The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[two40]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

With a meager 3/5 rating, I get the feeling that this cake is all sweetness and cheese...

Dang it, you're like the third or fourth person on here who's been dissapointed with the highly-rated "Inception." Maybe I should cancel my blind-order...

I'm not disappointed, I'm just not blown away by it like a lot of people seem to be. The cake is good, it tastes great. After you eat it though, you begin to wonder if it is deserving of the high praise by all the chefs and you start to question whether there are better tasting cakes out there. My opinion is, yes, there are many tastier cakes. Nothing to stop you from eating all of them.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Pitch Black Special Edition: Unrated Director's Cut

[Show spoiler]
year: 2000
director: timothy twohy
starring: vin diesel







better not!



you're not kidding there...



can't hide the facts!

__________________________________________________ ___



i'll try and make this as quick and painless as possible (unlike the movie, which was a slow crushing, boring death, ZING!)

- terrible characters! (aside from the girl (at times) and Riddick) they were horrible. didn't care about any of them (this time including the girl and Riddick), and didn't care what happened.

- terrible acting (by most). laughably bad at times

- absolutely HORRID directing. sure it got a bit better as it went on (a bit, but not much) but this was craptastic to the nth degree! way too many cheeseball, awful directing decisions ("now, we're gonna show their eyes, but just there eyes! for like 3 minutes! and slowly go back and forth! back and forth! and then speed up till it all blurs together and looks like sh*t!") and half the time i couldn't tell what the fudge was going on. horrendous.

- NO ATMOSPHERE. how in the hell do you have a sci-fi movie with no atmosphere? i don't know, but somehow Pitch Black pulled it off. they should be awarded a prize for how stale and uninteresting the entire film is, let alone the complete lack of any atmosphere for a planet with three freaking suns

- this was made in 2000, eh? Pitch Black certainly feels like it. this has not aged well at all. the acting, writing, and characters all feel generic, cheesy and goofball bad. i can't remember the last time i watched a film and thought, "this is awful and definitely was made a long time ago".

- awful, absolutely vomit inducing CGI. as if i wasn't already bored, pissed off, and not scared, let's have a bunch of super CGI creatures flying, jumping and running around making stupid annoying noises

- how the creatures look part of the reason I Am Legend fell apart at the seams was because of the CGI and the dumb creatures. same here, although this movie wasn't any good (imo of course) to begin with! when you have invisible aliens that look like dumb @ss walking goofy hammerhead sharks, what the F is there to be afraid of?!

- of course all that equals nothing scary. and this was a sci-fi / horror right? bleh

- i think i laughed once during Pitch Black. sure, it's not a comedy, but all movies (general, except for super-dramas) usually find a place for some humor, but Pitch Black had one scene of humor:

[Show spoiler]when Riddick is leading everyone into the dark near the end, he says, "all clear" and then the flying flimmymabob flies out.

the curly haired who-cares-what's-his-name-is says "i thought you said it was all clear?"

riddick: "i said it LOOKS clear"

guy: "well what is it now?"

riddick: looks up slowly, looks back down slowly. "it looks clear"

but that was it!

the gf thought it was "super good" (nice review eh?...

[Show spoiler]

) but i could barely sit through this two hour debacle to be honest.

of course, i know the movie has fans and i don't mean to have my angry ranting come off as thinking i'm better than those who like it (we already know i am, duh

[Show spoiler]see what i did there? i pulled a Squid narcissistic comment

) i'm simply expressing my opinion on the film of course

of course, i'm not a big action fan, and it seems logical that my fascination with the Fast and Furious franchise comes from my subconscious man-love of Paul Walker (as Diesel pointed out above ) since i disliked this, but i disliked this more than i thought possible! i actually thought i would enjoy this somewhat (maybe like a 3/5, 3.5/5) but i didn't. at all

added to the "once is enough" collection, sadly, for all the wrong reasons.

and even though it sounds like i absolutely hated this, it definitely isn't a 0/5.
not by any stretch of the imagination. but it just didn't do anything for me

1.5/5

Wow, you hated this movie.

