Movie Review Thread

[Incongruous]

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Great Movie, definatley up there with the directors earlier work such as Dog Day Afternoon, Seymore-Hoffman is my new favourite actor these days I love the way this ugly fat bloke completley wipes the floor with every other actor in the movie who are usually über hot people or big names. The guy is a genius.
The movie was predictably dark like most moivies in this thriller/crime genre but it had more of the gritty realism I have come to crave from actors in their depiction of normal people caught up in improbable stories. I am not going to give away any of it except that it was an amazing construction of family tragedy at the darker end of the scale.

9/10

[seireikhaan]

The Dark Knight. I give it a 9/10. Well done by Christian Bale again, as Batman, and Heath Ledger, imo, deserves at least an Oscar nomination that the way he acted as the Joker. Absolutely brilliant. Only reason it gets a 9 instead of a 10 are due to some moments of utter incredulity that were utterly unbelievable.

[Decker]

The Dark Knight. I give it a 9/10. Well done by Christian Bale again, as Batman, and Heath Ledger, imo, deserves at least an Oscar nomination that the way he acted as the Joker. Absolutely brilliant. Only reason it gets a 9 instead of a 10 are due to some moments of utter incredulity that were utterly unbelievable.

Agreed...tho more like 9.5/10 as I think there were parts missing in the movie meaning (I hope, there will be an extended version). And Heath as the Joker was fantastic, hands down the best villian that I have seen in any comic book/superhero movie. Yet, this is not really a comic book/superhero movie as it is more of a crime drama. It has many twists and turns with parts pulling at your every emotion...even for characters you don't like...
Heath, as makaikhaan stated, deserves at least an oscar nod for his portrayal as the Joker, which in my honest opinion tops Nicholson's Joker. This movie gets going right away and doesn't really stop for nobody...except for a magic trick.
A must see for EVERYBODY!!

[naut]

I have to agree with you guys about Batman. It was great, much better than I expected. Ledger, was absolutely brilliant. I hope he gets an Oscar post-humously it's the least he deserves.

[PanzerJaeger]

I'm surprised Batman doesn't have its own thread. It was great. It almost could have been longer, as some parts seemed forcibly shortened.

[Decker]

I'm surprised Batman doesn't have its own thread. It was great. It almost could have been longer, as some parts seemed forcibly shortened.

Well I think that there well actually be an extended version as with American Gangster where I thought the same thing, that there were parts where it felt like it was missing, and low and behold an extended version was released that I have yet to see.

[PanzerJaeger]

Well I think that there well actually be an extended version as with American Gangster where I thought the same thing, that there were parts where it felt like it was missing, and low and behold an extended version was released that I have yet to see.

Exactly - I felt the same way about American Gangster. However, in that case, it almost ruined the movie. Somehow Scarface was able to encapsulate the rise and fall of the antagonist masterfully, but Gangster seemed rushed, cut and thrown together. I'll have to get the director's cut, as the acting was excellent and the story fascinating.

[Decker]

Exactly - I felt the same way about American Gangster. However, in that case, it almost ruined the movie. Somehow Scarface was able to encapsulate the rise and fall of the antagonist masterfully, but Gangster seemed rushed, cut and thrown together. I'll have to get the director's cut, as the acting was excellent and the story fascinating.

I've never seen Scarface but I agree on you with American Gangster. It was fascinating.

[Fragony]

Big part missing from american gangster, since when when did they become buddies?

[Decker]

Big part missing from american gangster, since when when did they become buddies?

Your Answer:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Haven't seen it in a while, but when Franc Lucas (Denzel) finally gets caught. He is told that it would be easier for him to help root out the dirty cops and get shorter jail time. so they have a cup of joe and become buddy buddies

[Fragony]

Well yeah but that would be a matter of convenience, how an honest cop suddenly becomes a gangsters buddy-buddy is never explaned. Doesn't make sense he should loath the guy.

[Geoffrey S]

Come on, please tell me someone has watched In Bruges...?

[Martok]

Come on, please tell me someone has watched In Bruges...?

I haven't yet, although I really want to. Just about every review I've read indicates it's a brilliantly quirky (dark?) comedy. While I'm not familiar with Farrell's work (despite his star status), I've been a fan of Gleeson for a while now.

[Decker]

Well yeah but that would be a matter of convenience, how an honest cop suddenly becomes a gangsters buddy-buddy is never explaned. Doesn't make sense he should loath the guy.

