tough. We get to watch all the highs, some very, and all the lows, some very very low.

For me, the movie was at least as much Dickys story as it was Mickeys. I deeply cared about each mans future and the challenges each faced. I felt a special empathy towards Dicky and his rooted for him all they way.

The film looks gritty, production values match the mood, and the soundtrack is from the era itself (1980s-1990s). All good stuff here.

Mark Wahlberg did a fine job here, as did Adams and the rest of the supporting cast.

But Bale, Oh My God. Right from the first moment of the film, Bale was off the charts great. Just unreal. He transformed himself into the character. Physically, emotionally, speech patterns, tics, body language, accent. Words dont work here. It had to be difficult because the character is the polar opposite of Bale in every way (except for anger issues ). I was blown away indeed.

5/5 Dont miss it.

Question for those who saw it.....

[Show spoiler]When Dicky was in prison and had finished the withdrawls, he walked down that hallway and dropped to his knees and adopted a "praying" position. To me, this moment was epic as he was surrendering and was breaking out of the denial of his drug addiction. He was coming to terms with the bad reality of his past, and the need to change for the future.

Is it me, or did the director cut away WAY TOO soon? I wish he would have let the camera linger a lot longer. I think it would have been way more impactful and poignant.

Glad to hear so much love for this film lately. I wasn't too excited because it's got Mark Wahlberg in it, but now I'm really looking forward to it.

[two40]

Modern Times (1936)

I'm really not going to get into a full review of this Charlie Chaplin film. I just wanted to say a few quick things.

• The film industry has come a long way since the early 20th century. I'm not saying that as a put down for this film. I just found it interesting.
• Narrative was basic compared to current offerings. The whole film was just an excuse for Chaplin to entertain people with his slapstic comedy. Would it be rude of me to compare his movies to the offerings of Sacha Baron Cohen?
• The film was entertaining and a pleasure to watch.
• It had some really interesting long takes.
• The safety on set was, well, non existent from what I can tell.
• The mix of silent era style story telling and part studio audio production made me feel like I was watching the end of one era and the start of another.

3/5

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I've been speculating that the kid must represent something. Don't know what. The future maybe? A legacy? Destiny? And it just jumped out the window, and she let it happen. Great.

Then again, you could be right, I don't know. Another viewing might get my mind right.



It's a slow dramatic reveal.

It means nothing. The whole thing means nothing. She goes apesh*t. The End. I just need to watch it again without the "figuring it all out" vibe in my head. Just let it wash over me like an acid bath.

I get it now (the slow reveal).

Everyone's lists kick butt so far. Makes me wanna watch movies and stuff. Like, totally.
For reals.
Except i'm pretty much cuckoo for caca over "Big Love," right now, so i'll go watch that instead.
Sorry movies, but TV is starting to kick your ass with their titantic story arcs and self-indulgent subplots.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Glad to hear so much love for this film lately. I wasn't too excited because it's got Christian Bale in it, but now I'm really looking forward to it.

fixed. from my perspective

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

EASY A (88 minutes)

[Show spoiler]Film #7

Year: 2010
Director: Will Gluck
Starring: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church
Genre: comedy & romantic comedy

What Made Me Want to See This? Emma Stone!

Another terrific blind buy for me!

Emma Stone gives a terrific performance as Olive Penderghast, a girl who no one really knows at her school until a rumor accidentally starts up. Olive then does the opposite of what most people do with a rumor, and runs with it and begins other rumors, while helping other people out with those rumors.

Extremely funny, fast pace, witty, smart, charming, touching and real. I wasn’t expecting Easy A to be as smartly written as it is, but it is. There are no dumb, gross out gags. This is a smartly written film with plenty of jokes constantly going on. Honestly, I will have to watch this again to catch all the jokes I missed the first time because I was still laughing at a previous joke. Great stuff

The film looks great and sounds great and was well worth the $10 I paid for it (had $10 in amazon credit from trade ins so it that’s why the lower cost) and it is another worthy addition to my collection.

Thomas Haden Church steals every scene he is in as the cool teacher. The reason his character is so awesome is because of his extremely dry delivery of scathing remarks that had me rolling on the floor with laughter. Completely awesome.

And Amanda Bynes playing a super up tight religious fanatic was also great. Sure, some of what Easy A shows us has been done in other films, but Easy A succeeds with the writing, characters and cast by making it feel fresh and new. The best part of Bynes’ character is how she refers to other religions as “sci-fi” and refuses to acknowledge them

The film also has some serious moments as well, which I did not see coming at all and one actually jaw dropping moment where we discover the truth behind one characters indiscretions.

