Rate The Last Movie You Saw.

[Jean]

Post it!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll look it over and see how bad it is first. :lol:
what do you think we are going to do - flunk you? Post it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alkanto]

Oh you motherfuckers :lol:

I'll get to them all ! eventually

I promise ! Who and Six Feet Under aren't available on instant play though so it makes it much, much harder for me to get a hold of them.

Yeah, both series 5 and 6 are now available on HD streaming....so no excuses! :lol:

[DoctorDodge]

Oh you motherfuckers :lol:

I'll get to them all ! eventually

I promise ! Who and Six Feet Under aren't available on instant play though so it makes it much, much harder for me to get a hold of them.

Yeah, both series 5 and 6 are now available on HD streaming....so no excuses! :lol:

God, I love this woman!
http://browntweedsociety.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/waynes-world_l.jpg

[Still Servant]

21 Jump Street - 8.5/10

When I first saw the trailer for 21 Jump Street, I thought it was going to be awful. Then the film started to receive good reviews and I was hearing some good word of mouth, so I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised. 21 Jump Street manages to tell an interesting story while keeping the laugh ratio pretty high. Hill and Tatum have great chemistry together. Channing Tatum is starting to grow on me as an actor and he shows some serious comedic chops here. There is also a pretty awesome cameo. Best comedy of the year so far.

[Brice]

Lisa, watch the damn movie! :angry:

The worst it can do is scar you for life.

I will be fine being the only one to think Argento's soundtracks are just as they should be.

[fernandito]

21 Jump Street - 8.5/10

When I first saw the trailer for 21 Jump Street, I thought it was going to be awful. Then the film started to receive good reviews and I was hearing some good word of mouth, so I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised. 21 Jump Street manages to tell an interesting story while keeping the laugh ratio pretty high. Hill and Tatum have great chemistry together. Channing Tatum is starting to grow on me as an actor and he shows some serious comedic chops here. There is also a pretty awesome cameo. Best comedy of the year so far.

This is the kind of endorsement I was looking for ! I'll check it out over the course of the next week.

[DoctorDodge]

Lisa, watch the damn movie! :angry:

The worst it can do is scar you for life.

Or cause you to experience a case...

...of Flash...

DELIRIUM!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvSMp7T2Kes
Still remains one of my favourite music vids, despite being bizzare as fuck. If this is too much you for you though, Lisa, I'd definitely say stay away from Argento's work.

[Brice]

Lisa, watch the damn movie! :angry:

The worst it can do is scar you for life.

Or cause you to experience a case...

...of Flash...

DELIRIUM!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvSMp7T2Kes
Still remains one of my favourite music vids, despite being bizzare as fuck. If this is too much you for you though, Lisa, I'd definitely say stay away from Argento's work.

And what about those of us who find nothing even slightly strange in this video, James?

[DoctorDodge]

Well, in that case Brice, just see my avatar for my current reaction. Or because it's a classic "WTF?" face from Tom Baker. Either's a good reason, really.

[Brice]

:lol:

[Jean]

Grave Encounters. Pointless, uninspired Blair Witch clone. A film that has to be watched in one sitting, or else you'll never find the place where you left off.

[Shannon]

Grave Encounters wasn't too horrible. Amber and I each gave it a 4 on September 4th, 2011, so we must have enjoyed it. :)

We also each gave these a four (out of five):

The Sitter
Intruders

The Sitter was a crude-humor type of comedy with Jonah Hill babysitting three little kids. lol, if that doesn't draw you in right there, then the movie is not for you, lol.

Intruders is a horror-ish movie with Clive Owen. Nice little twist that I saw coming, but Amber didn't. So, I won the sacred high five on that one. :)

"Ha, told you!"

"You win, high five." :)

[Randall Flagg]

Just saw "The Cabin in the Woods". Awesome movie, I give it 5 beers in the Randall Flagg Six Pack Rating System.

[Still Servant]

I'm with Randall Flagg, Cabin in the Woods was amazing.

It's very hard to find a truly original film nowadays and Woods has that. If you're looking for a straight up horror film, you might be disappointed but for everybody else, you are in for a treat. This is the kind of film that needs to be seen more than once. I'm really rooting for this film to do well at the box office. I'm sick of seeing garbage horror films getting huge box office results. I'm looking at you The Devil Inside.

Please go see this movie, guys.

The Cabin in the Woods - 9.5/10

[Darkthoughts]

Brilliant, that's just what I wanted to hear! I'm working on buttering up my designated driver as we speak :D

[Jean]

The Secret in Their Eyes

Awesome. It will never make my top 50 (nor 100) because they say more than they show (not really my type of film - and time to time I was bored by the talking heads), but otherwise it is superb; then again, there are a couple of sequences (the railway) that were fantastically shot.

The best thing about all this is dramaturgy - I don't even mean the story itself, but the way it is told, composition-wise. Every little segment is dramaturgically developed and they combine into a very impressive whole. Even if I forget the main idea or who killed whom and why, there are things I can't possibly forget, not ever - like

who turned the photos over

Also, the composer and sound director should be awarded every fucking prize there is.
While the makeup artists should be publiclly executed.

[fernandito]

Melancholia

A voyage into the heart of depression. The film features two estranged sisters - Justine and Claire - as they attempt to cope with the notion that their world and their lives will soon end as Melancholia (a rogue planet) approaches on an apparent collision course with Earth.

The film is divided into two halves, Justine and Claire each being the focal point of the first and second half, respectively. The first half showcases Justine's lavish wedding (Justine being played by the surprisingly mature Kirsten Dunst) which was begrudingly payed for entirely by Claire's husband (the eternally reliable Keifer Sunderland) who goes to great lengths to express his hatred for his wifes side of the family. Throughout the wedding, Justine displays erratic behavior and it slowly becomes apparent that her depression (we never learn the cause) is an overwhelming and corrosive force that causes her to lash out and hurt those nearest to her. I must admit that the film came periliously close to losing me here, as the Justine's half of the film moves along at a rather sluggish pace. A bit of fat could definitely have been trimmed there and it wouldn't have marred the effect of her story in the slightest.

The second half of the film shows Claire as she struggles to come to terms with the possibility of imminent death. Here Melancholia is featured much more promptly, and it becomes both a physical force of impending doom and a metaphor for the way in which the sisters lives are on a collision course.

The film is beautifully, beautifully shot and rendered. The cinematogrophy is amazing. A pitch perfect ensemble cast that give realistic and thought provoking performances. I read that the film was inspired by a harrowing melancholic episode that Lars Von Trier suffered prior to the conception of the script. This is both it's greatest strength and it's most glaring weakness. As a strength it's the fulcrum by which all characters and events hinge on; as a weakness, it strikes me as an idea that could have been told in half the time, it definitely feels that he was stretching this single idea to it's limits in hopes of creating something epic but at the risk of having the film feel monotone at times.

Still, the film is very thought provoking and introspection would be par for the course. It will definitely reward patient viewers.

Oh, and the final 10-15 minutes are some of the most tension filled, chaotic, turbulent, pulse pounding moments I've ever seen. Straight A's on that last stretch.

7/10

[fernandito]

oops, double post.

[Heather19]

Oh, and the final 10-15 minutes are some of the most tension filled, chaotic, turbulent, pulse pounding moments I've ever seen. Straight A's on that last stretch.

Agreed! It was crazy. I was on the edge of my seat for those last few min.
Glad you enjoyed it :)

[Ricky]

Nice review, feev! Glad you enjoyed it. I think I gave it a 7.5, knocking it down mainly because, like you said, it could've been trimmed a bit without altering the storyline or emotional punch.

[Jean]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

[Heather19]

So I finally went to see The Cabin in the Woods last night. I'm thinking maybe I should have read something about it before I went cause it wasn't anything like what I was expecting :lol: I know Mike said above that it's not a straight up horror film, but I was still expecting something scary, and there wasn't an ounce of scare in the film. And I think that's the only thing I'm disappointed about. But don't get me wrong I did enjoy it. It was definitely pretty creative and unique so I liked it for that. It's funny cause when we were leaving a majority of the people walking out around us hated it. I'll have to watch it again when it comes out on dvd. I'm sure I'll be able to appreciate it more on a second viewing.

[Ricky]

but I was still expecting something scary, and there wasn't an ounce of scare in the film.

Really? That's really suprising to me. It seems like they're marketing it as a horror film and the trailers definitely make it look scary. That's really weird. I did read that it was kind of spoofy, though. Did you find that it was?

[Heather19]

Definitely! I think I was expecting a scary movie that redefines the conventions of horror films, but it wasn't that. It was more along the lines of a spoof of horror films that tried to be scary, if that makes any sense :lol:

[Ricky]

See, that's what I thought it was supposed to be too! But now that it seems like a horror film spoof, I don't think I'll be rushing out to see it.

[Heather19]

Yeah, I don't really know how to describe it :lol: I'd still recommend seeing it, but I wouldn't rush to the theater for it.

[Ricky]

Yeah, it might be a Netflix rental when it comes out.

On another note, one of the movies I watched yesterday was The Descendants. I liked it, but was expecting a lot more plot- and emotion-wise judging by all the awards and Oscar praise it received this year. The plot was nice and heartfelt, but seemed to be painfully stretched over the two hour runtime. Comparing Clooney to his 2009 Best Picture-nominated film, Up in the Air, The Descendants doesn't even stand close. You could tell he was committed to the role, but to me, it was just another example of George Clooney playing George Clooney. 7/10

[fernandito]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Have you seen Ichi The Killer ?

[fernandito]

Definitely! I think I was expecting a scary movie that redefines the conventions of horror films, but it wasn't that. It was more along the lines of a spoof of horror films that tried to be scary, if that makes any sense :lol:

I find that these are usually the times when you're disappointed the most, when you're expecting a film to be a certain way and it turns out to be nothing like that. It's happened to me with a few films.

[Jean]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Have you seen Ichi The Killer ?No. Would you recommend it to a bear?

[fernandito]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Have you seen Ichi The Killer ?No. Would you recommend it to a bear?

Absolutely. It's a Takashi Mike film as well. It's one of the most demented films I have ever seen. It's awesome.

[Heather19]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Have you seen Ichi The Killer ?No. Would you recommend it to a bear?

Absolutely. It's a Takashi Mike film as well. It's one of the most demented films I have ever seen. It's awesome.

Oh man, I could not handle that movie :lol:

[Jean]

bears are very interested now.

[DoctorDodge]

Definitely! I think I was expecting a scary movie that redefines the conventions of horror films, but it wasn't that. It was more along the lines of a spoof of horror films that tried to be scary, if that makes any sense :lol:

I find that these are usually the times when you're disappointed the most, when you're expecting a film to be a certain way and it turns out to be nothing like that. It's happened to me with a few films.

Definitely. I was kinda dissapointed, the first time I watched Blade Runner, expecting something entirely different from the name alone. Over time, though, it's slowly grown to become one of my favourite scifi films.






Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Have you seen Ichi The Killer ?No. Would you recommend it to a bear?

Absolutely. It's a Takashi Mike film as well. It's one of the most demented films I have ever seen. It's awesome.

Oh man, I could not handle that movie :lol:

That was a classic film, in a totally fucked up way! Possibly one of the goriest movies I have ever seen!

[Heather19]

Definitely! I'm surprised you watched it DD :lol: I'm not good with torture scenes at all. I can handle insane amounts of gore no problem, but when you add in extreme torture, not for me :lol:

[fernandito]

You're disappointing me, Heather :P

[Still Servant]

I can see why a lot of people might have left the theater after seeing Cabin in the Woods a little disappointed. People love their horror films. Even the crappy ones. If you were expecting a normal horror film then there's a big chance you were going to be pissed upon leaving the theater.

However, if people watched the trailer more closely, there are multiple times where they are hinting that it's not your normal horror film. There are even a few shots of a control room, which also hints to the fact that there is more going on here.

I also think that there is a whole group of people that are going to hate the film because they just aren't educated enough in the world of cinema and the horror genre in particular. Cabin in the Woods is a satire. It's poking fun and playing with the normal stereotypical plot devices and cliched characters found in most horror films. If the viewer didn't catch on to this (I'm thinking about most teens who have no clue about this kind of stuff when it comes to movies) then they probably hated Cabin in the Woods.

[DoctorDodge]

I can see why a lot of people might have left the theater after seeing Cabin in the Woods a little disappointed. People love their horror films. Even the crappy ones. If you were expecting a normal horror film then there's a big chance you were going to be pissed upon leaving the theater.

However, if people watched the trailer more closely, there are multiple times where they are hinting that it's not your normal horror film. There are even a few shots of a control room, which also hints to the fact that there is more going on here.

