The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SilentDawn]

My ramblings on Pet Sematary

[bluearth]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Before doing these reviews I try to avoid looking at the IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes score, but I made the mistake of taking a peak after watching the film but before typing this review.

You have got to be kidding me.

Where do I start? Maybe the extremely long and tedious middle act? The predictable twist that I guessed almost an hour before it happened? Or the wobbly balance that stumbles about in jolts between a romantic comedy to serious drama? And then the bad science in this, which didnt even try.

That middle act...it was excruciating. And soooo long and repetitive. It basically destroyed any saving grace this film might have had. Seriously, people complain about a 5 minute fight in Man of Steel, but they can watch Jim Carrey trip out for 60 minutes straight and call it a masterpiece? Give me a break.

Buried beneath all the fat is a decent story about relationships, to not take them for granted and accept the imperfection of your partner, but again, its buried beneath so much lard in the middle act it makes you want to pull your hair out.

Its a silly movie with pacing, length, and tonal issues. Would have got a higher score if the middle act wasnt so completely unwatchable.

1/5

[Foggy]

Secret of film watching...you tend to like them when you at least attempt engage and read what they put on screen.

[Lepidopterous]

Werckmeister Harmonies

Here is meditative and thought-provoking cinema that arrests the soul. The film presents an atmosphere so authentic, it is as if we step into this Hungarian town to live and breathe the lives of its people. Béla Tarr has a profound respect for time, achieving seamless continuity through long shots of beauty, mystery, and purpose. We float alongside the main character, like a spirit over his shoulder. The score is sad, haunting, and memorable. Once the film ends, it feels as if a part of us dies with it, as we depart from its intimate and masterfully-constructed sense of reality.

5/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Battlespace

With a title like Battlespace, I expected...battles in space. And that's what we get for the first half-hour or so, and for some parts in the end. Yep, there's plenty of laser beams, spaceships, 'splosions, and fistfights all over the place.

And yet, this film still comes off as a bit dry. Part of it is the presentation: this is a rather weak film, and its weaknesses will more than likely distract you than entertain you. And in between the action, the film drags quite a bit.

What's really aggravating about this film, however, is the storytelling. It's an ambitious story that covers a couple of generations in a distant future where Earth blew up and advanced human beings fight evolved bio-mechanical-people of some kind. The film veers off in other interesting directions, involving addiction to virtual reality and time travel. There are neat and potentially smart ideas in there, but it's hard to really follow the flow of the story; it goes from space battles to being stuck on a desert planet to everything else, but the plot moves so jerkily that it's hard to really follow everything. The movie tries its best to craft endearing characters and a really high-brow story, but it stumbles along as it does so.

This film is made with rather pedestrian photography and editing. It looks like the filmmakers went around to random places, filmed what they could, and covered up everything else with special effects. Actors try their best and they have their moments, but they aren't huge standouts either, and the writing could be better. This production uses some awful-looking sets, props, and costumes. Some special effects are okay, others suck really bad. Didn't care for the music score either.

This film has its moments, but sci-fi fans can do better.

2/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Marginal | Film: Very Poor)

Recommendation: I recommend the Watchowskis write a better script and JJ Abrams directs a better movie out of this. Then it might be awesome. As it is though...nah.

[Spirit Zero]

Walking with Dinosaurs (2013)

The BBC hit Hollywood as they upgrade their popular 1999 miniseries to the silver screen. The original British series was a simple educational natural history documentary but it was all done with flashy CGI and animatronic puppets. Although the actual idea of a series all about dinosaurs wasn't completely original it was simply all about the movie style visuals which made it a hit. The concept includes quite a few series following on with the 'Walking with...' title.

I guess this brings us to the fundamental problem with this film, the decision to be sell outs and wh*re the idea out Hollywood style. There is nothing wrong with an educational film of course, but this isn't it. The whole idea was to be a slick documentary with insightful narration...usually based around a few dinosaurs and a section of their lives. This film takes that idea but ruins it with God awful stereotypical Hollywood blockbuster garbage of the hammiest order. You have a spectacular looking Cretaceous period complete with stunning live action locations and pixel perfect dinosaurs, but its all virtually destroyed by giving the dinosaurs inept conventional teenybopper type voices and adding horrible songs along the way.

