Rate The Last Movie You Saw.

[Ricky]

which reminds me... I have to do another go at Melancholia (it would be a fourth...)

No, you really don't.

[fernandito]

which reminds me... I have to do another go at Melancholia (it would be a fourth...)

No, you really don't.

This

+

[fernandito]

The Master



A puzzling, bewildering, fractured, frustrating, beautiful film. It focuses on Freddie Quell, a WWII veteran on the precipice of a mental breakdown. From the get go it's painfully obvious that he is a wreck. He is visibly shaken by the events of the war, he is haunted by unresolved childhood trauma, a depraved sex fiend, his mother is in the loony bin, and to top it all off he is a raging alcoholic. He is a walking powder keg of rage and vitriol.

Freddie aimlessly wanders from job to job, state to state. Not knowing what he wants or what he's after. One day he meets a very enigmatic and charismatic man named Lancaster Dodd (played by the ever reliable Philip Seymour Hoffman, a PTA mainstay). Dodd is the figurehead of a cult like movement known as The Cause which claims to be able heal several physical ailments through a type of hypnotization. The Cause is an echo of Scientology, and Dodd a parallel of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. A natural inclination would be to say that this film is somewhat of a biography of Scientology and the man that started it, but it is more than that. As PTA has gone on to say a few times, the film is about man. Just man.

In Dodd, Freddie sees a father figure that has been missing in his life, someone to guide him and help sooth his soul, help him put to rest the doubts and fears that hinder and haunt him. In Freddie, Dodd sees his protégé and perfect guinea pig, a wounded animal of a man he can manipulate to further his scientific research and showcase his experimental techniques. Their relationship forms the crux of the film. There isn't a structured beginning, middle, and end - the film is a meditation on the nature of servitude in our lives. Who we choose to serve, or not to serve and why. What compels us to blindly follow someone in a cause we don't fully understand?

The film occasionally lulls, sometimes scenes go on for much, much longer than they should. When you a feel a particular segment has reached it's natural conclusion, it goes on for just a few more minutes. Also, the rather erratic and unconventional music can turn some viewers off.

These minor flaws are overshadowed by both Phoenix and Hoffman whom turn in amazing performances. Phoenix in particular is a powerhouse here. His pain and guilt are written on his gruesome grimace, he moves with an abnormal limp that helps further cement the comparison of a rabid, wounded animal. The ONLY reason he lost out on the Oscar last year is because Daniel Day Lewis was in the running as well in Lincoln which I haven't seen but I'm assuming DDL is great in that. For someone that has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in recent years, this was a thundering come back for Phoenix. The film requires patience, and it's definitely not for everyone. If you're a patient viewer and you want to see a fascinating story about two diametrically opposed men trying to complete each other, this film is definitely for you.

8/10

[Ricky]

Nice review, feev. I pretty much agree with everything you said (acting was fantastic, interesting questions explored, film lulls too much, etc.)

(And definitely see Lincoln if only for DDL's performance.)

[fernandito]

I plan on getting to it soon. I think that's a movie I want to own so I'll be purchasing it next week. Really excited to get it. I mean, can DDL do any wrong?

[Mattrick]

Tommy Lee stole Lincoln.

[Merlin1958]

Anyone out there starting to get "Hyped" by the new "Superman" movie????????????

[DoctorDodge]

Well, I know I'm getting pretty hyped up, hell, I've been hyped up for a while now (I'm a sucker for Superman origin stories - yes, there's a billion takes on it, but the story of how someone goes from trying to be ordinary but with super powers to becoming a symbol of hope is for me the most interesting part), and I'm not 100% sure, but I think Fernando's pretty excited.

[fernandito]

Nah, not me.

[DoctorDodge]

Just reminded me of one of my favourite moments from detective spoof A Touch of Cloth: when Cloth's looking for a suspect who goes by the alias of "Crossbo", he walks up to one guy and asks, "Are you Crossbo?"

Spoiler:

"Nah, not me."

[fernandito]

hahahaha

[Ricky]

Man of Steel

In a summer already filled with superhero sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes, is there room for one more? Whether the casual viewer thinks so or not is irrelevant, because Zack Snyder’s Superman reimagining, Man of Steel, zooms—faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive!—into theaters this month.

The film revolves around Clark Kent’s (Henry Cavill) learning about—and later coming to terms with—his Kryptonian past before embracing it to become the Superman we all know. In other words, as Clark’s Earth father—played by Kevin Costner in an honestly genuine performance relays to his son—he’s not from here. The film cleverly gives us glimpses into Clark’s past via Lost-style flashbacks using events in Clark’s present to serve as a window back into his past.

