The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Q!

The overall flow and quality in the storytelling, though it sounds like it went horribly wrong for us I should've worded it differently. It's still great but the first half of the movie is beautifully crafted that's for sure.

no, I don't think it loses steam half-way through with the restaurant scene you mentioned (fur coats, etc). the reason is that one of the restaurant scenes around this time is one of the most iconic scenes in the film, where pesci does the "why am I funny?" act. but the real reason it doesn't lose steam is because

[Show spoiler]the viewer still doesn't know how henry's marriage and henry's mob life will work out, and we dont know that until the end of the film

. however, i will agree that the film does take a huge 90 degree turn about 2/3 way through that still catches me off-guard:

[Show spoiler]henry meeting his crack-girlfriend and then suddenly going from arranging truck heists with his mob buddies (ok, i'm with you there marty) to outrunning helicopters (say what???). had this sequence been 3-5 minutes, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but the helicopter routine goes on for like 15-20 minutes, over several scenes. it was just such a huge turn in the plot that it felt like being in your buddy's car when he takes a big left/right turn and you end up getting wedged against the door!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Bicycle Thief (1948)


2.5/5

i see where you're coming from here. i had a similar take on the film, but gave it a higher score, because that last sequence/theme struck me hard.

[Show spoiler]at the beginning, when i saw people stealing bikes (including the main character's bike who got stolen, right?), i was mad. i was pissed. i was your average joe reaction, thinking "those effin thieves." but, as you accurately point out, this film doesn't just tell us "the main character has become what he hated." i think its telling us "you, the viewer have learned to love what you used to hate, by being willing to understand a person, instead of instantly labelling/judging them" . i think its more about us, the viewer, rather than the character. pretty darn cool, IMO. i confess i hated the thieves at the beginning, but because i saw this man and his son struggle, i could understand why they became "thieves." how is it logical to hate one thief but love/sympathize with another? especially when you dont know anything about the one you hate. wouldn't we sympathize with all if we took the time to learn/understand about them?

i dont recall how much of a d*ck the dad was, but just the kid alone makes them a cohesive unit that is hard not to sympathize for. but its been a while since i've seen the film.

[lDlisturb3d]

The Shawshank Redemption Digi Book

Movie 10/10

What i treat, this was my first time ever viewing the Stephen King Masterpiece. I really enjoyed the movie, a very great story and amazing acting. Besides if Morgan Freeman is Narrating the movie cant go bad .

In addition this movie has its own twist and turns, im pretty sure everyone has seen it except me but im here to say that i agree with mostly everyone in saying this movie is awesome and in a league of its own. Bravo Stephen!!

MUST OWN!!!

[iam1bearcat]

Paranormal Entity

FIRST TIME VIEWING

before i begin, let me point out things that freak me out:
1) large areas / small areas of complete darkness
2) someone screaming in the dark
3) fast moving handheld (or steady) cameras

and of course, i'm a sucker for "documentary" type films.
and of course, Paranormal Entity will forever be forged together with Paranormal Activity, which i think was based off of Entity, and the popularity of Activity made them then release Entity... but not sure. and it doesn't matter to me. i look at each film differently, so thus, no comparison will be made here.

first things first: i enjoyed the film tremendously. is it perfect? hell no. not even close. there are so many things wrong with this film, that giving it anything above a 3.25/5 would (for me) be an embrassment for actual great, classic films. but, because i rate each film as its own and not comparing it to others, Entity is a "winner" in my book.

the film follows the Finley's shortly after their father has died in a car accident. there now appears to be a demon following / stalking his daughter, Samantha, who lives with her mother and brother Thomas, who is always holding the camera. through the 87 minutes, of course, weirdo noises and spooky things happen. for some, this will be a bore (and honestly, the movie doesn't really get going until 30 minutes in) and some will find little scary about the film. but for me? oh jesus crispies, i had a pillow in front of me as i winced every time a scene began. this type of movie scares me more than generic horror does. call me weird.

however, for all the cringe worthy moments (and not because of torture, blood, or gross out moments, but because of what i listed above as what creeps me out) the film always has cringe worthy acting. and cringe worthy dialogue. for a film that is "supposed to feel real" it fails considerably here. hell, even most of screams by the cast (especially Thomas ) seem so forced and laughably bad it really takes you out of the moment. sad, since it could've been so much more.

