The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

I've been looking forward to this one, glad to hear all of the positive reviews

I would highly recommend it if the trailer made you interested in the slightest because what you saw in the trailer was very accurate to what you get....shocking right?

[Steve46]

I enjoyed Moon and will probably see Source Code on Tuesday.

[Diesel]

I enjoyed Moon, but liked this a lot more.
It was much more my style I suppose....whatever that style is

I gave Moon a 3.5/5 I think.

[Batman1980]

Source Code will be a blind buy for me, unless someone else takes me to the theatre to see it before it hits blu-ray. Still haven't seen Moon.

[Foggy]

I'll be watching Source Code sometime next week, I've been or being busy catching up on Limitless and Sucker Punch

[Foggy]

Made my friend who isn't all the into films watch Reservoir Dogs and Inception, he liked them both

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Source Code will be a blind buy for me, unless someone else takes me to the theatre to see it before it hits blu-ray. Still haven't seen Moon.

I was only going to rent it when it came out, but it has now moved up to a maybe blind buy. It really depends on what else will be releasing around that time and the price.

On another note, I'll be seeing Sucker Punch in about 3 hours. I won't be typing out a full review since I don't do those anymore, but you will still know what I thought of it (call it a mini-review if you must). We'll see if I agree with Squid.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest rental…for my mother… “Eat Pray Love.”

If you haven’t noticed already, rom-coms aren’t usually my thing. There is a handful that really stands out to me, but I rarely hold high expectations for them. “Eat Pray Love” follows the formula of any other good ol’ fashioned rom-com; people fall in love, fall out of love, spend the whole movie searching for the right person, they all live happily ever after… The comedy’s light, cute, and amusing, and the narrative is about as witty as “You’ve Got Mail.”

What really makes this film stand out is going to be the international flair it’s got going on. This story takes the main character on a literal spiritual quest from New York to Rome to India to Bali, in that order. The scenery is bloody gorgeous throughout. The character becomes effectively immersed in each country’s cultures and makes a dozen new friends, whom she considers a whole new family. Above all, she searches for personal balance, enlightenment, detachment from material possessions, and ultimately she searches for God.

Or so she claims. There are two things that really bug me about this film, and one of them is the main character. Despite all she learns, despite her wit and charm, and despite the outcome, I hated her character. I regarded her as a shallow flake, and I saw her “meditation” and spiritual quest as a shallow new-age fad she was going through. I never once was convinced she put her heart into it, much less grow to understand the foreign cultures around her, or understand their viewpoints, or even stop to think about the greater metaphysical issues about God, human existence, civilization, or a whole myriad of other deep issues. And that leads to the next thing that bugs me: this film only pretends to be a spiritual quest, but it’s more like a thin paper mask to cover up the common rom-com formula and themes. Nope, I felt this film had a fantastic opportunity to explore all these issues, but failed completely. I’d rather watch “Baraka” or possibly “Agora” for more insight, not this pretentious crap. It actually ticks me off; now I think I understand why people hate “Inception” and “Avatar,” for pretending to be smart when they really aren’t…

As if that’s not enough to complain about…let’s face it, this story has hardly any strong conflict (lots of internal conflict maybe, but zero external). What struggles and arguments the film shows feel like they’re tacked-on (especially the argument toward the end, it seemed way out-of-place). And ultimately, I kept questioning the reasoning for this character to go to all these darn places. I think she could have learned what she needed to know in her own home; just another reason why I think she’s a freaking flake.

For what it’s worth though, the film shows awesome photography. Most of the locales are beautiful, with lots of vivid, colorful, and sunny shots. Acting is great; Julia Roberts is brilliant, even if I do hate her character. Writing is pretty iffy; I think there’s way too much exposition in certain spots. Production value seems high, and the music is often pleasing.

2.5/5 (entertainment: 2/5, story: 1.5/5, film: 4/5)

Recommendation: Rom-com fans can rent it. Otherwise, heck no!

This Blu-Ray looks darn near perfect; a little bit of noise perhaps, but it definitely looks darn sharp, clean, clear, and extremely colorful. Sound quality did not disappoint.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4/5

[Al_The_Strange]

“Stand By Me”

There’s a certain boyish charm to this movie. Not only because it centers on a group of boys, but because of the things they experience, the sights and sounds around them, and the bonding that occurs throughout their journey. On the way to see a dead body out of curiosity, they venture across the treacherous wilderness, they dare to try and outrun speeding trains, they confront a mythical killer dog, among other episodes. Their adventures may be light-heartedly amusing or a moving hard-edged tearjerker; the combination of the two gives the film a strong realistic appeal that’ll keep your attention. Even when the characters are just chilling, their interactions are often entertaining. And with its tight pacing, the film packs a lot in its short runtime.

