The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

:i actually haven't seen Underworld yet. i've been meaning to get to it for quite awhile now so we'll see how that goes once i get to it. it seems interesting, but i'm worried that might be the breaking point for some of you guys

All three of the Underworlds are pretty fun if you go in with the right mindset. I really like the third.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

[Show spoiler]After finally finishing reading a 13-book series, I have the time to start watching movies again. My pending pile is looking pretty daunting. So this is Movie Day and I'll be hoping to get through five or six at least before Monday night football.

Man on Wire
93 minutes
Directed by James Marsh

This is a documentary covering the exploits of French wire walker Philippe Petit, detailing how he walked between the twin towers on Aug. 7, 1974.

The vast majority of the story is in English, although a few of his friends speak in French. It's a mixture of SD footage of the event and preparation along with HD interviews looking back at everything. The aspect ratios vary according to the footage. But PQ is not important here, it's the story that matters.

We see Petit walking between parts of Notre Dame cathedral and Sydney Harbor Bridge. One day he sees a story in newspaper covering the proposal to build the twin towers. He's immediately hooked on the idea of walking between them and plans his strategy for years.

He had to wait for the towers to be built, so he spent time practicing in a field and rigging up a wire of the correct length to simulate the walk. His friends bounced the wire around to simulate the wind he might face.

When the time comes to really try it, his team of friends have to lie their way into the building posing as a TV crew. They visit several times with forged documentation, posing as workers. They hide under tarpaulin to escape guards. They figure out how to rig the wire and the two supporting wires which will add stability.

Then, finally, August 7 dawns. He takes his first steps on the wire and wonders if his life will end. He evades police for 45 minutes (understandably) and makes eight crossings, kneeling and laying down at times. When they threaten to remove him by helicopter, he finally comes down.

After a psychiatric evaluation, they decide to drop the charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct if he'll agree to do a small interview and juggling show.

It's a fascinating story. He's being interviewed for the documentary so you know he's going to live, but it's still full of suspense.

It's cheap at the moment from Amazon UK and is region free. Whether you have any interest in wire walking or not (and I certainly didn't), this is a compelling tale.

4.5/5

It is a good documentary and he is quite an eccentric and funny character for sure. I loved it. I thought it was cool how the Judicial system let him slide in exchange for doing charity shows for underprivelaged kids. The walk itself was INSANE and the footage is quite good. Kinda weird seeing the towers again.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

It's Complicated
It's fun watching Streep act. The contrast between this character and her performance in Doubt the year before is staggering.
3.5/5

Have you seen her as Julia Child in Julie and Julia? A really nice movie, and again, she is a chameleon.

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest rental: “Robin Hood” 2010.

Thanks to surfdude for getting me interested in this. Tonight’s probably not the best night for seeing this; after running for five miles and lifting a thousand pounds of cargo, watching a two-and-a-half hour epic can be a little tedious.

As such, I can’t say that I found the characters, story, or dialogue wholly engaging on this viewing. Some parts stood out pretty well, and I do think that the last forty minutes or so were awesome. At the same time, it seems like I’ve seen better. Maybe not for the Robin Hood story specifically, but certainly better historical epics. I also thought the movie resembled “Braveheart” in a lot of ways; imagery is pretty similar, he basic story has the same elements (tyrannical king oppresses people, hero comes along to rise against him, blah blah blah ). I felt that Russell Crowe was merely okay in this part, but I didn’t feel this was a standout performance or a standout character. Can’t say I found myself thrilled about Little John or the Friar either. Cate Blanchett did stand out very well though (

[Show spoiler]even if she did unrealistically suit up and fight! But hey, between this, “Centurion,” “King Arthur,” “Lord of the Rings,” and all the Heavy Metal magazines, I don’t mind a badass warrior chick

)

Despite this, I did catch onto a strong correlation with modern political issues. It’s pretty clear when the characters criticize the king for using the people’s money to wage war in foreign lands that it’s a parallel to the Iraq war. Then again, perhaps it’s too easy to relate the crusades to the war.

The film is very slick, that’s fore sure. Production value is very high, photography is solid, and the landscapes/scenery is indeed gorgeous. And as near as I can tell, medieval England looks exactly as it should. The final shoreside battle, along with many individual shots, are very genuine-looking locations. I’m sure that a lot of the props, costumes, weapons, etc. would be relatively genuine too, at least in appearance. I can’t say for sure if this movie is 100% accurate, but it definitely looks and feels right. Music is good too (I really should get the soundtracks for this and all the other Ridley Scott films ).

Not to mention, the action scenes did not disappoint.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 4/5) Score might improve with repeated viewings.

Reccomendation: Rent it, see what you think first.

I think another steelbook is in order…

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Have you seen her as Julia Child in Julie and Julia? A really nice movie, and again, she is a chameleon.

I have and you're right, another complete transformation. Love the onion scene.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Departures

hmm, interest piqued. added to the queue

Since you have shared a bit about your upbringing, I suspect that this film may not penetrate you, or, if it gets in, it will crush you. I'd bet that there will be no middle ground.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Great review AL!!

I like your comparison to any anti-tyranny movememnt. I loved some of those acting performances also. I think my favorite was probably the samurai who

[Show spoiler]ran off and got the musket in the middle of the night, came back and then just took a nap.

that guy was pure bada$$. there is one sequence when

[Show spoiler]the bandits are charging in

and AK shows a side shot of him hiding behind a tree, coming out and doing a full swipe with his sword on a dude on a horse...made my jaw DROP!! these actors were either highly trained or grew up in some kind of martial art training school!!

WTF? Another Criterion that Netflix doesnt have on Blu-ray.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

I saw the first hour on Comcast On-Demand. Turned it off because the person I was watching it with had to leave. It was pretty good (what I saw of it).



.

Man on Wire.

DJ, the finale is worth seeing.

[Steve46]

Priceless (Hors de Prix)
Directed by Pierre Salvadori
Starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh
104 minutes

Continuing my exploration of Audrey Tautou movies, Priceless was next up.

This is a French comedy about a woman (Tautou) who likes a rich lifestyle and is happy to let men lavish gifts upon her in return for her company. She mistakes a bartender (Elmaleh) for one of these men, bleeds him dry and then dumps him when she finds out the truth.

After spending all his money on her, he finds that an older woman is prepared to do the same in return for his company. He crosses paths with Tautou again and she teaches him how to play the game and get himself better gifts from the cougar.

It's quite clever and pretty funny in places. Like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen added to the mix. I'll be adding this to my collection in the near future. I only saw the DVD version, so no PQ marks.

4/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I have and you're right, another complete transformation. Love the onion scene.

I loved the scene where Julia described how her husband would come home for "Lunch" everyday. I guess she was passionate about things other than just the culinary arts.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I loved the scene where Julia described how her husband would come home for "Lunch" everyday. I guess she was passionate about things other than just the culinary arts.

I thought she had great chemistry with Stanley Tucci. I could easily believe they had been married for years. He was excellent.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I thought she had great chemistry with Stanley Tucci. I could easily believe they had been married for years. He was excellent.

Agree 100%. I have been waiting forever for a price drop on this. Sony.

[vega2K]

Since I mostly read your reviews, i thought I'd contribute a little with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time


Plot (IMDb):
Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley

Review:
I had no intentions of watching this movie, just didn't interest me, so I had no expectations of any kind. But when the wife rented it because she couldn't find anything else, I watched it since it was on blu. I was impressed with the "epic-ness" of the movie the panoramic scenes are awesome to look at and you can tell that the set pieces were huge and very intricate and not cheap. The stunts and fight scenes were also somewhat unique and interesting. Jake, to me, is the same character in every movie, and here, the only difference is that he let his hair grow and put on some muscle. Overall, the acting was meh - nothing special, but then again in a movie like this you don't go in expecting anything more. I thought the story was okay and had an instant hook for me with the

[Show spoiler] adopted orphan who becomes a prince

. But

[Show spoiler] the whole time-reversal thing just didn't sit well with me. It seemed that the characters I just got to know kept getting replaced by the time-reversal new versions of them. And as Jake's character himself says, the only one that is aware of the time-shift is the holder of the dagger, hence everyone else seizes to exist. Nonetheless, I was okay with the 1-3 minute time-shifts. But the ending, when the entire 2 hours I just finished watching were erased, I felt like I just wasted my time! It was as bad as when a movie turns out to be a dream.

