The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Uh oh, now there's a whole three movies from your list that I can give the thumbs up to. At least from ones I remember.

Woohoo, six percent success rate

Here's the list so far.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Woohoo, six percent success rate

Here's the list so far.

Ok, 12 out of 52. As Good as It Gets, Avatar, Bambi, The Bourne Trilogy, The Dark Knight, Die Hard, Field of Dreams, Freedom Writers, Gran Tarino, Juno, Kill Bill: Volume 1, and Leon. There are quite a few I've never seen though.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Ok, 12 out of 52. As Good as It Gets, Avatar, Bambi, The Bourne Trilogy, The Dark Knight, Die Hard, Field of Dreams, Freedom Writers, Gran Tarino, Juno, Kill Bill: Volume 1, and Leon. There are quite a few I've never seen though.

Not bad

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

52. The Lives of Others (2006)
Drama, Thriller, 137 minutes, German Language
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch and Martina Gedeck

[Show spoiler]Most of us have never grown up in a regime that denies us freedom of speech, freedom of thought, or freedom of belief. Those terms were part of my study material leading up to my Canadian citizenship test which I took in January. Now, after swearing an oath and becoming Canadian, I'm reminded how precious those freedoms are. If you were born in East Germany before the wall fell, or in other parts of Eastern Europe, you will understand how different life was just over 20 years ago.

The Lives of Others is set in East Germany in 1984 and it focuses on some of the freedoms I mentioned above. We see a man interrogating a prisoner sometime in his past, and then watch him teach the importance of the techniques to a class of students. He's an expert in human behavior and body language and can tell when someone is lying. He also notes subversive behavior throughout society, right down to the students in his class. He's Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler and he's a member of the Stasi; a government secret police force.

The story focuses on author Georg Dreyman (Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (Gedeck). Dreyman writes plays and one event in particular inspires him to write a book outlining the oppressive regime in East Germany. Put yourself in his situation for a moment. Who would you trust with your ideas? How would you try to get the book published in Western Europe?

Wiesler suspects something and thinks that Dreyman should be under surveillance, so he offers to supervise the operation himself. His team bug Dreyman's apartment and Wiesler listens from his hideaway in the roof of the building, writing daily activity reports on Dreyman and his associates.

As the story progresses, Wiesler starts to think about his role and the purpose of his life. He's following orders, but is he doing the right thing? One of the themes early in the movie is that people remain true to their nature, but what is Wiesler's true nature? And so begins a powerful story of an authors' fight to make his opinions known and the intervention of Wiesler.

The three main actors all give terrific performances, but it's Muhe as Wiesler who steals the show. Pay close attention to your own feelings as you watch this film and note what happens to your opinion of Wiesler. The Lives of Others is a realistic and moving account that will evoke strong emotions if you allow yourself to be drawn in. If you are worried about subtitled movies, this is one that deserves your attention so please don't let that stop you. I thoroughly enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth, but The Lives of Others rightly won the Oscar that year. It's one of the best foreign language films ever made.

If you like The Lives of Others:

I'm not going to suggest movies involving spying or secret government departments as there are plenty of those. Instead, I would consider watching Revanche. It's an intimate little film on a much smaller scale than The Lives of Others, but it closely examines the motivations of its characters. Some are obvious, but what isn't obvious is its conclusion. It shows how people make up their own minds about what matters most in life. The characters come to an unusual mutual understanding as a result. Like The Lives of Others, it's a German language film.

the best film i have ever seen. on every level - directing, acting, story, script, atmosphere, et cetera. a masterful film that everyone should see.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

the best film i have ever seen. on every level - directing, acting, story, script, atmosphere, et cetera. a masterful film that everyone should see.

I agree.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Steve46

52. The Lives of Others (2006)
Drama, Thriller, 137 minutes, German Language
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch and Martina Gedeck



Most of us have never grown up in a regime that denies us freedom of speech, freedom of thought, or freedom of belief. Those terms were part of my study material leading up to my Canadian citizenship test which I took in January. Now, after swearing an oath and becoming Canadian, I'm reminded how precious those freedoms are. If you were born in East Germany before the wall fell, or in other parts of Eastern Europe, you will understand how different life was just over 20 years ago.

