Movie Review Thread [Archive]

Alexanderofmacedon

02-16-2006, 05:16

Post your movie reviews on any movie you like/dislike. I'll start off with the movie Underworld.

I watched Underworld over the weekend on TBS and I thought it was absolutely great. I think some parts were edited (more gory parts), which is a bit disappointing, but hey, it was still great.

Beckinsale in the tight leather suit helped to make this movie better! ;)

Something about the plot makes me love it and craving more. Fortunetly I saw Underworld right after the theater release of Underworld: Evolution (new one).

It's rated R, but I'll find a way in!:2thumbsup:

Now you guys think of a movie you've seen rescently and tell us about it.

Kongamato

02-16-2006, 05:40

Last Friday AMC put on two old-old-old school horror films, The Mummy(1932) and The Invisible Man(1933). I watched The Invisible Man straight through, and I found it to be compelling and well-done for it's time, although not particularly scary. The acting is from a different era, resembling stage acting more than modern method acting. That means that the characters actually can have civil, polite, informative conversations with each other instead of constantly being at odds. The story is fairly simple, a man turned invisible by science is driven mad by his potion and must be stopped.

The Good: Solid, old-style acting, interesting story and fairly good-quality special effects.

The Bad: Occasionally, I felt that the film tried to show off the special effects too much.

The Unforgivables: The Innkeeper's wife.

Big_John

02-16-2006, 05:44

i saw the speilberg/tom cruise remake of war of the world's the other day. it is terrible.

i hope you found this review helpful. :2thumbsup:

discovery1

02-16-2006, 06:11

Anyone see 'Goodnight and Goodluck'? it's about E. Murrah duking it out with McCathy.

doc_bean

02-16-2006, 19:51

I saw 'the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy' this weekend, it was pretty awful, not nearly as good as the books, don't see it.

Zalmoxis

02-17-2006, 06:28

Just saw Wdding Crashers on DVD, and though it was funny, nice and involved something I didn't know could be turned into an organized system; but due to some cliches in plot I have to say it's better to just rent it.

Fragony

02-17-2006, 12:23

i saw the speilberg/tom cruise remake of war of the world's the other day. it is terrible.

i hope you found this review helpful. :2thumbsup:

Hmmm I was pleasantly surprised. It is a rather calm movie for it's type, and the machines were rather creepy. Some very cool scenes, I loved the burning train, and the cityview with 3 of them bastards zapping everything was a sight to behold.

Navaros

02-17-2006, 12:30

I saw Underworld 2 recently.

It was mediocre. I wouldn't go so far as to say it sucked though.

They spent way too little time fighting Lycans. Supposedly the movie is based on Vampire vs. Lycans wars, yet for 95% of the movie there are no Lycans in it. If I'm remembering correctly they only have Lycans at the very start and very end of the movie. Major disappointment there. And the silly end of some of the characters was even more disappointing.

At the start of the movie it was set in medieval times. That was the best scene in the whole movie. They should have left the whole movie in that time instead of fast forwarding to the much more boring and Lycan-free future.

I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

econ21

02-17-2006, 22:42

I saw Boyz In the Hood again last night and it was just as compelling as when I saw it way back when it first came out. It's not flawless - it's sentimental, unsubtle, with dodgy Black Consciousness type rhetoric. But it hits home emotionally with the force of a two-handed hammer.

I don't think I've seen a violent death better represented - the horror, the screaming of love ones, the mess, the waste, the guilt. If that is not how violent death is, it is how it should be - something monstrous and unconscionable.

Laurence Fishburne is great as the role model dad ("Who diss?"), but the emotional heart of the film for me is the doomed character played by IceCube (or is it IceT? I forget). Something about his character just appeals to me as rather noble. As a young fat kid trying to fight the much older bullies. Later, standing arms stretched out like Jesus inviting a would-be driveby killing. He never seems nasty or thuggish, and is often understanding and responsible in his own rough way. When his grief-stricken mother screams blame at him - unjustly - for his brother's death, it is far, far more moving than the equivalent scenes between Faramir and Denethor in ROTK. So he is damned by his own mother and goes out to avenge his brother, quietly understanding the consequences for him and why his friend who is escaping the ghetto should not join him on this path to hell. He may be part of the problem, but to me, he's also part lovable kid and part tragic hero.

5 stars out of 5 from me.

Alexanderofmacedon

02-17-2006, 23:31

Home Alone:

I watched this movie on TBS (again) last night and I have to say it's very good. It's a classic movie, and I really liked some of the stunts that killed pulled!

SwordsMaster

02-18-2006, 00:32

Did anyone see Domino? What did you think?

Big_John

02-18-2006, 03:52

Hmmm I was pleasantly surprised. It is a rather calm movie for it's type, and the machines were rather creepy. Some very cool scenes, I loved the burning train, and the cityview with 3 of them bastards zapping everything was a sight to behold.well, the failings i think have as much to do with the outdated source material as the production. but the machines were kind of cool.. nothing special, but certainly not lame. but, for me, that was outweighed by the stupidity of the story (e.g. the aliens not having even the faintest concept of microbiology, the buried machines never having been discovered by the various forms of subterranean exploration developed over the hundreds of years) and the so-called "acting". i mean, tom cruise.. ouch. and the little girl, wow! i guess if you like hearing a little girl screem at the top of her lungs for an hour, then this is the movie.

there are numerous other problems for me, but those are a couple of the glaring ones.

but i hate a lot of movies. ~;)

Fragony

02-18-2006, 14:03

It's certainly no masterpiece but I expected a microwave-meal a la Indepence day, with expectations that low, don't blame me for kinda liking it :)

Now something different, I saw 'Big Fish' yesterday, now that is a great movie. Tim Burton has to be the coolest american filmmaker at the moment, when it comes to fantasy movies, nobody does it better.

econ21

02-19-2006, 00:18

Meneldil

02-19-2006, 16:09

Batman Begins. Quite good overall, but I found the pre-batman period to be boring and too much fantasy-like.
3.5/5

Fight Club. Totally over-awesome-woot movie, despite all the silly critics calling it a fascist movie. Heck, if you're a movie critic, you're at least supposed to understand the movie before making random claims.
4.90/5

doc_bean

02-19-2006, 20:10

I saw The Hot Spot yesterday, boring 'film noire' attempt with a rather predicatble storyline and paper thin characters, but it features a naked Jennifer Connely, so it wasn't a total waste of my time.

there are numerous other problems for me, but those are a couple of the glaring ones.

I thought it lacked a story. Quite boring, I enjoyed Independence day more :dizzy2:

but i hate a lot of movies. ~;)

They just make a lot of bad ones these days.

doc_bean

02-22-2006, 10:15

Saw Kinsey the other day, very good for a biography, suffers from the traditional issues though (what exactly is historically accurate ? And it drags towards the ending). Overall very good movie, I recommend it to anyone interested in sex (research) :2thumbsup:

Big_John

02-22-2006, 10:40

oh yeah, i saw Grizzly Man on dvd the other day. awesome. if you are into documentaries at all, check it out. it's a very powerful portrait of an interesting and (imo) rather disturbed man. beautiful filmmaking by herzog.

Alexanderofmacedon

02-23-2006, 02:19

I just watched The Rookie and I thought it was pretty good. After some standardized testing for our state, our teacher put on the movie, and I thought it to be quite good.

:skull: :skull: :skull: OO

3 out of 5 skulls...:laugh4:

GoreBag

02-23-2006, 05:00

The last movie I saw was Waiting. It was funny the first time around...the kind of funny that gets better if there's someone with a two-beer buzz in the room. I hear that it's funnier if you work in a restaurant, as well.

Before that, I'd watched Jackie Chan's The Young Master, Kung Fu Zombie, Mean Guns, Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Predator, and Ong-Bak (again). My taste in movies rarely changes.

Alexanderofmacedon

02-28-2006, 02:34

I have rescently re-watched a movie by the name of "Lagan". Don't go out trying to find it at Hollywood video or Blockbuster as it's probably not there.

This is a movie made in India about a group of farmers who have to play and beat an english group of rich men at a game of cricket.

I really enjoyed this movie, even with all the breaking out in song and dance, as some of the songs were quite good.

Zain

02-28-2006, 02:48

I just watched "Weatherman" with Nicolas Caige (sp?). And I'm going to have to say it was a terrible movie. Don't even go watch it, it was a dud for the popular actor.

-ZainDustin

Strike For The South

03-01-2006, 00:54

Boondock Saints makes me want to be Irish

A+ :2thumbsup: BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME. VENGANCE UPON EVILDOERS MAY GOD BE WITH YOU. SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111111

Proletariat

03-01-2006, 04:21

I think that Big Momma's House 2 brings alot of important issues to the table.

Fragony

03-01-2006, 09:47

doc_bean

03-01-2006, 10:17

Saw Jarhead yesterday, an occasionally funny and possibly quite truthful account of the life of a marine guarding oilfields. It's a boring life. I think it's both the strength and the weakness of this movie that the tedium is shared with the viewer.

Recommended, but not highly (unless you want to join the military).

Beirut

03-01-2006, 12:53

Bought a box with oldies from Roman Polanski, mostly Polish. Most of his early work is very wtf, but one movie (repulsion) is way ahead of it's time, a 'reqieum for a dream' from the sixties is the best way to describe it. Very unnerving movie, schizophrenia must very much suck. It is amazing how Polanski has made a normal appartment an extremily hostile place, everything just screams creepy. The movie being shot in black and white doesn't help to lighten the mood.

Highly recommended.

Yep, great flick. Wasn't it called The Apartment?

Just watched March of the Penguins. Bought it for the kids but I thought it was amazing. Well worth 90 minutes of your life. The story is great, the photography is great, and the penguins are incredible! What they go through is beyond belief.

matteus the inbred

03-01-2006, 14:24

[QUOTE=doc_bean]I saw The Hot Spot yesterday, boring 'film noire' attempt with a rather predicatble storyline and paper thin characters, but it features a naked Jennifer Connely, so it wasn't a total waste of my time. [QUOTE]

i rather liked that film, and not just for an eye-popping appearance from the lovely Miss C. :eyebrows:
Red Rock West with Nic Cage and Lara Flynn Boyle is probably a better modern noir drifter film though.

last film i watched...When We Were Kings, the story of the Rumble in the Jungle, great film, hugely inspiring and evocative, it manages to be positive about basically everyone, except President Mobutu of Zaire and Don King (but then, that would be difficult...). It's really all about Ali though. Great soundtrack too (I am...somebody! I...am...somebody!)

GoreBag

03-01-2006, 23:37

I started watching my Sherlock Holmes boxed set last night. Basil Rothwell is the man.

InsaneApache

03-02-2006, 10:38

I started watching my Sherlock Holmes boxed set last night. Basil Rothwell is the man.

Rathbone dear chap, Rathbone. Elementary old boy.:laugh4:

Dutch_guy

03-02-2006, 16:39

Boondock Saints makes me want to be Irish

A+ :2thumbsup: BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME. VENGANCE UPON EVILDOERS MAY GOD BE WITH YOU. SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111111

It is indeed a great movie.

Been a while since I last saw it though...

:balloon2:

Alexanderofmacedon

03-03-2006, 23:21

Cheppelle Block Party

One word:

Halarious.

Fragony

03-04-2006, 16:20

Anyone saw the remake of 'The hills have eyes'? I loved the original and I heard this one is even better, yay to seventies style gorefests :2thumbsup:

Crazed Rabbit

03-04-2006, 18:09

I just watched Ocean's 12 on TV, and was like "What? That's it?" at the end. It was disappointing. If you watch it, I suggest stopping after the laser light dance scene (you'll know it when you see it) and imagining the end.

The last movie I saw was Waiting. It was funny the first time around...the kind of funny that gets better if there's someone with a two-beer buzz in the room. I hear that it's funnier if you work in a restaurant, as well.

Probably. I watched a trailer for it when the employees were almost ready to clean up and leave and the store was almost closed when a couple walked in for dinner. This made the employees very angry, and let me tell you that that is the truth. Delays everyone by half an hour or more.

Crazed Rabbit

econ21

03-05-2006, 00:21

I watched the movie "Spartan" on TV yesterday - I'd seen it before and did not think I would watch it out a second time, but it sucked me in again. It's written by David Mamet and he has a very compelling but highly stylised way of writing dialogue. It's kind of like rap music mixed with Shakespeare. I love it. The nuances of the plot were hard to discern, but it was very tense and with a bleak atmosphere. A very good thriller.

Alexanderofmacedon

03-05-2006, 04:50

Hanging out with some friends of mine and we watched "The Island"

I think it was great, but sort of sad. It had a happy ending, but some seemed a bit unreal. It does take place in the future though.

4.5/5

(lets use scale of 1-5 in rating movies in this thread from now on?)

econ21

03-07-2006, 14:41

Hanging out with some friends of mine and we watched "The Island". I think it was great, but sort of sad.

I saw that on a plane. The two scenes when the main character slips out and finds out what the Island is really about were pretty disturbing.

The rest of the film was rather loud and frenetic, although I thought the actor playing lead mercenary hunting the fugitives was quietly impressive.

Fragony

03-07-2006, 16:35

Saw 'La Stanzo del figlio' last night, Italian movie about a familty losing it's son, and how they deal with it. Good movie, but for gods sake, just pull the trigger and kill me right now, it will take weeks to get my testosteron on a acceptable level. This movie is harsh, yet entirely believable. I have no regret watching it but I did want to break stuff afterwards. If you can handle some serious drama, and have enough tissues just in case you don't, watch it. I can barely watch Bambi and the Lion king without crumbling, so this was a hard one for me :shame:

Puzz3D

03-10-2006, 20:29

I saw Les Poupees Russes (The Russian Dolls), romance/comedy, from 2005 and "The Descent", adventure/horror, from 2005. Both were quite good and entertaining. Lion's Gate has been holding back USA release of both of these films, and rumor has it that they are going to change the ending of "The Descent" which would be a shame.

I saw Fragile from 2005 which is a passable but not great supernatural/thriller. It has a very large plot hole, and some of the characters seem to stay in denial about the strange events occuring far too long.

