The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Definitely, Maybe

What the hell is this? A movie with not a SINGLE explosion? No super powers? No giant bald men racing cars REALLY fast? Psh, this movie is going to suck....

[Show spoiler]
-2 hours later-



I enjoyed it!

I'm glad it wasn't the typical cookie-cutter romantic-comedy..which works for some movies (The Proposal) and not for others (...well most of them). It's definitely not an entirely original approach to the genre, far from it, but it gives it enough of a spin to keep things fresh.

I did call the ending from early on, so it's not exactly a mystery movie
If you have a basic understanding of how these sorts of movies work, even with this one being a little different than your typical one, you'll know what is going to happen in the end. But it didn't make it less enjoyable, because I actually found myself caring about William and

[Show spoiler]April.

I watched the movie because I saw Reynolds was in it, and he did not disappoint. The movie is more 'rom' than 'com' but any opportunity there is for some humor, Reynolds nails it, as always. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I think he has the best comedic timing of pretty much any actor I have ever seen.

The rest of the cast is good enough for what the movie is. Isla Fisher is the second best behind Reynolds.


I'm just going to give this one a general recommendation. If you like romantic comedies, then you'll most likely like this one. Even if you typically don't, there's a chance you'll enjoy this one.

Rating - 4.25/5

I love this film

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Pffft...Diesel's turning into a sissy

I'm watching Saving Private Ryan this week...must make up for this!

Originally Posted by tanujdua

I love this film

It was definitely better than I expected.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I'm watching Saving Private Ryan this week...must make up for this!






It was definitely, maybe better than I expected.

See what I did there

[Steve46]

Today's blog entry:

Source Code (Thriller, Sci-Fi)
Directed by Duncan Jones
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright

Summit Entertainment | 2011 | 93 min | Rated PG-13 | Released Jul 26, 2011



Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, Spanish

Disc:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc
Bonus View (PiP)

The Movie 4/5

Director Duncan Jones has had an impressive start to his career. Moon (2009) saw Sam Rockwell turn in a very good performance and Source Code has built on that success. Jones has attracted a wonderful cast and the $32 million budget allows for a more spectacular presentation. Moon reminded me of older classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but Source Code feels like a modern story.

The movie is a thriller with a strong science fiction element, but it also plays like a mystery. The opening scene shows Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) on a train in Chicago. When he sees his reflection in the window of the train, it's not him. Christina (Monaghan), the woman in the opposite seat, calls him Sean. A few minutes later we see the train explode and Stevens wakes up alone in a chamber of some kind.

Jones shows us everything from the viewpoint of Stevens, so we only gradually come to understand the situation. Stevens is part of an experimental project which enables him to inhabit the body of somebody else. The project is led by Dr. Rutledge (Wright) and Colleen Goodwin (Farmiga).

They can only communicate with Stevens by using a camera and a computer screen. He's told that he must find out where the bomb is and uncover the person responsible for planting it. He can't avoid the explosion, but the information could prevent a future disaster involving the bomber. He can only inhabit the body of Sean for eight minutes at a time. So we see Stevens trying to gather information. Each time the train explodes, the pattern resets and he tries again. It's like a blend of Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap.

We have a race against the clock to prevent further terrorism and that keeps us on the edge of our seats. There's also the chance of romance between Sean and Christina, as well as great special effects. Comedian Russell Peters provides most of the comic relief. This package has plenty to keep us hooked. At the outset I expected one of the twists to be that Sean turns out to be the bomber, but I was wrong. Couldn't Stevens simply take over the body of the bomber on his next visit once he found out who it was, or does the technology only allow you to access people who are "compatible" with you?

Put yourself in that position for a moment. If you were a train passenger tasked with uncovering the identity of a bomber, how would you proceed? Would you be polite to total strangers as you questioned them? How about contacting the guard and explaining the situation? Whatever course of action you choose, the train will explode in eight minutes (unless you locate and disarm the bomb). That allows Jones to break the established rules somewhat. If the pattern resets each time, he can do anything. Sean can be rude, engage in criminal activity, or follow incredibly dangerous courses of action. He could even kill or be killed. That makes the movie less predictable than most.

I won't reveal what does happen, but hopefully I've described the situation well enough for you to know whether you'll like the movie.

The movie raises some serious themes such as how the line between right and wrong can become blurred. In a sense it also deals with the issue of slavery, just as Moon did.

