The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[two40]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

[Show spoiler]i was thinking we could actually do this in one thread. of course we wouldn't be able to have an actual poll for the votes, but we could just come up with a list of films (per the genre) and then have everyone just respond via their choice.

i was thinking if we do that, then it would be neat to keep track on the first post of what films we watched and who gave what score to each. i'm a fan of lists so i would like to see that to see just how varied the scores are for a given film.

i think we could do 2-3 days for everyone to vote. and then 2 weeks for viewing, review and discussion (although discussion can go on longer than that while still discussing the new movie).

just off the top of my head, i figure the club would be - at least / roughly - me (bearcat), you (two40), surf, squid, jhiggy, tbizzle, diesel, steve46, Q! (where is Q! by the way?), probably disturbed and whomever else would like to join.

i figure and hope that they'll see these posts about this and then let us know if they're game or not and then we can discuss via PM's who should start the thread and when the whole shindig would begin.

i don't want us to keep this thread off topic

I'm game either way. I just think if it's all in the one thread it would be (as you mentioned) impossible to do a poll and the discussions will overlap creating a fair amount of noise and confusion. If it's one thread per movie, the discussion will stay on topic for the genre/theme/subject on hand.

If you wanted a master list, which is a neat idea , we could have a master club thread which will serve as a record in the first post and as a club discussion for upcoming theme ideas and movie selections for the poll.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Unstoppable

[Show spoiler]Saw this today at the theater. It was me and 3 friends plus about 7 people who looked to be 60+. No cell phones/blabbing.


I wasn't sure what to expect going in, I saw the trailer several months ago but forgot about its details and went in really only remembering its about a runaway train.

Ended up highly enjoying it

It's got some good scenes imo. It might not work for everyone but it definitely did for me and my friends, we were sucked in the whole time watching.

There's some humor here and there to break up the tension a little, but its never disruptive to the events at hand.

Washington and Pine work very well together and both do solid jobs I thought.

There's other characters like Rosario Dawson and other supporting characters, but you'll definitely be all about these two (and maybe one named Ned) when you watch it.

I definitely recommend checking it out, highly enjoyable

No new entry to the One and Done Collection this time; not sure on the replay value, so I don't know if I'll buy it, but I'll definitely see it one more time whether it be a rent or watching it when a friend does.

Rating - 4.5/5

great review Diesel! definitely looking forward to seeing this when it hits netflix. seems like a good, fun well put together film, but probably one i wouldn't buy, but you never know. this review gets me just a bit more excited

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by two40

It would have to be a new thread for each fortnight. I image it would be titled:

Posted on the 1st
Horror | Nov 1/2 | Voting Due 3rd | Review Due 15th
Posted on the 15th
Japanese | Nov 2/2 | Voting Due 18th | Review Due 30th

As for the voters vs reviews submitted, well, you can't force people to submit a review but as long as they join in on the discussion then at least they're contributing and learning something along the way. It might be a mess initially but with a bit of dedication and a few core backers, it can be a really fun experience.

I disagree. I think we could just have everyone deposit $20 in an electronic escrow account and then if you do NOT write a review, your $20 will NOT be returned...ok i'm kidding

but seriously, I like the idea of the review due date. I just think we should do as much as possible to encourage/remind folks to post their review, just because that was the achilles that killed the other club.

when we offer different films, it helps to say (available on blu? Y/N and available instant netflix? Y/N), so people can consider format/online availability when they cast their vote. I know that ideally it should just be about the genre/director/etc, but in reality, its just much easier to hit "play" on the netflix-instant website, and most of us have it (jhiggy, bearcat, squid, me, ?, ?)

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

The pic was in the header of an article on Yahoo Finance. It was about CEOs lying and getting nabbed by the SEC. I thought his Schnoz and smirk fit my sarcastic personality. And of course, as usual, I was correct.

dude, you fully realize that I'm shaking my head as I'm reading post, thinking "squid, that's not some CEO dude, that's you! maybe with a photoshopped nose, but its you!!" . i can't separate someone from their avatar, especially since i've been looking at yours for a while!

