The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Prejudger!!!!

Haha naw just messing with Nolfoc because he talks bad about some of my films and he has been tryin to get me to watch this since 10,000 B.C. Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Oh is Paramount stingy with their films or should I say cheap? Got Em!!



Im sure Ticks wont be better than Frozen. Im also sure its not a good comparison as Im sure they are nuthin alike. See I cant stand those wack Van Damme films with the exception of Time Cop. But I wont bag on u for it atleast not to your face hahahahah. The Hangover is one of the most overrated films of last year and period. Not funny at all. Stomp is a great dance movie all the way around. Definitely the king of these new generation dance films. Got Em!!

Prejudger twice.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Prejudger twice.

The difference is I atleast give these movies a shot. Its ok to predict how much u may like a film but to not watch it period is what a real prejudger is! Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

BROTHERS (100 minutes)

Film #9

Year: 2009
Director: Jim Sheridan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Sam Shepard
Genre: Drama

What Made Me Want to See This? Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal

An absolutely outstanding, riveting, emotional disturbing drama that tosses in doses of war, but mainly centers around a change in the family.

When Sam (Maguire), a Marine, is announced dead while serving in Afghanistan, his convict, recently from release prison brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal) steps up to become the “family man” for Sam’s wife (Portman) and his two young girls. But when Sam is found alive and returns home, Sam isn’t the man he used to be.

I have to say, I thought all three main performances were phenomenal. I felt Gyllenhaal carried the first half the movie, and Maguire carried the second half. Portman was great from start to finish, easily. Hell, even the oldest kid (played by Bailee Madison) was absolutely amazing. If she doesn’t become a mega-superstar when she’s older I will be shocked because she owns her lines and expressions like well rounded actress would and she has some serious skill. All around for the performances.

The film isn’t fun to watch, nor is it easy to watch. There are more intense and creepy scenes here than in 90% of all horror movies combined. Maguire plays the role flawlessly of a man who goes from being the perfect father, husband and son to being detached, cold and separated from his family leaving them worried about his well being. Honestly, I never felt comfortable with him in any scene because he always had a presence about him that made it seem like he could snap at any given moment. Truly fantastic performance that is as much haunting as it is amazing. I was at first a bit worried that Maguire couldn’t pull off a role that would place him as a quiet, strong, confident family man (not because he played Spider-Man but because he just has a boyish look that never leaves him) but he handles the role incredibly well. And when he’s on “edge” he nails this perfectly with his piercing eyes and empty expressions.

I had no issues at all with the film as I “enjoyed” every sorrowful moment the film contained. Another film that must be added to my collection. May not be watched often, but the simple fact it contains two of my favorite actors (Portman and Gyllenhaal) was reason enough if I even remotely enjoyed the film. But Brothers is incredibly on every level and everyone should at least invest a rental for it.

Recommendation: High

PQ: 4/5
AQ: 4/5

Technical Score: 4/5
Enjoyment Level Score: 4.5/5 “loved it”

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Accurate

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by CZAR

The difference is I atleast give these movies a shot. Its ok to predict how much u may like a film but to not watch it period is what a real prejudger is! Got Em!!

If i may, What was so good about Frozen ?

I saw it and found it pretty poor, There was no sense of danger or tension for me, Which makes the whole movie pointless.

I remember it held the tag line " Will do for Skiing, What Jaws did for swimming " but it simply failed to create a scary/fearful atmosphere for me.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

If i may, What was so good about Frozen ?

I saw it and found it pretty poor, There was no sense of danger or tension for me, Which makes the whole movie pointless.

I remember it held the tag line " Will do for Skiing, What Jaws did for swimming " but it simply failed to create a scary/fearful atmosphere for me.

Well this is exactly what it did for me so there is the big difference on why I highly enjoyed versus u not enjoying it.

[Show spoiler]I felt like I was one of them on that ski lift.

I was drawn into the film. Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Bad Boys II

I watched the first film for the first time a few months ago. I scored it a 3.5/5 if I remember correctly; it was fun but I didn't really like it all that much. I have no idea what the general feelings are about these movies, whether one is better or two is better, but I thought that Bad Boys II was definitely the better of the two films.

I liked the story of this one more than the first. The movie moved along nicer than the first and was more interesting to me.


The humor in this one was so much better than the first one, I was dying laughing several times.

Smith and Lawrence worked great together in this one (they were good in the first together but better this time), Smith was particularly on his game. "I think I done just got mad!"


The action scenes were great. Ridiculous and over the top; exactly what I expect from Michael Bay


I read that the combination of violence and language in the non-cable version is borderline NC-17
The original wasn't nearly that far to the end of the spectrum, but when I first looked into watching the movies I was really surprised they were as hard of an R as they are. Bad Boys isn't the kind of movies I would think of if I thought Hard R. Seems really just for the hell of it rather than the story calling for intense violence and language (like say Saving Private Ryan and other war movies of the sort). I've made it no secret that I detest gore/sex/profanity just for the sake of gore/sex/profanity, and that's exactly what this movie has; if this wouldn't have been on cable, I wouldn't have watched it.
Anyway, the version I watched, I really enjoyed.

