The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Hep]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Hotel Rwanda

DVD

[Show spoiler]Man, something was lost on me here. For a film about such heavy subject matter, I never felt the rage I anticipated experiencing. I am not sure what the deal was, but It just never grabbed me. Everything seemed very "average" about the movie, especially Cheadles performance. I know I am in the minority here, so please dont kill me. It almost felt like a 1970's "Made for TV movie". Some of the dialogue seemed really odd and goofy too, especially what was written for Noltes character.

I was never bored, and I enjoyed it, but it didnt provide the emotional impact that I anticipated.

3.5/5

There's your problem right there Squid, all the emotion was saved for the Blu-ray release

[Show spoiler]

. I found the movie to be more emotionally moving than you did, but I admittedly have some personal connection with the story. I've had the pleasure to speak to Roméo Dallaire at a mess dinner, and hearing the pure emotion flow from his own mouth after all these years is an experience I will never forget.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Thats the one thing I liked the most. Fance, USA, UK, etc all abandoned them, and should feel shame. They were people in need of help, similar to the Jews during WWII. I feel strongly about the subject and was hoping to get more riled up. I wish the film would have poked a hotter rod at the crappy way the situation was dealt with.

I am not a fan of the USA sticking our noses where it doesnt belong either, but aiding in the prevention of genocide is one place where we should stick it....with both barrels blazing.

I couldn't agree more with this part. The Rwandan's were abandoned plain and simple. The failure of the UN to pass the necessary resolution was in large part due to US opposition, presumably due to events that preceded it in Somalia. General Dallaire felt completely betrayed. He is a true humanitarian and his actions are credited for saving over 30,000 lives. So ya, the film did move me, but I had the help of personal attachment. Come to think of it, I have the Blu-ray sitting at home right now awaiting my return (I'm stuck at a conference for the next few days).

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Yes I am! Love it. One of my absolute favs. And yet another one that I can't see you enjoying a whole lot, but if the characters and story interest you, then you should love it. Within the first 20 minutes you should know pretty well if you'll enjoy it a lot or not.

I was interested in seeing it when it came out...but for some reason never did. At this point I don't even know what it is about

I'll give it a look once it DVR's (I'll check and see WHEN that is later) and write up a review for it (unless its like some of the ones lately that haven't been getting 'proper' reviews from me )


Fight Club still hasn't been watched. Maybe tomorrow.

Yeah.... About that... I think I'll save that for last

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by jvince

You'll love this. One of my favorite b&w films of all-time and one of the very best dialogue-driven stories ever captured.

Listen to the man Bearcat

[jvince]

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by jvince

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

If you like seeing Marisa Tomei naked. Then yes.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by jvince

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

It's quite a good movie with a lot of skin from Marisa Tomei and some powerful performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney. It is also one of the most depressing movies I have seen in a long time so know that going in.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by jvince

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

Yeah it's pretty good, great acting as the actor's preparation were like if they were doing a theater production. It would be a great rental.

[jvince]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

It's quite a good movie with a lot of skin from Marisa Tomei and some powerful performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney. It is also one of the most depressing movies I have seen in a long time so know that going in.

Oh, I like depressing. Thanks guys. I'll try to check this out.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

2 for 2 means that two films of Lumet's I have seen I have loved

Both Dog Day Afternoon and now Network.

Very curious to see what else he has done.

Are you pretending you've never seen it or being sarcastic?

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Are you pretending you've never seen it or being sarcastic?

For 12 Angry Men? I'm being serious. I've never seen it. Well, I've seen the first ten minutes but that's it.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jvince

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

I disliked it. Just didn't connect well with me, and I found it dull outside of a few specific scenes.

[Evra]

Buried (2010)

Rodrigo Cortes' USD 3 million budgeted thriller deals with everybody's greatest fear; being buried alive in an enclosed coffin, presumably six feet under the ground with limited supply of air. The film borrows many aspects from Alfred Hitchcock's films and in many ways, Buried seems like a film that Alfred Hitchcock would make if he were still alive today.

Ryan Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a truck driver in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried alive in an enclosed coffin. A Zippo lighter, a Blackberry, a pen, a blade and a light tube are some of the items provided to him - all of it he must use to get himself out of the coffin. Early in the movie we see and hear Paul call various law enforcement departments and is put on hold. Having a call put on hold in everyday life is frustrating. Being put on hold while in a coffin is possibly a thousand times more frustrating. Imagine being asked to calm down while being buried in a coffin!