Jones has produced another interesting idea and turned it into a thrilling story. The four main actors turned in good performances and the whole thing worked well for me. I'm a fan of the whole Groundhog Day concept and enjoy Run Lola Run for the same reason. There have also been episodes of The X-Files and Star Trek Next Generation dealing with the same concept.

Video Quality 4.5/5
I detected slight aliasing on a couple of overhead shots of the city, but it's only there for a second or two. Colors look bright and clear, although red tint is slightly enhanced in facial shots. Detail is strong throughout, especially in close-ups. This is a pleasing transfer and exactly what you would expect from a recent release.

Audio Quality 4.5/5
There's a lot going on in Source Code and the English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track handles everything well. The explosions carry real weight and the ambient effects, such as coffee spilling, are easy to detect. The dialogue is clear throughout and the score adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

Special Features 2.5/5

Audio Commentary with Director Duncan Jones, Writer James Ripley and Actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Access Source Code - A PiP feature including comments from cast and crew as well as trivia and expert comments on time travel. While the navigation was a little annoying, the features offer plenty of information once accessed.

I don't think it matters whether the plot is airtight; it's a piece of entertainment. This is a movie that can be enjoyed as an action thriller, but it could attract others due to the science fiction or romantic elements. For those that like to think, the science fiction elements definitely provide food for thought. I enjoyed Source Code in the theater and am happy to finally have it in my collection. The Blu-ray presentation is worthy of the excellent story.

Overall score 4/5

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Today's blog entry:

Source Code (Thriller, Sci-Fi)
Directed by Duncan Jones
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright

[Show spoiler]
Summit Entertainment | 2011 | 93 min | Rated PG-13 | Released Jul 26, 2011



Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, Spanish

Disc:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc
Bonus View (PiP)

The Movie 4/5

Director Duncan Jones has had an impressive start to his career. Moon (2009) saw Sam Rockwell turn in a very good performance and Source Code has built on that success. Jones has attracted a wonderful cast and the $32 million budget allows for a more spectacular presentation. Moon reminded me of older classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but Source Code feels like a modern story.

The movie is a thriller with a strong science fiction element, but it also plays like a mystery. The opening scene shows Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) on a train in Chicago. When he sees his reflection in the window of the train, it's not him. Christina (Monaghan), the woman in the opposite seat, calls him Sean. A few minutes later we see the train explode and Stevens wakes up alone in a chamber of some kind.

Jones shows us everything from the viewpoint of Stevens, so we only gradually come to understand the situation. Stevens is part of an experimental project which enables him to inhabit the body of somebody else. The project is led by Dr. Rutledge (Wright) and Colleen Goodwin (Farmiga).

They can only communicate with Stevens by using a camera and a computer screen. He's told that he must find out where the bomb is and uncover the person responsible for planting it. He can't avoid the explosion, but the information could prevent a future disaster involving the bomber. He can only inhabit the body of Sean for eight minutes at a time. So we see Stevens trying to gather information. Each time the train explodes, the pattern resets and he tries again. It's like a blend of Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap.

We have a race against the clock to prevent further terrorism and that keeps us on the edge of our seats. There's also the chance of romance between Sean and Christina, as well as great special effects. Comedian Russell Peters provides most of the comic relief. This package has plenty to keep us hooked. At the outset I expected one of the twists to be that Sean turns out to be the bomber, but I was wrong. Couldn't Stevens simply take over the body of the bomber on his next visit once he found out who it was, or does the technology only allow you to access people who are "compatible" with you?

Put yourself in that position for a moment. If you were a train passenger tasked with uncovering the identity of a bomber, how would you proceed? Would you be polite to total strangers as you questioned them? How about contacting the guard and explaining the situation? Whatever course of action you choose, the train will explode in eight minutes (unless you locate and disarm the bomb). That allows Jones to break the established rules somewhat. If the pattern resets each time, he can do anything. Sean can be rude, engage in criminal activity, or follow incredibly dangerous courses of action. He could even kill or be killed. That makes the movie less predictable than most.

I won't reveal what does happen, but hopefully I've described the situation well enough for you to know whether you'll like the movie.

The movie raises some serious themes such as how the line between right and wrong can become blurred. In a sense it also deals with the issue of slavery, just as Moon did.

