Movie Review Thread

[Koga No Goshi]

This has to be the most rediculous example of political correctness I ever heard. If you make an historical movie make it historical. More and more I am starting to realise how sane a country the Netherlands really is but that belongs in the backroom I guess. Flags of our fathers is an incredible movie by the way, so is Letters from Iwo Jima, maybe the latter is even better.

I'm kind of a stickler for historical accuracy. I don't want to see aboriginal Australians running around in the English crusader army in a movie set in the 1200's. But, I wanted to point out in fairness, that I want consistency about it. I hate when in the reverse situation, people point out that, for instance, most cowboys were hispanic or black or even Native American, people shout you down that you're being anal and "it's just entertainment, look for historical accuracy in a history book." I want to put those people on a pike sometimes.

[Fragony]

If they deny that they don't know much about their history

edit, missed the point

[naut]

Saw Death at a Funeral very funny.

[KarlXII]

The Patriot

Well.....what can I say? A Mel Gibson war/history movie. I didn't particularly like it due to it's innaccuracy and the whole "British=Bad" mentality that went behind it. I mean, sure, it's an American movie about the AMerican Revolution made by an American. I ould expect the antagonist to be the stuck up, egomaniacal British upperclass officer cavalier. But it just seemed to dull. The battles especially. I mean, the King's Army couldn't hit the barn side of a broad, but Mel Gibson has a silencer and a red dot scope and could probably take down Snake. The acting was...well, I seemed to like the British more than the American characters. The British cavalier played very true to what he was supposed to be, General Cornwallis was very nice. Mel Gibson's character overplayed the "I'm just looking after my family" role. I also found it laughable how he promised neutrality in the war, but when his son is tooken prisoner, he decides to take down the entire British Army. I understand if he were to save his son, but no, he eneds to invade London. The battles were dull, very much a rinse and repeat attitude. Gibson plans another cunning attack, the British are too dumb to see the lare blue coat in front of them, and drop like flies. Go America!

In short, if you expected Braveheart again, you're going to be dissapointed. The movie combines meh acting, repetative battle scenes, and "Us vs Them" attitudes to the point of me having to turn it off and sleep. If you really want to watch it, sure, I'm not stopping you. But if you're a sucker for accurate realistic war movies, you shoul go get Das Boot instead.

Overall: 7/10

Der Untergang

The new "Das Boot". Der Untergang, The Downfall, is a very realistic, somewhat neutral view of the last days of the Nazi leadership in the Fuhrerbunker. The plot revolves around the account of Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, who first hand witnesses the final weeks within Berlin. However, the movie also carries many nice, smooth, followable sub-plots. Hitler is gradually losing a grasp of reality, and it shows. From the clean, energetic leader in the beginning, to the shaky-handed, messy tired old man at his death. Peter, a Hitler Youth soldier, caught up in the beliefs of Party and Fatherland tries to survive the Battle raging in the capital. I will not go through all the sub-plots, but expect to see some very familiar characters in history make their appearence. The movie is entirely in native German, with provided subtitles in the English version. The acting is very well done, I will like to commemorate the actor who played Adolf Hitler, Bruno Ganz. His shaky, unpredictable nature keeps you interested in watching. The acting overall was very nice, with the general's discussing among themselves of surrendering or suicide. I will leave the rest for you to watch and find out.

In short, Der Untergang can very well be the new Das Boot. It's historical accuracy, great acting, and powerfully emotional seans keep you watching from start to end. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the last days of World War 2, the last days of the Nazi leadership, and any historian.

Overall: 10/10

[Ramses II CP]

Religulous was hilariulous. I was disappointed with the interview editing which often made it all too obvious the type of tactics Maher was employing, but there were numerous moments of true hilarity interspersed and some of the quick cuts were laugh out loud perfect. Those carried the movie easily right up to the end when the comedian attempts to adopt a more serious tone and message. Those last two minutes simply don't work, especially not for a guy who bills himself as selling doubt.

Still, all in all, I highly recommend it as light entertainment. There is simply nothing quite as funny as crackpots who truly, deeply take themselves seriously being repeatedly pincushioned by a sarcastic stoner. I think the Vatican sequences were some of the best, but the British (?) Muslim rapper's utter inability to articulate was also good for more than one laugh.

[Prince Cobra]

The Patriot

Well.....what can I say? A Mel Gibson war/history movie. I didn't particularly like it due to it's innaccuracy and the whole "British=Bad" mentality that went behind it. I mean, sure, it's an American movie about the AMerican Revolution made by an American. I ould expect the antagonist to be the stuck up, egomaniacal British upperclass officer cavalier. But it just seemed to dull. The battles especially. I mean, the King's Army couldn't hit the barn side of a broad, but Mel Gibson has a silencer and a red dot scope and could probably take down Snake. The acting was...well, I seemed to like the British more than the American characters. The British cavalier played very true to what he was supposed to be, General Cornwallis was very nice. Mel Gibson's character overplayed the "I'm just looking after my family" role. I also found it laughable how he promised neutrality in the war, but when his son is tooken prisoner, he decides to take down the entire British Army. I understand if he were to save his son, but no, he eneds to invade London. The battles were dull, very much a rinse and repeat attitude. Gibson plans another cunning attack, the British are too dumb to see the lare blue coat in front of them, and drop like flies. Go America!

