Movie Review Thread

[Shahed]

2046

It is an outstanding film. Highly recommended.

The performace by Zhang Ziyi is simply phenomenal, if for nothing else this film is worth watching just for her performance. Mandarin, Cantonese & Japanese. Watched it with French subtitles and from the little I did understand of the dialogue, it was exquisite. Zhang Ziyi's tonality and expression is stunning. It is remarkable how deep every little action of hers in this film goes. Her tact and cunning as she desperately tries to hold on to her heart.

Tony Leung is great as well, and most men have a lot to learn from him on how he seduces women. His confidence, charisma, humor, steady nerve, and most importantly of all, his calculated & tempered indifference, prompting his ladies to feel rages of a spectrum of emotion. Fundamentally seductive qualities, which leave little choice to a woman but to fall in love with him.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Three Days of Rain. Remember Crash? Basically, this is that movie set in Cleveland. Except here, the various stories played out lack the life, meaning, drama, of Crash and basically were boring. They are short, almost self contained stories, though intercut - really trying to cram to many stories (six) into one movie.
Worse yet, the stories themselves are uninteresting, perhaps because they lack the time to provide a depth to their characters and a story arc. One was a older, well off couple who bicker about giving take out food to an unrealistically polite street bum, and the husband then tries to find and buy a sandwich for. Another is about a mentally retarded train station employee who may be fired. Another is of a tilemaker who's late on the rent. Another of a loser druggie exploited by a corrupt judge. Talk is the height of the drama you'll find here.
There are no great truths or emotional scenes, just dull scenes from dull lives, and it makes for a dull movie.

So dull, in fact, that me and my folks stopped watching the movie after almost an hour and popped in ...
Road to Perdition , a great movie about a man's struggle to save his son as he works for the Irish mob near Chicago. Great acting, plot, and pace. A drama, and very well done in all respects.

CR

[Fragony]

Someone is suffering from asiamania, you really ought to see 'In the mood for love', one of the best romantic movies ever/

[Shahed]

Hehe ! I always loved Asian movies. I admit I do have a motive in seeing Korean movies at the moment, a Korean air hostess. ;) I'm genuinely interested in her culture. Thanks for the tip I'll check out that movie ! I think it's one of the precursors to 2046. 2046 is not romantic in a traditional sense btw.

Anyone have any good Korean movie suggestions ?

[Puzz3D]

Anyone have any good Korean movie suggestions ?

Dae Jang-geum: A Jewel in the Palace (2003 - 2004 TV series)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Old Boy (2003)
Natural City (2003)
The Host (2006)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
3-Iron (2004)
The Bow (2005)
Bad Guy (2001)

[Shahed]

Excellent! Quite a few I didn't have on my list already. I think I will really like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. Thanks very much Puzz.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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All noted Puzz! I'm sure they'll be worth watching just for the chicks if nothing.
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[Conradus]

Perhaps Bin-Jip should be added to that list? I thought it was a Korean movie anyway.

[Puzz3D]

Perhaps Bin-Jip should be added to that list? I thought it was a Korean movie anyway.

Yes that's 3-Iron and its my favorite of the last four that I listed all by director Ki-duk Kim. I'm going to watch another of his movies, Samaritan Girl (2004).

[Prodigal]

These are old films, & may have been covered, however thought it worth recommending them on the off chance younger members of the org may have missed them.

Excalibur
Swords, rumpy pumpy in full armour, the Grail, and Merlin, can't go far wrong

The Thing (Kurt Russell version)
Sci fi horror remake. An interesting look at survival, & trust.

Alien
If you haven't seen it ,watch it; if you have look again, there's always a scene you've missed

Scum
The voice of Beowulf in his best performance, set in a 1970's british borstal. Sounds boring right? "Where's ur tool?"

[Crazed Rabbit]

Rescue Dawn; an excellent and focused portrayal of the capture and escape of the only American to escape from one of North Vietnam's Laotian POW camp.

Unwavering in its story and its quality, and without unnecessary over-dramatizations forced in by the director.

CR

[InsaneApache]

Scum
The voice of Beowulf in his best performance, set in a 1970's british borstal. Sounds boring right? "Where's ur tool?"

Who's the daddy?

Great movie.

Whatever you do, never turn your back on Winstone when he's got an 8 ball in a sock.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Samaritan Girl (2004)

Saw the final scene on TV. Will see it certaily (not because of the scene ).
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[econ21]

I saw the Golden Compass yesterday and enjoyed it a lot. I was a huge fan of the Northern Lights and this film adaption of that book did not disappoint. The acting was uniformly good - especially Lyra, the main character - and the film was generally very faithful to the original story. Most of the fantasy elements were done well - the daemons, the armored bears, the witches, etc.

