The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Yes! I need to see Sin Nombre ASAP! And yes, great point about the non-preaching. It just said "here is a story. Make up your mind" Brilliant!



Great minds think alike Like you I dove into the commentary on the end also...great insight as I was "WTF?" on that end shot too. How great was how he tied together

[Show spoiler]the water wheel as a cycle and that regardless of whether Enrique was in Guatemala or USA, he was still a slave to the working man -- showing the cycle of enslavement of his people. Awesome, just awesome! (the film, not the theme...theme is tragic but real)

Exactly! I'm not big on director commentaries for some reason but if I didn't see that, I wouldn't have understood the brilliance of the concluding scene(s). Thanks again for the rec.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Rocky - 4.5/5

One of the best sports films of all time. With the right material and direction, I think Sly can act pretty well. I hadn't seen this since I was a kid so it was fun to revisit this one. I had no idea that

[Show spoiler]he lost in the end, though he ultimately won by getting the world's and Apollo's respect and of course, getting Adrian's love.

I've never seen the others (except for #6) so it'll be fun to go through them all this winter.

No Country For Old Men - 4.5/5

I saw this when it was first released and thought it was good, but maybe not my cup of tea. Since then, my taste and knowledge in film has evolved drastically and I really liked it this time.

To anyone that has seen this film, I highly recommend you read this response to Ebert's review of the film.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...TERS/607994909

Exorcism of Emily Rose - 4.5/5

I love horror films if they're well done, but don't see many because most of them are garbage. This is a court room drama with a lot of horror elements and it's done very well. Jennifer Carpenter is fantastic as Emily Rose, a sweet, innocent, small town girl who becomes possessed by demons.

The Blair Witch Project - 4/5

Pretty well done for a horror film, let alone a low budget one. I thought the 3 main actors did a very good job. I would have liked to see more creepy footage and less of them hiking, arguing, etc. but it also adds to the confusion, chaos and the "they are f**ked-ness" of the situation. The last scene was very well done and a great ending to the film.

[Show spoiler]We never see anything! That's why this is one is so creepy because it lets the viewer's mind do the work. You constantly have this image of what you think is gonna pop out in any moment, but it never comes. This is how a horror film of this type should be done, with no reveal. There can be great suspense, but if the reveal isn't handled well, the film go from great to crap.

Emily Rose isn't just a great horror film, it's a great film. The barn scene is scarier than most "great" horror scenes and although I like the Exorcist, I think it's scarier than anything in that. Blair Witch we all know I love.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

well, uhhhh... no.

Awe man thats to bad but ok. Got Em!!

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Haha that's right, I remember that's why you didn't like Paranormal Activity. You gotta see Exorcism of Emily Rose man, you'll love it! I generally don't like many horror films because most of them are garbage (for me), but this one is very well done.

Yea I have Emily Rose on my netflix queue so sometime i will see it. Got Em!!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Exactly! I'm not big on director commentaries for some reason but if I didn't see that, I wouldn't have understood the brilliance of the concluding scene(s). Thanks again for the rec.

Just goes to show how friggin awesome this site is -- heck I never heard of Criterion before being on here, let alone some of my favorite titles like Lives of Others, Baraka, Fountain, etc. I'm confident I never would have learned of them but for this site and recs from you, Squid and others too!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Emily Rose isn't just a great horror film, it's a great film. The barn scene is scarier than most "great" horror scenes and although I like the Exorcist, I think it's scarier than anything in that. Blair Witch we all know I love.

Agreed, and it's got such a haunting score. I love it! I can't comment on The Exorcist, as it's been years since I've seen it. I remember liking it a lot, though I won't see it again til Netflix gets their ass in gear and get's the blu

Maybe I'll buy it if it goes on sale.

Originally Posted by AKORIS

+1 on Emily Rose!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Diesel

You'll most likely be somewhat less impressed with the others

I like them all though

Yeah I know they're not the same caliber as the first, but I love the story so as long as they're fun, I'm sure I'll really enjoy them.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

[B]

No Country For Old Men - 4.5/5

I saw this when it was first released and thought it was good, but maybe not my cup of tea. Since then, my taste and knowledge in film has evolved drastically and I really liked it this time.

To anyone that has seen this film, I highly recommend you read this response to Ebert's review of the film.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...TERS/607994909

Interesting stuff. Thanks.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Just goes to show how friggin awesome this site is -- heck I never heard of Criterion before being on here, let alone some of my favorite titles like Lives of Others, Baraka, Fountain, etc. I'm confident I never would have learned of them but for this site and recs from you, Squid and others too!

