The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

180 degrees for me.

Right on.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I received Prometheus in the mail today. I'm eager to see which side I land on, as it seems to be a somewhat divisive movie.

I'm thinking you might dislike it, if for no other reason than characters do tend to make irrational decisions.

I wasn't going to get this, opting to receive it as a Christmas present. But once I saw that only the 3D version had the complete load of extras, I decided to just go ahead and get it, because that'll be the edition I'd want (and I know my folks won't get it, because they think 3D sucks). So, I'm still waiting for mine.

If I wind up getting a second copy for Christmas, I'll just pretend I don't have it already.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I'm thinking you might dislike it, if for no other reason than characters do tend to make irrational decisions.

That is the only thing I have read that makes me feel a bit wary.

I can easily suspend disbelief for good sci-fi when it come to crazy technologies, gadgets, time travel etc., but I find it jarring when a character does something that strikes me as way out of his/her character. From what I know, I guess some REALLY smart characters make some REALLY dumb choices.

I loved the evironments and moods in Alien and Aliens, so I'll just try to lose myself in the visuals.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I received Prometheus in the mail today. I'm eager to see which side I land on, as it seems to be a somewhat divisive movie.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: Das Testament Des Dr. Mabuse

Why? Because it came as a really wicked Steelbook!

[Show spoiler]

More importantly, it comes from one of the few old-time directors I'm willing to invest time and money into: Fritz Lang, the dude who brought Metropolis, Die Nibelungen, and M into our worlds. That makes this here film the fourth of his that I've seen.

It's also the first and only Dr. Mabuse film I've seen, much less heard of. I have no real clue how popular these films were back in the day, but since they made at least a few of them, I assume they must have been something. Mabuse is a character who ought to go down as the progenitor of all modern supervillains, providing the influence and inspiration for such dudes as the James Bond nemesis, Blofeld.

Anyway, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse does a fine and dandy job of establishing a decent enough hook and some groundwork exposition to lure in the audience, without necessarily having to know or understand the previous films. Pacing can be rather slow, on the same level as M. The mystery plot and drama helps keep things moving for a while, up until the final act, when all the cool stuff comes out. The most thrilling sequences included scenes where two groups of people were holed up somewhere and had to struggle to get out: one being all the bad guys stuck in their apartment in a police standoff, and the other being a couple of good guys stuck in a deathtrap. Those scenes rocked. Then there was an awesome 'splosion, and a car chase, and by 1930s standards, it was sweet!

The story is not bad. If there's anything to complain about, it's that I never felt the stakes were all that high, or else I never felt the dire threat of this criminal mastermind at work, even though he came up with such an elaborate and dastardly plan to upset the social order. Otherwise, the story is pretty sound, and populated with a fine cast of characters.

The film looks gorgeous, with superb photography and editing. Acting is really great, and the writing is alright. This production has plenty of sets, props, and costumes that still hold up. This film has had a rather interesting history, for Fritz Lang had intentionally taken the actions and words of the Nazi regime and implanted them in the villains, causing the film to be banned. In time, it received better exposure and care, and has now been painstakingly restored/reconstructed from various masters for a decent high-definition presentation (well, in the UK anyway).

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Good | Film: Perfect)

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

On Blu-Ray, this film has its fair share of specks, scratches, soft spots, etc, but is still good and sharp, with strong contrast levels. Sound quality has clear dialogue and sound effects, but may be slightly marred with airiness and noise. It's about as strong (or as weak) of a transfer as M.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5

This disc is region-locked.

[menaceuk]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Right on.





I'm thinking you might dislike it, if for no other reason than characters do tend to make irrational decisions.

I wasn't going to get this, opting to receive it as a Christmas present. But once I saw that only the 3D version had the complete load of extras, I decided to just go ahead and get it, because that'll be the edition I'd want (and I know my folks won't get it, because they think 3D sucks). So, I'm still waiting for mine.

If I wind up getting a second copy for Christmas, I'll just pretend I don't have it already.

