The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Matrix Reloaded

[Show spoiler]127 minutes

Year: 2003
Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Harold Perrineau

Rules of sequels are quite simple:

1) be bigger

2) be louder

3) more action, explosions, and exciting moments

4) a main character has to die, or at least appear to die or be in a precarious situation

5) something that is important to characters must be challenged or destroyed to show how serious the dire situation / story is

Matrix Reloaded nails all of these and much, much more.

I’m not gonna lie, I like Matrix Reloaded much more than The Matrix. I feel it’s a better film overall than the original. While The Matrix has a better structure, it’s main issues for me are that it feels very cold and distant. Very little I could connect to. And while Reloaded doesn’t exactly change all that, it does show relationships in a better light (or any sort of light) than The Matrix did.

I love that we see Zion and we see inhabitants of the world.. Err.. Planet.. Err… system… whatever!

I love that we see systems of government and who’s in charge. The first film made it seem like everyone followed Morpheus, no questions asked. Here we see he isn’t in charge, and there are many who think he is crazy. They’re not all sheep following their weird sunglasses-wearing bald-headed leader. Nice touch

Reloaded also contains (so far) the two best fight sequences in the franchise - the Neo vs. 1,000 Mr. Smiths fight (epic! ) and the Neo vs. the gang with old school bludgeoning weapons. And also has a ridiculous 10-15 minute highway chase sequence / fight that is extraordinary

The story is about as perplexing and odd and illogical as the first, but Reloaded slows the pace down here so we can have some character building / exploring moments. Something the original severely lacked. while also massively laying on some killer action scenes.

Sure, the odd, almost LSD-like rave party was completely ridiculous and seemed ludicrous for a civilization preparing for war, but it is what it is

The Matrix was like, learning how to get on a diving board, learning what water is, and how it effects you and how it can help you and hurt you. Reloaded was diving off the diving board and hitting the water, and I’m guessing (hoping) that Revolutions is the impact of hitting the water and the ripple effect.

Now that we knew this world, to some extent, we didn’t need copious amounts of exposition. We had a general (some may even more after dozens of viewings of The Matrix) idea what this world was and how it worked and now we were just going along for the ride.

Reloaded isn’t perfect though, the pacing has some questionable moments and three major moments that have no logical explanation or reasoning as to their existence left me almost scoffing. Almost. Those three were:

1. Why could Mr. Smith

[Show spoiler]just take over whoever he wanted? Is he now a virus? Can he become anyone? How can he make millions of himself? Why not just always do that, especially on the highway, and stop them? He talks to Neo about it, but nothing is ever stated as to why this works.

2. How could Neo

[Show spoiler]just reach into Trinity and pull out the bullet? And THEN reach back in and start her heart? Because he’s “The One” - which now apparently means nothing - and that’s just how it works?

3.

[Show spoiler]What was up with the snake-hair, white-coat ghost guys? just another random, weird, mysterious part of the Matrix universe? or something more? tell me dammit!

These seem like things the Wachowski’s wanted in their film so delivered them without any reasoning or explanation. At least, I didn’t catch any.

Some scenes definitely look like CGI - computer games, but oh well, still looks amazing.

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

***oh, and also, why are these films marketed as "A Film By The Wachowski Brothers" when Lana is, a woman?! at least, that's what IMDb tells me. seems weird...

Errrr, Well, I don't know how to break this to you, but Lana...used to be called Larry, and she/he was a brother when it was made...

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Matrix Reloaded

[Show spoiler]127 minutes

Year: 2003
Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Harold Perrineau

Rules of sequels are quite simple:

1) be bigger

2) be louder

3) more action, explosions, and exciting moments

4) a main character has to die, or at least appear to die or be in a precarious situation

5) something that is important to characters must be challenged or destroyed to show how serious the dire situation / story is

Matrix Reloaded nails all of these and much, much more.

I’m not gonna lie, I like Matrix Reloaded much more than The Matrix. I feel it’s a better film overall than the original. While The Matrix has a better structure, it’s main issues for me are that it feels very cold and distant. Very little I could connect to. And while Reloaded doesn’t exactly change all that, it does show relationships in a better light (or any sort of light) than The Matrix did.

I love that we see Zion and we see inhabitants of the world.. Err.. Planet.. Err… system… whatever!

