The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Wasn't enough time last night. Might be a good excuse to kick off a marathon tonight though.

I'm waiting for Arrietty and Whisper of the Heart to arrive from the UK.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I'm waiting for Arrietty and Whisper of the Heart to arrive from the UK.

Holy crap, I didn't even realize they were coming out so soon!

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Holy crap, I didn't even realize they were coming out so soon!

Yep, three days.

Arrietty has a different voice cast from the eventual US release too. I'll get both, but I wanted the English version as it's out soon and the story on which it is based is English.

[Steve46]

Did anyone else submit a 2011 Top 10 DVD or Blu-ray list to DVDBeaver?

I limited my choices to Blu-ray as I didn't buy and DVDs last year. Criterion dominates as usual.

[Foggy]

Pingu's THE THING - YouTube

Anyway, I got this set for Christmas...



Features:

Carlito's Way
Casino
American Gangster
Public Enemies

I haven't seen any of them except Public Enemies (I wasn't very fond of it) so I'm going to ask you guys as to which one I should watch first

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Features:

Carlito's Way
Casino
American Gangster
Public Enemies

I haven't seen any of them except Public Enemies (I wasn't very fond of it) so I'm going to ask you guys as to which one I should watch first

I saw that sometime before; it's a good line-up of gangsta flicks. I just didn't find them all buy-worthy.

As it is, "Carlito's Way" would be my favorite from that list. I've seen it described as the anti-thesis to "Scarface," and I'd agree; "Scarface" struck me as being very wicked and diabolical, while "Carlito's Way" seemed like an excellent redemption story.

I didn't think "American Gangster" or "Casino" were bad either. Just not my first choices.

[surfdude12]

The Artist

Film: 5/5
-my first silent film
-at first, I thought "how can I enjoy a film based solely on background score and non-verbal acting?". 30 minutes into the film I thought "who needs audible dialogue? perhaps I've overrelied on it. perhaps I've taken background score and non-verbal acting for granted in talking films." its true what they say. communication is 90% non-verbal, and I've been watching films that primarily communicate using the other 10%. there is no comparison when you watch a film that communicates using the 90%, since your mind is forced to be open to that medium, and can't go into "lazy mode" by overrelying on audible dialogue. thank god I was forced to only process the background score and the non-verbal acting, since without that I never would have noticed the difference.
-set in 1927 Hollywood, it shows a silent film actor who is in fear that he'll be out of a job with the arrival of talking pictures. the genius of this is that, we can't help but feel sorry for the silent actor in a silent film industry, and thus can't genuinely not enjoy the silent film itself! in that way, The Artist knows that its 2011 audience may be skeptical of its silent film nature, and so is already equipped to handle this hostile audience in a way, the film is holding a mirror up to the viewer.
-there were very few times when I didn't know what was happening, in spite of no audible dialogue, and these few times would show a written dialogue caption on the screen that would be necessary to understand the plot
-great film overall.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Romulus

The Descendants (2011, Alexander Payne)

[Show spoiler]Slowly, but surely I'm making way through the 2011 films all bound to have big roles in the Awards Season. Unfortunately, I missed a great deal throughout the semester that I've been referring to as "hell", around my friends and family.

This was the last day this film was playing here in my hometown. My decision was torn somewhat, seeing as it's also the last day Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" is playing at the local art house. I had mixed feelings about "Antichrist" (2009), so I figured I would play it safe and see this film instead. Its hard to imagine I made the wrong decision.

From the moment I saw the trailer for this film my interest was heightened. George Clooney plays Matt King, a real estate agent living in Hawaii who is dealing a family tragedy: Matt's wife is in a coma after a boating accident. Not to make anything less stressful for Matt's life, he is forced to fix his strained relationship with his two daughters Scottie (Miller) and Alex (Woodley) while also deciding the fate of family trust that controls 25,000 square miles of undeveloped land on Kaua'i.

