The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Romulus]

Pitfall (1962)

I'm a huge fan of the film Woman in the Dunes, which was directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara. I noticed that it is on Criterion, but it's packaged with two other films. Apparently he made a trilogy of sorts between these three films. They aren't connected story wise, but they hit on a lot of the same things.

Pitfall follows a man and his son as they flee one mine to work at another. After working at the second mine he gets a notice to head to a different mine to meet someone. While walking along the way he comes across a ghost town with one woman living there. He talks for a bit and continues to walk on. He then notices a man dressed in white that starts to follow him. As he tries to get away the man in white murders him. His ghost then watches a murder mystery unfold that involves two local area mines and their respective unions.

That's just the tip of the story, there's a lot more going on. For the most part it's pretty intriguing, but it lacks the style and soundtrack that made Woman in the Dunes so famous. In fact, from a cinematography standpoint it's pretty basic. There are a couple of stylistic moments, but you can tell Hiroshi Teshigahara was still trying to pinpoint an effective way using his style to it's full potential. Worth checking out if you're a fan of Woman in the Dunes or Hiroshi Teshigahara.

3.5/5

[Foggy]

Watched Warm Bodies, it's good

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Watched Warm Bodies, it's good

Sounds like decent Weekend fodder. Should I go in with low expectations on Saturday night?

[KingRad]

The Imposter - 3.5/5

Very interesting film. I enjoyed the dramatizations that broke up the monotony of interviews. I felt that the second half of the film was far more interesting than the first half, and was paced much better. Overall it's definitely worth watching.

[jvince]

Wallace & Gromit in the Wrong Trousers (1993)
dir. Nick Park

The Good: The stop-motion animation, awe-inspiring. That penguin, LOL. The train scene, absolutely fantastic (Best train sequence ever?).

The Bad: A few plot holes and contrivances.

The Bottom Line: Impressive and creative, The Wrong Trousers is arguably the best Wallace & Gromit adventure yet.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Used to be my favourite out the lot when I was a kid.

I thought it was cool and kinda sad actually when you think about it.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

It's nice and scary. Plus it has one of my favorite ghosts.

[Show spoiler]

I loved that ghost too (well, that version).

But both seasons of AHS are the biggest messes of shit I have seen on TV. Gave up on both stories.

Originally Posted by Foggy

Watched Warm Bodies, it's good

I wanna see this. Been reading and hearing positive things about it. Too bad the trailer ruins the whole story.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: The Killing Fields

This film had some promotional text to the effect of "a film that will be talked about for years to come!" I saw that and thought, if that's true, why haven't we ever talked about it?

I went into it expecting a hard and gritty exploration of a war-torn country and social corruption. The film delivers...to a point. Some of the most tense and striking scenes will include parts where the characters are held at gunpoint, threatened with execution, and the part towards the end where the guy stumbles across the mass graves. There are some harsh moments in the film, certainly. I can see how you could watch this to evoke thought and feeling towards the atrocities of Khmer Rouge regime (if not all genocidal or mass-murdering regimes in general; stuff like this still goes on, so the film still resonates).

My problem is: I found the film rather dry. Couldn't care much about the characters, what their mission was, what was going on, or how it all turned out in the end. Even though it's based on real life material and the film does a fine job of emulating reality, I would have appreciated a stronger and more engaging structure. As it is, the film feels long and surprisingly uneventful.

As a film, it looks swell, has fine and dandy acting, and plenty of real-looking sets, props, and costumes.

In 1984, this might have seemed like really deep, edgy, thought-provoking stuff. Here in 2013, I can't help but to think that we have made other, better, more entertaining, more invoking films since. The subject matter is accessible for action junkies (like me) through such films as Rambo, Born to Fight, and 5 Days of War. Those who prefer more high-class films can probably find a better presentation with Hotel Rwanda. Heck, I'd even pick Darfur for the nondiscerning audience. As it is, The Killing Fields has the same effect on me as White Material: despite the promising subject matter, both films left me feeling, like, whatever.

Besides, five years before The Killing Fields, Apocalypse Now! came along and blew everything out of the water.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Average | Film: Good)

Recommendation: Probably, but as mentioned in the last paragraph, we've made progress in this type of film.

This is a $2 DVD, so I feel I got my money's worth out of it. I'm just still debating whether I should keep it and give it another shot later, or what.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: Resident Evil: Retribution

Bad acting, terrible dialogue, repetitive action, stupid special effects, stupid story, why did I botherrrrrrroooohh OH MY GOD MILLA JOVOVICH IS HOT AND AWESOME!!!

5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Who cares? | Film: It looks so cool!)

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect!

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Sounds like decent Weekend fodder. Should I go in with low expectations on Saturday night?

You might as well, it'll work better with a crowd.

[Lepidopterous]

Mama

A mother's love is forever.

Most can probably guess what Mama is about: The ghost of a mother is out to get her offspring back. Something like that. The monster's figure is cleverly introduced in a veil of mystery through the daughter's blurred vision. It is then slowly revealed in both comic and frightening ways. Mama is a heavily-influenced film, with Exorcist-like movements and the usage of hair to build fear (The Grudge), and doorways, shadows, and closets are all used to capitalize on the ghost's tall, ill-proportioned, and terrifying design. Unfortunately, the film often resorts to cliches and cheap scares. Characters are stereotyped, conveniently cross paths, and only go exploring at night. And for a film named Mama,

[Show spoiler]we really know nothing about their actual mother. Her death at the beginning is a total red herring in a movie about a ghost mother.

This all takes away from an otherwise invested effort. The good atmosphere provides glimmers of genuine horror and the positive shift in character focus becomes effectively involving. I liked the way it ended as well.

Mama does not give us a solid ghost story and may feel run-of-the-mill, but it does get a few things right, ultimately delivering some decent horror and a satisfying experience.

3.5/5

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: The Killing Fields

This film had some promotional text to the effect of "a film that will be talked about for years to come!" I saw that and thought, if that's true, why haven't we ever talked about it?

I went into it expecting a hard and gritty exploration of a war-torn country and social corruption. The film delivers...to a point. Some of the most tense and striking scenes will include parts where the characters are held at gunpoint, threatened with execution, and the part towards the end where the guy stumbles across the mass graves. There are some harsh moments in the film, certainly. I can see how you could watch this to evoke thought and feeling towards the atrocities of Khmer Rouge regime (if not all genocidal or mass-murdering regimes in general; stuff like this still goes on, so the film still resonates).

My problem is: I found the film rather dry. Couldn't care much about the characters, what their mission was, what was going on, or how it all turned out in the end. Even though it's based on real life material and the film does a fine job of emulating reality, I would have appreciated a stronger and more engaging structure. As it is, the film feels long and surprisingly uneventful.

As a film, it looks swell, has fine and dandy acting, and plenty of real-looking sets, props, and costumes.

In 1984, this might have seemed like really deep, edgy, thought-provoking stuff. Here in 2013, I can't help but to think that we have made other, better, more entertaining, more invoking films since. The subject matter is accessible for action junkies (like me) through such films as Rambo, Born to Fight, and 5 Days of War. Those who prefer more high-class films can probably find a better presentation with Hotel Rwanda. Heck, I'd even pick Darfur for the nondiscerning audience. As it is, The Killing Fields has the same effect on me as White Material: despite the promising subject matter, both films left me feeling, like, whatever.

Besides, five years after The Killing Fields, Apocalypse Now! came along and blew everything out of the water.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Average | Film: Good)

Recommendation: Probably, but as mentioned in the last paragraph, we've made progress in this type of film.

This is a $2 DVD, so I feel I got my money's worth out of it. I'm just still debating whether I should keep it and give it another shot later, or what.

You mean 5 years before... Apocalypse Now came out in 1979.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You mean 5 years before... Apocalypse Now came out in 1979.

Oops, you're right. I got '79 mixed up with '89.

[CoolRanch]

Paranormal Activity 4

Yes, I know it lacks in the story department. Yes, I know it can be really lame. But God help me I love these movies! I love all those "Gotcha" moments where the movie makes you jump at nothing, and I love trying to spot something slightly moving in the background. I find this entry to be even a tad better than the others due to the likable and believable characters. This series continues to be a guilty pleasure of mine and is great fun to watch with friends. 8/10

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Oops, you're right. I got '79 mixed up with '89.

Born on the 4th of July came out in '89 and that film's no slouch

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by jvince

I wanna see this. Been reading and hearing positive things about it. Too bad the trailer ruins the whole story.

I think you'll still manage even if the trailer gives away too much.

Luckily for me, it's been a while since I watched the trailer, and I'll likely wait for the Blu-ray anyways since I see very little in the theater.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: Resident Evil: Retribution

Despite all my love for Milla Jovovich and the RE series in general, I have to be honest.

First, the good news: the movie rocks to some extent. It's so full of action and style! Hardly a moment goes by without a major gunfight with slow-motion bullets and cool-looking fight moves! Tons of special effects!

However, even I have to admit that there's something off about this film. My first and biggest complaint is that the big battle with the Ospreys (the thing that made RE: Afterlife's ending such a cliffhanger, and as since been plastered on all the movie posters and covers) lasts for maybe one whole minute. It's pretty cool that they show it in backwards slow-mo at first, but after so much hype, I really expected something bigger, longer, and crazier. This film ends with another cliffhanger that makes you go "whoa!," but if the next RE film skimps out on it the way this one did, I'll really be ticked.

From then on, they took the story into Matrix territory with lots of virtual reality stuff. It's a neat concept that allowed the filmmakers to shift the battlefield constantly. Problem is, it confines the story drastically. It also doesn't help that the entire last half of the film is nonstop gunfighting (fun, but pointless), and the first half is marred with way too much exposition. Seriously, it seemed like these people would take a few steps, then have to stop to explain every little frakking thing.

The film looks really polished, really fancy and slick, really stylish, with top-notch sets, props, costumes, and special effects, but like a virtual reality, it just feels so fake. Acting seems horrible all of the suddenly; even when compared to Afterlife and all the others, the dialogue feels really odd, I dunno. Maybe I'm finally growing a taste in acting. Writing is none too good either. But hey, the soundtrack totally rocks.

3/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Marginal | Film: Marginal)

Recommendation: For fans of the RE films.

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect.

PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: Resident Evil: Retribution

5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Who cares? | Film: It looks so cool!)

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Watched Warm Bodies, it's good

I though it was okay. Its got the obvious cliched love story that you would expect and zero surprises in that department...but it got some good laughs out of me at least.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I though it was okay. Its got the obvious cliched love story that you would expect and zero surprises in that department...but it got some good laughs out of me at least.

Pretty much it, the characters are likable and the jokes are good but it's just basic entertainment really.

[mimurph1]

Just re-watched 2LDK [Yukihiko Tsutsumi, 2004] for the first time since 2006. The first time around I rated it a 7/10, but it's stayed with me over the years and re-watching it tonight made me bump that rating up to 8/10. Maybe a bit silly, but super fun