also, the idiotic set up of "giving away" the movie at the beginning with make some groan in hatred. if you've seen Seven Pounds, this is the exact type of "give up", but what would you really expect from such a film? so that didn't bug me. the simple screw up of a certain 911 call screws up a lot and made me laugh. in the 911 call

[Show spoiler]Thomas says, "it killed my mom" but at the end of the movie, they say their mom killed herself in the hospital ONCE SHE LEARNED HER CHILDREN WERE DEAD! but... at the beginning it also says they charged Thomas with the rape / murder of his sister and killing the spiritual guy...

so which one is it?? ugh.

i don't think i loved it, but i really enjoyed it, even with all its MASSIVE flaws.

3.25/5

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Glad that wasn't an issue for you (i.e., the time period). I just couldn't get past it. I wasn't alive in the 50's, but from what I've heard and read, the relationship dynamics weren't very realistic (i.e., wife giving ultimatums, etc). But I could be way off on that. I'll admit social history is not my forte.

The time period of a film is not significant to me and doesn't hurt a film, provided it doesn't render the plot unrealistic.

You forgot to mention that you don't like when Leo throws out his arms

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Last Year at Marienbad - 3/5

I was pretty lost during this whole film, so I didn't enjoy it very much and I found myself nodding off a few times. After it was over, I realized that I kinda liked the style of the film and the mood, but if I understood the bloody thing, I might actually appreciate it more! After just watching 8 1/2 and this, I'd say that I'd probably be a lot more fond of Marienbad if I came to understand it. The lady was pretty good lookin though, so that helped some lol

Jhiggy, wanna help me out on this one

haha me and surf love this film. That's the thing about it--there is no definitive explanation. It's not like The Fountain or Triangle where some things are definite. In this film, that's not the case. I posted about a week ago what I interpreted the ending to be, in response to squid. I don't have time this second but I'll find it for ya tomorrow.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Holmes

I've always felt fairly certain

[Show spoiler]there was no affair at Marienbad. He is using charm, storytelling skills, and firm suggestion, and the story/illusion begins to become true, in a hazy way. A the-line-between-reality-and-imagination-is-vanishing type movie.

I'll find my old post and post it tomorrow--I'm interested to see what you think, although we all know there's no answer. What matters is that we enjoy the film in our own way.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Bicycle Thief (1948)

FIRST VIEWING

1. the film is in black and white (didn't know that)
2. this is a foreign film, so it has subtitles (also didn't know that)

a simple story of a poor man who finally gets a job, but needs a bicycle for the job. so he and his wife sell their bed sheets so he can buy a bicycle for the job. and on the first day of work, he has his bicycle stolen. this all happens within 20 minutes, and for the remaining 60+ minutes he goes on the search for the thief.

regarded as a classic? i personally don't see it. personally, the last 5-8 minutes were by far the most interesting. i almost had trouble finishing it simply because not a lot happens. and the main character is pretty much a dick. sure, on some level he's all about family - and he needs the bicycle back so he can make money for his family - but really, he's just obsessed to the point that all else gets ignored. maybe that was the point. but he didn't even seem to care about his kid! while traveling around the city his kid almost gets hit by a car about 5 times, separated, talked to by a creepy old guy and falls flat on his face and the father doesn't care or doesn't even noticed. and then cuts in front of everyone at the "psychic's" hourse because he has a problem... it's as if he thinks he is the only one with a problem in the world! drove me nuts. almost glad his bike was stolen! haha

and then there is the ending that leaves you with the philosophical question: what would you do to support your family? the film's major dilemma comes from the decision Ricci must make:

[Show spoiler]steal a bicycle so he can continue his job? but then he becomes the very thing he was against. he becomes a thief himself. but at times is this okay? ever? sometimes?

so i like that there is a question to be discussed, but little else. just not my cup of tea i guess.

but i have to say i'm proud of myself for finishing the film, and even bothering to put it in my netflix queue to begin with. years ago i was obsessed with films like Road Trip, American Pie and Armageddon and never really cared for "classics" or anything that wasn't dumb funny / action. i never would've thought of looking at such a film. but alas, wisdom supposedly comes with age, so hopefully i'm getting better at that.

not a bad film by any means, but just was hard to hold my attention, very little happens and the subtitles seemed to be missing from time to time. someone would be talking for about 30 seconds and i wouldn't see any subtitles! so how the hell am i supposed to know what's being said? but like i said, something that wasn't for me, and probably won't watch again for a very long time.

