The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[P@t_Mtl]

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

Directed by : Mark L. Lester
Starring : Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Format : HDTV

Story : LA cops Chris Kenner (Lundgren) and Johnny Murata (Lee) are both work the Little Tokyo district and trying to bring down the Iron Claw gang lead by Yoshida (Tagawa) using a local brewery as front for drug smuggling. Kenner soon see that Yshida was the man responsible for his parents years before in Japan, setting for a final showndown in Little Tokyo

Comments : The movie is atypical late 80's early 90's action movie down to the cheesy one liners and the music. This was my first time seeing it and while I will not make a claim that the movie is amazing, I can't say it was boring either. Lot's of over the top action.

Ratings : 3/5

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

Directed by : Mark L. Lester
Starring : Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Format : HDTV

Story : LA cops Chris Kenner (Lundgren) and Johnny Murata (Lee) are both work the Little Tokyo district and trying to bring down the Iron Claw gang lead by Yoshida (Tagawa) using a local brewery as front for drug smuggling. Kenner soon see that Yshida was the man responsible for his parents years before in Japan, setting for a final showndown in Little Tokyo

Comments : The movie is atypical late 80's early 90's action movie down to the cheesy one liners and the music. This was my first time seeing it and while I will not make a claim that the movie is amazing, I can't say it was boring either. Lot's of over the top action.

Ratings : 3/5

"We're going to get this guy, and when we're done, we're going to eat fish off those naked chicks!"

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: The Eagle

Yeah...it looks pretty...has some fighting...has some cool dudes with cool make-up and costumes and stuff...

For whatever reason, despite it being a good-looking, well-made production, the film just didn't seem to resonate or catch on with me at all. The story never really pulled me in, and neither did the characters. It just kinda comes off as more of the same (it is based on the same source material as The Centurion, after all).

Photography looks gorgeous at times. Acting and writing are not bad necessarily. This production looks good and slick. No real complaints about any of that.

It's just that, I'm already starting to forget about it.

3/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Average | Film: Pretty Good)

Recommendation: Do you like movies about gladiators?

The Blu-Ray looks and sounds decent.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5



Next greatest blind-buy: The Tempest

If nothing else, this film looks quite lavish and visually awesome ,on a level somewhere between Tarsem's The Immortals and Snow White and the Huntsman. The Tempest aims for that incredible high-fantasy look and style, bringing a lot of cool shapeshifters and phantoms and wicked-looking storms to vivid life.

However, this is not an all-out action movie at all; it's Shakespeare. The visuals help back up the story and make it interesting, even through the dry parts. Most of it is still comprised of actual acting and dialogues, especially since the film retains the original old-timey English. It will take some patience and interpretation to sit through.

At this point, I can't say I fully understood what the frakk was going on. Something about a shipwreck and a sorceress wreaking havoc on the survivors for some reason. It would likely help to know the story beforehand; otherwise, it will require a full attention span to comprehend.

The film looks great, with wonderful photography and editing. Acting is swell, especially from Helen Mirren, and surprisingly, Russell Brand. Writing is what it is. This production is not terribly huge, but has great-looking sets, props, costumes, and locales. Music is kinda cool at times.

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

Recommendation: For fantasy or Shakespeare buffs. Everybody else can rent it.

This Blu-Ray also looks and sounds great.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: Something Wild

[Show spoiler]It seems like there's something inherently thrilling in watching a pair of strangers hook up and take off into the wild blue yonder. Problem is, I don't think I ever saw a really good rendition of this type of story, until now (Natural Born Killers and Pierrot Le Fou have their moments, but both are cases of extreme style over substance. True Romance was alright. If there's any other movie that appeals to me, it'd be Smokey and the Bandit ).

Something Wild starts off pretty jovial and funky, and it moves quite swiftly throughout its runtime even if the tone changes. The first half is definitely an unexpected, unpredictable series of episodes where these two characters meet and connect through a primal, unbridled desire to just drive around and break the rules and be wild. In the second half, however, secrets get revealed, the characters' pasts catch up to them, and they are made to suffer the consequences. By this point, it's no longer just fun and games, it becomes a thriller of sorts.

