The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“The Source Code”

Right from the start, I could tell that this was going to be a clever film. Its opening shots felt very Hitchcockian to me, while the rest played out a little like “12 Monkeys” and “Groundhog’s Day” rolled together. As a result, we have a proper mind-bending thriller with an incredible amount of suspense, thrills, immaculate attention to detail, and thought-provoking content. Pacing is never an issue; the movie always keeps the audience guessing (before providing answers in proper order, of course).

The story is brilliant; it unfolds methodically and reveals many layers to the story, characters, and the overall concept. The concept itself is the stuff that would make for a good “Twilight Zone” episode, but with decent characters and plenty of depth to the story, the movie is simply a good storytelling experience.

The movie has good photography and smashing editing effects, working to feel coherent and tie the story together. Acting is quite good: Jake Gyllenhaal is surprisingly mature in this serious role, and I think this is his best role thus far; I loved Michelle Monaghan in her role; I found Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright interesting too. Writing is pretty good. Production value includes good sets, props, costumes, and SFX. Music is kinda classy.

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

Recommendation: Yes.



Chances are good that I'll be buying "The Green Lantern" and "The Source Code" on BD.

Yep, I already pre-ordered Source Code. Excellent stuff.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I gave it a 3.75, bumped to 4/5 for fun factor. It fell short of what I expected though I believe when I reviewed it I said making what I expected a 5/5, this delivered a 3.5/5.
...but seeing as the studio butted in and what we got is not Campbell's version of the film, that's not surprising. No wonder he isn't coming back for GL2...
I hope there's a chance we get a Director's Cut on blu-ray

Loved this movie when I saw it back in April
It's been on pre-order for a while now. It's only $19.99 on Amazon, so I say jump on it

Something about "The Green Lantern" does feel off or incomplete; I'm just not picky enough to complain. I suppose the studio intervention doesn't surprise me, and I'm glad it's not quite as crummy as "Ultraviolet" or anything. I would love to see at least some deleted scenes on the BD though, see what the director originally intended.

Yep, I'm going to have to order these when I can!

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Something about "The Green Lantern" does feel off or incomplete; I'm just not picky enough to complain. I suppose the studio intervention doesn't surprise me, and I'm glad it's not quite as crummy as "Ultraviolet" or anything. I would love to see at least some deleted scenes on the BD though, see what the director originally intended.

Yep, I'm going to have to order these when I can!

From what I've read and recall off the top of my head,

[Show spoiler]there is more time with Hal's training, more time spent on the history with Hal-Carol-Hector (which is something I thought really didn't work in the actual film with no development whatsoever) and I would think the biggest, that we weren't supposed to meet Parallax until the third act instead of at the very beginning.

[iam1bearcat]

La Femme Nikita

113 minutes

1990

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Tcheky Karyo and Jean-Hugues Anglade

Well, they can’t all be winners.

With as much blind buying and quick impulse buying as I do, I had quite the stretch of great blu-ray pick ups, if I do say so myself. Some I had seen, some I had not, but almost all were fun and well worth adding to my collection.

La Femme Nikita? Eh, after one viewing… not so much.
Not gonna get rid of it (I don’t do that, it’s always fun to revisit films months / years later and find new things to enjoy about them and to also just have a vast variety of genres and films to choose from is what I really love for any given moment or mood) but it certainly isn’t a winner in my book.

For 1990, this must have been way ahead of its time: a junkie young girl who kills a cop is turned into an assassin by the French intelligence and used for covert operations taking out extremely important individuals.

Sounds awesome, but execution is not so much.

Very little time is spent on the training. VERY little. Lame.

For a large portion of the film, Nikita’s haircut makes her look like what a female version of one of the Three Stooges would like it and that bugged / creeped me out a lot. Lame.

Nikita has random “quirky” moments that while some may find genuine, heartwarming and fun I found idiotic and bordered on lunacy (when she sings the song after giving the computer guy the mouse really weirded me out), which again, didn’t help her character. Lame.

Being made in 1990, you know what to expect of “action” scenes. This isn’t Die Hard, which impresses me with every viewing knowing it was made in 1988 and how many films look and sound awful compared to it, and the gun shots and “effects” in Nikita are less than stellar. Along the same lines of Big Trouble in Little China. Which, didn’t need realistic effects, Nikita, kinda does.