I love that we see systems of government and who’s in charge. The first film made it seem like everyone followed Morpheus, no questions asked. Here we see he isn’t in charge, and there are many who think he is crazy. They’re not all sheep following their weird sunglasses-wearing bald-headed leader. Nice touch

Reloaded also contains (so far) the two best fight sequences in the franchise - the Neo vs. 1,000 Mr. Smiths fight (epic! ) and the Neo vs. the gang with old school bludgeoning weapons. And also has a ridiculous 10-15 minute highway chase sequence / fight that is extraordinary

The story is about as perplexing and odd and illogical as the first, but Reloaded slows the pace down here so we can have some character building / exploring moments. Something the original severely lacked. while also massively laying on some killer action scenes.

Sure, the odd, almost LSD-like rave party was completely ridiculous and seemed ludicrous for a civilization preparing for war, but it is what it is

The Matrix was like, learning how to get on a diving board, learning what water is, and how it effects you and how it can help you and hurt you. Reloaded was diving off the diving board and hitting the water, and I’m guessing (hoping) that Revolutions is the impact of hitting the water and the ripple effect.

Now that we knew this world, to some extent, we didn’t need copious amounts of exposition. We had a general (some may even more after dozens of viewings of The Matrix) idea what this world was and how it worked and now we were just going along for the ride.

Reloaded isn’t perfect though, the pacing has some questionable moments and three major moments that have no logical explanation or reasoning as to their existence left me almost scoffing. Almost. Those three were:

1. Why could Mr. Smith

[Show spoiler]just take over whoever he wanted? Is he now a virus? Can he become anyone? How can he make millions of himself? Why not just always do that, especially on the highway, and stop them? He talks to Neo about it, but nothing is ever stated as to why this works.

2. How could Neo

[Show spoiler]just reach into Trinity and pull out the bullet? And THEN reach back in and start her heart? Because he’s “The One” - which now apparently means nothing - and that’s just how it works?

3.

[Show spoiler]What was up with the snake-hair, white-coat ghost guys? just another random, weird, mysterious part of the Matrix universe? or something more? tell me dammit!

These seem like things the Wachowski’s wanted in their film so delivered them without any reasoning or explanation. At least, I didn’t catch any.

Some scenes definitely look like CGI - computer games, but oh well, still looks amazing.

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

The Film: 4.5/5

***oh, and also, why are these films marketed as "A Film By The Wachowski Brothers" when Lana is, a woman?! at least, that's what IMDb tells me. seems weird...

Because when the films were made, Lana was a man.

Edit: I see the Frogmeister and Al beat me to it.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: "Ice Pirates."

The cover art pretty much told me what to expect: trashy low-budget 80s sci-fi. It plays out a little like "Krull," combining a "Star Wars" style universe (complete with goofy robots, space ruffians, a bar full of aliens, etc) with fantasy (complete with old-fashioned swords, people in old-fashioned clothes...and that's pretty much it in this case). But with such a low and cheap production value, the movie is no better than something like "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone." If you've never heard of that little flick...don't worry, it sucked too.

"Ice Pirates" has its share of moments. As expected, it's chock full of weird cheese. Some of the film's most eccentric elements include:

• Men getting castrated and made to wear white puffy wigs and pink outfits.
• Heavy metal ballroom waltzing. Apparently, it's possible.
• A jive-talking robot, looking a lot like Bender from "Futurama!"
• A chestburster-type of alien known as "herpies." Hence, after it attacks one of the characters, the guy says "Ken got herpies."
• A random catfight in the middle of the street, looking like something out of the first "Airplane!" movie.
• A young Ron Pearlman in a small role.
• Midgets.
• Gophers. Just like in "Indiana Jones and the KOTSC."
• Leather-clad chicks riding unicorns with whips.
• And much more!

The story for all this weird stuff is barely relevant. Apparently, the universe is out of water, or something. Seriously. The movie then goes through a bunch of small episodes where the characters try and find water...or something. Yeah, it's pretty darn stupid.

The film, if you haven't read already, is cheap and fake-looking all around. Photography and editing is okay, but never exceptional. Acting and writing are pretty silly at times and horrid at other times.

2/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 1/5, film: 1.5/5)

Recommendation: Nope.