Considering how weak and bland the characters are it may be the least of his worries.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: Hanna

[Show spoiler]Breezing through some other people's reviews, it seems to be a huge love-it-or-hate-it film. Reasons to hate it: it's quite a strange, disjointed feature that slaps drop-dead seriousness together with subtle dark humor and style, in a fashion that will work for some people and won't work for others. You could say it's like mixing oil and water.

That being said, I didn't think the mixture was that bad. In fact, I didn't see that much wrong with the film at all. I loved the action and fighting. I loved the film's look and style. I loved the acting and the cinematography. I even love the music. So yeah, I dug the film.

The story didn't seem terribly substantial; kinda weird actually. But, it works, and it has some wicked twists and turns.

As mentioned above, I loved most everything about the film's craftsmanship. I think most people would agree that the acting is spot-on, even if everything else is disagreeable.

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

Recommendation: Rental.

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds incredible.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5

Is it only a rental despite the quality scores because some people here didn't like it? Just wondering since the score and recommendation don't seem to match otherwise.

Myself, I loved the movie. One of my better blind buys from 2011.

I also really liked the score by The Chemical Brothers. I ended up buying the soundtrack.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: Hanna

Breezing through some other people's reviews, it seems to be a huge love-it-or-hate-it film. Reasons to hate it: it's quite a strange, disjointed feature that slaps drop-dead seriousness together with subtle dark humor and style, in a fashion that will work for some people and won't work for others. You could say it's like mixing oil and water.

That being said, I didn't think the mixture was that bad. In fact, I didn't see that much wrong with the film at all. I loved the action and fighting. I loved the film's look and style. I loved the acting and the cinematography. I even love the music. So yeah, I dug the film.

The story didn't seem terribly substantial; kinda weird actually. But, it works, and it has some wicked twists and turns.

As mentioned above, I loved most everything about the film's craftsmanship. I think most people would agree that the acting is spot-on, even if everything else is disagreeable.

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

Recommendation: Rental.

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds incredible.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5

How far did your jaw drop during that Eric Bana/Subway/fight sequence/swirling-tracking shot? The film is just loaded with sumptuous sights and sounds like that.. And i really view the film much more as a Coming of age fairytale, so plot holes can go f&@$ themselves.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

How far did your jaw drop during that Eric Bana/Subway/fight sequence/swirling-tracking shot? The film is just loaded with sumptuous sights and sounds like that.. And i really view the film much more as a Coming of age fairytale, so plot holes can go f&@$ themselves.

You're spot on by calling it a fairytale. It's intended to be a fairytale, with some rather obvious points thrown in.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

Is it only a rental despite the quality scores because some people here didn't like it? Just wondering since the score and recommendation don't seem to match otherwise.

Myself, I loved the movie. One of my better blind buys from 2011.

I also really liked the score by The Chemical Brothers. I ended up buying the soundtrack.

I only listed it as a rental because it seems to polarizing; people either love it or hate it. I seem to fall in the former camp. It would still be a rental I'd encourage, so for people who have never seen it, I'd say "oh yeah, go rent it!" as opposed to just saying "meh, rent it and see what you think..."

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

How far did your jaw drop during that Eric Bana/Subway/fight sequence/swirling-tracking shot? The film is just loaded with sumptuous sights and sounds like that..

I was all like, cool!

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

And i really view the film much more as a Coming of age fairytale, so plot holes can go f&@$ themselves.

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

You're spot on by calling it a fairytale. It's intended to be a fairytale, with some rather obvious points thrown in.

Even though I read that somewhere, I didn't really watch the film with that context in mind at all. I could kinda see how that could fit in, so next time I see the film it might be better yet.

[jvince]

Skyfall (2012)
dir. Sam Mendes

The Good: Javier Bardem. Gorgeous cinematography (which is expected given the involvement of Mendes and master photographer Roger Deakins); the most stylistic and best looking Bond film yet. Thrilling action sequences. Great chemistry between Craig and Judi Dench. Daniel f*cking Craig: The best and most badass Bond ever, no question.