There are many great things that this film does. It's primary strengths lie in the acting and writing. Clooney gives one of the best performances that I can remember in his long career. I'm a little out of the loop on the Oscar race this year, but I can't imagine Clooney not being a big part, if not the outright favorite, to win Best Actor. He's certainly doesn't outshine his counterparts, though. The young actress Shailene Woodly is equally impressive as the oldest daughter. I remember reading that that the actress categories this year are stacked, so it's entirely possible that Woodly gets left out. I think that's a shame, any other year she would have been shoe-in.

The great acting is critical for this film, and it all stems from the wonderful script penned by Faxon, Rash, and Payne. I don't care how many people contributed to it, a good script is a good script. The great and acting combine to create a film that feels entirely real. Not at any point are you drawn out of the film's diegesis. With each section of the film, you become more engrossed and engaged. You're not exactly sure how everything is going to play out.

Compared to Payne's other film "Sideways" 2004, I feel this film is better and nearly every level. The characters are extremely engaging and interesting, the subject matter feels very real, and you feel very connected even though something like this may never happen to you or anyone you know. Payne's themes of family dysfunction and failed marriage continue here, but with better and more thoughtful results.

It's been a while since I've written a review, but hopefully this gives you a general idea of the film. There are themes I would love to expand on, but I feel another viewing is in order.

I would rank this number 2 on the year behind The Tree of Life. I highly recommend viewing this film.

4.5/5

Eager for the Blu-ray. Didnt play near me.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

The Artist

Film: 5/5
-my first silent film

[Show spoiler]-at first, I thought "how can I enjoy a film based solely on background score and non-verbal acting?". 30 minutes into the film I thought "who needs audible dialogue? perhaps I've overrelied on it. perhaps I've taken background score and non-verbal acting for granted in talking films." its true what they say. communication is 90% non-verbal, and I've been watching films that primarily communicate using the other 10%. there is no comparison when you watch a film that communicates using the 90%, since your mind is forced to be open to that medium, and can't go into "lazy mode" by overrelying on audible dialogue. thank god I was forced to only process the background score and the non-verbal acting, since without that I never would have noticed the difference.
-set in 1927 Hollywood, it shows a silent film actor who is in fear that he'll be out of a job with the arrival of talking pictures. the genius of this is that, we can't help but feel sorry for the silent actor in a silent film industry, and thus can't genuinely not enjoy the silent film itself! in that way, The Artist knows that its 2011 audience may be skeptical of its silent film nature, and so is already equipped to handle this hostile audience in a way, the film is holding a mirror up to the viewer.
-there were very few times when I didn't know what was happening, in spite of no audible dialogue, and these few times would show a written dialogue caption on the screen that would be necessary to understand the plot
-great film overall.

Metropolis is an ASAP must then.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Features:

Carlito's Way
Casino
American Gangster
Public Enemies

I haven't seen any of them except Public Enemies (I wasn't very fond of it) so I'm going to ask you guys as to which one I should watch first

my vote goes to Casino

[volcomsocal]

Speak - 2004

You know, Kristen Stewart is becoming a favorite actress of mine. Mind you, I've never seen, nor plan on seeing, any of the twilight movies. But this is the 4th movie I've seen her in, and I'm really becoming a fan of her acting. She just has this certain quality about her that is really moving. She brings so much emotion to the screen just in her face. And in Speak, she's only 14, yet she already had the know-how of a much older a more mature actress. To me, she's beyond her years and I'm looking forward to watching more of her movies.

Speak is a "teen drama", but doesn't play out that way in my opinion. The reality is, teen dramas usually tend to be geared towards the younger crowd, therefore are usually not so mentally stimulating to a more mature audience. But fortunately, this movie rises much higher than the rest. Kristen's character has a traumatic incident that doesn't get shown until a good way through the movie. She's brand new to high school, and is getting shutout from her friends and everyone in school. No one will talk to her, people make fun of her, tease her, and in general just bully her. She has a hard time coping with life, so she must find a way to make things right.

This story is done really well and Kristen really does a fantastic job acting. There are elements to the movie that seem a little "flat", or "elementary", but don't weigh the movie down too much. Even though Speak clocks in at just under 90 minutes, it feels a lot longer than that. But this is definitely a good thing. You want the story to keep going, you want to see how things keep playing out, and you want to see more of Kristen's excellent acting.

