The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

The Road

PQ: 4 stars (out of 5)

AQ: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Gets a half point bump here because of the superb sound effects during the flashback scenes. Listen to the low rumble.

Film: 4 stars (out of 4)


It's embarassing that this film wasn't one of the 10 nominees for Best Picture. Can someone please tell me why it wasn't a nominee? Don't say because it was so grim and depressing, bc a lot of grim and depressing movies have gotten nominated and won in the past. Avatar and An Education were good but not great films; this was far better. D9 was mediocre at best; this was far better. Up in the Air is a great film, but this is better. The Blind Side is a great genre film, but this is a great film irrespective of genre. Up is a great film, so no complaint there. I'm a Hurt Locker fan, so no complaint there. I would rank this film among the top 3 best I saw last year, with The Cove and Sin Nombre taking the other two spots, and The Stoning of Soraya M. coming in fourth (still have the foreign flicks to see, which I guarantee will alter the list).

I read the book 4 years ago and rank it among my favorites of all-time. That being said, I approached this movie skeptically but it exceeded my expectations and really captured the magic of the book's father/son relationship (which is what it's all about).
Mortenson was great and once again proves he's one of the better actors of his generation. The supporting cast was excellent, with Theron, Duvall, and Williams putting forth fantastic performances. The scene with Williams is one that I will never forget.

The set design is arguably the best I've seen for a post-apocalyptic film. You felt like you were in the midst of this wasteland. This film did the book justice and more. Highly recommended.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Lord_Lemon

The Protector

Movie 2/5
PQ: 3/5
AQ: 3/5

Didn't like this one aside from the occasional cool looking fight move.

The story was terrible. It involves a man traveling from Thailand to Sydney to get back his pair of stolen elephants from an underground black market ring involving endangered species. His Dad gets killed in the beginning while trying to not let the elephants get taken, but his death seems to have been forgotten altogether in the rest of the film in the son's quest and morning for his elephants.

Many of the fight scenes were retarded including one in which a man at a ship yard pulls a horn and a gang of youth on rollerblades, bmx's, etc. attack the protagonist with attacks based on tricks they can perform. Ramps seem to be conveniently placed everywhere so they can get air and do flips to hit the protagonist with.

The stories in Ong Bak and The Protector are atrocious and so poorly written it's unbelievable. That being said, Jaa's ability cannot be undermined, although you do a good job of pointing out how everything was conveniently set up. Jackie Chan he is not.

[Lord_Lemon]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

The stories in Ong Bak and The Protector are atrocious and so poorly written it's unbelievable. That being said, Jaa's ability cannot be undermined, although you do a good job of pointing out how everything was conveniently set up. Jackie Chan he is not.

I don't remember Ong Bak too well but I know I thought it was pretty meh. This is the second film I've seen of Tony Jaa and maybe the last. You are correct that he is remarkably skilled and he continues to perform impressive feats here. I wanted to like the film but I couldn't help but completely lose interest many times.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Lord_Lemon

I don't remember Ong Bak too well but I know I thought it was pretty meh. This is the second film I've seen of Tony Jaa and maybe the last. You are correct that he is remarkably skilled and he continues to perform impressive feats here. I wanted to like the film but I couldn't help but completely lose interest many times.

Agree completely.



I'm having a real tough time deciding on which two films to make my last Deep Discount BOGO. So far I've gotten The Lives of Others (finally), A River Runs Through It (digibook), Crouching Tiger, and A Passage to India, for a total of $50.

I've already decided to get The Road, so it's between Shawshank (digi) and The Last Station. Either way, it'll be a great deal at about $12-14 a piece. The Road, Shawshank, and The Last Station have barely dropped below $20.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Agree completely.



I'm having a real tough time deciding on which two films to make my last Deep Discount BOGO. So far I've gotten The Lives of Others (finally), A River Runs Through It (digibook), Crouching Tiger, and A Passage to India, for a total of $50.

