The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Elite Squad (dvd)

year: 2007
director: Jose Padilha

ladies and gentlemen! a new addition to my Top 15 Favorite Films "of All Time"

Sounds interesting. Amazon UK has a Region B version for £7.99.

[two40]

5 Centimetres Per Second (2007) is a beautifully animated film by director Makoto Shinkai. It takes its name from the rate at which cherry blossom petals fall – cleverly used as an allegory for the story, speaking to the slow pace of life and the way people start out together but eventually drift away on their own separate paths. It is told in 3 episodes over 62 captivating minutes of loneliness and longing during their childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Shinkai manages to convey emotions with crystal clarity, making it easy to relate to the central characters and reminisce over your own lost romances. The episodes are mainly accompanied by monologue, a simple piano score and lots of trivial but engrossing scenery. The sparse dialogue adds to the feeling of loneliness and lets the beautiful animation take centre stage. Scattered throughout are many transparent parallels cleverly used to show progression while in reality their love, over time, grows apart as they slowly lose touch.

The first episode introduces us to the central characters, Takaki and Akari, in their childhood. They’re portrayed as social outsiders who find security and comfort in each other. The bond they form is a strong one, unshaken by separation as one family relocates to a town far away. Shinkai paints a perfect picture using the cold lonely winter as contrast to the happy times they spent together in the springtime. The letters they wrote to each other over the summer sparingly talk of trivial things which brings these characters, and their growing love, to life.

They arrange to meet and as Takaki makes his way on the train, heavy snowfall causes constant delays. What started as a happy trip turned into a bitterly depressing journey that seems to be intent on keeping the young lovers apart. It is very easy to sympathise with Takaki, stopped dead in the middle of nothing with the biting cold and growing hunger adding to his sinking mood. With nothing to do but cycle through memories and add to his growing concern, he watches the clock almost stop ticking, each second a cruel one. It was such a joy to be moved by this scene, to find something so singularly perfect in an anime.

The second and third episodes only manage to decline in quality. It was always going to be hard to top the first episode which is perfect in every way. The second part takes us a few years ahead to their adolescence. We meet Kanae who is secretly in love with Takaki and is desperately trying to build her confidence to confess her love. Takaki, for his part, has lost touch with Akari although he writes her text messages which he never sends. If a bit slow, the scenery makes up for the pacing.

In the third part, now an adult, Takaki works in busy Tokyo. Some cherry blossom petals float in his room, drawing him back to a time when his romance was like spring, fresh and full of possibilities. He knows he has lost his way and everything seems to come back to a single point in his life. It was a bit disappointing to see the film end with a pop song montage which felt out of place, rushed and had little closure. On second though, when there is no closure for Takaki, what can the director offer us?

Despite the declining quality, this film is worth seeking out if only to stare at the beautiful animation full of unique detail you will never find in a clinical Pixar offering.

3/5

Originally Posted by Steve46

No, but it's on my list. I want to see Priceless as well because of Tautou.

She's easy on the eyes as they say. And a very fine actor.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Sounds interesting. Amazon UK has a Region B version for £7.99.

i have to figure out what a ps3 plays i've had a ps3 for 3 years and i still have no idea

the story, now that i've calmed down and can explain a bit better, starts off with new recruits in the police department and learning the ways of the force: a la, just how much corruption is really prevelent in the city and with the drug lords and the police department and higher ups and how they try and change that. then, because of the Captain of BOPE who wants to retire, he choose the two rookies of the police force to join the "training academy" of BOPE to see who might be the new leader of BOPE.

it's so good. check it out, i'm sure you won't regret it!

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i have to figure out what a ps3 plays i've had a ps3 for 3 years and i still have no idea

the story, now that i've calmed down and can explain a bit better, starts off with new recruits in the police department and learning the ways of the force: a la, just how much corruption is really prevelent in the city and with the drug lords and the police department and higher ups and how they try and change that. then, because of the Captain of BOPE who wants to retire, he choose the two rookies of the police force to join the "training academy" of BOPE to see who might be the new leader of BOPE.

it's so good. check it out, i'm sure you won't regret it!

I'll try and catch it.

A PS3 will play Region A discs if you bought it in North America.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I'll try and catch it.

A PS3 will play Region A discs if you bought it in North America.

damn! i would have bought this asap if it would play. i hope a U.S. release is coming soon since there was a sequel that came out this year, and from what DJMethod told me, the sequel is better than the first! that seems impossible to me right now, but i guess it could be possible, but man it seems like an almost impossible task.

so hopefully when the sequel drops they put them both out on blu here!

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

damn! i would have bought this asap if it would play. i hope a U.S. release is coming soon since there was a sequel that came out this year, and from what DJMethod told me, the sequel is better than the first! that seems impossible to me right now, but i guess it could be possible, but man it seems like an almost impossible task.

so hopefully when the sequel drops they put them both out on blu here!

