The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I wasn't saying you're wrong. I can't say that since I have yet to see Chronicle, and of course the ones that aren't out yet. I just thought you might be jumping the gun a little since this year could end up rivaling 2008 in terms of the amount of high quality superhero movies. Everything is in place for The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man to be very good. It's just a matter of whether somebody took the golden opportunities and somehow managed to drop the ball, which would be a huge (obviously negative) achievement in my opinion.

I can't knock you completely anyways since you are one of the reasons why I blind bought both Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. You know how those went.

I didn't say the other films aren't going to be as good/better, I said it would be the film that would crop up highest on most top 10 list than the others

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

^^^ Also Bowie is evil

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

There's a scene in the film where Ziggy Stardust is playing just before the main character decides to do some rather unsavory stuff. It caught me a tad off guard

[Steve46]

Sorry Squid:

The Artist (2012)
Comedy, Romance, Drama, 100 minutes
Directed by Michael Hazanavicius
Starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and John Goodman



I make an effort to see all of the major Oscar bait, even if it's something that I am not sure I'll like. The Artist falls into that category. I have no problem with black and white or the use of the 1.37:1 aspect ratio, but a silent movie? The idea itself is superb of course. Most moviegoers are too young to remember the silent era, so why not provide a similar experience using modern technology?

Most of the reviews I have read have praised the movie and it's scooping awards at every major show. Is the hype justified?

Well, it was certainly an interesting experience. The audience was very respectful and quieter than for most movies. The movie is silent for the most part, but

[Show spoiler]finds a couple of inventive ways to use both sounds and spoken dialogue

. It's easy to follow the rather simple story and cue cards are used when something absolutely has to be communicated to the audience. The acting is very good. Dujardin and Bejo have expressive faces that are up to the task. Dujardin has a lot of charm and seems to portray happiness with ease.

The audience didn't become involved very often. What few laughs there were usually came in response to the antics of Uggie the dog. In fact, that's the problem right there; involvement. The Artist was clever. I applaud the idea and the execution, but I just wasn't emotionally invested with the characters and the outcome. I found myself smiling at the technical feat of showing us 1927 and creating the atmosphere of the silent movie experience, but I didn't care enough about the characters.

Most of my favorite movies are driven by dialogue. I relish watching a Tarantino movie and could listen to the characters talk for hours. When that's removed, for me, so is some of the enjoyment.

I'll remember The Artist as a good idea that captured the imagination of a modern audience, but when you strip it down to what's actually on the screen and examine the strength of the story, something is lacking. I'm glad I saw it, but I won't buy it as I don't need to see it again. When the credits started rolling at the end of The Descendants and Midnight in Paris, I would have been happy to watch them again immediately. The Artist will probably win Best Picture at the Oscars, but I think eventually we'll look back at 2011 and think that it wasn't the best film that year.

For the idea and execution: 5/5

For the strength of story and replay value: 3/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Over the past few days, I've managed to whiz through all these blind-buys. Very few of them stood out to me, so I'll just review them briefly.

"Five Shaolin Masters"

Another fine and dandy Shaw Bros film. Lots of good fights and stuff. Story/characters didn't really stand out to me.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5)

Recommendation: For fans of the genre/studio.



"Assassin's Creed: Lineage"

A short feature complimenting the "Assassin's Creed II" video game, which in itself totally rocks. This feature looks really nice, with top-notch sets, props, costumes, fight scenes, CGI-visuals, and the like. It isn't much of a story though, especially when viewed independently of the video game. And everybody's Italian accents are so fake.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 2/5, film: 4/5)

Recommendation: For fans of the game.

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5



"Mad Monkey Kung Fu"

I really enjoyed this one. It does have the same cheap cheese that goes into the other Shaw Bros films, but the story in this one is pretty decent, characters are likable, and it's just a fun and silly flick overall. What could be more fun than watching a grown man acting like a monkey?

4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 3.5/5)

Recommendation: For fans of the genre/studio.



"Martial Arts of Shaolin"

Well, a very very young Jet Li is in this one. Once again, plenty of fine-looking fights. But, it really isn't as compelling as the other films I've seen, and I pretty much lost interest in most of it.

3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 3/5)

Recommendation: For fans of the genre/studio.



"Helldriver"

Holy crap, this film is like "style over substance" on steroids. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn't look so cheap and gaudy, but as it is, it's just way too much sensory overload. Sure, there is bucketloads of blood and guts, but at least "Tokyo Gore Police" paced itself. And without a great story or characters, this film came off as just gaudy.