[iam1bearcat]

....Oh... Thanks for the info about that buds.... Although I think I now shouldn't have asked...

[Steve46]

My Top 10 Horror Movies: Part 1, #6-10

Horror isn’t my favorite genre, but there are good movies to be found in almost any genre. Over the next two days, I’ll reveal my 10 favorites. Feel free to comment on my choices and leave your own lists on my blog. What have I overlooked that you feel should definitely be on the list?


10. Planet Terror
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez and Josh Brolin

I’m not generally a fan of horror films which rely on comedy, but Planet Terror is an exception. Nothing in this film is supposed to be taken seriously. Josh Brolin and Bruce Willis play it straight, but their roles are ludicrous. The premise is that there’s a deadly gas in the air that has the effect of making people’s skin break out in hideous ways. The victims soon turn into zombies and look to eat anyone who crosses their path. Rose McGowan plays a one-legged babe with a machine gun fixed to her bad leg, while Freddy Rodriguez has legendary fighting skills. The whole thing is a lot of fun and has plenty of replay value.

9. Cronos
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Claudio Brook

The first two acts of Cronos are superb. The acting, pacing and atmosphere are close to perfect and the sense of mystery makes for an intriguing story. An alchemist has invented the Cronos device which is capable of reversing the aging progress and prolonging life indefinitely, but there are consequences. Is it a blessing or a curse to have eternal life? The film focuses on the relationship between an old man and his granddaughter. It’s interesting how she’s able to accept him in whatever form he happens to appear. The third act is a little disappointing and explores the same territory as movies such as Dracula, but it’s a good film overall.

8. Needful Things
Directed by Fraser Clarke Heston
Starring Ed Harris, Max von Sydow and Bonnie Bedelia

Stephen King adaptations are a mixed bag, but Needful Things is one of the better ones. Ed Harris is a sheriff in a small town where hardly anything ever happens. The inhabitants are generally well-behaved and friendly. Everything changes when a new shop opens. It’s run by Leland Gaunt (von Sydow) and he seems to be able to stock any item you’d wish for. His prices are low, but he also asks that buyers perform a deed as well as paying the cash price. The deeds start off as little pranks, but soon progress to more serious crimes. Is he the devil? He soon has the town in a state of chaos and normal behavior starts to break down.

7. The Omen
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens

The Omen is a character-driven story with very little action. Donner relies on the audience to imagine the worst, and suspense builds throughout the movie. The story is essentially about Robert and Katherine Thorn (Peck and Remick). Their young son, Damien, is believed to be evil. Some think that he’s the son of Satan. Thorn investigates the child’s origins and has to decide whether the accusations are true. If they are, what will he do about it?

6. Alien
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt

Ridley Scott’s Alien was a sensation on its release in 1979. The setup looks like that of a traditional science fiction movie, but it evolves into a battle for survival. The crew of a mining ship encounters an abandoned ship and decides to investigate. Its origin clearly isn’t human. Those investigating are allowed back onto the ship without undergoing proper quarantine procedures and a life-form is inadvertently brought on board. The creature evolves fast, increasing in size and adapting to its situation quickly. It starts to pick off the crew. Who will survive and what will happen to the creature? The first hour is the strongest half of the story due to the air of mystery surrounding the derelict ship, but the second half is far from weak and contains most of the action. It’s a movie with a lot of replay value and was popular enough to spawn three more films in the series.

My Top 5 Horror movies will be revealed tomorrow.

[iam1bearcat]

Matrix Revolutions

120 minutes

Year: 2003
Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mary Alice, and Harold Perrineau

And then there was The Matrix Revolutions...

I’ll keep this (hopefully) short.

If only the first hour was a bit better!

The last 60 minutes are very exciting, well executed and very great movie making magic by the Wachowski’s. Amazing set pieces, jaw dropping visuals, and wonderfully structured fights that somehow make it easy to follow all the chaos taking place in Zion. Only nitpick here is that I at times forgot who was who, why they were important, and the fact that all of Zion apparently looks the same and all the enemy machines look the exact same kind of made it bland at times. But again, minor nitpick.

Now, back to that first hour

Are we really introduced to even more characters?! This late in the game? And another layer to the puzzle? (much like how Inception suddenly pulled the lame ass “oh yeah, you can actually die in here” card out of nowhere just to make us care about a character and the predicament ) alright, that’s fine.