The story is certainly appealing. It is filled with many interesting twists and turns, but it all makes sense and builds a cohesive and tight plot. Characters stand out the best, especially in seeing a fairly conservative, uptight man becoming more loose and seeing a free-spirited woman calm down a bit. The bad guy who pops up also presents an interesting dynamic (even if he is a bad guy so crazy and irrational that he's instantly unlikable), for I believe he represents the depth of corruption that could occur if a person's heart and soul is a little too free and unbridled.

The film looks good, with good photography and editing. Acting is swell all around: I was especially pleased to see Jeff Daniels in a role other than Dumb and Dumber, and he is pretty decent in this. Writing is not bad. This production has fine-looking sets, props, and costumes. Music is really groovy (and they just couldn't get enough of the Wild Thing song ).

If there is anything worth complaining about, it's that it's not really a laugh-out-loud type of comedy, and I felt the twist with Jeff Daniel's character was there just to provide an ending that's a little too neat and convenient. Other than that, it's all good.

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

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

This Criterion Blu-Ray looks and sounds really slick.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5

I blind bought this last year amongst my first group of Criterions ever and enjoyed it.

Not spectacular, but a solid probably nearly forgotten comedy. I agree that it's not laugh out loud funny, but it also deals with some serious things at times, so I say it's understandable.

[dag]

I very much enjoyed Life of Pi. Even more than the novel, I thought the film was very Indian (and not merely because of its early setting); it is a deeply spiritual and thoughtful story. The narrative is very strong, the visuals are stunning, and Richard Parker is entirely believable. Highly recommended!

[dag]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

They Call It Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain (2012)

I saw this earlier in the summer. There are indeed some very distressing moments in the movie.

A year ago, I spent two weeks traveling through Burma. It is a heartbreakingly poor country. I thougt the film served as a good introduction for people to learn about this country and its people.

See the movie. I also advocate visiting Burma. The people would benefit.

[jvince]

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
dir. Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

The Good: Great ensemble cast. Likable characters. Quotable. Solid writing. Just the right amount of self-aware humor. The fight. Analeigh Tipton.

The Bad: Has some trouble juggling its multiple sub-plots. A little too sweet and Hollywoodish at times. Ending's a bit drawn out.

The Bottom Line: While it teeters slightly towards the conventional and never gets as crazy as it could have been due to its PG-13 audience, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a solid romantic comedy that comes recommended for fans of the sub-genre.

[Foggy]

Got a film tonight

[Foggy]

Sightseers

That Kill List guy directing -
Edgar Wright Ex-producing -
Filmed around York -

This is the big indie Brit comedy everyone is hoping will make a big hoopla, featured at the Cannes Directors Fortnight earlier in the year and the trailer was pretty funny, so as I walked into it, I was expecting pretty good stuff.

So it was a bit of an odd watch, since it easily delivered what I was expecting, but yet the moment didn't come when I was impressed by the film.

Essentially, the plot is about a 35 child-like woman who has been bubble wrapped away from the world by her mother, gets a boyfriend who wants to take her away caravanning while he tries to write his third book. While on the road, we soon find out the boyfriend has an urge for murder and often kills mild annoyances in his life. Throw a dog in there and you've got a zany dark comedy on your hands.

Usually, when you hear Brit comedy and murder you should automatically expect the lousy. Stuff like Keeping Mum, where you have the lovely British people hiding dead bodies from the naive Vicar Bean made for a pretty lame film. While here, we have a very established up and coming director handling the works.

Ben Wheatly has done something in this film that is very brilliant. He meshed menacing with comedy, leading to some absurd moments of humour which are very much laugh out loud funny. The script is always throwing lines out into the open to get quick, but worthwhile chuckles and the hit rate is just above 80%.

And it's good to see a comedy have something to say, I wouldn't go as far as to say it's satire, but it has jabs at people in the UK. And at the end of the day, it's good to see a romantic comedy not only be risky and dirty, but also have something to say about relationships, in an exaggerated manner granted.