2.5/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 2/5, film: 2/5)

Recommendation: Nah. Close your eyes and press your fingers against your eyelids instead; whatever imagery you see will probably be way better-looking than this film. Any headache you feel will probably be less intense than the headache this film would give you.

PQ: 3/5, AQ: 4/5



"Thirst"

Now here's a fine film. From the dude who brought us "OldBoy," this film has a nice purposeful pace, a strong story, decent characters, strong themes, strong cinematography, and some occasional shock value. I think it'd be a fine compliment to "Let the Right One In."

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

Recommendation: Yep.

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 4.5/5 (UK Blu-Ray is region-locked)

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

The Artist

I applaud the idea and the execution, but I just wasn't emotionally invested with the characters and the outcome.

Somehow, thats all I did was care about George and Pepper. Maybe it was his smile.

Glad it wasnt a total bust for you, though.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Somehow, thats all I did was care about George and Pepper. Maybe it was his smile.

Glad it wasnt a total bust for you, though.

Yep, it was worth $6 and two hours.

[Pondosinatra]

Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese

Main Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams

Rating: * or *****

Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his new partner (Ruffalo) are federal marshals sent to a prison island to help track down an escaped patient. Upon arriving they find the staff uncooperative and acting as strange as the mental patients they oversee. When a storm hits and strands them there they are forced to uncover the truth of this strange place. Ok, so what's with the rating indecision? Quite simply this was the most frustrating film I can remember seeing. I was literally yelling at the screen at the end of the movie. For some reason this was marketed as a horror movie when in fact it's what I like to call a mind f**k film - think Memento or Inception. However at least I didn't feel cheated watching them. Without giving anything away, I got suckered into the story and kept waiting for the twist that I knew was coming. When that didn't happen I was deflated and annoyed. Of course there is a twist - just not the one I so badly wanted to happen. Is this a bad film? No. The cast is stellar and the director legendary. The story is gripping and obviously engaging. Despite a long runtime I felt like the time flew by watching it. But if you get drawn into the story as I did you will find the ending absolutely, completely unsatisfying - although reasonable. Which makes it even more frustrating.

[Steve46]

37. Fargo (1996)
Crime, Drama, Comedy, 98 minutes
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi



I once bought Fargo on DVD for a friend because it's one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, but she thought it was too violent and couldn't imagine why I had sent it. Some 10 years later, she watched it again and loved it. The original problem arose because she viewed it as a serious drama rather than a dark comedy. When that perception changed, so did her appreciation for the movie.

Make no mistake, Fargo is a dark comedy. You won't see that description on IMDB, but I defy you to watch this without laughing many times. It works so well because of Steve Buscemi. If you liked his role in Reservoir Dogs, and his philosophy on tipping, you'll like his work here. He's such a pitiable character that almost every expression on his face is amusing. The way he delivers the dialogue is amusing too.

There are four main characters in Fargo. One is Jerry Lundegaard (Macy), who is a car dealer. He desperately needs money for reasons which are never mentioned and so conceives a plan to kidnap his own wife. In order to achieve this, he recruits Carl Showater (Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare). Carl does all the talking, while Gaear is a man of action. The fourth main character is Marge Gunderson (McDormand), who plays a police chief. She's pregnant and acts pretty goofy, but she's extremely competent underneath. The second half of the movie focuses on her search for the kidnappers.

I don't want to give away too much for those who haven't seen Fargo, but you can read my full review by clicking here if you want to know some of my other thoughts.

Fargo is a masterpiece in many ways. It looks and feels authentic and portrays life in a small American town effectively. The acting is great throughout and McDormand's Oscar was fully deserved. The movie also picked up a Best Screenplay Oscar. It was beaten out in most of the other categories by The English Patient, but it has much better replay value. I watch it a couple of times every year.

If you like Fargo:

The Coen brothers like to include plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor in their movies. It's similar in some ways to that of Quentin Tarantino. I'm not reviewing every film by my favorite directors for the purposes of this list, so I'll content myself with suggesting another Coen brothers film here. I almost chose No Country for Old Men and both are in my all time top 10. If you like one, it's almost certain that you will like the other. Both have that blend of violence and dark humor and work because of the quality of the scripts.

Another movie which always comes to mind when I watch Fargo is In Bruges. The dark humor and moments of violence are present there too, but instead of Steve Buscemi you'll find Brendan Gleeson as the main comic relief.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

"Thirst"

Now here's a fine film. From the dude who brought us "OldBoy," this film has a nice purposeful pace, a strong story, decent characters, strong themes, strong cinematography, and some occasional shock value. I think it'd be a fine compliment to "Let the Right One In."