This was just an excellent hidden gem I'm very glad I got to watch. Highly recommended.

Netflix DVD rental

PQ - n/a
AQ - n/a

4.5/5

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I saw that sometime before; it's a good line-up of gangsta flicks. I just didn't find them all buy-worthy.

As it is, "Carlito's Way" would be my favorite from that list. I've seen it described as the anti-thesis to "Scarface," and I'd agree; "Scarface" struck me as being very wicked and diabolical, while "Carlito's Way" seemed like an excellent redemption story.

I didn't think "American Gangster" or "Casino" were bad either. Just not my first choices.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

my vote goes to Casino

I went with Al's choice, Casino shall be later on today

Carlito's Way

I'm not the biggest fan of De Palma, I think he can be a bit silly with what are serious films, and while that is evident here (all those wacky camera tilts and dutch angles) Carlito's Way is still highly entertaining.

I think Pacino is at his best in this film, he's not over acting like he does in Scarface, but he isn't dull like in The Godfather films, he has a demanding screen presents in this film, he's calm and crafty, yet he's very likeable as he is tightly tied up with his code of honour and you really get a sense of a nice guy stuck in a bad situation.

The final 20 mins of the film, involving the chase through the subway is rather well done, and features a lot of cool camera work and ideas, although some parts are a bit daft . The only thing that lets it down in it's final leg is the fact that the reveal at the end is done in such a silly way, and features one of the worst directed 5 seconds I've seen in a while that it really spoils a powerful sequence.

The whole film is like this, you've got a lot of scenes taken with up most care and have some powerful emotions, and then you've got a few scenes where it turns into Scarface 2: Electric Boogaloo, with all it's crazy Sean Penn doing cocaine, it's wacky camera angles floating through the air and all sorts. This never really bothered me, it just never felt seamless in transitions, in wound up becoming two very good films colliding with each other.

My one major problem with the film however, is just how forgettable it is, it's not a bad film, it's just not featuring that big gangster moment that will stick in your mind. It's not smart enough that you will want to revisit it again and again and again, but it knows enough to give it real potential to be that good.

It sounds like I really didn't enjoy the film, which isn't correct, the film was an unexpected blast (it was the only film out of the four that I'd never heard of before) so it was highly entertaining film, that I would like to think would continuously be as good as it was the first. It's just the film doesn't have that stopping power to really stick in the mind, also it has

[Show spoiler]boobies!

7.5/10

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I went with Al's choice, Casino shall be later on today

Carlito's Way

I'm not the biggest fan of De Palma, I think he can be a bit silly with what are serious films, and while that is evident here (all those wacky camera tilts and dutch angles) Carlito's Way is still highly entertaining.

I think Pacino is at his best in this film, he's not over acting like he does in Scarface, but he isn't dull like in The Godfather films, he has a demanding screen presents in this film, he's calm and crafty, yet he's very likeable as he is tightly tied up with his code of honour and you really get a sense of a nice guy stuck in a bad situation.

The final 20 mins of the film, involving the chase through the subway is rather well done, and features a lot of cool camera work and ideas, although some parts are a bit daft .

Right on!

Originally Posted by Foggy

The only thing that lets it down in it's final leg is the fact that the reveal at the end is done in such a silly way, and features one of the worst directed 5 seconds I've seen in a while that it really spoils a powerful sequence.

The whole film is like this, you've got a lot of scenes taken with up most care and have some powerful emotions, and then you've got a few scenes where it turns into Scarface 2: Electric Boogaloo, with all it's crazy Sean Penn doing cocaine, it's wacky camera angles floating through the air and all sorts. This never really bothered me, it just never felt seamless in transitions, in wound up becoming two very good films colliding with each other.

Er, well, it's been a while since I saw it, so I might have forgotten about these kind of issues. Especially regarding the ending; I remember thinking it was tragic and gorgeous all at once. Next time I see it, I'll have to watch out for those five seconds.

Originally Posted by Foggy

My one major problem with the film however, is just how forgettable it is, it's not a bad film, it's just not featuring that big gangster moment that will stick in your mind. It's not smart enough that you will want to revisit it again and again and again, but it knows enough to give it real potential to be that good.