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

yeah, movie of the week = shorter, so it might survive.

personally, i think "movie of the day" or "movie of the hour" would be super-sweet!!

think about it:

-"idisturbd award" for "mid-movie" review ("stop posting + watch the f&* film)
-"gandalf award" for "WTF reply post" reivew (huh? chewbacca?)
-"bearcat award" for "longest" review (huh? a new thread page already?)
-"jhiggy award" for "merciless" review (take no prisoners)
-"squid award" for "least quantitative" review (no 5 ratings, plz)
-"diesel award" for "most use of smiles" review
-"DJ method award" for "versatile review" (Sin City , Marienbad, its all great!)
-"Tbizzle award" for "realistic review" (Frostbite? huh? )

I got nothin'.

I guess that means nothing's wrong with me!

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Star Trek III the Search for Spock 4/5
PQ 3.5/5
AQ 3/5
Excellent under-rated movie, decent transfer. Christopher Lloyd is awesome as a Klingon and the Enterprise crew is fantastic as usual.

"GIVE ME GENESIS!!!!"

"I...HAVE HAD....ENOUGH...OF YOU!!!!"

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by two40

This thread's title has the word club in it but it's little more than a thread of reviews and discussion. Why don't we make it more like a club where we vote on a 'movie of the week' and we all watch it and discuss it? In week 3 we vote on a film for week 4 while discussing week 3's film. Week 4 we vote on week 5's film while discussing week 4's film and so on.

Or is there something like that already on this forum and I've just not come across it yet? Or is that a completely stupid idea?

Originally Posted by two40

Not at all. All points to consider.

If free time is an issue a fortnightly movie might work better. It would also give everyone more time to source the film.

Choosing the movie could be done via a quick 2 day poll. We could have an action week with a small selection for the poll, followed by a mystery week, anime week, horror week and so on even using themes like Paul Thomas Anderson week, Italian week or time travel movies week etc etc.

Yes I agree there will be some weeks where some of the members will not be able to access the film or they might not wish to take part but you can't please everyone all the time and besides, I see this as a bit of an exploration where we go out of our comfort zone and watch new films we would never seek out normally. Doing it in a group, with the discussions that follows, will broaden not only our understanding of films but also our appreciation of different genres, directors, themes, cultures etc.

Maybe a week is too short a time and a fortnight will serve better...?

Originally Posted by two40

I'm game either way. I just think if it's all in the one thread it would be (as you mentioned) impossible to do a poll and the discussions will overlap creating a fair amount of noise and confusion. If it's one thread per movie, the discussion will stay on topic for the genre/theme/subject on hand.

If you wanted a master list, which is a neat idea , we could have a master club thread which will serve as a record in the first post and as a club discussion for upcoming theme ideas and movie selections for the poll.

Sounds like an awesome idea boss!

[Steve46]

Scent of a Woman
Directed by Martin Brest
Starring Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell and Philip Seymour Hoffman
157 minutes

Pacino finally won his only Oscar for this performance and he was excellent throughout. This tells the story of a blind veteran who journeys to New York with a student (O' Donnell) looking after him. The student gets more than he bargained for.

There are several memorable scenes including

[Show spoiler]the dance scene, the family dinner, the ferrari test drive and, most notably, Pacino's speech at the end.

I forgot how much I enjoyed this story.

The presentation was excellent. I watched the UK import which is region free and very cheap. PQ varied from 4 to 4.5 and the AQ was also very good.

PQ 4.25
AQ 4.5
Movie 4.5/5

[vega2K]

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Watched this last night, not my kind of movie (I'm getting old), but I enjoyed it as a one shot.

Storyline (IMDb): Scott Pilgrim plays in a band which aspires to success. He dates Knives Chau, a high-school girl five years his junior, and he hasn't recovered from being dumped by his former girlfriend, now a success with her own band. When Scott falls for Ramona Flowers, he has trouble breaking up with Knives and tries to romance Ramona. As if juggling two women wasn't enough, Ramona comes with baggage: seven ex-lovers, with each of whom Scott must do battle to the death in order to win Ramona.

My take: The beginning is pretty cool, funny, clever -- then, and all of a sudden, it's graphic novel nature hits you in the face,

[Show spoiler]when the main character is attacked by a mystical flying ex-boyfriend (not his, but of his potential girl-friend ).

The movie continues in this manner, with ridiculous fight scenes and outlandish occurrances. BBBUUUTTT, to my surprise, I enjoyed it! I especially liked the cool graphics they used and "pop-up notes/comments" which, at least to me, enhanced the movie. It was funny at times and stupid at other times, but I recommended it. The best part of this movie is the AQ! I had to lower the volume several times! It really showed-off my Subwoofers!