Buried (2010) bears many resemblances to 127 Hours in that both lead characters are trapped in an enclosed space with limited mobility. However, unlike 127 Hours, Buried does not take any shortcuts by showing flashbacks, hallucinations or shots outside of the coffin. What we see and learn about Paul Conroy is through the telephone conversations he has throughout the film and we are expected to care about Paul enough to want him to stay alive at the end of the film. In my estimations, this makes Buried a much harder film to accomplish. I have yet to see 127 Hours so I cannot make any comparisons but on its own, Buried is a thoroughly entrancing film to watch.

Buried is a film that lives and dies by Ryan Reynolds' performance and it is no exaggeration to say that Reynold delivers the finest performance of his career so far in Buried. Much of the acting required of Ryan Reynolds' is through his facial expressions and voice-work and while Reynolds does a brilliant job of conveying the right emotions at the right time, his performance is complimented by the excellent direction of Cortes with some highly innovative and varied shots.

I remember reading Roger Ebert's review for Unstoppable where he praised the film's screenplay for coming up with exciting situations for trains being stuck on tracks but nothing in Unstoppable compares to what Chris Sparling has done with Buried in creating a variety of situations within the confinements of a coffin, each more exhilarating than the last.

There is one particular sequence in the middle of the film when Paul Conroy has a telephone conversation with his employers' lawyers. It is a moment that stirs every emotions within me and it is a very heart-felt moment if only because we have seen real-life situations such as the one portrayed in Buried. While Buried is an incredibly exciting film to watch, it has many intelligent things to say as well. How far would you go to to get a paycheck? How much is one life worth? How incompetent and silly are our law enforcement officers' telephone operators and the procedures they follow?

Rodrigo Cortes toyed with my emotions like it was an organ. The ending in Buried reminds me of Hitchcock and what he said about the "bomb under the table" theory in that when a bomb explodes, it's surprise but not knowing when the bomb explodes, that is suspense. The film is as brilliant as it is satisfying. You will get what I mean when you watch the film. Saying more about the film will spoil it for the audience but I can wholeheartedly say Buried is one of the best thrillers I have seen since the turn of the millennium.

Buried fared well considering the film's budget but it is a shame that it is not seen by a wider audience. I worry about Hollywood executives and the level of respect the global audience is given if they think we are not 'smart' enough to appreciate films such as these but then I worry just as much about the audience at the American box-office when I see some of the films topping the box-office.

4.5/5

[Q?]

I just got Enter The Void in the mail guys

100% sure I'll see it tonight.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

How effective a film is on its audience will definitely always vary. I haven't seen it in quite a while but I thought it was pretty moving. You're just trying to get jhiggy back for Pi. I'm convinced.

Ha ha ha.

I think JHiggy and I see eye to eye on the subject matter of Rwanda though. I just didnt get the gut punch I was hoping for from the film itself.

I'm still confused on his take on Pi. He needs to see it again in order to "fix" his opinion.

[dag]

Originally Posted by Q?

I just got Enter The Void in the mail guys

100% sure I'll see it tonight.

I got my rental copy from Zip.ca the other day. I expect to watch it this Friday night.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Q?

Alright guys, I just watched Resident Evil: Afterlife, don't ask why...

2 minutes in, I was pretty sure everybody involved didn't even try to make a good movie at the time, just for the paycheck and nothing else. I'm listening to the commentary right now because it got me curious. It sounds like Paul W.S. Anderson is serious about this movie!

This movie was very obviously shot for 3D, things coming at you in slowmotion, which 30% of the movie consists of. 3D is nothing but a gimmick and this proves it even more for me, even though I saw it in 2D.

I'm beginning to loose a little faith in humanity, the movie has a 5.9 rating on IMDb and on Rottentomatoes 54% of the audience liked it. Really? REALLY?!?!?!?

0/10 absolutely worthless.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

2 for 2 means that two films of Lumet's I have seen I have loved

Both Dog Day Afternoon and now Network.

Very curious to see what else he has done.

[Show spoiler]12 Angry Men

Edit: Oh....Diesel got there first.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

You might like this better: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472562/

Thank you. I see there are a couple of films from that perspective available.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jvince

Speaking of Lumet, you guys reminded me to check out Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Is it any good?

It felt a little flat to me. But not bad.

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

If you like seeing Marisa Tomei naked. Then yes.