2.5 because i usually put 3/5's for films that are entertaining. and because The Bicycle Thief wasn't always interesting for me, i had to drop it down.

2.5/5

It's about time we disagree

Hey, you provide a basis for what you think so I have nothing negative to say to you. I rank it as one of the top 10 films of all-time, and I believe it's at number 7 or 8 on TheyShootPictures.com

[lDlisturb3d]

Its Official im done with MEL GIBSON. Not supporting this idiot ever again. Hollywood might banned him after this 2nd incident

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Bicycle Thief (1948)

[Show spoiler]
FIRST VIEWING

1. the film is in black and white (didn't know that)
2. this is a foreign film, so it has subtitles (also didn't know that)

a simple story of a poor man who finally gets a job, but needs a bicycle for the job. so he and his wife sell their bed sheets so he can buy a bicycle for the job. and on the first day of work, he has his bicycle stolen. this all happens within 20 minutes, and for the remaining 60+ minutes he goes on the search for the thief.

regarded as a classic? i personally don't see it. personally, the last 5-8 minutes were by far the most interesting. i almost had trouble finishing it simply because not a lot happens. and the main character is pretty much a dick. sure, on some level he's all about family - and he needs the bicycle back so he can make money for his family - but really, he's just obsessed to the point that all else gets ignored. maybe that was the point. but he didn't even seem to care about his kid! while traveling around the city his kid almost gets hit by a car about 5 times, separated, talked to by a creepy old guy and falls flat on his face and the father doesn't care or doesn't even noticed. and then cuts in front of everyone at the "psychic's" hourse because he has a problem... it's as if he thinks he is the only one with a problem in the world! drove me nuts. almost glad his bike was stolen! haha

and then there is the ending that leaves you with the philosophical question: what would you do to support your family? the film's major dilemma comes from the decision Ricci must make:

[Show spoiler]steal a bicycle so he can continue his job? but then he becomes the very thing he was against. he becomes a thief himself. but at times is this okay? ever? sometimes?

so i like that there is a question to be discussed, but little else. just not my cup of tea i guess.

but i have to say i'm proud of myself for finishing the film, and even bothering to put it in my netflix queue to begin with. years ago i was obsessed with films like Road Trip, American Pie and Armageddon and never really cared for "classics" or anything that wasn't dumb funny / action. i never would've thought of looking at such a film. but alas, wisdom supposedly comes with age, so hopefully i'm getting better at that.

not a bad film by any means, but just was hard to hold my attention, very little happens and the subtitles seemed to be missing from time to time. someone would be talking for about 30 seconds and i wouldn't see any subtitles! so how the hell am i supposed to know what's being said? but like i said, something that wasn't for me, and probably won't watch again for a very long time.

2.5 because i usually put 3/5's for films that are entertaining. and because The Bicycle Thief wasn't always interesting for me, i had to drop it down.

2.5/5

Excellent review! I just saw this recently too, and I agree with everything you said!

I wound up loving it though; a jerk the main character may be, but I felt he was decently developed and realistic that way.

Glad you took the chance to see it! You've taken your first step into a larger world.

[tbizzle]

Revanche - 4.5/5

Great film. I really liked the story, the cinematography, the acting, the direction.... everything was very well done. One complaint about the direction though, and that's the 3 or 4 second "pause shot" at the end of a scene. Just seemed a bit long and unnecessary at times when I was stuck watching a wall or a tree for 5 seconds lol. Not that I don't love trees.... or walls, lol.... I'm just sayin...

There's lots of "small world" incidents in this one where characters from all walks of life happen to cross paths. The director did a great job making every scene, no matter how eventful, feel so casual that you're sucked right in. Every scene is so well done, you really feel as if you're looking through a window into these people's lives. At one point I looked at the clock thinking man this movie's almost over isn't it, and only 1:20 had passed. That hasn't happened to me in a while. Anyways, highly recommend this one.