I saw Elizabethtown from 2005 which is an entertaining but far fetched romantic/comedy about dealing with failure. I got some really good laughs at various points in this movie. The memorial service is quite funny. As usual, Cameron Crowe works in a lot of rock music, and taking a road trip is how you figure out what's important in life.

I saw The New World from 2005, which is an historical/adventure/drama/romance, twice in the theater and liked it a lot for it's visual style and symbolism, but many people don't like the slow pace and lack of dialog. It's shot on 65mm film.

Avalon from 2001 is a fantasy/sci-fi/drama about how virtual reality can start taking over a person's real life and about the respective values of individual effort and teamwork. I've seen this picture 5 times. I find it thought provoking, but it is slow paced.

The White Hell of Pitz Palu is a silent picture from 1929 beautifully restored from a nitrate print with a new orchestral score shot on location in the Alps at the Pitz Palu (pale mountain). It's one of the "mountain pictures" made in Germany and combines amazing mountain photography by Arnold Fanck with a good dramatic story directed by G.W. Pabst. It also has some impressive flying by Ernst Udt who was a WWI flying ace with 62 kills and the foremost stunt pilot of the era. No stunt people used in this film, and the temperature was well below freezing during most of the shooting. It's available on a Kino DVD.

The Girl Next Door from 2004 is a teenage/high school comedy/romance that was entertaining, but quite far fetched. It was fun to watch.

The Cube from 1997 is a sci-fi/drama that I had never seen. I thought it was very good. It dealt with group cooperation and had a lot of commentary about society. The sequels "Cube Zero" and "Cube 2" (Hypercube) are apparently quite bad.

The Nights of Cabiria is a drama from 1957 by Federico Fellini when he was still filming in the Italian neo-realist style. It's a very good picture about a prostitute seeking happiness with an outstanding performance by Giulietta Massina. The film was the inspiration for the USA film "Sweet Charity", but that film didn't adhere to the original story. You can also see another outstanding performance by Giulietta Massina in the earlier "La Strata" from 1954.

Alexanderofmacedon

03-11-2006, 05:45

Let's get this stickied!...

I watched an old favorite of mine. Star Wars Episode:III. I always love the newest ones even if some people say the story is off. The new stunts the playwriters come up with are amazing, and the graphics just get better and better.

5/5

:2thumbsup:

Sasaki Kojiro

03-11-2006, 20:43

I saw "The transporter". One of the best action movies I've seen in a long time. Supporting cast is so-so but the lead is very good (Jason Statham). The fight choreography really makes the movie, it's better than Jet Li or Jackie Chan. I'd never seen anything quite like it, very innovative. The plot isn't revealed to you (you only know what he knows) but they didn't feel the need to throw a bunch of bewildering details at you just to confuse you like so many hollywood movies do these days.

5/5

Blodrast

03-11-2006, 21:26

Sasaki: The Transporter 2 is just as good, if not better, than the first one.

Puzz3d: Cube 2 is not _too_ bad, imo, although, to be honest, it is little more than a re-spin of the first one. However, if you liked the first one, you'll be ok with this one too. Haven't seen Cube Zero yet.

Puzz3D

03-12-2006, 16:03

The action sequences in The Transporter 2 (2005) are a lot less believable than they were in The Transporter (2002). If you are ok with way over-the-top action sequences and fight sequences that approach Jackie Chan movies at times, the film is a lot of fun. Kate Nauta is great as the bikini clad, female assassin sporting twin machineguns. Unfortunatly, she sustained a serious leg injury doing her final fight scene with Jason Statham, and that sequence had to be cut short.

The Tai-Chi Master (USA DVD title Twin Warriors) from 1993 is a very good Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh martial arts movie with about 20 action sequences which are only over-the-top in a couple of places. The fight with the bamboo polls is outstanding, but all the fight scenes are very well done and the story is good too.

Equilibrium (2002) is a well done sci-fi action/thriller movie set in an Orwellian future where feeling emotion is illegal and considered subversive. The government issues a drug to everyone which surpresses emotional feelings. Possessing works of art such as paintings, books and music which might elicit emotion is also illegal. Christian Bale is a specially trained enforcer of these laws. The scientifically researched martial arts skill of "gun kata" allows action sequences reminiscent of "The Matrix". The story has been done before, but this time it's combined with a lot more action.

ArcticSonata

03-13-2006, 19:34

curently unrealeased but is poised to be the new standard for films everywhere starring Samuel L Jackson, "Snakes...ON A PLANE!!!!!:laugh4:

Sorry about the double post is it possible for one of the mods to deleate the second one

doc_bean

03-13-2006, 22:55

Just saw Brokeback mountain, overall it's a decent movie. The best thing about it are the beautiful scenery shots though. I'm considering visiting Wyoming now, if i can ever get the enough money to afford the trip. The stroy is a pretty standard love stroy, done by the numbers, only towards the end does it start to deviate and frankly, that's when it starts to drag on. It's also too long, half an hour could have easily been cut. The worst thing about it is heath ledger though, his accent is incredibly unnatural and quite laughable really.

overall: this movie doesn't deserve the hype, the credit or the awards it's gotten, but it ain't bad. Watch it for the beautiful cinematography and try not look at the guys making out ....

Navaros

03-14-2006, 07:15

I saw Ultraviolet a couple of weeks ago. It was a pretty good movie if all you're looking for is a hot chick killing some futuristic bad guys in a sci fi comic book future. Kind of like the FEAR PC game, only without the blood and with a hot chick as the star. Ultraviolet certainly doesn't deserve the pounding it's been taking by the critics. The plot and dialogue is not good, but who cares - that's not the point of the movie. I give Ultraviolet a 75%.

I saw Walk the Line the other day. It was highly disappointing to me. Most of the fundamental parts of the story are never actually told. Ie: never shows where Cash met his first wife; never shows where Cash met his first band mates; never shows how they turned from "The Tennessee Two" to "The Tennessee Three"; never explains what Cash did in the airforce or what the terms of his leaving it were; never shows Cash getting a divorce from his first wife even when the story passes a point in time when he had one; never shows what the medical condition that had Cash addicted to pills was. June says to Cash near the end: "you are a good man", yet the movie consists of about 2 hours worth of almost nothing other than Johnny Cash banging groupies whilst cheating on his first wife, getting drunk & high, vandalizing hotel rooms and stages, acting like an animal towards June, and generally being a total jerk and very bad man. Based on what is shown in the movie, there was nothing to make me believe there was any merit to June telling Cash that he was a good man. Phoenix has an angry look on his face for just about 100% of the movie. Worst of all, the music scenes in the movie often cut out to something far less interesting just when I was getting into the performances. This is especially bad for the Folsom concert which is hyped from the start of the movie, and then they only end up showing a fraction of one song from it being performed. That was highly lame and I felt deceived by the opening of the movie leading up to a climax that wasn't there. Then the movie ends at 1968 and just shows a one-line blurb for June then Johnny for the periods between 1968 and the rest of their lives. I give Walk the Line a 50%.

Puzz3D

03-16-2006, 14:31

I saw Derailed (2005) a thriller/drama with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I enjoyed it and after the initial buildup was an exciting thriller, but it was implausable in several places. There also is one and possibly more plot holes that are hard to explain away. If you are going to see this movie, don't read anything about the plot because the less you know the better.

I saw House of 9 (2005 - actually filmed in 2003) a thriller something like Cube (1997) and Battle Royal (2000), but not as good as either of those. It focuses on the psychology of a group of stereotypical character types trapped in a situation together. It's not as intense as Saw (2004) probably due to the acting which is average at best. Dennis Hopper plays a priest.

Blodrast

03-16-2006, 20:36

Speaking of Battle Royale, the second one is nowhere near as good as the first one.
Rehash of the same idea, but whereas the acting and some actions were pretty funny (if you ignore the unlikeliness of it all) in the first one, in the second one they are little more than unrealistic and exaggerated...not too much fun, either.

Puzz3D

03-16-2006, 23:33

I liked Battle Royal II (2003) 133 minute version (I guess the 155 minute director's cut is better, but it won't be available until May 22, 2006) because what I wanted to see in Battle Royal was for the kids to turn on the authorities, and that's what happens in the sequel. (I know Battle Royal is about breaking down a group and making the members turn on themselves.) Those kids must be taking out 4 or 5 commandoes for every kid they loose. It's a complete fantasy, but the battle scenes are pretty good. In reality, the govenment would simply have obliterated the island, and kids wouldn't stand a chance against commandoes anyway.

Alexanderofmacedon

03-17-2006, 00:55

I'm going to watch the movie Crash tonight. It's supposed to be really good, but really sad.

Alexanderofmacedon

03-17-2006, 06:50

I just finished watching Crash.

All I have to say is wow. I can't really explain how touching it really is. It's about rascism, but it depicts it in such a great way. Everyone needs to watch this.

Wow. Just wow...:juggle2:

matteus the inbred

03-17-2006, 11:33

econ21

03-17-2006, 14:11

Yes, Crash packs a real emotional punch. Some parts - the car crash rescue, the guardian angel - are almost unbearable to watch.

Dutch_guy

03-17-2006, 15:12

Just saw Munich and would highly recommend it. I guess you have to be interested in politics or current affairs to get a lot out of it, but it had a lot more action, characterisation and drama in it than I was expecting. Critics who have damned it for not being exciting enough must have watched too much hyperactive wham-bam conventional Hollywood products. The action is very well done but then ever since seeing the garage lot shoot-out in Sugarland Express, I have been convinced Spielberg is a genius at depicting violence as real and terrifying. The opening depiction of the Munich Olympic kidnapping and its subsequent portrayal through flash-backs are gripping and horrifying. The film has an excellent acting ensemble, with some intriguing characters (if anyone can tell me who or what Louis and his father were, I'd be indebted). Personally, I found it politically neutral, raising but not necessarily answering the question about whether assasinations of terrorist suspects are justified. All sides are depicted as human - the Palestinians assassinated often appear mature, urbane and humane. While some of the Israelis come to doubt their mission, what the film hammers home is the intrinsically awful nature of taking a life, rather than a wider political agenda.

Yes I went to see it last weekend, I too liked it a lot.

At times it was really depressing and sad - think the terrible ending of the Jewish hostages in the helicopter - and other scenes were done in the way that sets Spielberg apart from the other movie directors.
The acting was good, Eric Bana who played the lead role did it with all his heart and the supporting actors were all well chosen and fit and played their roles perfectly.
There certainly wasn't a shortage of action in this movie, the whole movie practically revolves around assassinations and the actual kidnapping of the hostages and the action scenes are really well done, better than in many other action movies.

I'd recommend everyone to see this movie, I enjoyed it a lot at any rate.

PS : Simon, what was your favorite scene / part of the movie ?

:balloon2:

Alexanderofmacedon

03-17-2006, 16:34

Wow, this is really cool. I just noticed now that my dad is watching the movie, that in many scenes the RTW music is playing! You know the one in the BI clip of the hordes destroying Rome and all? The lady who is chanting? Well, in quite a few scenes that song is in Crash. Tell me if anyone else notices it.

drone

03-17-2006, 17:23

It's not even released yet, but I'm pretty sure this will be a thumbs-down.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382731/

But it's going to be in Punic! :dizzy2:

:thumbsdown:

matteus the inbred

03-17-2006, 17:46

It's not even released yet, but I'm pretty sure this will be a thumbs-down.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382731/

But it's going to be in Punic!

I suspect we have Mel Gibson to thank for that...! I'm pretty sure you're right, the omens don't look good, which is a real shame as this is one story I'd very much like to see done properly and accurately. it doesn't need embellishing, the reality of Hannibal's career is amazing enough.

On a completely lowbrow change a subject I watched Lethal Weapon recently, I'd forgotten what stoopid fun those films are!

Strike For The South

03-17-2006, 18:47

It's not even released yet, but I'm pretty sure this will be a thumbs-down.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382731/

But it's going to be in Punic! :dizzy2:

:thumbsdown:

Who the hell speaks Punic?

Blodrast

03-17-2006, 22:57

It's not even released yet, but I'm pretty sure this will be a thumbs-down.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382731/

But it's going to be in Punic! :dizzy2:

:thumbsdown:

eh....this _could_ have been nice...but directed and played by Vin Diesel ?:dizzy2:
Is Hannibal gonna be XX (or whatever, the precursor of XXX) ?
Is he gonna get out there and kick Roman legionary ass with his bare hands as he was instructed in the uber-leet-special forces ? Is he gonna drive cool sports ca-eh, horses ?
Is he gonna jump from... uhm, hot air balloons ?
Probably.:inquisitive:

BelgradeWar

03-18-2006, 00:27

Who the hell speaks Punic?

Maltese language (I guess it's called that way, analogy to maltese falcon) uses the syntax from Punic and a variety of words from different languages, of which one is old Punic.

Anyway, last movie I saw was Syriana, and well...I got the general idea, but I think they overcomplicated it and added some confusing moments.

Also, I saw Green Street Hooligans the other day. The whole idea is a bit unbelievable,and it was rather funny to se Elijah Wood get in street fighting (we nicknamed the movie "Frodo hooligan") but in general the depicted the hooligan scene pretty well, and it's interesting movie if you're into it or have some general idea.

econ21

03-18-2006, 00:43

PS : Simon, what was your favorite scene / part of the movie ?

I think the recreation of the Munich hostage taking at the beginning was hard to beat. It just felt so authentic - the horror, the chaos, the absurdity, the bravery, the terror, the futility... It was very depressing.

Afterwards, I read an account of the botched German "rescue" at the airport and it made me despair. Five police were supposed to be hidden on the plane, but they were not trained and decided the job was not worth it, so just walked out. When the terrorists found an empty plane (no pilots) they knew it was a setup. The only "rescuers" were five snipers too far away and without night-vision equipment, one of whom could not fire because his position was wrong. The gun fight lasted a whole hour before the terrorists killed all the hostages. Backup armoured cars to storm the helicopters did not get there before then because they got stuck in traffic. Afterwards, when they found the bodies of the machine-gunned hostages in one helicopter, one (or all? I forget) had somehow gotten lose of his ropes - so maybe they could have survived had the rescue attempt been half decent.