Introduce Lois Lane, a feisty, independent news reporter who stumbles onto Clark’s secret. Will she expose Clark’s otherworldly nature? Or will she keep the knowledge—that an alien has inhabited Earth for 33 years—to herself? Adams is great in the role, portraying a Lois with surety, confidence, and a touch of wonderment but unfortunately, she’s not given much to do in the film. As we follow her throughout Metropolis, it seems as if Lois is basically there to remind viewers that: Hey! Look! Someone knows Clark’s secret, and… And what? That’s just it; we never feel anything in all the mayhem—in the way of worry, fear, or wonder—as to what Lois’s actions will be—and where they’ll lead.

Produced by Christopher Nolan, it’s difficult not to compare the film to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy—a trilogy praised for its grounded take on a superhero origin story complete with its own moody cityscapes and brooding hero. And , for the most part, those hallmarks are definitely present in Man of Steel. It’s dark and brooding (and yet ever-realistic) nature continues throughout the film reminding the viewer that—even when Kryptonian ships descend from the sky to make contact with Earth—this is not your grandma’s feel-good superhero romp. Furthermore, not once do the “becoming Superman” portions of the film become boring or cheesy—they feel real, almost as if it would be perfectly acceptable to look outside and see a red caped-man flying around the sky while shooting laser beams from his eyes and defeating alien invaders.

Though the script isn’t as tight as it no-doubt could’ve been, for the most part, the cast is great to watch with no weak performances (aside from the occasional woody Cavill). Michael Shannon is especially brilliant as General Zod, a Kryptonian military leader hell-bent on destroying Superman. Shannon plays the roll with terrifying menace and makes it clear early on that Zod is not a guy you want to meet at night in a dark Smallville alley.

Regardless of its flaws, one thing that Man of Steel gets spot-on is its breathtakingly seamless visuals. Whether in the sci-fi spectacle of the destruction of Krypton or the collapsing of Smallville, the GCI is top notch, enough so that you don’t even think of GCI. Though for as much as the GCI helps the film, Man of Steel also falls too much into that all-familiar superhero-norm of too much of a good thing: lavish set pieces—buildings, city streets, alien space crafts—for the sole purpose of destruction. Unlike Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City, we never feel anything relating to loss or heartbreak when destruction falls upon Smallville. And because of such a crutch on the big destruction scenes, it’s difficult to tell just where the climax lies. The scenes surrounding it are a feast for the eyes, but you can’t help to wonder: wait, what’s happening now?

But in a world with too many half-hearted and rushed films attempting to bring in audiences (and, let’s face it, money) to the theater, Man of Steel provides a film that succeeds in storytelling and impressive visuals; and though it no doubt had potential for more character development, the film earns its status as a summer blockbuster. Not every superhero film is going to be a Dark Knight, but as Man of Steel does, they can try. And if that’s the future of comic book movies (and superhero movies in general), then I’m okay with that.

8.0/10

[Still Servant]

Nice review, Feev. I agree with your thoughts on Man of Steel. I'm not a huge Superman fan, but I've been really looking forward to this film for a while. It did not disappoint. I think the filmakers succeeded in reintroducing Superman to a younger audience. They made him cooler and more current. Not as cheesy and boring has he has become over the years. He's still not as cool as Ironman or as relatable as Batman and Spiderman, but there's no reason why Superman can't be a mainstay a the multiplex for the next few years.

I thought the movie did a nice job of unfolding Superman's origin story. Besides the opening, the movie is pretty slow for the first half. I didn't have a problem with it though. The second half is very action packed. Sometimes too much though. Some of the fight scenes become repetitive and hard to take in because there is so much destruction happening. I would have liked a few more clever fight scenes . There's only so many times you can see Superman get thrown through a series of buildings or throw an enemy through a series of buildings.

I would also like to add that it's very fitting that Man of Steel was released on Father's Day weekend. One of the main themes of the film is fathers and sons. Superman's relationship between his Earth father and his birth father really is the crux of the film. I really would have liked to have seen more Costner though.

With the success of Man of Steel, I'm hoping they can get their act together and make a Justice League movie. Unfortunately, there was no teaser or anything at the end of the credits. That would have been a nice treat.

[Merlin1958]

Finally going to see "Star Trek II" tomorrow. I'll let you know my thoughts.

[Shannon]

Man of Steel

Shannon: 5/5
Amber: 5/5

Epic movie. More of a disaster movie than a superhero one, I would say. The action was amazing throughout the entire film, but the final fight between Superman and Zod was awesome. And I don't mean awesome like "Awesome, dude!" but in the actual "I am in awe" way. When they were destroying EVERYTHING, part of me thought "Man, that's gonna cost a lot to repair", but the other half thought "He is saving the world, damn the consequences, let the man do his thing". Loved the nonlinear format of the movie. If I had ANY complaint whatsoever, it was that there was a section or two about two-thirds into the movie where there was so MUCH action going on at the same time that it was a little overwhelming.