Can't blame you on some points though. The photography during the action scenes are very chaotic and hectic. I never really liked those parts as much. "The Chronicles of Riddick" is also pretty erratic, but in the context of an action flick I think it's better to watch for whatever reason. And although I thought the SFX in "Pitch Black" were okay (I'd give them props for being imaginative), the SFX in the sequel are way better IMO.

As for the Riddick character, I do agree that he's a little flat and unremarkable in this first film. I think he stands out way better in the sequel, but there is a bit of a twist to him that might make you go "WTF?!"

Come to think of it, I predict that you'll hate the sequel. But between the two, I like it better than "Pitch Black."

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by two40

I'm not disappointed, I'm just not blown away by it like a lot of people seem to be. The cake is good, it tastes great. After you eat it though, you begin to wonder if it is deserving of the high praise by all the chefs and you start to question whether there are better tasting cakes out there. My opinion is, yes, there are many tastier cakes. Nothing to stop you from eating all of them.

Right on! I think that's the chief complaint around here; lacking in substance, especially after the movie's ended.

I'll be going in with low expectations.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by two40

I'm not disappointed, I'm just not blown away by it like a lot of people seem to be. The cake is good, it tastes great. After you eat it though, you begin to wonder if it is deserving of the high praise by all the chefs and you start to question whether there are better tasting cakes out there. My opinion is, yes, there are many tastier cakes. Nothing to stop you from eating all of them.

I can't tell whether:

(a) your cake recipe/commentary was just a random injection into the review, to fill up space, because your were merely moderately moved by the film, and so had to fill the void with something vibrant.

or

(b) your cake recipe/commentary was a brilliant use of irony, to contrast how sometimes a few dollars and minutes of our own effort can be more pleasing to us than hundreds of millions of effort of others. your post above implies (b)

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i'll make sure not to



i didn't even notice this wonderful term being used by one of our resident geniuses!

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Dang it -- DIesel reads everything!!! Especially posts on Diesel films!!

I just COULDN'T let that one slide....especially before Squid got to it!

Originally Posted by two40

Inception (2010)

[Show spoiler]Not one to be left out of my social circle, I made it a priority to watch Inception. Like wow. It blew my mind. I'm not sure what happened exactly but it was awesome. There were these dreams and people were stealing them. Lots of action for the family. At least like 50 people die which is a bit low but still good. And there were all these layers, like in a cake. Oh, speaking of cakes, I've been learning to cook recently. Experimenting with food is so much fun. One of the tastiest cakes is Tiramisu. If you haven't tried it before, please do yourself a favour and add these ingredients to your shopping list:

3/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1½ cup of strongly brewed espresso
500g mascarpone cheese
4 tablespoon of icing or superfine castor sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence
½ cup of lightly whipped cream
260g of savoiardi (thin sponge finger biscuits)
20g of cocoa powder

The cheese is very important so make sure you get mascarpone. Once you have all of the above, just dive in. Don't be afraid. Cooking is very easy and oh so satisfying when you taste something that you've created. Baking is a bit harder than other types of cooking but don't let that put you off. It just means you have to pay closer attention to the instructions and follow them accurately. So let's start shall we?

Combine ½ cup of the baileys irish cream and the expresso in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Mix the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and the remaining Baileys irish cream, until it's well combined and smooth. Then fold in the lightly whipped cream until combined. Cover and refrigerate.

Dip half the sponge fingers biscuit into the coffee and irish cream mixture and place them in a single layer on the bottom of a 2 litre ceramic dish.

Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the biscuits and dust with cocoa powder. Dip the remaining biscuits in the coffee and Irish cream mixture. Then lay it on top. Then spread the remaing mascapone mixture on top of the biscuits. Dust with cocoa powder and refrigerate. For best results refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

Decorate with whipped cream, strawberries and wafer biscuits. With any remaining coffee and irish cream mixture, add it to a glass full of ice.