Puzz3D

03-18-2006, 03:40

I just watched Domino (2005), an action/thriller based on the life of Domino Harvey. I thought it was very good, but you do have to pay close attention so that you don't get lost in the somewhat complicated plot that evolves. There are a lot of flashbacks, and what you see is sometimes not what happened, but what Domino thought happened at the time. I liked the kinetic camera work and quick cutting. I didn't think it was too much because the lifestyle was on the edge much of the time. It has a strong cast and the acting is good. It's nice to see Mickey Rourke coming back and doing good acting again. Keira Knightley seemed fine, and I liked the way she approached this role. The real Domino Harvey was on the set quite often and collaborated on the movie. Also, the music was well matched to the scenes, and there are a lot of songs used. There is a positive message of redemption in the movie as well. Unfortunately, the real Domino Harvey never achieved that redemption, and she died last year at the age of 36.

doc_bean

03-19-2006, 21:18

Watched Dogville yesterday, best movie I've seen in years. Watch it !

:2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

Puzz3D

03-20-2006, 08:21

A History of Violence (2005) is a crime/drama/thriller masterfully done by David Cronenberg. The acting is very good from all involved, and the movie makes good use of our collective consciousness about criminal types. It's an indicment of violence not in the sense that violence isn't needed to solve some situations, but that violence often sets up some future situation where once again violence is required. There is also another theme covered in the dramatic part of the movie, but I don't want to give it away. The sex sceens are not gratuitous, and convey the changing nature of the relationship between the two main characters. The movie is more interesting if you don't know the plot before you see it.

Fragony

03-23-2006, 12:26

Watched Dogville yesterday, best movie I've seen in years. Watch it !

:2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

Yay to dogville! I LOVE the ending 'shoot the children first and make the mother watch, I owe her that' :laugh4: This movie is just nasty, everything that is good turns foul, unbearable to watch but impossible to forget!

ps: You will probably like 'Breaking the waves' and 'Dancer in the Dark' as well, same director. Arrogant and pretentious, but great cinema nonetheless. These movies should come with tissues, be warned.

doc_bean

03-23-2006, 13:36

ps: You will probably like 'Breaking the waves' and 'Dancer in the Dark' as well, same director. Arrogant and pretentious, but great cinema nonetheless. These movies should come with tissues, be warned.

I hated dancer in the dark, it tried to hard to make me cry and didn't succed one bit...

Dogville is over the top, but it somehow manages to pull it off. My girlfriend who hates violent movies was laughing at the carnage at the end (well, except for when they shot the baby).

Fragony

03-23-2006, 14:02

I hated dancer in the dark, it tried to hard to make me cry and didn't succed one bit...

Ya it was a bit too forced, but I am a total wuss and easily manipulated, you should see me watch ET. I really liked it, now I won't say I like musicals because it would scare my mother, but all these industrial sounds and then the music kicking in was done very well. I am pretty sure you will like 'Breaking the waves' though, it has this great 'glad I am not you' vibe.

Dutch_guy

03-23-2006, 19:38

I think the recreation of the Munich hostage taking at the beginning was hard to beat. It just felt so authentic - the horror, the chaos, the absurdity, the bravery, the terror, the futility... It was very depressing.

Afterwards, I read an account of the botched German "rescue" at the airport and it made me despair. Five police were supposed to be hidden on the plane, but they were not trained and decided the job was not worth it, so just walked out. When the terrorists found an empty plane (no pilots) they knew it was a setup. The only "rescuers" were five snipers too far away and without night-vision equipment, one of whom could not fire because his position was wrong. The gun fight lasted a whole hour before the terrorists killed all the hostages. Backup armoured cars to storm the helicopters did not get there before then because they got stuck in traffic. Afterwards, when they found the bodies of the machine-gunned hostages in one helicopter, one (or all? I forget) had somehow gotten lose of his ropes - so maybe they could have survived had the rescue attempt been half decent.

Yes that was indeed very well done, intense , but very well done.

Though I have another view on the matter - beware the following contains spoilers !

In my opinion the best part was when the group of main characters were in Athens in the supposed Safe house and got surprised by the Palestinians - who had no idea who the people they met actually were.
Especially the conversation between the two heads of the groups was very well done.
It showed that they actually liked and respected each other, for the sole reason that they had no idea who they were and what they believed in.
It was later made very clear that had they known each others true identities it would have ended in that safehouse...
the part with the radio was also interesting, it illustrated that two totally different people - opposing forces if you will - can come to an agreement if they just take the time to find the middle way.
All of the above parts were done in a superb way.

:balloon2:

Blodrast

03-24-2006, 19:06

definitely yay for Dogville !

Alexanderofmacedon

03-24-2006, 23:06

Sasaki Kojiro

03-24-2006, 23:51

Sasaki Kojiro

03-25-2006, 10:44

doc_bean

03-26-2006, 12:48

Saw The Machinist yesterday. The first 45min are great, intense as anything that has come out in the last few years and then some (possibly more so than Saw), but then you are just given too many clues and can figure out virtually anything that will happen in the next hour. Still, I didn't feel that hour was a waste of my time. Good movie.

I also saw Apocalypse Now Redux, my first time seeing Apocalypse Now. Wow, great movie, I especially liked the first hour or so, the parts with the helicopters are fantastic. It is much, much better than anything war/action movies have come up with in the last few years. And the scene were they investigate that Vietnamese river boat, terrific.
It's not without it's flaws however, the scene at the french plantation is just boring. The scenes with the playmates were quite weird (are they sex slaves to a battalion gone insane, and do they actually want to stay there ?) and the ending is too drawn out imho. It won't replace Full Metal Jacket as my favourite Vietnam movie, but it's at least damn close to its level.

:2thumbsup:

Ice

03-26-2006, 17:58

I just saw V for Vendetta last night. Truly excellent. I loved this movie. Even though I am pretty conservative, it was an excellent "stick it to the man" kind of movie. I would recommend it for everyone to see.

matteus the inbred

03-27-2006, 13:20

I just finished "Manon de Sources", which is the sequal to "Jean-de Florette". It is a French movie, and I thought it was great. The first one is awsome, but you'll be surprised a lot in the second one.

I recomend it to anyone, french or not. It's terrific!:2thumbsup:

yes, watched these in French GCSE class, loved them both, beautiful and sensitive films with really nice camerawork.
the Gerard Depardieu version of Cyrano de Bergerac and La Reine Margot are two of my other favourite French films.

Puzz3D

03-27-2006, 17:34

I also saw Apocalypse Now Redux, my first time seeing Apocalypse Now. Wow, great movie, I especially liked the first hour or so, the parts with the helicopters are fantastic. It is much, much better than anything war/action movies have come up with in the last few years. And the scene were they investigate that Vietnamese river boat, terrific.
It's not without it's flaws however, the scene at the french plantation is just boring. The scenes with the playmates were quite weird (are they sex slaves to a battalion gone insane, and do they actually want to stay there ?) and the ending is too drawn out imho. It won't replace Full Metal Jacket as my favourite Vietnam movie, but it's at least damn close to its level.
Unfortunately, Apocalypse Now Redux isn't as good as the original Apocalypse Now (1979). Most of the extra scenes are unnecessary and disrupt the flow of the movie, and alter your perception of Capt Willard's (Martin Sheen) character. Hopefully, the original theatrical version will be remastered and re-released. I really made a mistake when I bought but didn't watch the redux version before selling my DVD original version.

I saw Apocalypse Now in the theater in 1979, and the scenes of the bridge attack at night and the helecopter attack in the morning were very impressive. The river expedition and ending were good as well incorportating a lot of suspense and uncertainty, but I never did agree with the underlying premise. At the time, I wasn't familiar with Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness published in 1902. I am now, and I still don't agree with the premise.

The Exorcist (1973) is another example of a movie that is inferior in the recut version. It's "The version you've never seen.", but I'd call it "The version you don't want to see.".

Also watched Blade Runner. Not impressed. Good performances but I don't think the "big" questions that were raised were that big at all. On the whole it was just kinda boring.
Apparently, Blade Runner (1982) is a movie where the director's cut is better than the original release. Ridley Scott does a good job when he makes a director's cut of his movies. The original, which I've never seen, has a voiceover similar to those 1940's detective/crime movies and the ending is different. The movie does have a film noir style to it with flawed main characters, and a lot of dark scenes. Harrison Ford is a detective trying to recapture escaped replicants, and he distains the social environment and oppressive urban setting where he lives. This is all typical of the 1940s/1950s style which are not action movies, but do have some short intense action sequences. The rest is suspense and solving the mystery using clues. So this movie is a mixed gendre film. Most sci-fi films show cities as providing immaculate living conditions as a result of technological achievement, but this movie shows urban blight as a result of advanced technology which is an interesting though. I thought the big question about the social status of artifically created humans was interesting. This theme has been covered in sci-fi movies and sci-fi TV programs many times.

Fragony

03-28-2006, 11:09

With spring around the corner(I smelled it yesterday yay), I watched a korean movie 'In the mood for love'. Fantastic. Every shot is like a painting, the music is fantastic and the actors are great. One of the greatest love stories ever made.

Should be compulsory.

Sasaki Kojiro

03-28-2006, 18:19

Apparently, Blade Runner (1982) is a movie where the director's cut is better than the original release. Ridley Scott does a good job when he makes a director's cut of his movies. The original, which I've never seen, has a voiceover similar to those 1940's detective/crime movies and the ending is different. The movie does have a film noir style to it with flawed main characters, and a lot of dark scenes. Harrison Ford is a detective trying to recapture escaped replicants, and he distains the social environment and oppressive urban setting where he lives. This is all typical of the 1940s/1950s style which are not action movies, but do have some short intense action sequences. The rest is suspense and solving the mystery using clues. So this movie is a mixed gendre film. Most sci-fi films show cities as providing immaculate living conditions as a result of technological achievement, but this movie shows urban blight as a result of advanced technology which is an interesting though. I thought the big question about the social status of artifically created humans was interesting. This theme has been covered in sci-fi movies and sci-fi TV programs many times.

The director's cut is the version I saw. I'm not really a sci-fi fan though.

Does anyone know when this movie is coming out?

https://img20.imageshack.us/img20/2915/brokeback23yn.jpg

:2thumbsup:

Dutch_guy

03-28-2006, 18:41

Priceless Sasaki!!!

:laugh4:

:balloon2:

littlelostboy

03-29-2006, 03:07

LOL! That was funny! :laugh4: :laugh4:

I watched the "Constant Garderner" last nite. It was a pretty good movie, very intriguing. The acting by Ralph Fiennes and Racheal Weiz was excellent, not to mention all the other casts too. The plot was believable and exciting, flashbacks were excellently connected to the storyline and were not too confusing. The storyline was a bit old though, the typical the-wife-got-killed-in-an-accident-and-so-husband-investigate-and-found-out-that-there-is-a-more-shocking-truth-behind -the-accident-and-that-big-coporates-companies-are-after-the-husband-too.
Yet the movie was very thoughtful, makes you think about how the world F--ks up Africa.
The drawback? At some point, the movie can get boring, the storyline seems to lag and some characters seems two-dimensonal. Also, that stupid jerky camera gives me lots of headache after watching it.

8.5/10.

littlelostboy

03-29-2006, 03:21

Another movie I've watched is "Ring of the Nibelungs". This is a Nordic poem that J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" is based on. Apparently they have made a movie based on the poem.
As it is a fantasy movie, you will see the typical action, swashbuckling heroes and heroines, beautiful princesses, evil dragons, dwarves and lords and mighty princes.
But surprise, surprise, apparently this movie is not just your typical fare. In fact, this movie is very well-acted out, the plot and the storyline were strong and are very straight-foward. Kristanna Loken who acted as the Queen of Iceland managed to pull off a very believable act as a Queen who has tremendous strenght and yet also as a Queen whose heart has been broken by the Dragonslayer.
The Dragonslayer is the main character. Instead of your typical charming hero who everyone like, this character is no 2-D person. When I watched the movie, I actually disliked him because he was such an arrogant, cocky, overconfident bastard. Yes, that's right. The hero is a real person who is overcame by the greed of the Nibelungs' gold hoard and the special ring and end up with the curse of the hoard on him and everyone he loves and end up paying for it.
An interesting movie worth for any LOTR's fan, this movie will help you gain more insight on how LOTR was concieved.
In some places, the movie has a different name, one of them is "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King another is "The Ring" and another is "The Sword of Xanten"

8/10.

Alexanderofmacedon

03-31-2006, 02:40

I'm watching Ghandi in my geography class. I've already seen it, but I still love it. It's a great movie about a great man.

It's even more special being half Indian:2thumbsup:

econ21

03-31-2006, 08:52

I'm watching Ghandi in my geography class. I've already seen it, but I still love it. It's a great movie about a great man.

Yes, I think it is an excellent movie too. I love the dialogue between a pompous British general and Ghandhi that goes something like this:

General: "Do you expect us to simply walk out of India?"

Ghandhi: "Yes, ultimately that is exactly what you will do."

:bow:

GoreBag

03-31-2006, 23:14

I just watched a bootlegged version (straight from Asia!) of the new Tony Jaa movie, and it is pure, unadulterated badass coupled with an environmentalist. Watch it now.

Kagemusha

04-03-2006, 00:53

I just watched the Der Untergang on DVD. I recommended this movie.The movie is about the last days of Adolf Hitler before the Soviets took Berlin in 1945. Its cruel and Dark movie, like in my opinion it should be.The German actors make great Job and the battle effects are as good as for example Saving Private Ryan.5 Stars from Kage.:skull: :skull: :skull: :skull: :skull:

Fragony

04-03-2006, 12:42

Watched Hostel. Bah. Sadistic crap. Not recommended at all unless you are a deeply troubled person.

matteus the inbred

04-04-2006, 16:11

I just watched a bootlegged version (straight from Asia!) of the new Tony Jaa movie, and it is pure, unadulterated badass coupled with an environmentalist. Watch it now.

I just bought Ong-Bak, loved it, although some of the stuff that guy does to people made me wince...
Will have to get hold of the new one now!

Alexanderofmacedon

04-09-2006, 04:29

Just watched SWAT. I personally thought it was a good movie, but I've heard mixed reviews.

Ser Clegane

04-09-2006, 08:00

Yesterday evening I watched Hotel Rwanda (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/).

An excellent and very moving film with an outstanding performance of Don Cheadle as the Hutu hotel manager who helped to save >1000 lives during the genocide of Rwanda.

