The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SilentDawn

Those are the best, I love making those.

Good luck!

I know, it's daunting task, we might see a few other people posting theirs up as well.

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Might start working on a new top 100 films list next week, seems I'll have nothing else to do and I don't think I've worked on one for two or three years now.

[Darth Marcus]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I know, it's daunting task, we might see a few other people posting theirs up as well.

Are you trying to ignite a list-off???

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a list-off!

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by Darth Marcus

Are you trying to ignite a list-off???

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a list-off!

Mine's already done.

[Darth Marcus]

Originally Posted by SilentDawn

Mine's already done.

Nice list! I particularly enjoy some of the "out of left field" choices like Pain & Gain. Still need to see that.

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by Darth Marcus

Nice list! I particularly enjoy some of the "out of left field" choices like Pain & Gain. Still need to see that.

Thank you! Pain and Gain is so awesome, definitely check it out!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by SilentDawn

Thank you! Pain and Gain is so awesome, definitely check it out!

I hated Pain and Gain. The only Michael Bay movie I can say that about. Sorry.

A pretty solid list overall though. You had me when I saw Spaceballs at #70.

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I hated Pain and Gain. The only Michael Bay movie I can say that about. Sorry.

A pretty solid list overall though. You had me when I saw Spaceballs at #70.

Yeah, Pain and Gain is pretty hot and cold in regards to audience reaction. I just found it to be so ironic and satiric that it gripped me from beginning to end.

And yes, Spaceballs is one of the best.

"Comb the desert!"

[Darth Marcus]

My Top 100

You're up, Foggy.

[Foggy]

Great lists guys, definitely going to be some overlap between lists. Mine's going to take time to do (I'll start it tomorrow, my brother is hanging around this weekend and he'll just give me stress).

I can always post my old list if you guys want to see that though, although it's heavily outdated.

[Al_The_Strange]

Did my list in 2012 (visible either here or on my Letterboxd account). I figure I'll update it in another year or so. There will be a substantial change throughout (accounting for newly-discovered movies and movies I may have fallen out of love with) and I have a new #1 .

My list of least-favorites will probably see the most changes. Can't believe I've seen that much crap to have to change it, but I have.

For now, if I make a new top 100 list, it'll either be Top 100 Dramas or Action or something.

Can't wait to see your updates, boss.

[Astro Zombie]

Is it too late to post mine?

[Astro Zombie]

Lucy (2014)

Despite what the ads may tell you, this isn't really an action movie. It's got action in it, and Scarlett Johansson is adept at playing a badass, but this is as much a sci-fi film as it is action. The premise is based on a ridiculous myth about how we only use 10% of our brain. If you're willing to suspend disbelief enough to buy into that, you might find yourself enjoying it. It's a silly movie no doubt, but Johansson proves once again that she's one of the best actresses working today. Morgan Freeman shows up and does his "Morgan Freeman" thing, which is basically narrate a lot of cool stuff and look surprised. The film also gets incredibly abstract as it goes along, exploring the concepts of time and space that make it feel more like "2001" than a generic action movie. In any case, I'd highly recommend watching this movie, which despite being based on a dumb concept, manages to be something more than just a summer action movie.

4/5

[BJKH]

My review for Transformers: Age of Extinction

[lDlisturb3d]

ive been gone for a while but i still remember some of you fellas. Froggy Al Strange. Im going to try to get back into movies. I live in Italy now so im going through some huge culture shock.

I asked a few of the locals about Gomorrah and they all looked at me in crazy. Guess they hate that movie haha.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

ive been gone for a while but i still remember some of you fellas. Froggy Al Strange. Im going to try to get back into movies. I live in Italy now so im going through some huge culture shock.

I asked a few of the locals about Gomorrah and they all looked at me in crazy. Guess they hate that movie haha.

Italy, nice! I have fond memories of visiting Rome about five years ago. I was in awe over the architecture and quality of food.

Gomorrah's a movie I haven't seen in a while. I remember it was good, but I could see how it would be forgotten over the years. Maybe you'll have better luck finding good Italian steelbooks for American films.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

ive been gone for a while but i still remember some of you fellas. Froggy Al Strange. Im going to try to get back into movies. I live in Italy now so im going through some huge culture shock.

I asked a few of the locals about Gomorrah and they all looked at me in crazy. Guess they hate that movie haha.