Easy no? Give it a go and you'll open up a world of taste sensations with no end of experimentation. It will turn in to a life passion and you will ultimately eat better, impress friends and family and experience tastes unlike anything you can find in a microwave dinner.

Oh, the movie was pretty good too.

3/5

Genius review

I gave the movie a 4.5 initially, then changed it to a 4. It is definitely a good movie, just not an amazing movie story wise really (the stunts and effects are really nice though!)

I'll be buying it since it'll only run me $15 or less.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

With a meager 3/5 rating, I get the feeling that this cake is all sweetness and cheese...

Dang it, you're like the third or fourth person on here who's been dissapointed with the highly-rated "Inception." Maybe I should cancel my blind-order...

I was highly disappointed...because I was expecting mind bending 5/5-ness. What I got was not confusing at all 4/5-ness.
Still good though.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Wow, you hated this movie.

Can't blame you on some points though. The photography during the action scenes are very chaotic and hectic. I never really liked those parts as much. "The Chronicles of Riddick" is also pretty erratic, but in the context of an action flick I think it's better to watch for whatever reason. And although I thought the SFX in "Pitch Black" were okay (I'd give them props for being imaginative), the SFX in the sequel are way better IMO.

As for the Riddick character, I do agree that he's a little flat and unremarkable in this first film. I think he stands out way better in the sequel, but there is a bit of a twist to him that might make you go "WTF?!"

Come to think of it, I predict that you'll hate the sequel. But between the two, I like it better than "Pitch Black."

That's why you watch the Theatrical Cut instead of the DC

DC -

[Show spoiler]He's a freaking mystically powered alien?!

TC -

[Show spoiler]He's an alien who just happens to be able to beat the snot out of everyone very easily.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I can't tell whether:

(a) your cake recipe/commentary was just a random injection into the review, to fill up space, because your were merely moderately moved by the film, and so had to fill the void with something vibrant.

or

(b) your cake recipe/commentary was a brilliant use of irony, to contrast how sometimes a few dollars and minutes of our own effort can be more pleasing to us than hundreds of millions of effort of others. your post above implies (b)

Brilliant

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

That's why you watch the Theatrical Cut instead of the DC

DC -

[Show spoiler]He's a freaking mystically powered alien?!

TC -

[Show spoiler]He's an alien who just happens to be able to beat the snot out of everyone very easily.

I barely remember the differences between the TC and the DC (aside from the added prison scenes, which I thought were cool). In fact, I remember liking the DC more, and quite possibly because of the added content regarding the

[Show spoiler]whole Furian heritage thing

.

In retrospect though, it is a little out-there. I can easily imagine somebody going "since when did this happen!?" Yep, give the TC a go first...if at all.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I think if he doesn't like it, it will prove, once and for all, he didn't like the Fast and the Furious movies for the films, he liked them for his

[Show spoiler]boyfriend, Paul Walker

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by two40

The follow up, Riddick, is one of my fav. Excellent action flick.

Originally Posted by Diesel

You're my kind of people

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Pitch Black Special Edition: Unrated Director's Cut

year: 2000
director: timothy twohy
starring: vin diesel







better not!



you're not kidding there...



can't hide the facts!

__________________________________________________ ___



i'll try and make this as quick and painless as possible (unlike the movie, which was a slow crushing, boring death, ZING!)

- terrible characters! (aside from the girl (at times) and Riddick) they were horrible. didn't care about any of them (this time including the girl and Riddick), and didn't care what happened.

- terrible acting (by most). laughably bad at times

- absolutely HORRID directing. sure it got a bit better as it went on (a bit, but not much) but this was craptastic to the nth degree! way too many cheeseball, awful directing decisions ("now, we're gonna show their eyes, but just there eyes! for like 3 minutes! and slowly go back and forth! back and forth! and then speed up till it all blurs together and looks like sh*t!") and half the time i couldn't tell what the fudge was going on. horrendous.