Brief glimpses of sheer awesomeness, but honestly? Not enough of the assassin storyline is shown here. Very few kills, very few scenes of assassin training, minimal character development or someone to root for (at times I did root for Nikita, but mostly I didn’t care one way or the other if she would die, which was never in jeopardy) and felt way too long while only being 113 minutes.

Sounds like I hated it doesn’t it?? But honestly, I didn’t. just didn’t do anything special for me personally. And honestly, can’t really tell you why I bought this and Run Lola Run for $9.99 at Best Buy (the two pack). Guess it was just another “shoot from the hip” blind buy urge I got one day. Hopefully I enjoy Run Lola Run more than Nikita, although that might not be hard to do.

PQ: 4/5
AQ: 3/5

The Film: 3/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Alien

This was actually my first time seeing this movie EVER!! First off id like to say they did an amazing job of restoring this movie, the blu is excellent when it comes to PQ and AQ.

For the film i thought it was pretty good, pretty sure it was horrifying back in 79 but for now it really didn't scare me but i liked how this is one of the few monster/horror films that has character development (if you wanna call it that). Overall the movie was ok... Im a predator fan so i thought Predator was the ultimate monster/horror flick but nothing negative to say about this one. I bought the Anthology and its time for ALIENS.

4/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yep, I already pre-ordered Source Code. Excellent stuff.

I thought it was a cooler version of Donnie Darko, its funny how they both have the same main character and same concept....... With minor differences here and there but still i cool movie.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

From what I've read and recall off the top of my head,

[Show spoiler]there is more time with Hal's training, more time spent on the history with Hal-Carol-Hector (which is something I thought really didn't work in the actual film with no development whatsoever) and I would think the biggest, that we weren't supposed to meet Parallax until the third act instead of at the very beginning.

[Show spoiler]Ah yes, the movie definitely needed more training segments. And more background to the characters would have certainly helped. I didn't mind Parallax being in the movie all the way through, but if they do a DC, seeing it shown the other way might be interesting.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

La Femme Nikita

[Show spoiler]
113 minutes

1990

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Tcheky Karyo and Jean-Hugues Anglade

Well, they can’t all be winners.

With as much blind buying and quick impulse buying as I do, I had quite the stretch of great blu-ray pick ups, if I do say so myself. Some I had seen, some I had not, but almost all were fun and well worth adding to my collection.

La Femme Nikita? Eh, after one viewing… not so much.
Not gonna get rid of it (I don’t do that, it’s always fun to revisit films months / years later and find new things to enjoy about them and to also just have a vast variety of genres and films to choose from is what I really love for any given moment or mood) but it certainly isn’t a winner in my book.

For 1990, this must have been way ahead of its time: a junkie young girl who kills a cop is turned into an assassin by the French intelligence and used for covert operations taking out extremely important individuals.

Sounds awesome, but execution is not so much.

Very little time is spent on the training. VERY little. Lame.

For a large portion of the film, Nikita’s haircut makes her look like what a female version of one of the Three Stooges would like it and that bugged / creeped me out a lot. Lame.

Nikita has random “quirky” moments that while some may find genuine, heartwarming and fun I found idiotic and bordered on lunacy (when she sings the song after giving the computer guy the mouse really weirded me out), which again, didn’t help her character. Lame.

Being made in 1990, you know what to expect of “action” scenes. This isn’t Die Hard, which impresses me with every viewing knowing it was made in 1988 and how many films look and sound awful compared to it, and the gun shots and “effects” in Nikita are less than stellar. Along the same lines of Big Trouble in Little China. Which, didn’t need realistic effects, Nikita, kinda does.

Brief glimpses of sheer awesomeness, but honestly? Not enough of the assassin storyline is shown here. Very few kills, very few scenes of assassin training, minimal character development or someone to root for (at times I did root for Nikita, but mostly I didn’t care one way or the other if she would die, which was never in jeopardy) and felt way too long while only being 113 minutes.

Sounds like I hated it doesn’t it?? But honestly, I didn’t. just didn’t do anything special for me personally. And honestly, can’t really tell you why I bought this and Run Lola Run for $9.99 at Best Buy (the two pack). Guess it was just another “shoot from the hip” blind buy urge I got one day. Hopefully I enjoy Run Lola Run more than Nikita, although that might not be hard to do.