The film also towards the end, pacing wise is a little rushed, which doesn’t make sense since at 88 minutes they weren’t running long with a run time, but it doesn’t ruin the enjoyment of the film at all for me. A great flick that is at least worth a rental, but for big Emma Stone fans, such as myself, definitely worth owning

Recommendation: High

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 3.5/5

Technical Score: 4/5
Enjoyment Level Score: 5/5 “loved it”

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Glad you liked it, I'll definitely rent this someday.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Just watched RockNRolla and i dont want to write a review. I thought the movie was gonna be as good as Snatch but it almost sucked. If anyone wants this steelbook its for sale.

I was kinda disappointed after my first viewing as well. Then I watched it again with a buddy of mine and we both really enjoyed it. I think it requires a second viewing, because most people are expecting another Snatch type film, but are let down. I think you'll enjoy it a lot more upon a second viewing

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

fixed. from my perspective

I'll go into any Bale film not knowing anything about it, can't say the same for Wahlberg

[volcomsocal]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

#01
and then there was one... a film that probably took over the #1 awhile ago...

[Show spoiler](500) Days of Summer

When I watched this a few weeks ago for the first time, it was like taking a drink of the most refreshing drink you've ever had, after walking in the desert for 8 hours straight in 105 degree heat.

I thought it was amazing.... not #1 amazing, but up there, nonetheless.

I feel like I owe it to myself to rent this movie again sometime next spring. Enough time will had passed that I'll love it again. Unless the price is low and then I can just buy it.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Maybe I'll develop a new rating system too...

I love it...I mean...

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

oh i get it. i use WORDS like an ADULT to describe my new 7-tier system (now 8-tier) and everyone craps all over it by being CHILDISH and including snazzy emoticons?!

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Sufficiently Evolved! I am glad you liked it.

Of course, one can only enjoy a movie if one watches the whole movie.

[Show spoiler]Looking at you Bearcat

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

funny, since you've stated that if you don't like a movie, you'll turn it off before it's end time.

same deal here!


i got ya there

fyi: somehow i knew that spoiler was gonna be about me

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I figured you would.

But you MUST give it another try. You werent in the right frame of mind at the time. We know that. You wouldnt have liked any movie that day. Give it another try sometime.

Agreed, definitely need to give it another shot Bearcat.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i will, eventually. but it's not near the top of my "see it soon" list. probably around the 20-30 spot or so. however, with that said, i know i'm still gonna hate the guy that

[Show spoiler]"just wants to talk" lol

but oh well.

You won't.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Fighter

Short and sweet. I dug it. There is a (3 layer) story within a story within a story going on here. Cool.

Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), older brother to Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), trains his younger sibling for boxing matches. Simple. But not really. The movie is about family and personal struggles. There is a ton of heavy and emotional stuff going on under the surface here. A family coming apart at the seams struggles to stay connected, but its tough, really tough. We get to watch all the highs, some very, and all the lows, some very very low.

For me, the movie was at least as much Dickys story as it was Mickeys. I deeply cared about each mans future and the challenges each faced. I felt a special empathy towards Dicky and his rooted for him all they way.

The film looks gritty, production values match the mood, and the soundtrack is from the era itself (1980s-1990s). All good stuff here.

Mark Wahlberg did a fine job here, as did Adams and the rest of the supporting cast.

But Bale, Oh My God. Right from the first moment of the film, Bale was off the charts great. Just unreal. He transformed himself into the character. Physically, emotionally, speech patterns, tics, body language, accent. Words dont work here. It had to be difficult because the character is the polar opposite of Bale in every way (except for anger issues ). I was blown away indeed.

5/5 Dont miss it.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Agreed about it being just as much about Dicky as Micky (no e!

[Show spoiler]

)

Bale was 100%, full speed ahead from the get go. Fantastic. And I agree, I mentioned that in my review, it had to be tough to be the exact opposite of who he is.

Question for those who saw it.....

[Show spoiler]When Dicky was in prison and had finished the withdrawls, he walked down that hallway and dropped to his knees and adopted a "praying" position. To me, this moment was epic as he was surrendering and was breaking out of the denial of his drug addiction. He was coming to terms with the bad reality of his past, and the need to change for the future.

Is it me, or did the director cut away WAY TOO soon? I wish he would have let the camera linger a lot longer. I think it would have been way more impactful and poignant.

[Show spoiler]I would have liked them to linger on that moment a little longer as well, but I don't think it was too quick that it felt cheated. So I wouldn't list it as a complaint for me, just a moment that could have been even better than it was. And maybe a tad longer on that part where he was on his cot in his cell writhing.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That's it, everybody else is doing it, so I will to!

