The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Baseballking888

Skyfall: Awesome flick. The plot is so intricately carved, and the characters so dynamic, that's it's a fitting entry in the Bond series and feels like a conclusion entry at that. The acting is wonderful, with the standout being Javier Bardem, but I loved Judi Dench and Daniel Craig. It was a nice surprise to see both Ralph Fiennes and Naomi Harris in this movie. Bardem made for a very interesting and freakish villain, and the deepness of the story, the way it affects the main characters, is excellent. The ending is phenomenal; some of the best stuff in a Bond movie ever.

[Show spoiler]M's death

in particular is very touching, but the entire sequence on the moor just gives me chills, especially with the beautiful imagery of the burning house whose light illuminates the whole dark moor. One of my favorite films of 2012. A

Next time use a spoiler tag. And please fix your post.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I joined the Disney Blu-ray Movie Club tonight. 4 of the 7 I ordered were Studio Ghibli movies, and I've never seen any of their movies before.

Castle in the Sky
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
The Secret World of Arrietty
Whisper of the Heart

I was going to get Ponyo as well, but I decided to hold off on that until I sign up again with them and do another order.

I have seen the bolded ones and they were very enjoyable. Especially Arrietty.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

They are all great. DJs order is a good way to go. Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle are out on May 21 too.

Finally one of my top 3 Miyazaki's on blu. Although I'm still waiting for 1 and 2.

1. Princess Mononoke
2. Spirited Away
3. Howl's Moving Castle

[SquidPuppet]

Silver Linings Playbook.

Terrific film. I loved everything about it.

It is a sad, frustrating, pessimistic, romantic, happy, hopeful, funny and dysfuntional Gumbo of a movie. Interesting story. Quirky but deep characters. Some twists and turns along the way, and an ending that worked for me.

Everybody was great in their role. The music was cool and the cinematography and editing were well done for this type of flick.

4.5/5

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Silver Linings Playbook.

Terrific film. I loved everything about it.

It is a sad, frustrating, pessimistic, romantic, happy, hopeful, funny and dysfuntional Gumbo of a movie. Interesting story. Quirky but deep characters. Some twists and turns along the way, and an ending that worked for me.

Everybody was great in their role. The music was cool and the cinematography and editing were well done for this type of flick.

4.5/5

I agree with you, I don't understand the backlash it has received towards it's Oscar nominations.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I agree with you, I don't understand the backlash it has received towards it's Oscar nominations.

What backlash, from where, and whom?

[Steve46]

Ghibli wallpaper that I made a few weeks back:

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Ghibli wallpaper that I made a few weeks back:

Good work boss. I used to make mosaics like this when I was younger, but it was way more random and messy.

EDIT:
Turns out I still have them. Didn't make a Ghibli-themed mosaic, but I did do a major anime-themed one as I explored all these different films and shows.

[Show spoiler]

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Ghibli wallpaper that I made a few weeks back:

Pretty cool.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

What backlash, from where, and whom?

Quite a bit from the critics circle really, I've just come across one or two really angry responses to the film, and then when the nominations came out I heard a few more saying it doesn't deserve the awards.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Good work boss. I used to make mosaics like this when I was younger, but it was way more random and messy.

EDIT:
Turns out I still have them. Didn't make a Ghibli-themed mosaic, but I did do a major anime-themed one as I explored all these different films and shows.

[Show spoiler]

Impressive stuff

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Quite a bit from the critics circle really, I've just come across one or two really angry responses to the film, and then when the nominations came out I heard a few more saying it doesn't deserve the awards.

Thats kind of surprising, when looking at it's RT score. Seems like it was liked overall.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Thats kind of surprising, when looking at it's RT score. Seems like it was liked overall.

It seriously gets better the second time you see it. Its a flawed movie, but endearing in its own way.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I have seen the bolded ones and they were very enjoyable. Especially Arrietty.

Get to 'em!

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Silver Linings Playbook.

Terrific film. I loved everything about it.

It is a sad, frustrating, pessimistic, romantic, happy, hopeful, funny and dysfuntional Gumbo of a movie. Interesting story. Quirky but deep characters. Some twists and turns along the way, and an ending that worked for me.

Everybody was great in their role. The music was cool and the cinematography and editing were well done for this type of flick.

4.5/5

Dysfunctional is right.