PQ: 4/5
AQ: 3/5

The Film: 3/5

Maybe not the most thrilling action movie ever, but I loved the characters, story, and camera work. I definitely prefer this over the Americanized remake "Point of No Return."

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Alien

This was actually my first time seeing this movie EVER!! First off id like to say they did an amazing job of restoring this movie, the blu is excellent when it comes to PQ and AQ.

For the film i thought it was pretty good, pretty sure it was horrifying back in 79 but for now it really didn't scare me but i liked how this is one of the few monster/horror films that has character development (if you wanna call it that). Overall the movie was ok... Im a predator fan so i thought Predator was the ultimate monster/horror flick but nothing negative to say about this one. I bought the Anthology and its time for ALIENS.

4/5

Wow, another first-time viewer for "Alien." Glad you liked it.

[Foggy]

The Incredible Hulk

This is the only one of what I like to call "Marvels New Wave" movies (the ones that all tie into each other and The Avengers) that I haven't seen...until now.

There is a reason I didn't see this back in 2008, I'm not a big fan of the Hulk. Sure, he can do cool stuff, but all he is, is a dude who just can't get angry because he'll become a destructive hero. That seems like it diminishes the point of Superheroes. They're supposed to be cool and do cool stuff no one else can do, what's the point of having a hero who doesn't want to use his powers, just never made sense to me. Yet I'm sure this is why he is so compelling to fans.

So, I am kinda surprised I really liked this film, it's probably one par with Iron Man 1 within quality.

It's just entertaining, not in your face, action film that you can chill out too. It's hard to do an action film that you can pop in and chill with without either A) Make it a bore feast with little going on par the occasional gun fight because it's story engrossed or B) Make it so stupid that it has mindless 'splosions everywhere and no comprehensive plot to give a damn to. TIH just has a grade A in chemistry fitting all the right elements together at the right moments to have a blast, almost a little too perfect, maybe.

It sometimes comes across a little too textbook that you start to go "Oh and this will be the part where..." and starts to follow a few cliches of either Superhero movies or Monster movies, it never really feels like a bad thing, just something where the film could try and go off the tracks and do something moderately interesting.

The story is pretty basic, yet feels like it has enough to utilize the films 2 hour run time with out dragging through the mud, adding to that perfect equation the film uses, action scenes are well spread out, although a little too reliant on computer effects, the final fight scene I kinda stopped caring due to the fact that there were to animated characters fighting around New York with little amount to danger, but it was still fun to watch the effects teams work on the film.

Edward Norton is great and is a great shame he got booted from The Avengers, but Liv Tyler has about 2 tones in the entire movie, wide eyed and whimsical, or demanding and dragging out commands from the very back of her throat. She was bad, but she could of done so much more.

Like I said before, I think it's on par with Iron Man quality wise, but for my rating, I'm rating it lower just for the fact that I don't think it's as entertaining for me than Iron Man.

8.5/10

[iam1bearcat]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

132 minutes

Year: 1977 (Theatrical Release, or as it’s called on the blu-ray, “Original Version”)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfus, Teri Garr, Bob Babalan, Melinda Dillon, and Francois Truffaut

two years ago was the very first time i had seen CEOTTK. while i enjoyed it, i had a lot of issues with it. for me, at that time, it went way to slowly, i didn't understand the ending and all the music and felt the seen was overblown and lasted way too long, and other odds and outs. but i watched all three versions, and i think i liked the theatrical version best.

so, two years later, i own it (again ) and watched it last night and enjoyed the hell out of it

side note: i kind of hate how your feelings on some films change so much over so little time! i don't have time to go back and watch everything over again to see if i like it now or if i still think it's just 'okay' or if it still does suck!

Spielberg has created a wonderful little gem of a film here. seeing this and remembering Super 8 clearly i can see exactly what JJ Abrams and Spielberg (producer) were doing with it and it worked to perfection.