I also think that there is a whole group of people that are going to hate the film because they just aren't educated enough in the world of cinema and the horror genre in particular. Cabin in the Woods is a satire. It's poking fun and playing with the normal stereotypical plot devices and cliched characters found in most horror films. If the viewer didn't catch on to this (I'm thinking about most teens who have no clue about this kind of stuff when it comes to movies) then they probably hated Cabin in the Woods.

The key word that guarantees that I'll be seeing this film. I'm sure you know by now how much I love my satire SS, so after hearing that it's more of a 'spoof' from a couple of other members than a horror, i was a little worried at first, but 'satire' is definitely a way to get me interested. Seeing it in the weekend, so hopefully I'll really enjoy it.

[Ricky]

I know this is off topic here, but "satire" got me thinking. DD: did you happen to watch the Veep premiere?

[DoctorDodge]

Watching it now as we speak, actually. Really loving it so far, will post thoughts in the Veep/ToI thread when i'm done.

[Ricky]

Looking forward to it!

[Still Servant]

Damn. I forgot to mention a movie I wanted to talk about, but I don't want to add it to the post above. Oh well.

Anyway, has anybody seen the film Fish Tank? It's an English film that follows the life of Mia, played by Katie Jarvis, a troubled 15-year-old in a lower-middle class town in England. Mia is getting into fights at school, fighting with her mother who seems to not care about her at all. Her mother spends most of her day drunk, catering to a revolving door of men coming into her life. The only way Mia can cope with her troubles is by dancing. She aspires to be a hip-hop dancer. Spending most of her time watching American rap videos and practicing their dance moves.

Her life begins to change when her mother starts a relationship with a man named Connor, played by the always fabulous Michael Fassbender. Conner seems different from the other men that Mia's mother brings home. He seems to be caring, kind and has a steady job. As always, things are quite what they seem.

Fish Tank unfolds like many teen angst films. The environment feels authentic and the acting is top notch. This is especially true for newcomer Katie Jarvis. Her anger is overwhelmingly apparent. There is also an innocence in her that makes her whole story heartbreaking. You can't help but feel bad for her and wonder how different her life would be if she was living somewhere else and being raised by caring parents.

Mia yearns to be free of her current life. She comes across a horse that is chained up and seems to be neglected. She tries to free the horse. Showing a gentle, caring side of Mia. The horse is also a metaphor. She wants the horse to be free, just as she wants herself to be free of her troubled life in the toxic environment that is the town she lives in.

8.5/10 - Fish Tank

[Still Servant]

Dodge, I'm specifically interested in your opinion on Fish Tank. As a Brit, I'm interested to know if you've seen this one yet.

[DoctorDodge]

No, but I heard several great reviews from a couple of years back, and have really been meaning to see it. It sounds absolutely fucking depressing, so as a Brit, I'll be sure to love it! :lol:

[Heather19]

I can see why a lot of people might have left the theater after seeing Cabin in the Woods a little disappointed. People love their horror films. Even the crappy ones. If you were expecting a normal horror film then there's a big chance you were going to be pissed upon leaving the theater.

However, if people watched the trailer more closely, there are multiple times where they are hinting that it's not your normal horror film. There are even a few shots of a control room, which also hints to the fact that there is more going on here.

I also think that there is a whole group of people that are going to hate the film because they just aren't educated enough in the world of cinema and the horror genre in particular. Cabin in the Woods is a satire. It's poking fun and playing with the normal stereotypical plot devices and cliched characters found in most horror films. If the viewer didn't catch on to this (I'm thinking about most teens who have no clue about this kind of stuff when it comes to movies) then they probably hated Cabin in the Woods.

See I wouldn't even classify it as horror film. And I'm not sure if I even saw the trailer :lol: So I know it's my fault. I purposely try to know as little going into films as possible as most reviews give away too much. So I was definitely expecting it to be somewhat scary, which is why I was a little let down. Had I known it wasn't a horror film, I think I would have enjoyed it alot more.

[Still Servant]

Heather, just to be clear, I wasn't referring to you in my post above. I was mainly referring to many of my friends that saw the movie and hated it. Friends that consider films like Night at the Roxbury as the pinnacle of cinema.

As a fan of Joss Whedon's, I've been following Cabin in the Woods for a while. So I was pretty up on what the movie was going to be like. After seeing the trailer, I can certainly see why many people would feel mislead. It kind of bugs me when Hollywood cuts a trailer and makes it seem like a totally different movie than it really is just to put butts in the seats.

A recent example of this is the George Clooney film The American. The trailers made the film look like a non-stop action film. In reality, it was a slow paced character study with a very European flavor to it. The type of film most Americans shun. Although I enjoy movies like that, I was expecting more action and therefore didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. I think this is kind of like how you felt after seeing Woods. You liked it, but you were expecting something else, so you weren't totally satisfied.

Also, I wouldn't really consider Woods a horror either. I think it's more of a sci-fi film.

[Heather19]

No worries, I wasn't upset by what you said :couple: I just went and rewatched the trailer, and it is very misleading. It really does make it look like a scary horror film. I hate when they do that. It's very misleading. And like me, I'm sure that's why most of the theater walked out disappointed. I'll watch it again when it comes out on dvd.

[Jean]

I also think that there is a whole group of people that are going to hate the film because they just aren't educated enough in the world of cinema and the horror genre in particular.


Heather, just to be clear, I wasn't referring to you in my post above.

SS - no, you obviously were not! LOL! Classic.

[Darkthoughts]

Damn. I forgot to mention a movie I wanted to talk about, but I don't want to add it to the post above. Oh well.

Anyway, has anybody seen the film Fish Tank?
Yes indeed. Bloody brilliant isn't it! Katie Jarvis had never had any previous acting experience, the director cast her after witnessing her have an argument with her boyfriend at the train station used in the film. She nearly didn't call the director back as she thought he was some random perv trying to get her number :lol:
I thought it was a fantastically well acted film, acting that naturally, in such a realistic, normal, everyday manner is one of the hardest things to achieve - and I think the director and cast excelled at it. DD, I remember recommending it to you, it's got a real Shane Meadows vibe going on, whilst being it's own unique thing.

[DoctorDodge]

I do remember actually, Lisa, and I even planned to watch it on BBC iPlayer for a month, but inevitably got too distracted. If it's on Lovefilm instant, I'll give it a watch this week (along with Carnage, which I know Jean is really keen for me to see).

[DoctorDodge]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

How do you make a good remake that’s better, or even as good, as the original? Answer: you don’t. Let’s be honest, a lot of the best examples of remakes either aim to be crucially different from the original, taking only the basic concept, such as The Departed was based on Infernal Affairs (although, not as different as Scorsese made it out to be, but still great in its own right), or are just another, and considerably more accurate interpretation of a novel already, such as The Thing (1982), generally considered to be a better film than The Thing from Another World. It is David Fincher’s version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that falls into the latter category.

Just to be clear, I did enjoy the Swedish version. As a dark mystery with a well thought out resolution, it worked very well, and it had a number of well suited horrific moments, making sure that it didn’t tone down the content of the novel. However, I did feel it lacked something important that I loved about the original novel, and indeed, what I love about a lot of my favourite books, films and tv series. Specifically, the complex characters. Frankly, I felt it simplified Blomkvist and Salander. It took away the unique relationships that Blomkvist has with a number of women, and it simplified Salander into being an unfeeling computer genius. This is how Salander starts off as in the novel, but as it went on, we discovered a lot more different sides to her, and while I thought Noomi Rapace put in an excellent performance, I thought I would’ve enjoyed it even more if she got to do as much with her character as Larsson had originally written her.

By contrast, Fincher’s version gets crucially right what the Swedish version got wrong: it put the characters first and the original plot second. Mysteries are great to read or watch the first time, but afterwards there has to be something more to make us go back to those stories, as it’s not nearly as much fun the 2nd time when you already know the answer. So a few details of the plot are simplified, (although it does stick pretty close to the source material, thankfully even still taking place in Sweden, rather than the easy option (according to a lot of film producers) of setting it in America), but the characters are translated exactly as they should be, writing and directing wise. Through their complexity, the themes of the novel are better explored: rape, sex, corruption, hypocrisy, all greatly explored within the film.

As for the actors: Daniel Craig isn’t how I imagined Blomkvist, but I think he’s a closer match than Michael Nyqvist’s. Mainly because Craig plays Blomkvist with more confidence, fitting both the journalist and the man with multiple lovers better. Of the two Salanders, it’s more difficult to choose. Rapace’s performance was truly memorable, and if she had been given material with more depth, I would’ve enjoyed it even more. As it is…I may just prefer the character as portrayed by Rooney Mara. The film requires a more vulnerable, complex and unstable character than the Swedish version, and Mara lives up to those demands fully. She really is able to incorporate a lot of subtlety into her role, so I really loved that.

Another thing I enjoyed was the direction and the look of the film. The haunting title sequence with the Immigrant Song playing isn’t subtle, but it is a very unique way of letting the audience know exactly what to expect. I also loved how the scenery of Sweden was used, with the winter landscape reflecting the cold and bleak tone of the film. There are many stories where the location is crucial to the story, and in a lot of adaptations or remakes, there are many times when the filmmakers horrendously fail to recognise that. It is wonderful to know that Fincher used the only location that would’ve worked.

The film isn’t perfect. At over 150 minutes, I do think it’s a little too long, and wonder if some material could’ve been simplified plotwise in just the right places. After all, it wasn’t so much the surface story I enjoyed about the original novel so much as the number of complex and subtle layers, and in a film, the right shot, the right small moment, can tell a lot more than ten minutes of dialogue or action. But overall, I really loved it. David Fincher has given us a very well crafted, stylish film, a very dark film with horrific subject matter that is ultimately very rewarding. 9/10

[fernandito]

Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous! I'm glad you enjoyed it, James. Great review and I agree with just about everything you said, pros and cons.

[DoctorDodge]

Cheers, Fernando. Thought you'd be pleased: after all, it was your very in depth review that convinced me to eventually watch the film, and I'm very glad I did.

[Still Servant]

Damn. I forgot to mention a movie I wanted to talk about, but I don't want to add it to the post above. Oh well.

Anyway, has anybody seen the film Fish Tank?
Yes indeed. Bloody brilliant isn't it! Katie Jarvis had never had any previous acting experience, the director cast her after witnessing her have an argument with her boyfriend at the train station used in the film. She nearly didn't call the director back as she thought he was some random perv trying to get her number :lol:
I thought it was a fantastically well acted film, acting that naturally, in such a realistic, normal, everyday manner is one of the hardest things to achieve - and I think the director and cast excelled at it. DD, I remember recommending it to you, it's got a real Shane Meadows vibe going on, whilst being it's own unique thing.

That's a great story. I love hearing stories like that. Jarvis really was amazing in Fish Tank. I was interested to find out what she's been up to since the movie and I was a little disappointed to find out that she really hasn't done much. I was kind of expecting her to make the transition to Hollywood and have her filmography filled up. There's still time for that. I guess she has been pregnant twice since filming Fish Tank, so I'm assuming she's be pretty busy.

[Ricky]

I enjoyed your review, James, and agree with alot of what you said. Daniel Craig isn't really how I pictured Blomkvist either, but I thought Mara was unbelievable. And the title sequence is easily one of my favorite movie moments ever. 8)

[Still Servant]

Bellflower - 6.5/10

Intersting...just...interesting. I would be supremely interested to hear if anybody else has seen this film.

[Darkthoughts]

Never heard of it, can you give a brief synopsis?

The Cabin In The Woods - 2.5/5

As per usual, I went into this film not having seen any trailers or having much of a clue what it was about. All I knew was Joss Wheedon's name was all over it and I wanted to watch it. I sadly have to say, whilst I didn't dislike it I was very disappointed with it but for entirely different reasons than those I've heard from other people lately.

It doesn't bother me that it wasn't a flat out horror, or that it went a bit sci-fi or even fantasy - that's what I want and expect from Wheedon, and I love him pinging off on all sorts of genre tangents, that's all good. What disappointed me was the lack of snappy dialogue, the shallowness of the characters (I was hoping everyone but the stoner guy would get killed), the loose ends that were a product of a loose plot. From Buffy and Angel we know that Wheedon can wrap up a storyline in 45 minutes perfectly, so why when he has nearly two hours, could he not make that work? The ending was unsatisfying due to the various hints throughout the rest of the film at unexplored character references/plots and also felt a bit "Shit, we've run out of time...ok...The End!" There were some enjoyable moments, a good splatfest and some laughs but overall I came away feeling a bit let down.

[DoctorDodge]

Interesting review, Lisa. This seems to be getting more and more interesting daily: a film that causes wildly differing opinions for different reasons is more likely to interest me than a film universally praised.