Jones has produced another interesting idea and turned it into a thrilling story. The four main actors turned in good performances and the whole thing worked well for me. I'm a fan of the whole Groundhog Day concept and enjoy Run Lola Run for the same reason. There have also been episodes of The X-Files and Star Trek Next Generation dealing with the same concept.

Video Quality 4.5/5
I detected slight aliasing on a couple of overhead shots of the city, but it's only there for a second or two. Colors look bright and clear, although red tint is slightly enhanced in facial shots. Detail is strong throughout, especially in close-ups. This is a pleasing transfer and exactly what you would expect from a recent release.

Audio Quality 4.5/5
There's a lot going on in Source Code and the English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track handles everything well. The explosions carry real weight and the ambient effects, such as coffee spilling, are easy to detect. The dialogue is clear throughout and the score adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

Special Features 2.5/5

Audio Commentary with Director Duncan Jones, Writer James Ripley and Actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Access Source Code - A PiP feature including comments from cast and crew as well as trivia and expert comments on time travel. While the navigation was a little annoying, the features offer plenty of information once accessed.

I don't think it matters whether the plot is airtight; it's a piece of entertainment. This is a movie that can be enjoyed as an action thriller, but it could attract others due to the science fiction or romantic elements. For those that like to think, the science fiction elements definitely provide food for thought. I enjoyed Source Code in the theater and am happy to finally have it in my collection. The Blu-ray presentation is worthy of the excellent story.

Overall score 4/5

I absolutely love this film, well I think it's really good .

My only wish is that they

[Show spoiler]ended it at the frozen frame, when they were kissing at the end. I miss films ending that way and thought it would have been really nice if they let us decide whether they got to live on in another reality or whether that was really the end.

.

On the other hand I watched Cars 2 (3D) and Horrible Bosses today, I should hopefully write reviews on both of them tonight and tomorrow.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by tanujdua

I absolutely love this film, well I think it's really good .

My only wish is that they

[Show spoiler]ended it at the frozen frame, when they were kissing at the end. I miss films ending that way and thought it would have been really nice if they let us decide whether they got to live on in another reality or whether that was really the end.

.

On the other hand I watched Cars 2 (3D) and Horrible Bosses today, I should hopefully write reviews on both of them tonight and tomorrow.

Yeah, they like to spell things out in most movies.

Try some Lynch

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yeah, they like to spell things out in most movies.

Try some Lynch

I told you, it's on my list .

[iam1bearcat]

Get Him to the Greek

Year: 2010
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Writer: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Rose Byrne, P Diddy (or whatever his name is these days...) & Lars Ulrich

i was gonna watch some Lynch today or one of those weirdo Criterions that i now have a whole pile of, but suddenly i wanted something... "lighter" and something that could entertain and make me laugh: so i grabbed a blind buy from yesterday - Get Him to the Greek, and it was a riveting success!

kind of a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall in that the main character of Aldous Snow is back and they reference to Sarah Marshall, however i wish Jonah Hill's character was the same creepy over-obsessed waiter from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and his obsession had led him to a job in the music industry and he was lucky enough to get the job of bringing Snow to his LA concert, but alas, that is not the case. oh well, still a damn funny film!

take not though, this isn't really a sequel to Forgetting, only Snow is present and a few mentions of the previous film are mentioned. this film is very much about Aldous Snow, the downward spiral of his career and Aaron's (Hill) journey to help his company make money and bring back his "icon" to money making status.

while i enjoy (and love) Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and i never once thought Get Him to the Greek would surpass it, because they are so different i never compared them, but i still very much enjoyed the film. very glad i own it

many hilarious, viciously funny moments. surprisingly enough, the film has a few moments of very serious character development as Aaron suddenly goes into "protective" mode with Aldous and it's eerie how much the ending probably shows the truth about the music business - everyone wants a piece of you and everyone wants you as they want you, and in the process of doing what you love, you tend to lose yourself and forget why you started doing this in the first place.

sad really

P Diddy was pretty hilarious as the over the top boss of Aaron and was very refreshing to see him step out and probably act like some crazy music-industry people he knows. nice to see him kind of poke fun at himself (and his family and "black kids" and "how many pairs of Jordan's they wear" ) and not be so serious like he tends to come across as.