I can't stress enough how good this film looks, it is truly beautiful and showcases our home planet in all its glory from dawn to dusk. The dinosaurs are all fantastically rendered in every frame and look...perfect!. Every scale, every feather, skin pigmentation, tooth, eye, posture, walk, stance, growl, roar, squeak, swoop etc...its all created with awesome detail. So much so its hard to think it could be wrong in any way but I'm sure in years to come new discoveries will arise.

Its just such a monumental shame they crowbarred in these stupid cheesy voices to obviously appeal to the kids. I say crowbarred because it feels like it was an after thought, the dino's mouths/lips don't move with the voice work (a proper realistic approach) so it looks like they are thinking everything. Plus they all seem to roar/squawk/growl/whine in real time over the voice work which is odd. A dino will say something like 'hello' but you'll still hear the realistic dinosaur growl too, its like the powers that be couldn't decide what to do. Wouldn't be too bad if the voices were any good but they're so dumb and cliched, you know how this goes. Also they use in-jokes about the future, the past and different periods, plus words like 'ninja'. Yeah I know I'm being really picky but it just feels ridiculous and totally pulls you out of the film or the moment.

The story is of course the age old tale about the life of a young dino who falls in love with another girl dino, their herd migrates across the land, they encounter danger from predators, get separated, must fight to survive and eventually find the herd again whilst fending off more nasty predators that should be Tyrannosaurus-Rex's but aren't. Its the usual coming of age story for a dinosaur which felt really really STALE, surely they could of come up with something else!. On top of that the main dino's have a sidekick along for the trip as you'd expect and all the usual kind of mishaps these types of films usually throw at you, I really shouldn't need to tell you more.

The other thing that kinda bewilders me is why do this, its been done in the TV series and they've covered quite a few periods, so why make a movie of the same thing?. There is no real new ground here, not much educational stuff for kids and of course the plot is dreadful so its a complete waste of time. I'm sure dinosaur obsessed kids will enjoy it for the spectacle but surely watching the TV show would be far more beneficial.

I really hate to be negative about this film as it has good intentions and has been created with a lot of love care and a tremendous eye for details. Personally I think the film would have worked a lot better just keeping Leguizamo narrating the story as the bird and cutting out all the other voices. Then you would have something much closer to the original source and it wouldn't come across as so infantile and corny.

The film is instantly obsolete because of the far superior TV series (despite its age) which offers more in depth information and a multitude of dinosaurs/mammals from all periods. This film gets plus points for visuals alone but overall it feels like a vacuous emotionless waste of everybody's time. Did they really make this just to show off their CGI dinosaurs? seems like it.

5/10

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

3:

[Show spoiler]Blade Runner

"'More human than human' is our motto."

What If: Bounties are dished out for androids.

The Film: A very liberal adaptation of Philip K Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which still stands as my top favorite book. Even the title begs the important question concerning artificial life. Do they dream? Do they feel? Do they fear death?

"That was my profession. Ex-cop. Ex-blade runner. Ex-killer."

Blade Runner strips away a lot of things from the book (no mention is made of the extinction of animals, Deckard never invests in a robot sheep, he doesn't have a wife, and the weird stuff about Mercer is nowhere to be seen). Regardless, the film still delivers a fantastic vision of the future. From the opening shots onward, it is a dark, bleak future, with massive monolithic buildings, and crowded seedy streets. There are a ton of weird details to behold, as Deckard traverses above and below the dystopian sprawl. The really scary thing is, the future could really look like this; there are supposedly places in Asia that look just like this film.

"All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

This is a pretty slow film, and the plot never really takes precedence, but there is still enough to deduce some deeper feelings and thoughts regarding the film's world and the notion of androids running amok. It may even go so far as digging deep into the human soul and questioning what makes us human, and what defines our reality. Blade Runner is a stylish and somber film-noir hybrid that evokes intriguing questions and deep empathy.

My score: 4.5/5

--------------------
2:

[Show spoiler]A Clockwork Orange

"It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem
really real when you viddy them on the screen."

What If: A violent hoodlum is subjected to an experimental procedure that brainwashes him and makes it so that he can never be violent.

