The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jvince]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I know what you mean. I've put it in and out of my amazon cart 3-4 times

Its not because I don't want the other films, but I just want Mulholland Drive on its own, as its one of my all-time favorites too. Still can't believe its not out yet!!!

Criterion better release Mulholland next year.

Has anyone tried e-mailing them? I got a ton of films that I'd like to see in the Collection.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

12 Angry Men is so good! Especially if you're interested in courtroom dramas or keep up on trial news and juries , like the OJ and Casey Anthony trial - it really gives a "fly on the wall" view of what goes on INSIDE the jury room.

Yep, 12 Angry Men is great. One of the greatest black-and-white and single-location films ever made.

[Steve46]

Blue Velvet is just $12.01 in the Deep Discount sale if anyone is interested.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I know what you mean. I've put it in and out of my amazon cart 3-4 times

Its not because I don't want the other films, but I just want Mulholland Drive on its own, as its one of my all-time favorites too. Still can't believe its not out yet!!!

I never have since I don't want to blind buy them all just to blind buy Mulholland Drive. Like I said though, if a studio ever releases it by itself here in the US, then I'd snatch it up.

I know what you mean. Criterions are definitely high risk "blind buys". I blind bought a lot and have struck gold for the most part, thank god. The good news is the resale value is so high.

Like I also said, I'm happy in the end with how my first 7 Criterion blind buys ended up and my last one was a success as well (Dazed and Confused), but I still have to pick and choose since I'm not as big of a fan of some of the styles of movies they choose to release as some other people that buy a ton of Criterions are. You are right about the resale value as well. I didn't lose that much overall from the 3 I ended up getting rid of.

12 Angry Men is so good! Especially if you're interested in courtroom dramas or keep up on trial news and juries , like the OJ and Casey Anthony trial - it really gives a "fly on the wall" view of what goes on INSIDE the jury room.

I do like some courtroom dramas (A Time to Kill is one of my favorite movies), but given the amount of new releases coming out, I'll likely play it safe with 12 Angry Men and rent it (and then buy it during the next sale if I like it). That's why I'm likely just going with the Three Colors Trilogy and Dazed and Confused for this sale.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I never have since I don't want to blind buy them all just to blind buy Mulholland Drive. Like I said though, if a studio ever releases it by itself here in the US, then I'd snatch it up.



Like I also said, I'm happy in the end with how my first 7 Criterion blind buys ended up and my last one was a success as well (Dazed and Confused), but I still have to pick and choose since I'm not as big of a fan of some of the styles of movies they choose to release as some other people that buy a ton of Criterions are. You are right about the resale value as well. I didn't lose that much overall from the 3 I ended up getting rid of.



I do like some courtroom dramas (A Time to Kill is one of my favorite movies), but given the amount of new releases coming out, I'll likely play it safe with 12 Angry Men and rent it (and then buy it during the next sale if I like it). That's why I'm likely just going with the Three Colors Trilogy and Dazed and Confused for this sale.

DVD Beaver has reviewed Three Colors and loves the presentation.

The Lynch trilogy is region free and under $50 at Grooves Inc. if you like them on Facebook for an additional 10 percent off.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Sweet! I'm going to have to check it out!

Originally Posted by jvince

You really should. It's a classic. And try to check out Birdemic too.

It's true, check it out NOW!

Got Birdemic and Human Centipede 2 coming this week

Luckily I also found Kubrick collection on Blu-ray for £25, so I'll be buying that one this week!

[tbizzle]

The Karate Kid - 3.25/5

Pretty enjoyable flick, though it's a bit more geared towards young teens than I expected. First off... dude is a mini Will! There must have been a dozen lines where I saw a ton of that unique Will Smith comedic flair in Jaden's lines, it was trippy! Overall I thought he did a good job (physically and emotionally) and Jackie gave a pretty good performance as well. It was plenty overly dramatic at times and some of the script was pretty hoaky and unbelievable, especially in regards to Han's problems, but that didn't take too much away from enjoying the film. I think 2 key points would've made the film much better: Jaden and his piers being a bit older and naming it The Kung Fu kid instead of The Karate Kid

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Steve46

DVD Beaver has reviewed Three Colors and loves the presentation.