Highly recommended

The movie leaves you with a terrible sense of shame... :shame:

I'm watching Ghandi in my geography class. I've already seen it, but I still love it. It's a great movie about a great man.

One of my all-time favourites. Each time I see it the performance of Ben Kingsley absolutely amazes me

Kagemusha

04-09-2006, 13:23

I watched Worlds Fastest Indianyesterday in a bit of a hangover. I think it was very good penformance from Anthony Hopkins.Not an very epic movie but very good and warm movie about one man and his dream.4 Skulls from Kage!:skull: :skull: :skull: :skull:

Geoffrey S

04-09-2006, 15:31

Saw Fargo yesterday, finally. Really was good, another Coen brothers film to add to my list of good films. Loved the accent.

ArnoldLol

04-09-2006, 15:33

econ21

04-09-2006, 23:45

Saw Fargo yesterday, finally. Really was good, another Coen brothers film to add to my list of good films. Loved the accent.

Excellent movie - the humour, horror and pathos. "And for what? A little bit of money..."

I saw "King Arthur" the other day. Obviously not a movie to be mentioned in the same post as Fargo, but surprisingly watchable. The whole plot and history were rather silly, but it had some redeeming virtues. The acting was decent - I liked the idealistic Arthur and his down to earth knights - and a lot of the costumes seemed authentic. The blue painted Celts and the Saxons with their shieldwall reminded me of those in Total War games. It made me want to fire up Barbarian Invasion again and play the WRE (using Goth's mod for extra realism). The other night I had to fight an uneven battle in Britain against a very beefy invading Saxon army and the way I could claw victory was surprisingly like that in the climatic battle of the film (shoot them in the back and do hit n runs with Roman heavy cavalry).

Alexanderofmacedon

04-10-2006, 00:30

I watched The Beach last night.

I'd have to say, "wow, that's one tripped out movie.", but either way it's still worth seeing...

Fragony

04-11-2006, 11:51

Yesterday evening I watched Hotel Rwanda (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/).

An excellent and very moving film with an outstanding performance of Don Cheadle as the Hutu hotel manager who helped to save >1000 lives during the genocide of Rwanda.

Highly recommended

The movie leaves you with a terrible sense of shame... :shame:

One of my all-time favourites. Each time I see it the performance of Ben Kingsley absolutely amazes me

Personally I thought the movie had the emotional impact of a frozen microwave-meal, couldn't care less about the characters which is an odd thing with movies like this.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-11-2006, 22:03

We should try and get this stickied :2thumbsup:

I rescently re-watched Star Wars: Episode III. Wow, what a movie. Graphics were awsome and it finished the story great. I just hope we can get the last three movies out somehow!:2thumbsup:

Puzz3D

04-21-2006, 19:22

Touching The Void (2003) is a true story about mountain climbing told in a very effective combination dramatic reenactment/documentary style. The events, which are legendary in the mountaineering community, happened in 1985 in the Peruvian Andes when two climbers attempted to scale a 21,000 foot peak on a face which had never been successfully scaled before. The events are also an example of a classic moral paradox. This is a very well done, realistic movie which was almost made with Tom Cruise in a typical Hollywood style, but thankfully wasn't. I found this to be great follow-up viewing to The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929) which was also based on a true story.

doc_bean

04-21-2006, 21:56

Saw Hooligans, a pretty good movie about, well, hooligans. It's pretty brutal in places, and imho, a little over the top, but I enjoyed it quite a bit :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

Alexanderofmacedon

04-21-2006, 22:05

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Funniest movie I've seen in such a long time!:2thumbsup:

Teleklos Archelaou

04-22-2006, 03:59

I basically don't have TV, but live off Netflix DVD's and what I get from my University Library on DVD - so I see lots of movies and almost no TV.

------------------------
I've watched this last week and a half the first three installments of the British documentary 7 Up (which was followed by 7 Plus 7, and 21 Up). I'm waiting on 28 Up right now.

It's a documentary that follows 14 children from England from different backgrounds and social classes, and comes back to them every 7 years to see how they've changed or if they are doing what they expected to be doing (started in 1963 I think - they just released 49 Up I think). Very interesting stuff.

------------
I also watched (sorta) 2046 this week and thought it was a real bore. Zhang Ziyi was quite attractive, as were some of the other ladies, but it was too hard to sympathize with the main character. Didn't feel much for it.

Also saw last week La Dolce Vita - man was that long (3 hours). Very interesting though. But not as good as 8 1/2 (by Fellini also). Then I checked out Nights of Cabiria (by the same) and it held my interest, but I didn't enjoy it as much as either of the other two (Marcello Mastroianni is just too cool :2thumbsup: in the other two, but he wasn't in Nights of Cabiria).

Finally, I watched A History of Violence. I liked the actors, and they all did excellent jobs with their parts, but I just didn't think the story was interesting. Once the big 'secret' was revealed about halfway in, I really lost interest.

Trying to watch Triumph of the Will right now, but gah... it's pretty boring.

The Stranger

04-22-2006, 15:51

Saw Hooligans, a pretty good movie about, well, hooligans. It's pretty brutal in places, and imho, a little over the top, but I enjoyed it quite a bit :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

i saw it to and i really enjoyed it...though the reall end sucked...but the end where the guy died whas quite touching

BUT THE VIOLENCE ROCKED :oops:

Strike For The South

04-23-2006, 02:33

I saw the Green Mile now that is a damn good flick 10/10

Alexanderofmacedon

04-23-2006, 20:59

Wow, I think I just saw the funniest movie in the world! Just finished watching (for the first time) Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I can't believe I haven't seen it until now. It's absolutely halarious.

Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!

Favorite part: Either when the French knights are taunting the English or when Arthur fights the black knight by the bridge, cuts off all his limbs, and still the black knight doesn't stop. :laugh4:

drone

04-24-2006, 16:12

Saw Sling Blade this weekend on DVD. Slow paced at times, but a great flick and good acting by Billy Bob.

matteus the inbred

04-24-2006, 16:26

Saw Hooligans, a pretty good movie about, well, hooligans. It's pretty brutal in places, and imho, a little over the top, but I enjoyed it quite a bit :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

Totally irrelevant fact, but I was at school with Leo Gregory, who plays Bovver. Shared a desk in French class, I think...appropriately enough he was a bad lad and always in trouble. :2cents:

Sasaki Kojiro

04-26-2006, 03:40

Mr.Deeds--I liked it. Adam Sandler was good and there was some funny stuff, the girl really dragged the movie down though. Those scenes were physically painful. Not sure I'll watch it again, possibly.

Crash--Amazing movie. Very powerful. "Best picture of the year" is well deserved.

King Kong--I swear, only 10% of this movie actually had dialog and half of that was screams and grunts. The action and drama and horror was well done and all but they could have fleshed out the characters more. Three hours is a bit long for a movie with so little going on.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-26-2006, 03:51

Mr.Deeds--I liked it. Adam Sandler was good and there was some funny stuff, the girl really dragged the movie down though. Those scenes were physically painful. Not sure I'll watch it again, possibly.

Crash--Amazing movie. Very powerful. "Best picture of the year" is well deserved.
King Kong--I swear, only 10% of this movie actually had dialog and half of that was screams and grunts. The action and drama and horror was well done and all but they could have fleshed out the characters more. Three hours is a bit long for a movie with so little going on.

Oh yes.:book:

Dutch_guy

04-28-2006, 23:53

Just saw The Usual Suspects

If you haven't seen this movie you most definatly should !

Great story, acting and a great plot twist at the end of the film, makes you smile everytime you see it. And that comes from a man who has seen this movie over 5 times already.

:balloon2:

Ice

04-29-2006, 02:13

I saw the Green Mile now that is a damn good flick 10/10

I agree. I saw that movie a couple years ago. Really good.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-29-2006, 03:48

I just saw Scary Movie 4. I'm pretty pissed that I wont get that two hours of my life back. The only think stopping me from saying it's the stupidest movie in the movie, is that she (http://www.nndb.com/people/987/000052831/anna_faris.jpg) is kind of pretty.:wall:

0 out of 5

Evil_Maniac From Mars

04-29-2006, 03:51

Alexanderofmacedon

04-30-2006, 05:17

Beirut

04-30-2006, 12:32

Wolf Creek.

The only reason I didn't fall asleep was because that would have kept me from pushing the FF button on the remote.

What a dull, stupid, boring, useless, non-entertaining, splop of a film.

Gawain of Orkeny

04-30-2006, 14:05

Just finished watching Jarhead. I have to say, it's a great movie. I've always appreciated what our soldiers do, but I now appreciate them more. For anyone who served on these forums: Thank you. For anyone who lost a best friend. I'm sorry

That movie sucked. If you think that reflects reality you have another thing coming. Its mostly an anti war movie. Way to much politics in it. As an ex Marine I really dispise it.

I just watched Tristan and Isodel. A great flick. Though I dont no how much it reflects the real legend. It has really neat castles. Some good fighting scenes and lots of romance for the women.

Alexanderofmacedon

04-30-2006, 14:57

That movie sucked. If you think that reflects reality you have another thing coming. Its mostly an anti war movie. Way to much politics in it. As an ex Marine I really dispise it.

Hmm. Well, I still like it. I disagree with you on the anti-war and that it has too much politics. I wasn't in the military, so the other stuff, I'll take your word for it. Thanks for the info.

econ21

05-01-2006, 23:52

I saw a Bridge Too Far again the other day. It reinforced my recollection that it was the best war movie ever made, at least from the point of view of historical accuracy. Pretty much every scene in it was authentic, but without being stilted in the way that some other historical movies are (e.g. Waterloo). My personal favourite is probably the vignette with James Caan's sergeant taking the body of his captain and forcing an army surgeon to look at it. After finding the captain is not dead and saving him, the surgeon forgives Caan but as they part, says: "Sergeant, you would not really have killed me, would you?" Caan just salutes. I remembering reading the sergeant's words after the event - he said things were pretty messed up back then and he did not rightly know what he'd have done.

The other thing that struck me about the film was the sense of honour in all the characters (even the Germans). They all seemed brave and determined, but motivated by duty not hatred. I guess it's old fashioned and presumably not always true, but the film depicted a nobility of spirit among the combatants, contrary to the psychos, cowards and generally uninspiring soldiers we see depicted in most modern war movies. If war was not really like that, it is at least how we would like it to be.

Evil_Maniac From Mars

05-02-2006, 00:31

I might watch that. It'll be a welcome change after seeing all the movies where the Germans are ruthless ******** compared to the noble Allied armies. :furious3:

Fragony

05-02-2006, 14:48

For those that speak dutch, go watch 'Simon'. It is still a good movie if you don't, but it would be like watching Amelie without knowing french; you just wouldn't understand more then half of the jokes. A laugh and a tear, awesome movie with extremily sharp dialogues and great characters.

Puzz3D

05-03-2006, 17:44

I saw a Bridge Too Far again the other day. It reinforced my recollection that it was the best war movie ever made, at least from the point of view of historical accuracy.
It's good, but Band of Brothers (2001) is the best WW2 movie I've seen. Das Boot (1981) (206 and 293 minute versions) is also very good. For WWI, Paths of Glory (1957) and Westfront 1918 (1930) (93 minute TCM print) are the best I've seen.

doc_bean

05-03-2006, 21:19

It's good, but Band of Brothers (2001) is the best WW2 movie I've seen.

Technically it's a mini series :book:

But yes, it was also one the best war saga's I've ever seen.

Avicenna

05-03-2006, 21:41

It's good, but Band of Brothers (2001) is the best WW2 movie I've seen. Das Boot (1981) (216 and 293 minute versions) is also very good. For WWI, Paths of Glory (1957) and Westfront 1918 (1930) (93 minute TCM print) are the best I've seen.

Das Boot is great, but it's funny how they're openly anti-Nazi and yet are allowed to have one of the precious U-Boots.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Funniest movie I've seen in such a long time!

You've got to be kidding me. MP (yes, all of them) is just too ridiculous and tries too hard to be funny, you get sick of it after a few minutes.

LeftEyeNine

05-03-2006, 22:08

Funniest movie on the planet is the Ice Age series. Ice Age 2 -pure childish fun even drives the adults into endless laughter. :2thumbsup:

Alexander the Pretty Good

05-04-2006, 03:12

Casablanca = classic. If you haven't go see it.

econ21 - A Bridge Too Far used to be one of my favorite WW2 flicks; I watched it more recently and was underwhelmed. I probably had my expectations/memories set too high, but it seemed kind of limp - probably the dull (compared to today's) special effects. It is still pretty good, though. The book is better.

Did anyone actually like The Big Red One? I saw the more recent release, and it was just... Gah. Bad...

Zalmoxis

05-04-2006, 07:37

Funniest movie on the planet is the Ice Age series. Ice Age 2 -pure childish fun even drives the adults into endless laughter. :2thumbsup:
I've seen those, pretty good.

matteus the inbred

05-04-2006, 08:02

Anyone watch Escape to Victory last night? Quality football from Pele, quality, um, acting from Sly and a quality beer belly from Michael Caine. And the title really ought to be Escape to a Draw (But a Moral Victory). Still, it's a fun film if silly, and some legends (Pele, Moore, Ardiles) of the game showing us why they stuck to football. Or soccer, if you will.

Mouzafphaerre

05-07-2006, 21:29

.
My first review at the IMDB has its own thread. Now I wrote my second for Makhmalbaf's نان و گلدون (http://imdb.com/title/tt0117214/) aka A Momement of Innocence aka Bread and Flower. There... (http://imdb.com/title/tt0117214/usercomments-7)
.

Crazed Rabbit

05-10-2006, 05:52

Saw The Sentinel last Friday night.

Good acting, plot, tension, etc. Generally a pretty good action-suspense movie.

Crazed Rabbit

Fragony

05-10-2006, 08:44

Did anyone actually like The Big Red One? I saw the more recent release, and it was just... Gah. Bad...

I didn't know there was a remake, The big red one has to be one of the best war movies ever.

doc_bean

05-10-2006, 08:46

Saw MI3 a few days ago. Mildly entertaining, in quality somewhere between the first (good) and the second (unbelievable hollywood popcorn blockbuster, worst John Woo movie evar). Not really worth seeing imo.