The Lives of Others is set in East Germany in 1984 and it focuses on some of the freedoms I mentioned above. We see a man interrogating a prisoner sometime in his past, and then watch him teach the importance of the techniques to a class of students. He's an expert in human behavior and body language and can tell when someone is lying. He also notes subversive behavior throughout society, right down to the students in his class. He's Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler and he's a member of the Stasi; a government secret police force.

The story focuses on author Georg Dreyman (Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (Gedeck). Dreyman writes plays and one event in particular inspires him to write a book outlining the oppressive regime in East Germany. Put yourself in his situation for a moment. Who would you trust with your ideas? How would you try to get the book published in Western Europe?

Wiesler suspects something and thinks that Dreyman should be under surveillance, so he offers to supervise the operation himself. His team bug Dreyman's apartment and Wiesler listens from his hideaway in the roof of the building, writing daily activity reports on Dreyman and his associates.

As the story progresses, Wiesler starts to think about his role and the purpose of his life. He's following orders, but is he doing the right thing? One of the themes early in the movie is that people remain true to their nature, but what is Wiesler's true nature? And so begins a powerful story of an authors' fight to make his opinions known and the intervention of Wiesler.

The three main actors all give terrific performances, but it's Muhe as Wiesler who steals the show. Pay close attention to your own feelings as you watch this film and note what happens to your opinion of Wiesler. The Lives of Others is a realistic and moving account that will evoke strong emotions if you allow yourself to be drawn in. If you are worried about subtitled movies, this is one that deserves your attention so please don't let that stop you. I thoroughly enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth, but The Lives of Others rightly won the Oscar that year. It's one of the best foreign language films ever made.

If you like The Lives of Others:

I'm not going to suggest movies involving spying or secret government departments as there are plenty of those. Instead, I would consider watching Revanche. It's an intimate little film on a much smaller scale than The Lives of Others, but it closely examines the motivations of its characters. Some are obvious, but what isn't obvious is its conclusion. It shows how people make up their own minds about what matters most in life. The characters come to an unusual mutual understanding as a result. Like The Lives of Others, it's a German language film.

Although my opinions on films are not always agreed with and I can be harsh, I try to avoid hyperbole so that my opinions are taken more seriously. I also try to avoid hyperbole so that when I say a movie is one of the very best and most important ever made, I can maintain my credibility. The Lives of Others is both--one of the very best films ever made, which will continue to climb on "best of" lists in years to come, and an extremely important film that I consider obligatory viewing.

Coincidentally, last night I started Agent 6, the third and last book in Tom Rob Smith's series about a Russian secret policeman in 1950s Russia. The first book, Child 44, was up for the Booker Award which is unheard of for a thriller book, and is widely considered one of the best books ever in that genre. That series is very similar to The Lives of Others, but thirty years earlier and in Russia, which arguably was the most oppressive country of the 20th century. I highly recommend the series to fans of The Lives of Others.

Oh, and by the way, the rights to Child 44 were bought by Sir Ridley Scott.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

the beauty of the script is that we don't know if Wiesler ends up doing what he does because

[Show spoiler]he has a change of heart and realizes the whole GDR system is overly-oppressive

or

[Show spoiler]he doesn't have a change of heart, he is an idealist Stasi soldier, sees this mission as the "farce" that it is (helping some fat politican get laid) and so intentionally sabotaged it because he sees it as improper use of Stasi resources

I'll be an optomist and go with the former

I truly believe the former is the only logical interpretation of his motivations. Tremendous character study.

[jhiggy23]

Hanna:


Film: 2 1/2 (out of 4); girlfriend's review--3 1/2 (out of 4)


I thought it was a decent film but I expected more with those involved. I've been a vocal admirer of Joe Wright's for years now, as I truly believe (and still do believe) that he's one of the most talented young directors out there. His directing in Pride and Prejudice was great and his directing in Atonement was one of the best of the 2000s imo.