- NO ATMOSPHERE. how in the hell do you have a sci-fi movie with no atmosphere? i don't know, but somehow Pitch Black pulled it off. they should be awarded a prize for how stale and uninteresting the entire film is, let alone the complete lack of any atmosphere for a planet with three freaking suns

- this was made in 2000, eh? Pitch Black certainly feels like it. this has not aged well at all. the acting, writing, and characters all feel generic, cheesy and goofball bad. i can't remember the last time i watched a film and thought, "this is awful and definitely was made a long time ago".

- awful, absolutely vomit inducing CGI. as if i wasn't already bored, pissed off, and not scared, let's have a bunch of super CGI creatures flying, jumping and running around making stupid annoying noises

- how the creatures look part of the reason I Am Legend fell apart at the seams was because of the CGI and the dumb creatures. same here, although this movie wasn't any good (imo of course) to begin with! when you have invisible aliens that look like dumb @ss walking goofy hammerhead sharks, what the F is there to be afraid of?!

- of course all that equals nothing scary. and this was a sci-fi / horror right? bleh

- i think i laughed once during Pitch Black. sure, it's not a comedy, but all movies (general, except for super-dramas) usually find a place for some humor, but Pitch Black had one scene of humor:

[Show spoiler]when Riddick is leading everyone into the dark near the end, he says, "all clear" and then the flying flimmymabob flies out.

the curly haired who-cares-what's-his-name-is says "i thought you said it was all clear?"

riddick: "i said it LOOKS clear"

guy: "well what is it now?"

riddick: looks up slowly, looks back down slowly. "it looks clear"

but that was it!

the gf thought it was "super good" (nice review eh?...

[Show spoiler]

) but i could barely sit through this two hour debacle to be honest.

of course, i know the movie has fans and i don't mean to have my angry ranting come off as thinking i'm better than those who like it (we already know i am, duh

[Show spoiler]see what i did there? i pulled a Squid narcissistic comment

) i'm simply expressing my opinion on the film of course

of course, i'm not a big action fan, and it seems logical that my fascination with the Fast and Furious franchise comes from my subconscious man-love of Paul Walker (as Diesel pointed out above ) since i disliked this, but i disliked this more than i thought possible! i actually thought i would enjoy this somewhat (maybe like a 3/5, 3.5/5) but i didn't. at all

added to the "once is enough" collection, sadly, for all the wrong reasons.

and even though it sounds like i absolutely hated this, it definitely isn't a 0/5.
not by any stretch of the imagination. but it just didn't do anything for me

1.5/5

Let me explain why you didnt like it.

[Show spoiler]

But seriously, no atmosphere? Really? I thought the planet was dripping with origional atmosphere. The weird sky colors and the odd cave. And the creatures were cool.

Oh well. Skip Chronicles then.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i did, but he didn't really stand out to me too much and wasn't too memorable probably because he didn't do or say much

Riddick is kinda like a Clint Eastwood character. Doesnt talk much, but when he does, you should listen. And if you dont, he doesnt talk about how hes going to Eff you up, he just does it. Silent but deadly.

[CZAR]

Batman: Under the Red Hood - Man I was slightly disappointed as I am so used to these new Pixar & Dreamwork films with that great new CGI and this film had that cartoon look instead. I didnt realize thats how it was goin into it. The movie and story was fine but I had to get used to watching a cartoon again. Not sure if thats my thing anymore. I think I am spoiled by watching films like Toy Story 3 & HTTYD so when I watch a film like Batman and it doesnt have that CGI look I feel cheated.

Now I have some thinking to do when films like The Lion King & Aladdin come to blu as they are also of that cartoon look and not sure if I would be into it as mush as the Pixar look. Oh well. All in all it was still a decent film but the look was disappointing although it was very clear. Got Em!!