Puzz3D

05-10-2006, 17:34

I didn't know there was a remake, The big red one has to be one of the best war movies ever.
I've seen both versions of The Big Red One (1980), and the restored version is better than the theatrical release version. The studio really hacked that picture on Sam Fuller. This was his lifetime project to convey his experiences in WWII, and I think he does a good job of that. He got very good performances out of the cast and the screen play is good and rings true, but his budget was quite small for a project like this. He only had three tanks to make the entire movie. With an adequate budget, I think The Big Red One would have ranked with the best war movies ever made.

Back in the late 1960's, my father, who was a WWII infantry vet who fought in Europe, said that the TV series Combat with Vic Morrow was the most realistic WWII movie/tv show he had seen up to that time. I don't think he ever saw The Big Red One, but it does remind me of that Combat TV series. Another movie that I think is in a similar vein in its portrayal of the soldiers facing a difficult task is A Walk in the Sun (1945) which unfortunately is not available in a decent quality video release. The final assault on the farmhouse has some speeded up sequences right near the end which detract from the realism. Lewis Milestone, who directed this picture, also did Pork Chop Hill (1959) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), and other war films noted for attention to detail and a sense of realism. I remember his film Armored Attack (1943) making a big impression on me, although, it's now superseded by Come and See (1985).

Zalmoxis

05-11-2006, 01:13

I just saw War Of The World. It was good, you know, at least in visuals, but it was too much of an action movie for me, I like something more realistic.

Mouzafphaerre

05-11-2006, 01:42

.
The Big Red One! ~:eek: I saw it as a child on the TV and have been dying to see once again in my lifetime. ~:mecry:
.

Alexander the Pretty Good

05-11-2006, 04:46

Meh! I just don't really see what you guys like in it. I found it terribly episodic, as well as uninspiring action and acting. Plus, the Germans never used Sherman tanks in actual war. I can't bring myself to forgive that, even in light of a limited budget. :sweatdrop:

I guess I was spoiled by Band of Brothers - which is effectively episodic.

Puzz3D

05-11-2006, 22:59

I just don't really see what you guys like in it. I found it terribly episodic, as well as uninspiring action and acting.
It's not supposed to be inspiring. Sam Fuller said, "The real glory of war is surviving.", and that's what he tries to convey in The Big Red One.

Alexanderofmacedon

05-14-2006, 02:04

I am watching Princess Bride on AMC. It's a great movie, I've seen before, but I like it anyway.

Sasaki Kojiro

05-15-2006, 07:43

I just saw The last seduction. I liked it a lot, there is a shortage of convincingly evil characters in movies, and Miss Fiorentino does an excellent job. I like movies where the main character is smarter than everyone else.

GoreBag

05-15-2006, 07:58

I got the tenth anniversary editions of Mallrats and Clerks the other day in some package deal. Reasons were obvious.

On Saturday, though, I watched the original Nosferatu from 1922 (eine Symphonie des Grauens), but with English text. I'm not sure if I like this version or Herzog's Phantom der Nacht better, but I certainly need to watch more expressionist films, especially the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

scooter_the_shooter

05-15-2006, 20:51

I just saw the movie sleepers dear god that movie makes you wanna' kill some one.

It's about some kids in NYC, chicago or some city(can't remember) Who accidentally drop a hot dog stand into the sub way and hurt some one. They go to juvy for a year where the guards make the kids give them blow jobs and all sorts of creepy stuff. good news though at the end 2 guards are killed and the rest are thrown in jail:2thumbsup:

It is a good movie though. Don't let the man/boy scenes turn you off. It didn't show them.

Avicenna

05-15-2006, 21:23

scooter_the_shooter

05-15-2006, 23:00

It's is not some creepy pedo movie it's is mainstream. Its got brad pit, kevin bacon, robert deniro,. All sorts of big name people. I think it might have the girl from the movie paparazzi, I think dustin hoffman might be the guy who guns em' down.

Blodrast

05-16-2006, 01:41

I thought Sleepers was very good, and it certainly has a really nice cast.
It's about boys growing into men, and the way they deal with traumas (and ghosts, more or less material) from the past.
It's hard to go wrong with Kevin Bacon (again, in a negative role), Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffmann and Brad Pitt all in the same movie.
I'd highly recommend it.

Dutch_guy

05-16-2006, 16:30

Yes I agree, Sleepers is worth the watch. As said the cast is very good, with the Niro as the sympathetic priest and Bacon as the guard everyone hates.

It may be shocking at times, but it really is a film to see.

:balloon2:

Puzz3D

05-16-2006, 20:39

On Saturday, though, I watched the original Nosferatu from 1922 (eine Symphonie des Grauens), but with English text. I'm not sure if I like this version or Herzog's Phantom der Nacht better, but I certainly need to watch more expressionist films, especially the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Nosferatu (1922) and Phantom der Nacht (1979) are both good. A great way to see these two movies is back to back watching the 1922 version first since the 1979 version references the older movie.

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) is good, but not an easy film to grasp. Also, unlike Nosferatu, the ending is a cop out. The restored version of Metropolis (1927) and M (1931) are good examples of german expressionist cinema. I also like Carl Dryer's Vampyr (1932) for a movie that can really spook you out watching it late at night alone in the dark. A fairly modern example of expressionism is Rober Altman's Images (1972) starring Susannah York who gives a very good performance. I guess Repulsion (1965) by Roman Polanski is another example, but I haven't seen it.

Some of the people who made these early movies in Europe moved to Hollywood and worked on movies like Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931) where you can see the influence of the cinamagraphic style, although, they aren't purely expressionistic films. Gothic horror films have their visual roots in early expressionistic films, and it's interesting that this influence came to the Italian gothic horror gendre of the late 1950's and early 1960's apparently by way of the spooky forest sequence in Walt Disney's animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). You can also see the visual influence of german expressionism in Citizen Kane (1941), and the whole film noir gendre of the late 1940's and early 1950's many of which present the viewer with the main character's flawed perspective most of the time.

Fragony

05-17-2006, 12:21

I am watching Princess Bride on AMC. It's a great movie, I've seen before, but I like it anyway.

The word you are looking for is FANTASTIC, I love that movie to death.

Princes Bride = cult.

Alexanderofmacedon

05-21-2006, 03:29

I just finished watching "Young Frankenstein"

Quite a funny movie, if you ask me...:laugh4:

Avicenna

05-21-2006, 20:38

While we're talking about "Young " movies, ever watched Young Sherlock Holmes? Quite interesting, and, what a 'coincidence'. Two scenes, at the hideout, look [i]exactly like the place from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, also directed by Speilberg.

Alexanderofmacedon

05-21-2006, 21:12

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Classic.:2thumbsup:

Alexander the Pretty Good

05-23-2006, 03:23

Love the music for that one.

Frag - Princess Bride RAWKS! So much so that I must mispell RAWKS!

And I saw The Hunt for Red October the past weekend. Confirming that Sean Connery is Teh Man.

Beirut

05-23-2006, 11:54

Just saw United 93.

Pretty good. Some tense moments even though you already know what happens. Well directed. Very real.

Helps if you are into aiplanes and airplane tech speak. My woman kept leaning over and asking, "What does _____ mean?"

econ21

05-23-2006, 15:10

Just saw United 93.

Not sure I could watch that. It sounds a like a good film. But I'd probably end up blubbering like a baby. Rage and grief are a hard mixture to contain. Something about 9/11 still affects me, even though I had no personal involvement with it. I'll probably have to wait until it comes on TV and then watch it alone, late at night.

Alexanderofmacedon

05-23-2006, 16:56

Not sure I could watch that. It sounds a like a good film. But I'd probably end up blubbering like a baby. Rage and grief are a hard mixture to contain. Something about 9/11 still affects me, even though I had no personal involvement with it. I'll probably have to wait until it comes on TV and then watch it alone, late at night.

:laugh4:

At least you're honest though.:2thumbsup:

Mouzafphaerre

05-23-2006, 18:49

.
I didn't believe that Spielberg could make movies until I saw Empire of the Sun (1987). While it has its share of cheesy holywood tear soup, it's as good as Steven can do. :coffeenews:

Somebody needs expressionism? Try Fritz Lang's Fury from 1930's too. :yes:

As for Citizen Kane, anything with the minimal involvement of Orson is worth seeing. :2thumbsup:
.

Craterus

05-24-2006, 20:31

I saw Pulp Fiction for the first time yesterday. It was great, even when my brother kept talking over them. :wall:

:laugh4:

Recommend it though, great film. And really funny at some points.

The Blind King of Bohemia

05-24-2006, 20:36

I was watching Gods and Generals a few days back and was very impressed by it. Although it seemed the Stonewall Jackson story Stephen Lang's performance was just amazing, he truely lived the character and his emotion and power really made the film. I recommend it, i felt for the Irish brigade against the Georgian Irish regiments fighting against one another. I'm not sure of the battle, is the Bull Run? Either way its very good and if you like a film revolved arounds battles this is for you

Watching Gettysburg at the moment at that is also very good but i'm only 2 huors in with another two to go. Sam Elliot and Tom Berenger are on top form

Mouzafphaerre

05-24-2006, 21:16

I saw Pulp Fiction for the first time yesterday. It was great, even when my brother kept talking over them. :wall:

:laugh4:

Recommend it though, great film. And really funny at some points.
.
Good one but IMHO Rezervoir Dogs is the best Tarantino. :yes: I haven't seen either of the Kill Bill's though.
.

Craterus

05-24-2006, 21:20

I was recommended Reservoir Dogs right after watching it. I think I'll have to check it out.

Thanks. :2thumbsup:

Blodrast

05-25-2006, 01:22

Lucky Number Slevin (was this already reviewed here ? If so, my apologies): very nice plot, nice twist, pretty good acting even though I'm no fan of the main character. Definitely worth seeing.

Inside Man: more or less your typical intelligent-bank-robbery thing, trying to be above average. For some reason, wasn't thrilled with it - too much in-your-face criticism of the police force (bad guys = smart; average police dudes = dumb). Sure, that may or may not be the case, but subtle is better, imo. Decent, but not great. Couldn't really get excited about it.

Alexanderofmacedon

05-25-2006, 17:00

doc_bean

05-25-2006, 18:14

.
Good one but IMHO Rezervoir Dogs is the best Tarantino. :yes: I haven't seen either of the Kill Bill's though.
.

The Kill Bills are great, but they're very unrealistic, maybe *surreal* would be a better term since it's obviously deliberate. It's at times more a movie about movies than a real movie in itself :dizzy2:

But yes, Reservoir Dogs is easily my favourite Tarantino too :2thumbsup:

Puzz3D

05-25-2006, 18:16

Alexander the Pretty Good

05-26-2006, 03:19

BKB - Gettysburg is amazing. I haven't seen G&G, though I read the book. The battle is Fredericksburg, I believe. I'll have to check it out.

econ21

05-27-2006, 03:50

Alexanderofmacedon

05-27-2006, 05:29

I just saw an old western movie with Clint Eastwood. "For a Few Dollars More"

Blodrast

05-27-2006, 18:52

Alexanderofmacedon

05-28-2006, 00:47

Dutch_guy

05-28-2006, 12:45

I did however hate it when at the end, the translator kills the german soldier he befriended earlier. I know it's just war, but it doesn't make it any better.

Well I found it hard to be sympathetic towards the German, especially since he killed about 3 members of the squad sent to save Ryan. I understand what you mean though, killing an unarmed man is never good - but again, the germans did exactly the same thing in the movie.

:balloon2:

Alexanderofmacedon

05-29-2006, 18:47

Well I found it hard to be sympathetic towards the German, especially since he killed about 3 members of the squad sent to save Ryan. I understand what you mean though, killing an unarmed man is never good - but again, the germans did exactly the same thing in the movie.

:balloon2:

When did they do exactly the same thing?

Dutch_guy

05-29-2006, 19:16

Alexanderofmacedon

05-29-2006, 19:20

During the last battle ( in which almost every main character dies ) you eventually see a couple of Americans falling or in the progress of falling get shot at point blank range ( in their backs )by some german soldier. Who then runs on to continue fighting elswhere. It was in the heat of the battle, but I clearly remember seeing it.

:balloon2:

That's no where near the same thing. In combat if a man has been shot and he immedietly falls down there is a very good chance he could not be killed. If his gun is nearby there is ample oppurtunity to pick up the gun and get a last shot in or something of the sort.

If a man surrenders and throws his gun down with his hands up, you do NOT shoot him. I think your example is fine, but shooting surrendering troops is absolutely wrong, no matter who he killed.

Mouzafphaerre

05-29-2006, 22:49

That's one of the famous spaghetti westerns ! :2thumbsup:
For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
All three classical spaghetti's, and all three way cool if you're into those.
.
:2thumbsup:

Anything with/by Eastwood and/or Cleef and/or Wallasch (sp?) deserves attention. :yes:
.

Dutch_guy

05-30-2006, 14:55

. I think your example is fine, but shooting surrendering troops is absolutely wrong, no matter who he killed.

But I agree, I'm not advocating that shooting an unarmed man is right !.
I merely say I sympathise with why he did it. That's all.

:balloon2:

Geoffrey S

05-30-2006, 17:37

Saw K-Pax last saturday. Nice film, with good acting from Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. Was a bit slow, but a pleasant film to watch.

Also watched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure recently. Stupid, but funny, film.

That's no where near the same thing. In combat if a man has been shot and he immedietly falls down there is a very good chance he could not be killed. If his gun is nearby there is ample oppurtunity to pick up the gun and get a last shot in or something of the sort.

If a man surrenders and throws his gun down with his hands up, you do NOT shoot him. I think your example is fine, but shooting surrendering troops is absolutely wrong, no matter who he killed.
At least Spielberg got you thinking, which was probably his goal.

Fragony

05-30-2006, 17:53

Watched Hotel Rwanda. It was gripping enough to stop me starting the new PBM campaign I was supposed to open tonight. An "African Schindler's List", it is - relatively - light on the horror. 800,000 people are killed and the film manages to stay rated a "12".

But it is very moving and in some way uplifting. The main character, the hotel manager who protects 1200 refugees from the genocide, is brilliantly acted (Don Cheedle? - from Crash?) and utterly convincing. The portrayal of genocide feels very authentic and it seems largely true to life, although there is one speech by the Canadian colonel (Nick Nolte) that does not ring true.