Aldous was magnificent as always and Jonah Hill was very... "composed" and content as Aaron. of course, his

[Show spoiler]Heroin / mix drug freak out

was hilarious and everyone was pure genius in those scenes. scripted, acted and directed to perfection

don't know if it would ever make it to my favorite comedies list, but this was a great blind buy, and well worth $10. a great addition to my collection and will get many viewings over the next few years

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Get Him to the Greek

Year: 2010
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Writer: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Rose Byrne, P Diddy (or whatever his name is these days...) & Lars Ulrich

i was gonna watch some Lynch today or one of those weirdo Criterions that i now have a whole pile of, but suddenly i wanted something... "lighter" and something that could entertain and make me laugh: so i grabbed a blind buy from yesterday - Get Him to the Greek, and it was a riveting success!

kind of a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall in that the main character of Aldous Snow is back and they reference to Sarah Marshall, however i wish Jonah Hill's character was the same creepy over-obsessed waiter from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and his obsession had led him to a job in the music industry and he was lucky enough to get the job of bringing Snow to his LA concert, but alas, that is not the case. oh well, still a damn funny film!

take not though, this isn't really a sequel to Forgetting, only Snow is present and a few mentions of the previous film are mentioned. this film is very much about Aldous Snow, the downward spiral of his career and Aaron's (Hill) journey to help his company make money and bring back his "icon" to money making status.

while i enjoy (and love) Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and i never once thought Get Him to the Greek would surpass it, because they are so different i never compared them, but i still very much enjoyed the film. very glad i own it

many hilarious, viciously funny moments. surprisingly enough, the film has a few moments of very serious character development as Aaron suddenly goes into "protective" mode with Aldous and it's eerie how much the ending probably shows the truth about the music business - everyone wants a piece of you and everyone wants you as they want you, and in the process of doing what you love, you tend to lose yourself and forget why you started doing this in the first place.

sad really

P Diddy was pretty hilarious as the over the top boss of Aaron and was very refreshing to see him step out and probably act like some crazy music-industry people he knows. nice to see him kind of poke fun at himself (and his family and "black kids" and "how many pairs of Jordan's they wear" ) and not be so serious like he tends to come across as.

Aldous was magnificent as always and Jonah Hill was very... "composed" and content as Aaron. of course, his

[Show spoiler]Heroin / mix drug freak out

was hilarious and everyone was pure genius in those scenes. scripted, acted and directed to perfection

don't know if it would ever make it to my favorite comedies list, but this was a great blind buy, and well worth $10. a great addition to my collection and will get many viewings over the next few years

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Amelie will make you laugh. In fact, Lynch makes me laugh a lot too, but I'm weird like that.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Amelie will make you laugh. In fact, Lynch makes me laugh a lot too, but I'm weird like that.

i have about 4.5 hours until i HAVE to be asleep for work so i'm tempted to try and watch Amelie and Lost Highway tonight. we'll see... at least one will be viewed tonight

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i have about 4.5 hours until i HAVE to be asleep for work so i'm tempted to try and watch Amelie and Lost Highway tonight. we'll see... at least one will be viewed tonight

Both are among my favorites

I get to watch The Pianist because I have to return it to a friend in a few days.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Starring: Russell Brand,

[tanujdua]

I also saw The Tree of Life earlier this week.

What do you guys think of it? I know it got rave reviews, but why did it? I didn't think it was that good...

[Foggy]

Battle Royale

Ok, so HOW THE HELL HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS FILM TILL NOW?

First of all, Children, on an island, with weapons, brutally killing each other, already an 8.5/10 only in Japan

But it's so much more than that

I was kinda expecting some over the top zany Japanese action film with gore flying out of each corner of the screen, just done more tastefully than something like Tokyo Gore Police. So when the film starts, I was like, what a downer, I hope this gets silly soon.

And then it progresses, and we get the the scene with the instructional video, and it suddenly dawned on me that I got the entire wrong end of the stick of this film. Throughout the scene we see a comedic kidified instruction guide telling the children what weapons they will receive, however, every time it cuts back to the panicking students, some of them getting killed. The film is directly telling the audience that these are scared kids but in a horrific incident and no one gets it, not even the adult figures within the film get how bad this situation is, well for the next 2 hours, prepare to be shown!

Following this, it shows the students receiving there packs to survive on for the next 3 days, and as each one leaves, they don't say much, if anything, but through there bodily contact with others, the people they look at and the way they exit the room, you see there personality. And it hit me that the writers or director sat down and created these individual 42 characters, all gave them detailed personalities, and translated as much as that into their either limited or lengthy screen time.