CEOTTK may not be my favorite sci-fi film, but it is a majestic beast that should be viewed at least once by all

my complaints from two years ago are now long gone. the pacing seemed downright perfect, the lack of dialogue was pure genius in my mind, the "musical" number had me awestruck and smiling, and the film just makes you feel giddy and good. you feel a bit like a kid in amazement while watching CEOTTK, which is awesome and something not a lot of films can give you.

may not ever be my favorite film or in my top 50 or anything like that (or maybe one day it will be? ) but it makes me smile, has all the atmosphere and film making wonder you could ask for and puts me on which is all you can ask for from a film.

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by killowertz

Yeah, I remember coming home from work each day and having pages and pages of posts to read. It was kind of a pain, but it was good at the same time.

haha, agreed. some days i would be like, "sweet jesus man! don't any of these people have lives?!" now, it seems like everyone has too much of a life lol

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yep, it's weird. Maybe we have all reviewed every movie ever made?

we may be getting close...

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I can only speak for myself; I've been touring Germany these days, so I haven't been able to get on here often. That's my excuse.

But yeah, it's a bummer. Where are all our peeps at?!

sounds awesome Al! hope you enjoy yourself and have some great weather for it!

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“The Source Code”

[Show spoiler]Right from the start, I could tell that this was going to be a clever film. Its opening shots felt very Hitchcockian to me, while the rest played out a little like “12 Monkeys” and “Groundhog’s Day” rolled together. As a result, we have a proper mind-bending thriller with an incredible amount of suspense, thrills, immaculate attention to detail, and thought-provoking content. Pacing is never an issue; the movie always keeps the audience guessing (before providing answers in proper order, of course).

The story is brilliant; it unfolds methodically and reveals many layers to the story, characters, and the overall concept. The concept itself is the stuff that would make for a good “Twilight Zone” episode, but with decent characters and plenty of depth to the story, the movie is simply a good storytelling experience.

The movie has good photography and smashing editing effects, working to feel coherent and tie the story together. Acting is quite good: Jake Gyllenhaal is surprisingly mature in this serious role, and I think this is his best role thus far; I loved Michelle Monaghan in her role; I found Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright interesting too. Writing is pretty good. Production value includes good sets, props, costumes, and SFX. Music is kinda classy.

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

Recommendation: Yes.

very much looking forward to a blind buy of Source Code Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors, Duncan Jones is director? who made the masterful Moon? and it's a bit like Donnie Darko? color me excited!

just skimmed your review though since i like going in almost completely blind

Originally Posted by Diesel

Loved this movie when I saw it back in April
It's been on pre-order for a while now. It's only $19.99 on Amazon, so I say jump on it

hopefully it's $19.99 at Best Buy so i can use the $5 off coupon to get this bad boy for $14.99

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Maybe not the most thrilling action movie ever, but I loved the characters, story, and camera work. I definitely prefer this over the Americanized remake "Point of No Return."

yeah.. that version looked... well... it looked like something

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Incredible Hulk

This is the only one of what I like to call "Marvels New Wave" movies (the ones that all tie into each other and The Avengers) that I haven't seen...until now.

There is a reason I didn't see this back in 2008, I'm not a big fan of the Hulk. Sure, he can do cool stuff, but all he is, is a dude who just can't get angry because he'll become a destructive hero. That seems like it diminishes the point of Superheroes. They're supposed to be cool and do cool stuff no one else can do, what's the point of having a hero who doesn't want to use his powers, just never made sense to me. Yet I'm sure this is why he is so compelling to fans.

[Show spoiler]So, I am kinda surprised I really liked this film, it's probably one par with Iron Man 1 within quality.

It's just entertaining, not in your face, action film that you can chill out too. It's hard to do an action film that you can pop in and chill with without either A) Make it a bore feast with little going on par the occasional gun fight because it's story engrossed or B) Make it so stupid that it has mindless 'splosions everywhere and no comprehensive plot to give a damn to. TIH just has a grade A in chemistry fitting all the right elements together at the right moments to have a blast, almost a little too perfect, maybe.

It sometimes comes across a little too textbook that you start to go "Oh and this will be the part where..." and starts to follow a few cliches of either Superhero movies or Monster movies, it never really feels like a bad thing, just something where the film could try and go off the tracks and do something moderately interesting.