If I had one complaint, it was that the film raced ahead at quite a pace, so I don't think it caught some of the atmosphere of the book - for example, the fear of the Gobblers or the horror of Bolvanger. An unfavorable comparison might be with the Fellowship of the Ring, which I felt took more time to soak the viewer into the world of Middle Earth - starting with the Shire - and gradually lead them into the thrilling story.

Like the Lord of the Rings films, there were some cuts or deviations from the original that rankled a little. The anti-clerical agenda of the book was completely masked. The shocking end of the book was postponed, so we got a sacharine feel good ending instead. And a few of the darker elements of the beginning seemed to be lost - it's been a long while since I read the book, but I swear the college Master was in on the attempted poisoning and also that there was a severed child in Azreal's photos of the Northern Lights.

[Shahed]

I just wanted to say a quick THANKS to Puzz for recommending Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003). This was an excellent recommendation. It is an absolutely stunning film. It really will help me in my current quest as well!

Do not read any reviews, do not watch any trailers, just go and get the movie.

[Lemur]

Saw No Country for Old Men today with some friends. All I can say is that it rocks from start to finish. Ignore anyone who says there are problems with the ending. There are no problems. The film is as close to perfect as any film ought to be.

Instant classic. From the guys who brought you Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, etc.

[Ramses II CP]

I saw No Country for Old Men last night and I concur with Lemur. It's a very well crafted film which makes some of the best use of silence I've encountered in a recent movie.

The fact that every part of the film except one is grounded in iron clad, obvious, experienced truth for the watcher means that the somewhat unbelievable bits require almost no suspension of disbelief. You're so deep into the movie telling the truth and matching what you've seen that it doesn't naturally occur to you to question it.

After the movie read the book. Some of the smaller bits will fall into place for you.

[ajaxfetish]

Beowulf (2007)

This is a new adaptation of a classic story (basically the oldest story in the English language). It uses a new visual medium and a big budget cast, and alters the story in some respects, but overall is true to the character of the original, which I would describe as a celebration of masculine ass-kicking. Coming away from the movie, my main thought was 'Man, that Beowulf is hardcore!,' which is similar to my thoughts after reading the story. One thing in terms of homage to the original that I really liked was the inclusion of some Old English dialogue. Grendel converses entirely in Old English, his mother uses some, and other characters throw in little words or phrases occasionally, though most of the film is in entirely recognizable modern English. The most significant alteration to the storyline is the addition of complex familial relationships between the monsters and the heroes (it makes Hrothgar out to be Grendel's father and Beowulf that of the dragon). While not in the original, this change helps make the story more cohesive, rather than just a series of Beowulf vs. monster viniettes, and does not in my opinion detract from the overall spirit of the original.

The story-telling is pretty good overall. One particularly good moment for me was the first introduction of Beowulf. The transition from Hrothgar stating that they needed a 'hero' to Beowulf approaching by ship was very well-timed, the music worked great, and overall the moment was very satisfying. Sometimes there are distractions, however. One particular example is during the mead-hall fight between Beowulf and Grendel. The movie accurately depicts Beowulf fighting in the nude, but does so by means of an Austin Powers-esque hide the junk behind conveniently-placed objects technique. This could work if it was done subtly, but instead it draws massive attention to itself, and the fight scene is mostly about how they'll conceal Beowulf's genitals next. The actual conflict between the two most recognizable characters in the story is sidelined to a visual gag.

The animation technique was a little off-putting at first. The entire film is computer-generated. However, all the characters are modelled on their real-life actor counterparts, and the generation is realistic enough to create a kind of creepy effect. After getting past the weirdness, however, that effect of being somewhere between fantasy and reality fits the mythical nature of the story quite well. Sometimes the graphical attempt to be 3-dimensional is taken a little too far in my opinion, including a moment with a spearhead in Beowulf's face and a shot of Grendel carried by his mother. The spearhead and Grendel's head look comically large rather than enhancing a sense of depth.

The fact that this film is all CG is probably the only reason it has a PG-13 rating. It is quite visually violent, and Angelina Jolie is basically shown in the nude. I expect it would definitely be rated R if it showed the same things in live action.

Overall, the show is a decent retelling of the ancient saga, and accurately adheres to it's 'point,' if you could call it that, but while it uses an interesting new medium to tell the story, but occasionally that medium calls too much attention to itself and detracts from the story instead of enhancing it.

