The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Of course, but I would of thought it be easier to pick up than going online.

I'm guessing you reccommend it then

Originally Posted by Foggy

I've just had a mad day today, for some reason I've just had a strong urge to try and get Memento desperately, but I went to 7 different stores (all with huge collections of Blu's) and none of them have had it, I've only got one more place I can try before giving up (and it is very far away), is it worth it, guys?

Yes.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Out of the films I've seen on there, I'm guessing I'll probably like it

A complex thriller. Typical of what you would expect from Nolan.

[Diesel]

Extraordinary Measures

• 2010 | PG | 106 Minutes
  
  
• Director: Tom Vaughan
  
  
• Starring: Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford
  
  
• Drama

I wanted to see this when I saw Ford and Fraser promoting it on the various talk shows last year but I don't think my theater ever got it and then after that I forgot about it for a while. I saw it on the schedule for Showtime a few days ago and set it to DVR so I could finally see it.


The movie is about a father named John Crowley (Fraser) who has two children with a disease known as Pompe Disease. He does everything he can to find a cure for the disease and his search eventually leads him to Dr. Stonehill (Ford) who has a brilliant theory to develop an enzyme to cure the disease...but he doesn't have the funding. Together they try to get this enzyme made with Stonehill covering the science and Crowley handling the business side. There's many bumps along the way but Crowley is determined to see this through...

It may not work for everyone (indeed most things I've seen about the movie are in the "okay" region) but I quite enjoyed the movie. It succeeded in one of the most important aspects of a movie for me...I liked the characters. And I really cared about them. Throughout the less than two hours I got sad, I got happy and occasionally I got mad.

It's a good story and adequately told.


Ford and Fraser both bring very solid performances to the table.

Fraser gives a very honest and believable performance as a father who is doing everything he can to save his child. When a doctor tells him

[Show spoiler]that his daughter dieing could be looked at as a blessing since she won't be suffering anymore the look on Fraser's face made me think he really was about to bash this guy's skull in!

Ford is very good as the short tempered old scientist who is absolutely devoted to the science and the work and not the corporate bull**** that goes along with it. A lot of times someone will be cast as a genius in a movie and have to spout off intellectual dialog and they are never convincing in the slightest. Ford I very much believed as a very intelligent doctor.

Also worth noting is the little girl who plays Fraser's daughter, Meredith Droeger. She is great. Sometimes she'll make you laugh pretty hard and others she'll yank on your heartstrings...


It's not a fantastic movie, but it is definitely a very solid one. I'd say it's worth a rent to see if you feel the same.


Rating - 4/5

[Diesel]

From last night:


Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

• 1977 | PG | 121 Minutes
  
  
• Director: George Lucas
  
  
• Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford
  
  
• Action | Adventure | Fantasy

I've reviewed this one before so I won't do so again.

I will say that this one has moved around on my list of the films. I once had it at #4 then it was at #3 for a while, but now its in its official position at #2 behind only Empire.


Rating - 4.5/5




______________



Tonight I'll be watching Valkyrie.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I give 2001 viewers a pretty wide berth.

I fully admit I don't have a very good understanding of 2001 at this time. I haven't seen it enough times or picked it apart enough, but I do like it.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

It's worth it if you have the same taste as me.

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
16. Lost Highway
17. Memento

[BladeRunner2007]

Hatchet II 3/5

It looked cheap and it was cheap, but very entertaining and funny. Insane kills and a faboulus Danielle Harris. Nice movie to sit back and relax, and just have a bloody good time.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I give 2001 viewers a pretty wide berth.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I fully admit I don't have a very good understanding of 2001 at this time. I haven't seen it enough times or picked it apart enough, but I do like it.

I stand corrected.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Hep

A fine film to be sure, and another one of my personal favourites; of course for me it is a solid 5/5, but at least you seemed to like it a lot.

That it is im not taking away from the film, i was just shocked that it won 5 oscars.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I don't think it's a love it or hate it film. I thought the film was good but far from great and severely overhyped. I agree with most of your generalized statements though, especially regarding Portman (who was not overhyped) and Aronofsky.

"Love it or hate it" I was referring to Darren's films as a whole. Like i mentioned he's the King of depression. Its not overhyped Jhiggy. The movie isnt at the top of the box office and many dont wanna see it because they think its about ballet. IMO its a perfect, great at a minimum movie. Its powerful and straight forward. I cant wait to see it again once its released on blu.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

"Love it or hate it" I was referring to Darren's films as a whole. Like i mentioned he's the King of depression. Its not overhyped Jhiggy. The movie isnt at the top of the box office and many dont wanna see it because they think its about ballet. IMO its a perfect, great at a minimum movie. Its powerful and straight forward. I cant wait to see it again once its released on blu.

