The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

great review, Al!

sorry you didn't like it more, but 3.5/5 ain't too shabby
i, of course, love The Box and found it all incredibly interesting, but i do feel it went from "small story" to "wow. this suddenly, maybe got waaaaaaay to big for its own good" and maybe didn't need to be as expansive as it did (i like how Donnie Darko didn't expand past into a bit of absurdity) but it still clicked and worked really well for me.

could have done without Diaz's accent though

I wanted to like it more, but I'll see if it sticks in my head any longer. It certainly had some good moments.

Yep, that accent was a little silly.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Couldnt finish it.

I find that surprising! Seems like the kind of mystery you might enjoy.

Originally Posted by Diesel

One of the first things I watch will be The Patriot (never seen it).

I grew to like that one fairly well. Best American Revolution war scenes...at least that I'm aware of!

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Oh i love i all the winners for Inception smacked the academy in the face by their comments about Nolan's masterful skills as a director.

[jvince]

Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Thriller / Horror / Drama
Synopsis: An inanimate tire abandoned in the desert inexplicably comes to life.
Running Time: 85 minutes

Director: Quentin Dupieux
Writer: Quentin Dupieux
Stars: Stephen Spinella (Milk), Jack Plotnick (Gods and Monsters), Wings Hauser (The Insider), Roxane Mesquida (Fat Girl)

I found myself quite frustrated while watching "Rubber" because while it does show some flashes of genius, it ultimately comes off as an idea stretched way too thin.

"Rubber" is mostly a silent film with some dialogue here and there, usually delivered in a straightforward and unsubtle manner to and/or for the audience. And speaking of audience, the movie itself has its very own in it often referred to as "the spectators." Oh, and of course, it has that little tire that makes everything in its way explode. So going in, you should pretty much know beforehand that this is an absurd and surreal film. And while some might find it amusing and witty, I found it to be too self-aware and pretentious to be liked. For a film that clocks in at around 85 minutes - which is a short length of time for a feature film - it felt too long. The movie often goes into music-video mode, showcasing the tire rolling along different scenic backgrounds, padding up what little time with such scenes that don't advance the plot. The psychic explosions also get old pretty fast, blowing stuff up one after another without a single ounce of suspense, horror, or ingenuity. The movie just gets increasingly tired and monotonous as it plods along.

Watching "Rubber" gives the feeling that Dupieux just gathered all his thoughts and ideas and threw them into this one movie, and the end result is one giant mess of nothing. It felt like he just wanted to film a variety of scenes involving tires rolling along beautiful backdrops and heads blowing up. Then, he came up with a crazy idea to piece them all together and try to make it pass as a feature-length film. One problem though - it doesn't make a lick of sense. So, he slaps in some foreword about "no reason." That should make the whole thing seem witty and purposeful, right? People won't complain. They'll eat it up and love it. Well, not me. "Rubber" is a perfect example of a director falling deeply in love with an idea that he forgot to make an actual, decent movie.

Rating: ** out of 5

[iam1bearcat]

Page 1000!!!!!

Wow. It's been a long time coming. Let's get started on getting to 200

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Page 100!!!!!

Wow. It's been a long time coming. Let's get started on getting to 200

Mine says page 500

[Al_The_Strange]

Mine says page 1000.

Do we all have different settings for how many posts there are per page? I might have to adjust to fit more!

[iam1bearcat]

lol. Damn phone! Missed a zero before I'm with you Al, I have 1000 pages. No idea what that fool Diesel is doing

[Foggy]

From Dusk Till Dawn

I've talked to my friends a lot about this movie, all of them say that either it's all awesome, or the first half is great and the second half is awful.

Well obviously I like the story of two brothers who broke out of jail and robbed a bank and have to sneak through customs, but it isn't all that good, it feels pretty bland. With Tarantino's character being overly creepy and psychopathic and George Clooney being a bit too unlikeable. It's pattered with good parts (I love the opening scene) but it feels a bit too bland, and obviously there is a point where the characters succeed in their quest for freedom and it could end perfectly well there. But then it turns into f**king Evil Dead and it becomes unbelievably awesome.