Yea....

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Good point, but you have to remember that he also wanted to get rid of the corruption that was plaguing NYPD and Lucas gave him that help and, he got the best of both. He got Lucas off the streets for quite some time and also he got to clean up the police department.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Come on, please tell me someone has watched In Bruges...?

I have, and must agree with you - it's great. Very recommended.

Though the fat actors they used to portray Americans could have had, at least, an American accent.

CR

[Martok]

Well I finally got around to watching The Dark Knight earlier this evening. I hate to utter phrases like "sensational" and "blown away" (as they're used way too often IMO), but I honestly can't think of a better way to describe my reaction to this film. It is, quite simply, an incredible cinematic achievement.

Just about every member of the main cast put in a top-notch performance, with of course Ledger's brilliant turn as the Joker outshining even the rest of them; he's truly one of the most disturbing movie villains I've ever seen. The action scenes were very well done (and I'm not really an action junkie, so that's saying something), and the cinematography was superb. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- the movie's dark tone, it also managed to include a good dose of humor as well. (I admit I laughed much harder than I probably should've at the whole Joker-hospital scene.) Superb character performances, a decent plot line, strong writing & dialog, and genuinely pulse-pounding action scenes are all seamlessly woven together into a single, well-crafted story.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Also, kudos to Christopher Nolan for having the chutzpah to actually kill off a major character. The film's unpredictability was (IMHO) one of it's greatest strengths -- you honestly never really know what's going to happen next.

This is *not* your stereotypical superhero summer blockbuster. The Dark Knight is one of the single best films I've seen in years (it'll probably make my personal Top 10 list), and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not seeing it.

[Ronin]

Saw the Dark Knight over the weekend and I have to agree with everyone else....

9.5/10 - easily the best movie of the year so far...and what a performance from Ledger...the Oscar nod would be deserved.


"What about a magic trick? I´m gonna make this pencil....disappear!"

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Saw the Dark Knight over the weekend and I have to agree with everyone else....

9.5/10 - easily the best movie of the year so far...and what a performance from Ledger...the Oscar nod would be deserved.


"What about a magic trick? I´m gonna make this pencil....disappear!"

That Was Funny.

"I'm going to make this pencil disappear...." Whack! " Disappeared!"

2nd Movie I saw this year (1st one being The Bucket List), and It Was Good. Ledger wasn't bad as Joker I think.

[Spino]

Exactly - I felt the same way about American Gangster. However, in that case, it almost ruined the movie. Somehow Scarface was able to encapsulate the rise and fall of the antagonist masterfully, but Gangster seemed rushed, cut and thrown together. I'll have to get the director's cut, as the acting was excellent and the story fascinating.

I thought American Gangster was ok but was far too much of a standard 'connect the dots' rise and fall gangster story. The predictable subplot with Lucas' mother was ridiculous and superficial in no small part thanks to the cheesy dialogue (she was all on board with his conspicuous wealth until the convenient arrival of the 3rd Act? Cmon now). Overall the film offers strong performances but Lucas' character was painted as being far too sympathetic & subdued. Then again who directed American Gangster? Ridley Scott. The man has been nothing but a hack since Blade Runner, arguably his last great film. Ridley is becoming more and more like his brother Tony with every passing film.

I enjoyed Scarface a great deal but I find it difficult to take it too seriously. The plot is solid and well executed and the film contains the viciousness and thuggery that one would associate with organized drug dealers. However there are way too many over the top, pretentious and unintentionally funny moments for me to grade it higher than a B movie with A quality highlights (the silly montage put to the tune of that cheesy pop song 'Push it to the Limit' pretty much defines the substance of Scarface for me). In spite of its flaws I really love Scarface but mainly because of its violence, humor & Al Pacino's stellar performance. I think of Scarface as 'Gangster Light' versus the more serious mobster fare found in The Godfather and Miller's Crossing.

[Geoffrey S]

Just returned from The Dark Knight. Dear me, what a painfully average movie - rarely have I sat through a movie's last half hour impatiently waiting for the curtains to drop. For a large part the mediocre screenplay is to blame for this. There were plenty of great ideas in there. In fact, too many. There was enough material for at least two full length films; what was in there was rushed through and insufficiently developed, with much packed into the second half at a machine-gun rate and the first half padded out beyond reason with the worst material.