[Jean]

I do remember actually, Lisa, and I even planned to watch it on BBC iPlayer for a month, but inevitably got too distracted. If it's on Lovefilm instant, I'll give it a watch this week (along with Carnage, which I know Jean is really keen for me to see).Yes, I am! Am re-watching it at the moment, will post a review tomorrow.

[Heather19]

I do remember actually, Lisa, and I even planned to watch it on BBC iPlayer for a month, but inevitably got too distracted. If it's on Lovefilm instant, I'll give it a watch this week (along with Carnage, which I know Jean is really keen for me to see).Yes, I am! Am re-watching it at the moment, will post a review tomorrow.

Excellent Jean, I've been looking forward to reading it.



Never heard of it, can you give a brief synopsis?

The Cabin In The Woods - 2.5/5

As per usual, I went into this film not having seen any trailers or having much of a clue what it was about. All I knew was Joss Wheedon's name was all over it and I wanted to watch it. I sadly have to say, whilst I didn't dislike it I was very disappointed with it but for entirely different reasons than those I've heard from other people lately.

It doesn't bother me that it wasn't a flat out horror, or that it went a bit sci-fi or even fantasy - that's what I want and expect from Wheedon, and I love him pinging off on all sorts of genre tangents, that's all good. What disappointed me was the lack of snappy dialogue, the shallowness of the characters (I was hoping everyone but the stoner guy would get killed), the loose ends that were a product of a loose plot. From Buffy and Angel we know that Wheedon can wrap up a storyline in 45 minutes perfectly, so why when he has nearly two hours, could he not make that work? The ending was unsatisfying due to the various hints throughout the rest of the film at unexplored character references/plots and also felt a bit "Shit, we've run out of time...ok...The End!" There were some enjoyable moments, a good splatfest and some laughs but overall I came away feeling a bit let down.

It's funny Lisa, that both of us that were so anxious to see it were let down. And I know what you mean, and I would agree. But to me that kind of almost goes along with the type of film it was trying to be. The characters were all very one dimensional. I don't think it lived up to it's full potential. It was trying to be too many different things, in my opinion. And I agree about the ending. Although I did love all the different boxes and what was in them :D

[Darkthoughts]

It's funny Lisa, that both of us that were so anxious to see it were let down. And I know what you mean, and I would agree. But to me that kind of almost goes along with the type of film it was trying to be. The characters were all very one dimensional. I don't think it lived up to it's full potential. It was trying to be too many different things, in my opinion. And I agree about the ending. Although I did love all the different boxes and what was in them :D
Yes, it was trying to be a commentary on the obvious plot devices horror films use, aswell as trying to be every different genre of horror (the board with the bets on it :lol: ) and also the season of Buffy where there's that underground military operation where freaky Adam is created aaaand even a hommage to some horrors...like, whoa!! Too much to cram in there - less is more, Mr Wheedon!

The boxes were one of my favourite parts, that was brilliant - especially when they were all let loose. And I loved the little Japanese girls - very cool. I thought the basic premise was a good one, but felt they could have expanded on that to make the film richer, rather than try to be some kind of fanboy montage.

[Heather19]

Agreed! Also I really wish that it had some pure scary moments in it. Ones where you feel the tension and dread. I think it would have helped to balance the film a lot. I felt it was trying to go in that direction at times, but was offset by the silly characters or crazy situations, that those moments weren't at all scary. But that could also just be me since that's what I crave and what I was expecting :lol:

[fernandito]

By the way you guys are describing it, it seems to me that Cabin In The Woods bares some striking resemblances to Dreamcatcher, yes ?

[Heather19]

No

Are you going to watch it?

[fernandito]

Yes.

[Shannon]

Another Earth
Shannon: 3 (out of 5)
Amber: 3 (out of 5)

Enjoyable movie, but basically a bland romantic-ish type movie inside of a great sci-fi idea. Nothing worth mentioning.

[Darkthoughts]

Never seen Dreamcatcher Feev, so I couldn't make a comparison. Stewie (who i went with) said it reminded him of Thirteen Ghosts, to me it was more like an episode of Buffy meets Supernatural.

[Still Servant]

Never heard of it, can you give a brief synopsis?

The Cabin In The Woods - 2.5/5

As per usual, I went into this film not having seen any trailers or having much of a clue what it was about. All I knew was Joss Wheedon's name was all over it and I wanted to watch it. I sadly have to say, whilst I didn't dislike it I was very disappointed with it but for entirely different reasons than those I've heard from other people lately.

It doesn't bother me that it wasn't a flat out horror, or that it went a bit sci-fi or even fantasy - that's what I want and expect from Wheedon, and I love him pinging off on all sorts of genre tangents, that's all good. What disappointed me was the lack of snappy dialogue, the shallowness of the characters (I was hoping everyone but the stoner guy would get killed), the loose ends that were a product of a loose plot. From Buffy and Angel we know that Wheedon can wrap up a storyline in 45 minutes perfectly, so why when he has nearly two hours, could he not make that work? The ending was unsatisfying due to the various hints throughout the rest of the film at unexplored character references/plots and also felt a bit "Shit, we've run out of time...ok...The End!" There were some enjoyable moments, a good splatfest and some laughs but overall I came away feeling a bit let down.

Wow. I can't be the only person here that liked this film. It's one of the best reviewed films of the year. It's true that the characters were one dimensional and flimsy, but I kind of thought that was the point. They were basically making fun of similar characters from other horror films that are really cliched. In many of those films you're really not even supposed to care whether or not the characters live or die.

I also think a lot of the dialogue between Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford was very snappy and clever (the guys in the suits). I especially liked the slight nod to Whitford's time on the West Wing by have him spiting out rapid fire dialogue while walking.

I'm really interested in what Feev thinks. Although I'm starting to think he will dislike it too.

[Darkthoughts]

It's true that the characters were one dimensional and flimsy, but I kind of thought that was the point. They were basically making fun of similar characters from other horror films that are really cliched. In many of those films you're really not even supposed to care whether or not the characters live or die.
I agree to a point, I mean I got the whole satire angle, but I felt like they'd gone too far with it to the point where it not only made me feel apathetic towards the characters, but to the plot aswell.


I also think a lot of the dialogue between Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford was very snappy and clever
Heh, they were cool - but again, I've seen Wheedon on better form scriptwise.


I'm really interested in what Feev thinks.
Me too.

[DoctorDodge]

Oh, that reminds me: watched The Cabin in the Woods this weekend.

Thoughts? I really enjoyed it, thought it was a lot of fun. I loved the way it began with the titles, letting you know that this isn't exactly a typical horror movie. I also loved the number of nods to various tropes of the slasher genre, such as being idiotic enough to read from a book with words in another language is always a bad thing. But so is fiddling with a mysterious puzzle box. Or feeling compelled to wear a necklace. So that was cool.

As for the characters, what I really liked was that there was a usually a genuine reason for their one-dimensionality, which even the stoner guy points out isn't normal. You get the feeling that before the start of the film, they would've been characters we would've related to a whole lot more, but we started watching them just as they started becoming cliches. That was one gripe I had with it: I would've liked a little more time spent with the characters at the beginning.

A couple of other gripes is, as Lisa pointed out, there are one or two rather noticeable plot holes, such as why and how were these teens chosen out of millions specifically, how were the "nightmares" created etc. Overall though, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of what was otherwise a very fun movie. 7/10

[Jean]

do you think bears might enjoy it?

does anyone else think so?

[DoctorDodge]

Really not too sure, brother bear. Gut feeling...probably not.

[Darkthoughts]

Jean, I think you'd like it if you were in the mood for ripping something apart with wit and sarcasm in equal measure :lol: It wasn't awful, but it was nowhere near as good as it should have been.

DD, those are exactly the sorts of things I wanted to know too.

[Jean]

Jean, I think you'd like it if you were in the mood for ripping something apart with wit and sarcasm in equal measure :lol:thank you love!
:bows:
bears are always in this mood, but they spare it for the Serious Films.

[Brice]

Audition (by Takashi Miike) - excellent. Recommended to everyone who likes it morbid, sick, sophisticated and dismal.

Brices reccomend ANYTHING by Takashi Miike. :thumbsup:

[Jean]

Yes, I think I would love the rest too. I'll see what I can get.

[pathoftheturtle]

The Way - 7/10
Starring Martin Sheen, Director Emilio Estevez

Actually not the last movie I saw; watched it for the first time quite a while ago, but I want to mention that it's a great, powerful little drama about community and spiritual side of life. Check it, y'all. :)

[Brice]

Yes, I think I would love the rest too. I'll see what I can get.

As Ferny mentioned you MUST see Ichi

[Jean]

downloading

[Brice]

:thumbsup:

[fernandito]

Oooh! Can't wait to see what you think of it, jean. It'll definitely satisfy your craving for morbid. Gads, I love that film.

[Heather19]

Oh, I'm quite curious to know what you think of Ichi as well.

[pathoftheturtle]

Actually pretty good, but ultimately forgettable. I mean, it's a solid film, but unfortunately, it's a thriller without thrills. Short on real mystery, it's basically at heart an empty meditation on the subject of emptiness. I worried when I first heard about it that it would be an awful commercial movie ignorant of history, then, as I heard more, I dared hope that it would be a wonderful, deeply affecting dramatization -- but it wasn't much of either: just an average and slightly mediocre film with a fine exterior. Basically, it reflects the character of Poe's work with the suspense plot in order to draw attention to the character of Poe's life, which was depressing and meaningless. This is important because... well, it's not important. It's just meaningless and depressing. If they were trying to show the power of art, they failed at that certainly: after all, such shallow entertainment sure cannot match the agony of issues like in Poe's original "The Raven."

[DoctorDodge]

I worried as much, path. Just involving Edgar Allen Poe as a character was enough to put me off, really.

[Ricky]

Nice review. I gave it a 6/10 as well. And DD, I was really suprised but Cusack was quite good as Poe. Too bad he wasn't really given much to work with. If the movie was a kind of "The King's Speech," I think he would've killed it (in a good way).

[pathoftheturtle]

Yes, Cusack has had not much luck in that regard.

[alkanto]

Just watched When Harry Met Sally. Why the hell did it take me so long to watch it? I loved it. It was very cute, heartfelt, sad, funny...all the elements of a good chick flick.
I think one of the best parts is what my roommate commented to me: "Holy shit. I think you are the girl version of Harry." At the end, even, I asked a question mere seconds before he did. It was great :lol:

and the monologue at the end (as all good romantic films have)? Loved it. It's true. Just glad I watched it when I was in a relationship. Otherwise, I might've ended it feeling a bit depressed...it really is that cute.

[Shannon]

For alkanto:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9pkhp_SSr8

[DoctorDodge]

Just watched When Harry Met Sally. Why the hell did it take me so long to watch it? I loved it. It was very cute, heartfelt, sad, funny...all the elements of a good chick flick.
I think one of the best parts is what my roommate commented to me: "Holy shit. I think you are the girl version of Harry." At the end, even, I asked a question mere seconds before he did. It was great :lol:

and the monologue at the end (as all good romantic films have)? Loved it. It's true. Just glad I watched it when I was in a relationship. Otherwise, I might've ended it feeling a bit depressed...it really is that cute.

Really glad to read you enjoyed it. One of the best romantic comedies ever made. I especially loved the phone call scenes to each other in bed, that was very sweet.

And Shannon: :lol: That was classic! "Oh, bollocks!" :rofl:

[Jean]

Just watched When Harry Met Sally. Why the hell did it take me so long to watch it? I loved it. It was very cute, heartfelt, sad, funny...all the elements of a good chick flick.
I think one of the best parts is what my roommate commented to me: "Holy shit. I think you are the girl version of Harry." At the end, even, I asked a question mere seconds before he did. It was great :lol:

and the monologue at the end (as all good romantic films have)? Loved it. It's true. Just glad I watched it when I was in a relationship. Otherwise, I might've ended it feeling a bit depressed...it really is that cute.

Really glad to read you enjoyed it. One of the best romantic comedies ever made. I especially loved the phone call scenes to each other in bed, that was very sweet.
bears love it too!

[Yaksha]

The Avengers was so awesome on so many levels. Best movie I have seen all year.

[Shannon]

The Avengers
Shannon: 5/5
Amber: 5/5

Great, epic movie. It's very rare to find a movie with this large a scale. Great action, and very enjoyable.

[mystima]

Looks like Whedon had outdone himself with this movie...will have to check it out when I get a chance to...have seen a lot of comic book movies and must say that this sounds like it will be awesome.

[Merlin1958]

The Avengers
Shannon: 5/5
Amber: 5/5

Great, epic movie. It's very rare to find a movie with this large a scale. Great action, and very enjoyable.

Amber? Please stop posting as "Shannon" we all know he is under "Locke & Key"!!!!


