The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Where can I look up what is coming next from Ghibli?

From Up On Poppy Hill - Movie Trailer - YouTube

It's already out overseas and it's been said to be very good

[Steve46]

Amazon has Grave of the Fireflies pre-order for $21.99 (November 12).

[SquidPuppet]

Thanks guys. Yeah, Grave of the Fireflies is day one.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Amazon has Grave of the Fireflies pre-order for $21.99 (November 12).

Sweet! I'm ready to cry in high definition!

[Al_The_Strange]

Upon putting "Grave of the Fireflies" in my wishlist, I happened across a certain anime film that I didn't realize existed. Of all the stories I've read and seen on the screen, it's my top favorite (yes, even trumping the "Lord of the Rings" films). It came out as an excellent anime some ten years ago, but it looks like it's been remade. So naturally, my heart stopped for a nanosecond and I was overcome with endorphins. That saga is...



I don't care if it is only 77 minutes long, this will be day one for me! Frakk yeah!

I encourage everyone to go forth and watch the original series or read the manga...if you dare!

EDIT:

You know, between this, more Miyazaki, and preorders up for "Hellsing Ultimate" (all volumes, nonetheless) and "Black Lagoon," this is one awesome year for anime. All we need now is the next Evangelion remake (...seriously, where is it?!).

[CoolRanch]

Had a Rocky movie marathon with my uncle over the weekend. Previously I had not seen any of the films, and I enjoyed them, well, most of them. Since I don't really have time to write an entire review for each of them, I included a couple brief thoughts about them.

Rocky: The perfect underdog story introducing the world to one of cinema's most likable characters, a classic. 8/10

Rocky II: Just as epic as the first, this time around with more emotional depth. 8/10

Rocky III: Decent enough, it's hard not to enjoy Mr. T's way over-the-top performance as Clubber Lang, and an appearance by Hulk Hogan doesn't hurt either, but something about the Rocky character just didn't seem the same. 6/10

Rocky IV: From the random robot gift to Paulie to Rocky's "world peace" speech at the end, this one is extremely cheesy, but that is what is makes it so darn enjoyable. 7/10

Rocky V: Easily the worst in the series, this one had family clichés and some cringe-worthy dialogue, and an unpleasantness that the other movies didn't have. 3/10

Rocky Balboa: A great and loving revival of the franchise, but the implausibility prevented it from being a masterpiece. 7/10

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest rental: "A Night to Remember"

Most of it is the exact same as "Titanic." What a rip-off...even if it did come out first.

I wasn't expecting much; the film certainly started off a little dry. As it went on and it got down to showing the Titanic sinking and people going nuts, it certainly got interesting. What's really nice is that it's not three hours long like I thought it was (stupid Lovefilm envelope was wrong on that one), and it doesn't have the sappy romance or melodrama that made "Titanic" a turn-off for many folks.

The story doesn't really capitalize on the characters, but in a semi-documentary fashion, shows the story of all characters rather than just one or two. The film does a fine job of capturing the events, and it all appears accurate. It's really exceptional for showing how civility breaks down in the face of an emergency.

The film looks nice, in glorious black-and-white photography. No complaints about the old-timey acting and writing, or the production value.

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

Recommendation: Sure. It's a classic.

On Blu-Ray, it looks very sharp and clean, with phenomenal contrast levels. There are some specks and scratches, but it's never overbearing. Sound quality is not bad.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4/5

I assume this Blu-Ray is region locked.






I still like "Titanic" better.

*takes off running...slips on the deck and falls into the water, hitting all the guardrails along the way*

[lDlisturb3d]

So im going to attempt to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey tomorrow. Any advice as i keep falling asleep during the movie.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

So im going to attempt to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey tomorrow. Any advice as i keep falling asleep during the movie.

I figure you can either keep your eyes active by focusing on the impressive model-work and funkoid cinematography, or you can keep your mind busy by trying to figure out what the frakk is going on.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

So im going to attempt to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey tomorrow. Any advice as i keep falling asleep during the movie.

Ecstasy

[jvince]

An American in Paris (1951)
Now this is a musical. Call me crazy all you want, but I think An American in Paris is a hundred times better than Singin' in the Rain; it is tighter, more focused, more whimsical, more enchanting, more magical, and more romantic. Every single person involved seem to be genuinely having so much fun during filming, it's infectious even to the viewer; this is one of those films that kept me smiling the whole way through. The Gershwin songs are all absolutely wonderful. The cinematography is so colorful and so visually stunning, most notably during that 16-minute ballet sequence that rivals that of Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes; it's definitely one of the most amazingly epic sequences I have ever seen. The plot may be simple -- which is commonly cited as the film's main fault -- but sometimes, simple is best. Even despite its commonplace love story, the chemistry between Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron is so perfect, they make it work; they sell it so well, you'd easily overlook it; they make you believe they're really in love (unlike with Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain), and I think that's all that matters in the end. Last, but certainly not the least, Vincente Minnelli. G*d. Damn. His eye for detail is so impeccable. Such a masterful, masterful work. A new favorite, no doubt about it.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Secret World of Arrietty

[Show spoiler]I finally got to squeeze a movie in between all the TV series that I am watching.