Idk, I never got the impression that Aronofsky's films were love em or hate em. Pi and Requiem most ppl seem to appreciate, even if they don't want to watch them again. Same with the Wrestler. The Fountain is polarizing for sure, but that's because it requires you to use your brain. Haven't gotten the impression at all that Black Swan is love it or hate it. In almost all cases, particular films are polarizing and not directors themselves (example: 2001 vs Kubrick).

It's not overhyped???? Are you serious? Opinion of the film aside, Black Swan has gotten a TREMENDOUS amount of press coverage, via tv spots, posters, and most of all, magazine covers. That film has been EVERYWHERE, proclaiming how incredible it is and how incredible Portman is. I haven't come across more than two ppl who won't see it because it's about ballet. Practically every single person I talk to on a consistent basis, be it younger cousins or grandparents, have seen the film.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Idk, I never got the impression that Aronofsky's films were love em or hate em. Pi and Requiem most ppl seem to appreciate, even if they don't want to watch them again. Same with the Wrestler. The Fountain is polarizing for sure, but that's because it requires you to use your brain. Haven't gotten the impression at all that Black Swan is love it or hate it. In almost all cases, particular films are polarizing and not directors themselves (example: 2001 vs Kubrick).

It's not overhyped???? Are you serious? Opinion of the film aside, Black Swan has gotten a TREMENDOUS amount of press coverage, via tv spots, posters, and most of all, magazine covers. That film has been EVERYWHERE, proclaiming how incredible it is and how incredible Portman is. I haven't come across more than two ppl who won't see it because it's about ballet. Practically every single person I talk to on a consistent basis, be it younger cousins or grandparents, have seen the film.

Black Swan is getting media coverage on its own merit. It won over the sceptics. It had a limited release in what I assume was a strategy to gauge reaction before it went national, and even then it had fairly limited coverage. It is only now with all the positive reaction that it is getting its deserved coverage. To me, over-hyped is when people praise it relentlessly before release; that is not this movie.

[Marcus Wright]

The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Movie - 4.75/5
Two words best describes this movie - endless creativness. Yes.
This is easily one of the most creative movies I have ever seen, executed to perfection. Burton is written all over this movie.
As far as I am concerned, this is a cult classic.

PQ - 4.5/5
I can not say that this is perfect PQ but its almost perfect. I dont remember this movie looking nearly so good. Detail is so good that its disturbing at times.

AQ - 5/5
I think this is where this blu-ray shines most. Its referance quality hands down.
The clarity of this soundtrack is I think the best available for any blu ray right now. You just literally hear any sound with incredible detail.
Surround presentation is one of the best available, if not the best.
If you want to hear how good this movie AQ is, just listen to the opening 5 minutes song of "this is Halloween". I gurantee you will stay breathless.

Overall - 5/5
What can I say, this is one of the most unique movies ever made, which is already a cult classic. The quality of this blu ray is mind blowing, with probably best AQ I have ever heard on any blu ray.

While you may not like it as much, I think that it is pretty much guranteed that you will end up playing this movie at least once a year, loving it more each time.
This disk is a must have for anyone.

[Diesel]

Valkyrie

• 2008 | PG-13 | 115 Minutes
  
  
• Director: Brian Singer
  
  
• Starring: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy
  
  
• Drama | History | Thriller

I honestly can't think of a good intro to this one, so this will have to suffice

The story of the movie is about the final (known) assassination attempt on Hitler by the Germans in the 1940s. Unless you've lived under a rock or not ever taken 5th grade history...you know it didn't succeed, but that doesn't matter because it's about the set up, the implementation of the plan and then briefly the aftermath. But that sentence sounds like the plot is a lot more than it really is; what we have is not enough to support a two hour run time and keep it interesting. I found myself bored often. I'd be much more intrigued by reading about the ACTUAL history than by watching this movie because I enjoy reading up on history.


No one's performance is above solid and no one is below meh. Everything falls in that small range.

I was disappointed, expected that Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise With Eye Patch would be better
When he did the

[Show spoiler]salute with his not-hand

was pretty though

It was a shame how little we got of Branagh and Stamp.


