The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Alien (1979)

Film: 5/5
-this is not my first viewing, but holy crappola, I didn't appreciate it on my first viewing (2 yrs ago or so)
-TERRIFYING!! I was huddled under a blanket like a scared kid in my dark house all alone. Haven't been this scared in years. And no, it was NOT the imagery that did it - it was the PACING...the opening credits with planet shot and EEERIEEE score, the planet descent, the sound of the transmission, the shot of the U-shape ship ...by which time I haven't even seen ANY alien and I'm already terrified! It goes back to the Hitchcock example of a bomb under a table.
-Questions for ALIEN NERDS: (1) in opening shot on ship, the camera pans around the ship (while crew asleep, before tranmission pops up on screen), and a bunch of papers FALL OFF a table as the camera pans what the fack is that? an error of camera knocking papers off table? or is there something already on the ship?? , (2) on the planet, when they look at U-shape Alien ship (TERRIFYING IMAGE), I notice that they have a hand-held camcorder, and realized "THIS IS WHERE THE HAND-HELD FOOTAGE CONCEPT WAS BORN". THere is 30-45 seconds shot of them looking at Alien ship, with camera shaking, etc.
-THEMES: you guys know I love themes and I watched this video on youtube: (SPOILER ALERT): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4epUu67vc
In this video, the dude talks about themes of

[Show spoiler]sexual fear. He talks about how the ship is called "mother", how the crew (who SCott calls "the 7 babies" in commentary) are sleeping in a womb-like hybernation. He talks about how there are vaginal/birth/sex themes throughout. The one dude gets the alien egg implanted in him and has to give birth to the alien. When Ripley detaches from the main ship at the end, we hear "umbilical detached" from Mother ship audio. When Alien is kicked out the door by Ripley at the end, it is akin to an abortion because it is hanging by a string (umbilical) outside the womb. THe Alien's head is near-identical to a penis and its tail is used in the same manner, when its tail goes between one of teh female crew members legs.

. So tell me what you Alien geeks think?

You got too much free time on your hand?

Been covered before.To me it's just a scary horrormovie.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Clearly he was not in the right frame of mind to tackle such an extreme and problematic subject, especially when dealing with the inevitable aftermath that would follow when the film was released;

or he was in the perfect frame of mind. Dark frame of mind = Dark subject matter = Perfect match

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

You got too much free time on your hand?

you have NO idea!

[Abdrewes]

Legend: The Director's Cut (1985)

Whoa, this movie is kind of unfairly maligned. This was my first time watching it, and granted I haven't seen the Theatrical Cut, but it's a pretty thunderous, gorgeous vision. It's certainly among, if not the, best production designed of 1980's fantasy fare.*

Off the bat, yes there sure are some clunky lines, especially uttered from Ton Cruise's mouth. Whom falls in love with a princess and leads her deep into the forest to gaze at two frolicking unicorns. The Princess (Mia Sara) approaches them with wide eyed wonder. Suddenly they are scared off by shots fired from the Prince of Darkness' goblin goons. His plan is to destroy all good in the world which is inextricably linked to said unicorns.

Can Tom Cruise arrive in time to save the unicorns, the princess & above all else goodness and light as we know it? See the movie to find out.

...Okay so the screenplay isn't extraordinary, but several things are. Ridley Scott simply knows where to place a camera and what camera movements and angles will get the most out of the immaculate production. Furthermore, I think this movie has one of Ridley Scott's fines set pieces. The princess has now been captured and wanders through the lair of the Prince of Darkness. The direction here is slowly building tension and each movement is slathered with sensuous wonder as we witness the princess enchanted by a mysterious silken gothic figure. Miraculously, somewhat of a not to the closing sequence of 2001, a single edit merges the two. The princess *now dons the black dress as the Prince of Darkness creeps closer. An extraordinary sequence!

There are numerous faults, though. It's tonally much to dark for the narrative, Tom Cruise is miscast, the dwarves and elves are overbearing, and the adventure section of the narrative is much too incident filled. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this movie for the aforementioned set piece,the extravagant set design, and the performances of Mia Sara and Tim Curry.

3/4

[SpartanX]

There Will Be Blood- 9.8/10

Wow. Just wow. This film is a amazing.

[Show spoiler] I love Kubrick and 2001's influence on it. The opening 20 mins or so is absolute genius.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SpartanX

There Will Be Blood- 9.8/10

Wow. Just wow. This film is a amazing.