My biggest issue with the first hour is that none of it feels like the final film in the trilogy. There was very little in terms of… panic, intensity and urgency. Come on now, this is it!

But, once the first hour rolls past, the action and intensity heat up big time. Of course, I really didn’t care about any of these random Zion residence, which takes away the caring affect, but they were still fun to watch.

I was surprised to see the lack of Neo in the film. Holy moly he disappears for close to an hour! I almost forgot he was in the film!

The last battle with Mr. Smith was awesome, as usual
After the film ended, and during the battles I had to refresh my memory as to what happens if Zion would be destroyed and what Neo sacrificing himself actually meant. Kind of got lost in the blur of bullets and constant screaming.

A very solid collection of films, unique and exciting in their own ways. While Revolution lacks the awesome pacing, good structure and classic individual fights of the first two films (which are excellent, and it sucks Revolutions only has one real battle such as this) it isn’t a horrible film, it just doesn’t have the magic of the first two. But still good and very entertaining for most of its run time.

Don’t worry Al, Animatrix is up next. Tomorrow after work!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 3.5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

My Top 10 Horror Movies: Part 1, #6-10

Horror isn’t my favorite genre, but there are good movies to be found in almost any genre. Over the next two days, I’ll reveal my 10 favorites. Feel free to comment on my choices and leave your own lists on my blog. What have I overlooked that you feel should definitely be on the list?


10. Planet Terror
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez and Josh Brolin

[Show spoiler]I’m not generally a fan of horror films which rely on comedy, but Planet Terror is an exception. Nothing in this film is supposed to be taken seriously. Josh Brolin and Bruce Willis play it straight, but their roles are ludicrous. The premise is that there’s a deadly gas in the air that has the effect of making people’s skin break out in hideous ways. The victims soon turn into zombies and look to eat anyone who crosses their path. Rose McGowan plays a one-legged babe with a machine gun fixed to her bad leg, while Freddy Rodriguez has legendary fighting skills. The whole thing is a lot of fun and has plenty of replay value.

9. Cronos
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Claudio Brook

[Show spoiler]The first two acts of Cronos are superb. The acting, pacing and atmosphere are close to perfect and the sense of mystery makes for an intriguing story. An alchemist has invented the Cronos device which is capable of reversing the aging progress and prolonging life indefinitely, but there are consequences. Is it a blessing or a curse to have eternal life? The film focuses on the relationship between an old man and his granddaughter. It’s interesting how she’s able to accept him in whatever form he happens to appear. The third act is a little disappointing and explores the same territory as movies such as Dracula, but it’s a good film overall.

8. Needful Things
Directed by Fraser Clarke Heston
Starring Ed Harris, Max von Sydow and Bonnie Bedelia

[Show spoiler]Stephen King adaptations are a mixed bag, but Needful Things is one of the better ones. Ed Harris is a sheriff in a small town where hardly anything ever happens. The inhabitants are generally well-behaved and friendly. Everything changes when a new shop opens. It’s run by Leland Gaunt (von Sydow) and he seems to be able to stock any item you’d wish for. His prices are low, but he also asks that buyers perform a deed as well as paying the cash price. The deeds start off as little pranks, but soon progress to more serious crimes. Is he the devil? He soon has the town in a state of chaos and normal behavior starts to break down.

7. The Omen
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens

[Show spoiler]The Omen is a character-driven story with very little action. Donner relies on the audience to imagine the worst, and suspense builds throughout the movie. The story is essentially about Robert and Katherine Thorn (Peck and Remick). Their young son, Damien, is believed to be evil. Some think that he’s the son of Satan. Thorn investigates the child’s origins and has to decide whether the accusations are true. If they are, what will he do about it?

6. Alien
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt

[Show spoiler]Ridley Scott’s Alien was a sensation on its release in 1979. The setup looks like that of a traditional science fiction movie, but it evolves into a battle for survival. The crew of a mining ship encounters an abandoned ship and decides to investigate. Its origin clearly isn’t human. Those investigating are allowed back onto the ship without undergoing proper quarantine procedures and a life-form is inadvertently brought on board. The creature evolves fast, increasing in size and adapting to its situation quickly. It starts to pick off the crew. Who will survive and what will happen to the creature? The first hour is the strongest half of the story due to the air of mystery surrounding the derelict ship, but the second half is far from weak and contains most of the action. It’s a movie with a lot of replay value and was popular enough to spawn three more films in the series.

