The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Frozen

Exceeds the hype.

Three college students stuck on a ski lift face posible death via the elements, and possibly more.

I think I lost 3 pounds, some hair, and ground 1/16th inch off of my teeth while watching this.

Tension, Tension, TENSION, TENSION with a capital T.

Hats off to all involved.

Green did a great job with the script. Just plain old realistic dialog among young people. From friendly banter, to aingst, to blame, to nurturing and ultimately acceptance, all very realistic.

Somehow Green managed to take a simple scenario and tighten things SO tightly that the stress and tension were out of this world. I noticed that he employed a technique used by popular preachers, poiticians and bill collectors. Jack 'em up to near intolerance, close to the breaking point, then let them down softly for a rest, repeat, emotional rollercoaster. And he did this quite elegantly and realistically too.

The camera work was fantasic, brining you in close to develop the feeling that I was there with them. Then circling from above to capture the vertigo and isolation effects. As events unfold the camera takes many positions that all enhance the mood of what we are witnessing.

Acting across the board was very good, but Emma Bell was fantastic. Her dispair, denial, rage, histaria, and determination came through as 100% realistic. Some may say she overacted at certain points, but I would strongly disagree.

Makeup depicting skin suffering from below freezing weather was very good.

A mild score that wonderfully FOLLOWED and reinforced the mood rather than dictate it in an overbearing fashion (a la Avatar ) was warmly welcomed.

What made this film work so well for me was that it was so real. This is the kind of event that we could read about in the newspaper. No ghosts, no chainsaw madmen, no 40 foot sharks, no zombies or psycho killers. Really, no villain. Just an accidental mishap with potentially the gravest of all consequences.

The bonus features on what they had to do to film this were great and I have jumbo respect for the whole crew. Brutal stuff. And BIG props to Green for not doing this in a warehouse/studio with a greenscreen. He chose to shoot on location, and yes, as good as green screen and CGI can be, this film shows why the real deal is better.

Film 4.5/5

Replay value? Heck yes, for the camerawork and performances alone. Not tomorrow though.

PQ 4.5/5 I bumped it up because of the challenge of shooting at night, in snowy conditions was met head on and tackled. Super difficult.

AQ 4/5 Clear and well prioritized dialog and some cool ambient effects. They could have gone a little more aggressively on surround usage for winds and creeking etc.

Thanks to everybody who encouraged me to "hurry up" and see it.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Dude u seen him what 2 movies when he was like 8 or 9 years old. That is a bit harsh. Let him get some roles where he isnt playin a annoying lil kid. This is his first real role and he is a bit older and he actually shows off his skills and whats to come. That is crazy basing a kids career on his first two films where he is like 8 years old. I guess it is what it is. U should give the kid a chance man real talk. Got Em!!

Jodie Foster
River Phoenix
Haley Joel Osment
Corey Feldman
Tatum O'Neal
Natalie Portman
Dakota Fanning
Brooke Shields
Chritian Bale..............

Some kids have got it right out of the gate and some kids aint....just sayin my opinion.

[LordCrumb]

The Other Guys

Most of it was funny, but some jokes went on too long, such as

[Show spoiler]the mother passing the comments from Will to Eva

. Heaps of stuff in the trailer were not in the film.

[SquidPuppet]

Cold and raining here yesterday, so no bicycling or playing frisbee with my dog, so I was able to cram in three flicks.

Sunshine Cleaning

A nice little movie.

I enjoyed this film about 2 sisters starting a post crime scene cleaning service. Hows' that for quirky? Throw in a quirky Dad and a quirky little son, and you get, well, Quirky.

It's all about the bumps in the road for the characters in this film. Determination to get past the stumbling blocks that life throws in your path. Good performance and a good (but somewhat generic) simple story. Each character has a few inner demons that they struggle with as they move forward.

There was really nothing revolutionary here with regards to script, camera work, directing or acting, but it was an overall very pleasant watch.

