The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Q?]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Agreed, the whole thing was a mess and a real disappointment to a lot of the true fans.

I'm more of a "casual" fan and I was "casually" entertained. Maybe I'll think less of it the second time around...

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)

2007 PG-13 112 minutes

DVD

[Show spoiler]Netflix synopsis

Mathieu Amalric stars as author and Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby -- who suffered a stroke in 1995 that rendered him mute and completely paralyzed -- in this adaptation of Bauby's autobiography, which he dictated by blinking his left eye. Julian Schnabel was nominated for the 2008 Best Director Oscar (and won the Golden Globe in the same category) for his poignant docudrama about the strength of the human spirit.

Excellent movie.

Man, the camera work and pacing made this a real winner. For the first 43 minutes we see the world only through the eye(s) of Jean-Dominique, and it leaves us feeling scared, confused and helpless. After that we get some traditional cinemtography and some flashbacks to help us understand the story. Really well done.

The pacing is a masterwork. At times it drags painfully (intentionally) to illuminate the struggle. Other times it skims over that more hastily, as that is not the specific point of that certain scene.

The directing choices are all wonderful and the acting is too. Subtle, yet powerful.

I found this film more disturbing than Requiem for a Dream in the sense that drug addiction, while being a horrible place to be "stuck", isnt a mystery. Climbing out of the hell of substance abuse is a rugged ordeal, but it can be done and we know the exact path that needs to be followed to gain freedom. Jean-Dominiques predicament can not be overcome with smart choices or determination, regardless of the level of resolve. I found his level of vulnerability to be quite horrifying. Probably because it was so real. He was in good health and only 42... it could happen to any of us.

I procrastinated far too long before seeing this film.

5/5

Glad you liked it! I thought it was really good but I don't think I could fully appreciate it a few years ago when I saw it. I'm definitely looking forward to revisiting this one

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Q?

I'm more of a "casual" fan and I was "casually" entertained. Maybe I'll think less of it the second time around...

It's not a terrible film by any means, but imo it was another piece of uninspired hollywood junk that happened to land on one of my favorite franchises. Nimrod is a lame director and he tried way to hard to throw in "homages" to the original, whereas he really just forced a bunch of lines and details from the original into the film.

[Monkey]

Yeah I was mildly entertained at Predators as well but that's about it. Started off feeling like it would have a of potential. Then the horrible dialogue kicked in, really bad writing overall in the mess of film. Really the convict joke about raping was about as stupid as it can get.

[iam1bearcat]

some arrivals from amazon...

Big Fish *
Dan in Real Life *
The Fly *
Hard Candy
The Orphanage

* indicates a blind buy.

very excited to see these soon, especially The Fly worried about Big Fish though. i hear NOTHING but good things and then i buy it and on the back cover it says "Modern Day Wizard of Oz"... i really dislike The Wizard of Oz! so i hope i enjoy it

also, placed an order last night for...

Adventureland
The Double Life of Veronique *
Enter the Void *
The Killers: Live from the Albert Royal Hall *

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

some arrivals from amazon...

Big Fish *
Dan in Real Life *
The Fly * Gruesome
Hard Candy
The Orphanage

* indicates a blind buy.

very excited to see these soon, especially The Fly worried about Big Fish though. i hear NOTHING but good things and then i buy it and on the back cover it says "Modern Day Wizard of Oz"... i really dislike The Wizard of Oz! so i hope i enjoy it

also, placed an order last night for...

Adventureland
The Double Life of Veronique *
Enter the Void *
The Killers: Live from the Albert Royal Hall *

!

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Big Fish *

Big Fish is awesome! One of my favorite Tim Burton movies, and just a really great movie in general! Need to pull out my copy and watch it soon.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Monkey

Yeah I was mildly entertained at Predators as well but that's about it. Started off feeling like it would have a of potential. Then the horrible dialogue kicked in, really bad writing overall in the mess of film. Really the convict joke about raping was about as stupid as it can get.

I facepalmed at all of the laughter in the theater I was in

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

!

Originally Posted by Walts Ghost

Big Fish is awesome! One of my favorite Tim Burton movies, and just a really great movie in general! Need to pull out my copy and watch it soon.

awesome to hear! look forward to seeing it soon

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

some arrivals from amazon...

Big Fish *
Dan in Real Life *
The Fly *
Hard Candy
The Orphanage

* indicates a blind buy.

very excited to see these soon, especially The Fly worried about Big Fish though. i hear NOTHING but good things and then i buy it and on the back cover it says "Modern Day Wizard of Oz"... i really dislike The Wizard of Oz! so i hope i enjoy it

also, placed an order last night for...

Adventureland
The Double Life of Veronique *
Enter the Void *
The Killers: Live from the Albert Royal Hall *

Big Fish was pretty good, very unique. It was actually one of the first blu's I watched when I got my PS3. IIRC, the transfer was just ok and probably the reason that I didn't buy it.

Dan In Real Life is great and I think you'll enjoy it a lot.

I watched The Fly last Halloween and I actually liked it a lot, it's pretty well done.