Wonderful movie, not in my top thirty, but excellent, excellent, excellent movie.

[Bev Vincent]

World War Z -- a solid A. My only complaint is a bit of serendipity.

[Mattrick]

Our Idiot Brother: This is such a pleasant movie to watch, that its often funny helps. Paul Rudd is a very underrated actor that just happens todo a lot of comedies and he shines again here. The title is very true, he plays an idiot in many ways: he is oblivious to social rules, is endlessly trusting and assumes because he is an idiot, everyone must be in the loop if he is. Down on his luck for reasons made clear in the opening minutes, so he is forced to use the hospitality of his three sisters, who refer to him as an idiot and treat him as a non entity, yet he's always around and his naiveity is causing confliction in their own not so perfect lives. His sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Zoey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer) make many stupid life.choices along the way yet still consider him an idiot. Very good movie.

[Still Servant]

You're spot with your review of Our Idiot Brother. I thought it was an underated film. It helps that I really like Rudd, Banks, Deschanel, and I've loved Emily Mortimer since I saw her in another very underated film - Transsiberian. If there were more people in this world like Rudd's character, the world would be a better place.

[Mattrick]

The image of someone running through the streets yelling WILLIE NELSON was hilarious.

[Merlin1958]

Man of Steel

Shannon: 5/5
Amber: 5/5

Epic movie. More of a disaster movie than a superhero one, I would say. The action was amazing throughout the entire film, but the final fight between Superman and Zod was awesome. And I don't mean awesome like "Awesome, dude!" but in the actual "I am in awe" way. When they were destroying EVERYTHING, part of me thought "Man, that's gonna cost a lot to repair", but the other half thought "He is saving the world, damn the consequences, let the man do his thing". Loved the nonlinear format of the movie. If I had ANY complaint whatsoever, it was that there was a section or two about two-thirds into the movie where there was so MUCH action going on at the same time that it was a little overwhelming.

Wonderful movie, not in my top thirty, but excellent, excellent, excellent movie.

For the large part, I would agree with you!!! I really liked the "re-vamping" of the old origin story and for the entire film I was solidly behind the Director. The "reason" for the "suit" was a nice touch, even the new color was well done. I really enjoyed how they explored the human side of Supe's growing up and how he came to cope with it, which was well punctuated later in the film. I really went for the entire story line and was fully with the Director almost the whole way through the film. The only sour note, and for some reason it resonated with me significantly, was at the very end when they went with the "glasses and now he's Clark Kent". That had always been somewhat of a sore point in the comics and previous films, to me at least. Maybe it was just that I was so into the re-tooled story that I didn't expect them to do that, but I would have said "11/10", if not for that "nod". The action did get a little too intense a couple of times, but not for long and not often enough to become a major issue. The story carried them through IMHO. I couldn't get past that last (IMO) fuck-up having Clark Kent get a job at the Daily Planet like that. It just seemed like a very bad afterthought when they were doing so nicely!! Regardless, I give it a "9.5/10" and I look forward to future installments!!!

They certainly gave the "Avenger's" and "Iron Man" a run for their money as best comic films to date!!!

[Merlin1958]

Finally got around to the new "Star Trek" film. What a movie!!! Action, suspense and a great story IMHO!!! I thought J.J. did an awesome job of wrapping up this series, for him, in order to move on to Star Wars. I really, really enjoyed this film.

10/10

[pathoftheturtle]

Man of Steel

Terrible. Very disappointing. The first half was almost interesting, but really came to nothing. This film lacks original thought and offers nothing worthwhile. Just a bunch of special effects fight scenes. I was incredibly bored.

3/10

[Shannon]

Man of Steel

Terrible. Very disappointing. The first half was almost interesting, but really came to nothing. This film lacks original thought and offers nothing worthwhile. Just a bunch of special effects fight scenes. I was incredibly bored.

3/10

[harrison ryan]

I saw Man of Steel last night. I enjoyed it thoroughly. 8/10

If you guys haven't already, you should read Morrison and Quitely's All-Star Superman:

[Jean]

Man of Steel

Terrible. Very disappointing. The first half was almost interesting, but really came to nothing. This film lacks original thought and offers nothing worthwhile. Just a bunch of special effects fight scenes. I was incredibly bored.

3/10

something is telling me that I don't really have to drop everything and run to watch it...