Film 3.75/5
PQ 3.75/5
AQ 4/5 Good clear dialog but not much else to the mix. No real opportunities for BIG emmersion.

[SquidPuppet]

I am Love (Io Sono L'Amore) 2009

An Netflix synopsis

Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch's birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino's lush, atmospheric film.

And it grows more melodramatic from there. Closeted children coming out, affairs and more that would be spoilers.

An interesting wealthy family. Kind to their servants and meaning to do well for the world. But the story was just meh for me. I've seen it done many times and frequently better. The web was there, but I didnt feel sucked into it. Lots of individual good things about the film, but the whole left me shrugging and saying "Eh".

Film 3/5 I didnt dislike it, but thats as far as I can go.
PQ 4/5 Lots of pretty colors in Italy. Detil was goo and I didnt notice any nasty comperssion artifacts or digital manipulation.
AQ 3.75/5 Clear dialog and some OK ambient sounds.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Frozen

Exceeds the hype.

[Show spoiler]
Three college students stuck on a ski lift face posible death via the elements, and possibly more.

I think I lost 3 pounds, some hair, and ground 1/16th inch off of my teeth while watching this.

Tension, Tension, TENSION, TENSION with a capital T.

Hats off to all involved.

Green did a great job with the script. Just plain old realistic dialog among young people. From friendly banter, to aingst, to blame, to nurturing and ultimately acceptance, all very realistic.

Somehow Green managed to take a simple scenario and tighten things SO tightly that the stress and tension were out of this world. I noticed that he employed a technique used by popular preachers, poiticians and bill collectors. Jack 'em up to near intolerance, close to the breaking point, then let them down softly for a rest, repeat, emotional rollercoaster. And he did this quite elegantly and realistically too.

The camera work was fantasic, brining you in close to develop the feeling that I was there with them. Then circling from above to capture the vertigo and isolation effects. As events unfold the camera takes many positions that all enhance the mood of what we are witnessing.

Acting across the board was very good, but Emma Bell was fantastic. Her dispair, denial, rage, histaria, and determination came through as 100% realistic. Some may say she overacted at certain points, but I would strongly disagree.

Makeup depicting skin suffering from below freezing weather was very good.

A mild score that wonderfully FOLLOWED and reinforced the mood rather than dictate it in an overbearing fashion (a la Avatar ) was warmly welcomed.

What made this film work so well for me was that it was so real. This is the kind of event that we could read about in the newspaper. No ghosts, no chainsaw madmen, no 40 foot sharks, no zombies or psycho killers. Really, no villain. Just an accidental mishap with potentially the gravest of all consequences.

The bonus features on what they had to do to film this were great and I have jumbo respect for the whole crew. Brutal stuff. And BIG props to Green for not doing this in a warehouse/studio with a greenscreen. He chose to shoot on location, and yes, as good as green screen and CGI can be, this film shows why the real deal is better.

Film 4.5/5

Replay value? Heck yes, for the camerawork and performances alone. Not tomorrow though.

PQ 4.5/5 I bumped it up because of the challenge of shooting at night, in snowy conditions was met head on and tackled. Super difficult.

AQ 4/5 Clear and well prioritized dialog and some cool ambient effects. They could have gone a little more aggressively on surround usage for winds and creeking etc.

Thanks to everybody who encouraged me to "hurry up" and see it.

I told u! Now watch the Karate Kid as I havnt steered u wrong yet! Got Em!!

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Jodie Foster
River Phoenix
Haley Joel Osment
Corey Feldman
Tatum O'Neal
Natalie Portman
Dakota Fanning
Brooke Shields
Chritian Bale..............

Some kids have got it right out of the gate and some kids aint....just sayin my opinion.

Ok but what kind of roles did they play at 8 years old? I bet it wasnt a nagging kid. U will see eventually. Got Em!!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by CZAR

I told u! Now watch the Karate Kid as I havnt steered u wrong yet! Got Em!!