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

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 4.5/5 (UK Blu-Ray is region-locked)

Great film. One of 09's best.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese

Main Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams

Rating: * or *****

Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his new partner (Ruffalo) are federal marshals sent to a prison island to help track down an escaped patient. Upon arriving they find the staff uncooperative and acting as strange as the mental patients they oversee. When a storm hits and strands them there they are forced to uncover the truth of this strange place. Ok, so what's with the rating indecision? Quite simply this was the most frustrating film I can remember seeing. I was literally yelling at the screen at the end of the movie. For some reason this was marketed as a horror movie when in fact it's what I like to call a mind f**k film - think Memento or Inception. However at least I didn't feel cheated watching them. Without giving anything away, I got suckered into the story and kept waiting for the twist that I knew was coming. When that didn't happen I was deflated and annoyed. Of course there is a twist - just not the one I so badly wanted to happen. Is this a bad film? No. The cast is stellar and the director legendary. The story is gripping and obviously engaging. Despite a long runtime I felt like the time flew by watching it. But if you get drawn into the story as I did you will find the ending absolutely, completely unsatisfying - although reasonable. Which makes it even more frustrating.

What twist were you expecting/hoping for?

[Foggy]

Brick

This film was badass

Brick is set in a world, a very strange world where kids still talk like they're in the 1950's/50's and adults are either oblivious or non-existent to the seedy pessimistic lives they lead. And the film wouldn't work if it didn't take it's story seriously enough and instead forced its quirkiness down your throat. Brick goes for making you believe in the world it's set in, and then every so often it gives you small comedic scene that will make the film just that bit more unique.

Brick is just awesome, the dialogue is pure Diablo Cody meets The Maltese Falcon...well, actually it's better than it sounds. The delivery of the lines are snappy and fast, which goes hand in hand with the pacing of the film, never stopping to take a breath that by the end it's coughing up from its internal injuries from it brash beatings through the storyline

Just...goddamn was this film badass

10/10

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

What twist were you expecting/hoping for?

After they

[Show spoiler]convinced him he was making everything up, I expected at some point he'd realize he was right all along and even if he didn't get off the island, he'd at least know that he was right.

I really, really, wanted that to happen.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I didn't say the other films aren't going to be as good/better, I said it would be the film that would crop up highest on most top 10 list than the others

If you think it will be higher on people's lists, then you obviously think people will think it is better than the other superhero films.

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by Foggy

^^^ Also Bowie is evil

Blasphemer!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

After they

[Show spoiler]convinced him he was making everything up, I expected at some point he'd realize he was right all along and even if he didn't get off the island, he'd at least know that he was right.

I really, really, wanted that to happen.

LOL...now I am even more confused.

[Show spoiler]When you say they conviced hi that he had made it all up, what exactly are you referring to? The exploits on the island? His childrens death. He murdered his wide?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

Blasphemer!!

I think he means evil as in awesome.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

The Artist (2012)
Comedy, Romance, Drama, 100 minutes
Directed by Michael Hazanavicius
Starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and John Goodman

[Show spoiler]


I make an effort to see all of the major Oscar bait, even if it's something that I am not sure I'll like. The Artist falls into that category. I have no problem with black and white or the use of the 1.37:1 aspect ratio, but a silent movie? The idea itself is superb of course. Most moviegoers are too young to remember the silent era, so why not provide a similar experience using modern technology?

Most of the reviews I have read have praised the movie and it's scooping awards at every major show. Is the hype justified?

Well, it was certainly an interesting experience. The audience was very respectful and quieter than for most movies. The movie is silent for the most part, but

[Show spoiler]finds a couple of inventive ways to use both sounds and spoken dialogue

. It's easy to follow the rather simple story and cue cards are used when something absolutely has to be communicated to the audience.

The acting is very good. Dujardin and Bejo have expressive faces that are up to the task. Dujardin has a lot of charm and seems to portray happiness with ease.

The audience didn't become involved very often. What few laughs there were usually came in response to the antics of Uggie the dog. In fact, that's the problem right there; involvement. The Artist was clever. I applaud the idea and the execution, but I just wasn't emotionally invested with the characters and the outcome. I found myself smiling at the technical feat of showing us 1927 and creating the atmosphere of the silent movie experience, but I didn't care enough about the characters.

I have to agree with Squid on this one. Somehow seeing how committed the actors were in their roles made me more emotionally invested in their outcomes. Dujardin's performance took me out of the theater and I couldn't have been more curious as to how he was to adapt to this world of change. And Bejo simply shot me with Cupid's arrow from the beginning.