Also, a lot of the cast didn't even bother with German accents. That doesn't really bother me that much, but I would have preferred if they had done so...unless they would have sucked, then I prefer they stick with their regular voices.


I can say that I am glad I didn't pay to rent it or go to the theater to see it because I would have felt like I didn't get my money's worth.


Rating - 3/5

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Movie - 4.75/5
Two words best describes this movie - endless creativness. Yes.
This is easily one of the most creative movies I have ever seen, executed to perfection. Burton is written all over this movie.
As far as I am concerned, this is a cult classic.

PQ - 4.5/5
I can not say that this is perfect PQ but its almost perfect. I dont remember this movie looking nearly so good. Detail is so good that its disturbing at times.

AQ - 5/5
I think this is where this blu-ray shines most. Its referance quality hands down.
The clarity of this soundtrack is I think the best available for any blu ray right now. You just literally hear any sound with incredible detail.
Surround presentation is one of the best available, if not the best.
If you want to hear how good this movie AQ is, just listen to the opening 5 minutes song of "this is Halloween". I gurantee you will stay breathless.

Overall - 5/5
What can I say, this is one of the most unique movies ever made, which is already a cult classic. The quality of this blu ray is mind blowing, with probably best AQ I have ever heard on any blu ray.

While you may not like it as much, I think that it is pretty much guranteed that you will end up playing this movie at least once a year, loving it more each time.
This disk is a must have for anyone.

Yeah, i can't wait to watch this movie again once i have 5.1. It sounds and looks amazing.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

The Nightmare Before Christmas.

[Show spoiler]Movie - 4.75/5
Two words best describes this movie - endless creativness. Yes.
This is easily one of the most creative movies I have ever seen, executed to perfection. Burton is written all over this movie.
As far as I am concerned, this is a cult classic.

PQ - 4.5/5
I can not say that this is perfect PQ but its almost perfect. I dont remember this movie looking nearly so good. Detail is so good that its disturbing at times.

AQ - 5/5
I think this is where this blu-ray shines most. Its referance quality hands down.
The clarity of this soundtrack is I think the best available for any blu ray right now. You just literally hear any sound with incredible detail.
Surround presentation is one of the best available, if not the best.
If you want to hear how good this movie AQ is, just listen to the opening 5 minutes song of "this is Halloween". I gurantee you will stay breathless.

Overall - 5/5

[Show spoiler]What can I say, this is one of the most unique movies ever made, which is already a cult classic. The quality of this blu ray is mind blowing, with probably best AQ I have ever heard on any blu ray.

While you may not like it as much, I think that it is pretty much guranteed that you will end up playing this movie at least once a year, loving it more each time.
This disk is a must have for anyone.

I just watched The Nightmare Before Christmas again this morning with my daughter. I agree, it is a marvelous movie with some of the best replay value in my collection; I just don't seem to get tired of it.

[Monkey_Boy]

Originally Posted by Hep

If you have ever seen Baraka, you will know that imagery and music is all that is needed to create a mood, elicit an emotion and forward a narrative.

I understand this perfectly. I was completely disappointed when "Dinosaur" had dialogue that wasn't present in the teaser (which I loved the living crap out of). I was merely making an observation; we start off in unfamiliar territory and aren't given much to do but watch these guys sit around and swat at the occasional tapir for 15 minutes before the monolith shows up. I mean, the jaguar taking one of 'em out was hilariously awesome, but in this case, I really do think that less woulda been more.

While I understand that space is slow and tedious, even NASA knows you gotta spice it up a bit. Y'think all those space photos are really that colorful? After understanding it a bit more, I watched most of it again with my wife and sister. The wife (she's 27) complained nonstop, so I was forced to skip through alotta the "boring stuff" up until HAL makes a suggestion that changes the outcome of their trip. Surprisingly, my sister (26) had a good time and didn't mind sitting through the "slow parts" (if she could crack the occasional joke, that is). She found Dave's lack of urgency rather odd as well. However, I did notice -the second time 'round- that he was in a bit more of a stressed state than he was when he was eating with Frank (it was just very controlled), and there was a bit of a "I let you down" look in his eyes when he lets him go. Very subtle acting indeed. Guess I'll haveta chalk that up to being a part of his astronaut training kicking in, in order to keep him calm enough to do what had to be done.

Originally Posted by Hep

PS: if you willingly decide to watch a musical horror film, please don't be surprised when it involves singing!
PSS: with a handle like Monkey_Boy I would have expected a better reception for 20 minutes of ape-man footage .

