The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

What film is it?

I thought it was just me; I can't see it either.

Hmm, a remake on the same level as Psycho? I'm guessing...The Omen remake?

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I thought it was just me; I can't see it either.

Hmm, a remake on the same level as Psycho? I'm guessing...The Omen remake?

Or The Time Machine?

[P@t_Mtl]

Jīnlíng Shísan Chai (2011)
The Flowers Of War

Directed by : Zhang Yimou
Starring : Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi
Format : HDTV

Story : During the attack in Naking in 1937 an American mortician John Miller (Bale) does is best to survive the Japanese troops raping and destruction of the city. He soon become's the reluctant guardian of a douzen or so chinese schoolgirls. He hide's with them in a church. Not long after a douzen or so prostitutes come's to hide inside the church. When an out of control platton of Japanese soldiers storm the church and try to rape the young girls, Miller pass himself off as a priest and claim they are under his protection. Later a Japanese colonel come's to the church to listen to the young schoolgirl sing. He later offer an invitation for them to come and sing at a party for high Japanese officials. He try to make a good face but Miller is not fooled by it. Claiming he cannot let the girls out of his protection he refuse but the colonel insist it's not something that can be refuse. That night the young schoolgirl try to get out of it by a drastic mesure only to be stop by Miller and the prostitues. They agee to exchange the place with the young girls and go to the Japanese party. Miller with his skills, make's them all look young. After they leave with the Japanases, Miller smuggle the school girls out of the city

Comments : The movie does not hold back any punches. It's a brutal retelling of what happen in Naking at that time. The movie is very good if probably not one that can be seen very often due to the brutality of it. It's not an horror movie, no this is all too real and make's one wonder how can we as human act in these fashion toward each other. I recommend it as a historical reminder that these things happen and sometime can still happen. One day let's hope we can grow up as a specie and leave these things behind us.

Ratings : 4/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Jīnlíng Shísan Chai (2011)
The Flowers Of War

Directed by : Zhang Yimou
Starring : Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi
Format : HDTV

Story : During the attack in Naking in 1937 an American mortician John Miller (Bale) does is best to survive the Japanese troops raping and destruction of the city. He soon become's the reluctant guardian of a douzen or so chinese schoolgirls. He hide's with them in a church. Not long after a douzen or so prostitutes come's to hide inside the church. When an out of control platton of Japanese soldiers storm the church and try to rape the young girls, Miller pass himself off as a priest and claim they are under his protection. Later a Japanese colonel come's to the church to listen to the young schoolgirl sing. He later offer an invitation for them to come and sing at a party for high Japanese officials. He try to make a good face but Miller is not fooled by it. Claiming he cannot let the girls out of his protection he refuse but the colonel insist it's not something that can be refuse. That night the young schoolgirl try to get out of it by a drastic mesure only to be stop by Miller and the prostitues. They agee to exchange the place with the young girls and go to the Japanese party. Miller with his skills, make's them all look young. After they leave with the Japanases, Miller smuggle the school girls out of the city

Comments : The movie does not hold back any punches. It's a brutal retelling of what happen in Naking at that time. The movie is very good if probably not one that can be seen very often due to the brutality of it. It's not an horror movie, no this is all too real and make's one wonder how can we as human act in these fashion toward each other. I recommend it as a historical reminder that these things happen and sometime can still happen. One day let's hope we can grow up as a specie and leave these things behind us.

Ratings : 4/5

I should see this. Of the other films I've seen from Zhang Yimou, I've loved them all (well, all except for that Curse of the Golden Flower, but Hero and House of Flying Daggers are still favorites of mind).

I'll also be curious to see if/how it compares to City of Life and Death. Now that movie was pretty darn brutal and hard-hitting. Can't imagine any film about Nanking being more real than that.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I thought it was just me; I can't see it either.

Hmm, a remake on the same level as Psycho? I'm guessing...The Omen remake?

this is a new technique in The Movie Review and Discussion Thread.

Its called "guess the film" - you leave the movie title blank

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I should see this. Of the other films I've seen from Zhang Yimou, I've loved them all (well, all except for that Curse of the Golden Flower, but Hero and House of Flying Daggers are still favorites of mind).

I'll also be curious to see if/how it compares to City of Life and Death. Now that movie was pretty darn brutal and hard-hitting. Can't imagine any film about Nanking being more real than that.

Did not see City Of Light And Death, read a few books on Naking but the only other movies I saw about it were a documentary and The Children Of Huang Shi who as the first 30 minutes in Nanking but then moved on

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

this is a new technique in The Movie Review and Discussion Thread.

Its called "guess the film" - you leave the movie title blank

Oh boy, a game!

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Did not see City Of Light And Death, read a few books on Naking but the only other movies I saw about it were a documentary and The Children Of Huang Shi who as the first 30 minutes in Nanking but then moved on

City of Life and Death should be a must-see. It's easily comparable to Schindler's List.

I did see a Nanking documentary some months ago; I might have even reviewed it here. It was alright. Still, anything about the incident is informative.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I thought it was just me; I can't see it either.

Hmm, a remake on the same level as Psycho? I'm guessing...The Omen remake?

Originally Posted by Steve46

Or The Time Machine?

Maybe it's a test screening for something coming up and he has to keep it secret. There's only two horror remakes coming out early next year and considering he watched Carrie yesterday...