In short, if you expected Braveheart again, you're going to be dissapointed. The movie combines meh acting, repetative battle scenes, and "Us vs Them" attitudes to the point of me having to turn it off and sleep. If you really want to watch it, sure, I'm not stopping you. But if you're a sucker for accurate realistic war movies, you shoul go get Das Boot instead.

Overall: 7/10

I disagree.

I've different opinion for that film. It's quite decent really. The role play was good, the plot was good. It quite well depicts what happens during any war. Reapeative battles? I think it's because the warfare of the time (not specialist of the period, though). Neat squares, walking slowly under raining cannon-balls. There was a little propaganda but that was bearable. It's not waste of time, anyway.

P.S. And the British were not portrayed to be fools at all.

[Beefy187]

Babylon AD

The opening really got me hooked in. But the plot started to look more bizarre and video gamish. Then disappointing ending... Some of the special effects was excellent though. Filming it self was not bad at all. Its just the plot...
Overall:3/10


Phone booth

Quite good movie. I wasn't expecting it to be a good movie as 80 percent of the movie is set in one location. Very limited space to move in. But the director done it well to make the film worth it until the very end. Ending was pretty good as well.
Overall:8/10

[Marshal Murat]

Mel Gibson's character overplayed the "I'm just looking after my family" role. I also found it laughable how he promised neutrality in the war, but when his son is tooken prisoner, he decides to take down the entire British Army.

The character not only is 'looking after his family' after his son was pressed into the army, but all the blacks were 'freed', the wounded were all shot, and his house was burned?

It's not that he's looking after his family, but he is fighting against the injustice that the British create. He's one of the classic loyalists who turn against the king after he realizes how evil the British troops really are, despite his loyalties.

I liked it simply because it was a fun romp against a bona fide evil British character. While it isn't "The Swamp Fox: A Documentary" it was a fun war against the Brits.

P.S. It's 'taken' not 'tooken'

Now I'll just go watch A Bridge Too Far

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

P.S. And the British were not portrayed to be fools at all.

Not fools, just maniacal sadistics - and about as inaccurate as it is possible to be with a musket at that.

[PanzerJaeger]

Der Untergang

The new "Das Boot". Der Untergang, The Downfall, is a very realistic, somewhat neutral view of the last days of the Nazi leadership in the Fuhrerbunker. The plot revolves around the account of Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, who first hand witnesses the final weeks within Berlin. However, the movie also carries many nice, smooth, followable sub-plots. Hitler is gradually losing a grasp of reality, and it shows. From the clean, energetic leader in the beginning, to the shaky-handed, messy tired old man at his death. Peter, a Hitler Youth soldier, caught up in the beliefs of Party and Fatherland tries to survive the Battle raging in the capital. I will not go through all the sub-plots, but expect to see some very familiar characters in history make their appearence. The movie is entirely in native German, with provided subtitles in the English version. The acting is very well done, I will like to commemorate the actor who played Adolf Hitler, Bruno Ganz. His shaky, unpredictable nature keeps you interested in watching. The acting overall was very nice, with the general's discussing among themselves of surrendering or suicide. I will leave the rest for you to watch and find out.

In short, Der Untergang can very well be the new Das Boot. It's historical accuracy, great acting, and powerfully emotional seans keep you watching from start to end. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the last days of World War 2, the last days of the Nazi leadership, and any historian.

Overall: 10/10

It was really good... best bunker movie in a long time.. or ever. I would take away a point, though, for the SS Doctor subplot. It stood out as very Hollywood PC in a movie that otherwise characterized the German mindset pretty realistically.

[Kralizec]

It was really good... best bunker movie in a long time.. or ever. I would take away a point, though, for the SS Doctor subplot. It stood out as very Hollywood PC in a movie that otherwise characterized the German mindset pretty realistically.

I agree totally. The movie attracted some criticism for portraying certain characters as overly heroic and essentially good natured, especially the doctor - for wich the criticism seems entirely true.

Best WW2 film I've ever seen, 'nuff said.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

It was really good... best bunker movie in a long time.. or ever. I would take away a point, though, for the SS Doctor subplot. It stood out as very Hollywood PC in a movie that otherwise characterized the German mindset pretty realistically.

I watched it again for the 10th time (or more!) last night and I just love it. It is a great summation of the time and I can't take too many things I'd change.

[Fragony]

Mirrors, don't understand the bad press, this movie is ace, one of the scariest movies I have seen in a long time, and I have been in horror-goodness mode for quite some time. Thing with japanese movies and their american remakes is too many scares, every scene need one, this one is more restrained, smaller dose of scares makes them much more effective.