Rating - 4/5

It was full of the stuff you hate, but you enjoyed it and gave it a 4/5? What am I missing here?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by CZAR

The difference is I atleast give these movies a shot. Its ok to predict how much u may like a film but to not watch it period is what a real prejudger is! Got Em!!

I looked up Ticks on Rotton Tomatoes. It looks like crap.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I looked up Ticks on Rotton Tomatoes. It looks like crap.

Beware of Nolfoc! Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

If i may, What was so good about Frozen ?

I saw it and found it pretty poor, There was no sense of danger or tension for me, Which makes the whole movie pointless.I remember it held the tag line " Will do for Skiing, What Jaws did for swimming " but it simply failed to create a scary/fearful atmosphere for me.

[Show spoiler]Five days to go in sub zero temps with no food or water isnt stressfull? Man, all I felt was tension tension and more tension. It really worked for me.

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Well this is exactly what it did for me so there is the big difference on why I highly enjoyed versus u not enjoying it.

[Show spoiler]I felt like I was one of them on that ski lift.

I was drawn into the film. Got Em!!

Do know why it made you feel that way ?


Would be interesting to know, I had the same problem with Winters Bone and i will give that another watch when it hits blu-ray,I might give frozen another chance if you reason are compelling enough .

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

Do know why it made you feel that way ?


Would be interesting to know, I had the same problem with Winters Bone and i will give that another watch when it hits blu-ray,I might give frozen another chance if you reason are compelling enough .

Well Winter's Bone is on blu and I just got it from netflix. Also back to Frozen make sure u watch it in the dark with no distractions. I try to go into each film as if I am in that world or maybe even that character. With Frozen I was drawn in from the jump and when their situation occured it was as if this occured for me as well so right there I was already on edge and wondering what to do to get out of this situation. Not sure if outside elements cause a distraction for u but make sure u watch it in the setting that I described. Got Em!!

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

[Show spoiler]Five days to go in sub zero temps with no food or water isnt stressfull? Man, all I felt was tension tension and more tension. It really worked for me.

Didn't for me.Sure those things in real would be that way but the movie, For me, Didn't really make me feel that way.


I wouldn't say the movie Bored me cause it didn't and i wanted to see how it ended but it left me hugely disappointed.

[Show spoiler] I loved the dead man down the hill when the woman escaped, That was a nice touch, But i actually wish the woman had died at the end

Yeas i am mean

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Well Winter's Bone is on blu and I just got it from netflix. Also back to Frozen make sure u watch it in the dark with no distractions. I try to go into each film as if I am in that world or maybe even that character. With Frozen I was drawn in from the jump and when their situation occured it was as if this occured for me as well so right there I was already on edge and wondering what to do to get out of this situation. Not sure if outside elements cause a distraction for u but make sure u watch it in the setting that I described. Got Em!!

I am in the UK and the Blu-ray for winters bone don't come till early next year

Yes, Outside elements are a distraction for me, Which is why i go to the cinema are morning, Afternoon as nobody is there.

I may give it a rent and see how i am on a second viewing, Lost count of how many movies i have enjoyed much more on second viewing, Inception would be one example.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

I am in the UK and the Blu-ray for winters bone don't come till early next year

Yes, Outside elements are a distraction for me, Which is why i go to the cinema are morning, Afternoon as nobody is there.

I may give it a rent and see how i am on a second viewing, Lost count of how many movies i have enjoyed much more on second viewing, Inception would be one example.

Oh ok I see. Yea wouldnt it be great if we could just get everything released on the same day everywhere lol. Anyway yea give it a 2nd try. Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

Didn't for me.Sure those things in real would be that way but the movie, For me, Didn't really make me feel that way.


I wouldn't say the movie Bored me cause it didn't and i wanted to see how it ended but it left me hugely disappointed.

[Show spoiler] I loved the dead man down the hill when the woman escaped, That was a nice touch, But i actually wish the woman had died at the end

Yeas i am mean

You know, I would have been OK with

[Show spoiler]her dying too. It would have made it darker. It would have left you with the feeling like ALL of that struggle was for nothing. Might have been better.

But as far as why you didnt get sucked in, I dont know. It just "clicked" for me. Some movies I feel like an outsider, but in this one, I was there. A lot of it for me was the camera work.

[iam1bearcat]

PSYCHO (108 minutes)

Film #10

Year: 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Martin Balsam
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller

What Made Me Want to See This? Regarded as a classic

“We all go a little mad sometimes”

I decided to wake up and start my Christmas Eve festivities by sitting down with the gf and watching… Psycho and boy howdy was it worth it!