The story is pretty basic, yet feels like it has enough to utilize the films 2 hour run time with out dragging through the mud, adding to that perfect equation the film uses, action scenes are well spread out, although a little too reliant on computer effects, the final fight scene I kinda stopped caring due to the fact that there were to animated characters fighting around New York with little amount to danger, but it was still fun to watch the effects teams work on the film.

Edward Norton is great and is a great shame he got booted from The Avengers, but Liv Tyler has about 2 tones in the entire movie, wide eyed and whimsical, or demanding and dragging out commands from the very back of her throat. She was bad, but she could of done so much more.

Like I said before, I think it's on par with Iron Man quality wise, but for my rating, I'm rating it lower just for the fact that I don't think it's as entertaining for me than Iron Man.

8.5/10

same reason i am not a big fan of the Hulk. i also prefer my superheroes to actually be SUPER in power. sure, intelligence is a "power" of sorts, but that's part of why Iron Man never interested me. and kind of the same for Batman - because these two just have lots of money.

that's not exciting. almost all sports stars have money and are in shape, surely they could be superheroes if they wanted to! so what makes Bruce Wayne and whats-his-face (Iron Man's real name... Tony Stark!) so special? not much at least to me

however i was a bit surprised by how much i liked Hulk as well. however, i still sold it about a year ago, and don't think it would be one i would ever buy again. unless it reaches $5 territory.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

sounds awesome Al! hope you enjoy yourself and have some great weather for it!

Thank you, it's been great!

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Incredible Hulk

[Show spoiler]
This is the only one of what I like to call "Marvels New Wave" movies (the ones that all tie into each other and The Avengers) that I haven't seen...until now.

There is a reason I didn't see this back in 2008, I'm not a big fan of the Hulk. Sure, he can do cool stuff, but all he is, is a dude who just can't get angry because he'll become a destructive hero. That seems like it diminishes the point of Superheroes. They're supposed to be cool and do cool stuff no one else can do, what's the point of having a hero who doesn't want to use his powers, just never made sense to me. Yet I'm sure this is why he is so compelling to fans.

So, I am kinda surprised I really liked this film, it's probably one par with Iron Man 1 within quality.

It's just entertaining, not in your face, action film that you can chill out too. It's hard to do an action film that you can pop in and chill with without either A) Make it a bore feast with little going on par the occasional gun fight because it's story engrossed or B) Make it so stupid that it has mindless 'splosions everywhere and no comprehensive plot to give a damn to. TIH just has a grade A in chemistry fitting all the right elements together at the right moments to have a blast, almost a little too perfect, maybe.

It sometimes comes across a little too textbook that you start to go "Oh and this will be the part where..." and starts to follow a few cliches of either Superhero movies or Monster movies, it never really feels like a bad thing, just something where the film could try and go off the tracks and do something moderately interesting.

The story is pretty basic, yet feels like it has enough to utilize the films 2 hour run time with out dragging through the mud, adding to that perfect equation the film uses, action scenes are well spread out, although a little too reliant on computer effects, the final fight scene I kinda stopped caring due to the fact that there were to animated characters fighting around New York with little amount to danger, but it was still fun to watch the effects teams work on the film.

Edward Norton is great and is a great shame he got booted from The Avengers, but Liv Tyler has about 2 tones in the entire movie, wide eyed and whimsical, or demanding and dragging out commands from the very back of her throat. She was bad, but she could of done so much more.

Like I said before, I think it's on par with Iron Man quality wise, but for my rating, I'm rating it lower just for the fact that I don't think it's as entertaining for me than Iron Man.

8.5/10

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

same reason i am not a big fan of the Hulk. i also prefer my superheroes to actually be SUPER in power. sure, intelligence is a "power" of sorts, but that's part of why Iron Man never interested me. and kind of the same for Batman - because these two just have lots of money.

You don't like Hulk?! Hulk angry!!! HULK SMASH!!!!!

I've had one or two moments in my life where I "hulked out," or had a massive temper tantrum, especially as a kid. It's kinda scary how anger and rage can make one blind, and how much damage it can cause. I've been trying my best to control myself so I won't go crazy and destroy things. So, for better or for worse, I can relate to the Hulk sometimes.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

La Femme Nikita

[Show spoiler]
113 minutes

1990

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Tcheky Karyo and Jean-Hugues Anglade

Well, they can’t all be winners.