[Show spoiler] I love Kubrick and 2001's influence on it. The opening 20 mins or so is absolute genius.

Amen. Each time out PTA seems to tap into new wells of genius. I hope we dont have to wait another 5 years for Inherent Vice.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Following suit from my earlier cinema going experience, I went with the parents to see Lincoln.



I was actually looking forward to Lincoln, I thought it was going to be a pretty good film, it's an area of history I'm not familiar with (the battle for the 14th Ammendment that is, not slavery or the American civil war) so I thought it was going to be interesting.

I was so unbelievably wrong, the film off the bat runs straight into the politics and you have to be riding that train from the get go, or else you're left for dust. I have many friends who studied law and history, and had to learn about American Civil Rights; they would probably be right at home with this. But me, I missed the train and sadly the film goes about politics for a good hour without rest. It doesn't give you the opportunity to latch onto anything emotionally gratifying until an hour in, and once it does the film begins to brighten up, but by then the film has already done too much damage to truly redeem itself.

The direction is off by Spielberg as well, filmed without any sort of zeal, it plays of exactly the thing I really didn't want the film to be, a stuffy period piece with bushy beards and big hats, with most actors pretty much delivering big words that they don't properly understand by emphasising them with hollow importance. Though when the film is struggling Daniel Day Lewis is there conducting the screen to him and grasping your attention, Tommy Lee Jones is also fantastic.

There's an interesting film in Lincoln, politicians bending the rules and some times completely breaking them to get what they believe is right, all pointing at if the ends meet the needs. And sometime Spielberg gets it right by using some witty scenes, but Spielberg is obviously also worried about the fact his film might become a bit to satirical of modern politicians, so he often diverts his attention to more Spielbergian traits like "the African American woman with a single tear strolling down her cheek", or the "look at how awful war is with this gruesome image" and climaxing with an awful directoral decision that really does make you say out loud "really Spielberg, what were you thinking!?!"

Lincoln will work for some if they're already invested in the history (which makes the film a bit redundant in a sense) and if not, like me, you'll have the occasional scene that'll hit the mark and the film as a whole is watchable although a tough spoonful to swallow. But the film will work best as an easy way to teach Law or History students the story of the 14th Amendment in 2 hours and a half, and that, to me, doesn't make it all that good of a film.

6.5/10

It was the 13th amendment.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Watched Zero Dark Thirty Complaints is that it is quite silly in places (mainly the helicopter crash at the end of the film is a big "Really?!? You're going to take liberties here")]

Originally Posted by jvince

Yeah, it is a silly film. The more I think about it, the more I hate it. That helicopter crash was ludicrous.

Can you guys tell me more about this helicopter crash, and why it was bad in the film? I am curious because there actually was a crash. But, I havent seen the movie yet so I am not sure what you are talking about.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Can you guys tell me more about this helicopter crash, and why it was bad in the film? I am curious because there actually was a crash. But, I havent seen the movie yet so I am not sure what you are talking about.

Maybe it had a huge fireball explosion in the movie

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

It was the 13th amendment.

Thanks for the correction, I wasn't too sure so I took a stab in the dark really.

Although it's not good when the lasting effect struggles to even get the amendment right.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Can you guys tell me more about this helicopter crash, and why it was bad in the film? I am curious because there actually was a crash. But, I havent seen the movie yet so I am not sure what you are talking about.

In the film,

[Show spoiler]they use prototype stealth helicopters, and one of them malfunctions on the way to the climatic raid leading to a rather loud crash just on the wall of the "fortress" where Bin Laden is hiding in, none of the passengers are injured (although one hangs out off the doors to the chopper as it comes down). They also have to blow it up to ensure the enemy can't use it to create their own versions, meer seconds before the LV team fly off nearly without them.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Alien (1979)

