The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I bolded some of you spoiler.

What? I had rewound that scene a couple times because I was upset/curious and wanted to examine it to see

[Show spoiler]if he was for sure dead. To find meaning. Did I really miss the blinking? Really? Did I miss the cutback where he was not in the tree? I watched it over and over because I was yearning for a complete message. Am I that big of a failure? Dang it.

Your explanation about the kids not being sad about Dad answers all my questions for sure and makes sense.

So.....you have buttoned it all up. Its turns out to be a great movie.

[Show spoiler]All except for the pedophile director and cinematographer.

haha. I still think it's an average film, 3 stars (out of 4). Criterion hasn't been good to me lately, with Wings of Desire, Walkabout, and Howards End all being mediocre experiences for me personally. I say this as I'm about to pop in Summer Hours.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Pineapple Express is one of the worst films I've ever seen. I rank it in my top 5 worst of all-time.

i don't know where i would rank it, but i also remember very few moments that made me laugh / enjoy the film. James Franco i think was great, at times, (during scenes where he had to act "crazy like"), but those were few and far between.

i don't think i even finished it!
and don't know if i will ever bother to try and watch it again.

[BladeRunner2007]

The Fog (1980) 4.5/5

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later 4/5

[LordoftheRings]

Film: 3.5/5
Picture: 3.25/5
Sound: 3.75/5
Extras: 1/5
Overall: 3.5/5

* Last comment: Interesting, entertaining, but still missing that true movie magic. The type of film that goes up & down depending on the mood of the moment.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I bolded some of you spoiler.

What? I had rewound that scene a couple times because I was upset/curious and wanted to examine it to see

[Show spoiler]if he was for sure dead. To find meaning. Did I really miss the blinking? Really? Did I miss the cutback where he was not in the tree? I watched it over and over because I was yearning for a complete message. Am I that big of a failure? Dang it.

Your explanation about the kids not being sad about Dad answers all my questions for sure and makes sense.

So.....you have buttoned it all up. Its turns out to be a great movie.

[Show spoiler]All except for the pedophile director and cinematographer.

No, you're not a big failure, remember I was only looking for various visual elements based on feedback you provided.

[Show spoiler]One thing is making me hesitant on the theory since I wrote this: there seems to be 2 trees. The one he is on has green fruit hanging from it. We see this in the initial shot when the boy/girl walk up to him. Later on, in the cutback shot when he is gone, the tree in the center of the screen has a Y shaped branch (seemingly formed from him hanging on it), and he is gone -- not hanging in it. However, this tree in the center seems to have only a little bit of fruit on it, and off to the right of the shot, is another tree, partially in and partially out of the shot, and does lots of fruit on it, but you can't see the whole of the 2nd tree to confirm if he is in that one. So no, I cant be 100% sure he is gone, as I can't be 100% sure its the center-tree in that shot he was in. I'm more like 85% sure (empty center tree + blinking)

[CZAR]

Ali - This is my 2nd ever viewing of this film. Its a very long film and at times it did drag. I still dont think Smith was casted right as Ali. Not a knock on Smith but he just doesnt fit the role in my eyes. I thought the film was mediocre before and even though I am a huge Smith fan now, I still feel the same way. Mario Van Pebbles wasnt a very good Malcolm X either. This film just didnt work out that well in my eyes and I think he should be redone if they can find a different director and someone who actually fits the role of Ali.

Film Rating - 2 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!



Hollywood Homicide - Also my 2nd viewing of this film. This is a nice cop/action/comedy. It was cool to see Ford play more of a funny character than he usually does. Like the chemistry between him and Hartnett. Nothing special about the story but the film was enjoyable.

Film Rating - 3 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!



Friday - Finally watched this blu and man what a pleasant surprise of how good this film looks. I love the extra footage on the unrated directors cut. This is a film that never gets old and to me is one of the greatest comedies of all time. Chris Tucker as Smokey is one of the funniest characters in comic film history. Love that the film basically takes place on one block. Also thought they got the most out of the film for a very small budget. The chemistry between Ice Cube & Tucker was excellent and very funny. This was an instant classic when it dropped and is still a classic by all means.

