The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[kpkelley]

Inception

Still trying to wrap my head around this one. I found the concepts very intriguing. The special effects, stunt work, and cinematography are terrific. The acting is generally top-notch. There are only a few inconsistencies which keep me from giving this a higher score.(4.5/5)

BTW, I need me some more Michael Caine. I thought his character could have provided more insight into Cobb's past.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Informant! (blu-ray rental)

FIRST TIME VIEWING.

went in with low expectations and was pretty pleasantly surprised. i've heard a lot of people say the film is boring, and while it does start this way, the second half is by far much more entertaining and funny (if you can get there, that is).

Matt Damon plays the role of Mark Whitacre perfectly. a dorky, bumbling bafoon who is smart with his job, and is a man of many talents (which are detailed in the third act), but also can't seem to keep his mouth shut when he really needs to. he works for a company called ADM, and when he informs his boss that a rival business states they have a mole in their company, they contact the FBI. Whitacre then informs the FBI that ADM told him what to say, because they are in fact, doing other illegal business with other companies. that's the general consesus of the story, but the unravelling that goes on over the next 104 minutes tells you much more is going on than first meets the eye.

by the time the credits rolled i was shocked more than once by the turns the film presents the audience with. but not all is right with The Informant! sadly.

Steven Soderbergh seems to be trying too hard to make a Coen's brothers film. but without the dark humor that the Coen's always have in their films. the quirky musical score is nice, and fits the setting of the film, but overall it seemed to be quite exhausting trying to be something it isn't. also, the dialogue. sometimes very humorous and it got a few LOL's from me. but is the film a comedy or a drama? i take it a comedy because of what Whitacre does and how Damon portrays him, but little stands out.

glad i watched it. it was a fun viewing, but i certainly wouldn't buy The Informant! and don't think it has much replay value. but again, much more entertaining than i expected and better overall than i anticipated, even with the slow start.

3.5/5

This movie was poorly marketed. It was not at all what you expected going in. Once I figured that out, I enjoyed it.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

here's a question for my fellow blu-ray.commers, is it okay if i start a thread that i put my reviews from this thread into? and keep track / order of my personal favorites in?

you see, my laptop doesn't have Microsoft Word on it, and the Microsoft Works that all laptops / computers come on no longer works (no idea why) so i have no way of keeping track of my reviews or scores all i can do is note the scores on a piece of paper, but that bugs me out.

but i don't want to make a thread and

a) have it seem like i think i'm big sh!t because i have a thread dedicated to my reviews / scores

b) don't want it to get locked because it isn't allowed, or something like that

i just want to do this so i can have a nice, neat order for my reviews and not piles of handwritten paper copies everywhere. any advice or "yeah, go ahead that's fine!" spirit would be welcome.

thank you.

now time for Mulholland Dr.!!!!! - EDIT: nevermind, the disc i rented is scratched! can't get past the 27 minute mark!

Check with a Mod for a difinitve answer.

[Freekman]

Flags of our Fathers
Film - 5/5
PQ - 4.5/5
AQ - 4/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I was thinking today about Playtime and what other films are completely unlike anything else, and one film came to mind: The Werckmeister Harmonies, directed by Bela Tarr (96% on RT). It's the film that has haunted me more than any I have ever watched before, and it has the single most chilling and affecting scene I've ever scene. It's main theme brings forth feelings that no other theme song has. It's a 2 1/2 hour film composed of only 37 shots. Every scene is a long tracking shot, essentially. It may very well be the most thematically complex film I've ever scene. My only complaint is that the tracking shots are taken to the extreme when they show ppl running. These scenes are def too long, although it does build tension. Below are some clips, with the first one being the "scene" I was referring to, the second is another famous scene, and the third is the score (listen to the score alone and it may convince you to see the film):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRBOn...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmFtr...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKK0hxNfNYE


I recently tried to find a copy of this dvd, but the cheapest I can find it for is $60+.

The film is on TheyShootPictures top films of the 2000s:

http://www.theyshootpictures.com/21s...lms101-150.htm

It has a 92 on metascore:

http://www.metacritic.com/film/title...isterharmonies


I plan on watching Tarr's masterpiece, Satantango, which is a 7 hour film, in a few weeks. It has a 100% on Rottentomatoes.

first 5 seconds grabbed me.....by the 45th second I was swallowed whole.

Must......find..........this ........film.

EDIT: Available at Netflix.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Romulus

A few quick reviews:


The Messenger

This was and still is my favorite film of 2009. I was a little unsure watching it this evening if I would enjoy it as much as I did in theaters. Each and every time they notify a family that their son/daughter has been killed I get major chills. There are two films last year that covered the War in Iraq, The Messenger and The Hurt Locker. I feel that The Messenger is the better film. I connect more with this story because it deals with a different and unique perspective to the war. Woody Harrelson definitely deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination and I think an argument could have been made for Ben Foster and Samantha Morton. Overall I love how everything played off in the end.

8/10

See Brothers. It deals with PTSD. Excellent and

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Brothers-Blu-ray/9447/

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

This movie was poorly marketed. It was not at all what you expected going in. Once I figured that out, I enjoyed it.

Maybe I'll give it a shot...

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Freekman

Flags of our Fathers
Film - 5/5
PQ - 4.5/5
AQ - 4/5

A good film but I was underwhelmed. Iwo Jima, however, I find to be far superior.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

first 5 seconds grabbed me.....by the 45th second I was swallowed whole.