Film: 5/5
-this is not my first viewing, but holy crappola, I didn't appreciate it on my first viewing (2 yrs ago or so)
-TERRIFYING!! I was huddled under a blanket like a scared kid in my dark house all alone. Haven't been this scared in years. And no, it was NOT the imagery that did it - it was the PACING...the opening credits with planet shot and EEERIEEE score, the planet descent, the sound of the transmission, the shot of the U-shape ship ...by which time I haven't even seen ANY alien and I'm already terrified! It goes back to the Hitchcock example of a bomb under a table.
-Questions for ALIEN NERDS: (1) in opening shot on ship, the camera pans around the ship (while crew asleep, before tranmission pops up on screen), and a bunch of papers FALL OFF a table as the camera pans what the fack is that? an error of camera knocking papers off table? or is there something already on the ship?? (see 5:46-5:51 in video below!), (2) on the planet, when they look at U-shape Alien ship (TERRIFYING IMAGE), I notice that they have a hand-held camcorder, and realized "THIS IS WHERE THE HAND-HELD FOOTAGE CONCEPT WAS BORN". THere is 30-45 seconds shot of them looking at Alien ship, with camera shaking, etc.
-THEMES: you guys know I love themes and I watched this video on youtube: (SPOILER ALERT): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4epUu67vc
In this video, the dude talks about themes of

[Show spoiler]sexual fear. He talks about how the ship is called "mother", how the crew (who SCott calls "the 7 babies" in commentary) are sleeping in a womb-like hybernation. He talks about how there are vaginal/birth/sex themes throughout. The one dude gets the alien egg implanted in him and has to give birth to the alien. When Ripley detaches from the main ship at the end, we hear "umbilical detached" from Mother ship audio. When Alien is kicked out the door by Ripley at the end, it is akin to an abortion because it is hanging by a string (umbilical) outside the womb. THe Alien's head is near-identical to a penis and its tail is used in the same manner, when its tail goes between one of teh female crew members legs.

. So tell me what you Alien geeks think?

Funny, I don't think I ever gave the fluttering papers much thought. I think I always assumed it was the ship's air conditioning or something making them move.

As far as the film's themes go

[Show spoiler], I had a professor in a film class point it out briefly, and then I read up on the ideas that the Nostromos represents an actual living body in a book, so ideas like this really redeemed the film for me personally. Most of the scares throughout the Alien saga is based on the sexually suggestive stuff, whether we're aware of it or not; after all, who would want to have a tube shoved down his throat and impregnated?

Wait, don't answer that.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Legend: The Director's Cut (1985)

[Show spoiler]
Whoa, this movie is kind of unfairly maligned. This was my first time watching it, and granted I haven't seen the Theatrical Cut, but it's a pretty thunderous, gorgeous vision. It's certainly among, if not the, best production designed of 1980's fantasy fare.*

Off the bat, yes there sure are some clunky lines, especially uttered from Ton Cruise's mouth. Whom falls in love with a princess and leads her deep into the forest to gaze at two frolicking unicorns. The Princess (Mia Sara) approaches them with wide eyed wonder. Suddenly they are scared off by shots fired from the Prince of Darkness' goblin goons. His plan is to destroy all good in the world which is inextricably linked to said unicorns.

Can Tom Cruise arrive in time to save the unicorns, the princess & above all else goodness and light as we know it? See the movie to find out.

...Okay so the screenplay isn't extraordinary, but several things are. Ridley Scott simply knows where to place a camera and what camera movements and angles will get the most out of the immaculate production. Furthermore, I think this movie has one of Ridley Scott's fines set pieces. The princess has now been captured and wanders through the lair of the Prince of Darkness. The direction here is slowly building tension and each movement is slathered with sensuous wonder as we witness the princess enchanted by a mysterious silken gothic figure. Miraculously, somewhat of a not to the closing sequence of 2001, a single edit merges the two. The princess *now dons the black dress as the Prince of Darkness creeps closer. An extraordinary sequence!

There are numerous faults, though. It's tonally much to dark for the narrative, Tom Cruise is miscast, the dwarves and elves are overbearing, and the adventure section of the narrative is much too incident filled. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this movie for the aforementioned set piece,the extravagant set design, and the performances of Mia Sara and Tim Curry.

3/4

Most of the film is gorgeous, but it's the last fifteen minutes or so that I've always enjoyed the best. Tim Curry made an awesome devil. Yep, I agree with your review.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jvince

Batman & Robin (1997)
dir. Joel Schumacher

The Good: Ummm... It's (so bad, it's) funny?

The Bad: It's so bad, it's funny. Completely embarrassing turns from its all-star cast, especially Thurman and Schwarzenegger. Those awfully puntastic one-liners. Garbage script. May cause severe damage to brain cells. Oh yeah, and bat-nipples.

The Bottom Line: If there's anything redeeming about this monstrous failure, it's that this is one of the best bad movies ever made. Not once has it failed to make me laugh. Four stars for being spectacularly shitty.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Thanks for the correction, I wasn't too sure so I took a stab in the dark really.