The Lynch trilogy is region free and under $50 at Grooves Inc. if you like them on Facebook for an additional 10 percent off.

Yeah, I read their reviews for it. The fact that Criterion did such a good job with them (no surprise) makes it easier.

Give me about $40 and we'll call it a day since I've already said I only want Mulholland Drive.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Sophie Scholl is an excellent film. Interesting fact: most of the interrogation dialogue is taken from the actual recorded transcripts.

Doesn't surprise me.Like I said,really good movie.I think the opening was the grabber for me although didn't understand why they made a second run when handing out those leaflets-did they do that in real life,or was that just dramatology?Wonder what Wim Wenders would have done with this material?Maybe not his material,but to me he is one of these days top directors.

Originally Posted by Steve46

After almost three years of collecting Blu-rays, I finally own my top 10 films of all time in HD. The final addition is hard to place into any category, so I'll just say it's Lynch.

Blue Velvet 5/5



Eraserhead was the film that started it all for many Lynch fans, but I consider Blue Velvet the first film to show his signature style in its full glory. Eraserhead is more disjointed, while Elephant Man and Dune are more straightforward stories that don't fit as easily in Lynch's twisted world.

Think of Blue Velvet as the beginning. The lines between the real world and fantasy are blurred. Kyle MacLachlan explores the dark world underneath the shiny surface of American suburbia, with the help of Laura Dern. The story is dominated by Dennis Hopper's portrayal of Frank Booth and wouldn't be the same without Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy.

It's easy to see how Twin Peaks emerged. MacLachlan playing an FBI agent was just an extension of his character in Blue Velvet. Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr. and Inland Empire all evoke similar feelings. I consider those five films and Twin Peaks as the heart of David Lynch's worlds.

Talking of worlds, the setting for Blue Velvet certainly transports the viewer into another world. That's what I like most about Lynch. He'll shock you, make you laugh and scare you, but his genius is world creation. Although these settings are familiar to us, something isn't quite right. You're always trying to find out what's different or wrong and it adds to the air of mystery.

I'm delighted to finally own Blue Velvet on Blu-ray. So if you are a fan of the film, why should you buy it?

It's ridiculously cheap for one thing. The picture quality is much better than I expected from a 25-year-old film. Colors are bright and detail is well-defined, considering that many scenes are shot in dark surroundings. The main flaw is the presence of white speckles throughout the presentation. Lynch supervised the Blu-ray project and it's almost as good as you could imagine. I would rate it a 4 or 4.5 out of 5 and I'm very happy.

The other major reason to add this to your collection is the discovery of footage previously thought lost. The film is still presented in its original 2-hour version, but there are an additional 51 minutes of lost scenes included among the special features (in HD). If you love the characters and their world, the extra 51 minutes are an exciting find. Some of the scenes develop parts of the story, while others are oddities that don't really fit. I'm delighted to have this new information about a film I have come to love.

This is the most exciting catalog release of the year so far for me. With the Three Colors Trilogy and 12 Angry Men about to be released, November is a memorable month for Blu-ray.

Glad you enjoyed Blue Velvet.Think it is the crowning achievement of Mr. Lynch.Have ordered the german version of the movie,just hope it is as good as the US.If not,I'll get the US version.My rating of Lynch work is this:Blue velvet followed closely by Eraserhead-out of pure cinematic enjoyment.Wild at heart,The straight story and Elephant man.Have not cared much for his recent work Will get his debut album,out next week.Think maybe that suits me more where I'm at now

[iam1bearcat]

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 4.5/5

had to watch this twice because i was thrown off at how different the tone was than i expected.

make no mistake - this is a drama as much, if not more than a comedy.

don't get me wrong, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hilarious at times, and some of the jokes and funny are downright genius is their timing and pacing, but the film also is one hell of a trip down "Real Life Avenue" full of heartache, awkward moments, and various types of tragedy

first time through i was expecting big laughs - got some, walked away confounded.

then went back and said, "duh! this is a drama AND a comedy!" and watched it again which made it much more enjoyable

