The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Do yourself a favor and see it. Cage was brilliant and Elisabeth Shue was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Sera the prositute.

It took four years for Shue to finally shed the wholesome image she portrayed on film, with her most critically-praised performance to date in "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), directed by Mike Figgis. Playing Sera, a masochistic prostitute involved in a tragic love affair opposite a suicidal alcoholic - played by Nicolas Cage, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his work - was a landmark role in Shue's career. Her compelling performance earned the actress multiple award nominations for Best Actress in 1996, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award.

Its less surreal that Requiem, and that makes it all the more brutal.

Shue is a Harvard graduate and is married to Davis Guggenheim who was the Director of DEADWOOD and thats reason enough to see the film.

I know Shue bro!! She's my girl next door hearthrob from Karate Kid!! I may have to pass on this!! I'm still in love with her character from Karate Kid!!

No j/k I'll check it out...with ever brittle caution

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

fincher fans

[Show spoiler]

Man fincher is the Man. Fincher, and Nolan are the greats of this time!

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

great review! I just watched this on blu 2 weeks ago and loved it also. I did give it 5/5 stars because unlike other war movies, it seemed to put the viewer on a higher perspective, from which they could look at war from a "fly on the wall" perspective, and not just war, but humanity in general. it was almost like a "war version of Baraka" as I said in my review. Can't wait to pick this up!

tHANKS! I guess my problem with this film is that there are so many other War films which I think deserve a 5/5. Some of these include Das Boot (which I just watched yesterday on the SonyHD Channel and which I also wish would come out on BD w/English subtitles), the original All Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, Platoon, Stalag 17, The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. These are 5-star or very close to it films; at least in MHO! Of course I would rank Apocalypse Now slightly below The Thin Red Line. Of course for just pure historical accuracy, I would pick Das Boot, Gettysburg, Zulu, Glory and Sink the Bismarck. Then there are movies about real war leaders who have gone from historical footnotes to mythical human beings. Such individuals as Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony (Cleopatra), Alexander the Great (Alexander and Alexander the Great), Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar ak El Cid (El Cid), George Armstrong Custer (too many to name but They Died with their Boots On and Son of Morning Star), Charles George "Chinese" Gordon (Khartoum), Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), George S Patton (Patton) and Douglas MacArthur (MacArthur). Some of these are 5-star films.

[lDlisturb3d]

JFK

Director: Oliver Stone
Writer: Based on "The Trail of the Assassins (Jim Garrison) and
"Cross: The Plot that killed Kennedy (Jim Marris)
Mains: Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman
and Sissy Spacey

Not who. Not How. But Most Importantly Why?

Synopsis: This movie is about the Assassination of Jesse James oops sorry The Assassination of JFK. The world is shocked by the assassination of JFK. It takes its toll on the American public but more on Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) the New Orleans District Attorney. Garrison has taken a personal interest in this fishy assassination and wants to get to the bottom of it. Battling with his wife he wants to show the public things the the government covered up in addition he's also battling over his marriage because of the time in effort put into the onion layered case. The battle for the truth starts now.

My Take: Before a start i would like to mention that it took me a solid 30 mins to adjust to the horrible accent of Kevin Costner. It was as painful and difficult as my eyes adjusting to a 3-D movie. Now thats out the way this movie was AWESOME. Evey one still today would like to know the entire truth behind JFK's assassination. Did the CIA do it? Was the FBI involved? Was the White House Involved? Did the Cubans kill JFK? How about Lee Harvey??? No one know but this movie tells off a damn pretty good theory. Highly believable, but i what i love most about this film is they explain why. Why would anyone want to kill JFK. CHANGE is a terrible thing to someone who is comfortable. CHANGE is mostly a unwanted risk. JFK was all about change and this could of possibly ended his young life. This movie explains so much about this whole conspiracy and so much about the true power the government has. Mass Media Control is probably the biggest. Oliver Stone really gets you involved in this one. The movie is 3hrs and 30mis long and i didnt blink. Possibly one of the best court scenes ever!! I was really pleased with this film and it gets a 5/5 from me true or not. Remember its all based of some facts and some theories.

