The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Meek's Cutoff

2011 / PG / 103 minutes / DVD

Hmmm. Beautifully shot.

Acting? None really. Dialogue? Not much. Character development? Nope. Story? Frail and poorly explained. Ending? Not that I saw.

After watching the film I read about the events of the real life Meek's Cutoff. Boy, the film missed a great opportunity.

Film 3/5 Thats up one whole star just for the cinematography.

[SquidPuppet]

Greenberg

2010 / R / 108 minutes / DVD

Greenberg (Ben Stiller) has come to California from New York to house-sit for his brother after having a nervous breakdown. He begins to have feelings for his brother's assistant Florence (Gret Gerwig). Neither of them are in solid emotional states and really should avoid entering a relationship. Much awkwardness follows. Some funny, some not. The characters are uncomfortable enough with themselves that it may make some viewers uncomfortable.

Good acting.

It was OK.

Film 3/5

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I'm glad this is funny, had mixed feelings towards the trailer but I really like all these actors. Although I think The World's End is going to be better.

Of course you would. You love Edgar Wright.

Seriously though, it wouldn't surprise me if you end up being right.

[legendarymatt92]

"I was born with a disfigurement where my head is made of the same material as the sun."

The Good Points: Visceral and sensuous. Potent, eclectic imagery. A film fixated on texture, rhythm and light, not meaning or reason. Impeccable sound design. An exploration of complex and deep intricacies. Fantastic performance from the beautiful Amy Seimetz.

The Bad Points: Frustratingly incomprehensible at times. Cryptic and almost inconsequential dialogue. Scenes are often not associated with one another, barely passing any resemblance or connection to what has come before or comes after.

As frustratingly enigmatic and complex as Carruth's début, Upstream Color marks a much more mature and assured outing for the director, but its dissociation from any true, overt meaning certainly rules it out of being to everyone's tastes.

6/10

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

"I was born with a disfigurement where my head is made of the same material as the sun."

W.T.F.?

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

W.T.F.?

And, honestly, that isn't even the weirdest bit

[Visco.]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

And, honestly, that isn't even the weirdest bit

That was one of the most ambiguous parts of the film. I seriously had no idea where Carruth was going with that scene. It's definitely not the weirdest, but man he's too abstract sometimes.

[jhiggy23]

Looper:

2 1/2 (out of 4)


Very mediocre. Acting was less than impressive across the board and although I really like Gordon-Levitt, trying to make him look like a younger Bruce Willis (which obviously was necessary for the role) was distracting because it looked incredibly fake. Emily Blunt was the only one who put forth a solid performance. I thought the concept was interesting enough but the screenplay ultimately did nothing with it from a moral or thematic perspective. I also found it to be somewhat boring and the plot holes were as large as I've seen in a movie in a long time. Ultimately, I don't recommend it at all.


________________________________________________

Undefeated:

4 stars (out of 4)


The Oscar winner for best documentary last year, and rightly so. People may be disinterested if they don't like sports because it focuses on a football team. However, it's an impossible movie to not be moved by even for those who dislike sports. I found it engaging in every way possible and Coach Bill Courtney is inspirational, especially in light of the stories that come out every year regarding abuse by coaches (such as the Rutgers coach). Highly recommended.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by Visco.

That was one of the most ambiguous parts of the film. I seriously had no idea where Carruth was going with that scene. It's definitely not the weirdest, but man he's too abstract sometimes.

The whole thing was completely ambiguous, but I understand where you're coming from; after watching it twice, I figure that the scene is about how easily she's manipulated since having the "virus" inserted in her, but I don't think anyone apart from maybe Carruth knows for sure.

[jvince]

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
dir. Stanley Kubrick

The Good: Excellent ensemble cast, with George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden stealing every single scene they're in. Spot-on soundtrack. Impeccable black-and-white cinematography. One of the most absurd, most unforgettable, and most brilliant endings ever filmed, perfectly set to Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again" (Good thing Kubrick didn't go with the pie fight instead).

The Bad: Clever? Yes. Funny? No.