My Top 5 Horror movies will be revealed tomorrow.

interesting selections Steve! surprised to see Planet Terror and Needful Things on your list. sadly though, only one i've actually seen from your list (so far) is Alien

i plan on seeing Cronos when i pick it up during the next Criterion sale, and The Omen is one i may have watched on TV here and there but not positive.

looking at this list, i suspect The Exorcist will be in your top 5. don't really have any clue what else would be on the list. maybe The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

ah, Psycho! i'm guessing Psycho also. and.... hmm... maybe Halloween and some other older ones, but not sure. aside from The Exorcist i don't think i've ever seen you review a horror film! so i'm very curious to see your top 5

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

interesting selections Steve! surprised to see Planet Terror and Needful Things on your list. sadly though, only one i've actually seen from your list (so far) is Alien

i plan on seeing Cronos when i pick it up during the next Criterion sale, and The Omen is one i may have watched on TV here and there but not positive.

looking at this list, i suspect The Exorcist will be in your top 5. don't really have any clue what else would be on the list. maybe The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

ah, Psycho! i'm guessing Psycho also. and.... hmm... maybe Halloween and some other older ones, but not sure. aside from The Exorcist i don't think i've ever seen you review a horror film! so i'm very curious to see your top 5

Ha! Finally some mystery. I'll write it in the morning.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Ha! Finally some mystery. I'll write it in the morning.

sounds good! i will be at work (at least, should be ) so i won't see it until later in the afternoon more than likely, but i'll definitely be commenting on it.

i gotta start re-doing my lists soon. it's been a long time since i've done anything other than just a general favorites list.

[Diesel]

The first Matrix is easily the best imo (4.5/5). But I gave both Reloaded and Revolutions a 4/5.

I think they get more crap than they deserve because they don't live up to the original in the opinion of most.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Matrix Revolutions

[Show spoiler]120 minutes

Year: 2003
Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mary Alice, and Harold Perrineau

And then there was The Matrix Revolutions...

I’ll keep this (hopefully) short.

If only the first hour was a bit better!

The last 60 minutes are very exciting, well executed and very great movie making magic by the Wachowski’s. Amazing set pieces, jaw dropping visuals, and wonderfully structured fights that somehow make it easy to follow all the chaos taking place in Zion. Only nitpick here is that I at times forgot who was who, why they were important, and the fact that all of Zion apparently looks the same and all the enemy machines look the exact same kind of made it bland at times. But again, minor nitpick.

Now, back to that first hour

Are we really introduced to even more characters?! This late in the game? And another layer to the puzzle? (much like how Inception suddenly pulled the lame ass “oh yeah, you can actually die in here” card out of nowhere just to make us care about a character and the predicament ) alright, that’s fine.

My biggest issue with the first hour is that none of it feels like the final film in the trilogy. There was very little in terms of… panic, intensity and urgency. Come on now, this is it!

But, once the first hour rolls past, the action and intensity heat up big time. Of course, I really didn’t care about any of these random Zion residence, which takes away the caring affect, but they were still fun to watch.

I was surprised to see the lack of Neo in the film. Holy moly he disappears for close to an hour! I almost forgot he was in the film!

The last battle with Mr. Smith was awesome, as usual
After the film ended, and during the battles I had to refresh my memory as to what happens if Zion would be destroyed and what Neo sacrificing himself actually meant. Kind of got lost in the blur of bullets and constant screaming.

A very solid collection of films, unique and exciting in their own ways. While Revolution lacks the awesome pacing, good structure and classic individual fights of the first two films (which are excellent, and it sucks Revolutions only has one real battle such as this) it isn’t a horrible film, it just doesn’t have the magic of the first two. But still good and very entertaining for most of its run time.