LOL LOL LOL

[alkanto]

I am going to type something up tomorrow (had a very long day, and am exhausted) but in short: The Avengers was one of of the best movies I have seen. Period. Granted, I am a very big fan of comic book movies and my all-time favorite super heroes were in this, but still. It was beyond impressive. I got done, turned to my mom and said, only somewhat jokingly, "So...we're cool with going again tomorrow, right?" :D

[Yaksha]

I agree. The Avengers in my opinion is what every comic book movie should try to be. Everything in that movie clicked. The story acting music everything. Definitely one of the best movies i have ever seen in my entire life

[DoctorDodge]

Road to Avengers Movies

Ok, so I have been dying to watch the Avengers for the past couple of weeks, but (a) still haven't heard any word from the mate I usually go see these films with on when he wants to see it, and (b), I had yet to watch all the films that act as buildup to it. Well, this weekend, I aimed to watch all of them. Here are some thoughts on each.

Iron Man
I had forgotten how enjoyable this was. Not just due to the story of how billionaire Tony Stark goes from selfish weapons manufacturor to a man of peace who kicks arse in a metal suit, but also because of how effortlessly Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. Sherlock Holmes, he's great, but you can think of quite a few better people who've not only played the role but can play the role; with Stark, there's no question this role was for him. He not only plays the constant arrogance and playboy attitude of the character well, he makes those traits surprisingly likeable. Add to that the way the origin story is handled as he's finding his feet in the suit, and you've got a pretty kickass superhero movie here. It's not perfect - the villain of the piece, to me, isn't much of a strong one - but very enjoyable, all the same. 8/10

The Incredible Hulk
A more entertaining film than Ang's affair, but that's not saying much. Having watched the film, I liked it, but I'm not sure the Hulk translates well to the big screen. Now don't get me wrong - I loved the tv series from the 70s, and even the cartoon series, but I think that's the problem: the Hulk works best as an episodic character I think, not for a 2 hour film. Norton portrays Banner well, but the psychological struggle and tragedy of the Hulk isn't quite interesting enough, and there's only so much mindless obvious CGI destruction you can watch before it gets dull. I liked all the little nods to the CBS series especially, but overall, it could've been better, imo. 6/10

Iron Man 2
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Whereas the first film was an entertaining story of a douche learning to become a superhero with some pretty cool battles, here it's the superhero turning back into the douche due to a not very well written subplot which is stretched out for far too long. Here, the villain is even less interesting than the previous film's, so the main plot's not so great, and there's not that much action given to balance out the paper thin plot. I get what they were trying to do, of bringing the hero down, give him a struggle, blah blah blah, but it was weak enough to put me off the next two films in the build up to the Avengers, as I felt that Marvel had pretty much lost their touch and were just making these films as extra long Avengers trailers. 4/10

Which is a shame, considering what those next two films were...

Thor
What is it with Marvel and douches? Here we have another major Douche (yes, it has to be a capital D), with Thor starting out as an arrogant, rude, reckless, and gets into so much trouble risking the lives of so many in Asgard he's banished to Earth, where he (you guessed it) starts finding his way to redemption.

Ok, sure, the plot is kinda predictable, but it has a number of things going for it. First and foremost is how it's so wonderfully different from the start to many other superhero movies, as the film is given a nice injection of mythological fantasy. Seeing the wonderful contrast of ancient Asgard with modern day Earth is fantastic to see, and already makes it instantly clear how different it is to the other films in the Marvel series. Another is how well done the story is told, including a nice mix of character development, drama, humour and of course, some awesome fights with a big hammer!

One more thing I have to mention: Loki. He easily has to be my favourite antagonist in all the Marvel films I've seen. Simply because he's not so much a typical villain as a man who makes some very bad choices. I really loved how his character was developed in this movie and how much depth he had. As a result, this alone has made me more keen than ever to see the Avengers. 9/10

Captain America: The First Avenger
I wasn't too keen to see this movie either, as much as I enjoyed X-Men: First Class, another period superhero film. The biggest reason for this was mostly down to expecting something of a cliched American war movie with a lot of cheese. Well, to be honest, there was indeed a lot of cheese, particularly with the corny lines and the romance, but overall, it had enough things going for it for me to enjoy it. Besides, it was clear to me its cheesiness was a meant to be a part of its old school charm. It just didn't do anything for me though, really.

Right, onto the good stuff. Although the story is kinda the typical "small American guy becomes big American hero", but again, like Thor's predictable plot, it's told well enough, mainly through the characters, as Steve Rogers finds it a real struggle to truly fight for his country, even after he's injected with a magical serum that turns him from dork to...well, at least we have a Marvel hero who's interesting and is not a douche for once.

I love the 40s style given to this movie, very nostalgic, but mostly in a good way. The feel it overall creates makes me very interested in seeing how Rogers deals with such a massive culture shock of the 21st century.

What I also feel a need to mention: Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull is now my second favourite Marvel villain, ironically for the exact opposite that Loki is: he's very old school, very evil and very clear cut, and Weaving portrays that perfectly, not as a 3 dimensional character but as a total monster. And that's exactly how it should be. Oh, and Tommy Lee Jones is, unsurprisingly, awesome as the colonel.

So, despite a lot of cheesiness, not as much as expected, and overall a really good, really stylish film. 7/10

Now, for the Avengers!

[pathoftheturtle]

I agree with most of what you just said, DD, although I wouldn't actually rate any of them so high... especially Thor. Not even near as good as the Captain America movie, IMO; yes, it had some cool action & stuff, but it was just SOo illogical.

[alkanto]

The Cabin in the Woods - 7/10

I know, I know...this movie was bizarre, on so many levels. And I usually hate movies like this. But I really did enjoy myself with this one. It wasn't truly a horror film, I think. To me, it was more of a horror satire, as others have mentioned. That being said, there were some good jumpy parts and the redneck torturous zombies were fantastic! I think my favorite part, though, was the set-up in general. You know, from the very beginning, something's a bit strange, but we don't know why. The reveal at the end, that every horror movie we have ever seen was essentially a contrived senario in order to appease the old gods...it was brilliant! Plus, all the monsters in the boxes was a nice touch. I was really curious to see what would have summoned each one....and this all leading up to the gloriously over-the-top "fight scene" with the monsters and the army dudes.
As was expected, there were a lot of great lines of dialog, which is what I've come to expect from anything from Joss Whedon. Nothing here that was a belly laugh - unlike some parts of The Avengers - but I did appreciated a lot of the humor. And my favorite part, in regards to humor? When one of the suit guys got killed my the merman, after raving about one for the entire film! :lol:

Also, for everyone who has seen it (just making sure it wasn't my theatre, as they were having some troubles) did the music sometimes undergo a bit of modulation, to make it sound like the soundtrack of an older horror film? If that was done on purpose, it was a very nice, subtle touch.

[DoctorDodge]

Excellent review, Pond. I'm glad you enjoyed it for what it was. Can't wait until the blu ray release to watch it again. (As they've already stopped showing it where i am, the bastards!)

[Yaksha]

A couple of points.

Dodge I agree with most of everything you said with a few counter points. I personally thought Iron Man 2 (though not better than Iron Man) had a much better finale with the addition of Rhodey as War Machine. I like how Don Cheadle played him as an older brother who was tired of taking Tony's shit and would kick his ass, as opposed to Terrence Howard's Rhodey who was kind of a wimpy brother who was just exasperated and wouldn't really do anything besides bitch moan and complain. Though Vanko was bland, and how he built a Crimson Dynamo suit without anyone finding out is beyond me, i thought he was better than Hammer who was just an egotistical jackass whose shit didn't work.

Pond: Cabin in the Woods was a fucking awesome movie from start to finish
I loved how Marty got away from the zombies using his thermos bong. Fucking genius and especially how the movie ended with the entire world ending.

[mikeC]

Cabin in the Woods gets a 10 form me.
This would have a been a movie I made up in my mind when I was 15, it's great to see something with such a close resemblance to my likes and dislikes actually exist.
Such a fun movie.

[DoctorDodge]

So, just seen The Avengers. Naturally, I bloody loved it.

I won't say this is everything a comic book movie should be, as that kind of limits the idea of what comic book films can be. But it is the kind of film that made us want to read comics in the first place: fun, epic, with awesome battles, plenty of laughs, and overall, the kind of film that makes you feel like a kid again. That's something that's becoming preciously rarer to find in both films and television these days, that essential feeling of being a kid for a couple of hours. It's one of the reasons why my favourite show is my favourite show, and why The Avengers is one of my favourite comic films, up there with The Dark Knight and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

After 5 films of developing each of the main characters, we take a break from their individual development and see how they function as a team. In essence, this is just as much of an origin story as it is a continuation of those 5 other films. Can it be viewed on its own? I'm not too sure, as it dealt with a lot of previous backstory, particularly with that of both Thor and Captain America, but it's entertaining enough for its epic battles alone.

Speaking of which, another thing I enjoyed: the scale. This is a film that starts out a little small before leading to an almighty bang, that just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, until eventually we have that epic battle in New York. Holy shit, that was one of the most awesome effects extravaganzas I've seen yet. I mean just fucking wow. Like Pond said earlier, I'm already keen to see it again for that last hour alone.

Of course, effects aren't everything. What helps is that it's told with characters we care about and with a plot that allows us to connect to those characters, something that films like Transformers and the Matrix sequels, for all their special effects, ultimately failed to achieve.

I don't know if it's the best comic book movie of the year, as we've still got the Dark Knight Rises to wait for after all, but it's without a doubt the most entertaining movie of the year so far. 10/10

[pathoftheturtle]

... I personally thought Iron Man 2 (though not better than Iron Man) had a much better finale with the addition of Rhodey as War Machine. I like how Don Cheadle played him as an older brother who was tired of taking Tony's shit and would kick his ass, as opposed to Terrence Howard's Rhodey who was kind of a wimpy brother who was just exasperated and wouldn't really do anything besides bitch moan and complain. Though Vanko was bland, and how he built a Crimson Dynamo suit without anyone finding out is beyond me, i thought he was better than Hammer who was just an egotistical jackass whose shit didn't work.
...Well, a'right; you got some points, plus Garry Shandling is always great, but I was totally with him in the feeling "that Marvel had pretty much lost their touch and were just making these films as extra long Avengers trailers" Probably a case of too many cooks spoiling the soup -- you might have gotten a few ingredients of a kind that you want in your entertainment, but as a whole that film still was rather lame. And still, also, this entire cinema franchise are in a way spin-offs every one from the first Iron Man after all. Thanks definitely owed to RDj and to director Favreau. I just now saw Cowboys & Aliens: impressive. I mean, there's just so many other pictures below the level. He clearly has real skill for turning pop-art concept into a total movie. At least one total movie, anyway.

[DoctorDodge]

Carnage

After Jean's recommendation, I finally got round to watching this film. Thoughts? Overall, it wasn't the easiest of films to watch or the funniest of comedies. The film is essentially a very basic story of how the parents of two children, one of whom attacked the other, meet and talk about it, initially trying to be civilised before slowly breaking down over the course of the film. That's basically it, the course of the entire story taking place in the same apartment and taking place over an hour and a quarter. There were a few quotable lines, as to be expected from a Polanski film, and I really liked how it started, with the phrase "armed with a stick" being pointed out making me laugh, but it's not a film I enjoyed as much as Polanski's other films. Partially, it's the predictable subject matter - in this instance, I'm reminded of Robbie Coltrane as Fitz, hearing a murderer sob out a traumatic story from his childhood, with his reaction being, "Now that is biblical...you've just told me that sometimes, people aren't nice to each other!" The idea that even the nicest guy can have unlikeable qualities and that people can go from siding with one another to being against each other in a short time is one I've seen done before a lot, particularly from Polanski himself, and that's a great idea, but it's not very appealing when really that's all there is.

There's still a number of good points to the film that I liked: a couple being unable to find food or drink inside their own home is very Polanski, and while I didn't find the humour hysterical, there were moments that did make me laugh. Overall though, it's my least favourite Polanski film so far, as the themes covered in this film are themes he's not only done before, but covered better in Cul-de-Sac and The Tenant.

[Jean]

thank you DD, even if you didn't like it to the extent I had hoped for! Would you also read my review here (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?10975-Roman-Polanski&p=692961&viewfull=1#post692961) when you have a minute - I mean, I tend to disagree with this assessment:


The idea that even the nicest guy can have unlikeable qualities and that people can go from siding with one another to being against each other in a short time is one I've seen done before a lot, particularly from Polanski himself, and that's a great idea, but it's not very appealing when really that's all there is.

and I tried to do my best to articulate what I think the film is actually about. There are some mild Pontypool spoilers there, but even if you haven't watched it yet, they don't subtract anything from the movie.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

[DoctorDodge]

Absolutely Jean. It could be that, after seeing your perspective on it, I might enjoy the film on rewatch, which is why I haven't given it a rating. Will read and comment on your review after work.