The Bottom Line: Well-written, well-directed, and well-acted, but devoid of laughs.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I'm glad this is funny, had mixed feelings towards the trailer but I really like all these actors. Although I think The World's End is going to be better.

I don't think I laughed one bit while watching both Superbad and Pineapple Express, so I was pretty surprised how hilarious this one turned out.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

W.T.F.?

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

And, honestly, that isn't even the weirdest bit

Originally Posted by Visco.

That was one of the most ambiguous parts of the film. I seriously had no idea where Carruth was going with that scene. It's definitely not the weirdest, but man he's too abstract sometimes.

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

The whole thing was completely ambiguous, but I understand where you're coming from; after watching it twice, I figure that the scene is about how easily she's manipulated since having the "virus" inserted in her, but I don't think anyone apart from maybe Carruth knows for sure.

I think he said that so she wouldn't look at his face (who'd wanna stare at the sun?). You know, in case they ever bump into each other in the future and she might recognize him.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by jvince

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
dir. Stanley Kubrick

The Good: Excellent ensemble cast, with George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden stealing every single scene they're in. Spot-on soundtrack. Impeccable black-and-white cinematography. One of the most absurd, most unforgettable, and most brilliant endings ever filmed, perfectly set to Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again" (Good thing Kubrick didn't go with the pie fight instead).

The Bad: Clever? Yes. Funny? No.

The Bottom Line: Well-written, well-directed, and well-acted, but devoid of laughs.

Pretty much spot on (except the star rating). There's no doubt it's sharp and punchy, but it simply isn't funny anymore.

There was also a lot of procedural stuff on the plane that was tough to go through.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by jvince

I think he said that so she wouldn't look at his face (who'd wanna stare at the sun?). You know, in case they ever bump into each other in the future and she might recognize him.

Yeah, that's more logical

It's just a helluva head-trip, that's for sure. Funny thing is, even though it felt like I never completely got into it, it's the only recent film that I've thought about consistently after it had finished.

[legendarymatt92]

"I don't steal from anyone who can't afford it, and I don't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it."

The Good Points: Hackford's assured direction. The Stath, in a (thankfully) emotionally deeper role than some previous outings. Some good action sequences balanced well with actual story, and great, claustrophobic fist-fights. Jennifer Lopez plays the comic relief well (not to mention that extremely gratuitous, but still highly enjoyable, moment where she strips!)

The Bad Points: Much too long; could easily have shaved 20 minutes off it's 2 hour run-time. Strange, unexplained time-jumps (watch for Statham's fluctuating facial hair situation). Poorly executed, technically - lines frequently don't sync with people's lips. For a film that meanders so much, the ending is curiously rushed.

It has its many flaws, chief among them its bloated size and poor attention to technical details, but Parker is an interesting, entertaining and sometimes intelligent action film that never transcends or adds anything original to its genre, but thrills purely in its set-pieces and well-judged humour.

6.5/10

[jvince]

Eyes Without a Face (1960)
dir. Georges Franju

The Good: Solid performances, including a mesmerizing turn by Edith Scob; and those eyes... she manages to convey so much emotions just through her eyes. That eerily lifelike but expressionless mask. The infamous surgery scene (f***ck...). The final five minutes (wow... poetic perfection).

The Bad: That's some terrible police work if ever I've seen one.

The Bottom Line: An occasionally unsettling slow-burner with a wonderful payoff, Eyes Without a Face stands as one of the better horror films around.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Pretty much spot on (except the star rating). There's no doubt it's sharp and punchy, but it simply isn't funny anymore.

There was also a lot of procedural stuff on the plane that was tough to go through.

Yeah, the plane parts mostly dragged.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by jvince

Eyes Without a Face (1960)
dir. Georges Franju

[Show spoiler]

The Good: Solid performances, including a mesmerizing turn by Edith Scob; and those eyes... she manages to convey so much emotions just through her eyes. That eerily lifelike but expressionless mask. The infamous surgery scene (f***ck...). The final five minutes (wow... poetic perfection).