Must......find..........this ........film.

EDIT: Available at Netflix.

It's a movie you love or hate. I wrote a long review about it months ago, but I have no idea where it is. Ebert's review on the film is one of the better reviews of his that I've read, and it has nothing to do with my enjoyment of the film--it's an interesting read. He mentions how the average shot in Harmonies is something like 3 minutes long, while the average in a Bourne movie is 2-3 seconds.

Here's the thing--the tracking shots make the film, but they also hamper it. Specifically, the running scenes are much too long. I remember watching it and my old roommate came into the room a few times. The last time he said "why are they always running!" I think having the shot focused on a crowd or individual running does build tension, espcially in the scenes in the film, but they're drawn out to the point of wondering what the purpose of such a long scene is. That's my major complaint about the film, and I think it REALLY can turn some ppl off.

However, if you can get buy that, the film is easily the most thematically complex I've ever seen. It involves everything from tyranny, to Hungarian history, to classical music, to small towns, etc. It's extremely dense and was a film I took a very long time to analyze, although I haven't seen the film in 3 years and barely remember the specifics of the analysis.

Ebert's review is great in that he acknowleges he had heard of this Bela Tarr for years, especially when Satantango came out and it was getting rave, jaw-dropping reviews at virtually every film festival. His rationale for not seeing it is that it's 7+ hours long and he could see three films in that amount of time. One day he went through the 1000 films to see before you die list and checked off all the films until he came to Bela Tarr's name.

I guarantee absolutely nothing with this film. The affect it's had on me is shared by a lot of ppl, but I don't pretend to think anyone I recommend it to will feel the same. I also will not defend the film if someone doesn't like it, even though it's likely they didn't understand it. The reason I won't do so is because of how its shot, with the long takes. Some ppl just can't deal with them and some ppl will get exhausted by them, which is legitimate.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

first 5 seconds grabbed me.....by the 45th second I was swallowed whole.

Must......find..........this ........film.

EDIT: Available at Netflix.

Btw, Satantango takes THREE discs to see on netflix. If I want to see it, I'd have to up to a three at at time plan, otherwise it'd take a week and a half to see the whole thing. The dvd is available for $72 on Amazon.

Type in Satantango on youtube and check out the minute clip of the two men walking on the street with the wind blowing paper and trash. Tell me that's not one of the most beautifully shot black and white scenes ever.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Revanche 4.75/5

Have you seen Dark City? If not, I think you would enjoy it. Nothing to do with Revanche in any way, it just happened to pop into my head.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

A good film but I was underwhelmed. Iwo Jima, however, I find to be far superior.

+1
that's my take as well

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Have you seen Dark City? If not, I think you would enjoy it. Nothing to do with Revanche in any way, it just happened to pop into my head.

i have. sadly, i did not enjoy it. i think i gave it a 2/5.
it was "too weird" for me (which seems impossible since i gave Eraserhead 4.5/5 ) but it just started way too scattershot for me and i didn't really care for the characters. atmosphere was great and story was good, but just wasn't my cup of tea.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Maybe I'll give it a shot...

WARNING: Its Coenesque. Very.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

The reason I won't do so is because of how its shot, with the long takes. Some ppl just can't deal with them and some ppl will get exhausted by them, which is legitimate.

Before Sunrise/Sunset.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i have. sadly, i did not enjoy it. i think i gave it a 2/5.
it was "too weird" for me (which seems impossible since i gave Eraserhead 4.5/5 ) but it just started way too scattershot for me and i didn't really care for the characters. atmosphere was great and story was good, but just wasn't my cup of tea.

LOL at my guessing talents.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

LOL at my guessing talents.

haha, well, my odd tastes in movies probably didn't help make that guess have any sense. i probably should have loved it. i love a lot of weird / odd / different movies, but Dark City just didn't click with me. watched it 3 times and it just never changed at all. maybe the director's cut would? but all i've heard is that it takes away the big 'spoiler' conversation at the beginning of the film.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Btw, Satantango takes THREE discs to see on netflix. If I want to see it, I'd have to up to a three at at time plan, otherwise it'd take a week and a half to see the whole thing. The dvd is available for $72 on Amazon.

Type in Satantango on youtube and check out the minute clip of the two men walking on the street with the wind blowing paper and trash. Tell me that's not one of the most beautifully shot black and white scenes ever.

Hell of a lot of 8.5 X 11 sheets of white paper blowin down that street.

Pretty, yes.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

haha, well, my odd tastes in movies probably didn't help make that guess have any sense. i probably should have loved it. i love a lot of weird / odd / different movies, but Dark City just didn't click with me. watched it 3 times and it just never changed at all. maybe the director's cut would? but all i've heard is that it takes away the big 'spoiler' conversation at the beginning of the film.

yes! that's the point. the strength of that film is:

-not knowing WTF is going on
-not knowing the spoiler

the theatrical release added the spoiler to appease drone viewers whose brains might explode if the IQ demand gets over 80. it was like "intellectual censorship." Proyas talked about this in the director commentary (not the IQ part, but how he was forced to give the early spoiler).

sadly, you've already "been spoiled" but perhaps a DC viewing would be beneficial? who knows. you decide.

BTW, on topic: I read somewhere that Dark City holds some record for shortest average cut time: 1.3 seconds

[kelvin555]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

haha, weird how we both watched it last night / this morning and gave it essentially the same score (3.25/5 X 2 = 6.50/10) what are the odds!

Yeah your telling me I watched it over netflix too.