And this is why I think Battle Royale might just be one of the greatest films I will ever watch.

You see characters pushed to the very edge, and all react differently as you expect, so decide to naturally become a hunter, and some plain refuse to fight and commit suicide. There are very few characters who come up with a rational plan, which wouldn't work out anyway because they are children, at the end of the day, there is always going to be some detail overlooked by them. But the shocking thing is, I never once predicted any of the twist coming, everything took me by surprise.

This is a film that had me in the palm of it's hand straight of the bat, and just plain refused to let go. Every single set piece, whether an intense confrontation scene, or a fully blown action scene had my gasping for air and sitting right on the edge of my seat

And the strange thing about it, you always are aware it's just a film you're watching, whether it's because of the subtitles, or the constant on screen updates and quotes. You feel you could be watching something so detailed and real, yet reminded on a regular basis that it's just a construction. And somehow the film even pulls it off to make it somehow even more effective

I don't over exaggerate when I say Battle Royale could be the greatest film I've ever seen, as far as my teenage mind goes obviously. But it's just got everything to make it an entertaining film, while making a pretty darn perfect movie, while bragging about how movie-ish it is. I loved it, obviously!

11/10

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Battle Royale

Ok, so HOW THE HELL HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS FILM TILL NOW?

[Show spoiler]
First of all, Children, on an island, with weapons, brutally killing each other, already an 8.5/10 only in Japan

But it's so much more than that

I was kinda expecting some over the top zany Japanese action film with gore flying out of each corner of the screen, just done more tastefully than something like Tokyo Gore Police. So when the film starts, I was like, what a downer, I hope this gets silly soon.

And then it progresses, and we get the the scene with the instructional video, and it suddenly dawned on me that I got the entire wrong end of the stick of this film. Throughout the scene we see a comedic kidified instruction guide telling the children what weapons they will receive, however, every time it cuts back to the panicking students, some of them getting killed. The film is directly telling the audience that these are scared kids but in a horrific incident and no one gets it, not even the adult figures within the film get how bad this situation is, well for the next 2 hours, prepare to be shown!

Following this, it shows the students receiving there packs to survive on for the next 3 days, and as each one leaves, they don't say much, if anything, but through there bodily contact with others, the people they look at and the way they exit the room, you see there personality. And it hit me that the writers or director sat down and created these individual 42 characters, all gave them detailed personalities, and translated as much as that into their either limited or lengthy screen time.

And this is why I think Battle Royale might just be one of the greatest films I will ever watch.

You see characters pushed to the very edge, and all react differently as you expect, so decide to naturally become a hunter, and some plain refuse to fight and commit suicide. There are very few characters who come up with a rational plan, which wouldn't work out anyway because they are children, at the end of the day, there is always going to be some detail overlooked by them. But the shocking thing is, I never once predicted any of the twist coming, everything took me by surprise.

This is a film that had me in the palm of it's hand straight of the bat, and just plain refused to let go. Every single set piece, whether an intense confrontation scene, or a fully blown action scene had my gasping for air and sitting right on the edge of my seat

And the strange thing about it, you always are aware it's just a film you're watching, whether it's because of the subtitles, or the constant on screen updates and quotes. You feel you could be watching something so detailed and real, yet reminded on a regular basis that it's just a construction. And somehow the film even pulls it off to make it somehow even more effective

I don't over exaggerate when I say Battle Royale could be the greatest film I've ever seen, as far as my teenage mind goes obviously. But it's just got everything to make it an entertaining film, while making a pretty darn perfect movie, while bragging about how movie-ish it is. I loved it, obviously!

11/10

Tell me about it, absolutely fantastic film. Did you watch it on blu-ray? What's the quality like if you did? I've had it for a while on blu-ray but have not got around to watching it yet .

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by tanujdua

Tell me about it, absolutely fantastic film. Did you watch it on blu-ray? What's the quality like if you did? I've had it for a while on blu-ray but have not got around to watching it yet .

I didn't, it was a recording. I kept seeing the big Blu-Ray set with about 6 discs in it, it looked amazing but it was something like £40...very gutted I didn't splash out on that thing now

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I didn't, it was a recording. I kept seeing the big Blu-Ray set with about 6 discs in it, it looked amazing but it was something like £40...very gutted I didn't splash out on that thing now

You mean this sexy box? I managed to pick it up when it was released.