Good blind buys man! I still need to see Adventureland, Hard Candy, Enter the Void and Double Life of Veronique.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

some arrivals from amazon...


Hard Candy

The Double Life of Veronique *

Those are both great. I recently sent Veronique to a friend and I'm anxiously awaiting feedback.

[Realist01]

I really disliked Hard Candy. Probably because I ffind Ellen Page extremely annoying, but not as bad as Michael Cera.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Big Fish was pretty good, very unique. It was actually one of the first blu's I watched when I got my PS3. IIRC, the transfer was just ok and probably the reason that I didn't buy it.

Dan In Real Life is great and I think you'll enjoy it a lot.

I watched The Fly last Halloween and I actually liked it a lot, it's pretty well done.

Good blind buys man! I still need to see Adventureland, Hard Candy, Enter the Void and Double Life of Veronique.

of course, like all of us on here, i love a good transfer, but if Big Fish doesn't wow me, i'll be okay with it as long as i enjoy the film. $10 isn't too big of a risk

Adventureland is fantastic (imo) nothing super original or anything, but i really fell in love with it. definitely check it out!

Hardy Candy is also excellent. great performance by Page. i was on the edge of my seat almost the entire damn time. fantastic stuff

Originally Posted by Steve46

Those are both great. I recently sent Veronique to a friend and I'm anxiously awaiting feedback.

one thing i could not get out of my head was how you said this instantly jumped to your favorites list and you've watched it 2 (or was it 3?) times in a short time span. that was pretty much the clincher. always been intrigued by the film, and decided to buy it now instead of waiting for the next CC sale.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Realist01

I really disliked Hard Candy. Probably because I ffind Ellen Page extremely annoying, but not as bad as Michael Cera.

so... you're telling me you love Juno, right?

[Hep]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

awesome to hear! look forward to seeing it soon

I'll gladly correct Squid's for Big Fish into a , if not a !

I guess I connected with it on some level .

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

one thing i could not get out of my head was how you said this instantly jumped to your favorites list and you've watched it 2 (or was it 3?) times in a short time span. that was pretty much the clincher. always been intrigued by the film, and decided to buy it now instead of waiting for the next CC sale.

(Veronique)

I liked it a lot on first viewing, but I found that I got a lot more out of it the second time. There's a lot going on on the surface and even more going on underneath. It really goes as deep as you want it to too.

It can work as a kind of more serious Amelie in places, or it can make you think about the differences in the world, fate and your entire existence. It's also incredibly beautiful.

The third viewing saw it move into my Top 20 and I was actually thinking about watching it again so I can discuss it with my friend. The post office is dragging its feet and I'm still waiting for it to get there after sending it two weeks ago.

I should have made it my movie of the week choice after the dismal response to Control.

[Q?]

The Fly has a timeless style I very much appreciate, well I mean you can't say THAT'S SO 80's!!!!
Hard Candy is a well executed minimalistic thriller to me. A friend of mine who, what can I say.. who has experienced something bad in life, LOVED IT.
The Orphanage
Adventureland
Enter the Void

Didn't have time to write more about the other movies.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Hep

I'll gladly correct Squid's for Big Fish into a , if not a !

I guess I connected with it on some level .

Hey!!!

I think I may have been too sleepy when I watched it. I should try again.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Hep

I'll gladly correct Squid's for Big Fish into a , if not a !

I guess I connected with it on some level .

haha, that seems to be what a lot of people feel about Big Fish. hopefully i'm the same way, but i'll go in with tempered expectations so i don't go in expecting something super awesome and maybe getting disappointed. but i always give films at least two shots, so even if it doesn't do much on the first viewing, i will give it another chance later on before deciding on keeping it or not. but as long as i don't hate it, it'll stay put

Originally Posted by Steve46

(Veronique)

I liked it a lot on first viewing, but I found that I got a lot more out of it the second time. There's a lot going on on the surface and even more going on underneath. It really goes as deep as you want it to too.

It can work as a kind of more serious Amelie in places, or it can make you think about the differences in the world, fate and your entire existence. It's also incredibly beautiful.

The third viewing saw it move into my Top 20 and I was actually thinking about watching it again so I can discuss it with my friend. The post office is dragging its feet and I'm still waiting for it to get there after sending it two weeks ago.

I should have made it my movie of the week choice after the dismal response to Control.

hmm.... interesting. i love films that take more than one viewing to understand and appreciate everything so hopefully Veronique delivers something special for me

and don't worry about Control. at least you didn't pick an eight hour napfest in space

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Q?

The Fly has a timeless style I very much appreciate, well I mean you can't say THAT'S SO 80's!!!!
Hard Candy is a well executed minimalistic thriller to me. A friend of mine who, what can I say.. who has experienced something bad in life, LOVED IT.
The Orphanage
Adventureland
Enter the Void

Didn't have time to write more about the other movies.

awesome to hear man! think i may try and watch The Fly in a bit when the sun goes down and sneak it in before heading to bed for the night

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Hey!!!

I think I may have been too sleepy when I watched it. I should try again.

sure, sure, sure.