Bummer, huh? I was extremely disappointed to learn that the UK release of Departures wasn't region free, as well as Room in Rome after hearing Jhiggy's recommendation (and seeing the trailer )

Btw I'll be getting Elite Squad from Netflix on Monday, can't wait to see it.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

where did that come from? not saying its a bad idea, just never thought of it. I guess the teacher did ask

[Show spoiler]Chan to fight at the gym, didn't he?

. I thought they did a great job of staying true to the original while still having some differences , like

[Show spoiler]Chan losing a kid in car accident to Myagi losing wife

. THe last film I thought I'd like -- believe me, nothing would have made me happier than to rip this remake to shreds (not a big remake fan in general), but I couldn't

You are right on your first spoiler. Like I said earlier, I thought I wasn't going to like it at first, but it really picked up and I'll be adding it to my collection at some point. I wasn't sure about it before it came out to the theaters, but I think they did a pretty good job with this as well.

Also, since I don't feel like quoting another of your posts, I enjoyed Robin Hood (2010) as well and will be adding that one to my collection at some point too. Based on some opinions here, I wasn't sure, but I'm glad it turned out to be better than expected for me.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Bummer, huh? I was extremely disappointed to learn that the UK release of Departures wasn't region free, as well as Room in Rome after hearing Jhiggy's recommendation (and seeing the trailer )

haha yeah, i saw that trailer too. once or twice. or eight times
i don't get why they have region restrictions sucks terribly.

Btw I'll be getting Elite Squad from Netflix on Monday, can't wait to see it.

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

i think you'll love it. or at the very least, really, really, really enjoy it excited to hear your thoughts!

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Good analogy, and I agree that was likely his intent.

My issue is rhythm and timing of message delivery. In Baraka, the events move in a direction that tells the story. The events are delivered in "stages" of a "stepping" pattern while moving down the path. This is what I call a "Rhythm". In TTRL the rhythm is broken a few times. I think of it as a lack of continuity of mood. This is what I refer to as clumsy. All the right stuff is there, he just doesnt put it together propery IMO.

He spends years editing and re-editing over and over and over. My suspicion is that he obsesses while searching for the rhythm.

How do I know this, you ask? Kuz I'm a freakin' Genius of course.

Gotta disagree. The entire film is meticulously put together. Not a scene or word is out of place. Your post has prompted me to finally get around to posting the excerpt from my thesis regarding the film that I had promised surf two weeks ago (sorry bud). Will do it tonite.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Awe man that is probably the best year for films period! Got Em!!

No way. Three very good films but there wasn't a lot of depth beyond those for that year.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Bummer, huh? I was extremely disappointed to learn that the UK release of Departures wasn't region free, as well as Room in Rome after hearing Jhiggy's recommendation (and seeing the trailer )

Btw I'll be getting Elite Squad from Netflix on Monday, can't wait to see it.

Room in Rome and Sin Nombre are reason enough to get a region free player.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Robin Hood (2010)

Film: 3.5/5

Let me get the bad part out of the way:
-I had it rated at 4/5 until Marion

[Show spoiler]suited up in 50lb armour, with a heavy sword, charges on a horse -- with a pre-K class charging behind her, and knocks the head villain off his horse in the middle of a crowded battle

...I mean really???? Forget the "squid test", that doesn't even pass a 100 IQ test. Ridley Scott said he was aiming for a most-realistic Robin HOod tale with everything being as historically accurate as possible. The realism was a 9/10 until that moment
-Other than that, I loved the film! I don't know what all the griping was about. Yes, there was less action than Gladiator/etc, but it felt very "Kingdom of Heaven'y" (i.e., more emphasis on plot/characters, and less on action).
-Great theme of tyranny v. liberty, one that never dies and is even more relevant in today's world
-GORGEOUS COUNTRYSIDE FOOTAGE!!! I could watch this film on mute and be enthrailled!! Plus, I love the Ridley-Scott use of bluish hue he always has, almost like you're watching the film through a bluish filter. Looks gorgeous!
-Crowe and SCott made a great point: these type of epics with real sets and real extras are a dying breed with the CGI (Avatar, INception, etc) and Pixar/Cartoon movies that are hot now. Do you guys see these type of epics with real sets/real extras dying off?? It makes me sad if so

PQ: 5/5 (reference!)

AQ: 4.5/5 (great)

Ridley Scott really disappointed me with this one. It had it's moments (like Max von Sydow stealing every scene he was in), but overall I thought it was a very cliche and mediocre film. A lot of the humor was cheezy and forced and basically all of the action scenes were lame (for me). And one of the things that bugged me about the actions scenes was the use of the "up close shaky cam" technique. The end battle was very anti-climactic and the editing during this scene really bugged me as well, not to mention it had a lot of ridiculous parts (like

[Show spoiler]Marian riding into battle, come on!

) And I actually LOL'd in the theater at the part when he was between the boats and came out from underwater yelling... it was sooo out of place. As for the acting, everyone was fine but Max Von Sydow and Oscar Isaac were great.

Overall, nothing about this film excited me. I just didn't really care for it at all and it's his weakest work that I've seen.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Gotta disagree. The entire film is meticulously put together. Not a scene or word is out of place. Your post has prompted me to finally get around to posting the excerpt from my thesis regarding the film that I had promised surf two weeks ago (sorry bud). Will do it tonite.