I actually can't argue with that. I've forgotten a lot of the film at this point, but it's one of those movies I remember as being just plain good.

Originally Posted by Foggy

It sounds like I really didn't enjoy the film, which isn't correct, the film was an unexpected blast (it was the only film out of the four that I'd never heard of before) so it was highly entertaining film, that I would like to think would continuously be as good as it was the first. It's just the film doesn't have that stopping power to really stick in the mind, also it has

[Show spoiler]boobies!

7.5/10

Glad you enjoyed it, even if just a little.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Right on!



Er, well, it's been a while since I saw it, so I might have forgotten about these kind of issues. Especially regarding the ending; I remember thinking it was tragic and gorgeous all at once. Next time I see it, I'll have to watch out for those five seconds.



I actually can't argue with that. I've forgotten a lot of the film at this point, but it's one of those movies I remember as being just plain good.



Glad you enjoyed it, even if just a little.

The moment that spoilt the ending is where we see

[Show spoiler]Benny Blanco is the one to shoot Carlito, it's done in such a strange comedic way

I also enjoyed the film a lot more than I give it credit for, I just need to get a tad bit harsher on the films I watch like I do every year

[menaceuk]

I saw The Devil - 8/10

This movie was amazing. Easily the best revenge flick I have seen and has some really awesome scenes such as the cab scene.

I can't really comment too much on Acting as I saw a Dubbed version wasn't my fault was all blockbuster had to rent

If you haven't seen this movie then you need to right now

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The moment that spoilt the ending is where we see

[Show spoiler]Benny Blanco is the one to shoot Carlito, it's done in such a strange comedic way

I also enjoyed the film a lot more than I give it credit for, I just need to get a tad bit harsher on the films I watch like I do every year

Yep, I totally don't remember that bit. Might have to revisit the movie soon.

Originally Posted by menaceuk

I saw The Devil - 8/10

This movie was amazing. Easily the best revenge flick I have seen and has some really awesome scenes such as the cab scene.

I can't really comment too much on Acting as I saw a Dubbed version wasn't my fault was all blockbuster had to rent

If you haven't seen this movie then you need to right now

Awesome film. Got the Blu-Ray as part of my after-Christmas splurge.

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Awesome film. Got the Blu-Ray as part of my after-Christmas splurge.

Sure is. Is one of the few movies I thought had perfect Pacing.

How is the Blu-ray quality ? It is native Korean right not dubbed ? I so want to add it to my slowly growing collection

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

Sure is. Is one of the few movies I thought had perfect Pacing.

How is the Blu-ray quality ? It is native Korean right not dubbed ? I so want to add it to my slowly growing collection

I got the US disc, so I'm not sure how it compares to the UK edition. On this site, the UK disc has a slightly higher score for the audio and slightly lower on the video.

Looking at my copy, it looks pretty darn awesome. Must have been shot digitally, since I'm not seeing any grain, but it looks very sharp, clean, and has good color/contrast. It has both Korean and English audio, and it's sounding good. Only problem is, the US disc is region-locked.

Looks like the UK disc has only the Korean language tracks with subtitles.

I think it'd be an excellent buy either way.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by menaceuk

I saw The Devil - 8/10

This movie was amazing. Easily the best revenge flick I have seen and has some really awesome scenes such as the cab scene.

I can't really comment too much on Acting as I saw a Dubbed version wasn't my fault was all blockbuster had to rent

If you haven't seen this movie then you need to right now

Originally Posted by menaceuk

Sure is. Is one of the few movies I thought had perfect Pacing.

How is the Blu-ray quality ? It is native Korean right not dubbed ? I so want to add it to my slowly growing collection

The two leads are fantastic in this. Dubbing is a sacrilege, you gotta pick up the blu-ray. It is subbed and the PQ and AQ are amazing.

[antmumford]

Originally Posted by jvince

The two leads are fantastic in this. Dubbing is a sacrilege, you gotta pick up the blu-ray. It is subbed and the PQ and AQ are amazing.

Great to see some like minded people in regards to I Saw The Devil. Incredible film that firmly placed itself in my top 5 greatest films I've ever seen.

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