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Maybe it's a test screening for something coming up and he has to keep it secret. There's only two horror remakes coming out early next year and considering he watched Carrie yesterday...

Hopefully not Carrie since I was looking forward to the remake.

[ElliesDad]

Watched a cable airing of "Detachment" last night. This is a 2011 film that, despite starring Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, and a host of other notables, including James Caan, was only released to a couple of theatres, made next to nothing at the box office, and seems relegated to obscurity. It rated just under a 'tomato' (57%) on Rotten Tomatos, with detractors decrying it's pessimism and the fact that they found the viewing depressing and exhausting. It even got hit with the 'pretention' club.

Is it depressing? Pretty much so. The movie deals in a harsh and vivid manner with the general disintegration of the school system nationally, the havoc resulting from a newly 'entitled' student-parent alliance, and the demoralization of teachers thrust into a milieu where they deal with apathy, cynacism, hostility, and the continuing threat of violence, without any meaningful power or support. And much more! It deals in an incisive way with the malaise of current every-day life, the fact that most of us are burdened to some degree or another with some manner of baggage, and that for all too many life can simply, in fact, be a series of dead-ends. Ok nothing new here, and certainly not a lot of laughs, but the skill and honesty with which these ideas are developed put this film head-and-shoulders, IM(humble)O above others of it's ilk. It's a movie for grown-ups!

For the Mary Poppins crowd out there, this is probably one to avoid. But for those who love a really well-crafted, insightful, brilliantly ensemble-acted, thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, and affecting piece of film work this is one to look for. If you're an Adrien Brody fan it's a must-see. I'd argue that this is his finest role, and he's done some fine work. There's a harshness to his character here, a gut-level desperation, and an everyman appreciation of the fact that not only can life be cruel it can be brutal and intolerable, that is enormously compelling. It's a masterful turn and would be enough to keep the viewer transfixed throughout the showing, but there's more by way of excellent supporting performances and a tautly written screenplay that offers a procession of confrontations and climaxes throughout the film.

This is one that you'll be thinking about the next day, and probably after that. Thanks for letting me share.

[jvince]

Office Space (1999)
dir. Mike Judge

The Good: A treasure trove of gut-bustingly hilarious one-liners. Excellent screenplay and character work. Fantastic cast. Milton.

The Bad: The third act (it's been noted that Judge himself hated the ending).

The Bottom Line: Office Space has got to be one of the funniest films around. So yeah... if you like smart, timely, relevant comedies, it'd be great if you could go check this one out, m'kay?

[Al_The_Strange]

jvince...you still haven't told us what the last movie you reviewed was.

It's going to bother us all day!

[jvince]

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
dir. Eric Radomski, Bruce W. Timm

The Good: Very film noir-ish. Chilling score. Dark mood and atmosphere. Top-notch voice acting (can't beat Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill). Superb writing.

The Bad: The twists are pretty easy to guess.

The Bottom Line: A multi-layered, character-driven tale of mystery, revenge, and tragic romance, Mask of the Phantasm has held up pretty well over the years and still stands as one of the best Batman films, animated or live-action. Recommended.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

jvince...you still haven't told us what the last movie you reviewed was.

It's going to bother us all day!

Seriously, what is it jvince?

[cassandraterra]

Ahhh, another romantic comedy that has above average smarts. Already it's a winner in my book, add in a great cast and it's even more than likely I will love it：）

[kitfisto92]

Les Misérables (2012)
Dir. Tom Hooper
Cin. Danny Cohen
Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, & Samantha Barks
Rating: 4.5/5

As an ensemble, the cast brings the material to life in all-around incredibly engaging and emotional performances. Tom Hooper and Danny Cohen's choices, in terms of cinematography, are what makes the film stand out amongst the competition. Specifically, their choice to film most of the songs close-up in one take adds a surprising layer of emotional depth that could potentially have been lost with multiple cuts and different framing. Hooper mentioned after the screening that he would not have made the film without the existence of Hugh Jackman, and it shows. Big time. Jackman arguably brings a career-best performance to the screen as Jean Valjean.

Comments: I do have to say that Russell Crowe's singing does feel out of place with the rest of the cast, albeit not as bad as people are making it out to be. Additionally, it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the film, but that's just me.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jvince

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
dir. Eric Radomski, Bruce W. Timm

The Good: Very film noir-ish. Chilling score. Dark mood and atmosphere. Top-notch voice acting (can't beat Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill). Superb writing.

The Bad: The twists are pretty easy to guess.

The Bottom Line: A multi-layered, character-driven tale of mystery, revenge, and tragic romance, Mask of the Phantasm has held up pretty well over the years and still stands as one of the best Batman films, animated or live-action. Recommended.

Neat. This one is still on my rent list somewhere.

[jvince]

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
dir. Sergio Leone

The Good: Clint Eastwood. Memorable score by Ennio Morricone. Gorgeous cinematography. "When a man with a .45 meets a man with a rifle, you said the man with a pistol is a dead man. Let's see if that's true. Go ahead, load up and shoot..."

The Bad: Terrible dubbing. The graveyard scene.

The Bottom Line: A Fistful of Dollars is a good, old-fashioned western and a solid start to Leone's Dollars trilogy. Recommended.

[Foggy]

You keep teasing us, what film did you watch!!!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

You keep teasing us, what film did you watch!!!

It's actually bordering on the annoying now...