The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Seems like everyone is enjoying the newest Star Trek. High marks all around.

Might be time for a run to the theater for this one.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Seems like everyone is enjoying the newest Star Trek. High marks all around.

Might be time for a run to the theater for this one.

[legendarymatt92]

"I got some rules...no women, no children."

The Good Points: Wonderfully gritty tone. Stallone. Some great throw-backs to the action pictures of the '80s. Walter Hill's solid direction. Intense and entertaining, especially the fantastic axe-fight.

The Bad Points: Nothing particularly original or special. Possibly tries too hard to re-capture the '80s tone, in which it fails. Wooden performances. Some plot holes.

With the age of the '80s star-vehicle possibly upon us once more, Bullet to the Head commendably does exactly what it says on the tin, but the excessive violence, great showdowns and little character development may not be to everyone's tastes.

6.5/10

[jvince]

This Is Vanity - Short Film | 2012 - YouTube

This Is Vanity (2012)
dir. Oliver Goodrum

The Good: Great, timely plot about a teenage girl who's constantly bullied because of being autistic. Solid performances.

The Bad: Unsubtle in its emotional manipulation. Exaggeratedly bleak. Movie-ized.

The Bottom Line: This probably could've worked better if it was longer, or maybe it'd be more effective when seen along with the other two segments in the anthology -- This Is Iniquity (which follows the bully) and This Is Solidarity (which follows the officer).

[Abdrewes]

The Iceman (2013)

Director Ariel Vromen's The Iceman opens with the static close-up of a gray bearded Richard Kuklinski in a darkened cell confessing to an offscreen priest and informing us of his general sense of regret. This would be a disastrous tension robbing device for any seasoned moviegoer expecting the film to use the shot as a bookend to close the film, but having a central performance as engaged as that of Michael Shannon immediately ingratiated me. At once strangely sympathetic and menacing, his performance is never anything less than a great sight. The real Richard Kuklinski claimed over 200 victims, and it is never in question that his big screen duplicate is more than capable of such acts: yet another role that shows Shannon's commitment to his craft.

Rewind a couple decades, it is now 1964 in New Jersey. Kuklinski is courting an abstemious young girl by the name of Barbara Pedrici (Winona Ryder). She is enamored with his soft spoken, mild demeanor, but unaware of his volatile temperament. One night during a game of eight ball, his beer drinking opponent at the local pub insults his girlfriend, by relaying here-say that she doesn't "put out" until marriage. Offended, Kuklinski calmly follows him to the adjacent alley and slits his throat while fastening his seatbelt. His emotionless and tactile evasion down the alley suggest expertise.

Not only is Barbara unaware of his psychopathic tendencies, but of his line of work as well. Claiming to be a dubbing artist for Disney cartoons, he is actually the developer of bootlegged adult films for the DeMeo crime syndicate. After the development lab is shut down, his boss, Roy DeMeo (a typecast Ray Liotta), hires him as a contract killer. His very first hit shows how surely and discreet he will be in the murders to follow: two shots are fired into a homeless man's chest while the eyes of street denizens dart aimlessly for the source of the blasts.

As an audience we are then, thrust into a familiar montage detailing the numerous executions Richard conducts for Roy while he accrues a comfortable upper middle class estate. It cycles through all the major touchstones in his life in such furious economy, almost resembling a parody of such syntagma in rise-and-fall biopics. What results from this are the building blocks of the well traversed tension between a criminal and family life. Naturally, in the futile attempts to manage both worlds, Rickard's felonious actions will intersect with the well being of his estate as he sidelines his wife Barbara and two young daughters while devoting more of his essence to the murderous mindset. As his allegiances shift and his hits become increasingly reckless, there is never any doubt that his downfall will be linked to his negligence. The film goes so far as to detail methods used in the were house hideout where his and Robert 'Mr. Freezy' Pronge (a wig wearing Chris Evans) victims were taken for dismemberment.

The film is chock-full of crime film cliché: the dutiful wife at home that attends to his offspring, comical executions gone wrong, a fateful meeting at a cemetary inside of a four door Lincoln and a single rote flashback that utilizes pop psychology to explain the root cause of Kuklinski's madness. The cinematography by Bobby Bukowski left much to be desired. A cyanide spray hit at a night club, while Blondie's 1979 multi-platinum disco hit, "Heart of Glass" pumped through the stereo system, instantly recalled the masterful opening scene of James Gray's We own the Night. The sophisticated staging and pristine employment of digital cinematography of that film is eschewed for a premium cable workmanlike visual design. The televisual look does not get in the way as the efficient editing carries the story from point A to point B.