Condoms filled with Holy Water! Harvey Keitel with a baseball bat and Shotgun! A cod piece revolver!

1st half = 6/10

2nd half =10/10

= 8.5/10!!!

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Mine says page 1000.

Do we all have different settings for how many posts there are per page? I might have to adjust to fit more!

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

lol. Damn phone! Missed a zero before I'm with you Al, I have 1000 pages. No idea what that fool Diesel is doing

Real men use 40 posts per page

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Real men use 40 posts per page

Compensating for something?

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Compensating for something?

[Show spoiler]

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Foggy

From Dusk Till Dawn

I've talked to my friends a lot about this movie, all of them say that either it's all awesome, or the first half is great and the second half is awful.

Well obviously I like the story of two brothers who broke out of jail and robbed a bank and have to sneak through customs, but it isn't all that good, it feels pretty bland. With Tarantino's character being overly creepy and psychopathic and George Clooney being a bit too unlikeable. It's pattered with good parts (I love the opening scene) but it feels a bit too bland, and obviously there is a point where the characters succeed in their quest for freedom and it could end perfectly well there. But then it turns into f**king Evil Dead and it becomes unbelievably awesome.

Condoms filled with Holy Water! Harvey Keitel with a baseball bat and Shotgun! A cod piece revolver!

1st half = 6/10

2nd half =10/10

= 8.5/10!!!

I also enjoyed the 2nd half better-- this was like 2 totally different movies from act 1 to act 2! Once they get to the T------ Twister this was good times!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I also enjoyed the 2nd half better-- this was like 2 totally different movies from act 1 to act 2! Once they get to the T------ Twister this was good times!!

Me too. It became koo-koo in a good way.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I also enjoyed the 2nd half better-- this was like 2 totally different movies from act 1 to act 2! Once they get to the T------ Twister this was good times!!

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Me too. It became koo-koo in a good way.

It has one of the coolest opening sequences though. I think both halves make a fantastic package.

[jhiggy23]

Le Samourai (Criterion dvd)

Film: 4 stars (out of 4)

Synopsis: In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology—maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece Le Samouraï defines cool.


Review: My second Melville film (after Army of Shadows, which I love) and I absolutely loved it. It really does "define cool." Delon is fascinatin as an almost wordless contract killer, living a spartan life but being intelligent enough to concoct an airtight alibi. Melville is a master at creating tension without dialogue or action--it's amazing to watch. The film was ranked #39 on Empire Magazine's best films of world cinema, last year.

[Monkey]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I also enjoyed the 2nd half better-- this was like 2 totally different movies from act 1 to act 2! Once they get to the T------ Twister this was good times!!

Yup, the first half of from Dusk till Dawn is completely forgettable and not worth watching again. 2nd half is a masterpiece and makes it one of my favorite movies.

edit: ok, the first half isn't completely forgettable. I still remember and even use one of the lines, "Did you mean what you said back there,
or were you just foolin' around? Because if-if you really want me to do that for you, I will." of course I don't say it exactly the same

[jhiggy23]

Unknown (theater)

Film: 2 1/2 (out of 4)


Ebert said it best when Taken came out: Liam Neeson lends credibility to even the most pedestrian of films. Here, his presence elevates the film above mediocrity but doesn't quite make it a good film. It was entertaining enough, but as many reviewers point out it's plot holes and lack of believability goes too far. In these types of films, it's important not to take things too seriously, because none of them are ever airtight and they're meant to be fun. That being said, it's just too unrealistic. Examples:

[Show spoiler]you mean to tell me that Neeson, upon realizing his past, suddenly realizes how wrong he was and gives it all up to fight for the other side?????? that makes no sense whatsoever. how about the middle eastern prince deciding to go to a party with only 2-3 bodyguards and not having the room swept for bombs before attending, when THE DAY BEFORE he escaped death at a bombing. (on that matter, how about Neeson walking through the area where the authorities were dealing with that bombing, about halfway through the film.

On a side note, it was great to see Bruno Ganz and the lead actor from The Lives of Others. Ganz is excellent but there's no point to his character, based on what happens. As for Diane Kruger, I know she's German but her attempt at an accent is laughable. Overall, see it merely for the entertainment factor but really do leave you brain at the door.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Le Samourai (Criterion dvd)

Film: 4 stars (out of 4)

Synopsis: In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology—maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece Le Samouraï defines cool.