Ajax

[JimBob]

Just saw No Country for Old Men as well. And have to concur. Instant classic, perfectly executed. So perfect that it almost seems like they're not trying. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent. Josh Brolin falls into his role effortlessly. But the high point of the acting is Javier Bardem who's Antony Chigurh is possibly the scariest bad guy ever.
The best part of movie, though, is that this is a world where movies that want to ratchet up the pressure and tension speed up. This movie slows down, and the tension becomes a physical thing.
Wow.

[sapi]

I mostly agree with ajaxfetish on Beowulf, though I did tend to think that the movie was a bit overdone; and certainly very predictable. The style of animation had me a bit distracted in several scenes, too, with the sort of 'second-look' reaction that distracts from what story there was in the film

But hey, it does what it says on the box, and quite aptly

I'll only say one thing about Hitman: the stunts budget obviously didn't stretch far enough to cover the story as well

[Geoffrey S]

Well, one thing I have to say about Beowulf is that if you're going to watch it, do yourself a favour and find an Imax theatre with 3d goggles to do so; it was an incredible experience and really makes good use of the computer-generated nature of the film. That, and I found it deeper than I expected. Ultimately it was about flawed characters, it wasn't as one-sided as I'd expected. Well-written and quite spectacular.

[econ21]

I watched London to Brighton on DVD the other night. I had not heard of the film before, but it was quite an impressive offering. A simple and stark tale of a girl and woman on the run from London gangsters and pimps. The story was not much to write home about, but the acting by a cast of unknowns was excellent and the sleazy London lowlife depicted so compellingly, you had to wash your hands after watching the movie.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Kabadayı

I proclaim that, from the day this film was released on, Turkish cinema exists!

Monumental acting, consistent storyline with all taboos hitherto untouchable turned upside down (corrupt Police etc.), a very well done final scene in which you swing between tears and laughter and overall bright regie... No Shakespearean heroes/villains; crafty and in depth character building and realization, including an antagonist whom you almost pity.

Especially a gem if you wish to hear the Istanbul dialect of Turkish, which is mostly fading into memories with the older generations, spoken with character and attire.

A hot, hot, hot babe notwithstanding.

PS: A slightly modified version of this post has been submitted to IMDB.
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[Shahed]

I'm going to watch it. Thanks for the tip Mouz. Have you seen any of Fatih Akin's films?.
I personally haven't yet but they're very popular in Europe. I think the most famous one is Gegen Die Wand. Turkish-German movie.

By the way has anyone seen Elizabeth: The Golden Age yet ?
I watched the first one and really loved it, few years ago.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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I hear a lot about Fatih Akın's works and I believe I saw one on the TV. Not bad at all. I don't consider his films as "Turkish movies" though.

The chick on the poster... preceded her whitescreen career with a very successful p0Rn one.
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[MiniMe]

Seen this movie. Class. And she's very cute girl, methinks. And a good actress.
I wouldn't mind to see other fims where she acts =)

BTW, yesterday I've seen "Iklimler". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498097/ Great story.

[Puzz3D]

Samaria (Samaritan Girl) (2004) directed by Kim Ki-Duk is a visually symbolic film that deals with guilt and redemption, but goes beyond that to the unusual idea of recapturing innocence albiet at a high price. This film addresses an apparently serous social issue in South Korea of kids getting involved in prostitution to make money.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Seen the final scene sequence.. The film has been on my "to get" list since then.
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[Fragony]

Reqieum, german movie. SO INCREDIBLY TRAGIC. Some movies are just unbrearable to watch, they suck the air right out of your longues. It's about a girl from the biblebelt who suffers from severe panic attacks, combine that with a harsh mouth against the priest, well that can mean only one thing right? It is based on a true story of a girl that died during an excorcism. Acting, dear god, name the oscars after her from now on. So cleverly done, in the beginning she is this extremily introvert girl, when she goes to college you start to notice she is actually actractive. She gets a nice boyfriend, she losens up a little, you go girl. But it all goes wrong. Great soundtrack, everything just screams 'mourn a life lost'. Not a movie for everyone, but if you are anything like me you have extremily good taste so you will love it.

oh so very 10/10

@minime, if you think she's cute there is some *cough* spicier material to be found

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

and

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

on DVD.

I haven't had the chance to read the Patrick O'Brian series yet but I have to say that some deviations from them were too clearly recognizable without even having read them. The lame Holywoodish nationalism, most probably inserted, sucked badly. (I know so far that they replaced the American enemy with a French one and pulled down the date from 1814 to 1805.)

The acting, scenery, regie, everything in aspects of cinema, except the interventions into the story/ies were OK. Most enjoyable movie.

Star Trek is a cult work. (May or may not have seen it before, in my childhood.) It felt much like one of the episodes from ToS, except it was too long. Never ceasing music a là Wagner opera was at times disturbing. That aside, my beloved Trek.
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