Ryan Gosling steals the show Steve Carell continues to show how he can be hilarious and heartwarming and an "every family man" kind of guy (much like in Dan in Real Life), Julianne Moore was solid and is expected to be the least "liked" of the characters, along with having the least amount of jokes, and Emma Stone () doesn't have nearly enough screen time

i was also curious as to how the film would end... the film was doing such a great job at making relationships and certain scenarios feel very real, how could they end it happily, which all Americans seem to NEED to enjoy a film without the feel coming off as cheesy or false?

luckily the film does a mix of both
some scenarios end happily and others end with big question marks, just like life - nothing is set in stone. and that's exactly how Crazy, Stupid, Love. plays out - very much like real life. not ALL of it, but a good amount.

a wonderful blind buy

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 4.5/5

had to watch this twice because i was thrown off at how different the tone was than i expected.

make no mistake - this is a drama as much, if not more than a comedy.

don't get me wrong, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hilarious at times, and some of the jokes and funny are downright genius is their timing and pacing, but the film also is one hell of a trip down "Real Life Avenue" full of heartache, awkward moments, and various types of tragedy

first time through i was expecting big laughs - got some, walked away confounded.

then went back and said, "duh! this is a drama AND a comedy!" and watched it again which made it much more enjoyable

Ryan Gosling steals the show Steve Carell continues to show how he can be hilarious and heartwarming and an "every family man" kind of guy (much like in Dan in Real Life), Julianne Moore was solid and is expected to be the least "liked" of the characters, along with having the least amount of jokes, and Emma Stone () doesn't have nearly enough screen time

i was also curious as to how the film would end... the film was doing such a great job at making relationships and certain scenarios feel very real, how could they end it happily, which all Americans seem to NEED to enjoy a film without the feel coming off as cheesy or false?

luckily the film does a mix of both
some scenarios end happily and others end with big question marks, just like life - nothing is set in stone. and that's exactly how Crazy, Stupid, Love. plays out - very much like real life. not ALL of it, but a good amount.

a wonderful blind buy

Yeah I look forward to snagging this later when the combo pack price drops, I would have to say so far Emma Stone's screen time was woefully lacking in each movie I've seen her in.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 4.5/5

[Show spoiler]had to watch this twice because i was thrown off at how different the tone was than i expected.

make no mistake - this is a drama as much, if not more than a comedy.

don't get me wrong, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hilarious at times, and some of the jokes and funny are downright genius is their timing and pacing, but the film also is one hell of a trip down "Real Life Avenue" full of heartache, awkward moments, and various types of tragedy

first time through i was expecting big laughs - got some, walked away confounded.

then went back and said, "duh! this is a drama AND a comedy!" and watched it again which made it much more enjoyable

Ryan Gosling steals the show Steve Carell continues to show how he can be hilarious and heartwarming and an "every family man" kind of guy (much like in Dan in Real Life), Julianne Moore was solid and is expected to be the least "liked" of the characters, along with having the least amount of jokes, and Emma Stone () doesn't have nearly enough screen time

i was also curious as to how the film would end... the film was doing such a great job at making relationships and certain scenarios feel very real, how could they end it happily, which all Americans seem to NEED to enjoy a film without the feel coming off as cheesy or false?

luckily the film does a mix of both
some scenarios end happily and others end with big question marks, just like life - nothing is set in stone. and that's exactly how Crazy, Stupid, Love. plays out - very much like real life. not ALL of it, but a good amount.

a wonderful blind buy

I am really looking forward to finally watching this soon. I passed on blind buying it only because I knew I wouldn't be able to get to it before it was available on Netflix, so I figured I'd just wait for a sale to actually buy it since there is a lot coming out now. Still, I have had very high expectations for this ever since the trailers started for it and I expect to share your rating for it.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 4.5/5

[Show spoiler]had to watch this twice because i was thrown off at how different the tone was than i expected.

make no mistake - this is a drama as much, if not more than a comedy.

don't get me wrong, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hilarious at times, and some of the jokes and funny are downright genius is their timing and pacing, but the film also is one hell of a trip down "Real Life Avenue" full of heartache, awkward moments, and various types of tragedy

first time through i was expecting big laughs - got some, walked away confounded.

then went back and said, "duh! this is a drama AND a comedy!" and watched it again which made it much more enjoyable