. Another aspect I really had a hard time with and which took me out of the movie was

[Show spoiler] the fact that the movie painted the brothers as real arrogant, selfish a$$holes pre-timeshift and then they became noble, well intentioned good guys who were willing to kill their uncle mostly because Jake said so, post-timeshift. Not to mention the princess, who grew to "fall in love" with Jake over a big chunk of time pre-timeshift, seemed to fall in love with him in a span of 3 minutes post-timeshift.

The best part of this movie was Alfred Molina. To me, this movie was nice eye candy, with great action sequences, acting that was just okay, and a story ending that made it feel like a waste of time.

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

Movie: 3.5/5

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Since I mostly read your reviews, i thought I'd contribute a little with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Movie: 3.5/5

same problem I had: Jake is like a Tobey McGuire - I don't care if he's benching 100 lbs or 500 lbs, he's still Jake, and that's no Crowe or Gibson

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

WTF? Another Criterion that Netflix doesnt have on Blu-ray.

yeah don't get me started -- although in this case i'm blessed because it forced me to buy! (99% of time, I'd be frustrated) Squid, just print out the coupon -- $18 out the door!

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I feel pretty comfortable saying I am sure you will like it....and I try to be careful about making those claims.

fantastic!

dude...I show Netflix doens't have this in blu either!! WTF?!?!?

[Show spoiler]

j/k I know its not on blu yet, right?

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest rental: “Robin Hood” 2010.
Not to mention, the action scenes did not disappoint.

3.5/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 3/5, film: 4/5) Score might improve with repeated viewings.

Reccomendation: Rent it, see what you think first.

I think another steelbook is in order…

no problem dude, and great review again!!

nice comparison to Braveheart -- I do prefer Braveheart by a decent amount.

LIke you, I thought Blanchett's

[Show spoiler]storming into battle was real dumb, especially with the pre-K army on donkey's behind her with toy swords!! I mean really Ridley Scott??? Really??? why bother to be painstaking about realism up to then??

. However I will say that i looked up Marian and found out that

[Show spoiler]some records say she was a fighter with a sword. Even Costner's Robin HOod showed her attacking Costner wearing armour in the first scene she appears in

. So what do I know right?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah don't get me started -- although in this case i'm blessed because it forced me to buy! (99% of time, I'd be frustrated) Squid, just print out the coupon -- $18 out the door!

What coupon, and where do I buy? No Barnes and Noble near me.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

What coupon, and where do I buy? No Barnes and Noble near me.

oh that sucks. yeah, I was talking about printing out the $5 coupon and brining in the store. I don't think you can use it online.

you could go here:
http://btob.barnesandnoble.com/home.asp?btob=Y
(this site will give you Criterions for 50% off + 10% off = 55% off) So you'll get a $40 criterion for $18, and $50 criterion (Seven Samurai) for $22.50

you can get Seven Samurai for $22.50 + tax. (maybe you won't have to pay tax if B&N isn't in your state!! )

however, you'll need to buy another Criterion (or something else) to get your cart to $25 to avoid shipping cost


http://btobproductsearch.barnesandno...d&SZE=10&SAT=1

here they are, in bestselling order.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

same problem I had: Jake is like a Tobey McGuire - I don't care if he's benching 100 lbs or 500 lbs, he's still Jake, and that's no Crowe or Gibson

I still can't believe Donnie Darko's all grown up, fighting bad guys in an action film...