In addition to the wanting visual style, many subplots are insufficiently developed, some even completely disregarded as the film stumbles toward the finish. The film sets up a potentially life threatening altercation with Roy DeMeo, but there is a curious lack of follow through as I pondered the whereabouts of his character throughout much of the final third. Late developments surrounding a threat on the Kuklinski household are crudely sketched out as well.

Ariel Vromen's film is certainly ineffective in being a morality tale of the dangers getting trapped in the quest for material wealth during a time when unemployment rate in the United States is at its lowest since 2008. After the missteps of Andrew Dominik's Killing them Softly attempting to employ thriller tropes to equate the allure of being in a rebound economy and the reckless financial dealings that follow with the exploits of a contract killer, The Iceman could have been the film to effectively do so. Alas, it is falls significantly short of the mark. However, the film presents an opportunity to relish the sight of a singularly great performance and provides an informative crash course on the life of one of the most notorious hit men, especially for those of us unfamiliar with his story. In a dour movie year such as this one, being a watchable genre film more than warrants my lukewarm recommendation.

[jvince]

The Lion King (1994)
dir. Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

The Good: First-rate original songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice. Excellent score by Hans Zimmer. Great message. Wonderful animation. Mufasa's death. Timon and Pumbaa. Hakuna Matata. "Remember who you are."

The Bad: Plot is contrived. Very contrived.

The Bottom Line: The Lion King was one of my favorite films as a child; I was obsessed. But after watching it again for the first time in almost two decades (What?! Man, I feel old...), it's not as great as I remember. The soundtrack still holds up though. Ah, nostalgia...

[jvince]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Side Effects - 3.5/5

This would be a film to watch if you want a reason to never talk to a psychiatrist and a reason to never be a psychiatrist.

Interesting.

Very Soderbergh.

Can't see this having high replay value though.

Worth renting.

A bearcat sighting!

[legendarymatt92]

"This date isn't going well. I want to die all over again."

The Good Points: Sweet, in a nostalgia-tinged indie way. Interesting, individual twist on the zombie genre. Great performances and nuanced direction. Very funny at times, especially the first act. Rob Corddry. Witty and (mostly) intelligent.

The Bad Points: Cliched, over-bearing "love conquers all" message. Not so subtle allusions to love in adolescence. Humour suffers in the third act. Highly forgettable.

It's an undeniably interesting mix of zombies and indie-sensibilities, but the overly sweet and saccharine approach proves much too sentimental for Warm Bodies' pretty serious themes, and its powerful insistence that love defies all may prove too much for some people - even though it has an impressive, niggling charm and some great, knowing humour.

5.5/10

[Abdrewes]

^^^
Agreed. I would just water down some of those good points.

[Foggy]

You're both too harsh, it's a charming little film.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Foggy

You're both too harsh, it's a charming little film.

You probably were just in a jolly, forgiving mood that day. I know overrating a film due to such conditions has happened to me, hence positive 3 Star reviews for Lords of Salem, 42, The Last Stand & Dead Man Down.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You probably were just in a jolly, forgiving mood that day. I know overrating a film due to such conditions has happened to me, hence positive 3 Star reviews for Lords of Salem, 42, The Last Stand & Dead Man Down.

I dunno, I was accused of shoplifting just prior to watching it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I dunno, I was accused of shoplifting just prior to watching it.

Thus, you really wanted to rebound by having the best time at the cinema.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Thus, you really wanted to rebound by having the best time at the cinema.

Fair enough, I'll let you win this one.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

^^^
Agreed. I would just water down some of those good points.

Originally Posted by Foggy

You're both too harsh, it's a charming little film.

You're both kind of right, even though that seems strange given the contradictory statements. It is charming, but its main problem is its message: basically, in a world decimated by the undead, where humans are pushed to the brink of annihilation, the love of a beautiful (and typically indie) girl can save even monsters. For its humanity in crisis approach, it's too jolly and sweet (not to mention the highly illogical actions from someone whose boyfriend has just been ripped apart and their friends killed).