Don’t worry Al, Animatrix is up next. Tomorrow after work!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 3.5/5

Really dislike this one, bored the hell out of me. All the real world fighting stuff makes me bored as hell, as it's like Terminator 2's opening sequence stretched out with a bit of Aliens mech-suit madness thrown in there for good measure, it's a alright sequence with amazing effects, but I like the Matrix for it's crazy physics-smashing action sequences. And the final fight with Neo and Agent Smith did not gel with me, it was like it was trying to get into a d**k measuring contest with the other films, by going "OH LOOK, LOOK HOW EPIC THIS IS, WE GOT WATER SPLASHING EVERYWHERE, THEY FLYING ALL OVER, DOING ALL THIS EPIC STUFF AND WHAT NOT" it's unnatural, doesn't flow, and has no real threat or danger because all that sequence is, is a ton of over blown CGI. They total screwed up the ending in terms of action, and although the story isn't awful, I just can't care for how they wrapped it up.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Matrix Revolutions

[Show spoiler]
120 minutes

Year: 2003
Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mary Alice, and Harold Perrineau

And then there was The Matrix Revolutions...

I’ll keep this (hopefully) short.

If only the first hour was a bit better!

The last 60 minutes are very exciting, well executed and very great movie making magic by the Wachowski’s. Amazing set pieces, jaw dropping visuals, and wonderfully structured fights that somehow make it easy to follow all the chaos taking place in Zion. Only nitpick here is that I at times forgot who was who, why they were important, and the fact that all of Zion apparently looks the same and all the enemy machines look the exact same kind of made it bland at times. But again, minor nitpick.

Now, back to that first hour

Are we really introduced to even more characters?! This late in the game? And another layer to the puzzle? (much like how Inception suddenly pulled the lame ass “oh yeah, you can actually die in here” card out of nowhere just to make us care about a character and the predicament ) alright, that’s fine.

My biggest issue with the first hour is that none of it feels like the final film in the trilogy. There was very little in terms of… panic, intensity and urgency. Come on now, this is it!

But, once the first hour rolls past, the action and intensity heat up big time. Of course, I really didn’t care about any of these random Zion residence, which takes away the caring affect, but they were still fun to watch.

I was surprised to see the lack of Neo in the film. Holy moly he disappears for close to an hour! I almost forgot he was in the film!

The last battle with Mr. Smith was awesome, as usual
After the film ended, and during the battles I had to refresh my memory as to what happens if Zion would be destroyed and what Neo sacrificing himself actually meant. Kind of got lost in the blur of bullets and constant screaming.

A very solid collection of films, unique and exciting in their own ways. While Revolution lacks the awesome pacing, good structure and classic individual fights of the first two films (which are excellent, and it sucks Revolutions only has one real battle such as this) it isn’t a horrible film, it just doesn’t have the magic of the first two. But still good and very entertaining for most of its run time.

Don’t worry Al, Animatrix is up next. Tomorrow after work!

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 5/5

The Film: 3.5/5

I know most folks despise this last one, but I've always loved it.

Hope you enjoy the "Animatrix." It is worthwhile seeing the prequel episodes, showing how the end of the world came about, and a couple of episodes bridge the gap between the first two movies. It's also the one thing that got me interested in anime in the first place.

[Steve46]

Here's the rest of the list I started yesterday.

My Top 5 Horror Movies


5. The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair



Like The Omen, here’s a film that relies on building suspense. The most frightening thing about the film is what it makes you think, rather than anything shown on the screen. It deals with possession and we see a sweet young girl transformed into a growling demon. Imagine if that were your child. How would you handle the situation? Would you resort to prayer even if you were an atheist? The main actors do a wonderful job of keeping the scenes serious. If they believe it, maybe we can believe it. The effects all had to be produced using whatever props were available and most look pretty good. This is a film that relies on mood and your ability to think beyond what you’re being shown. It’s genuinely frightening if you allow yourself to be drawn in to the story.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.



4. The Mist
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurie Holden



Are you starting to notice a pattern in my choices? The Mist shows what happens when people are forced to abandon the normal rules of behavior. A group of customers take refuge in a supermarket when a strange mist descends. One man rushes in and shouts a warning that there’s something in the mist. Some people believe him, but most don’t. The plot develops and the incidents become more serious, until someone is finally killed. A small group witnesses the event and has to convince the other customers that there’s a real threat. People start to form into groups. One is led by a religious fanatic (Harden) and thinks that some form of human sacrifice is the answer. Another is led by the logical local artist, David Drayton (Jane). It’s interesting to see how people perform under pressure and who the true leaders are when the situation demands it.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.