Conclusion: I feel that any American is obligated to see this movie. Yes the acting is off and you can debate back and fourth of its authenticity but the fact still remains that this event took place right here in our back yards. Oliver Stone shows you every angle, every gap and every loop. This film was amazing and it explained allot of things i didnt know about the JFK assassination. Does it add up? Of course it does IMO, this was a great take on the whole plot. Remember that the movie is based off of 2 books by 2 different writers. I loved every minute of this long movie except Kevin Costner's horrible voice.

Must See!

5/5

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

no express Christian blasphemy in it, if that's what you're worried about. I think the "Antichrist" title is more about non-christian behavior, rather than attacking christian behavior.

Well i read something along the lines of Satan was the creator and God gave up on us.

[Al_The_Strange]

"Dracula: Dead and Loving It."

Mel Brooks strikes again, doing to Dracula lore what he did to Frankenstein already! The jokes are pretty darn hilarious in this version of Dracula; plenty of funny dialogue, innuendos, cultural references, slapstick gags, visual gags, and the like. All the actors are great in their roles; Leslie Nielsen does a great job parodying Bella Lugosi, and Renfield is even funnier here than in the original film! The movie itself follows the original plot of the classic film, and incorporates a few jokes about the newer film too. As quickly-paced as it is, I find the film quite fun.

If there's anything to complain about, it's the low production value (very fake-looking sets, SFX, etc, but for a comedy it's still rather fitting) and a certain lack of edge that makes the other Mel Brooks movies compelling.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5)




"She's almost dead..."

"...SHE'S DEAD ENOUGH!"

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

"Dracula: Dead and Loving It."

Mel Brooks strikes again, doing to Dracula lore what he did to Frankenstein already! The jokes are pretty darn hilarious in this version of Dracula; plenty of funny dialogue, innuendos, cultural references, slapstick gags, visual gags, and the like. All the actors are great in their roles; Leslie Nielsen does a great job parodying Bella Lugosi, and Renfield is even funnier here than in the original film! The movie itself follows the original plot of the classic film, and incorporates a few jokes about the newer film too. As quickly-paced as it is, I find the film quite fun.

If there's anything to complain about, it's the low production value (very fake-looking sets, SFX, etc, but for a comedy it's still rather fitting) and a certain lack of edge that makes the other Mel Brooks movies compelling.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 3.5/5)




"She's almost dead..."

"...SHE'S DEAD ENOUGH!"

Sounds like my kind of movie, even though I am a huge fan of the more serious vampire fare, will definitely keep my eye out for it.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

fincher fans

[Show spoiler]

hey now, even though i'm a Fincher fan, i'm not putting Alien3 above Aliens any day of the week

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

hey now, even though i'm a Fincher fan, i'm not putting Alien3 above Aliens any day of the week

It's a decent movie but I agree, Alien3 probably would've been better if they had put it on a more desolate prison colony that had a lot more aliens and better armed inmates.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Well i read something along the lines of Satan was the creator and God gave up on us.

I'm going to have to tread on egg shells here, but you do know that you can safely watch something that doesn't fit your current belief system, right? I doubt watching it will force you to be a Satanist . For instance, my viewing Passion of the Christ didn't seem to have any effect on my atheism . Besides, you can't critic it unless you watch it. Diversity only servers to broaden one's life experience and enhance understanding.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

It's a decent movie but I agree, Alien3 probably would've been better if they had put it on a more desolate prison colony that had a lot more aliens and better armed inmates.

that does sound a million times better. i wonder why they didn't so this for any of the sequels?

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Hep

I'm going to have to tread on egg shells here, but you do know that you can safely watch something that doesn't fit your current belief system, right? I doubt watching it will force you to be a Satanist . For instance, my viewing Passion of the Christ didn't seem to have any effect on my atheism . Besides, you can't critic it unless you watch it. Diversity only servers to broaden one's life experience and enhance understanding.

Im not criticizing it. I havent seen it. In addition im as diverse as they come. Look at my collection! Its all over the place. Snobby and Boxofficey, Urban and Suburban. hahahahahah

I will probably get around to it but i typically dont watch demonic movies just because of my overactive imagination!

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

JFK
This film was amazing and it explained allot of things i didnt know about the JFK assassination. Does it add up? Of course it does IMO, this was a great take on the whole plot. Remember that the movie is based off of 2 books by 2 different writers.
Must See!