My first Hitchcock film, but I can’t say I was worried about how I was going to enjoy the film. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of older films mainly because of the dialogue and how “action” scenes have to be set up because of the restrictions of the time. But while Psycho may not have all the technology that is thrown around in films these days, there’s something 99% of films before and since Psycho cannot recreate, the atmosphere! I’m a big fan of it and Psycho has it from the get go with the screeching, panicking inducing opening moments all the way through the terrific ending.

Another thing that caught my attention right off the bat and held my attention every step of the way was the brilliantly eerie score. Even when it’s playing while Marion is driving down a desert highway in the middle of the day it makes the situation incredibly tense and creepy

I love how simple the story is, and how complex and weird it gets. A young woman (Marion, played by Janet Leigh) is sick of her life and wants to start over / get away. So she steals $40,000 from her boss and takes off. But when sleep gets the best of her and a creepy local cop gets under her skin, she stops off at the Bates Motel. And that’s really where the film takes on a whole different level of making your skin crawl. But it’s genius because it does it without using blood, gore, violence or gross imagery. It succeeds with atmosphere, performances, score, lighting and excellent direction.

I can honestly say this is a film that gets a lot of praise and actually deserves it completely. That doesn’t happen a whole lot, but Psycho is a fantastic film in every category.

Genius writing and claustrophobic feel in many scenes. I love how Arbogast becomes the creepy villain when talking to Norman, when Norman is the one that is really the creepy, suspicious one. But Arbogast’s demeanor is relentless and serious while Norman is panicking not because he’s helping Marion, but of course because

[Show spoiler]she’s dead

. But is Norman panicking because

[Show spoiler]he killed her

or doesn’t want to get blamed for

[Show spoiler]her death

?

Sadly, it MUST be pointed out that this is the perfect example of what happens when you watch films out of “order” of the years of release. Towards the end of Psycho, I suddenly began thinking, “wait… this seems kind of familiar…” and I was in awe of just how much The Texas Chainsaw Massacre seems to rip right from the legendary hands of Psycho. Maybe paying homage? No idea, but there is a lot from Psycho that is in Massacre. The issue? I’ve seen Massacre dozens of times - BEFORE - Psycho. So in a sense, Psycho seems kind of repetitive, until you realize it came out first. And yet because I’ve seen Massacre, the big twists and “WTF?!” that Psycho presents isn’t as strong because I had already witnessed something similar.

I’m sure audiences in 1960 had no effin’ clue that this was coming. I wish I could go back and watch this before watching Massacre, because I’m sure my mind would have been complete blown!

Another film I will have to add to my blu-ray collection eventually and my wallet is certainly sad for that, but I am not. Hell, I could buy Psycho and just watch the scenes with Perkins (Norman) for hours on end. The guy was pure genius here. His eyes, his nervous ticks, his voice cracking under the pressure of people prodding him, his general creepiness. All 100% authentic in feel and delivery. Honestly, I think the next best character to reach that level of creepiness, uneasiness would be Hopkins playing Hannibal Lecter. And that is three decades later! Outstanding job by Perkins

Outstanding film all around

i have to add, one of the most frightening, creepy moments i've ever witness in film comes from Psycho when

[Show spoiler]Norman comes through the door with the knife dressed as his mother

super creepy and i loved it

Recommendation: Very High

PQ: N/A - DVD
AQ: N/A - DVD

Technical Score: 5/5
Enjoyment Level Score: 4.5/5 “loved it”

Final verdict: 4.5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Man that is actually super funny. The same thing happened to me. When i first watched part II man I was furiated but check this out. I havnt even watched it again but the movie just sat with me for a while and without seeing it again I started to like it. Strange aint it. I will add it to my collection at some point also. Zombie must have put a spell on that flick. Got Em!!

that is hilarious and really creepy that that's happened to both of us. i agree, Zombie must have put some delayed love potion / spell on the film or something because a lot of people have that effect with it and i don't think there's ever been a film i hated so much and then learned to enjoy so damn much. it's crazy!

so baffling and funny at the same time

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Accurate

i love how i write 2746438926292 word reviews and you sum it all up with one word

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

It was full of the stuff you hate, but you enjoyed it and gave it a 4/5? What am I missing here?

i think what he meant is that it was edited, so he was able to enjoy it? depending what channel the film was on, it may have been severely edited so he could enjoy it without all the stuff he doesn't like. i think? lol

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

It was full of the stuff you hate, but you enjoyed it and gave it a 4/5? What am I missing here?

It may just take a lot for Diesel to give a movie a sub 4/5 score, who knows? No movie reviews from me today, forcing myself to leave the PS3 off and watch some TV before work.