The Bad: Slow to start. Overlong (two and a half hours!) A little too dark and serious. The ending could have been executed better.

The Bottom Line: Skyfall is nothing revolutionary and is not the best Bond film as many seem to claim (that distinction still belongs to the tighter and more fun Casino Royale), but it's most definitely high-quality entertainment filled with action and thrills; the type that contemporary cinema needs more of.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

No!

We don't seem to agree when it comes to Raimi. I mean, I totally admire and respect what he did early in his career, and the man certainly has creativity, but his films as a whole are honestly not that good (with the exception of Spider-Man 2, he got everything about that property right).

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

How far did your jaw drop during that Eric Bana/Subway/fight sequence/swirling-tracking shot? The film is just loaded with sumptuous sights and sounds like that.. And i really view the film much more as a Coming of age fairytale, so plot holes can go f&@$ themselves.

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

You're spot on by calling it a fairytale. It's intended to be a fairytale, with some rather obvious points thrown in.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Even though I read that somewhere, I didn't really watch the film with that context in mind at all. I could kinda see how that could fit in, so next time I see the film it might be better yet.

Yeah, what I liked the most about Hanna is its fairy-tale aspect. It's also one of those films that gets better each time you watch it. I don't consider it a great film since it has a bunch of flaws and it's clearly more preoccupied with style than substance, but I've come to really appreciate what Wright attempted to do.

[Foggy]

Look what I found on Netflix instant

Marwencol

Pretty fascinating stuff about a guy who was living a pretty sad life when tragedy struck and he was beaten pretty badly, suffering great memory loss.

He then goes on to change up his life, and creates a play world called Marwencol, a small doll city that is constantly under attack from the SS. It's almost something a child would make, except the guy is in his late 30's.

I'll admit, the high heel thing threw me off (it was a little too out there and although it's a part of his character, it wan't introduced until far too late into the film to really digest). But the centre stage is really took by the amount of detail and feeling you get out of his small town. You can really tell the filmmakers got very close with the guy to get this sort of information out.

Pretty darn good recommendation Squid!

9/10

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

How far did your jaw drop during that Eric Bana/Subway/fight sequence/swirling-tracking shot?

Mine fell all the way to the floor. I found the fight choreography tragic and the execution worse.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Look what I found on Netflix instant

Marwencol

Pretty fascinating stuff about a guy who was living a pretty sad life when tragedy struck and he was beaten pretty badly, suffering great memory loss.

He then goes on to change up his life, and creates a play world called Marwencol, a small doll city that is constantly under attack from the SS. It's almost something a child would make, except the guy is in his late 30's.

I'll admit, the high heel thing threw me off (it was a little too out there and although it's a part of his character, it wan't introduced until far too late into the film to really digest). But the centre stage is really took by the amount of detail and feeling you get out of his small town. You can really tell the filmmakers got very close with the guy to get this sort of information out.

Pretty darn good recommendation Squid!

9/10

I am glad you liked it. I actually liked how they did not introduce his

[Show spoiler]cross dressing

until later. It tied into the discovery of WHY he was beaten nearly to death.

One thing for sure, he is a detail freak and his photographs are awesome. They have such a strong mood and story to tell.

Not a spoiler, just a Big pic...

[Show spoiler]

[Foggy]

That's a great pic, it was the one that stood out the most.

As for his

[Show spoiler]cross dressing

, it just felt a bit of an after thought, maybe just to push the runtime further, with not much done with it. I liked how it was revealed later in the film why he was beaten up, but when they'd set it up as a random act from the offset and the reason hidden so blatantly for so long, it just felt like wasted potential to look at another layer of the guy before the incident.

[dag]

I very much liked Skyfall. It is by no means a perfect movie, and I'm maybe being a little too forgiving, but I appreciated its heady mix of excellent location pieces (Istanbul, Shanghai, and Macau); Daniel Craig looking fantastic in a suit or tuxedo; Judi Dench doing a very good job as M; a couple of Bond girls; the usual Bond villain; some excellent stunts and fight scenes; and deliberate homages to Bond history. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Even though I read that somewhere, I didn't really watch the film with that context in mind at all. I could kinda see how that could fit in, so next time I see the film it might be better yet.