A very well made and worthwhile film.

Hmm you are not the first to praise it here, but I thought it was a pretty bad flick. I didn't care one bit the entire movie, maybe I was in the wrong mood when watching it, but I am usually a complete wuss with these kind of things. Then again, I didn't really care for Schinlers List either, vulgar movie. I don't like it when I am told to be disgusted, the Pianist was so much better. There it happens to people, personal stories instead of memorial pornography with too much violins.

Blodrast

05-30-2006, 19:29

For some non-standard romance movies you can watch with your wife/gf/significant other, I'd point out:

Bitter Moon (Roman Polanski).
and
Jeux d'enfants (Love me if you dare).

They are both pretty crazy, pretty dark, and real damn good, imho. Loved both.

Dutch_guy

05-30-2006, 19:54

Hmm you are not the first to praise it here, but I thought it was a pretty bad flick. I didn't care one bit the entire movie, maybe I was in the wrong mood when watching it, but I am usually a complete wuss with these kind of things. Then again, I didn't really care for Schinlers List either, vulgar movie. I don't like it when I am told to be disgusted, the Pianist was so much better. There it happens to people, personal stories instead of memorial pornography with too much violins.

I liked Schindlers list better than the Pianist.

The Pianist just kept on going, it just felt to drawn out if you know what I mean.

Also I was surprised at how little time Hosenfeld ( the good German officer ) got in the film, his role was important, very, but we never really get any insight in what kind of person he was. Something that is shown clearly in Schindlers list, for every major character.

Just my 2 cents...

:balloon2:

Alexanderofmacedon

05-31-2006, 03:15

I liked Schindlers list better than the Pianist.

The Pianist just kept on going, it just felt to drawn out if you know what I mean.

Also I was surprised at how little time Hosenfeld ( the good German officer ) got in the film, his role was important, very, but we never really get any insight in what kind of person he was. Something that is shown clearly in Schindlers list, for every major character.

Just my 2 cents...

:balloon2:

I don't need your 2 cents

~;)

econ21

06-01-2006, 16:10

I watched the remake of "Assault on Precinct 13". On reflection, it was probably a waste of 2 hours of my life, but it was ok filler material. I really liked the original, especially the surreally disturbing opening (IIRC, girl getting mowed down in a drive by next to an ice cream van; father or bystander gets dragged into the action and deranged by the experience, flees to the run-down police station). Here they took that out and replaced it with a generic, Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction wannabe under-cover op gone wrong that did not have the same kick. Plus they gave faces and identities to the assailants of the Police Station, which made it something much less special - in the original, the faceless attackers were effectively like zombies with M16s. The remake also had a strange habit of lingering on every dead guy with bloodly hole in his head - it felt like some distasteful "gore as porn" fetish.

On the plus side, Laurence Fishburne exuded authority and danger, as usual - in fact he seems to have bulked up a little from what I remember, so he was even more fitting as a bad-ass underworld boss (in the original, the same character seemed a cheesy Indiana Jones-style anti-hero). Plus there was Sid the Sloth from Ice Age in a slightly less salubrious part (my young son recognised him).

I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5. (The original was a 4 or more).

ArcticSonata

06-01-2006, 23:19

Sasaki Kojiro

06-02-2006, 02:45

Changing Lanes has one of the most satisfying ends to a movie ever.

Crazed Rabbit

06-05-2006, 04:48

I watched most of The English Patient last night. Watched it with my parents, and not one of us finished watching it.

It could definately do with and hour or so cut out (its 2 hrs 40 mins, I saw almost 2 hrs). The pace is much to slow, especially since the main story is told in flashbacks (and half the movie is that guy lying there breathing heavily), but you already know the ending, and there is no hook to keep you interested. By the time there's something slightly interesting happening, noone cared.

On the other hand, I recommend Interview With a Vampire and From Russia With Love. Russia started a bit slow, but became very good near the end, more interesting to me than the explosions galore Bonds of late. Interview was a very good movie, avoided the many 'rules' of vampires from, say, Underworld. Similar to how magic is presented in Tolkien vs. DnD (mysterious and powerful vs overly complex and nerdy.)

Crazed Rabbit

Alexanderofmacedon

06-08-2006, 05:23

National Treasure.

Waste.

Of.

Time.

(unless you're a small kid, in which case it's good fun)

Sasaki Kojiro

06-11-2006, 06:13

Audition--Not for the squeamish ~D

I enjoyed it tremendously.

Avicenna

06-11-2006, 08:41

Saving Private Ryan on TNT. Even though it was on TV it was uncut. I REALLY liked it.

I did however hate it when at the end, the translator kills the german soldier he befriended earlier. I know it's just war, but it doesn't make it any better.

Put it this way, as you being the guy. You've been brought to the squad, and you've become very attached to them, due to the fact that they've saved your life on numerous occasions. This guy machineguns your squad and kills one person. Then, you fight with your squad to allow him to live. He lives, and goes away. He then comes back, and kills yet more of your squad. Do you think at that stage you would feel any pity for him? The translator has already shown far more restraint than most others, but in the end this guy is just scum in his eyes. Lying, filthy, scum. It may not be a moral thing to do, but it surely is what almost everyone would do in his situation.

Mithradates

06-11-2006, 09:32

I would also reccomend interview with a vampire purely for the reason that it is a good watch but it also has Tom Cruise as evil. Or atleast semi evil.

Dutch_guy

06-11-2006, 12:25

Put it this way, as you being the guy. You've been brought to the squad, and you've become very attached to them, due to the fact that they've saved your life on numerous occasions. This guy machineguns your squad and kills one person. Then, you fight with your squad to allow him to live. He lives, and goes away. He then comes back, and kills yet more of your squad. Do you think at that stage you would feel any pity for him? The translator has already shown far more restraint than most others, but in the end this guy is just scum in his eyes. Lying, filthy, scum. It may not be a moral thing to do, but it surely is what almost everyone would do in his situation.

I've already argued this point, and discussed this with Alex a page or 2 ago in this thread.

I tend to agree with you Tiberius. I shall not argue - nor will I ever - that shooting an unarmed man is a good thing to do, but i do sympathise with the man who did it. :bow:

:balloon2:

Geoffrey S

06-11-2006, 13:00

Manchurian Candidate. If you're looking for a very good, relatively believable political thriller this is recommended. Great acting and a solid, intriguing plot made it entertaining to watch. Trailed off a little shortly before the end, but got back on track very quickly.

Fragony

06-12-2006, 12:19

Audition--Not for the squeamish ~D

I enjoyed it tremendously.

Kidikidikidi............ :dizzy2:

brrrr!

Alexanderofmacedon

06-12-2006, 16:32

I've already argued this point, and discussed this with Alex a page or 2 ago in this thread.

I tend to agree with you Tiberius. I shall not argue - nor will I ever - that shooting an unarmed man is a good thing to do, but i do sympathise with the man who did it. :bow:

:balloon2:

It's not that I don't sympathise with what he did. He was the most generous of the punch, but I looked at him as the good true soldier, and I expected he would be the one person who wouldn't do that.

It's just a movie (although I know it happend on all sides throughout the war in real life) so I will not argue it anymore.:2thumbsup:

Alexanderofmacedon

06-12-2006, 16:39

Saw II - I saw this movie (:laugh4: ) with a friend late and night and it was awsome. Most people would think of this as a horror pointless movie with a bunch of random killing, but it's much more. It's more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie.

Enemy at the Gates - I've been wanting to watch this for so long and finally I got to. It's one of my favourite movies now. I recomend it to everyone who likes that kind of stuff.

Four Brothers - Well it looks like I can pick movies, because this was an other one I rented that was absolutely awsome.

Go watch every one of these if you haven't.:2thumbsup:

AwesomeArcher

06-12-2006, 17:26

Enemy at the gates is a great movie. Also i liked national treasure it was clever and had some good history. Also i just saw X-Men 3, it was a good movie but EVERYONE DIES.

Sasaki Kojiro

06-15-2006, 06:13

If you liked The Last Seduction (1994), definitely checkout Bound (1996).

Thanks for the recommendation, that was a really great movie.

Alexanderofmacedon

06-17-2006, 05:31

Jurassic Park II and Jurassic Park III. Both excellent movies.

Fragony

06-23-2006, 08:59

Jurassic Park II and Jurassic Park III. Both excellent movies.

50cc good taste!!! quik we are losing him!!!

Anyway. Finaly saw 'Batman Begins' and I enjoyed it immensily. After non-talent Schumacher destroyed the excellent batman series I was very sceptical, and was pleasantly surprised that this might just be the best batman movie ever. The only thing that was dissapointing was the city itselve, nothing Gothic about it.

Also watched 'A history of violence', great movie. It starts out harmless enough, only to kick you in the face later. There isn't a lot of it, but the violence is extremily graphic, this is sure as hell not a movie for the weaker tummies. Cronenberg really wants to show that violence is a very ugly thing.

econ21

06-24-2006, 02:34

I saw "Go tell the Spartans...", a Vietnam war movie starring Burt Lancaster as a grizzled major commanding some American "advisors" in 1964. The film was made in 1978, but somehow feels ten years older. It can't compare with the modern production values and brilliant execution of Deer Hunter or Apocalypse Now, which IIRC were made in the same year. But the fact that it seems a little low budget and not a typical modern Hollywood movie means that the plot is genuinely unpredictable and has a sense of danger - no actor is safe.

Burt Lancaster is the stand-out of course, as a man who senses that everything is going to fall apart but does his duty with honour and good humour. There's a lovely scene where he insists on taking a dangerous mission over the objections of a boffin-ish intelligence officer he's frequently argued with in the past.

Lancaster (challenging): "What's the matter, Lieutenant, do you love your commanding officer?"

Boffin-ish intelligence officer (befuddled): "Yes, sir"

Lancaster (humourous, assured): "Well that's all right, son, because I love you too."

Sasaki Kojiro

07-02-2006, 05:53

28 days later: Excellent zombie horror movie. Although it turns out the zombies aren't the real horror. Any movie which has the apocalypse brought on by animal rights activists has to be good.

Crazed Rabbit

07-02-2006, 06:29

Interesting, I've been looking for a good zombie horror movie. Saw Shawn (sp?) of the Dead recently, a good movie. I'll have to check out this 28 days later.

Crazed Rabbit

Aenlic

07-02-2006, 07:37

Interesting, I've been looking for a good zombie horror movie. Saw Shawn (sp?) of the Dead recently, a good movie. I'll have to check out this 28 days later.

Crazed Rabbit

If you're looking for a good horror movie, well... OK, horror/comedy satire movie with odd things in it, then I highly recommend Bubba Ho-Tep (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281686/). Can't beat a movie with Elvis (Bruce Campbell) and JFK (Ossie Davis, yes I said Ossie Davis, I won't spoil this funny part) in a nursing home fighting an evil Egyptian mummy. Go rent it now! No, now. Get off the couch and go! Quick!

Puzz3D

07-02-2006, 23:10

28 days later: Excellent zombie horror movie. Although it turns out the zombies aren't the real horror. Any movie which has the apocalypse brought on by animal rights activists has to be good.
Technically there are no zombies in 28 Days Later, and the rage virus was developed by scientists not animal rights activists. I thought this movie was very good with good scares, character arcs for both main characters and interesting social commentary all of which you look for in this gendre. The original music score is also good, and the film has some interesting experimental cinematography. The movie was more effective in the theater than it is on a small TV screen. I liked the theatrical ending, and didn't care for either of the two alternate endings on the DVD.

Straight into Darkness (2005) is a thought provoking war movie. Jeff Burr, the writer and director of this film, says "Straight into Darkness is a character-led story that is set in the last winter of the Second World War, just after the Battle of the Bulge. It focuses on two American soldiers and their enigmatic, psychological, and religious journey between the lines." It is that, but it's also a powerful allegory for the tragedy which mankind is acting out. After watching the film you may want to read the poem "The Conquoror Worm" by Edgar Alan Poe.

Musa, alternate title The Warrior, (2001). Set in China in 1375 it's the story of a group of Koreans who try to establish diplomatic ties with the Ming Dynasty after the Ming had driven the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty north of The Great Wall. It's an epic picture with very well done action set pieces (and a lot of them) without the fake wirework common in many of these movies, and it's a good story with lots of characters both major and minor who all receive character development scenes. The actors all seem to be ethnically correct, and the costumes are very well done; great photography as well. It's not a good guys vs bad guys type of story as everyone in it has both good and bad characteristics. This film didn't get a theatrical release in the USA, but has recently been re-released on DVD.

Avicenna

07-03-2006, 08:38

Yuck at Jurassic Park.

I watched Rising Sun recently, quite exciting but I got a bit confused with all the Japanese sayings by the end. Don't like Sean Connery's disrespect of Sun Tzu though ~:angry:

Other films that I've enjoyed are The Firm and The Pelican Brief.

econ21

07-03-2006, 11:51

Fragony

07-03-2006, 12:08

Saw 'Panzerkruizer Potempkin' with full orchestra, awesome. Shame so much of the material was lost, it doesn't really show that the crew are treated so badly.

Glory to the revulotion, reminded me a bit of our state-television ~;p

naut

07-05-2006, 13:48

Just watched Collateral. I must say I was suprised. I was expecting a really shoddy movie, but it was atually good. The plot held together nicely, the cinematography was good and not bad acting (except I hate the way Tom Cruise runs!). It was a bit cliche, but still a decent movie. Defenately worth my evening.

Lemur

07-05-2006, 20:37

Finally saw Darwin's Nightmare (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424024/) on cable -- excellent documentary, although rather depressing. Good use of atmosphere. For a film about such touchy subjects it managed to be fairly apolitical.

28 Days Later is a silly movie. The zombies aren't zombies and they skitter around like chipmunks. And the idea that a squad of soldiers would revert to atavistic rape and pillage after one month strains credulity. I liked the film when I first saw it, but it didn't age well, and when I saw it again on cable every little plot hole was big and obvious.

Crazed Rabbit

07-06-2006, 03:19

Oh, goodness. I just saw a most awesome movie;
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
I was expecting another generic martial arts movie, and was totally surprised. The fighting in this movie was probably the best I've ever seen in any movie, and the stunts were amazing, made even more so because there were no special effects or stunt doubles for the leading man (Tony Jaa).