Film Rating - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

PQ - 4 stars (out of 5)

AQ - 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

[Show spoiler]I remember him blinking and wondering whether he was alive or not. What's clear is that the children think he's dead. They obviously would not leave him there if they thought he was alive. In order for the film to make sense and for its main theme of communication to shine through, I believe he must be dead.

dang it Jhiggy!! I was doing great until you threw that into the equation! no seriously, good insight!!

[Show spoiler]It's true, at the end, when the girl and boy approach the village, the boy goes "is dad there?". The girl answers, "no." The boy then asks "did he die too?" (meaning in addition to the Aborigine). And the girl answers "I don't know." So Jhiggy is right: it seems that the boy/girl think he (Aborigine) is dead.

And I agree with Jhiggy that the Aborigine dying = miscommunication theme, in terms of the girl not bothering to figure out what his mating ritual dance meant, and thus the Aborigine following that up with the tree hanging (if in fact it is some suicide step).

However, even if the tree hanging isn't a suicide, but just some punishment/torture routine, and he is alive, I still think miscommunication theme works. The girl thinks he is a psycho nut after the dance. She was scared to go outside when he was dancing, and now that he is hanging on the tree, even thinks he is more of a freak. Its just more reason for her to run. She even tells the boy "we'll go on our own tomorrow," so has no intention of having the Aborigine join her and the boy, and this was before they saw him hanging. IMO, if he was alive and the boy/girl left him there, it would also solidify the theme of miscommunication (i.e., that the girl never bothered to learn what his language was, what his dance meant, why he was hanging -- unlike John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves -- she has zero willingness to communicate

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

dang it Jhiggy!! I was doing great until you threw that into the equation! no seriously, good insight!!

[Show spoiler]It's true, at the end, when the girl and boy approach the village, the boy goes "is dad there?". The girl answers, "no." The boy then asks "did he die too?" (meaning in addition to the Aborigine). And the girl answers "I don't know." So Jhiggy is right: it seems that the boy/girl think he (Aborigine) is dead.

And I agree with Jhiggy that the Aborigine dying = miscommunication theme, in terms of the girl not bothering to figure out what his mating ritual dance meant, and thus the Aborigine following that up with the tree hanging (if in fact it is some suicide step).

However, even if the tree hanging isn't a suicide, but just some punishment/torture routine, and he is alive, I still think miscommunication theme works. The girl thinks he is a psycho nut after the dance. She was scared to go outside when he was dancing, and now that he is hanging on the tree, even thinks he is more of a freak. Its just more reason for her to run. She even tells the boy "we'll go on our own tomorrow," so has no intention of having the Aborigine join her and the boy, and this was before they saw him hanging. IMO, if he was alive and the boy/girl left him there, it would also solidify the theme of miscommunication (i.e., that the girl never bothered to learn what his language was, what his dance meant, why he was hanging -- unlike John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves -- she has zero willingness to communicate

Great insight and I agree that it really could go either way, with the theme of communication showing through. I think it's a bit more effective if

[Show spoiler]he ends up dying, but it works the other way too. On the theme of comm., if he was simply putting himself in the tree because he was ashamed and the bro and sis thought he was dead instead of realizing that he was merely punishing himself and not dead, I think the theme of comm. could actually be stronger, come to think of it....I'm not sure where I stand now!

[iam1bearcat]

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

(first viewing)

not as bad as i've heard it is / was.

is it good? kinda. entertaining? yes. as good as the first? not even close. the directing, writing, characters, villains, and pacing is almost completely horrible compared to the first film (which is an action classic). but, looking at Die Hard 2 not as a sequel, but as a separate movie (hard to do with a 2 in the title i know but work with me here ) the film is better than i've heard.

the story itself is solid and i thought it was incredibly original. few films take place with terrorists and airports (and after 9/11 we probably never will see anything close to this again) and they really built up the villains as very smart people. a problem though: too smart. how could a group of people possibly "hijack"

[Show spoiler]an entire airport and every plane in the sky?? that seems wholly illogical and almost impossible. and they have ALL the equipment necessary to see what planes are doing? where the **** would you get this stuff?!

