The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Denoku]

Nightmare on Elm Street:
Freddy's Revenge


I think this movie was about average as well. The movie was a little slow and boring at some times. A little more fast paced then the first I think which is good. I probaly just don't understand the story or missed something but why did Freddy need Jesse's body anyways? I'm guessing he couldn't kill anyone in their dreams anymore so he needed the boy's body. But it seemed to have powers in the real world as well. I was a little confused by that. But I did like the scene where Freddy show's up at the party and crashes it. I think that would of been a really cool scene to do. But I think this movie was as about as good as the first, nothing too great but not bad either.

3.75/5

I'm watching Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors now and I like this one the best so far.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yep, it reminded me of Tarantino and the Coens at times. I finally bought it today.

Also a very good film. Farrell is top-notch. It doesn't remind me at all of Tarantino because it's not a rip-off of a plethora of other films. It reminds me a bit more of the Coens, but even so I think it's different.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by killowertz

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This will not be an actual review since I said I wasn't going to write one and I only review ones I actually own, but I did say I would give my opinion after watching it. If I do decide to buy this, then I may actually type out a full review for this then. I thought it was great. I will definitely check out the remake, but I have to agree with jhiggy that it is going to be really hard to cast Lisbeth. Noomi was so good that I am going to have a hard time picturing anyone in the role but her. Thanks for praising this film so much, jhiggy. It took me a while to finally watch it, but that's the reason why I was interested in watching this in the first place.

One question about the dubbing. Is it actually any good, and did Noomi do the dubbing for Lisbeth since she actually speaks English? I watched it with the subtitles as suggested, but was just wondering.

Glad you liked it, although I never thought it was in doubt. I've never checked out the dubbing and never will. Rapace does speak good English, so you bring up an interesting question but I don't know the answer.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Glad you liked it, although I never thought it was in doubt. I've never checked out the dubbing and never will. Rapace does speak good English, so you bring up an interesting question but I don't know the answer.

Thanks. I figured I would like it too even though I've never watched any foreign films beyond a few action ones that were dubbed. It took a little bit to get used to watching and reading at the same time while trying to ignore the talking, but it didn't hurt my enjoyment of the film at all after a bit. I'll be honest though, if it wasn't for Noomi Rapace's job, I wouldn't have liked it as much as I did. More praise for her than knocking the movie though.

I checked out the beginning of the interview with her on the disc just to see if it was in English. I will watch the whole thing later if I end up buying this, along with maybe checking out my question about the dubbing then too. I don't really have any intention of watching the whole movie like that, but was more curious just in case anyone else in the house wants to watch it like that.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Also a very good film. Farrell is top-notch. It doesn't remind me at all of Tarantino because it's not a rip-off of a plethora of other films. It reminds me a bit more of the Coens, but even so I think it's different.

I meant the style of humor is similar in some respects.

[Big-byrd]

Harold and Maude

freaking classic! really hope for this on blu.
9/10

[Big-byrd]

Originally Posted by jawsfan1975

Just watched IN BRUGES with Colin Farrell. Very, very funny in places, worthy of a rent for anyone interested in films about hitmen.

Favorite movie ever!

[surfdude12]

A Christmas Tale

Film: 4.5/5
-second viewing, things came together much more than on the first viewing
-the best part that stuck out was Abel's Nietzsche monologue

[Show spoiler]toward the end. "we are the bees seeking the honey of our mind" (knowledge in general), yet never seek out the true honey - the knowledge of ourselves. We don't understand ourselves. We are a mystery to ourselves. Its rare to see such incredibly insightful quotes and themes in a film. It doesn't get any better than this. Elizabeth, the Mom and Henri (like most humans) are so obsessed with trying to understand why other people are doing X,Y and Z to them (false honey: external knowledge) instead of trying to understand why they're are feeling/responding the way they are (true honey: self-knowledge), that their lives never change. People do this everyday: they spend hundreds of hours on the internet , yet don't know why they're always worried about money. They spend endless hours on facebook, yet don't know why they can't trust women. In fact, Henri, Elizabeth and Mom have deep affections for one another, despite the icy walls of ego they hide behind. Their ego masking is just a reflection of fear that if they do act 100% natural, the other relative may find out how emotionally vulnerable they truly are, they'll be rejected (hence emotional approval/love from sis/mom/henri being paramount, otherwise they wouldn't fear rejection). If they had self-knowledge, and understood their emotional insecurity, they would be able to address it (alone), and hence wouldn't need an icy ego wall to hide behind, which would eliminate tension.

-another excellent theme was the infinite metaphorical well of

[Show spoiler]Henri's being a donor who is "compatible" with the Mom - in the biological sense, yet being the most "incompatible" in the emotional sense. The "sterile" wing of the Hospital is where Henri's bone marrow was given to Mommy, and yet ironically "sterile" accurately describes their emotional relationship. Coincidence? I think not. Was Henri "chosen" (by some divine power) to be the compatible kid, so to create some kind of social cement to kick-start their otherwise dead relationship? It was working at the end of the film: Henri gets out of bed in critical condition, runs down to see if the Mommy he's supposed to hate is okay...nobody is around, so he's obviously not using his "donor" status as leverage to beat anyone over the head with now. He's just a lonely son who wants his mommy. Yep, sorry, I was wrong: the French don't have some kind of unique family emotional dynamic carved out -- they're human just like us.

