The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

The Blair Witch Project

10/10

Did you mean to post that yesterday instead of today?

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jvince

Premier Automne - YouTube

Premier Automne (2013)
dir. Carols De Carvalho, Aude Danset

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

The Good: Stupendously gorgeous animation. Perfect storytelling. The swelling score. So adorable yet so somber.

The Bad: Nothing major.

The Bottom Line: If you have a soft spot for animated films and fairy tales, you have got to see this stunning work of art.

Neat stuff, thanks for sharing. I love the different textures and colors.

The animation is a bit off-putting to me though as it reminds me of the style used in "Sid the Science Kid". Looks like CGI, yet moves like claymation.

[jvince]

Spanish director MartÃ*n Rosete's Voice Over Short Film 2013 - YouTube

Voice Over (2011)
dir. Martin Rosete

The Good: Original, well thought out, and well-executed -- A narrator tells a story in which you are the main character as you attempt to survive three (seemingly unrelated) life-threatening situations. High production values. Nice soundtrack. The final sequence, which features an unexpected reveal that left me grinning from ear to ear.

The Bad: Nothing major.

The Bottom Line: Packs more creativity and magic in a mere 10 minutes than recent feature-length films.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Gosh darn! To be fair, getting invited to an early screening of Star Trek was one of the few times something like that has ever happened to me.

The only thing that comes similar are the Slackers Club things, and they're usually a bit naff.

I actually passed on seeing Star Trek at the theater. Really regret it. Must have looked amazing on the big screen.

I googled that Slackers Club and it sounds great. They're even doing one for the new Evil Dead with the director and Jane Levy.

Originally Posted by DjMethod

^Reminds me of March of the Penguins. I'll check it out sometime.

March of the Penguins is awesome.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by jvince

I actually passed on seeing Star Trek at the theater. Really regret it. Must have looked amazing on the big screen.

I googled that Slackers Club and it sounds great. They're even doing one for the new Evil Dead with the director and Jane Levy.

They're not (unless the US have their own one). I thought Evil Dead would of been this months one, but it turns out the one they're doing is 21 and Over (thumbsdown), last month was Burt Wonderstone and the one before that was Warm Bodies, which was alright.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Did you mean to post that yesterday instead of today?

It took me a stupid amount of time to work out what you meant here .

I take it you're not a huge fan?

[Abdrewes]

The Croods (2013)

Easily the most lush and textured Dreamworks film yet, The Croods initially leaps out of the screen. Fully imagined prehistoric environs and a kinetic visual style transform the last standing cave family's routine food hunt into a lively, farcical football match of sorts. The first act promises the most creativity in a big budget animated film since Gore Verbinsky's Rango.

Epp (Emma Stone) is the eldest daughter of a cave family whose patron is Grug (Nicolas Cage). There has to be a conflict, and the tried and true convention is resurrected yet again: Grug is a stern father who has decided to keep his family in the dark, the only time they wander out of the cave is for food, even if it costs Epp her happiness.

One night Epp wanders out of the cave, drawn to the embers of a fire of unknown origin. She meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a being more evolved than herself, but naturally as these things go, Grug tears them apart. Eventually, a natural disaster forces them to leave their abode and trek into a foreign land. It becomes inevitable where the narrative will take us, but frequently we are given impressively imagined sights and comically designed creatures (a four legged whale takes the cake). The family now has to accept "new" and "ideas" in order to survive. The one who has the most difficulty with the concept is, naturally, Grug.

When the arbitrary conflict must be overcome in the third act in the form of another natural disaster, Grug has to innovate. Without divulging much the solution he imagines resembles Noah's Ark, both in it's shape and occupants. This, unfortunately, I was not willing to go along with. It seems to suggest, that we not only leave the dark ages behind and accept "ideas," but when this obvious bit of Biblical imagery arrives, abandon the "Old Tyme religion." In a film with zero scientific inquiry, this rings completely hollow and ham fisted.

½ (out of four)

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

It took me a stupid amount of time to work out what you meant here .

I take it you're not a huge fan?

It was one of the better comedies I saw that year.

The ending was awesome though.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

The Croods (2013)

Easily the most lush and textured Dreamworks film yet, The Croods initially leaps out of the screen. Fully imagined prehistoric environs and a kinetic visual style transform the last standing cave family's routine food hunt into a lively, farcical football match of sorts. The first act promises the most creativity in a big budget animated film since Gore Verbinsky's Rango.

½ (out of four)

Rise of the Guardians, Dreamworks' last effort, had amazing textures/effects/style as well, the Sandman effects in particular. I would say they were stepping it up, but at the same time, besides the main four heroes, the character design really disappointed me. It just seemed lazy and generic, which takes the soul out of the characters.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jvince

I actually passed on seeing Star Trek at the theater. Really regret it. Must have looked amazing on the big screen.

Don't feel bad... I passed on Life of Pi....

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Don't feel bad... I passed on Life of Pi....