Ryan Gosling steals the show Steve Carell continues to show how he can be hilarious and heartwarming and an "every family man" kind of guy (much like in Dan in Real Life), Julianne Moore was solid and is expected to be the least "liked" of the characters, along with having the least amount of jokes, and Emma Stone () doesn't have nearly enough screen time

i was also curious as to how the film would end... the film was doing such a great job at making relationships and certain scenarios feel very real, how could they end it happily, which all Americans seem to NEED to enjoy a film without the feel coming off as cheesy or false?

luckily the film does a mix of both
some scenarios end happily and others end with big question marks, just like life - nothing is set in stone. and that's exactly how Crazy, Stupid, Love. plays out - very much like real life. not ALL of it, but a good amount.

a wonderful blind buy

I love family man Steve Carrell! I'm looking forward to this one, glad to hear that you liked it so much!

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 4.5/5

had to watch this twice because i was thrown off at how different the tone was than i expected.

make no mistake - this is a drama as much, if not more than a comedy.

don't get me wrong, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hilarious at times, and some of the jokes and funny are downright genius is their timing and pacing, but the film also is one hell of a trip down "Real Life Avenue" full of heartache, awkward moments, and various types of tragedy

first time through i was expecting big laughs - got some, walked away confounded.

then went back and said, "duh! this is a drama AND a comedy!" and watched it again which made it much more enjoyable

Ryan Gosling steals the show Steve Carell continues to show how he can be hilarious and heartwarming and an "every family man" kind of guy (much like in Dan in Real Life), Julianne Moore was solid and is expected to be the least "liked" of the characters, along with having the least amount of jokes, and Emma Stone () doesn't have nearly enough screen time

i was also curious as to how the film would end... the film was doing such a great job at making relationships and certain scenarios feel very real, how could they end it happily, which all Americans seem to NEED to enjoy a film without the feel coming off as cheesy or false?

luckily the film does a mix of both
some scenarios end happily and others end with big question marks, just like life - nothing is set in stone. and that's exactly how Crazy, Stupid, Love. plays out - very much like real life. not ALL of it, but a good amount.

a wonderful blind buy

Just saw it again tonite after buying it today--I saw it in theaters too. Fantastic film and a must-own for the genre.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

still havent got to finish the last hour on this viewing

but yes, generally I agree with that, and do like your (A) analysis above and will probably go that route. I was being facietous in those "morals of the film" above (maybe should have made it clearer with faces, but figured you guys knew). But I do like the chilling irony of the dad

[Show spoiler]adopting the beliefs and actions of Jim Jones' sister

, as it does help in a (B) route if I go that way

Kool-aid baby, Kool-aid.

oh i meant to ask you:

[Show spoiler]after the dinosaur birds attack, a store clerk says "she was right (religious wackjob). she said creatures would come at night and would kill one of us!". at THAT POINT (before dad leaves), it seems that logic/evidence would indicate that one should keep following religious wacko's advice (she already made one prediction right), no? logic/evidence doesn't care about ideology? this is along the (B) theory, so i'm sure you'd disagree, but wanted your take.

Utter coincidence IMO. I'm guessing the Dad assumed the same.

oh dude, I received a "squid recommendation" today: 9!!! i know i know, still no Breaking Bad, season 3. i'm too cheap , do you think it'll go down for black friday?

I hope you like 9. I dig the "look" of the world, the mood, the atmosphere and the music.

Breaking Bad will probably dip for Black Friday. Do you have Netflix?

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Kool-aid baby, Kool-aid.

I remember when my buddy let me borrow a Jim JOnes film with Powers Boothe. He was BORN for that role!

I hope you like 9. I dig the "look" of the world, the mood, the atmosphere and the music.

Breaking Bad will probably dip for Black Friday. Do you have Netflix?