This wasn't helped by the outright poor script, riddled with cliches. More experienced actors such as Caine, Oldman and Freeman delivered their lines in the perfunctory manner they deserved; Bale struggled, yet was solid and suited the role well; and Gyllenhaal and Eckhart were outright poor in their flat performances. Only Ledger showed an ounce of originality, effort for his part - but, it pains me to say, the hype about his sensational performance is just that. Easily the star of the film, but mainly because his enthusiastic and colourful performance contrast strongly with his gray opposites. The script had pretensions. Yet rather than being subtle, it all had to be spelled out for the audience in po-faced dialogue.

How much the direction is to blame for the workman-like feel of the movie, I'm not certain. Technically it was in fine shape, with nice design, great lighting and very solid camerawork. Nothing stood out as magnificent, but there was certainly nothing wrong with the technical aspects. What did bother me was the flat presentation. Aside from the movie, Nolan did a poor job of build-up. The exception was the turning point halfway through, which was a fantastic sequence. But other moments were less impressive. An example is a scene near the start involving a pencil: what could have been a shocking, jarring moment did not achieve its full potential due to its short build-up and weak follow-up. Again, I think this has much to do with the weak screenplay and the amount of things it attempted to convey in its 150-odd minutes.

I re-iterate: what an average movie. It was certainly not bad. Much like X-Men 3, it left me disappointed and feeling like I had watched a cluttered and unfulfilling tribute. The only thing spectacular about the movie is the hype: every single press piece I have seen has been overwhelmingly positive. To be honest, I have yet to see anything negative about the movie. Hype is nothing wrong. Plenty of times, it has been more than justified. But this one? I'm half reminded of the story about the emperor's new cloths.

[Fragony]

The Happening. No. Could have been something though. Cool it makes you want to kill yourselve, not only that it makes you want to kill yourselve in creative but completily rediculous ways! Also, most annoying love interest ever, can it be worse then Meg Ryan? Apparently, yes.

Sunshine, yes, but barely. Style over substance but a lot of style. Take a little Event Horizon and take out what is bad, take a lot of Solaris and take out what is incredible, and you basicly have Sunshine. Worth watching.

[ajaxfetish]

Just rewatched The Lion in Winter tonight with the wife (her first time). It's an older film, but still impresses. The music, the armor and so on are nothing special compared to the effort that goes into them these days in historic films, but as for the acting: what a movie! Witty dialogue, intense emotion, a director who's not afraid of silence or stillness, and straight-up powerful acting. The chemistry I hear about today between the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is nothing compared to that which is palpable between Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn. The film has several of the finest ever to grace the big screen, including Anthony Hopkins in one of his first big roles, and they deliver. The tapestries scene feels Shakespearian in scope. It's got precious little fighting, yet the personal drama is powerful enough to make it my favorite medieval flick.

Ajax

[Soulforged]

Just returned from The Dark Knight. Dear me, what a painfully average movie - rarely have I sat through a movie's last half hour impatiently waiting for the curtains to drop. For a large part the mediocre screenplay is to blame for this. There were plenty of great ideas in there. In fact, too many. There was enough material for at least two full length films; what was in there was rushed through and insufficiently developed, with much packed into the second half at a machine-gun rate and the first half padded out beyond reason with the worst material.

This wasn't helped by the outright poor script, riddled with cliches. More experienced actors such as Caine, Oldman and Freeman delivered their lines in the perfunctory manner they deserved; Bale struggled, yet was solid and suited the role well; and Gyllenhaal and Eckhart were outright poor in their flat performances. Only Ledger showed an ounce of originality, effort for his part - but, it pains me to say, the hype about his sensational performance is just that. Easily the star of the film, but mainly because his enthusiastic and colourful performance contrast strongly with his gray opposites. The script had pretensions. Yet rather than being subtle, it all had to be spelled out for the audience in po-faced dialogue.

How much the direction is to blame for the workman-like feel of the movie, I'm not certain. Technically it was in fine shape, with nice design, great lighting and very solid camerawork. Nothing stood out as magnificent, but there was certainly nothing wrong with the technical aspects. What did bother me was the flat presentation. Aside from the movie, Nolan did a poor job of build-up. The exception was the turning point halfway through, which was a fantastic sequence. But other moments were less impressive. An example is a scene near the start involving a pencil: what could have been a shocking, jarring moment did not achieve its full potential due to its short build-up and weak follow-up. Again, I think this has much to do with the weak screenplay and the amount of things it attempted to convey in its 150-odd minutes.