The feeling is definitely reciprocated. While I have a select few I consider close confidantes, I can safely say that there have been a large number of people that have recommended films to me on this site to positive prevail.

[Steve46]

Freedom Writers 4.5/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 3.5/5

Somewhat predictable, but extremely well done. I bought into the story from the start and enjoyed watching it unfold. Swank did another good job.

It seemed to affect a lot of the young actors' lives judging by their comments in the special features.

I'm a sucker for a good drama.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Just goes to show how friggin awesome this site is -- heck I never heard of Criterion before being on here, let alone some of my favorite titles like Lives of Others, Baraka, Fountain, etc. I'm confident I never would have learned of them but for this site and recs from you, Squid and others too!

I have to agree. If i never joined this site i'd still be enjoying hype approved movies. "Not that they are bad"

[surfdude12]

The Thin Red Line

Film: 5/5
-first viewing since theatrical release (collegiate years when everything is a blur )
-I haven't read any reviews on the film, but Jhiggy pls give me some feedback -- I know you've researched the film!
-within the first 30 minutes, a scene from Band of Brothers stood out to me -- where a young private confesses to Captain Spiers that he'd been hiding in a foxhole scared for days since the parachute jump. Cpt. Spiers' line is my favorite of the series: "You know why you hid in that foxhole Private? Because you haven't accepted the fact that you're already dead. And until you accept that fact, you cannot be a soldier."
-I think many of the soldiers in TRL were in desperate need of a Cpt Spiers speech Cavaziel (my favorite character) seemed to have

[Show spoiler]accepted death, as he had already contemplated leaving this world for the next, where his wife was (?) I guess she's already dead?

However, many of the soldiers (eg. Brody) had obviously not made this vital acceptance , so couldn't function as proper soldiers.
-it seems that Malick's point is that

[Show spoiler]war is bad/ugly/etc

. However, I presume he means this from the

[Show spoiler] individual perspective (I would agree), not the national/political perspective (I would vehemently disagree). Surely, if one nation invades another, rapes its women and slaughters its children, Malick is not suggesting that the invaded nation should not defend itself? If he is suggesting that war has "poisons the soul" as is said in the narrative, then I'd agree, but this is from an individual perspective, not national perspective. Sure, a distinction should be drawn between war for necessity and war for greed/imperialism. It seems like war (at least for defense) will always be needed as long as man is corruptable by sin, which will in-turn always happen as long as man has free will -- which is his nature?

-I loved the different narratives of unfiltered characters' thoughts -- it was like a "Wings of Desire for war" The rhetorical questions were breathtaking: how did we get to this stage? <-- those type.
-Incredible directing/cinematography. From the camera grazing the glass blades, to showing a random wounded bird, to the native people swimming underwater, to James Joyce stream-of-consciousness flashbacks to wife/girlfriend images, this film is just an all you can eat buffet of directional mastery. Only my second Malick film and I"ll have to revisit Days of Heaven after seeing this as I've likely overlooked it!
-My only issue (which was probably just my personal bias, so didn't deduct 0.5) had to do with what I thought MAY have been Malick over-reaching in the script to try and paint the pro-war crowd as bad:

[Show spoiler]Nolte was oftentimes made out to be such a cuckoo that it seemed ridiculous. Example: with Cusack, there is a long scene where they're discussing water for the men. Cusack suggests water now. Nolte says no, we must take the hill tonight, as the Japs are on the ropes. BUt then IMO Malick may have gone a little too far and had Nolte go on this personal tirade of how he's waited 20 years for this and how its his battle and how he wants this for him, blah blah blah...I dunno, it just seemed like Malick was saying "just in case you're 50-50 on whether Nolte is a scumbag, let me help you out" BOttom line: I felt war was horrible for each man without this scene and excess dialogue! My 2 cents.

-EDIT: I also saw a lot of Baraka similarities in this film.

[Show spoiler]Baraka translated as "the thread that weaves life together" seemed to be constantly implied/inferred by the narrators' questions. Who are we? Why do we do this? etc kind of existential questions are addressed (non-verbally) in Baraka, such as (1) what all people share in common - cultural practices, religious faith overlaps, tattoos in developed countries v. painted tattoos in African countries, etc. and (2) what is different among different groups of people. LIke TTRL, Baraka is a meditative-state film piece which examines humanity from a higher perspective. IMO, TTRL is just a Baraka of war soldiers, war territory and citizens of such lands (LOVED THE OLD GUY WALKING PAST THE SOLDIERS WHEN THEY FIRST LAND -- so non chalant!)

PQ: 5/5 (gorgeous!)