Based on the short story by Stephen King, this is naturally a deep and moving story. Maybe not a whole lot of physical conflict, but it does follow the formula of a typical quest, and contains a huge helping of internal conflict. It’s invoking watching the characters struggle with their issues, and ultimately watch them grow as they move on. As such, the characters are very strongly developed, and their journey uncovers some very strong themes concerning life and death. It’s easily as rewarding of a story as “The Green Mile” or “The Shawshank Redemption.”

As a film, it’s splendid. Photography is solid and steady, with plenty of wonderful imagery and landscapes. Acting is superb: all of the boys show mad skills. Writing is strong (even if it is a little overly-revealing). Production value looks decent, and the music is very fitting.

4.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 5/5, film: 4.5/5, intellectual/emotional impact: 4.5/5)

Recommendation: Yes!!

This Blu-Ray has good sharpness and detail, with very strong colors and good contrast. Grain and noise can be quite heavy, but lends itself to a genuine film look-and-feel, and is faithful. Some scenes might be a little soft, but such scenes are few and far between. I was pleased with the sound quality: dialogue and music seemed clean and clear, and most sound effects seemed decently loud and bombastic.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5



It’s funny: the character in “Eat Pray Love” went all around the world to realize her stupid revelation; the boys in “Stand By Me” probably learned a lot more than she did, but didn’t even have to leave their home state!

[Al_The_Strange]

“Pleseantville”

Well golly, there just hasn’t been as swell of a time as there was in the good ol’ 50s! But in this film, a pair of modern kids get caught in the middle of a 50s TV show, and are stuck in a utopic universe where the sun always shines, everybody’s always nice to each other, sex and violence are unheard of, and everything is literally black-and-white. It’s not long before these two cause trouble; along the way, there’s plenty of funny moments as their modernist sensibilities clash with the old-fashioned conservatism. The film drags in just a few spots, but the story and unique visuals are worthwhile.

With the premise above, the movie moves from one funny situation to the next, until it fades into a pretty heavy drama with lots of strong themes concerning individuality and self-expression. The story is somewhat loosely-made, but shows a lot of strong conflict, especially towards the end. Characters are decently likable and interesting. But altogether, they showcase a unique and entertaining story in which a utopic time and place are turned upside down. In fact, the film has a very strong Garden-of-Eden vibe to it, reinforcing the themes of expression and self-discovery.

All that being said, there are perhaps one or two plot holes in this story. It's never really explained where the TV repair man came from in the first place. In the end

[Show spoiler]it's kinda weird that the kids' mother doesn't question where Jennifer is

. Among other things. But I believe that the strengths of the story outweigh these few negatives.

Cinematically, it has lovely photography. It is especially noteworthy for having a lot of awesome effects where individual things or people will be in color and everything else is in black-and-white, or possibly the other way around; it’s a visually cool effect that’s only been topped by “Sin City.” Acting is not bad, writing is not bad, production value is solid, and the music is classy.

4.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4.5/5, intellectual impact: 3/5)

Recommendation: Yep!

The Blu-Ray looks keen, with swell detail and sharpness, and pretty good color and contrast. It's maybe not as sharp as it could be, and I half-wonder if some DNR was applied, but if so it's not really a distracting amount. Sound quality did not disappoint.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5

[Batman1980]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“Pleseantville”

Well golly, there just hasn’t been as swell of a time as there was in the good ol’ 50s! But in this film, a pair of modern kids get caught in the middle of a 50s TV show, and are stuck in a utopic universe where the sun always shines, everybody’s always nice to each other, sex and violence are unheard of, and everything is literally black-and-white. It’s not long before these two cause trouble; along the way, there’s plenty of funny moments as their modernist sensibilities clash with the old-fashioned conservatism. The film drags in just a few spots, but the story and unique visuals are worthwhile.

With the premise above, the movie moves from one funny situation to the next, until it fades into a pretty heavy drama with lots of strong themes concerning individuality and self-expression. The story is somewhat loosely-made, but shows a lot of strong conflict, especially towards the end. Characters are decently likable and interesting. But altogether, they showcase a unique and entertaining story in which a utopic time and place are turned upside down. In fact, the film has a very strong Garden-of-Eden vibe to it, reinforcing the themes of expression and self-discovery.