[Heather19]

DD have you seen The Ninth Gate yet?

[DoctorDodge]

Not yet, no.

[Jean]

DD have you seen The Ninth Gate yet?oh, what a great idea! why don't I re-watch it for the 1000th time, with a pretext of writing a review I promised months ago

[fernandito]

Is that the one with Depp and Turtorro ?

[Jean]

no, you're thinking Secret Window

[Shannon]

Watched a movie on my top thirty list, 12 Angry Men last night with Amber. It was her first time, she gave it a four out of five. Crazy girl lol.

[Jean]

Watched a movie on my top thirty list, 12 Angry Men last night with Amber. It was her first time, she gave it a four out of five. Crazy girl lol.how do you mean, four? it's one of the best films in the fucking universe

[Shannon]

I blame it on her inexperience with watching great films, lol.

[fernandito]

I'm trying to think of one bad thing to say about 12 Angry Men. I can't. such a fucking incredible film.

[Yaksha]

Just watched The Goonies for the first time in years. God I love this damn movie.

[Heather19]

DD have you seen The Ninth Gate yet?oh, what a great idea! why don't I re-watch it for the 1000th time, with a pretext of writing a review I promised months ago

Yes please! :rose:

[fernandito]

Lisa - I should have El Secreto En Sus Ojos in my possession sometime within the next 2-3 days! :D

[Merlin1958]

FWIW "The Avengers" fucking ROCKS!!!!!! Go see it NOW!!!!

[Brice]

My ONLY complaint about The Avengers was that it seemed a little too long...a little too slow in the middle. There were probably parts that could have been excised to make it better, but I absolutely loved it.

[Shannon]

Nope you're wrong, I loved all of it. Fact.

lol

[beam*seeker]

The Cabin in the Woods - 7/10

I know, I know...this movie was bizarre, on so many levels. And I usually hate movies like this. But I really did enjoy myself with this one. It wasn't truly a horror film, I think. To me, it was more of a horror satire, as others have mentioned. That being said, there were some good jumpy parts and the redneck torturous zombies were fantastic! I think my favorite part, though, was the set-up in general. You know, from the very beginning, something's a bit strange, but we don't know why. The reveal at the end, that every horror movie we have ever seen was essentially a contrived senario in order to appease the old gods...it was brilliant! Plus, all the monsters in the boxes was a nice touch. I was really curious to see what would have summoned each one....and this all leading up to the gloriously over-the-top "fight scene" with the monsters and the army dudes.
As was expected, there were a lot of great lines of dialog, which is what I've come to expect from anything from Joss Whedon. Nothing here that was a belly laugh - unlike some parts of The Avengers - but I did appreciated a lot of the humor. And my favorite part, in regards to humor? When one of the suit guys got killed my the merman, after raving about one for the entire film! :lol:

Also, for everyone who has seen it (just making sure it wasn't my theatre, as they were having some troubles) did the music sometimes undergo a bit of modulation, to make it sound like the soundtrack of an older horror film? If that was done on purpose, it was a very nice, subtle touch.

This was good? It looked like total sh1t to me from the previews...I can deal with farce, however, this seems B movieish to me. Of course, to compare it, it has to stack up against the best B movies from all time (Evil Dead trilogy)

[Heather19]

The Cabin in the Woods - 7/10

I know, I know...this movie was bizarre, on so many levels. And I usually hate movies like this. But I really did enjoy myself with this one. It wasn't truly a horror film, I think. To me, it was more of a horror satire, as others have mentioned. That being said, there were some good jumpy parts and the redneck torturous zombies were fantastic! I think my favorite part, though, was the set-up in general. You know, from the very beginning, something's a bit strange, but we don't know why. The reveal at the end, that every horror movie we have ever seen was essentially a contrived senario in order to appease the old gods...it was brilliant! Plus, all the monsters in the boxes was a nice touch. I was really curious to see what would have summoned each one....and this all leading up to the gloriously over-the-top "fight scene" with the monsters and the army dudes.
As was expected, there were a lot of great lines of dialog, which is what I've come to expect from anything from Joss Whedon. Nothing here that was a belly laugh - unlike some parts of The Avengers - but I did appreciated a lot of the humor. And my favorite part, in regards to humor? When one of the suit guys got killed my the merman, after raving about one for the entire film! :lol:

Also, for everyone who has seen it (just making sure it wasn't my theatre, as they were having some troubles) did the music sometimes undergo a bit of modulation, to make it sound like the soundtrack of an older horror film? If that was done on purpose, it was a very nice, subtle touch.

This was good? It looked like total sh1t to me from the previews...I can deal with farce, however, this seems B movieish to me. Of course, to compare it, it has to stack up against the best B movies from all time (Evil Dead trilogy)

I wouldn't consider it B movieish at all. And it's nothing like Evil Dead if that's what you're expecting. It's definitely more along the lines of a spoof.

[DoctorDodge]

This was good? It looked like total sh1t to me from the previews...I can deal with farce, however, this seems B movieish to me. Of course, to compare it, it has to stack up against the best B movies from all time (Evil Dead trilogy)

That's why you should remember the golden rule: never trust the previews. The previews made it out to be more of a straight horror. However, everything I caught from word of mouth told me it was the complete opposite. As a result, it's really divided people. My recommendation: see it for yourself, and let us know what you think. Personally, I really loved it.

[Brice]

Nope you're wrong, I loved all of it. Fact.

lol


:nope: Come on now, Shannon! We all know the very idea of me being wrong about anything is absolutely absurd.

[DoctorDodge]

Yeah, it's like how I really didn't rate Carnivale that much, but in my case, I was most definitely wrong, as Brice proved when he introduced his Sicilian family to me... :scared:

[Shannon]

I miss Carnivale. :(

[Heather19]

Me too! I wish it would come back.

[fernandito]

My ONLY complaint about The Avengers was that it seemed a little too long...a little too slow in the middle. There were probably parts that could have been excised to make it better, but I absolutely loved it.

Didn't feel too long to me, although I will agree that the film did lull a bit towards the middle. Still, the film was fucking fantastic from a purely spectacle perspective.

[Shannon]

Since i made Amber watch 12 Angry Men last weekend, Amber is making me watch Gone With The Wind this weekend. I've been putting it off for forever. A classic yes, but it's just so damn long and dated. I'll keep my fingers crossed that i don't die of boredom.

[Brice]

My ONLY complaint about The Avengers was that it seemed a little too long...a little too slow in the middle. There were probably parts that could have been excised to make it better, but I absolutely loved it.

Didn't feel too long to me, although I will agree that the film did lull a bit towards the middle. Still, the film was fucking fantastic from a purely spectacle perspective.

In fairness to myself and to the film I must point out that I smoked some REALLY good weed for the first time in like a year right before watching it. While I'm never wrong my judgement may have been mildly skewed. Bonus: This was the first time in a couple years without getting violently sick.

Oh, and James is right...he is slowly becoming much more fond of Carnivale these days. ;)

[fernandito]

El Secreto De Sus Ojos - 9/10


At the risk of getting ahead of myself, this is one of the best foreign films I have ever seen.

The film is about a retired legal counselor / detective that decides to write a novel about an unresolved case that he was never able to decipher during his years as an investigator. He plans to write a novel which chronicles the events that both preceed and succeed the murder.

One of the things that fascinates me the most about this film is the use of silences and prolonged eye contact as plot devices. At several key scenes during the film, there are instances where deafening silence takes precedence over sound and speech, the eyes telling a the tale much better than words ever could. Thankfully, it never feels contrived or forced or awkward.

None of that would be possible without the amazing cast. They all have seamless on screen chemistry together and I'm hard pressed to think of a film that uses the work place as a sigul of romance better than this one. The nature of the murder is gruesome, but luckily the film never turns into a grisly affair, it's all about the characters and their attempts to understand the hows and whys. The film is saved from being altogether morbid via some cleverly executed and well timed comedic deliveries.

An amazing film.

[Yaksha]

John Carter 8.75/10

Why did this movie get such a bad rep? It was fucking awesome. Sure it was a kinda predictable action adventure cgi fest, but i enjoyed the hell out of it. And since I love sci fi movies that deal primitive people on a more technologically advanced world, this was great. Great acting, especially by Willem Dafoe, great story, decent CGI, makes this a must see at least in my opinion

[Heather19]

Since i made Amber watch 12 Angry Men last weekend, Amber is making me watch Gone With The Wind this weekend. I've been putting it off for forever. A classic yes, but it's just so damn long and dated. I'll keep my fingers crossed that i don't die of boredom.

Good luck! ;)
I finally watched it last year. I had put it off for so long cause it never interested me. But I do love classic films, so I gave it a shot. But... not my type of film :lol:

[Shannon]

Damn, this is not good news. You and I are movie buddies, we normally like the same things. Here's hopin' ... lol

[Jean]

El Secreto De Sus Ojos - 9/10


At the risk of getting ahead of myself, this is one of the best foreign films I have ever seen. Yes, same here. It will definitely make my top 100 (which I have to revise some time soon)

I am totally in love with the ending, wihen

the door closes on them

and that sequence of

her running after the train,

music and all, is among the most moving (and perfect) I know

[DoctorDodge]

Ok, that's one I need to see, then!

[Jean]

Yes.

[DoctorDodge]

Added to the lovefilm list and set it on high, so I should be able to watch it soon. Which reminds me: need to watch the current ones i'm renting, All Quiet on the Western Front and Harvey. I'll try and watch those this weekend.

[Jean]

Harvey! Bears love

[DoctorDodge]

That's why I'm renting it, Jean.

[beam*seeker]

Anyone going to an early screening of MiB3? It will probably pale next to the first one, but I like the acting roster so far.

[Heather19]

Damn, this is not good news. You and I are movie buddies, we normally like the same things. Here's hopin' ... lol

Well it is considered one of the great classics, and most people love it so hopefully you'll have more luck than me. I'll be curious what you think of it.

[DoctorDodge]

My ONLY complaint about The Avengers was that it seemed a little too long...a little too slow in the middle. There were probably parts that could have been excised to make it better, but I absolutely loved it.

Didn't feel too long to me, although I will agree that the film did lull a bit towards the middle. Still, the film was fucking fantastic from a purely spectacle perspective.

In fairness to myself and to the film I must point out that I smoked some REALLY good weed for the first time in like a year right before watching it. While I'm never wrong my judgement may have been mildly skewed. Bonus: This was the first time in a couple years without getting violently sick.

Oh, and James is right...he is slowly becoming much more fond of Carnivale these days. ;)

Well, I didn't say that Brice, I just didn't think it was good. I've been corrected. Still find it boring, though.

[Shannon]

John Carter
Shannon - 5/5
Amber - 5/5

A good copy finally came online not too long ago, so Amber and I decided to watch it. It was one of those movies that we saw a trailer for and though "We should go watch this in the theatre ..." but didn't really have any motivation to do so. So ... we watched it today, and loved it. It does fall into the Avatar/Dances With Wolves/Planet Of The Apes storyline, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Great action, good storyline, and the cgi characters were very well done. Woolah FTW! See it.

Shannon

[Brice]

My ONLY complaint about The Avengers was that it seemed a little too long...a little too slow in the middle. There were probably parts that could have been excised to make it better, but I absolutely loved it.

Didn't feel too long to me, although I will agree that the film did lull a bit towards the middle. Still, the film was fucking fantastic from a purely spectacle perspective.

In fairness to myself and to the film I must point out that I smoked some REALLY good weed for the first time in like a year right before watching it. While I'm never wrong my judgement may have been mildly skewed. Bonus: This was the first time in a couple years without getting violently sick.

Oh, and James is right...he is slowly becoming much more fond of Carnivale these days. ;)

Well, I didn't say that Brice, I just didn't think it was good. I've been corrected. Still find it boring, though.

I see more "counseling" is in order. Soon you will love it like you love doctor who, I promise. :)

[DoctorDodge]

:lol: We both know that's not true, man, but I'm hoping I'll like more of it, at least. :)

[Brice]

You forget my people can be quite convincing. ;)

[DoctorDodge]

And you forget I have Scottish blood. I can take a lot of..."convincing." I can even throw some back, too. I can make a very compelling argument. :evil:

[Brice]

The other half of the family is Irish/German. :lol:

[Still Servant]

John Carter
Shannon - 5/5
Amber - 5/5

A good copy finally came online not too long ago, so Amber and I decided to watch it. It was one of those movies that we saw a trailer for and though "We should go watch this in the theatre ..." but didn't really have any motivation to do so. So ... we watched it today, and loved it. It does fall into the Avatar/Dances With Wolves/Planet Of The Apes storyline, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Great action, good storyline, and the cgi characters were very well done. Woolah FTW! See it.