PQ: 4.5/5
AQ: 5/5

Movie: 3.5/5

Final comments: A definite rental recommendation. The replay value, for me, would be next to zero, but to experience the awesome sound from this movie, it may be worth a cheap purchase!

[surfdude12]

I forgot Al yesterday so in honor of him I must repost the awards that will be given out in our movie club:

-"idisturbd award" for "mid-movie" review ("stop posting + watch the f&* film)
-"gandalf award" for "WTF reply post" reivew (huh? chewbacca?)
-"bearcat award" for "longest" review (huh? a new thread page already?)
-"jhiggy award" for "merciless" review (take no prisoners)
-"squid award" for "least quantitative" review (no 5 ratings, plz)
-"diesel award" for "most use of smiles" review
-"DJ method award" for "versatile review" (Sin City , Marienbad, its all great!)
-"Tbizzle award" for "realistic review" (Frostbite? huh? )
-"Al Strange award" for "max breakdown review" (an antithesis of Squid review: minimum of 4, 5-star ratings for entertainment, emotion, nudity, testostorone action, etc)

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

-"Al Strange award" for "max breakdown review" (an antithesis of Squid review: minimum of 4, 5-star ratings for entertainment, emotion, nudity, testostorone action, etc)

Awesome!

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I forgot Al yesterday so in honor of him I must repost the awards that will be given out in our movie club:

-"idisturbd award" for "mid-movie" review ("stop posting + watch the f&* film)
-"gandalf award" for "WTF reply post" reivew (huh? chewbacca?)
-"bearcat award" for "longest" review (huh? a new thread page already?)
-"jhiggy award" for "merciless" review (take no prisoners)
-"squid award" for "least quantitative" review (no 5 ratings, plz)
-"diesel award" for "most use of smiles" review
-"DJ method award" for "versatile review" (Sin City , Marienbad, its all great!)
-"Tbizzle award" for "realistic review" (Frostbite? huh? )
-"Al Strange award" for "max breakdown review" (an antithesis of Squid review: minimum of 4, 5-star ratings for entertainment, emotion, nudity, testostorone action, etc)

I didn't get anything either, yet again I don't post in here all that often

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Speaking of Frozen, I forgot to rebut this post a while ago

Bolded points in your spoiler.

I was wondering why you didnt address that.

Here is my response.

[Show spoiler]

1. I am familiar with cold winters. I live here

[Show spoiler]

Your body burns massive quantities of calories attempting to stay warm. She could have easlity nodded off for a few hours even in that cold due to exhaustion. People die in the cold for exactly that reason, exhaustion from trying to stay warm and the stress. The key element that you are forgetting is numbness. Yes, your extremities feel the sharp sting of the bitter cold, for a while, then things go numb. Her hand probably went from pain to numb while she was asleep. I have had it happen to both of my feet. Not while sleeping though, and thankfully there was no damage.

2. We agree

3. The thin Jacket would have been worthless because the cable would have shredded it instantly. My sister said she would have wrapped a couple jackets around the cable and "slid" downhill. I said "Nope, watch the bonus features to learn about how razor sharp the cable is". Anyway, its possible. It would have sucked big time, but its possible, and therefore realistic.

[nolfoc]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I was wondering why you didnt address that.

Here is my response.

[Show spoiler]

1. I am familiar with cold winters. I live here

[Show spoiler]

Your body burns massive quantities of calories attempting to stay warm. She could have easlity nodded off for a few hours even in that cold due to exhaustion. People die in the cold for exactly that reason, exhaustion from trying to stay warm and the stress. The key element that you are forgetting is numbness. Yes, your extremities feel the sharp sting of the bitter cold, for a while, then things go numb. Her hand probably went from pain to numb while she was asleep. I have had it happen to both of my feet. Not while sleeping though, and thankfully there was no damage.

2. We agree

3. The thin Jacket would have been worthless because the cable would have shredded it instantly. My sister said she would have wrapped a couple jackets around the cable and "slid" downhill. I said "Nope, watch the bonus features to learn about how razor sharp the cable is". Anyway, its possible. It would have sucked big time, but its possible, and therefore realistic.

this picture looks like Narnia

[iam1bearcat]

jhiggster's Room in Rome just got released on blu. i'm sure he's excited about that. not in the U.S. but still, i think he has a region free player, so i'm sure that makes his day

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by killowertz

Same here actually. There's only two movies that he was in that I like, and those are Old School and Zoolander. Those weren't starring roles though. I'm not counting Wedding Crashers since he was hardly in that. I am blind buying The Other Guys, which will hopefully mark the first movie that he is the star of that I actually like.