PQ and AQ are great. 4.5/5

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I meant the style of humor is similar in some respects.

I know what you meant. It's a bit similar to the Coen's but not to Tarantino's.

[Foggy]

Con Air

I'm pretty sure I watched this sometime in my youth, but I couldn't remember it much, it's pretty generic and dumb, I can't really say much else than that, everything is cliched, Dialogue, acting, characters. And the oddest moment at the end, when Nic Cage finally re-unites with his family and his daughter acts like she is being mentally sodomized by seeing her dad in a bloody mess handing her a toy rabbit that went into the sewer. I enjoyed it with all it cheesiness included though.

7/10

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Con Air

I'm pretty sure I watched this sometime in my youth, but I couldn't remember it much, it's pretty generic and dumb, I can't really say much else than that, everything is cliched, Dialogue, acting, characters. And the oddest moment at the end, when Nic Cage finally re-unites with his family and his daughter acts like she is being mentally sodomized by seeing her dad in a bloody mess handing her a toy rabbit that went into the sewer. I enjoyed it with all it cheesiness included though.

7/10

In my youth, I had the choice to see this or "The Fifth Element." Hearing that "Con Air" had a lot of cussing in it, I decided on the latter, and loved it. Still haven't seen "Con Air" though...

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

It's a tough one to describe. It seems simple, but it's incredibly complex. The explanations you find online are mind-boggling. I saw it two years ago but don't remember enough of the complexities to really share what it is that made it such a good film. If you don't see the complexities or read about them, you won't like the film. Much the way you won't like Triangle if you think it's a straight forward horror film.

So, the answer is yes?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

As Good As It Gets 5/5

It's not often that a romantic comedy gets Oscar consideration. This was nominated for seven, with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt winning.

It works because everything comes together. The script is smart, without being insulting to the audience. The acting is superb with Nicholson, Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding Jr. all on top form.

Nicholson plays a dysfunctional author with OCD and a whole lot of prejudices. He doesn't think much of people in general and despises his homosexual neighbor (Kinnear). Hunt's character saves him and makes him take stock of his miserable life.

The interplay between the the three main characters is excellent. You end up feeling sorry for all three and then hopeful. These are people to care about.

It's currently No. 28 on my all-time list. I'm hard to please when it comes to comedy. Basically, I don't like any of the dumb stuff that's forced down our throats. I find that comedy works best when it's inserted into dramas. This is one of those occasions.

One of my favorite lines in any movie of any genre happens to be in this movie:

[Show spoiler]Q: How do you write women so well?
A: I just think of a man and take away all reason and accountability

I'm not sure that Nicholson, Hunt and Kinnear have done better work than this, and that's saying a lot.

Release it on blu-ray immediately!

I saw this in theaters years ago and LOVED everything about it. Its a crime that Kinnear hasnt had a lot more work and some big leading roles. His emotional range and ability to convey intricacies in this film was outstanding. His character was absolutely real in As Good as it Gets.

Everybody else was 5 stars too.

at the

[Show spoiler] dog scene.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

In my youth, I had the choice to see this or "The Fifth Element." Hearing that "Con Air" had a lot of cussing in it, I decided on the latter, and loved it. Still haven't seen "Con Air" though...

It's nothing special, it's just a bit of fun

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by killowertz

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This will not be an actual review since I said I wasn't going to write one and I only review ones I actually own, but I did say I would give my opinion after watching it. If I do decide to buy this, then I may actually type out a full review for this then. I thought it was great. I will definitely check out the remake, but I have to agree with jhiggy that it is going to be really hard to cast Lisbeth. Noomi was so good that I am going to have a hard time picturing anyone in the role but her. Thanks for praising this film so much, jhiggy. It took me a while to finally watch it, but that's the reason why I was interested in watching this in the first place.

One question about the dubbing. Is it actually any good, and did Noomi do the dubbing for Lisbeth since she actually speaks English? I watched it with the subtitles as suggested, but was just wondering.

Will you be watching the sequels?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Also a very good film. Farrell is top-notch. It doesn't remind me at all of Tarantino because it's not a rip-off of a plethora of other films. It reminds me a bit more of the Coens, but even so I think it's different.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Foggy

It's nothing special, it's just a bit of fun

That's all I can ask for!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Big-byrd

Harold and Maude

freaking classic! really hope for this on blu.
9/10

I think you are safe on this one.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Con Air

I'm pretty sure I watched this sometime in my youth, but I couldn't remember it much, it's pretty generic and dumb, I can't really say much else than that, everything is cliched, Dialogue, acting, characters. And the oddest moment at the end, when Nic Cage finally re-unites with his family and his daughter acts like she is being mentally sodomized by seeing her dad in a bloody mess handing her a toy rabbit that went into the sewer. I enjoyed it with all it cheesiness included though.

7/10

L....O..... Freakin' LLLLLLLL

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I saw this in theaters years ago and LOVED everything about it. Its a crime that Kinnear hasnt had a lot more work and some big leading roles. His emotional range and ability to convey intricacies in this film was outstanding. His character was absolutely real in As Good as it Gets.

Everybody else was 5 stars too.

at the

[Show spoiler] dog scene.

Kinnear was very convincing as Dick Vermeil in Invincible. Yep, he's underused.