I didn't wanna bug you about it so no worries, but you've offered to send that to me twice before

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Ridley Scott really disappointed me with this one. It had it's moments (like Max von Sydow stealing every scene he was in), but overall I thought it was a very cliche and mediocre film. A lot of the humor was cheezy and forced and basically all of the action scenes were lame (for me). And one of the things that bugged me about the actions scenes was the use of the "up close shaky cam" technique. The end battle was very anti-climactic and the editing during this scene really bugged me as well, not to mention it had a lot of ridiculous parts (like

[Show spoiler]Marian riding into battle, come on!

) And I actually LOL'd in the theater at the part when he was between the boats and came out from underwater yelling... it was sooo out of place. As for the acting, everyone was fine but Max Von Sydow and Oscar Isaac were great.

Overall, nothing about this film excited me. I just didn't really care for it at all and it's his weakest work that I've seen.

OMG did you see my spoiler on Marion!! Without that, I would have really loved it. I still like it a lot, but that really killed it from being great. Did you also see

[Show spoiler]the pre-K class charging behind her?

.

Regarding the action, great points you make. For me, I don't weigh the action that heavily, and weigh the dialogue/themes/etc more heavily. This is why I prefer Kingdom of Heaven as my favorite of Scott's work, which is heavy on character development/dialogue, and less heavy on action.

I'm gonna watch Robin Hood: PRince of THieves now, to compare...

You guys ever do that: watch two versions of the same film back-to-back? ITs fun! Like watch Planet of Apes original and remake in one night, or watch all 3 BTTF's in one night!!! THat's good times right there!

[two40]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I'm gonna watch Robin Hood: PRince of THieves now, to compare...

I could recite the whole film for you. When I was young I watched this (and Dirty Dancing but let's not get into that right now) many times over until the VHS tapes were beyond watchable.

[lDlisturb3d]

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

Ok all im going to say is WTF. I have to be quite honest even though the humor was very immature and juvenile was laughing my ass off. I thought it was kinda cool to see them add him into that older kung fu movie. It actually was done better than the enhancements in Forrest Gump. This movie is RETARDED on every level of RETARDEDNESS. But completely enjoyable especially if you are drunk. This aint no KUNG FU HUSTLE but its surely the runner up. I enjoyed it and will be grabbing this on blu ray once its released.

I havent seen the sequel but i could imagine it being equally entertaining just with a different Kung Fu flick. Overall Funny Originally in its own little genre.


3/5

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

The Shawshank Redemption (netflix instant)

2) Morgan Freeman.
4/5

Dont knock my boy Freeman!

No but seriously, I would disagree with this although I 100% understand your argument and see why you think that. In Shawshank, we meet Freeman

[Show spoiler]20 years after his murder

, so he's not a

[Show spoiler]murderer

, he's a

[Show spoiler]institutionalized (one of main themes of film) guy. Remember he said that if he saw the murderer version of him who is just a "scared kid", "I'd wanna talk to him, I'd wanna tell him...". So that quote right there tells you Freeman isn't the murderer anymore -- he looks at that young kid who murdered that victim and wants to reach out and contact him, to try and reach him.

My only thing is the themes are a little fuzzy:

[Show spoiler]Insitutionalized? Great. Got it. If you come to prison, and stay a while, you'll have trouble re-entering society and may lose hope that you can function out there. But what does this have to do with the ending and Andy? Andy told Red to have "hope", Red responded that "hope is a dangerous thing". Was Andy's offer to Red to look under the tree and then the invite to the becahtown all an offer of hope? I guess. The only other option was despair. Its almost too simple for intellectual gymnastics but more importantly: the themes arent significant enough or deep enough for me to award it top 10 or even top 50 films of all time

Dude -- get on Green Mile!!! Better film IMO (very close though. I could flip-flop every day you ask me)

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Room in Rome and Sin Nombre are reason enough to get a region free player.

I'd love to get one, but for now the PS3 will have to do Sin Nombre was a very well done film and I enjoyed it, but probably not enough to buy it. However, I'll revisit this one again someday. It looks great in HD on Watch Instantly. Btw, there's a pretty interesting National Geographic documentary about MS13 available on Watch Instantly, it's called the World's Most Dangerous Gang.

[lDlisturb3d]

I think i've made up my mind. Im gonna buy Antichrist. I need to see what the fuss is about. It has to be somewhat of a ground breaking movie because its apart of the Criterion Collection (dont bash me ) so imma give it a swing.

Squid i didnt sell Paris, Texas. Someone ordered it from me today but i canceled it. Hopefully you are correct (most of the time you are like 86.7% )

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

I think i've made up my mind. Im gonna buy Antichrist. I need to see what the fuss is about. It has to be somewhat of a ground breaking movie because its apart of the Criterion Collection (dont bash me ) so imma give it a swing.

Squid i didnt sell Paris, Texas. Someone ordered it from me today but i canceled it. Hopefully you are correct (most of the time you are like 86.7% )

who else watched it?? Anxiously awaiting the Squid review