I already watched 9 - great!!! I just had it on pricetracker and it dipped to like $8!! crazy price for it. I love how DEEP the themes are with

[Show spoiler]each dude being a part of the soul, or wahtever

. perfect for endless viewings, right?

i HAD netflix. honestly, it wasn't just the price increases and business decisions, but the biggest reason i'm not with them now is that they have ALMOST NO classic blu-rays (<1970). what's up with that? someone told me about a classic netflix company (can't remember name). might go with them, and do redbox for new releases....or i might just suck it up and re-join after I get off my soap box

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah, I was trying to be funny and serious at the same time:

[Show spoiler]the irony is NUCLEAR that he adopted the beliefs and actions of the religious wackjob he detested, even exceeding the irony of him getting rescued after shooting his son

. and yes, the "morals of the film" i listed was a faceitious joke which is just an extension of that irony

I dont think he adopted the ways of the wacko. The wacko didnt believe in suicide. Her plan was to OFFER human sacrifices to the beasts in order to keep herself safe. She wanted to give one per day to "please" the beasts. None of her followers were bright enough to ask "What happens when we run out?".

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I dont think he adopted the ways of the wacko. The wacko didnt believe in suicide. Her plan was to OFFER human sacrifices to the beasts in order to keep herself safe. She wanted to give one per day to "please" the beasts. None of her followers were bright enough to ask "What happens when we run out?".

I'll have to finish my second viewing, but it seemed that the Dad and his crew thought she believed in suicide (hence the kool-aid and Jim Jones quote). Regarding "keeping herself alive", she didn't seem

[Show spoiler]too worried about freeing herself when a dinosaur bird landed on her and she said calmly "take me , if it be thy will" (or soemthing like that) and it flew away, but I guess that bird was already on her a$$!

.
One could argue that the Dad did the same thing as her:

[Show spoiler] he "offered" his friends and his son up, to save himself ...from feeling bad (yes he felt HORRIBLE shooting his son, but only because he'd feel MORE HORRIBLE at watching him get eaten alive, hence shooting the son was to selfishly avoid the MORE HORRIBLE feeling). Saving one's life and saving one from a bad feeling is still a selfish form of self-preservation. The fact that he turned out to be wrong doesn't change his intentions at the time of the "offering"

But overall, I agree that she was

[Show spoiler]the more selfish of the two and the dad was more well-intentioned

, plus the squid analysis of

[Show spoiler]his endless suffering on him being "wrong" is adequate retribution for the horrific act of his son shooting

. I do prefer that interpretation!

[Al_The_Strange]

^^^ I think the squidster's interpretations are spot-on. I'm sure it's the same way I viewed the story, but failed to articulate.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

You watched the 3rd first?!

Heh, doesn't really matter with an action comedy series, but I'm sure it would be a lot more enjoyable after seeing the first two so you can appreciate their friendship more. Btw, the first is by far the best of the 3.

I probably will check out the first two "Rush Hour" films at some point. I'm just not in a big rush to. It wouldn't surprise me if one or both of them are better than #3.

Originally Posted by Diesel

The first time I liked it but didn't plan on buying it.

Then I scored it for a really good price so I decided to give it a go and have loved it in its multiple repeat viewings

4.5/5

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Great review! Great analysis with the reasons people (me included) didn't like it that much. I'll give this one another try, because I love Nolan so much. Its possible that the explicit themes and/or rules of interpretation are necessary here. They just didn't work for me. Other dream/surreal films I love (Last Year Marienbad, Eyes Wide Shut, Mulholland Drive) don't have these explicit themes/rules of interpretation, as you point out, so the imagination is free to roam, but as you also accurately point out, the cost of this is that the audience attention level must be so elevated that a mass blockbuster is probably out of reach.

For me it comes down to this: When explicit themes/rules of interpretation are introduced, its like a parent showing up to chaperone a party, which would otherwise be wild and free!

(but as you point out: sometimes that chaperone is needed or the party gets too crazy!)

Right on!

I do encourage another viewing. I really don't know if it'll stick to you better on the second viewing, but it did to me and Diesel.

[Al_The_Strange]

Just placed my orders on the B&N Criterion sale. I'll be expecting to get:

"Battle of Algiers" (seen it before, it's the bomb)
"High and Low" (blind-buy, Kurosawa is the man)
"Island of Lost Souls" (blind-buy, looks classy)
"Kuroneko" (blind-buy, looks creepy)
"Robinson Crusoe on Mars" (blind-buy, because it's sci-fi )
"Salo" (again )

Looking forward to them already. What did everybody else get?