Review: My second Melville film (after Army of Shadows, which I love) and I absolutely loved it. It really does "define cool." Delon is fascinatin as an almost wordless contract killer, living a spartan life but being intelligent enough to concoct an airtight alibi. Melville is a master at creating tension without dialogue or action--it's amazing to watch. The film was ranked #39 on Empire Magazine's best films of world cinema, last year.

Now why isn't this on blu-ray yet?

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I bought it for $14 at Barnes and Noble about a month ago. They had it for $24 and I bought one of those Groupon 20 for 10 gift cards, so after that and my membership it was $4 (add the 10, and that's $14 total).

I absolutely love it. I really like seeing old scenes set in Paris, as Godard frequently does, on a side note. It's cool to see the Champ Elysees and Arc de Triomphe and all those things I saw in Paris, and how they looked 40 years ago.

As for Amarcord, how is it? I love 8 1/2 but have never seen Amarcord.

For the next B and N sale, as it stands right now, these will be the ones I pick up:

The Double Life of Veronique (must own)
Au Revoir Les Enfantes (I rank it as one of the top 3-4 films of the 80s)
Kes
Still Walking
Yi Yi
Solaris
Le Cercle Rouge
Blow Out
Diabolique

Amarcord is really something else. Take all of the Fellininess of his other films and square it and you get Amarcord. Depending on your humor, attentiveness, and taste, you will either be laughing through every frame or bored to tears. I personally think you'd enjoy it but definitely recommend watching it first.

Les Enfants is an absolute must! From that list I'll probably also get Diabolique and Red Circle. And I'm thinking about blind-buying The Double Life of Veronique. I love psychological films. Don't know anything about the others but Still Walking looks interesting.

Every time I see Blow Out I get sad because I think it says Blow-Up.

[J.Cornelius]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Le Samourai (Criterion dvd)

Film: 4 stars (out of 4)

Synopsis: In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology—maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece Le Samouraï defines cool.


Review: My second Melville film (after Army of Shadows, which I love) and I absolutely loved it. It really does "define cool." Delon is fascinatin as an almost wordless contract killer, living a spartan life but being intelligent enough to concoct an airtight alibi. Melville is a master at creating tension without dialogue or action--it's amazing to watch. The film was ranked #39 on Empire Magazine's best films of world cinema, last year.

What was your take on the ending of the film?

[Show spoiler] It felt a bit contradictory to me, the killer for hire with Samurai instincts walks back into the same nightclub of a previous hit and just walks right up to his potential victim gun pulled, multiple witnesses see the gun not very stealth like. Was his intention to be shot down, just wanting to be caught because he could not bring himself to kill the piano player?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Unknown (theater)

Film: 2 1/2 (out of 4)


Ebert said it best when Taken came out: Liam Neeson lends credibility to even the most pedestrian of films. Here, his presence elevates the film above mediocrity but doesn't quite make it a good film. It was entertaining enough, but as many reviewers point out it's plot holes and lack of believability goes too far. In these types of films, it's important not to take things too seriously, because none of them are ever airtight and they're meant to be fun. That being said, it's just too unrealistic. Examples:

[Show spoiler]you mean to tell me that Neeson, upon realizing his past, suddenly realizes how wrong he was and gives it all up to fight for the other side?????? that makes no sense whatsoever. how about the middle eastern prince deciding to go to a party with only 2-3 bodyguards and not having the room swept for bombs before attending, when THE DAY BEFORE he escaped death at a bombing. (on that matter, how about Neeson walking through the area where the authorities were dealing with that bombing, about halfway through the film.

On a side note, it was great to see Bruno Ganz and the lead actor from The Lives of Others. Ganz is excellent but there's no point to his character, based on what happens. As for Diane Kruger, I know she's German but her attempt at an accent is laughable. Overall, see it merely for the entertainment factor but really do leave you brain at the door.

I have not seen the movie, but I have to ask something. Was kruger speaking English with a German accent?