Shannon

I don't think John Carter was nearly as bad as some people made it out to be. I think it had a horrible marketing campaign and that's what did it in. I'm a little bit worried about Taylor Kitsch. First John Carter tanks and now it looks like Battleship is on its way to being shipwrecked, which shouldn't really shock anybody. I'm a believer in him as an actor. I thought he was great on Friday Night Lights and I don't see any reason why he can't be a leading man. I think we will get a better gauge after this summer's Savages, which is a more serious role.

Project Nim - 9.5/10

I love my documentaries and it's been a little while since I've seen one. They tend to go in phases for me. Anyway, this is one of the better documentaries I've seen in recent years. You could say it's kind of a companion piece to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The film asks a lot of questions about whether or not it's right to keep animals in captivity. It also explores mans desire to communicate with animals on a higher level.

In the end, Nim's story is fascinating, funny, heartbreaking and eye opening all at the same time. Track this one down if you can.

[Merlin1958]

John Carter
Shannon - 5/5
Amber - 5/5

A good copy finally came online not too long ago, so Amber and I decided to watch it. It was one of those movies that we saw a trailer for and though "We should go watch this in the theatre ..." but didn't really have any motivation to do so. So ... we watched it today, and loved it. It does fall into the Avatar/Dances With Wolves/Planet Of The Apes storyline, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Great action, good storyline, and the cgi characters were very well done. Woolah FTW! See it.

Shannon

FWIW I enjoyed it as well!!!

[Mattrick]

"It's been so long since I've seen a movie I can't even recall what the last movie I watched was! Feeling the need for a Kill Bill rewatch though, most definitely. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey"

[DoctorDodge]

Mattrick! Nice to see you back on the boards again, bruv! Btw, before Kill Bill, you do know what British comedy you need to watch next, don't ya? ;)

[Mattrick]

If I could download anything I'would but virus on my main computer and my laptop is too crap to download anything haha.

[Shannon]

Shameless (US): Season 2
Shannon: 4/5 overall
Amber 4/5 overall

We liked the first season better (5s from both of us) but this season kicked it into high gear making the characters just that much more white trashy. An enjoyable watch.

Gangs Of New York
Shannon (first time): 4/5
Amber: 4/5

A little bit unnecessarily long by about a half hour, and I feel they didn't make the main antagonist "bad" enough to be the focus of the protagonist's revenge scheme. But, with that being said, it was a good movie and Daniel-Day Lewis was fucking amazing. I got Heath Ledger Joker vibes from the character he created. Not that they played the same type of character or anything, I just mean that he made it his own. Worth a watch.

A Time To Kill
Shannon: 5/5
Amber (first time): 5/5

Amber made me watch Gangs Of New York, so I made her watch A Time To Kill. Don't know why I chose that movie above all others, I just did. I think it's because somewhere along the long weekend I found out that she hadn't seen it before. I love being able to show her new things. :) Watched it, she loved it, I've always loved it, and Matthew McConaughey's final summary monologue is what I believe to be his best work. Great movie.

[mystima]

Just came back from watching Wrath of the Titans....The graphics were good...but the story is old....If I didn't play the GOW games, it would have been better...Seemed like they took the story from the first two games and made a movie about it only without Kratos and with Perseus.

[DoctorDodge]

Ok, just saw two films at the cinema. Here are my thoughts:

Prometheus
Well, I'm sure we've all heard plenty about this by now. Thoughts? At times, there's a bit of an odd mixture to it - initially, it has the feeling of exploration, before going into moments of sick, twisted horror before heading into scifi adventure. It's like watching an episode of Star Trek mixed with Alien before heading into, well, 2009's Star Trek movie. It wasn't a bad mix, just a very odd one.

Oh, speaking of Alien, a lot of you fans will certainly enjoy the nice little references to the original films, as long as you're not expecting Alien Zero. It's true what they said: Prometheus shares the same universe, but ultimately wants to tell it's own xenomorph free story. Still, I will say this: Alien fans are also likely to enjoy this for the new sick arsed monsters this film unleashes on the audience. In fact, it might be the closest thing to a true spiritual successor to the original film than any of the sequels, which I suspect was Ridley Scott's intention, partially at least.

Overall, I'd give it a 7/10. Pretty decent film that's not quite as good as the first two Alien films, but is definitely the best film of that universe since those two.

As for the other film I saw:

The Raid
This is one I've been wanting to see for a while, and I had to make a bit of an effort to see it, during a late night showing, but my god, was it worth it! To me, it rivalled The Avengers as most awesome, adrenaline fuelled, hardcore pleasing film of the year! The plot is simple, really simple: a bunch of police storm an apartment building in Indonesia, hoping to take out the drug lord that rules it. One problem though: the police instead become trapped inside and get attacked by nearly all the psychotic residents living there. That's basically it, so not one you see for the plot. For the action, though? Holy shit, I really haven't seen anything like it. There's gun fights, marsial arts, machetes, exploding fridges, people falling out of windows, throats slashed, it's just insane! When there's not an action scene going on, the director makes sure that the quieter scenes are mostly filled with unbearable tension, as the police get more and more cornered within the building. There's a real claustrophobic air to the film at times, which was something else I loved.

Anyone out there who loves seriously violent, adult action flicks, go and see this now. You will not be dissapointed. 9/10

[Ricky]

How did you see Prometheus already, DD?! Is it released earlier in the UK? We don't get it until the 8th.

[frik]

It has been released in many European countries. I hope to see it in a couple of hours.

sk

[Shannon]

Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers are my top three most looking-forward-to movies of the year. Avengers was awesome, impatiently waiting the other two. :)

Looking forward to seeing the Raid, the trailer was great. I think I might download it now.

This Means War
Shannon (first time): 3/5
Amber (first time): 3/5

Eh ... nothing too special. I wouldn't recommend it, but it was a decent enough watch.

Battlestar Galactica (2003): The Miniseries
Shannon: 4/5
Amber (first time): 4/5

Yay, started BSG tonight with Amber. Gotta start with the miniseries before you watch the actual show, for anyone that doesn't know. It's a LITTLE bit slow and drawn out if you watch the four part miniseries in one sitting (three hours), but it sets the stage for one of the best shows ever produced on television. To me, my favorite shows always involve Fate and Destiny ... the becoming of someone you were always meant to be. Lost was like that, and BSG was also. :)

[Jean]

I, miraculously, managed to finish two films yesterday; loved both, but in my current lethargic condition it took me weeks.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death - recommended by Heather :rose: - beautiful, somber, subtle, elegant. Enjoyed it immensely; adored the two girls (both are very unusual) and the cinematography.

Masters of Horror: Imprint (by Takashi Miike). Bizarre, disgusting, just what bears love. The development was exceedingly silly towards the end, and graphic torture (Miike's trademark) is tasteless and pointless; but otherwise it's a near-perfect short flick.

[DoctorDodge]

How did you see Prometheus already, DD?! Is it released earlier in the UK? We don't get it until the 8th.

Oh, you don't get to see it for another week, Ricky? Well that's a shame.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/259/4/f/kevin_the_office_kool_aid_man_by_micro5797-d2yvj6g.gif

[Heather19]

I, miraculously, managed to finish two films yesterday; loved both, but in my current lethargic condition it took me weeks.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death - recommended by Heather :rose: - beautiful, somber, subtle, elegant. Enjoyed it immensely; adored the two girls (both are very unusual) and the cinematography.

Excellent! I have to bump this one to the top of my list now. I forgot about it.


Masters of Horror: Imprint (by Takashi Miike). Bizarre, disgusting, just what bears love. The development was exceedingly silly towards the end, and graphic torture (Miike's trademark) is tasteless and pointless; but otherwise it's a near-perfect short flick.

Agreed! I couldn't take this one. That fingernail scene... :scared:

[Jean]

Bwahaha. I watched it last night, and tonight I was going to acupuncture - for the first time in my life. I didn't even tell anyone. Now that I'm safely back, I can brag about it - having needles stuck into you right after this movie is something very special indeed!

[DoctorDodge]

How the hell do you watch that kind of stuff, Jean? I just read "fingernail scene" from Heather and all I can think is, "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" :scared:

Now there's a part of me that wants to see it. Shit.

[Heather19]

How the hell do you watch that kind of stuff, Jean? I just read "fingernail scene" from Heather and all I can think is, "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" :scared:

Now there's a part of me that wants to see it. Shit.

No, trust me you don't! :lol:

[Jean]

Thor. Easily, one of the worst movies I've seen in my life.

[DoctorDodge]

See, this is why it makes me laugh that I recommended you not one but two films that you greatly enjoyed: I gave Thor a 9/10! :lol:

[Jean]

I can't fucking believe it. I'd give it a zero, and consider it generous. Where do the other 9 come from?

[DoctorDodge]

Well, just for being an entertaining comic book movie. Also, really enjoyed the fantasy mythology/superhero combo.

Obviously, I don't find it nearly as satisfying as This is England or Quadrophenia, but for a blockbuster movie, it was pretty darn good. Imho.

[Jean]

DD - you recommended me - not two, not even three - but four movies I loved! You forgot Shawn of the Dead, and

---------------------------------------------

no, I can't believe you did!!!

[Jean]

Well, just for being an entertaining comic book movie. Also, really enjoyed the fantasy mythology/superhero combo.
ok, it explains 2
but the other 7?!..

[DoctorDodge]

DD - you recommended me - not two, not even three - but four movies I loved! You forgot Shawn of the Dead, and

---------------------------------------------

no, I can't believe you did!!!

Oh no, Withnail & I and Quadrophenia were top of the list, because they weren't two films you loved, they were two films you loved when i said "2 recommendations". I just mentioned "This Is England" in my last post because it's clear from the title that it's awesome. Specifically, from the 3rd word. :lol:

[Jean]

: nods :

[DoctorDodge]

Which reminds me: I do have to watch "Made in Britain", as well! :lol:

[Shannon]

How can you give Thor a 0? I rate films 1 to 5, with five being near perfect. To me a 0 (or 1) is like watching static or a really badly made film school project. Something you're forced to endure. Thor had a decent enough storyline, decent enough action, the special effects were good, some of the camera work was GREAT (the trying to lift the hammer in the rain scene stands out), and the acting was pretty good (Tom Hiddleston was damn good as Loki, especially).

We've had the discussion of film vs. movie before, but just because a movie isn't a film doesn't mean you should automatically disregard it or rate it lower. Viewing a film/movie and actually enjoying it is just as important, if not more so, than viewing a film/movie and having it open new emotions and mental pathways in myself.

[Jean]

We've had the discussion of film vs. movie before, but just because a movie isn't a film doesn't mean you should automatically disregard it or rate it lower. Viewing a film/movie and actually enjoying it is just as important, if not more so, than viewing a film/movie and having it open new emotions and mental pathways in myself.Don't know about "more so", but totally agree about it being equally important. The matter is, different people are entertained by different stuff. I've seen quite a lot of, say, action films I've enjoyed - Speed, Terminator 2, all of the Lethal Weapon saga and Die Hard with a Vengeance come to mind immediately - but here I just wasn't entertained; at least not by anything the filmmakers expected me to.


How can you give Thor a 0? I rate films 1 to 5, with five being near perfect. To me a 0 (or 1) is like watching static or a really badly made film school project. Something you're forced to endure. Thor had a decent enough storyline, decent enough action, the special effects were good, some of the camera work was GREAT (the trying to lift the hammer in the rain scene stands out), Yes, you see, it's here that we disagree. I found the storyline ridiculous, the action boring and the acting (with one single exception) atrocious. As far as special effects and this particular type of camera work are concerned, it's just something that I can never appreciate in a movie - you can consider me color-blind or tone-deaf regarding these things. All in all, Thor embodies everything I hate in a movie, and would be my archetype of a bad film, if not for this:


Tom Hiddleston was damn good as Loki, especiallyHiddleston was the only reason I watched it to begin with - a very dear friend asked me to have a close look at him - and yes, his acting was in an entirely different league than the rest of the movie. No wonder they carefully trimmed it, removing all scenes that were, too, in a different league and clashed with the rest. I watched the deleted scenes, and one of them was especially good:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFt0YPyYGhs

if the whole movie was like this, it would be watchable - but it couldn't live up to this, so the scene was removed

On second thoughts, I would give it a 1 - earned entirely by Hiddleston.

[Shannon]

That was a really good scene, a shame they didn't leave it in the movie.

[Ben Staad]

Thor was a snooze fest for me as well. I love comic books made into movies however this one was tough to watch. Boring acting and dialogue coupled with, what to me, seemed to be very odd editing. The Thor character in The Avengers was much better and real. Maybe this proves the above points that the actor is good but the script for Thor wasn't?