I thought it was a technically solid film and moving too. Its only kink is it's fairly predictable,

[Show spoiler]particularly how it was painfully obvious that she wrote the letter herself (not sure if that was intentional).

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Ghibli wallpaper that I made a few weeks back:

Love it! Great choice of iconic images too.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Good work boss. I used to make mosaics like this when I was younger, but it was way more random and messy.

EDIT:
Turns out I still have them. Didn't make a Ghibli-themed mosaic, but I did do a major anime-themed one as I explored all these different films and shows.

[Show spoiler]

I Spy some Kon and Oshii in there.

[KingRad]

Casablanca - 5/5

Classic.

[Lepidopterous]

Insidious

Solid horror film. I especially loved the wonderfully cheesy Suspiria vibe throughout the film. It kind of made me want to watch that one again. It has serious issues with characters and storytelling, but kudos for crafting so much horror around a PG-13 rating. And the jump scares didn't feel cheap because the violins are on blast the entire time. Insidious is nothing groundbreaking, but it's an inspired effort reflected by its quality and style. And good replay value to boot.

3.5/5

[jvince]

The Tell Tale Heart (1953) - YouTube

The Tell-Tale Heart (1953)
dir. Ted Parmelee

The Good: Exceptional, surreal animation. Excellent narration by James Mason. Eerie music and sound effects.

The Bad: Nothing major.

The Bottom Line: Stylish, atmospheric, and creepy, The Tell-Tale Heart is a great adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's famous short story.

[Steve46]

Argo (2012)
Drama, History, Thriller, 120 minutes
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Ben Affleck, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston and Alan Arkin

With one day remaining before the Oscars, Argo looks set to claim the award for Best Picture. The only reason there is any doubt is Ben Affleck's omission in the Best Director category.

Is the acclaim deserved?

Well, it's certainly a good film. The subject matter and the ultimate resolution will please many viewers. The acting is hard to fault at any point. But despite all those good qualities, Argo leaves me feeling a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it's because my expectations were so high?

The film focuses on the struggle to free six American citizens from Iran, after the US embassy had been stormed in 1979. The six were given refuge inside the Canadian embassy, at great risk to all involved. That's the basis for an engaging story. The reason it falls a bit flat is due to the opening half. We see the hostages escape, but they are not a major part of the story. We are shown a few scenes where one hostage might console another, but there's not enough depth to see them as individuals. We want them to be rescued, because it is the right thing to do, but they could be six random people we happened to pass in a supermarket.

Argo is more about the process involved in mounting a rescue attempt than about the hostages themselves, and that process is fascinating. CIA agent, Tony Mendez (Affleck), comes up with the idea of entering Iran posing as filmmakers scouting for a location. His preparation is thorough, and involves creating storyboards, hiring director Lester Siegel (Arkin), and John Chambers (Goodman), who was to be responsible for makeup. The two set up a fake studio and actually go through the motions of filming scenes.

I felt like I was back in 1979 due to the clothing, hairstyles, and generally muted color palette. But, unlike a movie such as Apollo 13 (where the outcome was also known), I was not gripped by the events on the screen for the duration of the film. I appreciate the effort, but I was only truly riveted during the second part of the story and the actual escape attempt itself. There is no need to reveal any more details, because it's better to see events unfold for yourself, even if you know the eventual outcome.

I'm probably making Argo sound like a disappointing failure, and that's not the case at all. I just don't think it is the best film of 2012. It would probably creep into my Top 10, and I'm glad I own it, but I was not fully invested in the plight of the hostages until they were shown trying to escape. It's an important film in terms of subject matter, and I do appreciate the efforts made to free the six American citizens, but I won't be trying to persuade my friends that Argo is an unmissable thriller.

Overall score 4/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Get to 'em!

Not yet man....waiting for Blu-rays.

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Dysfunctional is right.

I thought it was a technically solid film and moving too. Its only kink is it's fairly predictable,

[Show spoiler]particularly how it was painfully obvious that she wrote the letter herself (not sure if that was intentional).

What????????? I did not pick up on that. And, thinking about it now, why would she? The letter seemed to offer Pat a

[Show spoiler]little hope

. Why would Tifanny do that, since she truly wanted

[Show spoiler]to be with Pat? Just to keep him dancing? Eh......

The ending was

[Show spoiler]pretty predictable though, when Pat told his wife "Seeya" and confessed his love for Tifanny. But thats OK with me. I like mushy happy endings.