I've already decided to get The Road, so it's between Shawshank (digi) and The Last Station. Either way, it'll be a great deal at about $12-14 a piece. The Road, Shawshank, and The Last Station have barely dropped below $20.

I may need to get A River Runs Through it myself at Best Buy this week instead of a couple of other movies I want since it never goes on sale really. Never mind I guess it's not on sale and it's not in stock at my local store anyway.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

I may need to get A River Runs Through it myself at Best Buy this week instead of a couple of other movies I want since it never goes on sale really. Never mind I guess it's not on sale and it's not in stock at my local store anyway.

Ahh sorry to hear that. I really love the film and I used to watch it with my family growing up. I've heard the PQ is exceptional.


I decided on getting Shawshank to go along with The Road, instead of The Last Station. The deciding factor for me was that Shawshank is a digibook and in November a non-digi will be released, which will make the digi hard to find. The Last Station is an excellent film though and I fear most ppl haven't seen it or even heard of it, despite it being released last year.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Ahh sorry to hear that. I really love the film and I used to watch it with my family growing up. I've heard the PQ is exceptional.


I decided on getting Shawshank to go along with The Road, instead of The Last Station. The deciding factor for me was that Shawshank is a digibook and in November a non-digi will be released, which will make the digi hard to find. The Last Station is an excellent film though and I fear most ppl haven't seen it or even heard of it, despite it being released last year.

I'd consider a blind buy of Last Station if it weren't so blasted expensive.

[CZAR]

The Fourth Kind - Man the realism of this film is kinda creepy. I know its based on real events and had real footage so of course its gonna feel real but this was to much. The movie makes u really think what if this could actually happen or has happened? The acting was very good by all the main cast and Milla was as gorgeous as normal. At times I have to admit it dragged and I did lose interest for minutes at a time but then sumthin would happen to regain my attention. Overall I thought it was a decent film and nice way to turn a documentary into a movie. Not sure if I would watch it again however.

Film Rating - 3 stars (out of 5)

PQ - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

AQ - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Black Hawk Down

I've already reviewed it and gave it perfect PQ and AQ and a 4 star (out of 4) rating, so I won't get into it more here.

Nice!!! This is my all time favorite Spec Ops movie!!!

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

But granted I'm not a huge Seventh Seal fan either.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I wrote a review of it in this thread, where I got into my reasons.

Ok, i understand. Im no longer a basher to those dont agree. Everyone doesnt like the same movies. But you still good for loving Black Hawk Down

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Great review. Interesting parallel with Seventh Seal...I'll have to mull that over more.

What I love so much about this film is it plainly shows a universal principle:

[Show spoiler]when dealing with any person, place or thing in our lives, we have 3 options: (1) accept it/them as they are, (2) change it/them, or (3) remove yourself from the person/place thing. The nuns couldn't exercise #(1), as their moral code forbid it. The film shows them repeatedly trying and failing at #(2). Eventually, they give in and must cave in to #(3). Its the same way with us with any person/place/thing in our life. We don't need to be a nun in a himalaya convent

WOW i never thought of it like that! Great Points!!!!

[D-Blitz]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

One of my top 2-3 soundtracks and a film I've gone on record as saying is one of the more underrated out there.

I would have to agree, mate. It's a real shame. The music is absolutely mesmerizing.

I hope at least that this movie did better in home video sales than at the box office.

[lDlisturb3d]

Triangle (2nd Viewing)

This movie is so damn perfect it isn't funny!!! I really have respect for this director not only can you see they have a passion for movie making but there wasn't one error i could find in the movie. Especially when it came to

[Show spoiler]Seeing Jess number 2 and 3 watching herself carry one the infinite triangle

They seriously could of said whatever just make it just like allot of American films we see today.

I cant change my rating not one bit. This movie was perfect, with a perfect story and AMAZING direction!!

All my friends where like what the hell!!! Good Stuff!