[frik]

Ok, just saw two films at the cinema. Here are my thoughts:

Prometheus
Well, I'm sure we've all heard plenty about this by now. Thoughts? At times, there's a bit of an odd mixture to it - initially, it has the feeling of exploration, before going into moments of sick, twisted horror before heading into scifi adventure. It's like watching an episode of Star Trek mixed with Alien before heading into, well, 2009's Star Trek movie. It wasn't a bad mix, just a very odd one.

Oh, speaking of Alien, a lot of you fans will certainly enjoy the nice little references to the original films, as long as you're not expecting Alien Zero. It's true what they said: Prometheus shares the same universe, but ultimately wants to tell it's own xenomorph free story. Still, I will say this: Alien fans are also likely to enjoy this for the new sick arsed monsters this film unleashes on the audience. In fact, it might be the closest thing to a true spiritual successor to the original film than any of the sequels, which I suspect was Ridley Scott's intention, partially at least.

Overall, I'd give it a 7/10. Pretty decent film that's not quite as good as the first two Alien films, but is definitely the best film of that universe since those two.


In spite of quite a few so-so reviews, I loved Prometheus. I agree with much of what you're saying here. I really like the fact it's (practically) an Alien-free movie. Well, there are aliens, but no ALIENS to be found till...no spoilers.
Prometheus is about exploring themes like the origin of man, creation, religion. Maybe sounds boring to some, but I had a far from boring time. It's a gorgeous looking movie, has some great set-pieces and is, as far as I'm concerned, the best movie of the year so far.

9/10

sk

[Merlin1958]

Ok, just saw two films at the cinema. Here are my thoughts:

Prometheus
Well, I'm sure we've all heard plenty about this by now. Thoughts? At times, there's a bit of an odd mixture to it - initially, it has the feeling of exploration, before going into moments of sick, twisted horror before heading into scifi adventure. It's like watching an episode of Star Trek mixed with Alien before heading into, well, 2009's Star Trek movie. It wasn't a bad mix, just a very odd one.

Oh, speaking of Alien, a lot of you fans will certainly enjoy the nice little references to the original films, as long as you're not expecting Alien Zero. It's true what they said: Prometheus shares the same universe, but ultimately wants to tell it's own xenomorph free story. Still, I will say this: Alien fans are also likely to enjoy this for the new sick arsed monsters this film unleashes on the audience. In fact, it might be the closest thing to a true spiritual successor to the original film than any of the sequels, which I suspect was Ridley Scott's intention, partially at least.

Overall, I'd give it a 7/10. Pretty decent film that's not quite as good as the first two Alien films, but is definitely the best film of that universe since those two.


In spite of quite a few so-so reviews, I loved Prometheus. I agree with much of what you're saying here. I really like the fact it's (practically) an Alien-free movie. Well, there are aliens, but no ALIENS to be found till...no spoilers.
Prometheus is about exploring themes like the origin of man, creation, religion. Maybe sounds boring to some, but I had a far from boring time. It's a gorgeous looking movie, has some great set-pieces and is, as far as I'm concerned, the best movie of the year so far.

9/10

sk

Better than "The Avengers"?

[DoctorDodge]

I wouldn't rate Prometheus higher than "The Avengers" personally, Merlin, although I will say, for sheer thrill-power alone, action film The Raid is equal to it.

[Merlin1958]

I wouldn't rate Prometheus higher than "The Avengers" personally, Merlin, although I will say, for sheer thrill-power alone, action film The Raid is equal to it.

The Raid is an older film, no? Isn't that the film about a raid on a prison camp? If so, that was indeed a great flick.

[DoctorDodge]

No, the one i'm going on about is an Indonesian film released this year that I saw same night as Prometheus. Called The Raid: Redemption in the US. It's an action film about a bunch of cops storming into an apartmen building owned by a drug lord, only to get attacked by everyone in the building. Plot's real simple, but action wise, it gives you everything: gun fights, martial arts, machetes, bloody executions, the works. If you can track it down, it's well worth seeing.

[Heather19]

I don't know that I would ever rate a movie a 0, but there are certainly plenty I would rate a 1. Just for the fact that I didn't enjoy it. And the 1 point would probably go to how it's made. But if I hate a movie, regardless of how well it's directed/edited/etc I wouldn't rate it much higher. And that's out of 10. But that's just me. There's a big film from a few years ago that I think I gave a 1 to shocking lots of people :lol:

[frik]

Better than "The Avengers"?

I had a great time with The Avengers, but I definitely enjoyed Prometheus more.
Which, of course, doesn't answer your question. :)

sk

[fernandito]

Comparing those two are like comparing apples and oranges. Different styles, different focus - a cerebral film vs a visual effects extravaganza.

Pity that I have to wait until Friday to see Prometheus -_____-

Jean - I'm also mildly upset that you decided to watch Thor before The Dark Knight. That just won't do.

[DoctorDodge]

To be fair, Fernando...given Jean's reaction to Inception, do you think he would enjoy The Dark Knight much more?

[Jean]

There's a big film from a few years ago that I think I gave a 1 to shocking lots of people :lol:what was it?



Jean - I'm also mildly upset that you decided to watch Thor before The Dark Knight. That just won't do.


To be fair, Fernando...given Jean's reaction to Inception, do you think he would enjoy The Dark Knight much more?
ohhhh... I don't think I can take another similar case right now... I've just watched Barton Fink, which served as a wonderful antidote, but I think I'll also re-watch Midnight in Paris, finish Melancholia, and throw a few The Tenant re-watches in between... then I might be ready.

[fernandito]

To be fair, Fernando...given Jean's reaction to Inception, do you think he would enjoy The Dark Knight much more?

why wouldn't he ? no two films by any director are carbon copies. it's like saying you won't like Goodfellas if you didn't like Shutter Island. besides, TDK is a much more straight forward film.

[Heather19]

There's a big film from a few years ago that I think I gave a 1 to shocking lots of people :lol:what was it?

Don't look Feev
Avatar, just not my type of film.

[DoctorDodge]

To be fair, Fernando...given Jean's reaction to Inception, do you think he would enjoy The Dark Knight much more?

why wouldn't he ? no two films by any director are carbon copies. it's like saying you won't like Goodfellas if you didn't like Shutter Island. besides, TDK is a much more straight forward film.

Maybe, but Nolan does have a distinctive style, and out of the three films Jean's watched, he's only really enjoyed The Prestige, which is so far quite different to everything else I've watched of Nolan's. I'm just remembering some comments about Inception that Jean made - including editing and dialogue and such - that stylistically could be said of Nolan's Batman trilogy. I'm not saying I don't think they're great films - The Dark Knight is easily one of the best comic book movies I've watched - I'm just saying it may not be Jean's cup of tea.

Besides, he hated Inception! Even I didn't think that was possible! :lol:

[Mattrick]

Men In Black 3 - A great summer movie, it has an ingenious plot, the perforances are all good (especially Josh Brolin) and it's fast paced an very witty with a lot of tongue in cheek humour. It's hugely a step up from the abysmal sequel and in my opinion, even better than the first one was.

4/5

Pontypool - I've disussed it before...still an awesome, awesome movie.

5/5

Chronicle - This was a great movie. I love movies told by the camera and this movie does an interesting job of blending multiple cameras together to form a more cohesive narrative. Sure it starts off with typical teen drama crap but it's not bad by any means, but watching the arcs of the characters and the sheer mystery behind what was in the hole to begin with I loved. I wasn't expecting much from this movie from the trailers but glad I watched it.

4/5

Very Bad Things - A great dark comedy. For those who don't know about the movie...it's best kept that way. The less said the better for shock value, let's just say it's dark and twisted. Christian Slater is so great in this movie, as are Daniel Stern and Cameron Diaz. Love the gas station scene and the very end of the movie. I HIGHLY recommend this movie...if you can stomach it's content and see the humour in it, you'll love it.

4/5

[Mattrick]

I'm assuming Jean would enjoy Insomnia by Nolan a great deal...Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, can't go wrong with a cast like that!

[Emily]

Mattrick, I felt basically the same way about Chronicle. I didn't have high hopes from the trailer but ended up really loving it. I loved that they basically left the why of it up to your imagination and just focused on the emotions and day to day lives of the guys. Great movie.

[Ricky]

Getting in the conversation here, I don't think I could ever give a movie a 0 rating. Even bad films I've watched (and would never want to watch again) there's been some type of redeeming quality, whether it be scores/sound effects, editing, etc.

I walked out of Bruno maybe 20 minutes in (easily one of the worst/pointless movies I've seen) but even that had some redeeming moments of genuine comedy that saves it from a 0 rating.


http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/259/4/f/kevin_the_office_kool_aid_man_by_micro5797-d2yvj6g.gif

Kevin! :lol:


I don't know that I would ever rate a movie a 0, but there are certainly plenty I would rate a 1. Just for the fact that I didn't enjoy it. And the 1 point would probably go to how it's made.

Now I have to know. :lol:


Pontypool - I've disussed it before...still an awesome, awesome movie.

5/5

I put this in my Netflix queue awhile ago based on your recommendation, but I also did that with Dark City and that was awful. One more chance! :P

[DoctorDodge]

You didn't like Dark City, Ricky?!? :o

Not that I've seen it, but I'd like to get round to it sometime. :lol:

And I'd thought you'd appreciate the Kevin! :D

[Shannon]

The only movie I ever walked out of was Brokeback Mountain. lol, and not even for the gay scenes, which don't bother me at all. I was deployed to Qatar (desert) and they had free movies going on all the time there on base. Old movies, new movies, just ... everything. And since there wasn't too much to do, I went a lot. Like, everyday, lol. So, Brokeback Mountain was playing and I figured, eh, why not? About a half hour into it, I walked out. It was so. damn. boring. Just two guys frolicking in the woods. That's it. Now, granted, I didn't give it much of a chance to begin with, and everything I hear about it tells me it's actually a pretty good movie. Maybe one day I'll get back to it. Eh, we'll see.

And, on that note, the only movie I ever turned off was Scarface. The first time I tried watching it, started it, turned it off. Very slow, very dated, very boring. A couple years later I tried watching it again and ended up finishing it. Not great, but decent enough.

[Mattrick]

Ricky didn't like Dark City? It's a masterpiece! That's shocking to me. Pontypool is very great, a nice homage to War of the Worlds and a unique twist on zombie horror.


And if you haven't seen the rest of Bruno there is some seriously funny stuff in it. It's not as good as Borat of course but I'd still give it a 3/5.

[Ricky]

Yeah, I really wasn't a fan of Dark City. I think it had great potential (and there were some good portions and effects that I enjoyed) but it was too much of a mish-mash of a bunch of other sci-fi films (Blade Runner, etc.) for my taste.

I will check out Pontypool though. It was On Demand but they took it off so I'll have to wait for Netflix.

[fernandito]

Oh man, I freakin LOVE Dark City. The atmosphere and use of lighting in that film is amazing. My only complaint is that it feels too short, another 20 minutes of runtime would have done it well.

[Mattrick]

I saw Dark City in theatres, as I had been anticipating it for a year. Oh yeah, some of my friends are jealous about that :D

[Heather19]

I guess I should rewatch Dark City. I saw it years and years ago, but don't really remember anything about it.

And Ricky, I'm almost positive Pontypool is on youtube as well. It's a great film, I think you'll enjoy it.

Mattrick have you ever seen Stake Land? I saw it a few months back, excellent film. It kinda combines a post-apocalyptic type film with a vampire film.

[Ricky]

another 20 minutes of runtime would have done it well.

No! Pleeeeease! :lol:

[Ben Staad]

Mattrick have you ever seen Stake Land? I saw it a few months back, excellent film. It kinda combines a post-apocalyptic type film with a vampire film.

+1 on Stake Land. Post-apocalyptic and vampires were right up my alley.

[Mattrick]

Eberts review of Stakeland sounded pretty good, just haven't had the oppourtunity to watch it yet.

[Yaksha]

Prometheus. Epic. Awesome. Fucking great movie. Nuff said

[fernandito]

You bastard. I won't get to see it until tonight the earliest, most likely tomorrow morning matinee. Can't freakin' wait.

Rewatched Cronenberg's The Brood yesterday after years of not having done so. Still a very disturbing film. He is, for me, the master of body horror. 6.5/10

[Randall Flagg]

I saw Prometheus yesterday. Dark and brooding it refers to Alien in subtle, and not so subtle ways. I give it 4.5 beers on the 6-Pack rating system.

[Shannon]

4/5 for me.

[fernandito]

I'm going to start a spoiler thread for it so we can discuss it freely. I NEED to talk about that movie with someone.