I do have a little issue with the characters actions at the end of the film, I'm sure there's a reason the writers know the reason for the ending, but I don't believe the characters would of done what they did at the end. I was thinking that a role reversal would of been more logically, but the comedy moment wouldn't of been there. Not a big issue but I was thinking the ending was going to impress.

The thing about Sightseers is that, like Kill List, it keeps you at arms distances. You're never completely involved with what's going on. It works with Kill List because that film is a very dark thriller and you're supposed to look at the whole picture to work out what the hell is going on. Sightseers does it because if it tried to get you to care about it's characters, it would more than likely result in you pushing them away, as they are morally evil characters. So while it makes the film work, there's a lack of a safety net to carry you through the duller moments of the film. Granted those dull moments never really come until the final 10 mins when it's time to wrap up, but the lack of the safety net of the "likeable" characters does make for uneasy viewing, at least for a first viewing.

Sightseers is a great film that is sadly too flawed (but often justifiably so) in places to make me love it the same way I love something like Submarine. But I do strongly recommend Sightseers, as it's well directed, terrifically acted and nicely shot with the lovely looking countryside of Yorkshire making a gorgeous backdrop for the film. Heck even a tram from Blackpool makes an appearances in an attempt to make me feel nostalgic.

9/10

Also watch Kill List if you haven't yet!

[jvince]

Fargo (1996)
dir. Joel & Ethan Coen

The Good: Beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins. Excellent performances from the entire cast. Realistic. The woodchipper scene.

The Bad: Unlikable characters (including the main protagonist). Script is witty but it doesn't translate as well as it should to the screen. Bland.

The Bottom Line: Fargo is worth checking out for the acting and for those who are into bleak comedies.

[Foggy]

Just got back from seeing The Master. Thoughts will be coming later.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jvince

Fargo (1996)
dir. Joel & Ethan Coen

The Good: Beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins. Excellent performances from the entire cast. Realistic. The woodchipper scene.

The Bad: Unlikable characters (including the main protagonist). Script is witty but it doesn't translate as well as it should to the screen. Bland.

The Bottom Line: Fargo is worth checking out for the acting and for those who are into bleak comedies.

You accidentally gave it only three stars.

[P@t_Mtl]

Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

Directed by : David Lean
Starring : Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Format : Blu-ray

Story : In 1935 England T.E. Lawrence dies in a motorcycle accident. At his funeral, some who knew him recall his exploit. Flashback to Egypt during the First World War, Lawrence is given the task to appraise the revolt of Prince Faisal against the Turks. He soon see what is at the base of the Arabe people and his words intrigue the Prince. He device a daring plan to take the city of Aquaba in order to better supply the Prince. After the plan work's the British high command give's more ressources to Lawrence but he fail to see that his but a pawn in both their eyes and the Prince who have other plans. Lawrence dream of a unify Arabe people but soon come to see that this is easier said then done. Broken and with no illusion left to him, he is send back to England with great ceremony and as the legend Lawrence Of Arabia but with his dream still not completed.

Comments : TAKE NO PRISONERS!!

I will make no defense here, yes David Lean is one of my favorite director but you have to admit he his quite amazing. This movie is epic in every sense of the words, the cinematography, the music, the acting, the direction. At almost four hours long, watching it is also an epic, yet no one single moment is boring. Everything in it is made to show the vastness of the desert. Lean make's the background part of the story, as a character in the story just as much as the actors. If you have never seen this movie, then you have some luck, short of seeing it on the big screen, the Blu-ray is the best way of seeing this epic for the first time.

Ratings : 4.5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

You accidentally gave it only three stars.

i was thinking the same

[Foggy]

The Master

So...The Master is a tough one to really get to the bottom off.

It's a film that studies human nature, and in that, the film already has a lofty task ahead of itself. How do you go about finding the answers of what makes us?

Well, the film never really gets down to it in a sense (unless rewatches unlock the secrets), it actually looks at the human need for answers, yet we rarely find ourselves asking them. We have become a generation who want to be dictated to, not debated with. We need a purpose, but we'll never go out and find one, simply wait for our moment to come and when we realise it won't, it's too late.