In musicals I've seen, every line isn't sung to a tune as it was in "Sweeney". A "musical" in the movies usually means a movie with songs in it, NOT a song with a plot. Those are usually operas or, to a lesser extent, music videos. (My handle is what everybody called me when I had my monkey, not really 'cuz I love all things monkey. Best pet I ever had... until he turned on me and took out the tendons in the back of my right hand when he turned 6 years old! I had him ever since he was 3 days old, so this was as surprising to me as it was to the woman who's chimp turned on her friend and ate her face. RIP KinKaid.)

Ripping the movie apart wasn't my intent. I took notes as I watched it because I figured I'd haveta pay attention, and incorporated 'em into my review. After leaving my post, I ran over to IMDB to check out some of the backstory and trivia associated with the movie. That's where I was able to understand what was going on a little better. However, I call foul on the fact that I had to go outside of the movie to find any of this stuff out! (Hey, people call Star Wars out for that all the time. ) I had no idea that the monolith on the moon wasn't the same one that the ape-men found. I was scratchin' my noggin on that one, wondering how the crap they got it up there! (Also found the assertion that most people were shocked to find Kubrick hadn't used real apes to be rather ridiculous. I mean, their lack of realism is what bothered me the most! Did nobody notice the length of their legs? People in the past weren't the brightest bulbs, huh?) It's also where I found it was all about evolution. Which was kinda apparent in the beginning with the ape-men, but became less apparent as the movie progressed. I mean, when they were on the moon with the thing, I thought that when one of 'em touched it, he was gonna be stricken with some kinda super-intelligence (which I thought was indicated when the ape-man turned a bone into a tool), but nothing happened. (I mean, at first I thought the monolith had inspired them to build HAL, but then it tells Dave that it was created in 1992.) We fast forward 18 months and HAL mentions that they found "something". Then there's a video towards the end that mentions it, but they admit that they've no idea what the monolith is. And that was it. I'm not saying that I needed someone to look into the camera and tell me what's goin' on (but it certainly woulda helped ).

My sister had an interesting theory on where the futuristic, antique decorated room is; inside the monolith. I dunno. Seems sound. I know we rise above it and then seem to take off through space, but that just coulda been the way it pulled him inside. When it came to the "Star Baby" scene, though, she was as confused as I was.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

[/I]
You enjoy them...but do you enjoy thinking about them, or just ripping them?

I'll be interested to hear what you thought of or ," if you've seen 'em.

(Enjoyed your replies, by the way )
I LOVE a movie that gets you thinking, but I have to be given something to think about other than a giant baby above the Earth. I'd seen that image a thousand times, and actually thought that by seeing the movie, I would finally understand what it was all about. However, my soft, human brain just couldn't get around what it had just seen.

On your suggestions, haven't seen 'em... yet. Been lookin' for "Mulholland Drive", haven't found it for rent anywhere and can't stream it through Netflix. (Believe it or not, it was one of the first movies I looked up when I joined 'em.) Probably just gonna blind buy it. It's worked out so far with "Fargo", "Blood Simple", "District 9", "Drag Me to Hell" and "Kick-Ass" (to name a few). Just heard about "Triangle" (I believe it was from a poster in this very forum) and was plannin' on pickin' it up the next time I was rentin' sumpthin'.

[Foggy]

I got Memento (along with Shutter Island and Predators )

[Riff Magnum]

2001 again, huh?

I saw this as a teenager and loved it. I didn't "understand" anything. I saw this in my twenties and loved it. I didn't "understand" a goddamn thing. I saw this in my thirties on BD and still didn't "get it," but i loved it.

I really think this is one of those movies that you either like or you don't like, regardless of any intellectual understanding you may have of the plot, themes, symbolism, etc. All that was explained to me and i still thought, "Oh well, it still mesmerizes me." By the same token, someone could have read the book and understood everything, but still think the movie is a piece of poo.

It's a doozy for sure.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

2001 again, huh?

I saw this as a teenager and loved it. I didn't "understand" anything. I saw this in my twenties and loved it. I didn't "understand" a goddamn thing. I saw this in my thirties on BD and still didn't "get it," but i loved it.

I really think this is one of those movies that you either like or you don't like, regardless of any intellectual understanding you may have of the plot, themes, symbolism, etc. All that was explained to me and i still thought, "Oh well, it still mesmerizes me." By the same token, someone could have read the book and understood everything, but still think the movie is a piece of poo.

It's a doozy for sure.

Hey, that's like me