All that being said, there are perhaps one or two plot holes in this story. It's never really explained where the TV repair man came from in the first place. In the end

[Show spoiler]it's kinda weird that the kids' mother doesn't question where Jennifer is

. Among other things. But I believe that the strengths of the story outweigh these few negatives.

Cinematically, it has lovely photography. It is especially noteworthy for having a lot of awesome effects where individual things or people will be in color and everything else is in black-and-white, or possibly the other way around; it’s a visually cool effect that’s only been topped by “Sin City.” Acting is not bad, writing is not bad, production value is solid, and the music is classy.

4.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4.5/5, intellectual impact: 3/5)

Recommendation: Yep!

The Blu-Ray looks keen, with swell detail and sharpness, and pretty good color and contrast. It's maybe not as sharp as it could be, and I half-wonder if some DNR was applied, but if so it's not really a distracting amount. Sound quality did not disappoint.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5

Sounds good to me, will probably be a $10 blind buy as I can always use more Reese Witherspoon in my collection.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: “Tangled.”

As the 50th animated film Disney ever created, “Tangled” tackles the classic fairy-tale of Rapunzel with the confines of a well-worn formula involving princesses, magic, amusingly-personified-animals, and musical numbers. But in this day and age, the comedy is much more slapstick and amusing. The princesses are more badass. The magic is cooler-looking. The personified animals are cuter. The music is more poppy. And surprisingly, the action scenes can be really ambitious at times. It’s especially novel seeing the best fight scenes ever choreographed with a frying pan! Combined with strong visuals and fluid animation, the film is pretty darn fun!

It looks like this film gets a slightly bad rap for having an unremarkable story, but I beg to differ. I don’t know how it compares to the original story, but this adaptation seems quite sublime. The prologue presents an interesting mythological background, and the story remains true to it for the duration. When the story takes full swing, it becomes quite the thrilling adventure with plenty of peril, comedy, and some rather heart-warming moments. In the end, I felt it was as tightly constructed as it was enjoyable. And to top it off, the characters are pretty decently developed; especially Rapunzel herself, who effectively fuels the story with her ambition, dreams, and rebellious spirit. Not to mention, I thought the villain was pretty decent too.

The film shows smashing animation quality; the imagery is often impressive, and shows slick, smooth, highly-detailed animation. Voice-acting seems strong. Production designs are brilliant; I especially loved the whole sun/flower motif. Music is not bad for what it is.

4.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 5/5, film: 4.5/5)

Recommendation: Yep!

As near as I can tell, this Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect!

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5

[KilloWertz]

Sucker Punch

This will act as a mini-review. If I do decide to do a more in depth one, it will be after I watch this again on Blu-ray...

Has Squid lost his mind?: No. This was pretty much everything I hoped it would be. The visuals were amazing and you can tell it is a Zack Snyder film, the fight scenes were insane, and I actually liked the story. I especially have to give Zack and company credit for the ending

[Show spoiler]where we find out that it wasn't Babydoll's story. It was Sweet Pea's.

I had no problem understanding the story and the connections between things once all was said and done.

The final fight scene

[Show spoiler]where they have to disarm a bomb and fight the cyborg guards

left my jaw on the floor and easily showed that Zack did not go overboard with the slow motion and stop motion. It was the perfect way to show what ended up being my favorite of the fight scenes.

I don't have a final rating as I want to wait until I see it again on Blu-ray before I make that call. I know it will likely end up being higher than a 4/5 when all is said and done.

[P@t_Mtl]

Knight & Day

USA 2010
Directed by James Mangold
With Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard
Format : Blu-ray

Is it an action movie or a comedy? It's a bit of both. Got this from my rental list and so took the time to watch it this evening. From what I saw last year in previews the movie look like fun but I did not go see it in theaters. I wasn't wrong, the movie was a lot of fun. It was 100% better for me then the horrible Killers with Ashton Kutcher & Katherine Heigl. I am not a huge fan of Tom Cruise but I know he will usually deliver the goods and he did in this one as well. Is he crazy or just very smart? A rogue or tricking everyone? The movie was very fun and there wasn't much dull moment into it. Sure it's full of impossible moments but that is what I would expect from a movie of that sort. I did enjoy it enough that I would consider adding it to my collection but not at the price they are selling it now.

