The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jvince]

The Heart of the World (2000)
dir. Guy Maddin

The Good: Great job replicating the look of silent films. Excellent choice of background music.

The Bad: Pretentious. Overstylized. ADD. Inauthentic as a whole.

The Bottom Line: The Artist pulls off the whole silent film homage way better than this.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Bonus Keaton: Sherlock Jr. 1924

Sherlock Jr 1924 Buster Keaton - YouTube

One of my all-time favorites. You guys should definitely watch this if you haven't yet. It's only a few minutes.

I haven't seen Neighbours yet. I'll check that one out soon.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Started watching my next greatest blind-buy: Love Exposure

Given the sheer epicness of this film, I can't watch it all in one sitting (even though I probably could, since the film doesn't seem to drag much). I'll have to finish it tomorrow. First impressions:

• This is so messed-up.
• This is so not messed-up.
• This is funny.
• This is sad.
• This could have been an anime film, or a manga.
• This could have been a kung-fu movie.
• This could have been a high-school comedy.
• This is another great reason why 2008 is my favorite year in films thus far.

Finally! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

I watched it one sitting. I planned to do what you did, but I got sucked in. Can't believe 4 hours flew by just like that. I think that's one of the things that makes it great. It never drags because it's episodic (kinda like watching a marathon of a TV series), and it dabbles in every genre known to man, yet it does all of them right.

I think the second half is not as great as the first half, and I wasn't much of a fan of the final act as well as the ending right after I saw it, but I've come to appreciate it as time passed.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Started watching my next greatest blind-buy: Love Exposure

Given the sheer epicness of this film, I can't watch it all in one sitting (even though I probably could, since the film doesn't seem to drag much). I'll have to finish it tomorrow. First impressions:

• This is so messed-up.
• This is so not messed-up.
• This is funny.
• This is sad.
• This could have been an anime film, or a manga.
• This could have been a kung-fu movie.
• This could have been a high-school comedy.
• This is another great reason why 2008 is my favorite year in films thus far.

I'm totally gonna add this to my next importcds haul.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I feel that way about the following year. To me, 2009 stands out above any others over the past decade. I thought it was a ridiculously good year. After posting my Top 20 of 2012 for this site's poll, I started comparing to my lists from other years.

Here's my top 20 of 2009:

[Show spoiler]1. A Serious Man
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Thirst
4. A Prophet
5. 500 Days of Summer
6. The Road
7. Mr. Nobody
8. Up
9. Star Trek
10. Mother
11. The Hurt Locker
12. The White Ribbon
13. Coraline
14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
15. Watchmen
16. Drag Me to Hell
17. District 9
18. Broken Embraces
19. The Lovely Bones
20. Last Train Home

Such a great list of films that it's hard to believe it's all from the same year. The list is so solid that movies like Moon and Mary and Max couldn't even make the top 20. Here are some honorable mentions:

[Show spoiler]Moon
Brothers
Black Dynamite
Secret of Kells
Secret in Their Eyes
Up in the Air
Mary and Max
The Hangover
Zombieland
Avatar
Summer Wars
Mother and Child
Fish Tank
Triangle
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
The Messenger
Julie & Julia
Nine
State of Play
The House of the Devil
Away We Go
Everybody's Fine (a personal fave)

I really liked all of these films. For me, no other recent year even holds a candle to 2009, except maybe 2011. I guess my 2009 was your 2008...

Right on. 2009 did have some decent films; I'll probably always love it for giving us District 9, Star Trek, Watchmen, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and various other films.

2008 might have resonated with me the most, because it was a significant year in my life. It was the time when I last moved, out of my parents' home and out of a part-time position and into full-time work in my own place. I also attained my first PS3 in that time, and started collecting Blu-Rays. Everything felt pretty fresh and new back then.

Film-wise, 2008 blew me away with...