AQ: 4.5/5 (dialogue a little faint at times)

[tbizzle]

Glad you liked it man! I can't wait for the Criterion sale to pick this up!

[iam1bearcat]

A Walk to Remember

the girlfriend's pick, but i've always enjoyed a certain amount of chick flicks

i remember the first time i saw this film (years ago) i was shocked and crushed when we find out that

[Show spoiler]Jamie has leukemia

i think i may have even teared up because i didn't see it coming at all

Mandy Moore and Shane West may not be the best actors in the world, but i felt they did solid jobs here. i love the small town feel of the film and while the film is completely gushy, "girls will love it" heartache, sorrow and of course a story of falling in love, i still couldn't say this is a bad film.

are there better romantic films out there? of course, dozens. but out of sheer enjoyment and depression? A Walk to Remember delivers. even with all of it's genre cliches and whatnot. i guess this counts as a guilty pleasure, but the girl could have picked something really awful to torture me with, but she knows i like this film so she spared me on this one

4/5

_____________________________

Mean Girls



i figured i would spare the girlfriend a depressing drama (what a weakling. we watch 15 in a row and she throws in the towel? pfffff. pathetic! ) and watch a fun film after she was all sorts of teary-eyed after A Walk to Remember.

god, the humor here is so great! from the somewhat racist comments (the comment about "the girl from Africa and then showing the black girl ) to the smart, witty humor the film is filled with. Lindsay Lohan is actually very tolerable here and the always attractive Rachael McAdams doesn't hurt anything

smart, funny, witty, ahead of its time? and of course, the amazing Don Cheadle as the principal
and of course, Tina Fey helps as well, especially as a writer.

really no complaints, but it's one of those films where i feel it isn't a 5/5. for whatever reason.

4.5/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

The Thin Red Line

[Show spoiler]
Film: 5/5
-first viewing since theatrical release (collegiate years when everything is a blur )
-I haven't read any reviews on the film, but Jhiggy pls give me some feedback -- I know you've researched the film!
-within the first 30 minutes, a scene from Band of Brothers stood out to me -- where a young private confesses to Captain Spiers that he'd been hiding in a foxhole scared for days since the parachute jump. Cpt. Spiers' line is my favorite of the series: "You know why you hid in that foxhole Private? Because you haven't accepted the fact that you're already dead. And until you accept that fact, you cannot be a soldier."
-I think many of the soldiers in TRL were in desperate need of a Cpt Spiers speech Cavaziel (my favorite character) seemed to have

[Show spoiler]accepted death, as he had already contemplated leaving this world for the next, where his wife was (?) I guess she's already dead?

However, many of the soldiers (eg. Brody) had obviously not made this vital acceptance , so couldn't function as proper soldiers.
-it seems that Malick's point is that

[Show spoiler]war is bad/ugly/etc

. However, I presume he means this from the

[Show spoiler] individual perspective (I would agree), not the national/political perspective (I would vehemently disagree). Surely, if one nation invades another, rapes its women and slaughters its children, Malick is not suggesting that the invaded nation should not defend itself? If he is suggesting that war has "poisons the soul" as is said in the narrative, then I'd agree, but this is from an individual perspective, not national perspective. Sure, a distinction should be drawn between war for necessity and war for greed/imperialism. It seems like war (at least for defense) will always be needed as long as man is corruptable by sin, which will in-turn always happen as long as man has free will -- which is his nature?

-I loved the different narratives of unfiltered characters' thoughts -- it was like a "Wings of Desire for war" The rhetorical questions were breathtaking: how did we get to this stage? <-- those type.
-Incredible directing/cinematography. From the camera grazing the glass blades, to showing a random wounded bird, to the native people swimming underwater, to James Joyce stream-of-consciousness flashbacks to wife/girlfriend images, this film is just an all you can eat buffet of directional mastery. Only my second Malick film and I"ll have to revisit Days of Heaven after seeing this as I've likely overlooked it!
-My only issue (which was probably just my personal bias, so didn't deduct 0.5) had to do with what I thought MAY have been Malick over-reaching in the script to try and paint the pro-war crowd as bad:

[Show spoiler]Nolte was oftentimes made out to be such a cuckoo that it seemed ridiculous. Example: with Cusack, there is a long scene where they're discussing water for the men. Cusack suggests water now. Nolte says no, we must take the hill tonight, as the Japs are on the ropes. BUt then IMO Malick may have gone a little too far and had Nolte go on this personal tirade of how he's waited 20 years for this and how its his battle and how he wants this for him, blah blah blah...I dunno, it just seemed like Malick was saying "just in case you're 50-50 on whether Nolte is a scumbag, let me help you out" BOttom line: I felt war was horrible for each man without this scene and excess dialogue! My 2 cents.