Ok but what kind of roles did they play at 8 years old? I bet it wasnt a nagging kid. U will see eventually. Got Em!!

Thats why I picked those actors. At very young ages they gave performances well beyond their ages. Maybe Smith will grow into a great actor someday, but if you look back on my first post on the subject, I said that he (currently) bugs the snot out of me.

Maybe that will change if his demeanor and performances change, I am open to that.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Becket

Film: 4.5/5
-Henry II during the time when Church was rivaling the throne in England. Awesome awesome film! Can't recommend this enough! 12 oscar nominations should suffice, plus 2 lead actor nominations (as in '84 Amadeus)!
-Incredible character development with juicy themes of religion and politics. Burton and O'Toole are incredible, and the evolution of their relationship throughout the film will keep any viewer glued to their seat

PQ: 4.5/5 (awesome for '64 source)

AQ: 4/5 (I used PCM 2.0...very good for most part, but rare use of surrounds)

I want to see this one soon. I heard "it's just 3 hours of Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton pwning at acting."

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Thats why I picked those actors. At very young ages they gave performances well beyond their ages. Maybe Smith will grow into a great actor someday, but if you look back on my first post on the subject, I said that he (currently) bugs the snot out of me.

Maybe that will change if his demeanor and performances change, I am open to that.

Understandable. So then start with watching The Karate Kid and see what u think! Got Em!!

[dag]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I am Love (Io Sono L'Amore) 2009

Zip has mailed this to me and I expect to receive and watch it in the next day or two.

[Romulus]

The Secret in Their Eyes - 4/5

Solid film. I don't think that it deserved to win Best Foreign Film last year. I would say that A Prophet should have won instead.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Understandable. So then start with watching The Karate Kid and see what u think! Got Em!!

I dont do martial arts films.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by dag

Zip has mailed this to me and I expect to receive and watch it in the next day or two.

Let us know what you think.

[Denoku]

Well I just watch "Triangle" finally and I'm speechless. This was a great watch that had my gears contstanly moving trying to figure out what the next step was. Then when you think you have it figured out, another piece adds itself in there. It is a movie I will rewatch just to see if I can different take on it.

5/5

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Dark Moses

Well I just watch "Triangle" finally and I'm speechless. This was a great watch that had my gears contstanly moving trying to figure out what the next step was. Then when you think you have it figured out, another piece adds itself in there. It is a movie I will rewatch just to see if I can different take on it.

5/5

Definitely check out the Triangle thread, it will provide a lot of answers.

[Denoku]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Definitely check out the Triangle thread, it will provide a lot of answers.

It will probaly provide more questions than answers but I'll check it out

[blufellas]

I just saw Psycho for the first time in ten years, and

5/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Dark Moses

Well I just watch "Triangle" finally and I'm speechless. This was a great watch that had my gears contstanly moving trying to figure out what the next step was. Then when you think you have it figured out, another piece adds itself in there. It is a movie I will rewatch just to see if I can different take on it.

5/5

Awesome, glad you liked it! It is quite the puzzle.

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Becket

Film: 4.5/5
-Henry II during the time when Church was rivaling the throne in England. Awesome awesome film! Can't recommend this enough! 12 oscar nominations should suffice, plus 2 lead actor nominations (as in '84 Amadeus)!
-Incredible character development with juicy themes of religion and politics. Burton and O'Toole are incredible, and the evolution of their relationship throughout the film will keep any viewer glued to their seat

PQ: 4.5/5 (awesome for '64 source)

AQ: 4/5 (I used PCM 2.0...very good for most part, but rare use of surrounds)

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I want to see this one soon. I heard "it's just 3 hours of Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton pwning at acting."

Well, this sort of stage/theater acting being brought to screen probably isn't for everyone but I thought they were both outstanding in this film.

[blufellas]

Originally Posted by Dark Moses

It will probaly provide more questions than answers but I'll check it out

I think I'm getting Triangle next.