The Film: Based pretty closely on Anthony Burgess' novel, Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is one messed-up experience. As a film, it's extremely bold in its compositions, its extreme acting, and its visual extravagance. It's the story that's compelling though; the film has a pretty interesting and scary premise, and it illustrates the potential implications of brainwashing. In the end, you can't bottle up human impulses; the whole point of the story, and the meaning of the title, is that you can't go against one's own nature. The book goes on to explain that God reaps the juices from all of us, the oranges, but then what happens when He comes across an artificial orange? That is what Alex becomes: a person unable to function or defend himself in society, because he is nothing but a clockwork orange.

"It'll be your own torture. I hope to God it'll torture you to madness."

The film is pretty ugly with its violence and rape scenes (sadly, it's still not the worst I've ever seen). It is necessary to underscore the violence of young men, if not all human beings in general, before subjecting the character to the Ludovico procedure. Even though Alex is a scumbag throughout the picture, I couldn't help but to pity him as he's relentlessly brutalized and rendered unable to fight back; he got what was coming to him, and then some. But what really makes this whole situation messed up is that nothing really worked. The Ludovico procedure is reversed by the film's end, and Alex simply goes back to his old ways, gleefully and mockingly crying "I was cured alright!" The book, with its final chapter reinstated, takes it a step further by having Alex mature naturally on his own. The film, which omits that part, still asserts that natural growth is ideal, because no amount of artificial conditioning can really change a person on the inside.

"A man who cannot chose ceases to be a man."

The really sad thing about this is that Alex's problems could have been prevented through better parenting, but his parents are shown to be daft pushovers. Instead, Alex became a problem of society, and society took care of him in the most inhumane way possible. If values and discipline plummet even more than they already have, it wouldn't surprise me if things get this bad in the future.

My score: 5/5

--------------------
1:

[Show spoiler]The Matrix

"Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real?
What if you were unable to wake from that dream?
How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"

What If: The world as you know it is a lie. What if we're all really living in a virtual reality being pumped directly into our brains, while a race of sentient machines feed off of our natural bodily energies? What's to stop us from bending, or breaking, the natural rules of physics? How would we know what's real and what isn't? Is this air we're breathing? Whoa.

The Film: It took a few viewings, but I learned to appreciate the finer nuances of The Matrix, and it has since found its place as my third-favorite franchise, and my top pick for favorite sci-fi film. If for no other reason than every viewing seems to dig up something fresh and new to observe and contemplate. Naturally, it will always be the action that'll draw me in; the special effects were really ground-breaking and inspiring at the time, the gunfights are explosive and incredible, and the kung-fu fighting is extremely well-choreographed.

"Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you
cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind."

Beneath the surface level, however, The Matrix layers on numerous mysteries, some of which are solved, and others are purposefully left open. The big reveal half-way through the picture explains a lot of the crazy events that occur beforehand, and sets up the crazy action afterward, but the implications are pretty deep. Surely, if we are plugged into a virtual reality, with electric signals constantly streaming to our nervous systems, then how can we know we aren't living in a simulated world as we speak? Surely, this could account for all the weird mysteries of life (The Matrix Reloaded did explain that rogue programs account for such supernatural phenomenon as ghosts, aliens, werewolves, vampires, and other strange creatures). Above all, the film asserts that the mind transcends the body; only in believing in oneself and rejecting the constraints of the matrix did Neo learn to do the impossible over and over again.

"The body cannot live without the mind."

With this clever concept, the Watchowskis developed a fresh, original, and really cool universe full of hovercrafts, squid-like robots, and they put a menacing spin on the Men in Black mythos. They also inputted some clever rules and dynamics that not only made for an impressive spectacle, but helped make the concept creditable in the context of computer programming. Yes, if everything is a computer program, surely you can fly. Surely, you can hack into the world and summon weapons and objects at a whim. Or even, the machine could hack into you. The sequels would go on to have actual "back doors" and viruses in the matrix.

On top of all that, the film poses some staggering philosophical implications. Drawing from multiple disciplines, the film challenges the perception of reality (remember the line, "It is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself"). It even draws a certain theological parallels, with its strong themes of death and rebirth, which morphs the main character from an average automaton office worker into "The One," a savoir to humanity. This prophecy comes full circle by the series' third film, in a rather unexpected fashion.

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is.
You have to see it for yourself."