As for this film, I thought it was entertaining but it dragged a bit in the middle. I also thought the film was a bit too strange for its own good and was too hollow, lacking in emotional, thematic, and plot depth. There were some nice directing sequences but there were also some sequences that were distracting in the way they were directed. I also thought there were some poor script choices, such as making the "go to hitman" a cross-dresser with seemingly no talent for the job.

My girlfriend took a different opinion, and thought it was extremely entertaining from beginning to end. She thought Ronan's acting was great and that the character was very intriguing despite not being given a tremendous amount of backstory.

[jhiggy23]

Side note, I just bought Amelie today. I can't wait to revisit the film, which I haven't seen in a few years. It's still one of the most likeable and enjoyable films I've ever seen.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Side note, I just bought Amelie today. I can't wait to revisit the film, which I haven't seen in a few years. It's still one of the most likeable and enjoyable films I've ever seen.

I find it completely charming and never tire of seeing it. Jeunet's sense of humor really appeals to me.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Hanna:


Film: 2 1/2 (out of 4); girlfriend's review--3 1/2 (out of 4)

[Show spoiler]I thought it was a decent film but I expected more with those involved. I've been a vocal admirer of Joe Wright's for years now, as I truly believe (and still do believe) that he's one of the most talented young directors out there. His directing in Pride and Prejudice was great and his directing in Atonement was one of the best of the 2000s imo.

As for this film, I thought it was entertaining but it dragged a bit in the middle. I also thought the film was a bit too strange for its own good and was too hollow, lacking in emotional, thematic, and plot depth. There were some nice directing sequences but there were also some sequences that were distracting in the way they were directed. I also thought there were some poor script choices, such as making the "go to hitman" a cross-dresser with seemingly no talent for the job.

My girlfriend took a different opinion, and thought it was extremely entertaining from beginning to end. She thought Ronan's acting was great and that the character was very intriguing despite not being given a tremendous amount of backstory.

I share your girlfriend's opinion on Hanna. It was actually probably one of my favorite blind buys out of the 2011 movies, but of course you wouldn't agree with that if you had blind bought it as well.

I also have to bring up the score by The Chemical Brothers each time I talk about Hanna. I thought they did a great job with it and it tied into the movie and the sound effects well.

Originally Posted by Steve46

I find it completely charming and never tire of seeing it. Jeunet's sense of humor really appeals to me.

I watched Amelie on Hulu about a month ago. I don't share the opinion of most around here about it, but I do have to give Jeunet credit for making something completely unique. It might have been just a little too out there for me, but I did like the movie in the end. Not enough to buy it, but I didn't waste my Sunday afternoon watching it either.

[Lepidopterous]

...though equally enjoyable for everyone.

Hulu - Saturday Night Live: French Dance

Side note: picked up Notorious for $14.49!

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Woohoo, six percent success rate

Here's the list so far.

22 films I have seen on the list, but I won't reveal which ones I've seen, which ones I liked and disliked and which ones I'm planning to see till the list is finished

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Foggy

22 films I have seen on the list, but I won't reveal which ones I've seen, which ones I liked and disliked and which ones I'm planning to see till the list is finished

Fair enough

Here's today's:

53. Lolita (1962)
Drama, Romance, 152 minutes
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring James Mason, Peter Sellers, Shelley Winters and Sue Lyon



Stanley Kubrick was capable of working in any genre, ranging from historical epics to futuristic science fiction. He gave us serious drama and dark comedy. Lolita certainly has its serious moments, but it’s also filled with dark humor and is arguably his most controversial film.

Vladimir Nabokov’s book was about a 12-year-old girl and would have been an even more controversial film if Kubrick had kept Lolita at that age. In the film, Lolita (Lyon) is a 14-year-old and it changes the overall tone somewhat.

