The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Diesel]

Taken

Another one of my previously reviewed ones

It's incredibly simple and to the point.

We are introduced to Liam Neeson's character and his life...and then he spends roughly 80 minutes beating the snot out of people.

You know you have a great action character when the blu-ray comes with a KILL COUNT special feature

It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite "true" action movie.

The one bad thing: the directing for the daughter....horrible. I've discussed this with our 10-legged friend in the past

Rating - 5/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Taken

Another one of my previously reviewed ones

It's incredibly simple and to the point.

We are introduced to Liam Neeson's character and his life...and then he spends roughly 80 minutes beating the snot out of people.

You know you have a great action character when the blu-ray comes with a KILL COUNT special feature

It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite "true" action movie.

The one bad thing: the directing for the daughter....horrible. I've discussed this with our 10-legged friend in the past

Rating - 5/5

With such a serious and important flaw, 5/5 is wrong. Its a movie about a kidnapped youth and a fathers quest to save her. Making her out to be a whiney, disrespectful, disobediant, wreckless, sneaky, lying, clueless, pouting, crybaby SLUT, who runs like a freak, ) doesnt make, or even allow the audience to care about Dads quest. I still vote "Stay home and let them keep her". Pack up the Mom and ship her overseas as well.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

With such a serious and important flaw, 5/5 is wrong. Its a movie about a kidnapped youth and a fathers quest to save her. Making her out to be a whiney, disrespectful, disobediant, wreckless, sneaky, lying, clueless, pouting, crybaby SLUT, who runs like a freak, ) doesnt make, or even allow the audience to care about Dads quest. I still vote "Stay home and let them keep her". Pack up the Mom and ship her overseas as well.

You're not supposed to care about his quest because of her though
You're supposed to care about it because of him. He's the character that we are set up to identify with and to feel sorry for. We might think she's an annoying little brat, but he loves her and wants to save her.

...that or you can just watch it to see him shoot stuff!

But the mom is a serious b**** though, you have a great point there

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Taken

[Show spoiler]Another one of my previously reviewed ones

It's incredibly simple and to the point.

We are introduced to Liam Neeson's character and his life...and then he spends roughly 80 minutes beating the snot out of people.

You know you have a great action character when the blu-ray comes with a KILL COUNT special feature

[Show spoiler]It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite "true" action movie.

The one bad thing: the directing for the daughter....horrible. I've discussed this with our 10-legged friend in the past

Rating - 5/5

not always true. Hobo with a Shotgun has a kill count and that movie and character is FAR from great

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Taken

Another one of my previously reviewed ones

It's incredibly simple and to the point.

We are introduced to Liam Neeson's character and his life...and then he spends roughly 80 minutes beating the snot out of people.

You know you have a great action character when the blu-ray comes with a KILL COUNT special feature

It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite "true" action movie.

The one bad thing: the directing for the daughter....horrible. I've discussed this with our 10-legged friend in the past

Rating - 5/5

Probably my favourite action film EVER. Either this or The Bourne Ultimatum

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

not always true. Hobo with a Shotgun has a kill count and that movie and character is FAR from great

Aw...I thought Taken was the only one

Originally Posted by tanujdua

Probably my favourite action film EVER. Either this or The Bourne Ultimatum

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

We would get along well

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

You know you have a great action character when the blu-ray comes with a KILL COUNT special feature

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

not always true. Hobo with a Shotgun has a kill count and that movie and character is FAR from great

Pffft...REAL movies have the kill count as part of the actual movie!

‪Hot shot 2 (body count)‬‏ - YouTube

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

With such a serious and important flaw, 5/5 is wrong. Its a movie about a kidnapped youth and a fathers quest to save her. Making her out to be a whiney, disrespectful, disobediant, wreckless, sneaky, lying, clueless, pouting, crybaby SLUT, who runs like a freak, ) doesnt make, or even allow the audience to care about Dads quest. I still vote "Stay home and let them keep her". Pack up the Mom and ship her overseas as well.