I re-iterate: what an average movie. It was certainly not bad. Much like X-Men 3, it left me disappointed and feeling like I had watched a cluttered and unfulfilling tribute. The only thing spectacular about the movie is the hype: every single press piece I have seen has been overwhelmingly positive. To be honest, I have yet to see anything negative about the movie. Hype is nothing wrong. Plenty of times, it has been more than justified. But this one? I'm half reminded of the story about the emperor's new cloths.

I believe you're asking too much from a movie based on a comic series. I can honestly say that it was the best movie of its kind (based on a comic series) that I've ever seen. It's true, however, that there was just too much material for a movie, many parts feel rushed and then ending is no exception, I almost laugh at the ending in fact. But I disagree on the script and acting side, they were both superb (luckily Batman himself speaks little, his voice also made me giggle) again for this type of movie. I think that you always ought to know what kind of movie you're going to watch before you do and lower or adapt your expectations in accordance.

[Geoffrey S]

Hmm. A good movie is a good movie. Two comic adaptions movies I really enjoyed were Iron Man and the first two X-Men movies. Did I have too high expectations of Batman? Perhaps; but I think those expectations were raised by the pretensions the creators had, which in my opinion fell flat, and that critics unwaveringly upheld.

[Subedei]

Has anybody seen "The Mongol" yet? Russian movie about the early live of Ghengis Khan. from childhood to the first quriltai in 1206. It is quiet entertaining + authentic costumes and customs. Based in most part on the "Secret History of the Mongols" wrtitten 50 years after Ghengi´s death.
I enjoyed it. Kind of a mixture of "Lord of the Rings" and "Dancing with Wolves" and some hollywood bling bling.
I would give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Check http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=TiGsCz...eature=related

2 more parts are to be shot....yes!

[Martok]

Has anybody seen "The Mongol" yet? Russian movie about the early live of Ghengis Khan. from childhood to the first quriltai in 1206. It is quiet entertaining + authentic costumes and customs. Based in most part on the "Secret History of the Mongols" wrtitten 50 years after Ghengi´s death.
I enjoyed it. Kind of a mixture of "Lord of the Rings" and "Dancing with Wolves" and some hollywood bling bling.
I would give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Check http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=TiGsCz...eature=related

2 more parts are to be shot....yes!

Someone else here in the Frontroom just recommended it not too long ago (within the last couple months or so). I plan on checking it out, hopefully not before too long. Can you rent/purchase this movie in a mainstream store, or will I probably have to hunt for it?

[Subedei]

Depends on where you live.

It got a lot of media attention in Germany (TV, press). Good reviews made it popular to a degree that non-history-freak-friends of mine came up to me and said they wanted to see the movie with me, the Nomad-fan.

It may be hard to get ahold of the movie in blockbustin`US. Not to many program cinemas there afaik. So good hunt for it Martok!

The crowd in the theater was veeeery mixed: from history-professor to trekkie [b/c Mongols look a bit like small nephews of Clyngons].

I will watch it again 2morrow...it is fun and tries the hard balance act between realistic and dramatic concept, e.g. Ghengis is having a redish beard, which is supposed to have been that way on the other hand the 2-sworded RAMBO guys in the final battle...well they had heavy cavalry, but I doubt it was that massiv and efficient.

I would recommend, it is 2h of good entertainment!

[Fragony]

'The most frightening thing about Jacob's Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming'. Right up there with 'In space nobody can hear you scream' Of course we are talking about Jacob's Ladder finally found it. One of the best movies of the nineties, and Tim Robbin's character is sure one of the most likable ever. Poor guy. Everything about the movie works, sometimes genuinly haunting (owwwwwwwwwwww shakey heads), some truly heartfelt moments and a great story and fitting soundtrack on tops. I like.

Post needs hospital scene; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjMjYzB4-yM

[PanzerJaeger]

Tropic Thunder was hilarious! Downey Jr. is back.



"I'm tha dude thats playin tha dude disguised as anotha dude!"

[Marshal Murat]

Tropic Thunder was very good. Some parts were a little cliched (Simple Jack in Laos?), but it was a great parody of all that is bad-action-war-flicks.

"I need my jellybeans!"