5/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Snatch

Wow as far as i can see this is Guy Ritchie's best movie. Fast paced, and F'n Hilarious. I loved every bit of this movie i thought i was pretty original and of course hilarious and its own way. This is a fun film to enjoy with the boys, i guarantee you laugh your a$$ off! Just they way they're speaking is good enough for me.

Everyone did an excellent job in this movie, but it was successful because of the direction and acting. Oh the characters are to die for, everyone has their own special story that plays its part in the movie. Just Pure Uncut Fun

Highly Recommended.

4.5/5

[Lord_Lemon]

Chocolate

From the maker of Ong Bak and The Protector comes another of his movies I didn't like.

Movie: 2/5
PQ: 4/5
AQ: 4/5

[Lord_Lemon]

Tai Chi Master

Movie: 4/5
PQ: 3/5
AQ: 3.5/5

[JLant19]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

The Road

PQ: 4 stars (out of 5)

AQ: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Gets a half point bump here because of the superb sound effects during the flashback scenes. Listen to the low rumble.

Film: 4 stars (out of 4)


It's embarassing that this film wasn't one of the 10 nominees for Best Picture. Can someone please tell me why it wasn't a nominee? Don't say because it was so grim and depressing, bc a lot of grim and depressing movies have gotten nominated and won in the past. Avatar and An Education were good but not great films; this was far better. D9 was mediocre at best; this was far better. Up in the Air is a great film, but this is better. The Blind Side is a great genre film, but this is a great film irrespective of genre. Up is a great film, so no complaint there. I'm a Hurt Locker fan, so no complaint there. I would rank this film among the top 3 best I saw last year, with The Cove and Sin Nombre taking the other two spots, and The Stoning of Soraya M. coming in fourth (still have the foreign flicks to see, which I guarantee will alter the list).

I read the book 4 years ago and rank it among my favorites of all-time. That being said, I approached this movie skeptically but it exceeded my expectations and really captured the magic of the book's father/son relationship (which is what it's all about).
Mortenson was great and once again proves he's one of the better actors of his generation. The supporting cast was excellent, with Theron, Duvall, and Williams putting forth fantastic performances. The scene with Williams is one that I will never forget.

The set design is arguably the best I've seen for a post-apocalyptic film. You felt like you were in the midst of this wasteland. This film did the book justice and more. Highly recommended.

I totally agree with you man.

[JLant19]

JFK(Blu-ray)

Film:4.5/5

I love conspiracy theories, not saying I believe all of them but I find them very interesting. There are a lot of them out there but imo the JFK conspiracy is the most reviewed and thought about one out there.

This film is great. Maybe I'm biased because of my interest in conspiracies but I would say this film does a great job showing how easy it is for this to have happened. Maybe that is why this idea/conspiracy is such a big deal.

Enough about my personal thoughts, this film is good. The acting is really good in this. I am a fan of Costner and I think that helped me in my liking of this film. I know many do not so if you are one of them be hesitant watching this because he is in the entire film. I love Joe Pesci in this film. He is still this crazy guy but he comes off different than his usual self. I loved it.

PQ: 3.5/5
The major problem for me is the lighting. It had a glow. Maybe that's the way the director wanted it but it wasn't for me. This blu doesn't look bad though, but that glow just bothered me.

AQ: 4/5
Dialogue driven, but there is a lot of score. I thought it sounded fine for this style of film. No problems for me.

Overall I'd say watch this film because of it's historical factor. If you are not a Costner fan then I would say rent it, but there is a great cast in this so maybe Costner won't bother you that much. This is a long film, over three hours so you need to have the time to sit down and watch this. I recommend watching it in one viewing.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

im doing it today with 4 of my boys! Hey did you check out my avatar? Do you know who that is.

Yeah, a famous rock pusher. He should hook up with Jess. Maybe they could use that rock

[Show spoiler]to sink the freakin boat and end the madness.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Did you read my review? I liked it. It was kinda dull at first or just very mellow then it got pretty intense.

Yes I did. I like taking risks on polarizing films.

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Lol its apart of the movie! Do you dislike Chris Tucker or his role in the movie.

His voice kills me.