The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

this definitely hurt me here. i havent read any, and know they get longer with each movie, so its more and more difficult to "get" the story. i personally prefer the first one, but cant make a fair judgment till i've read all the books (got the amazon set, been sitting in my bookshelf for weeks )

I haven't seen this one yet but a friend of mine wouldn't stop about how terrible it was for this very reason. She also said the ending was too quick. And she read the books.

I saw High Fidelity tonight for the first time. I really enjoyed the inconsistent mood it set, not to mention the hilarious surprises left and right by the entire cast.

[casablanca3]

500 Days of Summer- Second time watched it and loved it just as much as the first. What a fantastic film. Levitt is so good. 10/10

[D-Blitz]

Dirty Harry - 7/10

I do appreciate that this movie was the pioneer in its genre back in its time, but it now feels typical. Having grown up with better crime and action movies, it's hard for me to give this a higher rating, though I do acknowledge it's still a terrific movie. Eastwood is brilliant as usual.

Fargo - 8.5/10

Really surprised by how good this movie was. It enveloped me throughout its whole length. Loved the plot, loved the direction and really loved the clever dark comedy. Also, amazing casting and absolutely spot-on performances by all lead and supporting actors.

[Al_The_Strange]

Watched:

"Horton Hears a Who," the newer CGI version with Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell. I found it charming in general; it had some funny parts, and the production design adhered to Dr Seuss' world really well. I also do like the fact that it opened up the story a lot; compared to the original cartoon, this version is longer, more epic, has more issues, and has some things thought-out a little more logically. I'd give it a 4/5, and will probably get a copy later.

Also decided to pop in the original "Horton Hears a Who" from 1970; I grew up with it, so it is very familiar. I got to admit that it's a little too short and simple, especially compared to the remake. But the artwork is fabulous (if not psychedelic!) and I like most of their songs (I got them stuck in my head now!). I'd still give it a 4/5.

Between the two movies, I've been wondering if the story is some kind of allegory to the communist scare in America during the Cold War. After all, Horton inadvertently caused mass hysteria in his community over practically nothing, and was ostracized for it. I've never thought about it before, so now I'm intrigued...

Saw the other features on the disc as well; the "Butter Battle Book" was awesome (didn't care for it as a kid, since the ending left it hanging, but now I can see that it's mostly an allegory to the arms race and the threat of nuclear war; it's pretty clever). It actually seems pretty stark in a way, but it was thought-provoking as it was imaginative. This one is like a 4.5/5 for me.

The disc also had "Daisy Head Mayzie" on it, which is alright. It's pretty interesting portrayal of a person going through celebrity status, and the artwork was cute. But it pales in comparison to all these other Dr Seuss features. 3.5/5

Thus concludes the impromptu Dr Seuss marathon...

Afterwards, I watched the last Steve Martin movie in this collection I got, "The Lonely Guy." It's a pretty witty romantic comedy with plenty of funny slapstick in it. I think it started to drag a little toward the end, but it turned up with a nice ending. I'd give it a 3.5/5.

[Al_The_Strange]

Watched "Beowulf," probably the third time ever, but first time on Blu-Ray (which looks practically perfect!). Yeah, it's not perfect; the animation is a little stiff and awkward in some parts (though some parts do look incredibly detailed and slick), and there are some cheesy moments. But I enjoy the imagery, the action, and the music. I find the movie's focus on the death of fantasy/myth and the rise of Christan religion interesting. I think there is also some kind of theme concerning men's actions and their consequences on fututre generations. And there's also some interesting stuff about heroism. And yet, all these themes only seem lightly touched upon. All things considering though, I'd rank this as a 3.5/5.

And dang, I forgot how bloody the director's cut is; Grendel really f***ed some people up! Gnarly!!!

Someday, I'll have to read the original poem (I think I have it somewhere...).

Aside from the movie's enjoyment factor and the fact that people here and people I knew have been talking about it lately, I wanted to watch this movie because it's one of the only few I know of that is about ancient Norse mythology or culture (a few others being "The Pathfinder," "Outlander," and "The 13th Warrior"). These movies ought to put me in the mood for writing my latest manuscript, which in turn is a Norse-themed gothic fantasy. Does anybody else know of any other good Norse/Viking/Germanic epic/fantasy movies?

[CZAR]

12 Rounds - Watched John Cena's 2nd starring role in film. It was a decnt action flick but nuthin to original. I thought it wouldve been better but it was nuthin special and I wouldnt buy it on blu. Overall 2.5/5 Got Em!!


The Unborn - Heard nuthin but terrible things about this film. It wasnt as bad as I heard but it wasnt good either. The lead actress was very pretty along with the gorgeous Meagan Good! I cant believe Gary Oldman even played this part. It was decent at best but nuthin I would want to own. Overall I would rate it 2.5/5 Got Em!!

[HeManster03]

Just watched " From Hell " the other night, and I had never seen it previously. I blind bought it after hearing good things from a friend whol shares my taste in movies.
PQ- I'm a fan of dark films shot with intentional grain, and this movie reminded me visually of " Sleepy Hollow " (which is one of my favorite movies) just with a much more detailed color scheme and fullness to the blacks.
4/5
AQ- the audio was solid from my point of view. the rear 4 channels in my system were constantly active and contributed often. made me feel like i was in the heart of London. not very overpowering, but pleasant none the less.
3.5/5

Overall, I give the film a 4/5. If you havent seen this movie, I recommed it thoroughly.

[Realist01]

From Hell is a good movie, but I felt it could have been a great one.