[Show spoiler]lots of nudity too

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Its Official im done with MEL GIBSON. Not supporting this idiot ever again. Hollywood might banned him after this 2nd incident

Not sure how that fits in this thread....

Wait, what am I talking about? I only occasionally review/rate movies in this thread...damnit!


I don't agree though--he absolutely, positively, will NOT be banned. There was an article about how he won't just yesterday. I don't condone his words, but come on. People are giving Polanski a pass and what he did is INFINITELY worse than both Gibson incidents.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Excellent review! I just saw this recently too, and I agree with everything you said!

I wound up loving it though; a jerk the main character may be, but I felt he was decently developed and realistic that way.

Glad you took the chance to see it! You've taken your first step into a larger world.

Agree. He provided a solid review even though he didn't like it. I loved it and it really connected with me.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Revanche - 4.5/5

Great film. I really liked the story, the cinematography, the acting, the direction.... everything was very well done. One complaint about the direction though, and that's the 3 or 4 second "pause shot" at the end of a scene. Just seemed a bit long and unnecessary at times when I was stuck watching a wall or a tree for 5 seconds lol. Not that I don't love trees.... or walls, lol.... I'm just sayin...

There's lots of "small world" incidents in this one where characters from all walks of life happen to cross paths. The director did a great job making every scene, no matter how eventful, feel so casual that you're sucked right in. Every scene is so well done, you really feel as if you're looking through a window into these people's lives. At one point I looked at the clock thinking man this movie's almost over isn't it, and only 1:20 had passed. That hasn't happened to me in a while. Anyways, highly recommend this one.

[Show spoiler]lots of nudity too

Def a solid film. 3 1/2 (out of 4) for me. Everlasting Moments, another Criterion, was released the same year. Revanche got an Oscar nom, while Everlasting Moments was the odd film out. I think Everlasting Moments is a superior film, but they're both excellent.

[Freekman]

The Bourne Identity - 5/5
The Bourne Supremacy - 5/5
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - 5/5

[Member-115369]

Shutter Island. 4/5.

Thought it was very good. The twist was super predictable--had guessed it very early on. But that didn't really lessen the movie. DiCaprio was fantastic.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Shutter Island. 4/5.

Thought it was very good. The twist was super predictable--had guessed it very early on. But that didn't really lessen the movie. DiCaprio was fantastic.

[Show spoiler]He was cured in the end though

[Dreemworx]

Originally Posted by Q!

Last week I saw Goodfellas again after some years now, with my gf. We both agreed the first part of the movie is the best Martin has made in his career, but it lost steam after the Lufthansa heist, where they gather at the bar and people walking in with fur coats and a new pink car even though they shouldn't attract attention, or does it loose a bit of steam earlier?

Can somebody please clarify for me what exactly went "wrong"? If you agree that is.

I agree 100%.

I keep grabbing it in the stores and then put it back waiting for the price to really drop.

It really cheezeballs at the back half, I mean a drug paniced snitch that is being trailed by a chopper and he is too dumb to see any of this after being around some of the brightness criminal minds. Moves real slow.

The front half of the film is one of the best Mob flicks ever...better than Godfather imo.
I just hate watching it turn into a made for TV ending.

I dunno...just my own thoughts.

[Dreemworx]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Shutter Island. 4/5.

Thought it was very good. The twist was super predictable--had guessed it very early on. But that didn't really lessen the movie. DiCaprio was fantastic.

Shutter Island was a solid throw back to old Lighthouse thrillers and sanitarium flicks.

I found it very predictable but...did not diminish my enjoyment one iota. Liked the film but...not sure it has much replay value for me. The entire 'hook' of the flick in these cases is 'what happens' and once I know that...well it becomes a rental/ TV watch imo.

Just for me, I fully appreciate anybody adding this flick to their collection.

[hayes1516]

Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightning Thief...4/10

I was really disappointed with this. There is such a wealth of things they could have done with the Greek mythology but it is just wasted like much of the rest of the film. I thought the FX were poor considering how much they spent and the plot just seemed to dawdle along.