Jaa is a villager in rural thailand who's buddha idol's head is stolen. He goes looking for it in Bangkok, and the fight scenes that result are like nothing I've ever seen. Also, since Jaa uses muay thai fighting, his style is very different from most martial arts movies.

Crazed Rabbit

Alexander the Pretty Good

07-06-2006, 03:27

Oi! National Treasure wasn't so bad!

:sweatdrop: Erm. Gotta think of a movie now.

The Princess Bride. Though that's been mentioned here before, I'd wager. But I won't go back and look.

Sasaki Kojiro

07-06-2006, 04:02

Oh, goodness. I just saw a most awesome movie;
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
I was expecting another generic martial arts movie, and was totally surprised. The fighting in this movie was probably the best I've ever seen in any movie, and the stunts were amazing, made even more so because there were no special effects or stunt doubles for the leading man (Tony Jaa).

Crazed Rabbit

Yes that was excellent :2thumbsup:

His other movie "tom yum goong has even better fight scenes.

I just watched Shanghai Knights, the sequel to SHanghai Noon. They managed to make it even funnier than the first. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.

stalin

07-06-2006, 17:52

Bad boy Bubby: the best "Have sex with your mom and eat cockroaches" movie ever
https://img284.imageshack.us/img284/4527/filmrv4.jpg

Fragony

07-07-2006, 10:36

'Les temps du loup'. Ok, now this is a good movie, yay to post-apocalyptic goodness. A woman slowly realises that something bad has happened, it is never explained what happened, but there are great food shortages and humanity is at it's finest in this not-so-feelgood movie. No relief, there is no hope, western civilisation has collapsed. In a brilliant endshot you glaze at the beautifull french landscape from a train, a farm here and there, it all feels dead. This is a kick in the face, just like 'Threads' and 'the day after'.

Sasaki Kojiro

07-08-2006, 04:26

District B13 kicks all kinds of ass.

Here's a clip from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZJDlYa57uI&search=district%20b13

matteus the inbred

07-10-2006, 16:10

Just watched K2, mountaineering film about, erm, K2. Second highest mountain on earth, really really hard to climb, so our heroes Michael Biehn and some guy with glasses join an expedition to climb and find the true meaning of friendship, life, love and all that piffle. The expedition mainly comprises of dislikeable irrelevant people whose function is to drop out so our heroes can make the summit bid.
The problem with making mountain films is you either end up with silliness (Cliffhanger, Vertical Limit) or a nature documentary. This comes somewhere in between, with accidents and (from the literature I've read) a fairly accurate portrayal of how miserable life is at 26,000 feet in a tent. I dunno, it's ok. They couldn't film on K2 anyway, cos of it being too remote and frankly bloody dangerous, but only an expert would know. Ok if you like mountains, probably better to watch Touching the Void though.

Also watched Ong Bak (again) cos I love violence, especially the bit where Tony Jaa breaks that guy's leg. Altogether now...aahhhhh, cringe!

Sasaki Kojiro

07-12-2006, 13:58

The messenger: really well done Joan of Arc story. Luc Besson.

The Spartan (Returns)

07-12-2006, 14:24

yesterday saw Alexander: Director's Cut and it was quite boring, bad aciting and bad choice of actors imo. and the battles werent long enough to keep me satisfied imo. but then in a director commentary i heard him say he cut out a few battles, so i think i would have enjoyed the original much more. btw anybody saw the original, and was it better?

Fragony

07-12-2006, 14:37

Saw a great one again yesterday, an english movie 'Naked'. Depressing! Everyone in the movie is emotionaly damaged white trash living in ugly London (I am not saying London is ugly, just the poor parts. Scratch that, just London ~;)). Fascinating movie from beginning to end, but dear god just shoot me now.
Some great dialogues.

Alexanderofmacedon

07-12-2006, 14:41

Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest - What a wonderful movie. I loved it as much or more than the first one. You'll be surprised at the end, but I wasn't. I called it in the last movie!:2thumbsup:

The Spartan (Returns)

07-12-2006, 15:32

yesdachi

07-12-2006, 15:39

The messenger: really well done Joan of Arc story. Luc Besson.
I couldn’t agree more! In addition to the cool fighting and the god, devil, church triangle I found the subtle political maneuvering by the French interesting. Good show.

Puzz3D

07-13-2006, 03:10

The messenger: really well done Joan of Arc story. Luc Besson.
Joan of Arc (1999, 180 minutes) staring Leelee Sobieski was much more authentic than The Messenger, although it had a few inaccuracies and skipped the Loire Valley campaign.

yesterday saw Alexander: Director's Cut and it was quite boring, bad aciting and bad choice of actors imo. and the battles werent long enough to keep me satisfied imo. but then in a director commentary i heard him say he cut out a few battles, so i think i would have enjoyed the original much more. btw anybody saw the original, and was it better?
The theatrical release was not nearly as good as the directors cut. Oliver Stone re-edited the move the way he wanted to originally show it rather than the way the studio wanted it. The flashbacks are much more logically placed and the homosexuality is not played up as much. Also, Roxanne doesn't pull a knife on Alexander as she did in the theatrical release. The director's cut shows the years in BC rather than the "years later" method of the theatrical cut. The studio though people would get confused by years counting down as time passed.

The battle sequences are exactly the same in both versions. What Olive Stone meant when he said he only used two battles is that some important events that occured in battles not shown were placed in the two battles that were shown in the movie. The two battles shown bracket Alexander's peak. He's in accendancy before the first, and in decline after the second. Although his wounding did not occur as shown or in that particular battle, what is presented accurately shows why he got wounded which is because his men held back. Bucephalus didn't die in that battle either, but did die in India and had recieved many war wounds. Personnaly, I thought the battles were well done and very intense, but this movie isn't just about the battles.

The movie attempts to portray what Alexander was like, and it gives a very reasonable assessment of him. You can do a lot of reading about Alexander, but I doubt you'll have any better grasp of his character than is presented in the movie. The symbolism in the movie is also well done. The ending is a bit rushed, and more time passed than the impression given. Apparently, Alexander spent 9000 gold talons on Hephasion's funeral which was an astronomical sum. This isn't shown in the movie, but his intense grieving is which is apparently accurate.

I was pleased to see the movie done as a Greek tragedy rather than a Shakespearian play, and I thought the acting was good. The actors were allowed to speak in their natural voices so that the cameraderie these men had would come thought. Angelina speaks in an accent which might be reasonably authentic since she is of an ethenticity similar to Olympia. In anycase, it sets her apart from the other main characters as she was historically. Many quotes and events are right out of the historical record. Those records are secondary but it's all we have since all the primary accounts were destroyed with the loss of the library at Alexandria. I was disappointed that the movie didn't show Alexander's body lying in state, wrapped in thin sheets of gold foil with full armor, in Alexandria as it apparently did for something like 550 years.

The Spartan (Returns)

07-13-2006, 14:53

thank you very muchPuzz3D.

Geoffrey S

07-13-2006, 15:17

Seen Exorcist: the Beginning and Constantine recently. Both were better than expected. Exorcist isn't on par with the original (what is?) but was quite original and solid. Constantine was messily done plotwise but ultimately entertaining enough; certainly more enjoyable than something like Hellboy.

yesterday saw Alexander: Director's Cut and it was quite boring, bad aciting and bad choice of actors imo. and the battles werent long enough to keep me satisfied imo. but then in a director commentary i heard him say he cut out a few battles, so i think i would have enjoyed the original much more. btw anybody saw the original, and was it better?
I quite enjoyed the movie (director's cut), certainly more than I was expecting to. It was a bit messy, but in general as Puzz3D stated the acting was good; I particularly enjoyed the moments when Alexander kills Cleitus and the parts after Hephaistion died. Wasn't so keen on the way the young Alexander was portrayed, it didn't make clear to me what made him such a leader of men, he just came across as rather whiney.

Guagamela I enjoyed, mainly due to the excellent editing making clear what happened (but the music was crap), but I definitely did not like the one in India. It came across as very manufactured and didn't make much sense. I found it a pity there wasn't anything really depicting the siege of Tyre. Then again, the emphasis of the movie doesn't lie on the battles and shouldn't be judged as such.

All in all, I think the press was rather unfair about this one. It wasn't brilliant, no, but I enjoyed it more than for instance Kingdom of Heaven.

The Spartan (Returns)

07-13-2006, 15:31

well for some people acting was outstanding imo. Person who played Aristotle Brian Blessed Played the trainer and perhaps Philip of Macedon. I would have loved to see the sige of Tyre or when Alexander fights the Theban-Sacred Band. (forgot the name of battle.) btw i find Gladiator my favorite movie the best war film imo. (never seen the older ones though)

econ21

07-13-2006, 15:50

I saw The Alamo (2004 version) the other day and was very impressed. It seemed very authentic and realistic. For me, it was like an anti-war movie, in that it showed how horrible the fighting was. The overpowering nature of the Mexican assault at the Alamo - masses of bayonets - was very well portrayed, while even the depiction of the "triumphal" San Jacinto victory showed the horror of the Mexican rout.

The main characters (Travis, Bowie, Crockett, Houston and Santa Anna) were well drawn and convincingly acted. Billy Bob Thornton was brilliant as Crockett, a man trapped in his own legend. The one possible flight from realism - where Crockett fiddles a harmony to the intimidating Mexican military band - is poetic and the standout sequence in the film.

I seem to recall the film received distinctly lukewarm critical reviews, but I suspect TW fans with an interest in historical representations of war would like it.

GeneralHankerchief

07-14-2006, 03:43

I rented The Alamo when it came out on DVD about a year or so ago. I pretty much agree with econ21's assessment except for the fact that there wasn't enough battle. Don't know, maybe it was just me. It would have been great if about 15-30 minutes of non-battle action was replaced with more of the storming.

If you want realism I suggest renting Gettysburg, a 1993 (or is it 1994?) movie starring Jeff Daniels and Martin Sheen. This puppy is over 4 hours long but it goes by really quickly. The portrayal of the battle is extremely authentic and you get a look into the minds of the generals who were present. One of my favorite movies of all time.

EDIT: Whoops, looks like it was already mentioned. Well, I think it deserves another one.

Zalmoxis

07-14-2006, 04:59

Well, I'm gonna review of couple of movies I've seen recently.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest thought it was a good movie, good choice of actors, and a solid, if somewhat more fantasy inspired plot than the previous.

Batman Beginning: Good movie, some parts confused me a bit, but overall I thought it was a good movie, and I hope they make a sequel.

House Of Wax: This movie is God awful, the acting is terrible, the plot twists aren't smart, the reactions of the characters aren't original or in any way intelligent. This movie drips with horror movie cliches, and I will therefore say it was totally worth watching this movie due to a scene in which Paris Hilton has a spear thrown through her head and as a result dies.

Fragony

07-14-2006, 08:15

Hmmmm joan of arc, a series of well build scenes but as a movie it failed.

Now something different, Paradise now, a palestinian movie. It follows the last 24 hours of two suicide bombers, it is surprisingly apolitical given the subject, almost to a fault. The making of was more interesting then the actual movie, shooting a movie over there is sure to give anyone a headache. If you think of watching it, make sure you buy the version that includes the documentory, fascinating stuff.

R'as al Ghul

07-14-2006, 13:53

I saw Sin City on TV over the weekend. It was an agreeable way to waste time. Visually impressive, with the black and white effects. The acting of the lead "hard men", and especially their voice overs, was effective. I did not recognise Mickey Rourke as Marv, whose middle segment the "long goodbye" was the best of three stories. The plot and the ultra-violence reminded me of Tarantino's first two films, but without the innovation or audacity. Ultimately the whole thing was rather juvenile (every woman was an object of desire), but what do you expect of a film based on a comic?

I agree with some of your points like visually impressive, effective voice overs and Tarantino paralells, but I wouldn't call it juvenile.
Anyone not familiar with the novels of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet may miss the point that the whole idea of Sin City is an hommage to the hard boiled Detective novel genre. Including the, admittedly, rather stereotypical roles. But that's deliberate. Ever read a Mickey Spillane story? It's all there, voice over, damsel in distress and the femme fatale. Of course Spillane like Marlowe or the Sin City heroes are the tough guys. Dismissing the story because of clear cut characters is like complaining that Superman can fly when reading Superhero stories.
Mickey Rourke's performance is awesome (The "What a nice coat you have" line always makes me smile). With the graphic novel in mind, I can only say Mickey is Marv! And, I couldn't imagine to find Frodo (what's his name again) scary. Well done!
Apart from that, Sin City is the only film version of a comic worth calling it. (horrible versions of brilliant Alan Moore novels come to mind)
That's of course due to the fact that Miller himself co-directed it.
I was most pleased by how they achieved the strong black/white/colour contrast of the books in film.
That alone renders it a Masterpiece.
It's a movie that clearly wasn't made for a mainstream audience.

Still, the books are even better.

Geoffrey S

07-14-2006, 16:16

It's a movie that clearly wasn't made for a mainstream audience.
Goodness knows where you got that idea from. It was absolutely designed to appeal to a youngish male audience.

I enjoyed bits of it (not so keen on the long Willis sections), but despite it being created with stereotypes in mind I don't think it's an excuse for it being a rather predictable romp through a noir setting. That said, it was a remarkably entertaining romp.

Apart from that, Sin City is the only film version of a comic worth calling it. (horrible versions of brilliant Alan Moore novels come to mind)
Close, but the X-men movies (haven't seen the third one yet) are absolutely fantastic. And perhaps, Road to Perdition, but I'm not familiar with the original.

econ21

07-14-2006, 17:42

...I wouldn't call it juvenile.

To be honest, I find most of the Tarantinoesque film ultra-violence juvenile. It has no humanity nor soul; ultimately it tells us no truths nor engages any deep emotions. It's just "Oriental babe with two katanas leaping from a roof top - how cool is that?!" kinda of thrills. Entertaining if you are in the mood for it, but still juvenile (I'm tempted to say moronic) IMO. I think they are the action genre equivalent of the gross-out horror movie. Cheap thrills.

Apart from that, Sin City is the only film version of a comic worth calling it.