[CZAR]

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - I wanted to see this film simple because of Moon Bloodgood and Kristin Kreuk! I heard bad things about it and goin off the past Street Fighter films I didnt think it would be to good. To my surprise it wasnt bad. It wasnt great by no means but i was entertained. I like Michael Clarke Duncan the more and more I see him. They couldve gotten a better cop then Oz from American Pie haha but at the same time it was good to see him again. The film wasnt a bad film as most have said. The fight sequences were very good and wow how good both of those 2 females look. Overall I would rate the film 3/5 Got Em!!

[kurtis21]

Overall, I give the film a 4/5. If you havent seen this movie, I recommed it thoroughly.

I have always LOVED this movie. I've read books on "Jack The Ripper" and thought that they followed the details pretty closely! And of course Johnny Depp was awesome! I agree with HeManster03...if you haven't seen this movie...go buy it NOW!!! You won't be dissappointed

[CZAR]

Jaws 3-D - This is the 3rd installment in the Jaws franchise. I vaguely remember this as a kid so sumthings I couldnt remember. I thought it was very suspenseful, however I thought the effects were pretty bad. I know its an 80's film but there were other films that came out around this same time frame with better effects. Overall it was entertaining and I would rate it 3/5 Got Em!!

[AKORIS]

TAKING LIVES -- not a bad thriller in the Seven/Copycat style of serial killer thrillers-- there was a "shock" scene that had me jumping out of my seat as well as a gruesome twist towards the end where the true killer is revealed-- very creepy and effective. Angelina Jolie was gorgeous (and w/o clothes in a scene if you're interested) The movie as a whole was lacking something but I can't really put my finger on it-- maybe it's just a subject that's already been done better elsewhere. Anyway a solid 3 stars out of 5

[Al_The_Strange]

Watched "Moon" last night, a Netflix rental. I'd say it's worthwhile; a fine, classy, intelligent sci-fi film on similar lines to "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Sunshine." After a while, though, the slow pacing got to me, and I lost interest, doing other things while the movie was playing. By the end of it, I think I understood it well enough, but I probably won't want to see it again. Regardless, for its quality, I'd give it a 4/5

[jeffrow]

The Uninvited 2.5/5
Cop Land 3.5/5
The Orphan 3/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Rented another fine wreck of a movie by Uwe Boll through Netflix: "Heart of America." I was just expecting this to be awful! In the end...yeah, it is. Stylistically it's not bad though and makes for passable entertainment; camermanship is pretty solid, the acting is passable (maybe a little cheesy though), it is pretty slick how they used B&W shots for flashbacks, and the music was not bad.

Other than that, the movie stinks. The dialogue is mostly cheesy (a couple of parts made me laugh; out of the blue, this one guy asks "so what do I do now?" and the other guy replies "We're having this conversation." Brilliant! I should use these lines in real life, see what happens!). Characters are one-dimensional, and practically stereotypical. The plot is a bit messy (not that it's full of holes or anything, but there are a few scenes that don't really fit in the movie (like the opening shot) and there are many scenes where something suddenly happens and they throw in a flashback to explain it; seems very contrived to me). The overall production quality resembles that of a made-for-TV movie.

One funny thing about this movie: it's supposed to be summertime (you know, the end of high school), but the movie was obviously made in autumn time. All the trees are dead, it looked like it rained in some shots, and in one scene you could see the characters' breath. Jeez, in other movies, they either wait for a good season to film, or use props/sets to simulate a given season; they didn't even bother with this one. Way to go, Uwe!

But the biggest gripe I have is over the movie's content. School shootings is a sensitive and controversial subject as it is; if the film was earnest and of higher quality, I probably would appreciate it a lot better. But coming from Uwe Boll, I couldn't help but to think that he handled the subject matter very weakly, using gratuitous violence for pure and shallow shock value rather than to create anything invoking. At times, the bullying scenes actually seemed way too over-the-top to be taken seriously. And ultimately, the movie makes the shooters out to be victims more than anything, completely disregarding any background or development that would otherwise indicate that they themselves are troubled. As such, it is a one-sided viewpoint, and it is highly unrealistic. In the end, I felt this movie was just another expression of Uwe's nihilism and shallow guilty pleasures more than anything.

Come to think of it, I'm not even sure what this movie's message is supposed to be about. Does it even have one? Why is it called "Heart of America?" Is it criticism, indicating that the heart of America is full of violence (if so...BOOOOO!!!!!)? Agh, it's too scary to even think about it...

So overall...2/5.

[assydingo]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - I wanted to see this film simple because of Moon Bloodgood and Kristin Kreuk! I heard bad things about it and goin off the past Street Fighter films I didnt think it would be to good. To my surprise it wasnt bad. It wasnt great by no means but i was entertained. I like Michael Clarke Duncan the more and more I see him. They couldve gotten a better cop then Oz from American Pie haha but at the same time it was good to see him again. The film wasnt a bad film as most have said. The fight sequences were very good and wow how good both of those 2 females look. Overall I would rate the film 3/5 Got Em!!

http://www.livevideo.com/video/97ADE...ction-cop.aspx

"I LOVE THIS JAHB"

[azdw]

March Of The Penguins.

Awesome documentary about the emperor penguins, with Morgan Freeman narrating. 9/10

[,deeii]

Watched The Thing last night on the television.

Really enjoyed it, a classic! 8/10

[ajvdbg]

Reservoir Dogs
7.5/10
Never saw it before but classic QT style...overall enjoyed it...although I felt the development of the relationship between Mr. Orange and Mr. White was insufficient to believe Mr. White reactions at the end...

[Paulness]

8/10
Monty Python: Almost the Truth

If you even have a passing interest in Python this documentary is a wealth of information/background on the group.