Professor Humbert Humbert (Mason) is a British author looking for a home in New Hampshire. He visits Charlotte Haze (Winters) who is looking to rent a room. Humbert is on the verge of leaving and looking elsewhere, but sees her daughter, Lolita, sunbathing in the garden. He decides to stay and becomes obsessed with her. From his viewpoint, Lolita is flirting with him. She kisses him and plays with her hula hoop right in front of him. Meanwhile, Charlotte is hoping to start a relationship of her own with Humbert and doesn’t notice the attention he gives Lolita.

Humbert’s obsession grows and he keeps a secret journal about his feelings, but he’s dismayed when Charlotte sends Lolita to summer camp 200 miles away. Charlotte then writes a letter to Humbert declaring her love for him and issues an ultimatum. She tells him to leave, or stay and marry her. He finds the letter hilarious and has no interest in her, but marries her to be close to Lolita. This act shows the extent of his obsession.

After the marriage, Charlotte decides to send Lolita to boarding school. Humbert fantasizes about killing her and spending the rest of his life with Lolita. Charlotte discovers his diary and true feelings and decides that she can’t live with the knowledge, leaving Humbert to pursue his plan.

Another key character is that of Clare Quilty (Sellers). The opening scene of the film shows Humbert tracking down Quilty and shooting him. The remainder of the film shows the events leading up to Quilty’s murder. Sellers plays the part well and tries to manipulate Humbert by pretending to be several different people. In Dr. Strangelove, the characters he portrays actually are separate individuals, but that’s not the case here. Sellers writes plays and wants Lolita to appear in one, but seems to have an ulterior motive.

We see everything from Humbert’s point of view and he’s also the narrator at times. Was Kubrick trying to make us empathize with Humbert’s feelings by placing us in his position? Was he trying to get us to root for Humbert and hope that he would somehow end up with Lolita?

The film is long at 152 minutes, but never seems to drag. Although we know that Humbert shoots Quilty, we don’t know why until we see the preceding events. Kubrick makes some of Lolita’s actions deliberately ambiguous so that we’re left wondering whether she was flirting with Humbert. The overall impression is that she’s not as innocent as she may appear.

The film is mainly about obsession and its impact on people’s lives. Humbert’s thoughts are far from pure. He wants Lolita and, although he doesn’t kill Charlotte, he certainly considers doing so. The choice to make Lolita 14 helped avoid some of the controversy, but this is still a film that will be emotionally upsetting for some. Much of its impact depends on our imagination and will vary from one viewer to the next.

Mason is particularly effective as the polite Englishman, while Sellers and Winters also play their parts well. Lyon doesn’t get much time on screen considering she’s the motivation for everything that Humbert does, but she’s believable in the role.

If you like Lolita:

One of my favorite recent movies dealing with the topic of an older man becoming obsessed with an underage girl is An Education. It's an adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel and Hornby is a writer who never lets you down. He delivers an intelligent mix of drama and humor and Carey Mulligan was nominated for her excellent performance. It captures life in 1960s London and sometimes feels similar to the mood that Kubrick created in Lolita.

[Romulus]

I've seen 34 of the 53 films out of you list so far, Steve46. I'll have a total count and which ones I agree with and disagree with once you hit 100.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Romulus

I've seen 34 of the 53 films out of you list so far, Steve46. I'll have a total count and which ones I agree with and disagree with once you hit 100.

64% isn't bad. I didn't realize I liked such obscure stuff

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Woohoo, six percent success rate

Here's the list so far.

I've seen 37.

[Show spoiler] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 41, 42, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52

I'd give thumbs up (rate 4/5 or higher) to 24.

[Show spoiler] 1-5, 8, 10-12, 14, 18, 20-21, 26, 28-29, 31-32, 34, 37, 42, 46-47 and 52

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I've seen 37.

[Show spoiler] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 41, 42, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52

I'd give thumbs up (rate 4/5 or higher) to 24.

[Show spoiler] 1-5, 8, 10-12, 14, 18, 20-21, 26, 28-29, 31-32, 34, 37, 42, 46-47 and 52

Impressive

I would be really interested to hear what you think of Amelie and Grave of the Fireflies if you get around to seeing them.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

...though equally enjoyable for everyone.