At the time of its release, I remember everybody was blown away by the notions of The Matrix, for they were all pondering as to whether it is creditable that we could all be living in a virtual simulation. Scientists have actually given the theory credence. The film does a first-rate job of stimulating the senses with its epic action scenes and quality visuals, but it also stimulates the mind with its deep ideas and themes.

Watch the films. Question everything.

Free your mind...

Matrix Score: 5/5
Matrix Reloaded Score: 4.5/5
Matrix Revolutions Score: 4.5/5
Animatrix Score: 5/5

I read through all your entries. Epic list

I'm surprised Evangelion didn't make the cut, but nice to see GITS and others so high up (I love that Minority Report made your top 10). Saw quite a few titles I need to see or revisit, including Primer. Films like that and Upstream Color really benefit from repeat viewings.

[RAPTURExREDS]

Boogie Nights
The film is absolutely incredible if you can get past the subject matter (which is pornography for those who don't know). Beautifully shot, acted, scored, edited, and directed. It is a masterpiece. I recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it.

I'm a star. I'm a star. I'm a star. I'm a big, bright, shining star.

[Al_The_Strange]

Having just finished the 2008 video game Prince of Persia (yeah, it took me long enough ), I decided to pop in the film...Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

As a blast from the past, my old review from 2010 was...

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Watched "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" earlier today. I'm sure I could nitpick a lot about it; the story was rather predictable, dialogue is simple, maybe too much exposition, not the greatest character development, etc. But I would say the film met my expectations: plenty of frentic action scenes and cool special effects. The film has decent photography. The production design (all the sets, props, costumes, weapons, etc) is very detailed and lavish. Acting seemed decent enough (I initally didn't think Jake Gyllenhaal would be any good; I keep thinking of "Donnie Darko" when I see him. But I think he surpassed my expectations on this film). Music is pretty good.

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5)

I will get it on BD! Would go nicely with "Troy," "The Scorpion King," and the "Mummy" movies.

So how did it hold up after all these years? Not so well, considering that this is my first time I revisited the film since its theatrical release. Had it as a Steelbook too. It's like I totally forgot this film existed for a while.

For years, the Prince of Persia video games have provided fantastic escapism through a mystical world of physics-defying magic, with wild parkour and acrobatic combat, and mythologies that send the titular prince through space and time to conquer armies, monsters, and gods.

The Prince of Persia film offers more of the same; you can certainly expect plenty of swords and sorcery, including a few scenes with wall-climbing acrobatics, plenty of special effects wizardry, and of course, some time travel involved. The film has its light-hearted moments, and it generally captures the right tone of adventurism and mystic fantasy. Overall, a pretty fun ride.

The story is more of the same as well, which is unfortunate, because it becomes predictable and cliched. It's pretty much strung together using the standard PoP tropes and the standard fantasy tropes. Little more is added to the standard conventions that the characters and plot adhere to; it is neat to see the prince's backstory, but it is something that's been done before, and the characters remain pretty flat throughout. The plot just jumps from one thing to another until it reaches its inevitable, predictable conclusion. The film overall pretty much plays out like a standard PoP game, starting off with a big battle, before bringing the prince and princess together so they can share an adventure and fight lots and lots of bad guys. Then there's a bit of a "boss fight." That's pretty much it.

For a PoP movie, however, there is also something left to be desired. Some of the games really emphasized corruption as the enemy, with a big monster or god made of black goo as the main nemesis. This would have been an awesome and relevant enemy for the big screen, but instead we get...

[Show spoiler]Ben Kingsley

. More awesome horizontal wall-running would have been welcome as well (some District B13 or Ong Bak action would be perfect ). A few other parts could have been cut too (such as the ostrich-racing scenes...wtf? And do we really need the themes spelled out at the beginning and end?).

This film uses okay photography and editing. Acting is a bit weak; I'm not really sure why Persians sound like Englishmen. Jake Gyllenhaal looks the part really well, and he has moments where he accurately represents the prince, but his accent seems really forced. Gemma Arterton is great to look at and is fun to watch overall, despite her accent. Ben Kingsley does his usual bad-guy schtick. Writing is pretty daft. This production uses some really lavish and highly-detailed sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music is appropriate.

It's a fun film with spirit, but it's still not a really true representation of the Prince of Persia franchise. It's certainly nothing deep or profound. It would be worth a look for bored fans of fantasy films and sandal epics, but then again, you might be better off just playing one of the games.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Average | Film: Average) Decreased from 4/5

Recommendation: Rental.