You're supposed to hate these dippy characters. For one thing, it shows the audience what NOT to do to make yourself a target while travelling. For that reason alone, I'd make "Taken" necessary viewing. For the story though, it shows why the dad would have been a way better parent than Famke freaking Jannsen (...which is a shame, because I love Famke...).

[Foggy]

Midnight Harry Potter baby

Because I booked my tickets to Part 2 at midnight, they were letting people in to go watch the first part for free leading up to midnight, so....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Reviewed before, so no detail here, find the other reviews I did for it on here. But, watching this as close as possible to the final one is essential.

9.5/10

Now for the big one!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

You know when you are waiting in a cue to enter a film that is huge, when there is no cue, just a lot of people crammed in to one huge place and queuing outside at god damn midnight, (it's never been packed in the theatre even at a normal time)

And it wasn't just one midnight showing, it was three, all at once.

First minor quibble with the film...WHERE THE F**K WAS MY DARK KNIGHT RISES TEASER, US BRITS GET SHAFTED AGAIN NO, NO, NO, DON'T WORRY, I'LL BE HAPPY WITH THE F**KING 3D GLEE CONCERT FILM



But now the film, the only real advice I can give you, is after 7 movies, you kinda know going into the 8th whether you'll like it or not.

Needless to say, those hundreds of people waiting to go in to see it, knew they were going to love it. All the people that came extra early to see Part 1 for free know they were going to love it. All my friends who went at midnight knew they were going to love it. And of course, I had a sneaking suspicion I was going to love it too...

I did

Of course, it's very similar to Part 1 in tone for the most part, very dark, very hopeless, with only the odd moment of awkward situation comedy thrown in there, sometimes works great, sometimes does not.

The only thing that this film has that part 1 doesn't, is stuff actually going on (and yes, as much as I don't think part 1 is the snooze feast everyone makes it out to be, it's not the most action packed of films)

At the end of Part 1, we see Voldemort gaining the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, which is quickly re-capped upon in this film, so if you have any Potter knowledge, you'll be able to realise that, shit, officially, has hit the fan. And so for the following couple of hours, you follow Harry as he struggles to go against the forces of evil, to destroy the last few remaining horcruxes, which ultimately leads back to Hogwarts, and ultimately leads to what could quite possible the end of Hogwarts, and most definitely the end of the Potter series.

To say this film is action packed, is like say water is wet, and the sky is blue. Have you seen the trailer, there are like a thousand set pieces within the film, making it definitely the most action packed Potter film and the most action packed film of the summer (sorry Bay, hand that crown over) you've sat through the set up in part 1, now you have to pay to get your reward, and it was worth every single penny of that £7.70 (3D of course)

But, it wouldn't be a good film without it's characters and serious dramatic scenes, if you've read the books, you'd know that Snape's arc within the story is very tragic and filled full of misery, to say Alan Rickman pulls this of well is an understatement, to say he pulled it of to perfection, is still an understatement. It's a great thing to say that one of the things to catch me emotionally drawn to is Snape's story in this, and his unveiling of who he has had an allegiance with all this time is beautifully told.

Other minor characters have a few sweet moments, like Professor McGonagall getting rather chuffed with herself for finally being able to cast the spell for the Knights of Hogwarts, and the infamous Molly Weasley line And of course, Neville Longbottom's heroic rise all done well through the film.

So it sort of pains me that when it comes to the very main emotions, the fact that this is the final film, and this is the last adventure we'll have with the characters, it doesn't seem to hit home as well for me as it will do for others. It's not a big problem, I feel as the film rounds up the whole epic very well, and I feel as if the characters time has come and gone and I've had fun following the story since 2001 when I was 7 years old (so young) and of course the films have done well to keep audience interested in it for so long.