It's also a film about the powerful needing the weak more than vice versa. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Don Lancaster is a character that believes he is saving the weak, when it is in fact him finding his purpose in life, and when he comes across Joaquin Phoenix playing the lowest most pathetic person imaginable, he believes his purpose in life is to turn him, and convinces him that he needs Lancaster. However in the end...well I shan't spoil.

Of course, this is only a few of the layers that surround the secrets of The Master, and maybe I'll never master The Master, or anyone else for that matter. But there is a feeling that something is continually being conveyed in the film. The simply amazing cinematography is worth all the hype it's getting, almost every shot in the film tells a chapter of a complex plot bigger than the characters in the film and maybe even bigger than what Anderson believes he's portraying.

There's never a wasted minute in that entire film, and although it's a long film and is sometimes a tough experience to swim through, there's never an instance where you stop thinking about what you're seeing, hearing, experiencing.

Acting is purely top notch with each actor disappearing in to their roles. Phoenix is complete engrossed in the role of Freddy, Military-Vet with mental issues and subdues his issues with anything that features an alcohol percentage on the label. Philip Seymour Hoffman is almost unrecognisable for once as Lancaster, who is charismatic and enigmatic in equal measures. And Amy Adams is great in what I can only presume is some of the more risqué deleted scenes from the latest Muppets movie.

The score also note worthy, carries the film in it's slower moments and keeps you in tone with the film when you need a breather. It keeps an atmosphere and reels out your emotions.

Here's where I do my conclusion...well, the best thing I can say is that I need to rewatch it, and if you've not seen the film yet, then check it out, if you have, check it out again.

9.5/10

[iam1bearcat]

(500) Days of Summer - 5/5

Hey, I haven't watched this in like five months I think. That's a new record

As everyone is well aware, I adore every second of this film. I've lost count how many times I've watched it, but tonight was the first time I watched it in my new apartment (I moved here in June, so yeah, five months sounds about right since I last watched it...). So this was the first time I could belt out the lyrics with Tom, while standing on my couch, when he drunkenly sings karaoke ("HERE COMES YOUR MAN!") without my neighbors pounding on the walls for me to shut the hell up.

(New apartment has like 5' thick walls )

The film is genius in its story telling and structure. Heartbreaking, romantic, ridiculously smart and sums up relationships perfectly. I always forget how true the film tell us it is ("this is not a love story"), and my heart always breaks when Tom's breaks. And I always laugh at every joke, however obvious or sly ("I named my cat after Springsteen", "Oh really, what's his name?", "...Bruce", "That makes sense").

In my opinion it's a modern day timeless classic because none of it feels dated and none of it will one day not make sense. Even the reference to The Boss will carry on forever. The film is universal in feelings, emotions and for both sexes to relate to each character.

I can't say enough great things about (500) Days of Summer, and most of the regulars here agree with me

[Al_The_Strange]

Next

What a fun little flick. Loosely adapted from yet another PKD short story, this film does some pretty fun and inventive stuff with a guy who can predict things slightly into the future. This means that the guy can give bad guys the slip very easily, avoid disastrous situations, dodge flying debris, dodge bullets, and ultimately track down some bad guys threatening to blow stuff up with a nuke. Maybe not the most believable thing (especially now that the special effects are aging so badly), and it is prone to endless nitpicking. But if you can turn your brain off, it's a pretty enjoyable thrill ride.

The problem with this film is mostly in the plot. Despite its ever-so-clever premise, the film shoots itself in the foot with the

[Show spoiler]"it was all just a dream"

twist ending.

[Show spoiler]I mean, really, the movie just ended. Where's the rest of it?!

There is also a laundry list full of things worth complaining about: the good guys spend their whole time trying to catch one another, because the FBI is apparently so evil, but half of the movie could have easily been cut out if the guy just went with them in the first place, instead of acting like a douche. Same argument could apply for the FBI people (for, according to the extra features, they wanted to make it out that they're doing bad things to achieve the greater good, thus creating instant moral ambiguity; the problem here is, it's not "bad" enough to warrant the case for the protagonist to run away from these people). Ugh, I don't know, it just seems stupid to have a perfectly good superpowered hero antagonize the police just because.