Hey, nice to hear from you. Hoping you're having an ace time in Italy.

[Astro Zombie]

'Sharknado' review

Nova's speech at the end rivals Quint's speech at the end of Jaws.

[Astro Zombie]

Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)

This is 'The Empire Strikes Back' to the first movie's 'Star Wars'. It's 'Aliens' to the first movie's 'Alien'. This reaches to the upper echelon of movie sequels and takes a big ****ing bite out of them. I could rattle off some of the most ridiculous scenes in the movie but nobody would believe me. How about all of the hilarious cameos. Or the fact that Tara Reid has a ****ing hand-saw where her hand used to be, Evil Dead-style. By the time we reach the climax, the movie hasn't just jumped the shark, it has climbed on top of the shark and ridden it all the way to the ground. Thank you Syfy for this wonderful gift.

5/5

'Sharknado 2' Review

[Pizzamorg]

My Four Star Review of The Conjuring On Bluray.

I'm really glad that despite being set in the 70s Wan went all digital with the film and didn't feel the need to add artificial grain or whatever shit into the picture. Having a crystal clear picture is always a bonus but this feels especially true here where half the films character - and terror - comes from all the little details the Bluray allows us to see. Especially when it comes to the house itself. The Bluray is simply gorgeous - wonderfully bright, clean, crisp and detailed - one of the best in my collection.

Based loosely on real life Ed and Lorraine Warren - and one of their cases - the Conjuring envisions them as basically a superhero duo seemingly more inspired by the urban fantasy genre of the likes of Harry Dresden and John Constantine than anything else. Lorraine literally has superhuman abilities the movie never once questions and while Ed has no real powers of his own he's learnt ways of battling demons through human techniques and science, including most importantly, the art of exorcism. Having characters who are basically always in control, and have methods of seizing control again once it slips away from them, really forces Wan to do some interesting things with his film to stop us getting too comfortable. It seems we spend so much of the horror genre following characters running away (and never in the right direction!) it's nice to watch a film like The Conjuring where they take a stand at the start, and don't wait for all the ethnic minorities and hot girls in the cast to die first.

The only real issue I have with how The Conjuring is written is sequels. It's pretty clear, early on, that what the producers really wanted here was a franchise and honestly I'd be perfectly happy for one. BUT... The movie skims over a lot, and also requires lots of logic leaps too, seemingly worried it may end up burning through material that could be used for later films. It doesn't really get in the way of the experience overall but it's only when the film finishes that you realise how dumb or confusing so much of the film is despite a very simple narrative on paper. The film pretends to have a rich mythology, and hints at the complexity of it all, but never actually fills in the details - or never really in any meaningful way at least. Despite this, a lot of the crucial moments of the film require us to have an understanding and belief in the universe of The Conjuring, yet the movie never puts in the effort for us to have that kind of faith in our understanding of the inner workings.

Once the scares begin though, Wan never takes his foot off the accelerator, it's the kind of film where the moment moment you decide to relax is a decision you're swiftly punished for. Honestly the scares come so unrelentingly it should probably be boring but it spends a lot of time setting the scene, and the atmosphere, making good use of ambient and natural sounds and lighting. Subtly changing the atmosphere in the room can have a big effect when a director like Wan is behind the camera.

The Conjuring is not without set piece moments, either, but it's a film that tries to scare you from the inside out - basically forcing you to scare yourself - rather than just trying to shock you or make you jump by banging pots and pans. The all out bombast of the Insidious films is wonderful but it never really worked all that well so thankfully when this film comes down to a battle for Carolyn's soul, it's a downplayed, personal and emotional affair that requires us to care about the characters, with the performances to back it up, in a way rarely seen in modern horror. The almost throwaway moment where the possessed Carolyn looks at April, and April looks back... just all the stuff that dances through April's face...just WOW.

Most crucially though is the Conjuring's ability to understand what the audience is already scared of, what they have always been scared of and always will be. Those strange bangs and creaks in the middle of the night - it's just the house settling...right? That shadow in the corner of the room, it's just the moonlight hitting the table...right? That isn't a person standing in the window, right...it's just a trick of the light...right? That door didn't close on its own, it's just a draft...right? It even taps into our childhood fears, like the concept of the monster in the wardrobe or under the bed. Why is the unknown so terrifying to us?