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds fine.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I read through all your entries. Epic list

I'm surprised Evangelion didn't make the cut, but nice to see GITS and others so high up (I love that Minority Report made your top 10). Saw quite a few titles I need to see or revisit, including Primer. Films like that and Upstream Color really benefit from repeat viewings.

Right on!

I came close to putting Evangelion up there, but had to free up some room for everything else. 100 just isn't enough.

I've been meaning to rewatch Primer too; I just got it on DVD from the Amazon marketplace. Upstream Color will likely get a good amount of repeat viewings from me (didn't include it on the list, as there wasn't that much "science" to it, imo. Will likely list it on a top 100 dramas list, or top 100 weird/surreal movies list).

[SilentDawn]

My ramblings on Black Christmas (1974).

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Before doing these reviews I try to avoid looking at the IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes score, but I made the mistake of taking a peak after watching the film but before typing this review.

You have got to be kidding me.

Where do I start? Maybe the extremely long and tedious middle act? The predictable twist that I guessed almost an hour before it happened? Or the wobbly balance that stumbles about in jolts between a romantic comedy to serious drama? And then the bad science in this, which didnt even try.

That middle act...it was excruciating. And soooo long and repetitive. It basically destroyed any saving grace this film might have had. Seriously, people complain about a 5 minute fight in Man of Steel, but they can watch Jim Carrey trip out for 60 minutes straight and call it a masterpiece? Give me a break.

Buried beneath all the fat is a decent story about relationships, to not take them for granted and accept the imperfection of your partner, but again, its buried beneath so much lard in the middle act it makes you want to pull your hair out.

Its a silly movie with pacing, length, and tonal issues. Would have got a higher score if the middle act wasnt so completely unwatchable.

1/5

Um......

[Spirit Zero]

El Gringo (2013)

One of many straight to DVD films that Scott Adkins has churned out in between the odd big movie. This film seems to have gone down a few routes here, firstly its clearly a nod to classic Clint Eastwood 'the man with no name' films, there is a strong Mexican style spaghetti western vibe here. Secondly its clearly a Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez wannabe flick, the editing and general style is obvious. Thirdly it could be seen as a film project by Adkins to try and prove he's up and ready for a role in the next violent Tarantino/Rodriguez flick, cast me! cast me!. And lastly it might just be a simple homage to all of the above, but I doubt that, riding on the coattails probably.

In all honesty its not a bad film but its not good either. We spend the first ten minutes of the film watching Adkins trying to get a drink of water from all the local oddballs in town. Then we spend another ten minutes or so watching this really annoying young girl trying to steal Adkins bag of cash. This happens not once but numerous times, its annoying, time wasting, for Christ's sake just look after your flippin' bag dude!.

Most of the film is forgettable accept for one gun battle sequence slap bang in the middle. I can't deny I was impressed with this, it was awesome! spectacular in its bloody bullets to the head violence. A touch of kickboxing from Adkins but mainly a rollicking gun fest as he pops bullets in a stream of bad guys whilst running around tight squalid alleyways. It is a real adrenaline rush I kid you not, lots of bloody squibs and absurdity as he takes out blokes with a shotgun that are well out of range I'm sure. The whole sequence plays out like a Call of Duty online game actually, visually it has that frantic wham-bam feel plus Adkins goes around picking up weapons from guys he's just taken out, one after another.

The other COD inspiration if you ask me is that all the bad guys have this gangland warpaint on their faces in the form of a simple skull motif. Their faces are white with black around the eyes and cheekbones giving that COD: Ghosts appearance. The main bad guy looks the best of course, he also looks like a young Raul Julia too.

It is a bit of a shameful artistic and stylistic rip off from various other sources but it still manages to hold together. Adkins isn't the best actor on the block by any means but he's a good action star as we know and his fights get more impressive with each film. The finale to this film is pretty damn awful I won't lie, it builds up to something massive but ends up a wet squib, very disappointing. Other than that I recommend watching for the gun battle midway through, its worth it, just try not to have an epileptic fit with all the flashy quickfire cuts and editing.