Other issues: it gets pretty wacky trying to keep track of this guy's special power (it gets to the point where he becomes a tactical genius by the film's end, and is able to map out an entire room and multiply himself ), the actual bad guys never really present themselves enough (who were they again? ), there's a romance story involved that doesn't seem all that complete

[Show spoiler]like the rest of the film

, and there's a useless cameo from Columbo.

Other than all that, it's all fine and dandy.

At the very least, the film looks good and slick, with solid photography and editing. There might be a few wild effects, but most of this film looks really sharp and cool. Acting is not bad; I think Nicholas Cage did his best here, while I found Jessica Biel appealing. Still don't care for Julianne Moore in anything she does. Writing has its moments. This film has some decent-enough sets, props, costumes, and locales. Special effects were cool for its time, but are not aging well (especially with the

[Show spoiler]nuclear explosion at the end

). Music is pretty nice.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Average | Film: Pretty Good) Decreased from 4/5

Recommendation: As a rental.

This Blu-Ray looks good, sharp, clean, and clear. Maybe not as detailed as most other brand-new movies, but it is definitely a fine-looking picture. Sound quality is strangely disappointing; even though it is uncompressed, I felt it was way too subdued, lacking in any impact or dynamism, to the point where I wondered if it was actually some kind of lossy mix.

PQ: 4/5, AQ: 3/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

I can't say enough great things about (500) Days of Summer, and most of the regulars here agree with me

At this point, even I can agree with you there.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Foggy

The Master

[Show spoiler]So...The Master is a tough one to really get to the bottom off.

It's a film that studies human nature, and in that, the film already has a lofty task ahead of itself. How do you go about finding the answers of what makes us?

Well, the film never really gets down to it in a sense (unless rewatches unlock the secrets), it actually looks at the human need for answers, yet we rarely find ourselves asking them. We have become a generation who want to be dictated to, not debated with. We need a purpose, but we'll never go out and find one, simply wait for our moment to come and when we realise it won't, it's too late.

It's also a film about the powerful needing the weak more than vice versa. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Don Lancaster is a character that believes he is saving the weak, when it is in fact him finding his purpose in life, and when he comes across Joaquin Phoenix playing the lowest most pathetic person imaginable, he believes his purpose in life is to turn him, and convinces him that he needs Lancaster. However in the end...well I shan't spoil.

Of course, this is only a few of the layers that surround the secrets of The Master, and maybe I'll never master The Master, or anyone else for that matter. But there is a feeling that something is continually being conveyed in the film. The simply amazing cinematography is worth all the hype it's getting, almost every shot in the film tells a chapter of a complex plot bigger than the characters in the film and maybe even bigger than what Anderson believes he's portraying.

There's never a wasted minute in that entire film, and although it's a long film and is sometimes a tough experience to swim through, there's never an instance where you stop thinking about what you're seeing, hearing, experiencing.

Acting is purely top notch with each actor disappearing in to their roles. Phoenix is complete engrossed in the role of Freddy, Military-Vet with mental issues and subdues his issues with anything that features an alcohol percentage on the label. Philip Seymour Hoffman is almost unrecognisable for once as Lancaster, who is charismatic and enigmatic in equal measures. And Amy Adams is great in what I can only presume is some of the more risqué deleted scenes from the latest Muppets movie.

The score also note worthy, carries the film in it's slower moments and keeps you in tone with the film when you need a breather. It keeps an atmosphere and reels out your emotions.

Here's where I do my conclusion...well, the best thing I can say is that I need to rewatch it, and if you've not seen the film yet, then check it out, if you have, check it out again.

9.5/10

fiiiiinally, someone who gives the film a great rating! i still have to see this for myself, and seeing such drastic different takes makes me even more interested in seeing it

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

At this point, even I can agree with you there.