[Ricky]

Feev, did you post a review yet? I don't think I saw one from you. ;)

[stone, rose, unfound door]

Last movie I saw was The Avengers (I know, I'm pretty late on this). Pretty boring all in all, although graphically pleasing. Would rate it 2.5/5 (saved by the graphics and a few funny Hulk scenes)

[fernandito]

Feev, did you post a review yet? I don't think I saw one from you. ;)

I was going to, but there was no way for me to do write out a fully fleshed review without referencing certain key points so I decided to make the spoiler thread. Have you seen it yet ? Join us !

[Ricky]

I'm seeing it on Thursday! I'm hoping it's good. I generally don't like the "going up in space and finding something mysterious" type movies, but it looks very well done.

Can you at least post an /10 rating, por favor?

[fernandito]

Prometheus - 7.5/10

[Ricky]

Really? I don't know what to think now. Is it accurate that there are a lot of plot holes?

[fernandito]

Not so much plot holes as much as there were a lot of things that weren't explained that should have been and certain things that seemed important were simply glossed over.

However, don't let my words affect your mood for the film. I've seen some very polorazing reviews. Just watch it with no pre conceived notions and come back and discuss it with us.

[Ricky]

Plan on it! I saw the trailer(s) awhile ago but purposely haven't rewatched them. I'll be going in only knowing that there's a ship looking for the origins of creation.

No spoilers para mi. :D

[Ricky]

We Need to Talk About Kevin

The film follows Eva, a young woman coping with the aftermath of an “incident” (not revealed until later in the film) caused by her son, Kevin.

The film focuses on Eva’s character and her mentality, providing the perfect opportunity for Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton to shine in the role. And she does. Swinton carries the film with such ease, making the viewer care about character first and plot second. Whether through subtle facial expressions or dead-honest disclosures of worries or opinions of Kevin and his dangerous acts, she creates a true and believable character that is as multi-faceted as Kevin is mysterious.

Throughout the near two hour runtime, the film’s subject matter lends itself to themes of mothering, love, abandonment, mental disorders, posing the question of how do you react when you simply do not love your own child? It is this question that is the basis for Eva’s character and the film as a whole, as she cannot distinguish what of Kevin’s personality is nature versus nature. Is Kevin’s destructive acts and personality due to Eva’s mothering (or lack thereof)? Is Kevin mentally damaged? Or is he merely just a bad seed? The film poses such questions, planting seeds that support numerous interpretations, allowing the viewer to decide for himself the cause of Kevin’s actions and personality.

Despite Swinton’s shining performance, the film is not without its flaws. The film jumps from past to present as Eva recalls memories of her life pre-Kevin, Kevin’s youth, etc., leading up to the present. While it’s easy enough to distinguish “when” we are in the film, the film doesn’t possess as smooth of a quality as it could have. The result is often quick-cut and questionably illogically placed scenes.

If nothing else, the film can be praised for its raising of some taboo subject matters and as told through the perspective of a mother, exploring whether being a mother has any influence on mothering. The film does lag in places, but Swinton keeps the viewer actively engaged in the film’s central characters, making us wonder why we need to talk about Kevin.

7/10

[Shannon]

Tilda Swinton put me off from watching that film. She's in my "Oh, I hate her!" actress list. Along with Renee Zellweger.

[Jean]

We Need to Talk About Kevin

The film follows Eva, a young woman coping with the aftermath of an “incident” (not revealed until later in the film) caused by her son, Kevin.

The film focuses on Eva’s character and her mentality, providing the perfect opportunity for Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton to shine in the role. And she does. Swinton carries the film with such ease, making the viewer care about character first and plot second. Whether through subtle facial expressions or dead-honest disclosures of worries or opinions of Kevin and his dangerous acts, she creates a true and believable character that is as multi-faceted as Kevin is mysterious.

Throughout the near two hour runtime, the film’s subject matter lends itself to themes of mothering, love, abandonment, mental disorders, posing the question of how do you react when you simply do not love your own child? It is this question that is the basis for Eva’s character and the film as a whole, as she cannot distinguish what of Kevin’s personality is nature versus nature. Is Kevin’s destructive acts and personality due to Eva’s mothering (or lack thereof)? Is Kevin mentally damaged? Or is he merely just a bad seed? The film poses such questions, planting seeds that support numerous interpretations, allowing the viewer to decide for himself the cause of Kevin’s actions and personality.

Despite Swinton’s shining performance, the film is not without its flaws. The film jumps from past to present as Eva recalls memories of her life pre-Kevin, Kevin’s youth, etc., leading up to the present. While it’s easy enough to distinguish “when” we are in the film, the film doesn’t possess as smooth of a quality as it could have. The result is often quick-cut and questionably illogically placed scenes.

If nothing else, the film can be praised for its raising of some taboo subject matters and as told through the perspective of a mother, exploring whether being a mother has any influence on mothering. The film does lag in places, but Swinton keeps the viewer actively engaged in the film’s central characters, making us wonder why we need to talk about Kevin.

7/10
What a wonderful review. Now I really want to watch it.

[DoctorDodge]

Sorry, but every time I hear of that film or book now, all I can think of is this:
http://joelhopkins.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/alan1.jpg

:rofl:

[Ricky]

Thanks, Jean! It was a very interesting film. Not entirely what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. And there's brilliant usage of the color red throughout the film, which I forgot to mention in my review.

[fernandito]

Match Point -

Wow, what a wonderful gem we have here. I have to admit that I'm not a big Woody Allen fan, not because I don't like his films, simply because I've never felt particularly inclined to seek them out out. Much to my delight, this turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

At it's core the film is a tale of morality, fidelity, the whimsical nature of luck and the pivotal role it plays in our lives. I'd expand on this last portion a bit but I would ruin certain aspects of the film. The less you know about it going in, the better.

The cast is all top notch : Scarlett Johannsson as the troubled American actress Nora, Jonathan Rhys Myers (who looks like Joaquin Phoenix reincarnated) as the morally devious Chris, and Matthew Goode as the crass and somewhat gullible Tom. All play off each other perfectly and the collective cast has great on screen chemistry together.

Highly recommended.

8.5/10

[Heather19]

:thumbsup: I love that movie.

[Shannon]

Haywire
Shannon (first time): 2/5

Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton. With that kind of line-up, there's no way this movie could be bad, right? Wrong. I HATE Steven Soderbergh. I didn't know he directed this going in, but as the movie played on, I got a very strong "Ocean's Twelve" and "Ocean's Thirteen" vibe, both of which I ALSO thought were directed horribly. The plot is easy enough (the "twist" happens about halfway through the movie), the acting is decent, the fight scenes are pretty good, but man oh man, the direction sucks. It was WORK getting through this movie. Such a shame too, it had potential.

[Ricky]

I've been wanting to rate/review Prometheus since I saw it yesterday but the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to wait until I see it a second time. Still a lot of thoughts and theories going through my mind.

[Randall Flagg]

Just viewed "Rock of Ages". Corny, predictable, maudlin, and an absolute joy! Tom Cruise's performance may be the best of his career-simply a tour de force. He went far out on a ledge. I just love Rock and Roll, in 1987 I was 27 years old so the songs resonate with me, and they took them in new and wonderful directions. I give it 5 beers on the Six Pack Rating system.

EDIT:
Oh, forgot to note, the remix of the 80's rock had a much better bass line.

[Shannon]

In 2012 I am 27 years old, and I loved the movie and music also. :)

P.S. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now.

[Randall Flagg]

In 2012 I am 27 years old, and I loved the movie and music also. :)

P.S. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now.
The one with Cruise and others singing?

Oh, forgot to note, the remix of the 80's rock had a much better bass line.

[Shannon]

Yep, downloaded it like I do everything else i the world that strikes my fancy. :)

[Mattrick]

Shannon...how can you hate Steven Soderberg? He's awesome! Maybe you need to watch some of his bette movies and not the lame sequels to the Ocean's series, like Out of Sight and Traffic.


Midnight In Paris: Love this movie, to death, can never get sick of it. 5/5

Inglorious Basterds: Tarantino's masterpiece; fantastic dialogue, oozing with tension and dramatic build up, brilliant directing (something Tarantino has never wowed me with previously) and great charaters with scintilating performances make this a terrific movie. The violence is so extreme yet so sparse it's incredibly effective. Tarantino is known for homages and this movie is an homage to propagnda films; Pitt plays the personification of American Patriotism during the era, practically spewing out 'let's go kick us some nazi ass' behind every sentence and Christoph Walz is the personification of German Patriotism during the era...distinguished, well spoken, intelligent, charming and meticulous...he's the image of how Germany wanted to portray themselves to the world, as the epitome of human civilization. Germany was the forefront of propaganda films duing wartimes and the irony of the ending is just fantastic. there is so much to discuss with this movie which is why I love it...no other Tarantino movie leaves so much (if anything) to ponder and delve into and to me, that the difference between a good film and a great film.

5/5

[Garrell]

LOL on the "Rock of Ages: soundtrack... it is ok, but really... better than the actual songs? Some of those songs could have been replaced with better "80's" choice but they are good choices and good remakes of the real songs. I own all the real songs and reviewed them tonight. They all are done great but do not replace the originals. Also, Quarterflash, really?... good song but wasn't and isn't hair metal... nor was Pat Benatar or many others, fun songs, but they missed on the actual Hair Metal thing. Still looking forward to seeing the flick though. Where was a Cinderella song, any of theirs, they where kinda the king of that genre. Kudos to Tom Cruise(hate him) singing for real.

[Randall Flagg]

The songs chosen were incorporated to help the narrative, and vice versa. Since it was a musical, the actors sang the songs, in place of the original artists.

[Randall Flagg]

The songs chosen were incorporated to help the narrative, and vice versa. Since it was a musical, the actors sang the songs, in place of the original artists.
And they definitely pumped up the bass on songs that originally had almost all mids and highs.

[Shannon]

Pirahna 3DD
Shannon (first time): 1/5

Wow. SOOOOO bad. This was worse than a SyFy movie. I rarely EVER give out 1's. Hmmmm, let's see some of the movies I gave 1's to:


Birth
The Big Tits Dragon / Kyonyu Doragon: Onsen Zonbi Vs Sutorippa 5
Black X-Mas
Bloody Mary
Bruno
Bug
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
Cannibal! The Musical
Cell 2
Children Of The Corn (2009)
The Child's Eye
Cursed
Darkness
Faces Of Death 3
Felony Fights 3
Freaked
Funny Games
The Gunslinger: Roland Meets The Dweller (short)
The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence
I Spit On Your Grave / Day Of The Woman (1978)
I Stand Alone / Seul Contre Tous
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Junebug
The Last Horror Movie
Love Object
Love's Kitchen
Margaret Cho: Notorious C.H.O.
Meet The Spartans
The Million Dollar Hotel
National Geographic: Journey To The Edge Of The Universe
Near Dark
Pauly Shore Is Dead
Pi
Pirahna 3DD
Plan 9 From Outer Space
Pulse
The Ruins
Seed
Semi-Pro
The Squid And The Whale
Suspect Zero
Syriana
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The Ward
Wild Orchid
Wild Things: Diamonds In The Rough


And since I started my movie spreadsheet in 2007, those are all the 1's I've given out. Ugh! Some decent T & A, but it's just bad bad bad. And it's not even because it's SUPPOSED to be a bad movie. I gave Pirahna 3D a 4. A FOUR! I liked it! But this one. A ONE! I didn't like it. Yuck. Pass pass pass on this horrible abortion of a movie.

[Jean]

sorry... which Pi???

[Mattrick]

Hopefully not Aronofsky's Pi, that was a good on.

[Mattrick]

And Syriana one star? You kidding me? That was a great film as well. And I quote Squid and the Whale on a weekly basis. "That's minor Dickens." Can't help but think of that movie when I hear Hey You by Pink Floyd haha, that was a greatpart.

[Shannon]

LOL, for some reason I knew that was coming. To tell you the truth, I don't remember watching Pi. But there it is, on my list. Apparently I watched it on November 18, 2007 and I gave it a 1. I must not have liked it. Maybe it's worth a second viewing? lol

Syriana, on the other hand, I do remember. Love George Clooney, love Matt Damon, but I remember being bored to death here.

[Heather19]

I loved Pi! And I also loved Plan 9 From Outerspace :lol:

[fernandito]

Have Lars Von Trier's Dogville at home. Will get to it sometime this week.

[Jean]

good

[mikeC]

I loved Piranha 3d but have heard bad things about the double D. Good to know.

Kerstin Stewerts Snow White was so terrible, it get the ol fart noise from me.
Kristeeen Stewart hotter than a 40 year old Theron? Not in any universe. Fail.

[Merlin1958]

Prometheus was excellent Sci-Fi!!!

[Ricky]

Shannon, how can you not love the 2009 Children of the Corn? It's mine and Heather's favorite! :lol:

[Jean]

eh?...