With as much blind buying and quick impulse buying as I do, I had quite the stretch of great blu-ray pick ups, if I do say so myself. Some I had seen, some I had not, but almost all were fun and well worth adding to my collection.

La Femme Nikita? Eh, after one viewing… not so much.
Not gonna get rid of it (I don’t do that, it’s always fun to revisit films months / years later and find new things to enjoy about them and to also just have a vast variety of genres and films to choose from is what I really love for any given moment or mood) but it certainly isn’t a winner in my book.

For 1990, this must have been way ahead of its time: a junkie young girl who kills a cop is turned into an assassin by the French intelligence and used for covert operations taking out extremely important individuals.

Sounds awesome, but execution is not so much.

Very little time is spent on the training. VERY little. Lame.

For a large portion of the film, Nikita’s haircut makes her look like what a female version of one of the Three Stooges would like it and that bugged / creeped me out a lot. Lame.

Nikita has random “quirky” moments that while some may find genuine, heartwarming and fun I found idiotic and bordered on lunacy (when she sings the song after giving the computer guy the mouse really weirded me out), which again, didn’t help her character. Lame.

Being made in 1990, you know what to expect of “action” scenes. This isn’t Die Hard, which impresses me with every viewing knowing it was made in 1988 and how many films look and sound awful compared to it, and the gun shots and “effects” in Nikita are less than stellar. Along the same lines of Big Trouble in Little China. Which, didn’t need realistic effects, Nikita, kinda does.

Brief glimpses of sheer awesomeness, but honestly? Not enough of the assassin storyline is shown here. Very few kills, very few scenes of assassin training, minimal character development or someone to root for (at times I did root for Nikita, but mostly I didn’t care one way or the other if she would die, which was never in jeopardy) and felt way too long while only being 113 minutes.

Sounds like I hated it doesn’t it?? But honestly, I didn’t. just didn’t do anything special for me personally. And honestly, can’t really tell you why I bought this and Run Lola Run for $9.99 at Best Buy (the two pack). Guess it was just another “shoot from the hip” blind buy urge I got one day. Hopefully I enjoy Run Lola Run more than Nikita, although that might not be hard to do.

PQ: 4/5
AQ: 3/5

The Film: 3/5

I really liked it for some reason.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Incredible Hulk

[Show spoiler]

This is the only one of what I like to call "Marvels New Wave" movies (the ones that all tie into each other and The Avengers) that I haven't seen...until now.

There is a reason I didn't see this back in 2008, I'm not a big fan of the Hulk. Sure, he can do cool stuff, but all he is, is a dude who just can't get angry because he'll become a destructive hero. That seems like it diminishes the point of Superheroes. They're supposed to be cool and do cool stuff no one else can do, what's the point of having a hero who doesn't want to use his powers, just never made sense to me. Yet I'm sure this is why he is so compelling to fans.

So, I am kinda surprised I really liked this film, it's probably one par with Iron Man 1 within quality.

It's just entertaining, not in your face, action film that you can chill out too. It's hard to do an action film that you can pop in and chill with without either A) Make it a bore feast with little going on par the occasional gun fight because it's story engrossed or B) Make it so stupid that it has mindless 'splosions everywhere and no comprehensive plot to give a damn to. TIH just has a grade A in chemistry fitting all the right elements together at the right moments to have a blast, almost a little too perfect, maybe.

It sometimes comes across a little too textbook that you start to go "Oh and this will be the part where..." and starts to follow a few cliches of either Superhero movies or Monster movies, it never really feels like a bad thing, just something where the film could try and go off the tracks and do something moderately interesting.

The story is pretty basic, yet feels like it has enough to utilize the films 2 hour run time with out dragging through the mud, adding to that perfect equation the film uses, action scenes are well spread out, although a little too reliant on computer effects, the final fight scene I kinda stopped caring due to the fact that there were to animated characters fighting around New York with little amount to danger, but it was still fun to watch the effects teams work on the film.

Edward Norton is great and is a great shame he got booted from The Avengers, but Liv Tyler has about 2 tones in the entire movie, wide eyed and whimsical, or demanding and dragging out commands from the very back of her throat. She was bad, but she could of done so much more.

Like I said before, I think it's on par with Iron Man quality wise, but for my rating, I'm rating it lower just for the fact that I don't think it's as entertaining for me than Iron Man.