Film Rating - 3 stars (out of 5)

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by two40

Inception (2010)

[Show spoiler]Not one to be left out of my social circle, I made it a priority to watch Inception. Like wow. It blew my mind. I'm not sure what happened exactly but it was awesome. There were these dreams and people were stealing them. Lots of action for the family. At least like 50 people die which is a bit low but still good. And there were all these layers, like in a cake. Oh, speaking of cakes, I've been learning to cook recently. Experimenting with food is so much fun. One of the tastiest cakes is Tiramisu. If you haven't tried it before, please do yourself a favour and add these ingredients to your shopping list:

3/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1½ cup of strongly brewed espresso
500g mascarpone cheese
4 tablespoon of icing or superfine castor sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence
½ cup of lightly whipped cream
260g of savoiardi (thin sponge finger biscuits)
20g of cocoa powder

The cheese is very important so make sure you get mascarpone. Once you have all of the above, just dive in. Don't be afraid. Cooking is very easy and oh so satisfying when you taste something that you've created. Baking is a bit harder than other types of cooking but don't let that put you off. It just means you have to pay closer attention to the instructions and follow them accurately. So let's start shall we?

Combine ½ cup of the baileys irish cream and the expresso in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Mix the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and the remaining Baileys irish cream, until it's well combined and smooth. Then fold in the lightly whipped cream until combined. Cover and refrigerate.

Dip half the sponge fingers biscuit into the coffee and irish cream mixture and place them in a single layer on the bottom of a 2 litre ceramic dish.

Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the biscuits and dust with cocoa powder. Dip the remaining biscuits in the coffee and Irish cream mixture. Then lay it on top. Then spread the remaing mascapone mixture on top of the biscuits. Dust with cocoa powder and refrigerate. For best results refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

Decorate with whipped cream, strawberries and wafer biscuits. With any remaining coffee and irish cream mixture, add it to a glass full of ice.

Easy no? Give it a go and you'll open up a world of taste sensations with no end of experimentation. It will turn in to a life passion and you will ultimately eat better, impress friends and family and experience tastes unlike anything you can find in a microwave dinner.

Oh, the movie was pretty good too.

3/5

pure genius on this review if there was a "slow clap" emoticon, it would be used now

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Batman: Under the Red Hood - Man I was slightly disappointed as I am so used to these new Pixar & Dreamwork films with that great new CGI and this film had that cartoon look instead. I didnt realize thats how it was goin into it. The movie and story was fine but I had to get used to watching a cartoon again. Not sure if thats my thing anymore. I think I am spoiled by watching films like Toy Story 3 & HTTYD so when I watch a film like Batman and it doesnt have that CGI look I feel cheated.

Now I have some thinking to do when films like The Lion King & Aladdin come to blu as they are also of that cartoon look and not sure if I would be into it as mush as the Pixar look. Oh well. All in all it was still a decent film but the look was disappointing although it was very clear. Got Em!!

Film Rating - 3 stars (out of 5)

Ah, the CGI has spoiled you.

The way I see it, cartoons of any style never grow old. Dated perhaps, but if the story/entertainment/artistic value still holds up, it shouldn't matter. Try a Disney film on BD, see if it still has the magic!

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

I guess this is where we'll differ = context. Watching this as a literal work (a.k.a. "it is what it is") seems to be off, IMO. And I don't think this has anything to do with seeking themes. It merely has to do with finding the right lens through which to watch the film, before any themes are determined.

[Show spoiler]It seems as though you've chosen a physical/literal/rational/scientific/psychological context. Within that context, I think all of your analysis is very thorough and accurate. Heck, I may choose that context on my next viewing But for now, on my first viewing, I went with a different one.

However, in my initial viewing (I haven't watched the extras or watched any interviews) I can't imagine that this is the intended context, and instead that a metaphysical/intuitive/spiritual/theological context was intended. THere are just way too many intentional roadblocks preventing any other context, such that if your context was intended, this was the biggest directional misdirection of intent in the history of cinema. I won't go into them all here as they've been discussed ad nauseum (Title of film, Eden, "he" and "she" = intentional omission of names, study of women being inherently evil, imagery, etc). The likelihood of a non-literal context far outweighs a literal context, IMO.



Excuse me??

True. Within your chosen context. But "the title is wrong"? what do you mean "is wrong"? If by "is wrong" you mean it does not lend itself to interpretation within your chosen context, then I'd have to disagree with the context, not the title. The title has to have meaning!! Like I said, I need to watch this again, but within the context the title has meaning in which

[Show spoiler]"she" represents an anti-christ - which is defined (oxford) as a false Christ who will come resembling Christ and spread evil on the world. She was sacrificed (burned) as Christ, in a martyr like ceremony at the end. But unlike Christ, who brought an end to sin for mankind, she is the opposite: was sacrified and brought a beginning of sin on mankind, in a (satan-ruled) world where sin is the goal of every person, rather than in our world (where avoidance of sin is the goal)

Is this explicitly in the script? No. However, the "not depicted in the film" standard flows both ways, and I don't see anything depicted in the film about 2 central things that you argue: that (1) she had this

[Show spoiler]"problem" before she read up on the gender-hate stuff, and the gender/theological stuff just made an existing problem worse, and (2) the film is only about one man and one woman. (1) To the contrary: the only "pre-incident" stuff I saw was when she was (a) at Eden, (b) with the Son, (c) writing her PhD dissertation on the gender-hate topic, and (d) putting his shoes on backwards, which arguably caused his fall. What was depicted in the film that she had issues prior to her PhD dissertation? I didn't see any. If it was implied/inferred, I get it, but then we're going beyond the script. regarding #(2): the intentional lack of any character names alone, "He" and "She" by itself makes it more likely that the film is about more than the two human beings on the screen. Again, I don't see anything explicitly stating otherwise? Just weighing the two?

agreed, within your chosen context. also agreed regarding the

[Show spoiler]"before teh loss of teh child"

, but this was contemporaneous with

[Show spoiler]her PhD study/research of women being evil, so the problem was arguably caused by this

again, agree 100% within the literal/rational/psychological context. within the metaphysical/intuitive/spiritual/theological context, the whole issue of "helping her" is itself the problem, regardless of who is doing it.

[Show spoiler]"help her" = she has a "problem" = she is a problem = reinforces her gender self-hate = accelerate her incarnation into the ANtichrist = sin leashed on the world = Satan's world flourishes.

Again, agree with your context. Here is my bottom line: I'd agree with this context if the film was titled "Camp Guilt", took place at a setting near Lake Erie, and didn't have the theological references. Otherwise, I'd be all about a secular context.



Yes, within that context. However, within the spiritual context,

[Show spoiler]she is asking for "help", but that "help" involves being sacrificed. To be burned, smacked, etc., all reinforces her negative gender self-image, and hence (sick as it seems) is being sought out by her, by trying to illicit violent reactions in him against her. Thus she becomes the sacrificed Antichrist in a Satan world where sin is rewarded, and absence from sin is scorned, a 180 from our world. "He" may feel like crap after killing her. He may feel guilt, etc. But that's the point! This is a world where sin is the goal. He gets an A+

More thoughts.

[Show spoiler]You said "It merely has to do with finding the right lens through which to watch the film, before any themes are determined. It seems as though you've chosen a physical/literal/rational/scientific/psychological context."

I can only say that I didnt "chose" ANY way to watch the film, before watching it. I watched what was on the screen without choosing a lens. If I pick a lens BEFORE the movie, am I not already leaning in a thematic direction. Doesnt picking a lens defeat the purpose of starting with an empty canvas and having an open mind?

I said "I abandoned seeking themes and watched it as a literal work. Meaning, I took what was on screen as "it is what it is" and nothing deeper".

Meaning, I didnt want to lean in any direction BEFORE the movie started. I didnt go in SEEKING themes, but if the themes present themselves, I will acknowledge, accept and appreciate them.

"she" represents an anti-christ - which is defined (oxford) as a false Christ who will come resembling Christ and spread evil on the world. She was sacrificed (burned) as Christ, in a martyr like ceremony at the end. But unlike Christ, who brought an end to sin for mankind, she is the opposite: was sacrified and brought a beginning of sin on mankind, in a (satan-ruled) world where sin is the goal of every person, rather than in our world (where avoidance of sin is the goal)

Where did she come "resembling Christ"? Never depicted. Who was she trying to fool?

Where did she "spread evil on the world"? Never depicted

Where was she "killed in a martyr like ceremony?" She wasnt. Quietly, privately murdered by her husband

She brought "The beginning of sin on mankind". Where was this depicted? There was plenty of sin before her arrival and where did she bring it to ALL of MANKIND?

If anything, the opposite could be strongly argued. One could easily view HIM as the Antichrist. He proffessed the ability to rescue her. He claimed he could heal her. He claimed to have the ability to remove her pain and suffering. He presented himself as her saviour. Unknowingly she followed him. She did the tasks and exercises asked of her. She wanted to be sin free so badly that she cut of her clitoris so that she would no longer have the URGE to sin. In the end, his INABILITY to forgive shone through. HE failed on all his promises and He murdered her. A false prophet indeed. The Antichrist? Dunno. But she certainly isnt.

Von Trier has a very Anti-mysogynistic belief system. Maybe he made the movie to see how many religious men would again, blame the woman for their own shortcomings. I dunno.

I think ANY movie can be seen (molded to fit) any desired context. Especially any good vs evil movie.

Example:

The Godfather is NOT a mafia family movie. Its clearly about God vs Satan, not a group of people. The family have all obviously rejected God because they all do evil (Satans work). They kill and steal and these themes of sin are clearly from the Bible. The Godfather himself is Satan and has spawned his clan from his loins to do the work of the devil and to recruit more evildoers to battle God. Law enforcement obviously represents God and his good followers as they eternaly struggle against the darkness. The metaphors are clear. And the title is an artsy twist because the director intends to send the message that man, left to his own devices, is evil, until he accepts God as his father.

Or, is it "just" a gangster movie.



The title MUST mean something, you say. I say maybe. But if it does, does it have to mean a character? Couldnt it be abstract and artsy just like the movie? Von Trier was raised athiest. Maybe he is just saying "Look how shitty things can sometimes be, there is no Christ". Or maybe he is saying ALL people are the opposite of Christ. Is The Deerhunter about a deer hunter? Is Papillon about a butterfly? Is The Fountain about a fountain? Is The Postman about a mail delivery guy?


Anyway, I respect your opinions and we agree its a good movie.

Watch the bonus material to see how troubled and confused Von Trier is. He had a bizarre and horrible upbringing and it still strongly affects him. Fascinating stuff.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Ah, the CGI has spoiled you.

The way I see it, cartoons of any style never grow old. Dated perhaps, but if the story/entertainment/artistic value still holds up, it shouldn't matter. Try a Disney film on BD, see if it still has the magic!

Man it really has. After watching HTTYD and Toy Story 3 and then watching that Batman film, its like apples and oranges man. I will still give Lion King a try when it drops despite it being a cartoon animation instead of CGI. Got Em!!

[vega2K]

Storyline (IMDb):
Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay at home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni and Laser, Nic who is Joni's biological mother, and Jules who is Laser's biological mother. Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown ***** donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so...
Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo


My Take:
Not sure what I expected from this Lesbian family drama starring some fantastic actors. Family dramas are not my cup of tea, but I gave it a chance since it was a new release on blu-ray. The acting was okay, nothing earth-shattering. The story was okay too. You are taken into the privacy of a lesbian family and are shown that they go through the same kind of crap that anyone else goes through. I must say there are some intimate moments which surprised me

[Show spoiler]mainly Julianne and Mark going at it, I counted at least three positions which were not very hidden at all. I was also educated that according to this movie, lesbians get-off watching guy on guy porn and we get to see a bit of it on their TV - Not my cup of tea again.