[Show spoiler]

1. The Dark Knight (currently my 4th favorite film)
2. Wanted (it met my expectations perfectly, and I still think it rocks)
3. Red Cliff (could it be the most epic movie ever?!)
4. Love Exposure (yeah, from what I've seen, I think it should rank this high )
5. Hunger (some darn beautiful scenery, some darn brutal scenes)
6. Iron Man
7. Ip Man
8. Gran Torino (Clint is the man)
9. Waltz With Bashir (very interesting stuff)
10. Der Untergang (Downfall, darn good war movie)
11. Chocolate (probably the last best martial arts movie I've seen, especially from Thailand)
12. Wall-E (still my favorite Pixar movie)
13. The Incredible Hulk
14. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
15. Tokyo! (some interesting stories there)
16. Mesrine (most epic gangsta movie eva! )
17. Quantum of Solace (Bond always rocks)
18. Let the Right One In
19. Taken (probably the coolest action movie I've seen in a while)
20. Kung Fu Panda
21. Indy IV (if for no other reason than it's been a loooonnnggg time waiting...)
22. Rambo (soooo much blood! )
23. The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
24. Death Race (guilty pleasure #10)
25. Ponyo (probably the cutest movie I've seen)
26. Painted Skin (saw it not too long ago, found it charming)
27. Tropic Thunder (it made me laugh)
28. Narnia: Prince Caspian (liked it better than the first film)
29. The Happening
30. Machine Girl (another great Japanese oddity in my collection of oddities )
31. Tokyo Gore Police (still the bloodiest movie I've ever seen)
32. Martyrs
33. Eden Lake
34. Doomsday (guilty pleasure #11, as I recall)
35. Zombie Strippers!!!
36. Best of all...BIRDEMIC!!!!!

Altogether, I've counted over 100 films in my collection from '08, and I still keep finding great ones from that year that I simply had never seen before.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jvince

Finally! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

I watched it one sitting. I planned to do what you did, but I got sucked in. Can't believe 4 hours flew by just like that. I think that's one of the things that makes it great. It never drags because it's episodic (kinda like watching a marathon of a TV series), and it dabbles in every genre known to man, yet it does all of them right.

I think the second half is not as great as the first half, and I wasn't much of a fan of the final act as well as the ending right after I saw it, but I've come to appreciate it as time passed.

I definitely agree about the pacing: it feels a lot like a marathon of anime episodes to me. I don't think I ever felt any drag.

Can't wait to see how it all turns out in the end...

[surfdude12]

Best year in the last decade?

I'd have to go with 2006:

1. The Lives of Others
2. The Fountain
3. Pan's Labrynth
4. Babel
5. The Fall
6. Tell No One

All in my top 100 of alll time

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Here's my top 20 of 2009:

No love for Triangle or Fish Tank? Aha, I see you have them outside the top 20!! They were my two 2009 fav's. I remember you didn't like the

[Show spoiler]sister leaving her younger sister

at the end of Fish Tank, so I can see that, but bro, I thought you would have loved Triangle!!!! Its totally cerebral and a mind-bender, right up your alley!! ROFL, I'm just teasing

1. A Serious Man - didn't work for me - I thought some of the jokes were over the line, but my Jewish friend said they weren't so what do I know
2. Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino is hit or miss with me, and this just didn't hit. I appreciate what he tries to do and he's very original but each scene seemed like a compartmentalized attempt to shock the audience with gore. I couldn't see the big picture
3. Thirst didn't see it recommend?
4. A Prophet didn't see it recommend?
5. 500 Days of Summer good stuff! loved the "reality/expectations" split screen!
6. The Road loved it
7. Mr. Nobody didn't see it recommend?
8. Up great, loved it.
9. Star Trek didn't see it
10. Mother didn't see it
11. The Hurt Locker liked it until Squid bullied me into agreeing with him that the bomb dude would NEVER get away with the stuff he did, in real life
12. The White Ribbon didn't see it
13. Coraline YES YES YES!!!! MY #3 OF 2009 BEHIND TRIANGLE AND FISH TANK
14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Yes! Loved it! 5/5!
15. Watchmen Dude, I did not like this , which is cool . Did you read the comic? I heard that helped provide context.
16. Drag Me to Hell didn't see it
17. District 9 Good film, but didn't move me off the couch
18. Broken Embraces didn't see it
19. The Lovely Bones didn't see it
20. Last Train Home didn't see it [/SPOILER]

see bold above

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Right on. 2009 did have some decent films; I'll probably always love it for giving us District 9, Star Trek, Watchmen, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and various other films.

2008 might have resonated with me the most, because it was a significant year in my life. It was the time when I last moved, out of my parents' home and out of a part-time position and into full-time work in my own place. I also attained my first PS3 in that time, and started collecting Blu-Rays. Everything felt pretty fresh and new back then.

Film-wise, 2008 blew me away with...

[Show spoiler]

1. The Dark Knight (currently my 4th favorite film)
2. Wanted (it met my expectations perfectly, and I still think it rocks)
3. Red Cliff (could it be the most epic movie ever?!)
4. Love Exposure (yeah, from what I've seen, I think it should rank this high )
5. Hunger (some darn beautiful scenery, some darn brutal scenes)
6. Iron Man
7. Ip Man
8. Gran Torino (Clint is the man)
9. Waltz With Bashir (very interesting stuff)
10. Der Untergang (Downfall, darn good war movie)
11. Chocolate (probably the last best martial arts movie I've seen, especially from Thailand)
12. Wall-E (still my favorite Pixar movie)
13. The Incredible Hulk
14. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
15. Tokyo! (some interesting stories there)
16. Mesrine (most epic gangsta movie eva! )
17. Quantum of Solace (Bond always rocks)
18. Let the Right One In
19. Taken (probably the coolest action movie I've seen in a while)
20. Kung Fu Panda
21. Indy IV (if for no other reason than it's been a loooonnnggg time waiting...)
22. Rambo (soooo much blood! )
23. The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
24. Death Race (guilty pleasure #10)
25. Ponyo (probably the cutest movie I've seen)
26. Painted Skin (saw it not too long ago, found it charming)
27. Tropic Thunder (it made me laugh)
28. Narnia: Prince Caspian (liked it better than the first film)
29. The Happening
30. Machine Girl (another great Japanese oddity in my collection of oddities )
31. Tokyo Gore Police (still the bloodiest movie I've ever seen)
32. Martyrs
33. Eden Lake
34. Doomsday (guilty pleasure #11, as I recall)
35. Zombie Strippers!!!
36. Best of all...BIRDEMIC!!!!!

Altogether, I've counted over 100 films in my collection from '08, and I still keep finding great ones from that year that I simply had never seen before.

Haha cool list. And that definitely makes a big difference that the year itself was important to you.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Best year in the last decade?

I'd have to go with 2006:

1. The Lives of Others
2. The Fountain
3. Pan's Labrynth
4. Babel
5. The Fall
6. Tell No One

All in my top 100 of alll time

Completely agree. This is the same reason I mentioned 2011 in my last post--not a butt-load of great movies like 2009, but a very dense-feeling Top 10. Both years have an unnatural amount of 5/5's and most of those year's top 10's all feel like "#1" movies.

2006:

[Show spoiler]1. The Fountain - 5/5
2. Babel - 5/5
3. Pan's Labyrinth - 5/5
4. Paprika - 5/5
5. Blood Diamond - 5/5
6. Mission: Impossible III - 5/5
7. Children of Men - 5/5
8. The Prestige - 4.5/5
9. The Fall - 4.5/5
10. Lucky Number Slevin - 4.5/5
(Tell No One closely follows)

2011:

[Show spoiler]1. The Artist - 5/5
2. A Separation - 5/5
3. The Tree of Life - 5/5
4. Midnight in Paris - 5/5
5. Drive - 5/5
6. The Skin I Live In - 5/5
7. Shame - 5/5
8. Super 8 - 5/5
9. Source Code - 4.5/5
10. The Devil's Double - 4.5/5

Originally Posted by surfdude12

No love for Triangle or Fish Tank? Aha, I see you have them outside the top 20!! They were my two 2009 fav's. I remember you didn't like the

[Show spoiler]sister leaving her younger sister

at the end of Fish Tank, so I can see that, but bro, I thought you would have loved Triangle!!!! Its totally cerebral and a mind-bender, right up your alley!! ROFL, I'm just teasing

I finally stopped at 250 on my "Top" list when I realized it's not what makes the list, but what doesn't make the list that makes it good. So don't get me wrong I really like Fish Tank and Triangle... Fish Tank in particular grew on me--I've seen it three more times since my first viewing. It also helps that Fassbender is becoming one of my favorite actors, especially after Shame, Hunger, and A Dangerous Method (you're absolutely right though about how I feel about the ending). It's just that 2009 is the only year I've actually had to make a separate list for honorable mentions because those films are too good to disappear from reference.

Also, I really recommend A Prophet. It's a character study that grew on me significantly after the second viewing. Audiard's use of sparse but graphic violence is masterful.