The Bad: That's some terrible police work if ever I've seen one.

The Bottom Line: An occasionally unsettling slow-burner with a wonderful payoff, Eyes Without a Face stands as one of the better horror films around.

Nice choice! The police work bothered me as well but I really like this film. It was my Halloween night movie last year. Blu-ray release please, Criterion.

[Al_The_Strange]

Fast & Furious 6 (aka Furious 6...I think)

I don't think many other franchises has been as turbulent and uneven as The Fast and the Furious films. Things started off pretty earnestly with Rob Cohen's first film, but quickly careened into odd directions, with the ever-cheesy 2 Fast 2 Furious taking off and running with one main character while leaving the other in the dust, and with Tokyo Drift drifting away with totally different characters altogether. Thankfully, Fast & Furious realigned the series with its roots. But it wasn't until Fast Five when I really began to give a damn about this series. Granted that all films have had their fun moments, the fifth film magically tied in every single strand from every single film, and made every single character relevant. Best of all, it did so with a great sense of fun: it had great pacing, amusing comedy, great action, and it made the characters stand out as a collectively outstanding cast.

So now Fast & Furious 6 has come out, reuniting the entire gang once more to take on bigger stakes. The spectacle in this film tries its best to be even bigger, more absurd, and more awesome than before: the film is effectively book-ended with two massive action setpieces. The first involves a decently destructive car chase in London, where the villain effectively uses his custom-built ride to launch other cars all over the place. The film's final act features a really crazy sequence in which a tank roars across a highway, crushing other cars and blowing up bridges. This all culminates with all the muscle cars banding together to bring down a massive cargo plane in a fiery blaze of glory. In between, the film slows down a bit, but there's frequent fist-fights and pursuits, a few scenes of witty comedy, and there's one decent car-racing scene.

Whether or not you really dig this film may depend on how well you dig the characters and all their dynamics. It definitely helps to watch and understand the events of the first five films, because at this point, they've all been through so much and changed so much; for a late-comer like me, who never was invested in the characters until the last film, it can be confusing to remember who was who and what their history was. Fortunately, the film does insert some flashbacks and reminders for the audience's benefit. If you are keeping up with things, then the film will reward you with a cast of endearing and heartfelt characters, and the film's plot generally revolves around their continuing struggles. As far as the actual plot goes, it's pretty brainless and absurd action-movie fodder, and there are plot holes to be found. However, the film does have the merit of presenting a cast of villains to directly oppose the cast of heroes, and for pulling out a few surprising twists.

The film generally looks good, but many of the action scenes are hectically shot and edited, and it can be hard to tell what's going on in certain scenes. What you can see is awesome, but sometimes, it's just aggravating. Acting is generally fun and enjoyable from the whole cast. Writing gets the job done well enough. This production uses a plethora of quality sets, props, and costumes, with loads of flashy cars at its disposal, and some okay-looking special effects. This film uses some cool and hip rap and techno music, while the music score is pretty cool (sounds a lot like Brian Tyler's work from Tokyo Drift, which was one of my favorite soundtracks).

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

Recommendation: Best recommended for F&F fans, especially for anybody who's been following the last few films.

Notes:

• This film pretty much confirms it. Michelle Rodriguez is one of my favorite actresses.
• During the scene after the racing, it was just
  [Show spoiler]Dom and the girl, alone. Then, the bad guy shows up. Then, they got snipers pointing at each other. Where did these people come from? How did they know where to find each other?!
• [Show spoiler]So, the big logistical problem I recall from Fast Five is that it's physically impossible for two cars to haul a massive metal vault. The logistical problem with Furious 6's final scene is that there's no way that airplane could just keep going and going and going like it did. The runway should have ended within a matter of minutes.
• There's a scene toward the end where the Rock and Vin Diesel are talking, and I couldn't stop laughing. For some odd reason, with the given camera angles, the Rock's head looked really really huge, and Vin's was tiny. Was Hobbs the Big Giant Head or something?
• [Show spoiler]The final bit with Jason Statham does have me excited for the next film.
• There's a lot to this series I totally don't remember. A proper F&F marathon will be in order...whenever I get my stuff back.