The Blu-ray was very nice, good image quality and the sound options did seem like someone with a nice system could rock the house

[iam1bearcat]

The Illusionist

105 minutes

After buying 14 more blus on Friday, I should probably start watching all these damn things!

The Illusionist is yet another blind buy.

I really liked it.

It wasn't perfect - far from it, and it was odd seeing a story bounce back and forth between supernatural tricks \ magic and ... politics... But hey, I wasn't thrown off by that too much and actually thought it was pretty neat.

Edward Norton was really good, Giamatti was typical awesome, kind of crazy Giamatti and everyone else was okay and did their job.

Loved the look and feel of the film, although it felt a bit disjointed.

Also found it funny how much the film wraps up and shows us yet still doesn't answer some of the biggest questions:

[Show spoiler]like how he made himself disappear, or the kids walking around

but nothing that ruined the film for me.

So first impressions are I really liked it, but certainly not anything real special or anything that must be seen or even remembered, and on repeat viewings the score may fall but it was only $10 and it was worth it so for now...

4/5

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

After buying 14 more blus on Friday, I should probably start watching all these damn things!

[/B]

considering the amount of money you are spending I think you should start watching them

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Knight & Day

USA 2010
Directed by James Mangold
With Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard
Format : Blu-ray

Is it an action movie or a comedy? It's a bit of both. Got this from my rental list and so took the time to watch it this evening. From what I saw last year in previews the movie look like fun but I did not go see it in theaters. I wasn't wrong, the movie was a lot of fun. It was 100% better for me then the horrible Killers with Ashton Kutcher & Katherine Heigl. I am not a huge fan of Tom Cruise but I know he will usually deliver the goods and he did in this one as well. Is he crazy or just very smart? A rogue or tricking everyone? The movie was very fun and there wasn't much dull moment into it. Sure it's full of impossible moments but that is what I would expect from a movie of that sort. I did enjoy it enough that I would consider adding it to my collection but not at the price they are selling it now.

The Blu-ray was very nice, good image quality and the sound options did seem like someone with a nice system could rock the house

It was a test for the next Mission: Impossible

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Illusionist

[Show spoiler]105 minutes

After buying 14 more blus on Friday, I should probably start watching all these damn things!

The Illusionist is yet another blind buy.

I really liked it.

It wasn't perfect - far from it, and it was odd seeing a story bounce back and forth between supernatural tricks \ magic and ... politics... But hey, I wasn't thrown off by that too much and actually thought it was pretty neat.

Edward Norton was really good, Giamatti was typical awesome, kind of crazy Giamatti and everyone else was okay and did their job.

Loved the look and feel of the film, although it felt a bit disjointed.

Also found it funny how much the film wraps up and shows us yet still doesn't answer some of the biggest questions:

[Show spoiler]like how he made himself disappear, or the kids walking around

but nothing that ruined the film for me.

So first impressions are I really liked it, but certainly not anything real special or anything that must be seen or even remembered, and on repeat viewings the score may fall but it was only $10 and it was worth it so for now...

4/5

I didn't like it...gave it a 2/5.

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

considering the amount of money you are spending I think you should start watching them

I would say so!

[volcomsocal]

Never Let Me Go - 2010

I didn't really know anything about this movie except the brief plot that I read on Netflix's website.

I really like Keira Knightley as an actor (and for her goddess-like beauty), so I figured I'd take this movie for a ride.

Never let Me Go had a calm and slow nature to it, that in my eyes, is what made this movie brilliant and beautiful. The 3 main actors did a wonderful job in their roles. The story, albeit quite odd, was taken from a novel and was well done. I couldn't fully grasp if these people were

[Show spoiler]living in our own real world or if this was some alternate reality. After watching this film, I understood that this was a science-fiction movie at heart.

Never Let Me Go had a gentle and passionate feel to it that I really liked. Oh, and cinematography? BE-autiful. Some of the most well done landscape/building shots I've ever seen. Everything about Never Let Me Go had an fantastic emotional beauty to it that I felt connected to.

PQ - 4/5
AQ - 4/5

4/5

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Diesel

It was a test for the next Mission: Impossible

Probably so but it more a comedy then Mission Impossible movies are. The first was ok but I really did not enjoy the second and never bothered with the third one

[P@t_Mtl]

I did a Got To Have It Now with my ZIP account, I should have Tangled by tomorrow or Tuesday. Cannot wait to see what the big fuss is about on that movie.