. But aside from the same-sex thing, the kid's story was interesting with one of them going to college and, in general, the issues they had to go through. On a side note, I am looking forward to the new gay movie coming out "I Love You Phillip Morris" where we get to see Jim Carrey on Ewan McGregor action.

I say wait for it to come on DirecTV or rent it, when you can't find anything else or until it becomes a Non-New release at Blockbuster.

AQ: 3/5 (not much audio other than dialogue)
PQ: 4/5

Movie: 3/5 ( I added a 0.5 because of the new Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, is in it )

[jhiggy23]

The Night of the Hunter (Criterion blu)

PQ: 3.5 (out of 5)

Unimpressive black and white presentation, by Criterion standards. Undoubtedly this is the best the film has ever looked, but it just wasn't filmed with the type of contrast that other superior black and white presentations (such as Vivre Sa Vie) were. I didn't find too much detail to be present either.

AQ: 4 (out of 5)

Sufficient.


Synopsis:

In 1930s rural American South, psychopathic preacher Harry Powell is arrested for a minor offence. His cell mate, Ben Harper, facing the death penalty, confides that he has hidden $10,000 from a bank robbery. When Powell is released, he tracks down Harper's widow and children in an attempt to get his hands on the loot.



Film: 3 stars (out of 4)


This is a good film, no doubt, but it's very overrated. I think it's shot pretty well and has some memorable shots, but ultimately it's a film that hasn't aged as well as others due to some laughable acting (the old lady and the little girl). Mitchum is excellent, despite having some laughable acting moments as well. His voice is really what helps him excel in the part. I think this film has much more thematically to it than I picked up on this first viewing, as there are many Bible quotes and discussions of children throughout. Overall, I'm glad I own it because I think it warrants repeated viewings.

Recommended.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Storyline (IMDb):
Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay at home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni and Laser, Nic who is Joni's biological mother, and Jules who is Laser's biological mother. Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown ***** donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so...
Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo


My Take:
Not sure what I expected from this Lesbian family drama starring some fantastic actors. Family dramas are not my cup of tea, but I gave it a chance since it was a new release on blu-ray. The acting was okay, nothing earth-shattering. The story was okay too. You are taken into the privacy of a lesbian family and are shown that they go through the same kind of crap that anyone else goes through. I must say there are some intimate moments which surprised me

[Show spoiler]mainly Julianne and Mark going at it, I counted at least three positions which were not very hidden at all. I was also educated that according to this movie, lesbians get-off watching guy on guy porn and we get to see a bit of it on their TV - Not my cup of tea again.

. But aside from the same-sex thing, the kid's story was interesting with one of them going to college and, in general, the issues they had to go through. On a side note, I am looking forward to the new gay movie coming out "I Love You Phillip Morris" where we get to see Jim Carrey on Ewan McGregor action.

I say wait for it to come on DirecTV or rent it, when you can't find anything else or until it becomes a Non-New release at Blockbuster.

AQ: 3/5 (not much audio other than dialogue)
PQ: 4/5

Movie: 3/5 ( I added a 0.5 because of the new Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, is in it )

Rottentomatoes has a link up with the top 15 Best Actress candidates. It states that Benning is the frontrunner to win, followed very closely by Portman.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by tbizzle

Squid, surf and disturbed, good points from all of you in your discussion and I've enjoyed reading it.

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

i was gonna say something like this, but this is how it went in my head...

"Squid, surf and disturbed, way too many points from all of you in your massively endless discussion and i've been annoyed and injured my index finger by having to scroll for hours to get past all of it"

Now you know how we feel about your regular reviews.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Rottentomatoes has a link up with the top 15 Best Actress candidates. It states that Benning is the frontrunner to win, followed very closely by Portman.

Maybe they were impressed with the realistic kissing which took place between her and Julianne?

She wasn't bad at all, I am a fan of the three main actors, but as an award worthy performance?? I honestly do not see how....... she did cry a couple of times?