8.5/10

I'm not generally a fan of superhero characters, but The Incredible Hulk was good for the first hour. I like how Norton played it and that we were given an intelligent back story. A scientist would react just like he did. But the second half descended into an action frenzy and ruined it. It could have been a great reboot like Batman and Bond, but nope.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

132 minutes

Year: 1977 (Theatrical Release, or as it’s called on the blu-ray, “Original Version”)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfus, Teri Garr, Bob Babalan, Melinda Dillon, and Francois Truffaut

two years ago was the very first time i had seen CEOTTK. while i enjoyed it, i had a lot of issues with it. for me, at that time, it went way to slowly, i didn't understand the ending and all the music and felt the seen was overblown and lasted way too long, and other odds and outs. but i watched all three versions, and i think i liked the theatrical version best.

so, two years later, i own it (again ) and watched it last night and enjoyed the hell out of it

side note: i kind of hate how your feelings on some films change so much over so little time! i don't have time to go back and watch everything over again to see if i like it now or if i still think it's just 'okay' or if it still does suck!

Spielberg has created a wonderful little gem of a film here. seeing this and remembering Super 8 clearly i can see exactly what JJ Abrams and Spielberg (producer) were doing with it and it worked to perfection.

CEOTTK may not be my favorite sci-fi film, but it is a majestic beast that should be viewed at least once by all

my complaints from two years ago are now long gone. the pacing seemed downright perfect, the lack of dialogue was pure genius in my mind, the "musical" number had me awestruck and smiling, and the film just makes you feel giddy and good. you feel a bit like a kid in amazement while watching CEOTTK, which is awesome and something not a lot of films can give you.

may not ever be my favorite film or in my top 50 or anything like that (or maybe one day it will be? ) but it makes me smile, has all the atmosphere and film making wonder you could ask for and puts me on which is all you can ask for from a film.

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

I'm still a fan. I liked it as a kid and think that it has aged pretty well. Why? Because it focuses on the reactions and motivations of the characters. I could see myself doing the same in their situations. The special effects don't go over the top and aren't the highlight of the movie. Nice cameo from Truffaut too. There's a good air of mystery throughout. The Blu-ray is grainy, but still a good upgrade.

[Steve46]

Bridge on the River Kwai

I don't like many war movies and have almost zero interest in watching Hollywood-inspired battle scenes with stupid speeches and impossible heroics. But I do like the psychological aspects showing how people deal with war and their memories of war.

The Great Escape ranks pretty high in my rankings of good war movies. I hadn't seen Kwai before, but it's not too unlike The Great Escape. There's a good battle of wits between the opposing commanding officers.

It's 2 hours 40 minutes and only a few shots are fired. This is a decent drama for those who don't need constant battles.

The Blu-ray looks hideous at the start, but quickly improves. It's a worthy upgrade.

4/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I'm still a fan. I liked it as a kid and think that it has aged pretty well. Why? Because it focuses on the reactions and motivations of the characters. I could see myself doing the same in their situations. The special effects don't go over the top and aren't the highlight of the movie. Nice cameo from Truffaut too. There's a good air of mystery throughout. The Blu-ray is grainy, but still a good upgrade.

i like how it doesn't make the "government" come across as pushy and "nothing to see here!" bland type that we see in a lot of sci-fi / monster movies. hell, the government isn't even really in this except for the last 20 minutes or so. and i like how it doesn't have that one person who refuses to believe and then just does.

one thing i thought of after it ended last night and i was curious by was how Spielberg never wraps up the

[Show spoiler]story with Roy's wife and kids. he just goes on the ship and that's that.

surprised since usually most "feel good" happy films would have the family issues resolved. but not here. i kind of like that

i LOVE how CEOTTK looks. feels very real like this is live footage or something. yes, some films that are made to look as clean and clear as glass are nice (Transformers as an example) but i think i like how older films (that are restored to perfection like this one) are presented. Band of Brothers, Taxi Driver, CEOTTK, SPR, The Exorcist... they all have a special feeling to them that, to me at least, films these days lack. a minor downside to advancing technology in my eyes.

hoping Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T. and the Indiana Jones films (among many others) have this same feel as well

Originally Posted by Steve46

Bridge on the River Kwai

[Show spoiler]I don't like many war movies and have almost zero interest in watching Hollywood-inspired battle scenes with stupid speeches and impossible heroics. But I do like the psychological aspects showing how people deal with war and their memories of war.