[Show spoiler]#15

[Show spoiler]A Clockwork Orange

#14

[Show spoiler]Children of Men

#13

[Show spoiler]The Dark Knight

#12

[Show spoiler]Monty Python and the Holy Grail

#11

[Show spoiler]Lawrence of Arabia

#10

[Show spoiler]The Passion of the Christ

#09

[Show spoiler]Star Trek 2009 (a few other Trek films rate further down the list)

#08

[Show spoiler]Casino Royale 2006 (a bunch of other Bond movies rate further down the list)

#07

[Show spoiler]Kill Bill Volume 1 (the second one rates further down the list)

#06

[Show spoiler]Akira

#05

[Show spoiler]Terminator 2: Judgment Day (the first one would rate further down the list)

#04

[Show spoiler]Raiders of the Lost Ark (all the other ones rate further down the list)

#03

[Show spoiler]The Matrix (all the other ones rate further down the list)

#02

[Show spoiler]Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (all the other ones rate further down the list)

#01

[Show spoiler]Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (all the other ones rate further down the list)

Strong list, very strong Top 5

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i wasn't gonna do this since i'm pretending i haven't seen any films except for the 7 i've recently reviewed, but we all know my love of lists, so after some thought the few days since Diesel posted his list, here is my Favorite 15 Films

some of you may notice a few surprises in here
and note, these are the films that i enjoy, love and hold very dear to me
and of course, stealing the font / set up that Diesel has now made oh so famous

no fav characters or dialogue yet, just the list

[Show spoiler]#15

[Show spoiler]Blow

#14

[Show spoiler]The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

#13

[Show spoiler]The Last Kiss

#12

[Show spoiler]Apocalypse Now

#11

[Show spoiler]Adventureland

#10

[Show spoiler]There Will Be Blood

#09

[Show spoiler]Donnie Darko

#08

[Show spoiler]2001: A Space Odyssey

#07

[Show spoiler]The Lives of Others

#06

[Show spoiler]Magnolia

#05

[Show spoiler]The Wrestler

#04

[Show spoiler]Fight Club

#03

[Show spoiler]The Rules of Attraction

#02

[Show spoiler]Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

#01
and then there was one... a film that probably took over the #1 awhile ago...

[Show spoiler](500) Days of Summer

Wow, Fight Club dethroned...can't say I'm surprised by what.

Originally Posted by Romulus

Well because everyone is doing a list I will too! Here are my top films, which is geared more towards favorite.

[Show spoiler]

#15

[Show spoiler]
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

#14

[Show spoiler]
The Thin Red Line (1998)

#13

[Show spoiler]
The Elephant Man (1980)

#12

[Show spoiler]
Casablanca (1942)

#11

[Show spoiler]
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

#10

[Show spoiler]
The Fountain (2006)

#09

[Show spoiler]
Memories of Murder (2003)

#08

[Show spoiler]
The Godfather Part II (1974)

#07

[Show spoiler]
12 Angry Men (1957)

#06

[Show spoiler]
Dr. Strangelove (1964)

#05

[Show spoiler]
The Lives of Others (2006)

#04

[Show spoiler]
Children of Men (2006)

#03

[Show spoiler]
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

#02

[Show spoiler]
No Country for Old Men (2007)

#01

[Show spoiler]
Apocalypse Now (1979)

I knew I should have copyrighted my format before DJ got to it

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Glad to hear so much love for this film lately. I wasn't too excited because it's got Mark Wahlberg in it, but now I'm really looking forward to it.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

fixed. from my perspective

[Diesel]

Went through the schedule on TV for a few channels (Spike, USA, TNT, TBS, FX) from now until my receiver started saying "To Be Announced" (January 6th I think) and set a bunch of movies to DVR (most of which I haven't seen):

1. First Blood
   
   
2. Rambo: First Blood Part II
   
   
3. Bad Boys II
   
   
4. Rambo (Seen it)
   
   
5. The Karate Kid (It's been a long time, can't remember if I've ever actually seen the entire thing)
   
   
6. Ocean's Thirteen (Seen it)
   
   
7. Forest Gump (Seen it)
   
   
8. Blood Diamond
   
   
9. Mystic River
   
   
10. Gone Baby Gone
    
    
11. Zodiac
    
    
12. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
    
    
13. 300 (Seen it, want to revisit)
    
    
14. Collateral
    
    
15. Die Hard (Seen it)
    
    
16. The Fugitive
    
    
17. Shooter
    
    
18. The Perfect Storm