5/5

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and the rating you gave to this film but I think this is the biggest piece of cr*p that Oliver Stone ever released on the American public. I had just started high school when Kennedy was assassinated and I am familiar with most of the crazy theories out there about the assassination, considering the fact that I also read the Warren Report when it was first released. The theory promoted in this film is the craziest and the least believeable IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I like many of Stone's movies but this one is the one I hate the most. Stone has a tendency to inject his opinion/views in all of his films but in this one his opinion/view is most blatantly visible and I just also thought the release of this film was in poor taste. It's probably just me but I would never own this on BD.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by rkolinski

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and the rating you gave to this film but I think this is the biggest piece of cr*p that Oliver Stone ever released on the American public. I had just started high school when Kennedy was assassinated and I am familiar with most of the crazy theories out there about the assassination, considering the fact that I also read the Warren Report when it was first released. The theory promoted in this film is the craziest and the least believeable IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I like many of Stone's movies but this one is the one I hate the most. Stone has a tendency to inject his opinion/views in all of his films but in this one his opinion/view is most blatantly visible and I just also thought the release of this film was in poor taste. It's probably just me but I would never own this on BD.

completely agree with you, as per usual

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by rkolinski

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and the rating you gave to this film but I think this is the biggest piece of cr*p that Oliver Stone ever released on the American public. I had just started high school when Kennedy was assassinated and I am familiar with most of the crazy theories out there about the assassination, considering the fact that I also read the Warren Report when it was first released. The theory promoted in this film is the craziest and the least believeable IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I like many of Stone's movies but this one is the one I hate the most. Stone has a tendency to inject his opinion/views in all of his films but in this one his opinion/view is most blatantly visible and I just also thought the release of this film was in poor taste. It's probably just me but I would never own this on BD.

Its surely because of your political views. Everything that was mentioned in this film sounds about right. The power of the government is ridiculous. You'd be surprised how much the government can control if something is already predetermined. I enjoyed ever minute.

Just as a question how can the theories be that wild when they actually make sense?

Aside from its authenticity if this was based off a fake person this would be considered the BEST political thriller of ALL TIMES.

[CZAR]

The Thing - My 2nd time watching this film and first time on blu. This is one of the better older films picture wise that I have seen on blu. Looked very good like it was made this year. This is a highly regarded sci-fi/horror film and although I dont rank it as high as most, I still like the film very much! The special effects stand the test of time and hold its own even in high definition where most older films get exposed due to the age of the effects and technology. The atmosphere was great just as most of Carpenter's older horror films. I would definitely recommend this film to all sci-fi and horror fans. Job well done and the film has aged beautifully.

Film Rating - 4 stars (out of 5)

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

AQ - 4 stars (out of 5)


The Karate Kid (1984) - Ok so I finally watched this film for the first time since a long time. I have been waiting to watch this again especially since seeing the remake twice. After finally watching the film again I have to say it has aged beautifully and it touched me just as it did back when it was released. Just watching this film all of the memories came right back to me as if it were still the 80's. Mr. Miyagi was great. Elizabeth Shue was stunning as she has always been. William Zabka was the perfect antagonist in the 80's in multiple films.

I kept wondering which film I would think is better before viewing the film today as I love the remake. I have to say I am not sure which is better. They are both brilliant and I was just as emotionally attached this film as I was the remake. I will say the remake had much better fighting choreography and the acting was slightly better as well. However the original film had the better atmosphere and that 80's vibe that I truly love. With that said I think they are both great films and they both can co-exist as their own films while homage was paid to the original. The remake was so different but it was also very much the same if that makes sense.

All in all I cant put one over the other and I am very happy to own both. Cant wait to watch part two to this film and also cant wait for part two of the remake.

Film Rating - 5 stars (out of 5)

PQ - 4 stars (out of 5)

AQ - 4 stars (out of 5)

Got Em!!

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Its surely because of your political views. Everything that was mentioned in this film sounds about right. The power of the government is ridiculous. You'd be surprised how much the government can control if something is already predetermined. I enjoyed ever minute.

Just as a question how can the theories be that wild when they actually make sense?

Aside from its authenticity if this was based off a fake person this would be considered the BEST political thriller of ALL TIMES.