I didn't watch it with that in mind either. There were a couple of obvious related things, but it was said in one of the special features I believe that it was a fairytale.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: The 39 Steps

Another fine and dandy Hitchcock thriller; one of his first big ones actually. It's about as entertaining as The Lady Vanishes was; it has a fine mix of entertaining interactions, thrills and action, and maybe a smidgeon of comedy.

In this case, the story is mildly intruiging. I can't say that it really hooked me on this first viewing, but it does have its share of interesting twists and turns.

The film looks good and classy, with fine photography and editing, decent acting and writing, and some cool-looking locales.

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

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

This Criterion Collection Blu-Ray looks...well, hazy, soft, and grainy. The good news is that it is still sharp and detailed at times, and has good contrast levels, but this looks like one of the weaker BDs in the company's catalogue (on the same lines as Island of Lost Souls). Sound quality is not too bad.

PQ: 3.5/5, AQ: 4/5



Next greatest blind-buy: The Guard

It's one of those movies that's very serious, straight-faced, deadpan, but still throws a lot of dry wit and humor at you. Watching this is a bit like a Coen Bros film; not really laugh-out-loud funny, but most of the dialogue and interactions are amusing.

The story for this is fine and dandy. It kinda covers the same ground that many other buddy-cop movies cover, but the characters, settings, and events make it stand out better.

The film looks good, with fine photography/editing, acting/writing, and production values.

It's a good film...I just don't see myself revisiting it that often.

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

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds great.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 5/5



Next greatest blind-buy: Horrible Bosses

I'm sure we can all relate to the film's title, if nothing else. The film is worthwhile seeing for the portrayal of the various bosses, each of which present a deplorable nightmare scenario (and one of which is rather shocking, but such shock value will likely lose its potency on repeat viewings imo). Then the characters go about trying to kill them: comedy ensues.

The plot works, but I felt its resolution was a little too neat for its own good.

The film looks good and slick, and has fine and dandy acting/writing.

Like most other comedies today, it's rather vulgar, but still pretty funny. I think this is one of the better modern comedies.

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

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds decent.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5

[menaceuk]

The Bay - 6.5/10

This was much better than I ever expected it to be and one of the better if not the best "found footage" type movies I have seen.

Barry Levinson doesn't fall into the trap that most of these movies suffer from and that is using the typical digital camcorder for everything. It has it's place here as you would expect but He uses as much video tech as he can from street cams, Cop car cams as well Skype and face time, Which for me really adds to the Documentary type feel they aspired for.

The Plot is very basic and simple and to be Honest I have no real clue how sound or pathetic the actual science being told here is but The Director manages to convey a sense of suspense and panic as the story and facts unfold through several different methods.

I'm not really sure why but they added in some "Jump scares" generally found in horror movies which for me don't really fit this movie at all.

This isn't a Horror in my Opinion. This is more a suspenseful thriller with the Horrific realization that something like this could potentially occur .

[jvince]

Labyrinth (1986)
dir. Jim Henson

The Good: Magical and imaginative. Extraordinary set designs and puppetry by the master himself, Jim Henson. Fantastic world-building. Features a ton of beautifully executed scenes.

The Bad: David Bowie as some creeper dude who loves to sing and dance and play with his Fushigis. Shaky performances at spots by Connelly and Bowie. Super cheesy and dated song and dance numbers. Same regarding the special effects, like the flying owl and that Fireys scene (WTF was that?)

The Bottom Line: Labyrinth has two sides: one is this unparalleled, visionary, Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland-esque fantasy film that I was absolutely enchanted by, and the other is this forced and misguided attempt to further Bowie's acting career. Had Henson excised all of the poorly-aged numbers (OK, I'd probably keep the masquerade ball sequence), I would've rated this an easy four-and-a-half, but as it stands, I'd give it...