The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Trogdor2010

Never Let Me Go: 2.5 out of 4

If Logan's Run was an attempt at grabbing awards, based on a novel (By Kazuo Ishiguro) and having an all classy British cast (with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightly) love story instead of a cheesy sci fi pre Star Wars B movie. What makes this different from this high class? Well it is also a dystopian science fiction film (not the Buck Rodgers kind) that serves as a commentary on the medical industry and human repossession. The science fiction elements serves more as an afterthought, and is more interested in the pretentious love interests that in a way feels as faux as the film was intended to be, for better of worse.

The story revolves in the lifetime of three young people in a love triangle of a boarding school (you know the Victorian style that runs amok in so many of it's ilk) Hailsham, Kathy (Carey Mulligan; as teen and adult), Tony (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightly). Kathy, innocent and passive, who is the focus of the tale, loves Tony, a troubled boy popular with the girls but bullied by the boys and so does her slutty friend Ruth, even resenting that Kathy and Tony developed a “true” love while Ruth victimizes Tony. The twist is that they are actually experiments cloned, to be in an organ donation transplant program and about during when they are “complete” (say 25 years old) they are dissected of their precious organs; they however have a very good life otherwise, like a pampered cow. During their lives they have been curious of who they come from.

It's hard to tell whether they were going for the dystopian film as a criticism on human exploitation as science or an epic love story, which is given too much effort to make the themes compete with it, almost becoming an afterthought. The film is high class, with gorgeous cinematography worthy of a theater viewing and a great effort done by Mulligan (Keira and Garfield are less competent however, going occasionally overboard). The film ends in a brutal, cynical and nihilistic, but it's satisfying in the Kubrick fashion, and more of a redemption from the happy cop out ending of “Atonement”. It beats glorifying a little monster.

In no way was the ending of Atonement a cop-out. If you think it was, then I think you probably didn't quite understand the purpose of the story. While it is certainly not a cop-out ending, it is absolutely contentious and I can understand not liking it.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Are you keeping track of how many horror flicks you are watching this month? I'd like to know the total, if you are. Crazy consumption Czar.

17 as of now as I didnt watch any on four of the days this month and another day I did try to watch Paranormal Activity & Dismal but couldnt make it through either so they dont count haha. Got Em!!

[Atreyu]

The original Dracula on AMC with the great Bela Lugosi. IMO he is the ONLY Dracula. Still a highly watchable film. Only thing I did not care for was that they used the new musical score by Phillip Glass. I prefer the original myself.

[Trogdor2010]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

In no way was the ending of Atonement a cop-out. If you think it was, then I think you probably didn't quite understand the purpose of the story. While it is certainly not a cop-out ending, it is absolutely contentious and I can understand not liking it.

I have no chance of reading the novel of Atonement, but someone metioned to me the ending is nothing like the film. I have not watched the film in years, but I vividly remember the ending.

[Show spoiler]The film child character led the two lovers in despair all because her jealousy framed the guy for rape. This leads to a downward spiral for their lives, as the man no later goes to war and enduring the hardships of it, and the woman lives a life of loneliness (for some reason). The girl grows up as a nurse in a creepy boarding home nursery helping injured soldiers. The itch of it is the interview literally asks us to forgive her for her troubled life and makes everyone's ending as if it were all flowers and sunshine, living in a wonderful place in heaven. What I found the cop out is that it makes her the victim of the whole story.

[Batman1980]

International Man of Mystery 5/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 3.5/5
Still funny after all these years, will try to watch the other 2 Austin Powers films after work.

[Denoku]

Let The Right One In

A really great movie that kept me glued to the screen.

5/5

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Death Proof 4/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 4/5
So that's what old B movies were like, hoping for a lot from Piranha now. Firing up International Man of Mystery.

Noooooooooooooo, Death proof isn't really a B movie, they have more gore and way less talking (and probably more boobs as well) Death Proof is just Tarantino's ego, if you really want to see what a B movies more like, get Planet Terror.

I'm not saying Death Proof is bad, it's just not a good throwback to B movies

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Noooooooooooooo, Death proof isn't really a B movie, they have more gore and way less talking (and probably more boobs as well) Death Proof is just Tarantino's ego, if you really want to see what a B movies more like, get Planet Terror.

I'm not saying Death Proof is bad, it's just not a good throwback to B movies

[Show spoiler]I liked how they chased down Kurt Russell, beat the crap out of his car, then kicked his butt and stomped his head into the pavement.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Dark Moses

Let The Right One In

A really great movie that kept me glued to the screen.

5/5

Im glad you liked it! Did you see Let Me In?

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Noooooooooooooo, Death proof isn't really a B movie, they have more gore and way less talking (and probably more boobs as well) Death Proof is just Tarantino's ego, if you really want to see what a B movies more like, get Planet Terror.

I'm not saying Death Proof is bad, it's just not a good throwback to B movies

Hell Yeah! This might be the best thing you've said today Planet Terror is far better but i still like Death Proof. It aint no Planet Terror though!

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Hell Yeah! This might be the best thing you've said today Planet Terror is far better but i still like Death Proof. It aint no Planet Terror though!

I'd probably check out Planet Terror if there were more hotties in it than just Rose and there wasn't such a public hatred towards it.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Apocalypse Now (Theatrical Cut)

Film: 5/5
-still prefer Redux
-it was like watching it for the first time with this new transfer!! absolutely mesmerizing!
-I was so blown away with the transfer on this viewing that I found myself just gazing at the scenery, the vegetation, and the detail, and wasn't analyzing the themes that much - the transfer was too good

PQ and AQ: 5/5 (awesome!)

so, i'm watching LOST and in the episode "Numbers" (season 1, episode 18) Charlie says to Hurley, "One minute you're happy-go-lucky, good time Hurley and the next you're Colonel-bloody-Kurtz." i laughed for about 5 minutes since i now understand what Charlie meant.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

I'd probably check out Planet Terror if there were more hotties in it than just Rose and there wasn't such a public hatred towards it.