[bunkz323]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Fast & Furious 6 (aka Furious 6...I think)

I don't think many other franchises has been as turbulent and uneven as The Fast and the Furious films. Things started off pretty earnestly with Rob Cohen's first film, but quickly careened into odd directions, with the ever-cheesy 2 Fast 2 Furious taking off and running with one main character while leaving the other in the dust, and with Tokyo Drift drifting away with totally different characters altogether. Thankfully, Fast & Furious realigned the series with its roots. But it wasn't until Fast Five when I really began to give a damn about this series. Granted that all films have had their fun moments, the fifth film magically tied in every single strand from every single film, and made every single character relevant. Best of all, it did so with a great sense of fun: it had great pacing, amusing comedy, great action, and it made the characters stand out as a collectively outstanding cast.

So now Fast & Furious 6 has come out, reuniting the entire gang once more to take on bigger stakes. The spectacle in this film tries its best to be even bigger, more absurd, and more awesome than before: the film is effectively book-ended with two massive action setpieces. The first involves a decently destructive car chase in London, where the villain effectively uses his custom-built ride to launch other cars all over the place. The film's final act features a really crazy sequence in which a tank roars across a highway, crushing other cars and blowing up bridges. This all culminates with all the muscle cars banding together to bring down a massive cargo plane in a fiery blaze of glory. In between, the film slows down a bit, but there's frequent fist-fights and pursuits, a few scenes of witty comedy, and there's one decent car-racing scene.

Whether or not you really dig this film may depend on how well you dig the characters and all their dynamics. It definitely helps to watch and understand the events of the first five films, because at this point, they've all been through so much and changed so much; for a late-comer like me, who never was invested in the characters until the last film, it can be confusing to remember who was who and what their history was. Fortunately, the film does insert some flashbacks and reminders for the audience's benefit. If you are keeping up with things, then the film will reward you with a cast of endearing and heartfelt characters, and the film's plot generally revolves around their continuing struggles. As far as the actual plot goes, it's pretty brainless and absurd action-movie fodder, and there are plot holes to be found. However, the film does have the merit of presenting a cast of villains to directly oppose the cast of heroes, and for pulling out a few surprising twists.

The film generally looks good, but many of the action scenes are hectically shot and edited, and it can be hard to tell what's going on in certain scenes. What you can see is awesome, but sometimes, it's just aggravating. Acting is generally fun and enjoyable from the whole cast. Writing gets the job done well enough. This production uses a plethora of quality sets, props, and costumes, with loads of flashy cars at its disposal, and some okay-looking special effects. This film uses some cool and hip rap and techno music, while the music score is pretty cool (sounds a lot like Brian Tyler's work from Tokyo Drift, which was one of my favorite soundtracks).

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

Recommendation: Best recommended for F&F fans, especially for anybody who's been following the last few films.

Notes:

• This film pretty much confirms it. Michelle Rodriguez is one of my favorite actresses.
• During the scene after the racing, it was just
  [Show spoiler]Dom and the girl, alone. Then, the bad guy shows up. Then, they got snipers pointing at each other. Where did these people come from? How did they know where to find each other?!
• [Show spoiler]So, the big logistical problem I recall from Fast Five is that it's physically impossible for two cars to haul a massive metal vault. The logistical problem with Furious 6's final scene is that there's no way that airplane could just keep going and going and going like it did. The runway should have ended within a matter of minutes.
• There's a scene toward the end where the Rock and Vin Diesel are talking, and I couldn't stop laughing. For some odd reason, with the given camera angles, the Rock's head looked really really huge, and Vin's was tiny. Was Hobbs the Big Giant Head or something?
• [Show spoiler]The final bit with Jason Statham does have me excited for the next film.
• There's a lot to this series I totally don't remember. A proper F&F marathon will be in order...whenever I get my stuff back.

Yea i thought it was great

4/5 as well, that last scene (credits) had me excited too! Cant wait for the next one.