3. The Birds
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette



Hitchcock loved to deceive audiences and The Birds is a prime example. The first part of the film shows Melanie Daniels (Hedren) randomly encountering Mitch Brenner (Taylor) in a store which sells birds. After Brenner has left, she decides that she would like to know more about him. She purchases two birds and takes a long drive to his hometown. After questioning a few locals, she tracks down his address. The whole setup makes the film look like a traditional romance, but things change when she’s attacked by a bird while rowing across the bay to his home. The attacks start to become more serious and she eventually becomes trapped with Brenner, his mother and his daughter. Hitchcock never explains why the birds are behaving aggressively and doesn’t need to. The group has to battle to survive and the resolution doesn’t completely reveal whether they will be safe. It’s a snapshot in the lives of a few people in an extreme situation.


2. Psycho
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles



More Hitchcock and another deceptive plot. If by some chance you haven't seen the film, please skip the rest of this summary. The plot is fairly simple, but unexpected. A young woman (Leigh) steals money from work and decides to flee the town. The setup leads us to believe that the story will be about her struggle to evade pursuit. But she stops in a motel for the night and is murdered by the owner, Norman Bates (Perkins). I like how Hitchcock makes us root for Bates and we almost want him to avoid being caught. Perkins plays the role perfectly and appears logical and nervous at the same time. The strength of the film is that it could happen. It's more psychological horror than slasher movie and Bates is a character that we can pity. Some of the shocks were original at the time, but probably seem pretty lame now that we know about such techniques. Imagine seeing this 50 years ago. The Blu-ray presentation is incredible.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.


1. The Shining
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd



Kubrick was comfortable working in any genre and The Shining was his attempt at horror. I like so many of his films, but this might be his best. It’s not a strict adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, but I like the changes that he made. Technology probably wasn’t capable of showing Danny’s solo encounter in the hedge maze, but it would have been great to see it. Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is a writer who takes a winter job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. The setting is perfect for a horror movie. He takes his wife (Duvall) and young son (Lloyd) and they plan to live there alone until the hotel re-opens in the spring. All three family members witness weird events. Torrance is a recovering alcoholic and finds that the bar is full of people. The hotel is supposed to be empty. He drinks and talks to the barman. We start to see ghosts of people who lived, stayed or worked at the hotel. The story is about how Torrance loses his grip on reality and becomes a danger to his family. It’s full of mysteries and many are never explained. Kubrick’s film creates its own atmospheric world and it’s good to visit when you’re in the mood.

The first half of the list is in this thread or on my blog.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Here's the rest of the list I started yesterday.

[Show spoiler]
My Top 5 Horror Movies


5. The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin
Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair



Like The Omen, here’s a film that relies on building suspense. The most frightening thing about the film is what it makes you think, rather than anything shown on the screen. It deals with possession and we see a sweet young girl transformed into a growling demon. Imagine if that were your child. How would you handle the situation? Would you resort to prayer even if you were an atheist? The main actors do a wonderful job of keeping the scenes serious. If they believe it, maybe we can believe it. The effects all had to be produced using whatever props were available and most look pretty good. This is a film that relies on mood and your ability to think beyond what you’re being shown. It’s genuinely frightening if you allow yourself to be drawn in to the story.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.



4. The Mist
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurie Holden



Are you starting to notice a pattern in my choices? The Mist shows what happens when people are forced to abandon the normal rules of behavior. A group of customers take refuge in a supermarket when a strange mist descends. One man rushes in and shouts a warning that there’s something in the mist. Some people believe him, but most don’t. The plot develops and the incidents become more serious, until someone is finally killed. A small group witnesses the event and has to convince the other customers that there’s a real threat. People start to form into groups. One is led by a religious fanatic (Harden) and thinks that some form of human sacrifice is the answer. Another is led by the logical local artist, David Drayton (Jane). It’s interesting to see how people perform under pressure and who the true leaders are when the situation demands it.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.