The Secret World of Arrietty is magically perfect, and perfectly magical.

The story is cool. There is adventure, danger, family messages, friendship messages and young romance.

The animation is beautiful.

The music is fantastic.

The pacing is so different than American animation, with shots that linger and allow the viewer to ponder the moment.

The best movie I have seen in a year and a half. I dont mean the best animated movie, I mean the best movie. Everything about it just clicked for me.

Film 5/5
PQ 5/5
AQ 5/5 The sound editing and design were fantastic. Added tons of life to the movie.

One of my top five this year.

Have you seen Moonrise and Cabin yet?

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

So im going to attempt to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey tomorrow. Any advice as i keep falling asleep during the movie.

I've seen this fully only once, but I didn't fall asleep (unlike Tarkovskiy's Solaris ). It was fascinating and I appreciated it, but I didn't love it. I've seen parts of it since though, and I think it's starting to grow on me. I have it on my DVR and I'm planning to watch the whole thing for the second time soon.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by jvince

I've seen this fully only once, but I didn't fall asleep (unlike Tarkovskiy's Solaris ). It was fascinating and I appreciated it, but I didn't love it. I've seen parts of it since though, and I think it's starting to grow on me. I have it on my DVR and I'm planning to watch the whole thing for the second time soon.

First and only time I've watched it was when I was recovering from a nasty dog attack and I was off school, it was a pretty interesting film, I wasn't quite bored enough to shut it off completely or invested enough to really be involved in it, but it was a unique interesting film that got a from me

Got free tickets to an early screening of Australian comedy A Few Best Men that's been spamming TV at the moment, don't really know what to expect, doesn't look too funny but doesn't look too bad Although any comedy that uses Ballroom Blitz in it's trailer doesn't quite gel with me

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jvince

One of my top five this year.

Have you seen Moonrise and Cabin yet?

Moonrise doesnt have a release date yet at Netflix, so it'll be a while. Cabin releases 9/18/12.

[KingRad]

Gone Baby Gone - I really don't know what to say. I just finished watching this film for the first time and I'm still in shock. It has been a long time since I've seen a movie this moving. When the credits rolled I just sat there staring at the TV in awe. My fiancee and I didn't look at each other nor say a word, but I think we were feeling the same way. Such a powerful and authentic feeling film. I'm sad it took me five years to see it.

10/10

[P@t_Mtl]

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Based on a novella from Stephen King but it's fair to say the movie as outclass the novella by now. I remember seeing the trailer back in 1994 and be quite intrigued at what this movie was about. Not being a big fan of King's work I was not too sure about this movie. I actually got to see it later in 1995 after the Oscars when it finaly showed up on The Movie Network up here in Canada. To say I was very surprised would really not cover it. It's a wonderful movie with all the right elements, directing, acting, music...It's unfortunate that the ending can only be experience once with it's full effect but still, I come back to it every four or five years. This time was my first viewing in HD but for this movie the HD is just icing on the cake. The movie was wonderful even on VHS.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Based on a novella from Stephen King but it's fair to say the movie as outclass the novella by now. I remember seeing the trailer back in 1994 and be quite intrigued at what this movie was about. Not being a big fan of King's work I was not too sure about this movie. I actually got to see it later in 1995 after the Oscars when it finaly showed up on The Movie Network up here in Canada. To say I was very surprised would really not cover it. It's a wonderful movie with all the right elements, directing, acting, music...It's unfortunate that the ending can only be experience once with it's full effect but still, I come back to it every four or five years. This time was my first viewing in HD but for this movie the HD is just icing on the cake. The movie was wonderful even on VHS.

Pat,

Have you seen The Green Mile (another King story adapted by Darabont)?

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Pat,

Have you seen The Green Mile (another King story adapted by Darabont)?

No never seen it!

The main trouble is I am not a very big fan of King. My aunt (who is more like a sister because our age different is very slim) as tried for years to get me to like him and sadly she never manage to make it so.

Books : The only book of King I ever manage to complete was The Stand. When The Dark Tower books started some years ago she tried to have me read those. I started with book one and just could not finish, he just bore's me.

Movies : I seen Carrie, The Shinning, Christine and that one where all the appliances come to life (darn it the title is escaping me right now) Oh yes! Also seen The Running Man but most people just don't even know it's based off a King's book.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

No never seen it!

The main trouble is I am not a very big fan of King. My aunt (who is more like a sister because our age different is very slim) as tried for years to get me to like him and sadly she never manage to make it so.

Books : The only book of King I ever manage to complete was The Stand. When The Dark Tower books started some years ago she tried to have me read those. I started with book one and just could not finish, he just bore's me.

Movies : I seen Carrie, The Shinning, Christine and that one where all the appliances come to life (darn it the title is escaping me right now) Oh yes! Also seen The Running Man but most people just don't even know it's based off a King's book.

Honestly, you need to see The Green Mile. It's not horror.

Here's my review: http://intheframefilmreviews.blogspo...phen-king.html

I'll give you your money back if you don't like it.

[P@t_Mtl]

Thanks for the review. It never occured to me that it's also directed byFrank Darabont. So I added it to my rental list, just need to be patient now. I have the basic plan which give's me 1 disc at a time and max of three per month so it's not a good plan for someone who is not patient