[Lepidopterous]

^note: I only gave out 2 5/5's in 2010 (one of which--I Saw the Devil--is often considered a 2011 release) and 3 5/5's in 2012 (one of which--The Raid--is arguably a 2011 release).

[KingRad]

RocknRolla - 4/5

I believe this movie to be on par with Guy Ritchie's Snatch, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. The movie is filled with fun and quirky characters, a great cast, and a style that only Guy Ritchie can pull off in a crime film.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Best year in the last decade?

I'd have to go with 2006:

1. The Lives of Others
2. The Fountain
3. Pan's Labrynth
4. Babel
5. The Fall
6. Tell No One

All in my top 100 of alll time

7. The Fall
8. Children of Men
9. Casino Royale
10. The Departed
11. The Descent

[Romulus]

2006, 2008, and 2010 were my favorite years. I thought 2009 was incredibly weak overall. But man... 2006 was near perfection in my opinion.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

7. The Fall
8. Children of Men
9. Casino Royale
10. The Departed
11. The Descent

Surf already listed The Fall

[Show spoiler]

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Surf already listed The Fall

[Show spoiler]

that's not what I'm upset about him overlooking. It was this:

11. The Hurt Locker liked it until Squid bullied me into agreeing with him that the bomb dude would NEVER get away with the stuff he did, in real life

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I feel that way about the following year. To me, 2009 stands out above any others over the past decade. I thought it was a ridiculously good year. After posting my Top 20 of 2012 for this site's poll, I started comparing to my lists from other years.

Here's my top 20 of 2009:

[Show spoiler]1. A Serious Man
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Thirst
4. A Prophet
5. 500 Days of Summer
6. The Road
7. Mr. Nobody
8. Up
9. Star Trek
10. Mother
11. The Hurt Locker
12. The White Ribbon
13. Coraline
14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
15. Watchmen
16. Drag Me to Hell
17. District 9
18. Broken Embraces
19. The Lovely Bones
20. Last Train Home

Such a great list of films that it's hard to believe it's all from the same year. The list is so solid that movies like Moon and Mary and Max couldn't even make the top 20. Here are some honorable mentions:

[Show spoiler]Moon
Brothers
Black Dynamite
Secret of Kells
Secret in Their Eyes
Up in the Air
Mary and Max
The Hangover
Zombieland
Avatar
Summer Wars
Mother and Child
Fish Tank
Triangle
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
The Messenger
Julie & Julia
Nine
State of Play
The House of the Devil
Away We Go
Everybody's Fine (a personal fave)

I really liked all of these films. For me, no other recent year even holds a candle to 2009, except maybe 2011. I guess my 2009 was your 2008...

No Bronson, or have you not seen it?

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Foggy

No Bronson, or have you not seen it?

Never seen it...

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Never seen it...

Its worth seeing, especially for the unmasked Tom Hardy performance. I certainly think Refn's Drive is better, but it's a pretty brutal funshow nonetheless.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

that's not what I'm upset about him overlooking. It was this:

Hi Surf. I didnt overlook it. I just didn't think I should add any smartass comment, you know, since thats not my style.

Perhaps if you reflect on my stance regarding The Hurtlocker's shortcomings, you'll come to your senses regarding Shane Walsh's inability to seriously contemplate anything other than his penis.

[Show spoiler]

[Al_The_Strange]

Forget realism and Oscar glory, The Hurt Locker was great.

Anyway, impressions from the second half of Love Exposure:

• Saw it coming.
• There's enough perversity and relationship complications to put all of Neon Genesis Evangelion to shame.
• It's everything A Serbian Film tried to do, but failed miserably under its own heavy-handedness and perversity.
• Koike is crazy.
• Regarding the very ending
  [Show spoiler]I'm so happy they got together in the end. Awwwwwwww...

Above all, I had a notion once to write a fictional story about fanatical religious cults, so I did a little bit of research on the topic. It's pretty messed-up stuff, but I never did make anything out of it. Love Exposure tackles the concepts and themes quite admirably, so it will likely become a primary source of inspiration for me.


Will review soon...

[legendarymatt92]

For the list of the best movies of 2009, I feel that it's my duty to add these gems because they've been overlooked:

- Up in the Air

- The Fantastic Mr. Fox

- Moon

- Zombieland (although I'm not sure it tops anyone's list)

- A Single Man (worth seeing for Colin Firth's performance alone)