Although it's not good when the lasting effect struggles to even get the amendment right.

Dont blame that on the movie, blame it on the viewer.

In the film,

[Show spoiler]they use prototype stealth helicopters, and one of them malfunctions on the way to the climatic raid leading to a rather loud crash just on the wall of the "fortress" where Bin Laden is hiding in, none of the passengers are injured (although one hangs out off the doors to the chopper as it comes down). They also have to blow it up to ensure the enemy can't use it to create their own versions, meer seconds before the LV team fly off nearly without them.

Why is that a problem? Thats what really happened, including torching the gazillion dollar helicopter that they left behind.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Would you say it's the best movie Samburg has ever starred in?

I haven't seen any of his other starring roles besides Hot Rod, which was much funnier but also very stupid. Hot Rod is essential viewing to understand his humor though (together with his digital shorts of course). For example, in Celeste and Jesse Forever, there is a scene where Samburg's character was talking to somebody on the phone next to Celeste, and I was cracking up during the entire phone call because I knew where the joke was heading and his emotionless "whatever" face was perfect for it. I don't think many would have found those kind of moments as funny if they don't sync well with his type of humor.

Originally Posted by jvince

Batman & Robin (1997)
dir. Joel Schumacher

[Show spoiler][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]The Good: Ummm... It's (so bad, it's) funny?

The Bad: It's so bad, it's funny. Completely embarrassing turns from its all-star cast, especially Thurman and Schwarzenegger. Those awfully puntastic one-liners. Garbage script. May cause severe damage to brain cells. Oh yeah, and bat-nipples.

The Bottom Line: If there's anything redeeming about this monstrous failure, it's that this is one of the best bad movies ever made.

Four stars for being spectacularly shitty.

I love this quote.

Do you enjoy revisiting this or was it your first viewing?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Funny, I don't think I ever gave the fluttering papers much thought. I think I always assumed it was the ship's air conditioning or something making them move.

Then why hadnt they moved previously?

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Then why hadnt they moved previously?

The AC kicked in JUST as the camera panned over it. That's how precise they timed the shot.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

The AC kicked in JUST as the camera panned over it. That's how precise they timed the shot.

Impressive. Very! Scott's a genius.

[Evra]

Flight (2012)

Flight is the first live-action film directed by Robert Zemeckis since 2000’s Cast Away and Denzel Washington’s first noteworthy role since 2007’s American Gangster. For both director and actor, it has been a while since they have dwelled into serious drama. In the twelve years preceding Flight, Zemeckis has constantly tried to push and promote the use of performance capture through his three films The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007) and A Christmas Carol (2009). All three films seemed to be great technical exercises and provided respectable box-office returns but when you see a director capable of directing films such as Forrest Gump, Contact and Cast Away, it seems like a great shame that such a director would allow himself to be pigeonholed and directing animated films. The same can be said for Denzel Washington. When an actor is capable of delivering stand-out performances in films such Malcolm X and Training Day, it feels like a waste seeing him venture into easy roles such as those in The Taking of Pelham 123, The Book of Eli, Unstoppable and Safe House that an actor of his calibre could sleep-act through. Thus, needless to say, I was a little excited when it was announced that Zemeckis would be returning to live-action directing and Washington returning to drama with 2012’s Flight.

Full review: http://watchordontwatch.blogspot.com/

[dag]

Originally Posted by Foggy

In the film,

[Show spoiler]they use prototype stealth helicopters, and one of them malfunctions on the way to the climatic raid leading to a rather loud crash just on the wall of the "fortress" where Bin Laden is hiding in, none of the passengers are injured (although one hangs out off the doors to the chopper as it comes down). They also have to blow it up to ensure the enemy can't use it to create their own versions, meer seconds before the LV team fly off nearly without them.

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you may be dismissing here. The sequence actually is completely accurate.

[Show spoiler]The helicopter didn't malfunction; the compound's high solid walls prevented the chopper from maintaining lift, and as a result, could not sustain a hover position or any lift, and therefore crashed. (This had not been realised in the training missions before the actual raid. The training runs, which involved a full-scale mock-up of the compound, included chain link fences as the outer perimeter, which permitted a hovering helicopter to maintain lift.) One of the men (the author of No Easy Day) did nearly fall out as the chopper spun in the seconds before crashing. At the end of the mission, the crew did indeed blow up the helicopter, in an effort to prevent its technology from being used by a foreign government.