That helped a lot.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Evra

Buried (2010)

[Show spoiler]Rodrigo Cortes' USD 3 million budgeted thriller deals with everybody's greatest fear; being buried alive in an enclosed coffin, presumably six feet under the ground with limited supply of air. The film borrows many aspects from Alfred Hitchcock's films and in many ways, Buried seems like a film that Alfred Hitchcock would make if he were still alive today.

Ryan Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a truck driver in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried alive in an enclosed coffin. A Zippo lighter, a Blackberry, a pen, a blade and a light tube are some of the items provided to him - all of it he must use to get himself out of the coffin. Early in the movie we see and hear Paul call various law enforcement departments and is put on hold. Having a call put on hold in everyday life is frustrating. Being put on hold while in a coffin is possibly a thousand times more frustrating. Imagine being asked to calm down while being buried in a coffin!

Buried (2010) bears many resemblances to 127 Hours in that both lead characters are trapped in an enclosed space with limited mobility. However, unlike 127 Hours, Buried does not take any shortcuts by showing flashbacks, hallucinations or shots outside of the coffin. What we see and learn about Paul Conroy is through the telephone conversations he has throughout the film and we are expected to care about Paul enough to want him to stay alive at the end of the film. In my estimations, this makes Buried a much harder film to accomplish. I have yet to see 127 Hours so I cannot make any comparisons but on its own, Buried is a thoroughly entrancing film to watch.

Buried is a film that lives and dies by Ryan Reynolds' performance and it is no exaggeration to say that Reynold delivers the finest performance of his career so far in Buried. Much of the acting required of Ryan Reynolds' is through his facial expressions and voice-work and while Reynolds does a brilliant job of conveying the right emotions at the right time, his performance is complimented by the excellent direction of Cortes with some highly innovative and varied shots.

I remember reading Roger Ebert's review for Unstoppable where he praised the film's screenplay for coming up with exciting situations for trains being stuck on tracks but nothing in Unstoppable compares to what Chris Sparling has done with Buried in creating a variety of situations within the confinements of a coffin, each more exhilarating than the last.

There is one particular sequence in the middle of the film when Paul Conroy has a telephone conversation with his employers' lawyers. It is a moment that stirs every emotions within me and it is a very heart-felt moment if only because we have seen real-life situations such as the one portrayed in Buried. While Buried is an incredibly exciting film to watch, it has many intelligent things to say as well. How far would you go to to get a paycheck? How much is one life worth? How incompetent and silly are our law enforcement officers' telephone operators and the procedures they follow?

Rodrigo Cortes toyed with my emotions like it was an organ. The ending in Buried reminds me of Hitchcock and what he said about the "bomb under the table" theory in that when a bomb explodes, it's surprise but not knowing when the bomb explodes, that is suspense. The film is as brilliant as it is satisfying. You will get what I mean when you watch the film. Saying more about the film will spoil it for the audience but I can wholeheartedly say Buried is one of the best thrillers I have seen since the turn of the millennium.

Buried fared well considering the film's budget but it is a shame that it is not seen by a wider audience. I worry about Hollywood executives and the level of respect the global audience is given if they think we are not 'smart' enough to appreciate films such as these but then I worry just as much about the audience at the American box-office when I see some of the films topping the box-office.

4.5/5

Good review. A little longer than the film itself, but still very good.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Ha ha ha.

I think JHiggy and I see eye to eye on the subject matter of Rwanda though. I just didnt get the gut punch I was hoping for from the film itself.

I'm still confused on his take on Pi. He needs to see it again in order to "fix" his opinion.

I've always respected your opinion, even though we do disagree on occasion. I am, however, in thorough disagreement regarding Cheadle and the "punch" of the film. I suspect you havent' seen the real life Paul Rusesabagina--Cheadle nailed his speech and mannerisms. To me, he did an excellent job of non-verbally conveying emotion. The best part of his performance though is the gradual change he endures on screen. It never seemed abrupt or forced, which is what made it so effective to me. As for the "punch" of the film, I think the fact that the majority of the film takes place in the hotel and not out in the towns where the massacre was happening is what may have lessened the punch to you. To me, that made the times when they ventured out of the hotel that much more effective though. Especially the

[Show spoiler]scene with all the bodies on the road.

As for Pi, I'm certainly open to discussion about it for the sake of argument, but I highly doubt my view on it will change. I still find it a grating and annoying film, without too much value in any particular area (except maybe mood or black and white photography).