. and for those who say, "this is an over the top action movie. it doesn't have to be real". well, i don't agree. a few things, i can understand. it IS an action movie. but John McClane is built up as such a real guy, a normal hard working, smart, tough cop that to have barbarically impossible or numerous scenes just don't work.

a few things that made me and made me almost HATE the film because of sheer stupidity or other nonsense:

[Show spoiler]the grenades in the plane cabin. how f****** long does it take for grenades to go off?! six minutes?! holy crispies man! come on.

i shook my head in shame here. and then there is the

[Show spoiler]door that is placed DIRECTLY OVER THE WING OF THE PLANE. why? is this real? i've never personally seen it. not that i look at planes closely, but i'm almost positive that this would never be built like this and made me laugh for about 10 minutes at how bad it was.

. and last but not least (but i'm sure there is more) is the complete and total "WTF moment" with

[Show spoiler]the SWAT team getting annihilated near the beacon. really? they don't kill A SINGLE TERRORIST? MClane kills them all with a freakin' pistol?!

all these illogical screw ups made me shake in anger for a few seconds.

glad to see McClane back, but sad to see such a lackluster final product. some of the parts of the film are good and there are a few clever "aha!" moments, but once it finished i thought, "man, Die Hard really is a classic" and Die Hard 2 shows how difficult it is to make a classic action movie.

and the ending itself showed how dumb the writers were.

[Show spoiler]McClane blows up the terrorist plane as they fly away... and then there is a line of fire that the other planes land on... no one thought of this when the power went out? and none of the 6 million planes landing INSTANTLY, JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET BEHIND EACH OTHER hit each other? where does each plane go? after awhile the first plane just stopped... so where will they all go next?

again, maybe not a film to be taken so seriously, but when you have such a real, tough main character, why not supply him with realistic logic? it is possible. just not in Die Hard 2.

2/5

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

hahaha sorry if it seemed harsh, I didn't mean it to be; you know I appreciate the effort you put in to reviewing a film, whether you like it or not.

I thought more about this -- I could have put it better in my last post. Here is what I really meant to say: I loved the themes (at least the ones I got and the ones you brought up that I missed), they were not the issue -- the main issue was the delivery/execution.

Dude, I'm jokin around. I think its fun to give each other hell for not liking each others favorite films! Trust me, if I was really offended by what you wrote, I'd either not say anything or send you a nasty PM! Definitely not joke about it! LIke I said and will keep saying: I specifically solicited your feedback!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Great insight and I agree that it really could go either way, with the theme of communication showing through. I think it's a bit more effective if

[Show spoiler]he ends up dying, but it works the other way too. On the theme of comm., if he was simply putting himself in the tree because he was ashamed and the bro and sis thought he was dead instead of realizing that he was merely punishing himself and not dead, I think the theme of comm. could actually be stronger, come to think of it....I'm not sure where I stand now!

I agree with you 100% (on

[Show spoiler] him being dead being probably a more solid, thematically. As I said in the other post, there is 2 trees, so he may be in the Right one!

), I was just trying to appease Squid's issues with the film on the alternative (alive) explanation!

[ajvdbg]

Spartacus - 4.5/5

The epic of all epics. Needed a few sittings because it is 3 hrs and 15 min long PQ is not that great though - but considering it is a 50 yr old film it was sufficient.

I am Spartacus!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

haha. I still think it's an average film, 3 stars (out of 4). Criterion hasn't been good to me lately, with Wings of Desire, Walkabout, and Howards End all being mediocre experiences for me personally. I say this as I'm about to pop in Summer Hours.