Dude u are slippin. I agree with all of them. Death Proof is cool but Planet Terror is excellent! U need to watch it. Got Em!!

[Denoku]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Im glad you liked it! Did you see Let Me In?

It was great! No I haven't seen that, or heard of it. Tell me more.

[Al_The_Strange]

“The Iron Giant,” parents’ rental.

In the past, I’ve caught parts of it and found it okay. Viewing it now from start to finish, I gotta say it’s actually swell. Golly gee whiz, what a swell picture!

It definitely has the old-fashioned 50’s sci-fi vibe to it, complete with all the elements of Cold War paranoia, sleek alien robots, comic book fandom, and a “Day the Earth Stood Still” type of theme concerning warfare and weaponry. In this case, the aesthetic works very well with the story and characters, developing them splendidly in an imaginative yet believable time and place. Works way better than “Planet 51!”

I think “The Iron Giant” is most successful at being emotionally warm-hearted, light-heartedly funny, and containing some significant themes about the human soul and destiny. In fact, as the giant kept rambling on “I am not a gun,” I wondered if it was some kind of liberal anti-military/pro-free-expression message. Not that that’s a bad thing, but the super-evil portrayal of the government/military made me go at times.

As a film, it is well-animated. Some of the CGI is a little antiquated by today’s standards, but it is effectively merged with traditional cell-animation. Stylistically, it’s easily comparable to “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” or maybe “Steamboy.” Voice acting is awesome; I didn’t realize the giant was voiced by the one and only Vin Diesel. That man’s a prodigy!

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)

I want this on Blu-Ray!

We were also wondering why this never spawned a sequel or series or anything. It seems to have potential!

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

International Man of Mystery 5/5
PQ 4/5
AQ 3.5/5
Still funny after all these years, will try to watch the other 2 Austin Powers films after work.

Do or do not, there is no try

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“The Iron Giant,” parents’ rental.

In the past, I’ve caught parts of it and found it okay. Viewing it now from start to finish, I gotta say it’s actually swell. Golly gee whiz, what a swell picture!

It definitely has the old-fashioned 50’s sci-fi vibe to it, complete with all the elements of Cold War paranoia, sleek alien robots, comic book fandom, and a “Day the Earth Stood Still” type of theme concerning warfare and weaponry. In this case, the aesthetic works very well with the story and characters, developing them splendidly in an imaginative yet believable time and place. Works way better than “Planet 51!”

I think “The Iron Giant” is most successful at being emotionally warm-hearted, light-heartedly funny, and containing some significant themes about the human soul and destiny. In fact, as the giant kept rambling on “I am not a gun,” I wondered if it was some kind of liberal anti-military/pro-free-expression message. Not that that’s a bad thing, but the super-evil portrayal of the government/military made me go at times.

As a film, it is well-animated. Some of the CGI is a little antiquated by today’s standards, but it is effectively merged with traditional cell-animation. Stylistically, it’s easily comparable to “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” or maybe “Steamboy.” Voice acting is awesome; I didn’t realize the giant was voiced by the one and only Vin Diesel. That man’s a prodigy!

4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)

I want this on Blu-Ray!

We were also wondering why this never spawned a sequel or series or anything. It seems to have potential!

Box Office
Budget: $48,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend: $5,732,614 (USA) (8 August 1999) (2179 Screens)
Gross: $23,159,305 (USA) (21 November 1999)

Source - IMDb
Probably why

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Source - IMDb
Probably why

Yikes, that's a shame.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Yikes, that's a shame.

Yup but I imagine if they could get the bigger stars like Vin Diesel to take a pay cut and get most of the animation done cheap, a sequel would get green-lit, two huge ifs though.

[Al_The_Strange]

Also watched “Predators,” my next greatest rental.

I wasn’t expecting much out of this; just another jungle rumble with the big bad aliens and a bunch of expendable badasses. The movie ultimately has enough action, slick SFX, and coolness to keep it entertaining. I wouldn’t call it 100% action-packed, but it’s more than I expected.

The story’s pretty simple, almost stupid, but it is well-executed and well-paced enough. There were some parts that I didn’t expect (

[Show spoiler]the one guy turned out to be a serial killer, WTF?!

). But most impressively, the film effectively manages to incorporate ideas, motifs, and elements from the first movie while introducing some new ideas into the mix. There are a lot of shots (and lines, like “come on, do it, kill me now!!!” ) that resemble the first film, but plenty of new stuff is included too. It’s about as effective as “Aliens” was to the Alien franchise; both films expand their scopes, bringing their characters into larger territories that are familiar but with new twists. Both films also show greater strengths in their characters; Ellen Ripley confronted her fears and came out stronger, whereas in “Predators” the main leads become hardened survivalists to counter the onslaught.

I was pleased with the way the film is made; photography is very strong, settings and locations are interesting and fresh throughout (it’s not all the same old jungle), and the production value is high (although I thought the one big explosion looked rather fake). Music was appealing; sounded much like the score from the first film.

My only complains are that the story is very simplistic with some dumb parts, the resolution seemed rather weak to me (I sense a sequel coming…), and some of these guys tried a little too hard to be a tough guy. Adrian Brody’s voice certainly seemed forced. I found Laurence Fishbourne interesting, if not totally weird.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 4/5) A grade lower than “Predator,” about the same level as “Predator 2” or “AvP.” By my standards.

This DVD looked and sounded like crap. I will own the Blu-Ray someday!