Hulu - Saturday Night Live: French Dance

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Fair enough

Here's today's:

53. Lolita (1962)

[Show spoiler]Drama, Romance, 152 minutes
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring James Mason, Peter Sellers, Shelley Winters and Sue Lyon



Stanley Kubrick was capable of working in any genre, ranging from historical epics to futuristic science fiction. He gave us serious drama and dark comedy. Lolita certainly has its serious moments, but it’s also filled with dark humor and is arguably his most controversial film.

Vladimir Nabokov’s book was about a 12-year-old girl and would have been an even more controversial film if Kubrick had kept Lolita at that age. In the film, Lolita (Lyon) is a 14-year-old and it changes the overall tone somewhat.

Professor Humbert Humbert (Mason) is a British author looking for a home in New Hampshire. He visits Charlotte Haze (Winters) who is looking to rent a room. Humbert is on the verge of leaving and looking elsewhere, but sees her daughter, Lolita, sunbathing in the garden. He decides to stay and becomes obsessed with her. From his viewpoint, Lolita is flirting with him. She kisses him and plays with her hula hoop right in front of him. Meanwhile, Charlotte is hoping to start a relationship of her own with Humbert and doesn’t notice the attention he gives Lolita.

Humbert’s obsession grows and he keeps a secret journal about his feelings, but he’s dismayed when Charlotte sends Lolita to summer camp 200 miles away. Charlotte then writes a letter to Humbert declaring her love for him and issues an ultimatum. She tells him to leave, or stay and marry her. He finds the letter hilarious and has no interest in her, but marries her to be close to Lolita. This act shows the extent of his obsession.

After the marriage, Charlotte decides to send Lolita to boarding school. Humbert fantasizes about killing her and spending the rest of his life with Lolita. Charlotte discovers his diary and true feelings and decides that she can’t live with the knowledge, leaving Humbert to pursue his plan.

Another key character is that of Clare Quilty (Sellers). The opening scene of the film shows Humbert tracking down Quilty and shooting him. The remainder of the film shows the events leading up to Quilty’s murder. Sellers plays the part well and tries to manipulate Humbert by pretending to be several different people. In Dr. Strangelove, the characters he portrays actually are separate individuals, but that’s not the case here. Sellers writes plays and wants Lolita to appear in one, but seems to have an ulterior motive.

We see everything from Humbert’s point of view and he’s also the narrator at times. Was Kubrick trying to make us empathize with Humbert’s feelings by placing us in his position? Was he trying to get us to root for Humbert and hope that he would somehow end up with Lolita?

The film is long at 152 minutes, but never seems to drag. Although we know that Humbert shoots Quilty, we don’t know why until we see the preceding events. Kubrick makes some of Lolita’s actions deliberately ambiguous so that we’re left wondering whether she was flirting with Humbert. The overall impression is that she’s not as innocent as she may appear.

The film is mainly about obsession and its impact on people’s lives. Humbert’s thoughts are far from pure. He wants Lolita and, although he doesn’t kill Charlotte, he certainly considers doing so. The choice to make Lolita 14 helped avoid some of the controversy, but this is still a film that will be emotionally upsetting for some. Much of its impact depends on our imagination and will vary from one viewer to the next.

Mason is particularly effective as the polite Englishman, while Sellers and Winters also play their parts well. Lyon doesn’t get much time on screen considering she’s the motivation for everything that Humbert does, but she’s believable in the role.

If you like Lolita:

One of my favorite recent movies dealing with the topic of an older man becoming obsessed with an underage girl is An Education. It's an adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel and Hornby is a writer who never lets you down. He delivers an intelligent mix of drama and humor and Carey Mulligan was nominated for her excellent performance. It captures life in 1960s London and sometimes feels similar to the mood that Kubrick created in Lolita.

I only saw this for the first time a couple years ago. I really enjoyed it. While watching it though, I kept thinking "Oh my, this was really pushing it for the era.". I wonder how much flack Kubrick took back then?