Thats a good comedy, and I thought he was hilarious in it. Wait until you see how he treats his wife.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Thats a good comedy, and I thought he was hilarious in it. Wait until you see how he treats his wife.

Best Lion and Tuna speech ever

[iam1bearcat]

Surrogates (netflix instant)

year: 2009
director: jonathan mostow
starring: bruce willis

wow. this is a bad movie

does it look good? yeah, but it's way too slick for its own good. the story is pretty generic, and stupid to say the least.

i remember in previews i saw bruce willis with hair and i said "WTF?", but then, we see him as is, bald and with facial scruff. so what's going on? does it make sense? yes. the story is that everyone has a robot body they control with their thoughts, and it can look like anything you want it too like look.

so there appears to be some perfect little unity here, but when a crime is committed that destroys the surrogate AND the actual person, well then we have a problem of course!

i have to say, i don't have a huge issue with how michael bay directs, and honestly, the man is talented. jonathan mostow is not. he doesn't have that much experience and while T3:RotM wasn't that bad (i actually liked it a lot 3.5/5) this is almost unwatchable. and bruce willis looks creepy as a surrogate and with hair. way too much cgi (and yes, we are supposed to tell because he looks 25).

barely finished it. not anything fun or exciting

2/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Before Sunrise (dvd)


Film: 2 stars (out of 4)


Sorry squid! I found this film to be incredibly overrated and uninteresting. While I think there was good chemistry between Delpy and Hawke, I never felt a "love connection." I enjoy films that rely on dialogue, but the dialogue here went nowhere at all and didn't lead to any sort of deep characterization. By the end of the film, I didn't feel like I knew the characters at all. I also found the direction to be stagnant and uninvolving, except the well-directed scene in the record store.

Maybe it's because I recently saw and fell in love with Room in Rome that I didn't like this film very much. Room in Rome is unbelievably better on every conceivable level that it makes this film look juvenile. In that film, the direction was phenomenal and engaged the audience. The performances were award worthy. The love, despite being over one nite, felt profoundly and movingly real. The dialogue felt just as real as in Before Sunrise, but at the end of the film you felt intimately familiar with the characters.

Before Sunrise is a film that has an engaging concept, one in which I truly love to think about. But at the end of the day, the film was a major disappointment.


Note: my lady friend also thought the film was extremely mediocre.

Oh well. I guess you should skip Before Sunset then. There are some killer tracking shots, but the feel is similar, obviously.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

It's been a while, but I remember thinking the same thing. It never really went anywhere for me, though I liked the story. I definitely liked the second more than the first.

Thats kinda the point though. Thats what they experienced, at that moment in time, in their lives. A fleeting connection, then poof, gone.

Higgys just going through his college/lesbian phase.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Surrogates (netflix instant)

year: 2009
director: jonathan mostow
starring: bruce willis

wow. this is a bad movie

does it look good? yeah, but it's way too slick for its own good. the story is pretty generic, and stupid to say the least.

i remember in previews i saw bruce willis with hair and i said "WTF?", but then, we see him as is, bald and with facial scruff. so what's going on? does it make sense? yes. the story is that everyone has a robot body they control with their thoughts, and it can look like anything you want it too like look.

so there appears to be some perfect little unity here, but when a crime is committed that destroys the surrogate AND the actual person, well then we have a problem of course!

i have to say, i don't have a huge issue with how michael bay directs, and honestly, the man is talented. jonathan mostow is not. he doesn't have that much experience and while T3:RotM wasn't that bad (i actually liked it a lot 3.5/5) this is almost unwatchable. and bruce willis looks creepy as a surrogate and with hair. way too much cgi (and yes, we are supposed to tell because he looks 25).

barely finished it. not anything fun or exciting

2/5

I remember looking so forward to this movie, with all the erotic human/robot marketing posters all over the place. Then, I just couldn't believe the movie I had just watched was the movie I had thought I would watch!!! I would have rated it a 2.5, with the extra .5 for

[Show spoiler]when they kill the creepy Bruce Willis surrogate

!