Yeah that's too bad, bro. I've watched all Criterions up to the April releases (about 15-20), and have only not liked (<4/5 stars) 2: (1) The Man Who Fell to Earth, and (2) Pierrot Le Fou. You've liked all the rest you watched though? I know you loved 400 Blows and Marienbad (we both did) and Revanche (great film!!!)

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Yeah that's too bad, bro. I've watched all Criterions up to the April releases (about 15-20), and have only not liked (<4/5 stars) 2: (1) The Man Who Fell to Earth, and (2) Pierrot Le Fou. You've liked all the rest you watched though? I know you loved 400 Blows and Marienbad (we both did) and Revanche (great film!!!)

I LOVE Marienbad. Fantastic film.

I watched Toy Story 3 today. 10/10.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Yeah that's too bad, bro. I've watched all Criterions up to the April releases (about 15-20), and have only not liked (<4/5 stars) 2: (1) The Man Who Fell to Earth, and (2) Pierrot Le Fou. You've liked all the rest you watched though? I know you loved 400 Blows and Marienbad (we both did) and Revanche (great film!!!)

I have many more Criterions to make it through, but here's my top 5 so far (on blu):

1) 400 Blows

2) Last Year at Marienbad

3) Summer Hours

4) The Third Man

5) Revanche

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“The Dark Knight.”

5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 5/5, film: 5/5)

The Blu-Ray is an awesome deal. The PQ is very sharp and clean. There may be some slight DNR, but most fine details remain intact. Color and contrast are excellent. Sound quality is excellent; dialogue is clean and crisp, and the louder action scenes are decently bombastic.

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5





Why so serious?!!

I agree with everything you wrote on this film


It without a doubt stands head and shoulders....and the rest of the body....above any other movie of its type (comic book). It isn't a great comic book movie, its a great movie in general.

Good review

[jhiggy23]

Summer Hours (blu)

PQ: 5 stars (out of 5)

It won't wow you like Australia or Band of Brothers, but the clarity and detail is astounding. I rarely give 5 stars for PQ, but I just couldn't not do it here.

AQ: 4 stars (out of 5)


Film: 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)

Rottentomatoes: 92%

Ebert: 3 stars (out of 4)


This was a very enjoyable film. There's not action and no significant dilemma or problem, but the richness of the script and ideas make it a must-see. I admit I'm biased considering I went on a solo trip to Paris about a month and a half ago, and I'm a sucker for the Parisian countryside and anything having to do with art. This film is all about possessions and objects passed down from one generation to the next. What do they mean? Are they viewed in an economic sense or a sentimental sense? The scene with Eloise and the reason she chooses her specific item to keep sums up the entire film, so watch closely. As for the themes regarding globalization, that would require too much thinking right now and admittedly, I'm still reeling from Fedor just tapping out! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that there are interior shots of the Musee D'Orsay either.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Summer Hours (blu)

This was a very enjoyable film. There's not action and no significant dilemma or problem, but the richness of the script and ideas make it a must-see. I admit I'm biased considering I went on a solo trip to Paris about a month and a half ago, and I'm a sucker for the Parisian countryside and anything having to do with art. This film is all about possessions and objects passed down from one generation to the next. What do they mean? Are they viewed in an economic sense or a sentimental sense? The scene with Eloise and the reason she chooses her specific item to keep sums up the entire film, so watch closely. As for the themes regarding globalization, that would require too much thinking right now and admittedly, I'm still reeling from Fedor just tapping out! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that there are interior shots of the Musee D'Orsay either.

I had no idea he was even fighting!!! Just watched it on youtube!! I used to watch UFC religiously but havent' watched one in months. Holy crappola, what was he thinking?????? He got out of the first triangle choke then goes in again carelessly!!

Back on topic glad you liked it and it sounds great. I remember you talking about the trip to Paris. This one is like #4 on my queue so I'll revisit your review again.

[Cowboy300]

Spread with Ashton Kutcher...I spent 7 dollars on it and feel like asking for a refund.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Cowboy300

Spread with Ashton Kutcher...I spent 7 dollars on it and feel like asking for a refund.

Haha, ouch