Don't feel to bad, I went to watch it at the cinema and missed out to watch it in 3D, and because the cinema can't afford curtains for the sides of their screens, I had to watch it with black bars down the sides.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Don't feel to bad, I went to watch it at the cinema and missed out to watch it in 3D, and because the cinema can't afford curtains for the sides of their screens, I had to watch it with black bars down the sides.

The different ways to watch one movie has become a bit irritating. Check out my Hobbit review for example:

I saw the film twice, once in XD-Real 3D and once in IMAX 3D. I didn't learn until later that both were at 24 fps. Kind of a bummer considering I chose the two most expensive ways to see the film. However, I hate motion flow anyway (unless in games or computer-animated films), so I am fairly certain I will not be fond of the higher frame rate. On the plus side, I ended up with green Hobbit-edition 3D glasses.

There is no winning!

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

It was one of the better comedies I saw that year.

The ending was awesome though.

It is a bit of an acquired taste; for some it's completely stupid (my dad hates it) and for others it's good.

Agree with the ending, though. Just the perfect way to end it.

I forgot to mention that I saw the first half hour of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, before the streaming gave up and stopped. I remember you weren't completely enamoured with it and, to be honest, I felt the same. Let's just say that I'm not rushing to watch the rest

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

It is a bit of an acquired taste; for some it's completely stupid (my dad hates it)

Count me in that crowd too.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

The different ways to watch one movie has become a bit irritating. Check out my Hobbit review for example:



There is no winning!

Not only that, but it's ridiculously expensive either way. Watched G.I. Joe in 3D on Monday because I was bored and it was the only thing showing and it ended up that I was bored while watching it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Rise of the Guardians, Dreamworks' last effort, had amazing textures/effects/style as well, the Sandman effects in particular. I would say they were stepping it up, but at the same time, besides the main four heroes, the character design really disappointed me. It just seemed lazy and generic, which takes the soul out of the characters.

Not much about that film piqued my interest I had a free ticket, but I knew I would be indifferent to the proceedings, so I didnt go.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jvince

[CENTER]Spanish director MartÃ*n Rosete's Voice Over Short Film 2013 - YouTube

That was awesome, extremely well made, and, WTF ODD.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Not much about that film piqued my interest I had a free ticket, but I knew I would be indifferent to the proceedings, so I didnt go.

I think it depends how you were brought up. I grew up "believing" in Santa, so I think belief is important as a kid. The film is about the importance of belief and cooks up a nice magical experience. I wouldn't let it go under your radar.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jvince

Spanish director MartÃ*n Rosete's Voice Over Short Film 2013 - YouTube

Voice Over (2011)
dir. Martin Rosete

[Show spoiler]

The Good: Original, well thought out, and well-executed -- A narrator tells a story in which you are the main character as you attempt to survive three (seemingly unrelated) life-threatening situations. High production values. Nice soundtrack. The final sequence, which features an unexpected reveal that left me grinning from ear to ear.

The Bad: Nothing major.

The Bottom Line: Packs more creativity and magic in a mere 10 minutes than recent feature-length films.

Loved it! Left me grinning too.

[Al_The_Strange]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of
KHHHHAAANNNNNN!!!!!!!!

The Star Trek feature film debut had its fair share of ambition and spectacle, but was a lumbering beast of a film that proved bewildering and somewhat dull. It makes for a decent space opera, but in their wisdom, the filmmakers realized that they needed to spice things up for the inevitable sequel. Even at the expense of kicking Gene Roddenberry - the revered creator of the franchise - to the curb.

Thus, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came into fruition. Coming after the classic Trek episode Space Seed, this film brings back Khan Noonien Singh as the story's nemesis, and the whole thing becomes a rocketing thrill ride from then on. Space battles are fairly simple and short, but they are still quite spectacular to watch, especially with the colorful backgrounds of the Mutara Nebula. The pacing is even throughout, and the film boasts some remarkable iconic moments that all audiences can recongize and relate to.

The story is appealing; even though there is plenty of action and peril in the movie, it has enough breathing space for quality characterization and theme development. A good chunk of room is left for Kirk contemplating his old age and mortality, and thanks to the paralells of the Genesis torpedo and the film's ultimate solution, strong themes of death and rebirth emerge very subtly. Even without such elements, the characters come off as being well-rounded and enjoyable. The story covers some fascinating concepts, and is well-structured.

This film is shot and edited with quality precision. Acting is phenomenal: while it is always a joy to see William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and the rest of the crew in action, Ricardo Montalbán steals the show as the villain, with a powerful and iconic performance. Writing is great, featuring plenty of great memorable lines. The production has a fine array of solid sets, props, costumes, and special effects (costumes in particular are much improved from the last Trek picture). Music, despite deviating from the classic Trek themes, has a catchy melodic charm of its own.

Of this film, I can say this. Of all the Trek films I have known, this still the most...endearing.

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)

Recommendation: Yep.

On Blu-Ray, this film is one of the few Trek films that wasn't smeared up with DNR, so it has a healthy amount of film grain. It gets a little noisy, but is otherwise sharp, clean, and has solid color and contrast. Clarity seems better than I remember overall. Sound quality is good, not great, but for this film it's never been that exceptional to begin with.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 3.5/5