5/10

[Spirit Zero]

The Ref (1994)

Now this is a blast from the past, well the early 90's. Back in the days when Leary was a smokin' hot comedian but not much of a movie star and Spacey wasn't that much of a movie star either!. One of those films yous saw in the videoshop amongst the other comedies but never rented because you didn't really know who the actors were, and you'd never heard of the film, maybe that's just me.

The plot isn't rocket science but it is genius. Its Christmas and a robber is on the run, so he kidnaps a middle aged married couple, taking them back to their house. Little does the robber know these two lovebirds are having a bit of a marital spat and are at each others throats. To top that the whole family are on the way for Xmas Eve dinner so Leary's robber must try to control the happy couple whilst dealing with a group of nosy pestering family members.

It really does sound like the next perfect National Lampoon caper for Chevy Chase, the whole film is very much like 'Christmas Vacation' accept this is more for adults. Its all very obvious really, naturally Leary uses his quickfire motormouth wit to spearhead much of the comedy and cruel attacks against various family members. Spacey's character is soft spoken but with a sharp tongue whilst Davis' character beautifully grows from calm and collected to spiteful rude and loud with her verbal assaults as she slowly gets more drunk.

The main attacks fly in the direction of Spacey's mother played in a very stuffy way by the stout Glynis Johns. Of course the old mother character has money so the family normally suck up to her constantly, but this all breaks down slowly as the evening progresses which leads to some very funny moments. You can count on Leary to lose his rag in a monumental fashion with everyone as the heat builds and his window to escape slowly closes.

Quite simply the film plays on the common much used comedic factors of our own relations, something that every family in the world can probably relate to. The old mother who is gruff with little tact and heavily controls one son too much. That son being downtrodden weak and always overruled by his wife who clearly wears the pants in the relationship. The other son not liking his brothers wife (his sister-in-law) because she has his brother whipped. The old mother not liking either sons wives and the wives not liking her (the mother-in-law) either. Caught in the middle are the kids who watch with glee as their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents swear and curse at each other.

All the characters are very cliched no doubt, all the usual family stereotypes are drained of every last drop of predictable comedy completely. But it works brilliantly, watching the grown ups verbally abuse each other whilst trying to hold it together for the kids and for Christmas is hilarious. Tiptoeing around delicate issues and then bringing them up deliberately to cause an outburst, it makes you laugh it makes you cringe. Then to add to that you have Leary going nuts trying to keep everything civil whilst trying not to break his cover and trying not get caught by the old bill. The fact Leary acts as the marriage counselor for Spacey and Davis really cranks up the laughs when he verbally jousts against the mother and sister-in-law.

This is one of those perfect anti-Christmas flicks that's perfect for Christmas. All the performances are really very good bringing the film to life and making the story so compelling. Its a completely character driven plot with no fancy set pieces or effects or crazy stunts, its all about the dialog. Yeah you know it will have a happy ending and you kinda know how it will pan out as your watching, but its still a dark razor sharp witty pleasure.

7/10

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Having just finished the 2008 video game Prince of Persia (yeah, it took me long enough ), I decided to pop in the film...Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

[Show spoiler]As a blast from the past, my old review from 2010 was...



So how did it hold up after all these years? Not so well, considering that this is my first time I revisited the film since its theatrical release. Had it as a Steelbook too. It's like I totally forgot this film existed for a while.

For years, the Prince of Persia video games have provided fantastic escapism through a mystical world of physics-defying magic, with wild parkour and acrobatic combat, and mythologies that send the titular prince through space and time to conquer armies, monsters, and gods.

The Prince of Persia film offers more of the same; you can certainly expect plenty of swords and sorcery, including a few scenes with wall-climbing acrobatics, plenty of special effects wizardry, and of course, some time travel involved. The film has its light-hearted moments, and it generally captures the right tone of adventurism and mystic fantasy. Overall, a pretty fun ride.

The story is more of the same as well, which is unfortunate, because it becomes predictable and cliched. It's pretty much strung together using the standard PoP tropes and the standard fantasy tropes. Little more is added to the standard conventions that the characters and plot adhere to; it is neat to see the prince's backstory, but it is something that's been done before, and the characters remain pretty flat throughout. The plot just jumps from one thing to another until it reaches its inevitable, predictable conclusion. The film overall pretty much plays out like a standard PoP game, starting off with a big battle, before bringing the prince and princess together so they can share an adventure and fight lots and lots of bad guys. Then there's a bit of a "boss fight." That's pretty much it.