I can't control what you believe and I don't think my opinion has anything to do with how I lean politically. There are people who believe that Franklin Roosevelt knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be specifically attacked by the Japanese and that he let it happen knowing this. There are people out there who believe that we didn't land on the moon and that the moon landing was totally staged. More recently, there are people who believe that 9/11 was part of a government conspiracy. Then there is this Kennedy assassination theory promoted in Stone's JFK. The problem I have with this film is that it totally ignores the fact that there are a lot of nuts out there, some who just happen own a gun. [And I guess I should point out in advance that this has nothing to do with what I think about gun ownership, since I not only served in Vietnam but was also an Expert marksman.] The movie totally ignores the lone gunman theory, which happens to be the way most assassinations have happened historically, not only in this country but in the rest of the world (Archduke Ferdinand, Gandhi, JFK, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, etc., etc. I was recently watching a series of programs about Adolph Hitler on the Military Channel and he was even quoted in one of the programs as saying that if a lone gunman wanted to kill him, no amount of protection could prevent it; he lived in a military state. The closest we have come in this country to a real assassination conspiracy is the Lincoln assassination; and I mention that only because a number of assassins were involved. However, I do not believe that the South was behind this particular conspiracy. Again, this is just my view and you are entitled to yours.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Im not criticizing it. I havent seen it. In addition im as diverse as they come. Look at my collection! Its all over the place. Snobby and Boxofficey, Urban and Suburban. hahahahahah

I will probably get around to it but i typically dont watch demonic movies just because of my overactive imagination!

Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you were criticizing it, only that if you wanted to, you would have to watch it first .

As far as your collection goes, you don't have to tell me, this site's Collection Matcher has us in sync by 40.2% - pretty incredible collection you have there .

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Its surely because of your political views. Everything that was mentioned in this film sounds about right. The power of the government is ridiculous. You'd be surprised how much the government can control if something is already predetermined. I enjoyed ever minute.

Just as a question how can the theories be that wild when they actually make sense?

Aside from its authenticity if this was based off a fake person this would be considered the BEST political thriller of ALL TIMES.

Also, just so you know where I'm coming from, I wouldn't own any of Michael Moore's films on BD either and I don't own any of them on DVD. I'm very much capable of forming my own opinions and I don't need to own his cr*p either. And even though Stone's Platoon happens to be one of my favorite war movies because I think it gives an accurate depiction of what combat was like in Vietnam, having been there and served there myself, I don't for a moment believe that Stone witnessed one member of his platoon killing another member of his platoon. I was aware of fragging incidents in Vietnam; I think most Vietnam veterans were aware that this happened there. However, I tend to believe that this was another Stone commentary on what the Vietnam war was like.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by rkolinski

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and the rating you gave to this film but I think this is the biggest piece of cr*p that Oliver Stone ever released on the American public. I had just started high school when Kennedy was assassinated and I am familiar with most of the crazy theories out there about the assassination, considering the fact that I also read the Warren Report when it was first released. The theory promoted in this film is the craziest and the least believeable IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I like many of Stone's movies but this one is the one I hate the most. Stone has a tendency to inject his opinion/views in all of his films but in this one his opinion/view is most blatantly visible and I just also thought the release of this film was in poor taste. It's probably just me but I would never own this on BD.

Generally agree -- when viewed as a supposed non-fictional political drama. Stone's major sin here was intentionally weaving actual news/documentary footage with movie footage to the point that the viewer had no idea where the line between fact or fiction was.

However, I do find this film entertaining when viewed as any other (fictional) drama. Hence, I bought it and would give it 3/5 stars in that regard.

EDIT: Have you seen Stone's Nixon? What were your thoughts on that?

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Everything that was mentioned in this film sounds about right.

Not quite, IMO. Let me give you one easy example. Remember when Costner meets Donald Sutherland's character near the DC Monument? Remember what he tells him? THe best evidence of a conspiracy:

[Show spoiler]That he was sent to the SOuth pole weeks before the assassination, and would have been in charge of security in Dallas had he not been sent away. BUt here's the big part: He said that while in the SOuth Pole, he newspaper was published in the SOuth POle saying that OSwold killed JFK, and had tons of biographical info on Oswold, even though they hadn't even arrested Oswold yet in Dallas!!! If that is true, its smoking gun evidence of a conspiracy, as the newspaper publication date/time is set in stone, and since it occurred prior to Oswold's arrest, any idiot would pursue that to prove the conspiracy, yet Costner doesn't seem too interested in it