I had a major problem with this uneven balancing of opposite ideals, just as I did with something like Dark Shadows. It is strange how this has garnered such positive reviews, though.

[bunkz323]

Just finished this.

Very weird film with some great cinematography and acting. Really felt like a nightmare during the boat ride, the use of colors and images. Really great, but very different. 3.5-4/5
Sad how it ended, but beautiful at the same time.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by bunkz323

Just finished this.

Very weird film with some great cinematography and acting. Really felt like a nightmare during the boat ride, the use of colors and images. Really great, but very different. 3.5-4/5
Sad how it ended, but beautiful at the same time.

Didn't like Valhalla Rising on the first viewing, but my expectations were totally thrown off. Like you say, it is a weird and nightmarish film. I will need to revisit this one when I get my stuff back.

[jvince]

http://vimeo.com/m/67077975

Magnesium (2012)
dir. Sam de Jong

The Good: Understated, revelatory performance from Denise Tan as a young gymnast who finds out she's pregnant and decides to have an abortion before the national competition. Effective, purposeful shakycam cinematography (love the shot of Tan spinning around in a bumper car). Gripping from start to finish.

The Bad: Nothing major. Subtitles have a few typos.

The Bottom Line: An intense and powerful short reminiscent of Black Swan (minus the horror) and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Magnesium is a surprising gem that comes recommended.

[SquidPuppet]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I liked it a lot.

I think that if you look at this as a "Coming of Age" film, you are going at it all wrong. While it contains some typical CoA events, that's not the point of the film. There are WAY bigger themes at work here, not just the typical teen angst stuff.

I dont think it was aimed at teenagers at all. The subject matter was far too dark, heavy and serious. Seems more like a film for adults that is about a teenage boys struggle that just happens to take place during high school years. It really is NOT about high school, it's about Charlie. To me, all the "High School Melodrama" that people complain about is not what the film is about. I see it as material used in juxtaposition, a counterbalance to the story of Charlies

[Show spoiler]childhood sexual abuse, his best friend's suicide, his mental and emotional issues, and his recovery.

Unlike some of the negative reviews in this thread, I thought the pacing was perfect, and the ebb and flow from dark-to-light-to-dark-to-light was well balanced. Like real life. I also thought the music choices were fitting and realistic, not cliche.

I notice old guys like Steve and I dig this movie, and younger guys like DJ, AB, Bearcat did not like it at all. Part of me wonders if you guys are still too close (simply in the context of time) to those experiences to detach from them. Maybe if they were REALLY distant memories like they are for me, you'd see the balance in the film. That's not meant as a judgement guys, just an observation of a possibility.

Film 4.5/5

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

[Show spoiler]I liked it a lot.

I think that if you look at this as a "Coming of Age" film, you are going at it all wrong. While it contains some typical CoA events, that's not the point of the film. There are WAY bigger themes at work here, not just the typical teen angst stuff.

I dont think it was aimed at teenagers at all. The subject matter was far too dark, heavy and serious. Seems more like a film for adults that is about a teenage boys struggle that just happens to take place during high school years. It really is NOT about high school, it's about Charlie. To me, all the "High School Melodrama" that people complain about is not what the film is about. I see it as material used in juxtaposition, a counterbalance to the story of Charlies

[Show spoiler]childhood sexual abuse, his mental and emotional issues, and his recovery.

Unlike some of the negative reviews in this thread, I thought the pacing was perfect, and the ebb and flow from dark-to-light-to-dark-to-light was well balanced. Like real life. I also thought the music choices were fitting and realistic, not cliche.

I notice old guys like Steve and I dig this movie, and younger guys like DJ, AB, Bearcat did not like it at all. Part of me wonders if you guys are still too close (simply in the context of time) to those experiences to detach from them. Maybe if they were REALLY distant memories like they are for me, you'd see the balance in the film. That's not meant as a judgement guys, just an observation of a possibility.

Film 4.5/5

Glad you could enjoy it. Something else that bothered me was the cultural depiction- it felt too modern and hipster for the time period and was off-putting to me. Bearcat is from Seattle (I think) so I am sure he is all too familiar with them. It was just over-the-top hipster, and mixed with the cheese it became hard to watch. I can do hipster indies too--I love Safety Not Guaranteed.