3. The Birds
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette



Hitchcock loved to deceive audiences and The Birds is a prime example. The first part of the film shows Melanie Daniels (Hedren) randomly encountering Mitch Brenner (Taylor) in a store which sells birds. After Brenner has left, she decides that she would like to know more about him. She purchases two birds and takes a long drive to his hometown. After questioning a few locals, she tracks down his address. The whole setup makes the film look like a traditional romance, but things change when she’s attacked by a bird while rowing across the bay to his home. The attacks start to become more serious and she eventually becomes trapped with Brenner, his mother and his daughter. Hitchcock never explains why the birds are behaving aggressively and doesn’t need to. The group has to battle to survive and the resolution doesn’t completely reveal whether they will be safe. It’s a snapshot in the lives of a few people in an extreme situation.


2. Psycho
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles



More Hitchcock and another deceptive plot. If by some chance you haven't seen the film, please skip the rest of this summary. The plot is fairly simple, but unexpected. A young woman (Leigh) steals money from work and decides to flee the town. The setup leads us to believe that the story will be about her struggle to evade pursuit. But she stops in a motel for the night and is murdered by the owner, Norman Bates (Perkins). I like how Hitchcock makes us root for Bates and we almost want him to avoid being caught. Perkins plays the role perfectly and appears logical and nervous at the same time. The strength of the film is that it could happen. It's more psychological horror than slasher movie and Bates is a character that we can pity. Some of the shocks were original at the time, but probably seem pretty lame now that we know about such techniques. Imagine seeing this 50 years ago. The Blu-ray presentation is incredible.

Full review in this thread or on my blog.


1. The Shining
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd



Kubrick was comfortable working in any genre and The Shining was his attempt at horror. I like so many of his films, but this might be his best. It’s not a strict adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, but I like the changes that he made. Technology probably wasn’t capable of showing Danny’s solo encounter in the hedge maze, but it would have been great to see it. Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is a writer who takes a winter job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. The setting is perfect for a horror movie. He takes his wife (Duvall) and young son (Lloyd) and they plan to live there alone until the hotel re-opens in the spring. All three family members witness weird events. Torrance is a recovering alcoholic and finds that the bar is full of people. The hotel is supposed to be empty. He drinks and talks to the barman. We start to see ghosts of people who lived, stayed or worked at the hotel. The story is about how Torrance loses his grip on reality and becomes a danger to his family. It’s full of mysteries and many are never explained. Kubrick’s film creates its own atmospheric world and it’s good to visit when you’re in the mood.

The first half of the list is in this thread or on my blog.

Awesome list! If I made a top 10 horror list, it might not be much different than yours.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Awesome list! If I made a top 10 horror list, it might not be much different than yours.

Amazing

I'm not a huge horror fan and didn't expect a lot of agreement.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Amazing

I'm not a huge horror fan and didn't expect a lot of agreement.

You got a lot of classics on your list, so you can't go wrong there.

I probably would not consider "Needful Things" (which was okay in my book, probably 3.5/5) and "Cronos" (4/5, maybe 4.5/5 at the most; it is a good story), but every other movie there is great!

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

You got a lot of classics on your list, so you can't go wrong there.

I probably would not consider "Needful Things" (which was okay in my book, probably 3.5/5) and "Cronos" (4/5, maybe 4.5/5 at the most; it is a good story), but every other movie there is great!

I read Needful Things so maybe I add things into the movie that only exist from my memory of the book?

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I read Needful Things so maybe I add things into the movie that only exist from my memory of the book?

That could probably help a lot. I haven't read it, so the movie might have come off as weird.

Reading the book versions of movies has helped me on certain ones (like "LOTR," "A Clockwork Orange," "The DaVinci Code," and "Battlefield Earth" and all its horrid glory). They usually are better than the movies, if not mostly the same. They usually have more information, detail, etc.

One exception was "Children of Men." Loved the movie; couldn't get into the book at all.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That could probably help a lot. I haven't read it, so the movie might have come off as weird.

Reading the book versions of movies has helped me on certain ones (like "LOTR," "A Clockwork Orange," "The DaVinci Code," and "Battlefield Earth" and all its horrid glory). They usually are better than the movies, if not mostly the same. They usually have more information, detail, etc.

One exception was "Children of Men." Loved the movie; couldn't get into the book at all.

Reading Dune helps massively.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Reading Dune helps massively.

Ooooohhh yeah... the video game helped me back then, but the book is definitely worthwhile. I think the Sci-Fi channel miniseries adapted the book well, but David Lynch's film has the best style and intensity.