For a PoP movie, however, there is also something left to be desired. Some of the games really emphasized corruption as the enemy, with a big monster or god made of black goo as the main nemesis. This would have been an awesome and relevant enemy for the big screen, but instead we get...

[Show spoiler]Ben Kingsley

. More awesome horizontal wall-running would have been welcome as well (some District B13 or Ong Bak action would be perfect ). A few other parts could have been cut too (such as the ostrich-racing scenes...wtf? And do we really need the themes spelled out at the beginning and end?).

This film uses okay photography and editing. Acting is a bit weak; I'm not really sure why Persians sound like Englishmen. Jake Gyllenhaal looks the part really well, and he has moments where he accurately represents the prince, but his accent seems really forced. Gemma Arterton is great to look at and is fun to watch overall, despite her accent. Ben Kingsley does his usual bad-guy schtick. Writing is pretty daft. This production uses some really lavish and highly-detailed sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music is appropriate.

Gyllenhaal was a total miscast.

As far as the games, Sands of Time (PS2) was the best imo, but the 2008 reboot was cool too. I need to go back and finish it too.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Spirit Zero

The Ref (1994)

[Show spoiler]Now this is a blast from the past, well the early 90's. Back in the days when Leary was a smokin' hot comedian but not much of a movie star and Spacey wasn't that much of a movie star either!. One of those films yous saw in the videoshop amongst the other comedies but never rented because you didn't really know who the actors were, and you'd never heard of the film, maybe that's just me.

The plot isn't rocket science but it is genius. Its Christmas and a robber is on the run, so he kidnaps a middle aged married couple, taking them back to their house. Little does the robber know these two lovebirds are having a bit of a marital spat and are at each others throats. To top that the whole family are on the way for Xmas Eve dinner so Leary's robber must try to control the happy couple whilst dealing with a group of nosy pestering family members.

It really does sound like the next perfect National Lampoon caper for Chevy Chase, the whole film is very much like 'Christmas Vacation' accept this is more for adults. Its all very obvious really, naturally Leary uses his quickfire motormouth wit to spearhead much of the comedy and cruel attacks against various family members. Spacey's character is soft spoken but with a sharp tongue whilst Davis' character beautifully grows from calm and collected to spiteful rude and loud with her verbal assaults as she slowly gets more drunk.

The main attacks fly in the direction of Spacey's mother played in a very stuffy way by the stout Glynis Johns. Of course the old mother character has money so the family normally suck up to her constantly, but this all breaks down slowly as the evening progresses which leads to some very funny moments. You can count on Leary to lose his rag in a monumental fashion with everyone as the heat builds and his window to escape slowly closes.

Quite simply the film plays on the common much used comedic factors of our own relations, something that every family in the world can probably relate to. The old mother who is gruff with little tact and heavily controls one son too much. That son being downtrodden weak and always overruled by his wife who clearly wears the pants in the relationship. The other son not liking his brothers wife (his sister-in-law) because she has his brother whipped. The old mother not liking either sons wives and the wives not liking her (the mother-in-law) either. Caught in the middle are the kids who watch with glee as their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents swear and curse at each other.

All the characters are very cliched no doubt, all the usual family stereotypes are drained of every last drop of predictable comedy completely. But it works brilliantly, watching the grown ups verbally abuse each other whilst trying to hold it together for the kids and for Christmas is hilarious. Tiptoeing around delicate issues and then bringing them up deliberately to cause an outburst, it makes you laugh it makes you cringe. Then to add to that you have Leary going nuts trying to keep everything civil whilst trying not to break his cover and trying not get caught by the old bill. The fact Leary acts as the marriage counselor for Spacey and Davis really cranks up the laughs when he verbally jousts against the mother and sister-in-law.

This is one of those perfect anti-Christmas flicks that's perfect for Christmas. All the performances are really very good bringing the film to life and making the story so compelling. Its a completely character driven plot with no fancy set pieces or effects or crazy stunts, its all about the dialog. Yeah you know it will have a happy ending and you kinda know how it will pan out as your watching, but its still a dark razor sharp witty pleasure.

7/10

They really need to put this on Blu-ray.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Gyllenhaal was a total miscast.

As far as the games, Sands of Time (PS2) was the best imo, but the 2008 reboot was cool too. I need to go back and finish it too.