Originally Posted by Steve46

Most of my favorite movies are driven by dialogue. I relish watching a Tarantino movie and could listen to the characters talk for hours. When that's removed, for me, so is some of the enjoyment.

Definitely true for most movies. Look at Tarantino's films (as you mentioned)... where the dialogue is his powerhouse, taking the personas of each character to a different level. Film noir... where each word drives the story so strongly you can't miss a scene for two seconds. French New Wave... poetic, stylized, and philosophical. Even courtroom dramas where you can avidly watch 12 Angry Men sit in one room and argue for an hour and a half. An entire facet of movies lacks in silent film, but I think that's just what this film is trying to say. Even though the medium has "evolved" to have sound, there's the expression that has been lost in modern acting. While Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar for a role enhanced by flawlessly speaking several languages, I believe Dujardin deserves one for the unconstrained personality he's expressed within a muted role. Not just because it's unique in today's world, but because he has managed to find a comfortable place in front of today's audience against conventional expectations... which is something most would not have believed could happen.

I'll remember The Artist as a good idea that captured the imagination of a modern audience, but when you strip it down to what's actually on the screen and examine the strength of the story, something is lacking. I'm glad I saw it, but I won't buy it as I don't need to see it again. When the credits started rolling at the end of The Descendants and Midnight in Paris, I would have been happy to watch them again immediately. The Artist will probably win Best Picture at the Oscars, but I think eventually we'll look back at 2011 and think that it wasn't the best film that year.

I began to suspect early on in the movie that this was going to be about a silent film actor that has a very frail theater voice, thus extinguishing his career (Beyond the many silent film actors this transition had plagued, there was one famous actor I learned about in this particular situation but I could not put my finger on it). But although in The Artist he underwent a more general struggle, my expectations went through the roof once discovering it was a similar premise. It was like I've always wanted to see a movie about this transition, and this was finally it. And it certainly succeeded in my eyes. Many have said, including Squid and myself, that it was an unforgettable viewing experience. So although I think the same way as you when it comes to Best Picture winners (which film will we look back on and remember the most?), I think it does deserve a win.

[Show spoiler]...I haven't seen The Descendants so this argument is invalid.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

If you think it will be higher on people's lists, then you obviously think people will think it is better than the other superhero films.

Not necessarily, I think it will be that sort of film people will put up there and go "Pah, all you meer mortals with your Dark Knights and Avengers, while I like this little small budget film"

I also really think The Amazing Spiderman will get a major backlash if it winds up to be just good

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I have to agree with Squid on this one. Somehow seeing how committed the actors were in their roles made me more emotionally invested in their outcomes. Dujardin's performance took me out of the theater and I couldn't have been more curious as to how he was to adapt to this world of change. And Bejo simply shot me with Cupid's arrow from the beginning.

Definitely true for most movies. Look at Tarantino's films (as you mentioned)... where the dialogue is his powerhouse, taking the personas of each character to a different level. Film noir... where each word drives the story so strongly you can't miss a scene for two seconds. French New Wave... poetic, stylized, and philosophical. Even courtroom dramas where you can avidly watch 12 Angry Men sit in one room and argue for an hour and a half. An entire facet of movies lacks in silent film, but I think that's just what this film is trying to say. Even though the medium has "evolved" to have sound, there's the expression that has been lost in modern acting. While Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar for a role enhanced by flawlessly speaking several languages, I believe Dujardin deserves one for the unconstrained personality he's expressed within a muted role. Not just because it's unique in today's world, but because he has managed to find a comfortable place in front of today's audience against conventional expectations... which is something most would not have believed could happen.

I began to suspect early on in the movie that this was going to be about a silent film actor that has a very frail theater voice, thus extinguishing his career (Beyond the many silent film actors this transition had plagued, there was one famous actor I learned about in this particular situation but I could not put my finger on it). But although in The Artist he underwent a more general struggle, my expectations went through the roof once discovering it was a similar premise. It was like I've always wanted to see a movie about this transition, and this was finally it. And it certainly succeeded in my eyes. Many have said, including Squid and myself, that it was an unforgettable viewing experience. So although I think the same way as you when it comes to Best Picture winners (which film will we look back on and remember the most?), I think it does deserve a win.

[Show spoiler]...I haven't seen The Descendants so this argument is invalid.

Good responses. Everything makes sense. I'm glad it worked so well for you. While I appreciate the film, I still enjoyed The Descendants, Midnight in Paris and Moneyball a lot more. I'm clearly in the minority as most people had strong emotional reactions to The Artist.

I saw the trailer for W.E. before The Artist. What a blatant and stupid attempt to try and capture the same audience that The King's Speech grabbed.