-EDIT: I also saw a lot of Baraka similarities in this film.

[Show spoiler]Baraka translated as "the thread that weaves life together" seemed to be constantly implied/inferred by the narrators' questions. Who are we? Why do we do this? etc kind of existential questions are addressed (non-verbally) in Baraka, such as (1) what all people share in common - cultural practices, religious faith overlaps, tattoos in developed countries v. painted tattoos in African countries, etc. and (2) what is different among different groups of people. LIke TTRL, Baraka is a meditative-state film piece which examines humanity from a higher perspective. IMO, TTRL is just a Baraka of war soldiers, war territory and citizens of such lands (LOVED THE OLD GUY WALKING PAST THE SOLDIERS WHEN THEY FIRST LAND -- so non chalant!)

PQ: 5/5 (gorgeous!)

AQ: 4.5/5 (dialogue a little faint at times)

Excellent review/insight! Excellent comparison to "Baraka," I was also reminded of it when I watched this movie.

"The Thin Red Line" is on my list of movies to re-visit!

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Mean Girls



i figured i would spare the girlfriend a depressing drama (what a weakling. we watch 15 in a row and she throws in the towel? pfffff. pathetic! ) and watch a fun film after she was all sorts of teary-eyed after A Walk to Remember.

god, the humor here is so great! from the somewhat racist comments (the comment about "the girl from Africa and then showing the black girl ) to the smart, witty humor the film is filled with. Lindsay Lohan is actually very tolerable here and the always attractive Rachael McAdams doesn't hurt anything

smart, funny, witty, ahead of its time? and of course, the amazing Don Cheadle as the principle
and of course, Tina Fey helps as well, especially as a writer.

really no complaints, but it's one of those films where i feel it isn't a 5/5. for whatever reason.

4.5/5

Hilarious movie. I bought it for my cousin for Christmas last year ($11).

I love the principal.

There's also other obvious reasons for a male human to enjoy the movie

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Mean Girls



i figured i would spare the girlfriend a depressing drama (what a weakling. we watch 15 in a row and she throws in the towel? pfffff. pathetic! ) and watch a fun film after she was all sorts of teary-eyed after A Walk to Remember.

god, the humor here is so great! from the somewhat racist comments (the comment about "the girl from Africa and then showing the black girl ) to the smart, witty humor the film is filled with. Lindsay Lohan is actually very tolerable here and the always attractive Rachael McAdams doesn't hurt anything

smart, funny, witty, ahead of its time? and of course, the amazing Don Cheadle as the principle
and of course, Tina Fey helps as well, especially as a writer.

really no complaints, but it's one of those films where i feel it isn't a 5/5. for whatever reason.

4.5/5

While I agree with you that Mean Girls is great, the principle isn't Don Cheadle. It's Tim Meadows.

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

Originally Posted by killowertz

While I agree with you that Mean Girls is great, the principle isn't Don Cheadle. It's Tim Meadows.

That guy was one of my favorites on SNL and he was pretty funny on The Bill Engvall Show.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Hilarious movie. I bought it for my cousin for Christmas last year ($11).

I love the principal.

There's also other obvious reasons for a male human to enjoy the movie

haha, ohhhhhh yeah there is

Originally Posted by killowertz

While I agree with you that Mean Girls is great, the principle isn't Don Cheadle. It's Tim Meadows.

wow. holy fudge. i ALWAYS thought that was Don Cheadle. holy moly they could both be in a movie about twins or something. but now that i think about it Meadows doesn't really sound like Cheadle, but he certainly resembles him. boy am i dumb

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

haha, ohhhhhh yeah there is



wow. holy fudge. i ALWAYS thought that was Don Cheadle. holy moly they could both be in a movie about twins or something. but now that i think about it Meadows doesn't really sound like Cheadle, but he certainly resembles him. boy am i dumb

Just try and remember if you are watching a comedy it is most likely Tim and if it drama or action it is Don. That way you won't mix them up.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by ArmyOfDarknessAW

Just try and remember if you are watching a comedy it is most likely Tim and if it drama or action it is Don. That way you won't mix them up.

i was JUST about to say, "that's really true, but Don Cheadle was in an episode of The Office, and that's comedy"

and then i looked!

....





AND IT'S FREAKIN' MEADOWS AGAIN!

i've watched that episode about 600 times and again, thought it was Cheadle. my god that guy could rob a bank with a serious attitude and everyone would be going after Cheadle!