A few genuine problems I have with the film that stops it from being perfect however, are some odd moments of comedy, a good example of this is when Ralph Fiennes chewing scenery after the scene

[Show spoiler]Harry Potter supposedly died

just a bit odd, and not the least bit threatening for a character we are supposed to feel threatened by, considering the final stand off with him shortly happens afterwards. And a lot of characters have off screen deaths, loosing the effect of the dark hopeless nature, as the characters that do die feel like they should of had genuine heroic deaths

And before I conclude, the 3D was pointless and lame, it made my eyes hurt because I was sat near the front and it was late at night and it caused my eyes to water quite badly...yeah...

When I was talking about the audience earlier, and about how they would obviously love it, well, when it comes to the

[Show spoiler]19 Years later epilogue

at the end and you see all that actors (emphasis on the actors) and

[Show spoiler]they are all in make up to age them

, the audience was cracking up, and not in the way of "Oh that make-up looks terrible", it was more in the way of "I can believe they look that way old". It was in the sort of way that you see your friend wearing something stupid and you think to yourself "what is that guy doing", and it shows how the audience has grown with the actors, how they laugh at the fact that they are aged, slightly like if your friend knocked on your door with make up making him look 20 years older. Strange how a series, that just hits all the right notes on the younger audience, can almost survive forever, whether it's a series that will survive forever remains to be seen. But in the here and now, thinking back to when I was 7 when I resiliently dragged to see the first film for me to fall in love with it, leading to me loving the series, even it's lowest marks. Anticipating the latest instalment as much as the last, reading the books leading up to the release, and then dropping that idea because it either ruins the film, or because it was phone booked sized. And it all came to an end last night, so I won't say the boring cliched line of "My Childhood ended" like I heard 50 thousand times last night (So you guys are 17 - 18 years of age, going out partying and having sex, and you're telling me your childhood ends because of Harry Potter) but it is the end of something special, to think how we have grown accustomed to a new Harry Potter film each year/2 years, the fact that there is no more, after 8 films, it's all come to a close with this one film, it's going to make a fortune and then boom Blu-Ray's out and there is only those 8 films chronicling the epic of Potter. What is the point I am trying to make, is there a point, I don't know, maybe I haven't found the point, maybe the shock of no more Potter has yet to sink in, the fact that I have written the longest conclusion must show some sort of affection for the series, yet I feel I haven't yet fulfilled my thoughts for the final film, other than the fact that the series will be missed...

9.5/10

[P@t_Mtl]

Legend
USA 1985
Directed by Ridley Scott
With Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry
Format: Blu-ray

Sat down and watch the theatrical release, which I had seen before. I will be watching the director's cut sometime later which I have never seen seen. There is a note from Scott at the start of the Blu-ray, it would seem that the director's cut may not look as sharp as the thetrical. Something to look for next time. I do not really have this movie for Tom Cruise because in reality this will probably be the only movie of his I would ever have in my collection. Tim Curry & Scott are responsible for me enjoying this movie. It's not an easy movie I think many people might have been a bit shock in seeing it. It's not a typical fantasy movie. If you go in expecting Conan, you will have a bit of a shock. I see it more as a poem in movement that bring's you closer to a fairy tale then a sword and fantasy movie. Another I like to think of it is like a painting coming alive. The Blu-ray itself is quite beautiful, some grain and the picture seem sharp enough for me but I am sure tons of "Internet expert" will find reasons to say it's an horrible Blu-ray. My recommendation for this one, do not go blind buy if you can avoid it. Rent it first and see it at least once, you may like Ridley Scott movies but this may not be for you.

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Midnight Harry Potter baby

Because I booked my tickets to Part 2 at midnight, they were letting people in to go watch the first part for free leading up to midnight, so....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

[Show spoiler]
Reviewed before, so no detail here, find the other reviews I did for it on here. But, watching this as close as possible to the final one is essential.

9.5/10

Now for the big one!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

You know when you are waiting in a cue to enter a film that is huge, when there is no cue, just a lot of people crammed in to one huge place and queuing outside at god damn midnight, (it's never been packed in the theatre even at a normal time)

And it wasn't just one midnight showing, it was three, all at once.