I played Warrior Within on the PC, and thought it was pretty awesome. Started The Sands of Time on the PC, but didn't get far. I have the PoP HD collection for the PS3, and The Forgotten Sands, so I need to tackle those next. As soon as I'm done with the original God of War.

[iank]

The Ref is a hoot. Very underrated.

[Al_The_Strange]

300: Rise of an Empire

The battle of Thermopylae was a glorious last stand, in which 300 Spartans and a small number of allies fended off an insurmountable enemy for three whole days. As significant as the battle was, it was just one small piece of the Greco-Persian Wars; while the battle raged on, General Themistocles led the Athenian navy against the Persians at the straits of Artemisium. The Persian fleet had the advantage with a whole vast number of bigger and better ships; just as the 300 Spartans had to face vast numbers of enemies for three whole days, so did 280 small Athenian vessels. The history nerd in me was always interested to see how the naval battles of Artemisium and Salamis would look on the big screen.

300: Rise of an Empire simultaneously follows up on, precedes, and runs along side with the events of the film 300, using these naval battles as the focal point. In a way, the film is merely more of the same, using the same plot structure, character archetypes, and execution in a different set of battles. It is definitely a blast though: the battle scenes are as stylish and intense as ever. There are bucketloads of blood drenching the screen with nearly every swipe of the sword. There is massive mayhem when the ships collide and armies clash on the broken decks. The film still uses the same tone and style as its predecessor, providing a vividly mythic account of these historic events.

The story elaborates on some of the things that were left hanging in the first film, such as showing how Xerxes became the "god king," and what every kingdom's reaction is to Leonidas' death. The bulk of the story focuses on General Themistocles, who is never really given much depth or presence, and his nemesis Artemisia, who steals the show repeatedly thanks to her wickedly-invoking backstory and a wickedly-invoking performance by Eva Green. Really, Artemisia alone made the events captivating; without her, it would have been a much duller tale. The plot breezes through the battles and backstories before abruptly ending right at the climax of the Battle of Salamis; it's a bit jarring that there's no falling action before the credits, but there's still just enough closure to make the film satisfying.

There are historical liberties, of course. Some of the exaggerations of the first film remain (people still don't wear body armor, choosing to show off their abs instead; Ephialtes is still a hunchback; Persians still have elephants and monsters in battle, and they also deploy an ironclad ship at one point). Many of the basic events are solid, but with a few discrepancies (both Xerxes and Darius were never at the Battle of Marathon; Artemisia was absent during the Battle of Salamis). However, some of the artistic choices that made the first 300 so imaginative are sorely missed in the sequel. There is nothing really new added to the lore that's already established. Since Frank Miller's graphic novel Xerxes is not yet published, I have no idea how the film compares to it.

As expected, this film is loaded with numerous slow-motion shots and scenes with CGI backdrops. Just like the first movie, this one looks like a live-action graphic novel, and is generally interesting to watch. I think a lot of scenes look great. Editing is alright. Acting is okay; Sullivan Stapleton tries his best, but never quite matches the machismo and presence that Gerard Butler had in the first movie. Eva Green is effectively perfect as Artemisia. I enjoyed everybody else's performances too. Writing is not too bad. This production uses some slick-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects can be good in some scenes, bad in others, and most of the CGI blood doesn't look very convincing. I thought JXL's music score was a bit dry to listen to on its own, but when married with the movie, it was awesome.

This film entwines itself with 300 pretty well, and provides enough blood-soaked action to appease fans. It's not without its faults, and the first film is still the best and most original. I still thought that Rise of an Empire totally rocked.

4/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good)

Recommendation: THIS...IS...not Sparta. This is Athens. Lower your expectations a bit, and you might enjoy it.

Now I'm curious to see if a third film is inevitable. Both these movies end right when the Battle of Plataea begins, and that could be awesome.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I played Warrior Within on the PC, and thought it was pretty awesome. Started The Sands of Time on the PC, but didn't get far. I have the PoP HD collection for the PS3, and The Forgotten Sands, so I need to tackle those next. As soon as I'm done with the original God of War.

That's a classic. I've been going through HD Collection playthroughs myself. I finished DMC 3 over the holidays and going to start Ico/Shadow of the Colossus soon.