The Great Escape ranks pretty high in my rankings of good war movies. I hadn't seen Kwai before, but it's not too unlike The Great Escape. There's a good battle of wits between the opposing commanding officers.

It's 2 hours 40 minutes and only a few shots are fired. This is a decent drama for those who don't need constant battles.

The Blu-ray looks hideous at the start, but quickly improves. It's a worthy upgrade.

4/5

this was on sale at Target a few weeks ago for $16.99 and i almost pulled the plug. have never seen it. have no idea who's in it or who directed it or why it's regarded as such a classic. no idea what it was until it was released and read about it on here. didn't even know it was a war film until i read the back cover

back cover also doesn't have anything to say about WHAT the film is (just one of those "experience all the glory in 1080p gloriousness" blah blah blah. so i put it back so i could maybe learn what the hell the film was.

may rent it someday, don't know if i'd like having it in my collection.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i LOVE how CEOTTK looks. feels very real like this is live footage or something. yes, some films that are made to look as clean and clear as glass are nice (Transformers as an example) but i think i like how older films (that are restored to perfection like this one) are presented. Band of Brothers, Taxi Driver, CEOTTK, SPR, The Exorcist... they all have a special feeling to them that, to me at least, films these days lack. a minor downside to advancing technology in my eyes.

hoping Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T. and the Indiana Jones films (among many others) have this same feel as well



this was on sale at Target a few weeks ago for $16.99 and i almost pulled the plug. have never seen it. have no idea who's in it or who directed it or why it's regarded as such a classic. no idea what it was until it was released and read about it on here. didn't even know it was a war film until i read the back cover

back cover also doesn't have anything to say about WHAT the film is (just one of those "experience all the glory in 1080p gloriousness" blah blah blah. so i put it back so i could maybe learn what the hell the film was.

may rent it someday, don't know if i'd like having it in my collection.

I own The Exorcist and Taxi Driver and love what they did with the restoration too.

Kwai is about a mental battle between a captured British commander and the Japanese commander in charge of them.

The plot is essentially

[Show spoiler]commander refuses to let officers work while they are prisoners - Japanese commander eventually caves in - Brits do a great job of building a bridge - another group of Brit/US/Canadians plan to blow it up

[Steve46]

Mother and Child

Better than at least five of the Oscar nominations last year. Brilliant cast, clever plot with three stories which intersect. Bening should have been nominated for this rather than The Kids Are All Right.

The director calls it a drama for grown-ups and he's right.

I'll write a full review, probably. But 4.5/5.

[Foggy]

Just came back from a party, quite good quite good. But why am I posting that here...WELL...

Living furthest away from everyone I know (Lets call the area where I live Fogton, and Fogton is split into 3 areas, Fog-central where I live, Old-Fog where all my oldest friends live, and New-Fog, where most my college friends live.) And the place I had to go was Old-Fog, but it was a party at someone I barely knew house, so I had to set off extra early to make sure I get there in time.

I get there and I'm just a few mins early, so I ring the bell, say hello, and wait for everyone to get there, she says everyone said they where coming later like 7, FUUUUU....

So we are sat there, wondering what to do since none of us have been early to a party (I was the latest to come to my own Worldwide Celebration Day party). So we decide to watch TV, what do we watch...well...Bloody...

Shark Tale

Uuuuggghhhh, such an awkward hour and something mins, I only said put it on as a joke

The animation looks horrendously dated, the jokes fall flat most the film, it's racially insensitive most the time, and it's just plain lame.

It's pacing is all over the place, it's plot is uninteresting and it's morals are downright awful, Oh don't worry if you lie, put everyone in danger, just so you can get rich, if you come clean in the end, you'll become a manager of a successful business and everyone will sing and dance.

It isn't the worst animated film ever, as sometimes it gets inventive, but it all feels half arsed...

3/10

[Diesel]

The Bank Job

I'm not feeling a review for this one.

It was moderately enjoyable, but it didn't work as well for me as it did for Bearcat unfortunately.

Rating - 3.5/5