First minor quibble with the film...WHERE THE F**K WAS MY DARK KNIGHT RISES TEASER, US BRITS GET SHAFTED AGAIN NO, NO, NO, DON'T WORRY, I'LL BE HAPPY WITH THE F**KING 3D GLEE CONCERT FILM



But now the film, the only real advice I can give you, is after 7 movies, you kinda know going into the 8th whether you'll like it or not.

Needless to say, those hundreds of people waiting to go in to see it, knew they were going to love it. All the people that came extra early to see Part 1 for free know they were going to love it. All my friends who went at midnight knew they were going to love it. And of course, I had a sneaking suspicion I was going to love it too...

I did

Of course, it's very similar to Part 1 in tone for the most part, very dark, very hopeless, with only the odd moment of awkward situation comedy thrown in there, sometimes works great, sometimes does not.

The only thing that this film has that part 1 doesn't, is stuff actually going on (and yes, as much as I don't think part 1 is the snooze feast everyone makes it out to be, it's not the most action packed of films)

At the end of Part 1, we see Voldemort gaining the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, which is quickly re-capped upon in this film, so if you have any Potter knowledge, you'll be able to realise that, shit, officially, has hit the fan. And so for the following couple of hours, you follow Harry as he struggles to go against the forces of evil, to destroy the last few remaining horcruxes, which ultimately leads back to Hogwarts, and ultimately leads to what could quite possible the end of Hogwarts, and most definitely the end of the Potter series.

To say this film is action packed, is like say water is wet, and the sky is blue. Have you seen the trailer, there are like a thousand set pieces within the film, making it definitely the most action packed Potter film and the most action packed film of the summer (sorry Bay, hand that crown over) you've sat through the set up in part 1, now you have to pay to get your reward, and it was worth every single penny of that £7.70 (3D of course)

But, it wouldn't be a good film without it's characters and serious dramatic scenes, if you've read the books, you'd know that Snape's arc within the story is very tragic and filled full of misery, to say Alan Rickman pulls this of well is an understatement, to say he pulled it of to perfection, is still an understatement. It's a great thing to say that one of the things to catch me emotionally drawn to is Snape's story in this, and his unveiling of who he has had an allegiance with all this time is beautifully told.

Other minor characters have a few sweet moments, like Professor McGonagall getting rather chuffed with herself for finally being able to cast the spell for the Knights of Hogwarts, and the infamous Molly Weasley line And of course, Neville Longbottom's heroic rise all done well through the film.

So it sort of pains me that when it comes to the very main emotions, the fact that this is the final film, and this is the last adventure we'll have with the characters, it doesn't seem to hit home as well for me as it will do for others. It's not a big problem, I feel as the film rounds up the whole epic very well, and I feel as if the characters time has come and gone and I've had fun following the story since 2001 when I was 7 years old (so young) and of course the films have done well to keep audience interested in it for so long.

A few genuine problems I have with the film that stops it from being perfect however, are some odd moments of comedy, a good example of this is when Ralph Fiennes chewing scenery after the scene

[Show spoiler]Harry Potter supposedly died

just a bit odd, and not the least bit threatening for a character we are supposed to feel threatened by, considering the final stand off with him shortly happens afterwards. And a lot of characters have off screen deaths, loosing the effect of the dark hopeless nature, as the characters that do die feel like they should of had genuine heroic deaths

And before I conclude, the 3D was pointless and lame, it made my eyes hurt because I was sat near the front and it was late at night and it caused my eyes to water quite badly...yeah...

When I was talking about the audience earlier, and about how they would obviously love it, well, when it comes to the

[Show spoiler]19 Years later epilogue

at the end and you see all that actors (emphasis on the actors) and

[Show spoiler]they are all in make up to age them

, the audience was cracking up, and not in the way of "Oh that make-up looks terrible", it was more in the way of "I can believe they look that way old". It was in the sort of way that you see your friend wearing something stupid and you think to yourself "what is that guy doing", and it shows how the audience has grown with the actors, how they laugh at the fact that they are aged, slightly like if your friend knocked on your door with make up making him look 20 years older. Strange how a series, that just hits all the right notes on the younger audience, can almost survive forever, whether it's a series that will survive forever remains to be seen. But in the here and now, thinking back to when I was 7 when I resiliently dragged to see the first film for me to fall in love with it, leading to me loving the series, even it's lowest marks. Anticipating the latest instalment as much as the last, reading the books leading up to the release, and then dropping that idea because it either ruins the film, or because it was phone booked sized. And it all came to an end last night, so I won't say the boring cliched line of "My Childhood ended" like I heard 50 thousand times last night (So you guys are 17 - 18 years of age, going out partying and having sex, and you're telling me your childhood ends because of Harry Potter) but it is the end of something special, to think how we have grown accustomed to a new Harry Potter film each year/2 years, the fact that there is no more, after 8 films, it's all come to a close with this one film, it's going to make a fortune and then boom Blu-Ray's out and there is only those 8 films chronicling the epic of Potter. What is the point I am trying to make, is there a point, I don't know, maybe I haven't found the point, maybe the shock of no more Potter has yet to sink in, the fact that I have written the longest conclusion must show some sort of affection for the series, yet I feel I haven't yet fulfilled my thoughts for the final film, other than the fact that the series will be missed...

9.5/10

ah dude great read. I know how you feel about being crammed :s. Ours had 8 showings! 1200 people, was ridiculous! We could all queue up inside though because the cinema was on the 1st floor and 3rd floor of this building

So jealous how you got to see part 1 for FREE!!!!!

Having said that we

[Show spoiler]did get a Dark Knight Rises trailer...

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Aw...I thought Taken was the only one

It's the only one of the two movies that deserves one though.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Pffft...REAL movies have the kill count as part of the actual movie!

‪Hot shot 2 (body count)‬‏ - YouTube

He's so awesome, the body count rises without his gun even firing

Originally Posted by killowertz

It's the only one of the two movies that deserves one though.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

You're not supposed to care about his quest because of her though
You're supposed to care about it because of him. He's the character that we are set up to identify with and to feel sorry for. We might think she's an annoying little brat, but he loves her and wants to save her.

...that or you can just watch it to see him shoot stuff!

But the mom is a serious b**** though, you have a great point there

If the movie was worth a damn, the phone call would have gone like this...

[Show spoiler]"I will hunt you. I WILL find you. And I will PAY you to keep her.

[iam1bearcat]

Rango

Year: 2011
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: John Logan
Starring (voice work): Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, and Ray Winstone

"You spend three days in a horse carcass, living off your own juices. It'll change a man, yeah."

Rango is an absolute classic from start to finish. no doubt in my mind. easily (although, the year has just reached the middle point) one of the best films of 2011, and one of the most entertaining films i have EVER watched. ever.

i've watched it THREE times since it arrived yesterday it's just... so, so, so amazing.

of course, visuals and sound are incredible, as to be expect. but my lord, the WRITING is what steals the show. absolutely hilarious, witty, smart, snarky and sassy dialogue rips through the Town of Dirt left and right. delicious. so many well executed jokes, nothing ever fell flat. outstanding

the action bits are also very well directed and executed (as to be expected by Verbinski) and Depp is perfect as Rango. and Rango is perfect as the goofy, easily scared, but wants to be the top guy in town because he has a big imagination, main character. easy to love, impossible to hate, and impossible to not want to see on screen for longer.

A LOT happens in the films 100ish minute run time, which is astounding.
i was never bored, never distracted, never wishing it would move faster or end quicker. Rango is for me, the perfect movie viewing experience.

some will dislike or simply not "get" the humor, and that will be a shame for them. and some, will be like Squid and be all NSE about it

i'm not a big fan of comparing films right after i see them, but Rango should win the Oscar for Best Animated Full Length Feature (or whatever it's called) and is better than a large number of Pixar films. and there used to be a time when i thought no animated film could be better than a Pixar film (well, except for that debacle that is Cars...) but that definitely changed with the likes of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Rango reinforces that. of course films before these two have been better than some Pixar works, but Rango and FMF really slap you in the face and say, "THIS is is genius".

not really aimed at kids (especially some of the fascinating jokes and references to other films - like Depp's own Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the opening scene ), more so aimed at adults, and more films should be made like this.

also, the slip cover is my absolute favorite by far. simply gorgeous!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 5/5

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Rango

Year: 2011
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: John Logan
Starring (voice work): Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, and Ray Winstone

"You spend three days in a horse carcass, living off your own juices. It'll change a man, yeah."

Rango is an absolute classic from start to finish. no doubt in my mind. easily (although, the year has just reached the middle point) one of the best films of 2011, and one of the most entertaining films i have EVER watched. ever.

i've watched it THREE times since it arrived yesterday it's just... so, so, so amazing.

of course, visuals and sound are incredible, as to be expect. but my lord, the WRITING is what steals the show. absolutely hilarious, witty, smart, snarky and sassy dialogue rips through the Town of Dirt left and right. delicious. so many well executed jokes, nothing ever fell flat. outstanding

the action bits are also very well directed and executed (as to be expected by Verbinski) and Depp is perfect as Rango. and Rango is perfect as the goofy, easily scared, but wants to be the top guy in town because he has a big imagination, main character. easy to love, impossible to hate, and impossible to not want to see on screen for longer.

A LOT happens in the films 100ish minute run time, which is astounding.
i was never bored, never distracted, never wishing it would move faster or end quicker. Rango is for me, the perfect movie viewing experience.

some will dislike or simply not "get" the humor, and that will be a shame for them. and some, will be like Squid and be all NSE about it

i'm not a big fan of comparing films right after i see them, but Rango should win the Oscar for Best Animated Full Length Feature (or whatever it's called) and is better than a large number of Pixar films. and there used to be a time when i thought no animated film could be better than a Pixar film (well, except for that debacle that is Cars...) but that definitely changed with the likes of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Rango reinforces that. of course films before these two have been better than some Pixar works, but Rango and FMF really slap you in the face and say, "THIS is is genius".

not really aimed at kids (especially some of the fascinating jokes and references to other films - like Depp's own Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the opening scene ), more so aimed at adults, and more films should be made like this.

also, the slip cover is my absolute favorite by far. simply gorgeous!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 5/5

Glad you liked it. I gave it 4/5 and will definitely watch it often.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Rango

[Show spoiler]Year: 2011
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: John Logan
Starring (voice work): Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, and Ray Winstone

"You spend three days in a horse carcass, living off your own juices. It'll change a man, yeah."

Rango is an absolute classic from start to finish. no doubt in my mind. easily (although, the year has just reached the middle point) one of the best films of 2011, and one of the most entertaining films i have EVER watched. ever.

i've watched it THREE times since it arrived yesterday it's just... so, so, so amazing.

of course, visuals and sound are incredible, as to be expect. but my lord, the WRITING is what steals the show. absolutely hilarious, witty, smart, snarky and sassy dialogue rips through the Town of Dirt left and right. delicious. so many well executed jokes, nothing ever fell flat. outstanding

the action bits are also very well directed and executed (as to be expected by Verbinski) and Depp is perfect as Rango. and Rango is perfect as the goofy, easily scared, but wants to be the top guy in town because he has a big imagination, main character. easy to love, impossible to hate, and impossible to not want to see on screen for longer.

A LOT happens in the films 100ish minute run time, which is astounding.
i was never bored, never distracted, never wishing it would move faster or end quicker. Rango is for me, the perfect movie viewing experience.

some will dislike or simply not "get" the humor, and that will be a shame for them. and some, will be like Squid and be all NSE about it

i'm not a big fan of comparing films right after i see them, but Rango should win the Oscar for Best Animated Full Length Feature (or whatever it's called) and is better than a large number of Pixar films. and there used to be a time when i thought no animated film could be better than a Pixar film (well, except for that debacle that is Cars...) but that definitely changed with the likes of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Rango reinforces that. of course films before these two have been better than some Pixar works, but Rango and FMF really slap you in the face and say, "THIS is is genius".

not really aimed at kids (especially some of the fascinating jokes and references to other films - like Depp's own Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the opening scene ), more so aimed at adults, and more films should be made like this.

also, the slip cover is my absolute favorite by far. simply gorgeous!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 5/5

Going to try to buy this one on Monday, gave it a nice 9/10 when I saw it at the cinema, really liked it

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Glad you liked it. I gave it 4/5 and will definitely watch it often.

same. this is gonna be one of those few select blus i constantly have on a repeating schedule to re-watch. great stuff

Originally Posted by Foggy

Going to try to buy this one on Monday, gave it a nice 9/10 when I saw it at the cinema, really liked it

just wait till you see the blu! it looks amazing!

[Diesel]

Watched Zodiac again today. Review stands:

Originally Posted by Diesel

Zodiac

• 2007 | R | 157 Minutes
  
  
• Director: David Fincher
  
  
• Staring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr.
  
  
• Crime | Drama | History

I've been wanting to see this one for a while now but never got around to it...and I am quite glad I finally did tonight.

Bearcat mentioned that the movie was long earlier, and I really had no idea that it was over 2.5 hours long. It definitely felt that long...but in a good way; I wasn't ready for it to end I was enjoying it so much.

I don't know much about the Zodiac killings, I read a bit about them once but that was a few years ago and I don't really remember anything that I read besides that they never positively identified someone as the killer. So I don't know how much of the movie was changed from actual facts and how much was accurate, but it doesn't really matter because what I got worked fantastically. The story kept me interested at every turn, the major characters were all worth paying attention to, and several times the movie actually got me in with its tension (

[Show spoiler]the scene in the basement with the floorboards squeaking overheard particularly

). It takes one heck of a movie to keep you interested for the ENTIRE runtime without a single moment of even the slightest disinterest in a particular portion of the film for over two and a half hours; and for me Zodiac accomplished that.


Jake G was definitely my favorite actor in the film. Right from the beginning I knew I was going to like his character for some reason; I don't know what it was, there was just something. And it proved to be correct; I liked him more and more as the film went on and

[Show spoiler]his obsession with the case grew and grew until he was putting himself in danger because of his need to know the truth and even alienated his wife (who took his kids away for a while) because of his pursuit of answers. All along the way Jake does a great job with the role. When he was in that guys basement he looked like he was actually scared out of his mind, and when he was rummaging through papers, running to police, screaming in the middle of the night about the case

he was always spot on I thought. Great performance.

RDJ comes in as my #2 for the movie. He has a smaller role than Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo but his time on screen was just as well acted.

Ruffalo, who the only time I've seen him before that I can think of is in 13 Going on 30 (yep), also turns in a very good performance. He wasn't as good as Jake G or RDJ I thought but he was no slouch. My favorite scene in the movie was when he and Jake G were

[Show spoiler]breaking everything down in that cafe towards the end

. I also liked anytime they were on screen together; thought they worked pretty well together.


I have to say, this movie surpassed my expectations. And I was expecting to enjoy it. I thought it was well written, well directed and well acted.

I'm not positive, but off hand I can't think of another movie released in 2007 that I enjoyed more. I'm going to have to look into everything else that I saw from that year before I can say for sure, but without doing that I can say this one is one of the contenders for my favorite of 2007. The only other movie I can think of that got the same score from that year that I'm giving to Zodiac is Gone Baby Gone from yesterday.


Rating - 4.75/5

Edit: What the...I didn't put a SINGLE smiley in that review?!