Though upon taking the plastic wrap off it it peeled off like 1/4 of the box art on the top with it . It's not noticeable unless you look at it from the very top thankfully.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Battle Royale

Ok, so HOW THE HELL HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS FILM TILL NOW?

[Show spoiler]First of all, Children, on an island, with weapons, brutally killing each other, already an 8.5/10 only in Japan

But it's so much more than that

I was kinda expecting some over the top zany Japanese action film with gore flying out of each corner of the screen, just done more tastefully than something like Tokyo Gore Police. So when the film starts, I was like, what a downer, I hope this gets silly soon.

And then it progresses, and we get the the scene with the instructional video, and it suddenly dawned on me that I got the entire wrong end of the stick of this film. Throughout the scene we see a comedic kidified instruction guide telling the children what weapons they will receive, however, every time it cuts back to the panicking students, some of them getting killed. The film is directly telling the audience that these are scared kids but in a horrific incident and no one gets it, not even the adult figures within the film get how bad this situation is, well for the next 2 hours, prepare to be shown!

Following this, it shows the students receiving there packs to survive on for the next 3 days, and as each one leaves, they don't say much, if anything, but through there bodily contact with others, the people they look at and the way they exit the room, you see there personality. And it hit me that the writers or director sat down and created these individual 42 characters, all gave them detailed personalities, and translated as much as that into their either limited or lengthy screen time.

And this is why I think Battle Royale might just be one of the greatest films I will ever watch.

You see characters pushed to the very edge, and all react differently as you expect, so decide to naturally become a hunter, and some plain refuse to fight and commit suicide. There are very few characters who come up with a rational plan, which wouldn't work out anyway because they are children, at the end of the day, there is always going to be some detail overlooked by them. But the shocking thing is, I never once predicted any of the twist coming, everything took me by surprise.

This is a film that had me in the palm of it's hand straight of the bat, and just plain refused to let go. Every single set piece, whether an intense confrontation scene, or a fully blown action scene had my gasping for air and sitting right on the edge of my seat

And the strange thing about it, you always are aware it's just a film you're watching, whether it's because of the subtitles, or the constant on screen updates and quotes. You feel you could be watching something so detailed and real, yet reminded on a regular basis that it's just a construction. And somehow the film even pulls it off to make it somehow even more effective

I don't over exaggerate when I say Battle Royale could be the greatest film I've ever seen, as far as my teenage mind goes obviously. But it's just got everything to make it an entertaining film, while making a pretty darn perfect movie, while bragging about how movie-ish it is. I loved it, obviously!

11/10

Told ya. My UK LE blu-ray is my favorite disc in my collection.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Definitely, Maybe

[Show spoiler]
What the hell is this? A movie with not a SINGLE explosion? No super powers? No giant bald men racing cars REALLY fast? Psh, this movie is going to suck....

-2 hours later-



I enjoyed it!

I'm glad it wasn't the typical cookie-cutter romantic-comedy..which works for some movies (The Proposal) and not for others (...well most of them). It's definitely not an entirely original approach to the genre, far from it, but it gives it enough of a spin to keep things fresh.

I did call the ending from early on, so it's not exactly a mystery movie
If you have a basic understanding of how these sorts of movies work, even with this one being a little different than your typical one, you'll know what is going to happen in the end. But it didn't make it less enjoyable, because I actually found myself caring about William and

[Show spoiler]April.

I watched the movie because I saw Reynolds was in it, and he did not disappoint. The movie is more 'rom' than 'com' but any opportunity there is for some humor, Reynolds nails it, as always. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I think he has the best comedic timing of pretty much any actor I have ever seen.

The rest of the cast is good enough for what the movie is. Isla Fisher is the second best behind Reynolds.


I'm just going to give this one a general recommendation. If you like romantic comedies, then you'll most likely like this one. Even if you typically don't, there's a chance you'll enjoy this one.

Rating - 4.25/5

It's a shame that this was never released on Blu-ray anywhere but in the UK. After talking to you about it and seeing the cast, this would definitely be something that could work as a blind buy for me at some point since I am much more into these kinds of movies than you, but the UK release is completely barebones. It is pretty cheap though, so maybe someday if I end up importing anything else.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by jvince

Told ya. My UK LE blu-ray is my favorite disc in my collection.

I'll try and see if it's still there tomorrow, but I doubt it