I really enjoyed the Spiderman movies. They have humour, humanity, characters you can give a damn about and are very well made (the acting, the script, the effects etc). Far superior to the source material, I suspect. But then I have a soft spot for Toby Maguire's laid-back, self-deprecating, whimsical style - he was also great in Ride with the Devil.

PS: Just saw the Rock again last night. Pretty much a waste of time - talk about juvenile - and definitely a waste of a terrific cast.

R'as al Ghul

07-17-2006, 17:25

Goodness knows where you got that idea from. It was absolutely designed to appeal to a youngish male audience.
So, youngish male equals mainstream? :inquisitive: It's a big target group but not what I understand as mainstream. Mainstream means a wide audience as possible, making concessions like no nudity and no violence.
Anyway, the way it was produced and received doesn't make it a mainstream movie in my book. The comics were also rather underground/ independent.

Close, but the X-men movies (haven't seen the third one yet) are absolutely fantastic.
Now that's what I call mainstream and juvenile. :grin:

And perhaps, Road to Perdition, but I'm not familiar with the original.
The original is heavily inspired by Lone Wolf & Cub. It's a well written Graphic novel. I didn't like the movie bits I saw, mainly because of Tom Hanks.

Sasaki Kojiro

07-17-2006, 17:42

Infernal Affairs:

https://img465.imageshack.us/img465/2411/b00005jn7c01sclzzzzzzzfn5.jpg

The girl with the gun isn't in the movie, in fact there are no scantily clad girls with guns in the movie :laugh4:

But it was quite good. Undercover cop pretends to be a gangster and an undercover gangster is pretending to be a cop. Good stuff.

R'as al Ghul

07-17-2006, 17:48

To be honest, I find most of the Tarantinoesque film ultra-violence juvenile. It has no humanity nor soul; ultimately it tells us no truths nor engages any deep emotions. [..] I think they are the action genre equivalent of the gross-out horror movie. Cheap thrills.
I dont agree but it's all a matter of taste. I've often heard criticism on the violence in Tarantino' movies. I think it annoys people that the violence disturbs them. While in a Schwarzenegger movie you can cheer when legions of faceless villains are massacred without spilling blood, the violence that Tarantino, Scorscese or Miller serve isn't as easy to stomach. Besides, it's not like a Tarantino film does only contain violence, far from it.
I remember having tears in my eyes when finishing the original story "That yellow bastard" which is the Bruce Willis arc in the movie. The truth you mention is not to be seeked in the violence itself, of course.

I really enjoyed the Spiderman movies. They have humour, humanity, characters you can give a damn about and are very well made (the acting, the script, the effects etc). Far superior to the source material, I suspect.
Pick up some Stan Lee collection. You may be surprised how enjoyable they can be. While the movie isn't that far from the original stories I don't think it's superior. It's a different medium anyway. What Spiderman and X-men both show, is that it's possible to make Superhero movie that's not looking completely ridiculous. I also enjoyed the new Batman while hating all the previous ones.

A last remark, humanity also has its dark sides worth being shown and talked about.

A Frank Miller fanboy. :wink:

econ21

07-17-2006, 19:17

I dont agree but it's all a matter of taste. I've often heard criticism on the violence in Tarantino' movies. I think it annoys people that the violence disturbs them. While in a Schwarzenegger movie you can cheer when legions of faceless villains are massacred without spilling blood, the violence that Tarantino, Scorscese or Miller serve isn't as easy to stomach.

Maybe, but I suspect the reverse - the people that like the film violence of a Schwarzenegger movie (and they were pretty hardcore for their time) are also attracted to the latest ultra-violent stuff. Personally, if a film is going to dwell on violence in a real world context, I prefer it to be like those in, say, Boyz in the Hood or Band of Brothers - so that you see the horror and the consequences. Those kind of depictions have a truth and a morality to them. I am not sure what "Frodo" did or has done to him in Sin City serves any purpose other than to disturb or shock.

Besides, it's not like a Tarantino film does only contain violence, far from it.

Indeed - his first two films were virtuoso performances in terms of cinematic story - telling and dialogue. It reminds me of what used to be said of Eminem - if you forget about the often appalling lyrics, the music is actually inspired.

R'as al Ghul

07-18-2006, 09:56

And now to something completely different.
We may agree that the mainstream family comedy "Meet the parents" and its sequel "Meet the Fockers" are hilarious?
Personally, I enjoy de Niro in comedys. I think he's an awesome comedian. The second part with Dustin Hoffmann is brilliant.
Circle of trust and "I'm watching you" cracks me up every time. :laugh4:

Fragony

07-18-2006, 10:24

And now for something completily different. Yesterday I was checking out my new nephew, and since my familia is just as much a movienut as I am I checked out their collection. Between all the rubbish I saw a title 'Caligula', my favorite roman emperor. When I asked my aunt if I could borrow it the nurse gave me this strange look, I didn't understand it untill I watched it last night. My aunt said that there was a lot of sex in it, but she said I should be able to handle that.

Lots of sex, true that was. This is a hilarious movie, completily decadent and shameless. It has a load of respectable actors, like Malcolm macDowel and Helen Mirren, so I wasn't quite prepared for what I was about to see, which was: porn, porn, porn. Great sets, great acting, very violent, and porn, porn, porn. Thing is, the sex is completily joyless, it's not arrousing at all. It's more of a brilliantly shot arthouse movie, one of these guilty pleasures for those that can handle the well, porn. A delicious atrocity is the closest I can get to describing it. A question for the older members, did this movie actually made it to the cinema? The productionvalues are insane(a gold plated replica of a roman Gally was build for this movie, no kidding), so I wonder if they made any money with it.

Geoffrey S

07-18-2006, 10:25

Also an excellent film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, starring Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. About Zissou, an waterbased documentary maker who has seen better days. Directed by Wes Anderson, and very much in line with his earlier films. He truly has a unique style of direction, with an almost surreal presentation. Acting is uniformly brilliant, with Murray standing out as the misanthropic Zissou. Loved it.

So, youngish male equals mainstream? :inquisitive: It's a big target group but not what I understand as mainstream. Mainstream means a wide audience as possible, making concessions like no nudity and no violence.
Fair enough. I probably was thinking more of a big target group, rather than mainstream. Still, the slick way in which it was produced makes it debateable if it "clearly wasn't made for a mainstream audience".

Indeed - his first two films were virtuoso performances in terms of cinematic story - telling and dialogue. It reminds me of what used to be said of Eminem - if you forget about the often appalling lyrics, the music is actually inspired.
Excellent comparison.

drone

07-18-2006, 16:13

Lots of sex, true that was. This is a hilarious movie, completily decadent and shameless. It has a load of respectable actors, like Malcolm macDowel and Helen Mirren, so I wasn't quite prepared for what I was about to see, which was: porn, porn, porn. Great sets, great acting, very violent, and porn, porn, porn. Thing is, the sex is completily joyless, it's not arrousing at all. It's more of a brilliantly shot arthouse movie, one of these guilty pleasures for those that can handle the well, porn. A delicious atrocity is the closest I can get to describing it. A question for the older members, did this movie actually made it to the cinema? The productionvalues are insane(a gold plated replica of a roman Gally was build for this movie, no kidding), so I wonder if they made any money with it.
Take a look at the IMDB entry for this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080491/

Gore Vidal wrote the original screenplay, which is how they got the big name actors, but Bob Guccione (Penthouse publisher) fronted the money and went behind his back to change scenes and insert a lot of teh pr0n. It did OK in a limited run in the theaters, but I'm pretty sure it has made most of it's money from the video releases.

scooter_the_shooter

07-19-2006, 20:16

I just saw The Hills Have Eyes (the new one) And not a movie you want your five year old to watch.

Spoilers ( dont read if you have not seen it!)

I SAID DONT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT:laugh4:

Lat chance to turn back, buddy.

It was not that scary it degrades into an action movie towards the end but one part in was to disturbing......two of the deformed mutant inbred hill-billy miners (thats what they are I am not joking) rape one of the women and have a lil fun with the other:furious3: It's friggin sick I was hoping the 2 abused women died how the hell can they function normal after having a corpse looking thing do that:help: It ruined part of the movie for me it was not scary just wrong.

I liked how they showed that some people actually own guns. (it is estimated that one in three americans have firearms....yet you never see em' in a horror movie) And that the characters were not just going to take it...When there were no other weapons there they improvised with rocks, pans, anything. They didn't sit back and take it like a pansy....but it was not all action hero BS they were actually scared.

The dogs were stupid though....who owns a dog that always happens to run away at the worst time possible?

And all the good folks in the movie died...the ones with loose morals lived:wall:

Over all I give it a 6-7 out of 10.

Spoiler laced review over.

Csargo

07-19-2006, 21:17

Yeah Ceasar that one part of the movie was sick with the girl and the two mutants it was just wrong.

Sasaki Kojiro

07-20-2006, 02:05

A Knight's Tale: Awesome movie, jousting set to 'We will rock you' with the crowd doing the wave. Very funny.

Alexander the Pretty Good

07-20-2006, 04:18

Seconded. That should be part of MTW2's soundtrack, as well.

Alexanderofmacedon

07-20-2006, 05:00

Der Undertang. All I can say is wow. What a terrific movie with terrific actors. I loved every second of it. :2thumbsup:

Puzz3D

07-20-2006, 20:18

Samurai Banners (1969) is a Japanese movie staring Mifune Toshiro about Yamamoto Kansuke who was a trusted general of Takeda Shingen. He even incorporates the limp, which Kansuke may have had, in his portrayal. He gives a very good performance as does everyone involved. It's an epic story that stays true to history, and the banners portrayed are supposedly accurate and quite spectacular. The armies are not of one homogenous color and banner as there are various factions and auxiliaries involved. The battle scenes are well done, but the movie is more about the strategy involved in the Takeda conquests over a 20 year period. I think this is an excellent movie, and has recently been released on DVD.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) has no reason to exist. It's almost an exact copy of Wes Craven's 1977 original with what passes for mainstream gore now, and there is less focus on the evil (1977)/mutated (2006) family's dynamics. Kathleen Quinlan is wasted.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) is a very well done Korean thriller/horror/drama about two young sisters who return home after spending time in a mental institution. It developes slowly, but delivers quite an impact in both its scares and dramatic story.

Sasaki Kojiro

07-21-2006, 05:11

Blodrast

07-21-2006, 18:23

Night Watch & Day Watch: Two great Russian fantasy movies. Very dark, very cool, modern era. Also have the coolest subtitles of any movie I've seen, when the vampire is calling the boy the subtitles are red and dissolve like blood etc.

Did you like both of them ? Is Day Watch better than the first one ?
I've watched Night Watch, and, tbh, I got kinda bored and frustrated: imo, the way the movie was shot and the plot developed all seemed somewhat incoherent to me, and game me a general feeling of anxiety. Was this intended ? I dunno.
I thought Night Watch was okay at best, hence I didn't bother trying the second one. I take it you're of the opinion that it's worth watching the second one ?

Sasaki Kojiro

07-21-2006, 18:53

Did you like both of them ? Is Day Watch better than the first one ?
I've watched Night Watch, and, tbh, I got kinda bored and frustrated: imo, the way the movie was shot and the plot developed all seemed somewhat incoherent to me, and game me a general feeling of anxiety. Was this intended ? I dunno.
I thought Night Watch was okay at best, hence I didn't bother trying the second one. I take it you're of the opinion that it's worth watching the second one ?

Yes, day watch was far better than night watch. Night watch had cool moments and interesting ideas, but the main reason to watch it is that it makes day watch understandable. The story in day watch is much more coherent.

Blodrast

07-21-2006, 20:56

Okay, Sasaki, thank you. I guess I'll give it a try then :)

GoreBag

07-21-2006, 21:02

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) has no reason to exist. It's almost an exact copy of Wes Craven's 1977 original with what passes for mainstream gore now, and there is less focus on the evil (1977)/mutated (2006) family's dynamics. Kathleen Quinlan is wasted.

I heard it was quite gory, particularly a scene involving some animal abuse.

I went to an old theatre downtown and paid nine bucks to see Seven Samurai (1954) on the big screen. I didn't know it was going to be that long! A great movie. I'd buy it on DVD if I could find it, but this is doubtful, since the movie has a very unorthodox aspect ratio.

Mouzafphaerre

07-22-2006, 05:59

.
I'm almost sure Seven Samurai was released on DVD. Let me look it up...

Here you go! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/103-8618812-8640652?search-alias=dvd&keywords=0780020685%7C%20B00004D04C%7C%20B00006IUI5%7C%20B0006A05RM&rank=relevancerank&field-format=dvd%7Ctheatrical%7Cumd%7Cblu) Remember; when in doubt, try IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047478/). ~;)
.

econ21

07-23-2006, 16:44

I saw Alexander last night and was pleasantly surprised. It was not a great film - I confess Oliver Stone, like Tarantino, does not seem to get better as he ages. But it was surprisingly watchable and focussed on the rather quixotic nature of the man. You did end up thinking: what on earth was he trying to achieve by his relentless conquests? In this, it reminded me a little of Troy, which focussed on Achilles lust for fame and glory. Knowing relatively little of Alexander, it was quite educational for me and seemed fairly authentic, for example, in the costumes and battles. It was fun, for a TW fan, to see scythed chariots, phalanxes, war elephants and companions - they were all suitably impressive. The splendours of Babylon, the Hindu Kush and India were all nicely recreated too.

The acting was pretty decent across the board and the intelligent dialogue did not grate in the leadened way that it does in most historical films. A lot of criticism was levelled against Farrell's blond hair and Irish accent, but I thought he made a fair stab at the part - he had the necessary charisma and leavened it with humanity. I did not mind all the gay references that caused so much offense at the time. The central gay relationship was portrayed as a deep love and could have been platonic, given how ungraphic the depiction was. I have not seen Angelina Jolie in other parts, but watching her vamp it up wonderfully as Alexander's mother, I could understand how Brad Pitt could leave Jennifer Aniston for her.The one-eyed Val Kilmer almost matched her, as a boorish Phillip. In some ways, the three-way relationships between Alexander and his parents were the most compelling parts of the film. It seemed to lose some focus as it drifted away from them, only regaining it with the flashback interlude about Phillip's murder.

All in all, a historical film I suspect Total War fans would enjoy. :2thumbsup: