Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) II

[anitram]

Zodiac

7/10. I found it a bit boring. Not sure if it was too slow-moving or what, but it felt like it was dragging on and it really shouldn't have been given the plot. I guess I just expected more.

 

[Lancemc]

Zodiac probably was 20 minutes too long, but between the writing, photography, and the amazing cast performances, I was riveted the entire time. It's easily my favorite Fincher film, and my favorite film of the year thus far.

9/10 for me. And the scene in the basement was the most terrifying scene I've seen in any film in a long time.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

blah , blah , blah , blah

Le Dernier Combat - great , this is the first one by Luc Besson , the only thing i got nervous about was that offscreen rape/murder of a girl ( or was it ?? , or maybe she was just a robot or something , i certainly hope so ) , i just felt very upset ( like the main hero ) , but overall it's fantastic , jean reno was there too , i can't believe he still looks the same , after all these years
watching this movie is like taking a fresh shower

 

[LMP]

I Signs!

I don't like it as much as Unbreakable or Sixth Sense, but it's still good. Anything is better than The Village.

 

[Lancemc]

I'm a big fan of Besson and Reno. I'll check that out one day Winnie. Cool.

 

[Lancemc]

I don't like it as much as Unbreakable or Sixth Sense, but it's still good. Anything is better than The Village.

I just saw Unbreakable again for the second time the other day. The first time I saw it I really didn't like it, but this time it just clicked for me. Now it's easily my #2 Shyamalan film (not a whole lot of competition for that spot though).

 

[WinnieThePoo]

I'm a big fan of Besson and Reno. I'll check that out one day Winnie. Cool.

me2 , i'd say it's one of his best , sorry for spoiler

 

[LMP]

Is it as good as The Professional? I really loved that movie.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

i'm not a big proffessional ( or Leon Killer* euro title ) fan , so naturally i can't tell , all i like is NYC scenery , some good scenes ( leon's first caSE ) + lifetime best perfomance by Gary Oldman in it , all his scenes are terrific , i wish movie was bout him , La Femme Nikita was done a bit better , less pressure , more natural , same ideas , more style , oh yeah and we get happy ending too

 

[corianderstem]

I just saw Unbreakable again for the second time the other day. The first time I saw it I really didn't like it, but this time it just clicked for me.

I had the same reaction to Unbreakable. I hated it when I saw it in the theater, and I can't even say why. I gave it another chance on DVD, and really liked it.

Just got back from ...

The Simpsons Movie

8/10

I laughed a lot. That's all I wanted from the movie, so I'm very pleased.

(Plus, a trailer for Sean Penn's next film (as a director) - "Into the Wild," based on the Jon Krakauer book. This book was fascinating and disturbing, and I cannot WAIT to see the movie.)

 

[FitzChivalry]

Dead Silence

4/10

So boring and predictable. And other than the creepy-doll factor, not even scary.

My sister and I wanted to watch a cheesy, scary movie. I would say that we got what we asked for, but this movie was less cheesy and more boring and tedious. Although NOTHING was as boring and as tedious as The Abandoned. Stay away from that film at all costs.


I wanted to watch Black Christmas, my sister voted for Dead Silence. She's 15, so I let her have her way.

I'm 32. I should've known better.

 

[phillyfan26]

Astronaut Farmer

7/10

Better than I expected. It was probably a 6, but Bruce Willis with his signature "grinning constantly for no reason" bumped it up a whole point itself.

 

[cdisantis83]

I had seen The Bourne Identity a few years ago, but failed to appreciate it to the extent that I now do. At times it is certainly difficult to believe, but it is relentlessly captivating and extremely engrossing. My only criticism would be that Clive Owen deserved a larger role.

9/10

The Bourne Supremacy is largely in the same vein as its predecessor, relying on extensive fighting sequences and elaborate chase scenes to balance the intricate storyline. Damon's performance is much more nuanced in this episode, but the film as a whole repeats many of the tactics of its predecessor; though they may be equally or even more dramatic and superbly filmed than their previous installments, the viewer now knows what to expect. All things considered, this is still a highly captivating, fast-paced film.

8/10

I expected The Simpsons Movie to be atrocious, so I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. Nonetheless, it suffered for exactly the reason that I suspected it would- the series thrives on its spontaneity and myriad plot twists, which a full-length film simply cannot sustain. I still believe that they ought to have made the film an extended version of the "21 Short Films about Springfield" episode, which featured concise mini-stories about 21 different characters. The tactic would have avoided the seeming exigency of settling into a groove, and would also have capitalized on the show's abundance of quality characters.

5/10

 

[Lancemc]

Renaissance

Interesting French film that was filmed entirely in hyper-stylized CG using extensive performance-capture. I'm a sucker for PerCap, so this was a given. I just watched the original French version of the film with English subs, though I'll definitely be buying and English DVD, featuring voice-work by Daniel Craig and Iam Holme.

The visuals really steal the show here. It's one of the most visually stunning films I've seen in years, reminiscent of Sin City and A Scanner Darkly. The film is entirely in black and white though outside of 2 very short instances, meaning there are no shades of grey what-so-ever, givin it a very stark marker-drawn asthetic. Truly beautiful.

The film itself is a futuristic neo-crime-noir revolving around a kidnapping and a corporate coverup, and the usual twists and romantic subplots. It was a solid story, just nothing spectacular or terrible fresh. I'd say the film as a whole is something like a weird blend of Minority Report, Sin City and Blade Runner, just not up to the level of any of those three films (well, maybe Minority Report, but that depends on what you thought of it).

It's hard to give this a rating, because on one hand, it's a pretty standard narritive, and not terribly engaging, but still enjoyable. But on the other hand, this film was a 7-year labor of love pulled off on a practical non-budget, that really pushes percap and CG in a new artistic direction, and for that I have to give it major credit.

I'm thinking 8/10,

 

[Saracene]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 6.5/10

I thought the film suffered for the same reason I initially disliked OotP the book: there is really no strong central storyline, and the big revelation at the end is anticlimatic to say the least. Harry has to be the one who kills Voldemort? Well ddduuuuh. I came to like the book much better on the following readings, mostly because once the plot and the big mystery stopped being a burning issue I could relax and enjoy the character-related stuff. The problem with the film though is that it has to concentrate on the story a lot more, and to me it came off as a pretty rushed collage of events without any real spine to it all. And because it has to cram in so much, many events and developments have little chance to truly sink in and, for quite a lot of its running time, it feels like the film is just rushing from point A to B. Umbridge was a letdown though I can't really pinpoint why; I just didn't have the same "arghhhh I want to strange this bloody woman" reaction as I still do when reading the book.

Not to say there weren't any positives. Luna Lovegood (one of my favourite characters) was spot on and just as I'd have imagined her. Twins were a delight as always. Gary Oldman once again made me like Sirius so much more than I ever did in the book. Seeing the new locations like MoM was very exciting and the battle between DD and Voldemort at the Ministry was epic. In the end it didn't really add up to a wholly satisfying film experience, but oh well, the fifth book was always going to be tough one to adapt.

 

[corianderstem]

No posts since 7/31? Have you all stopped watching movies?

Hot Fuzz

8/10

Loved it! Absolutely hilarious.

 

[Lancemc]

Recently

Miyazaki's Spirited Away (first time) - 10/10
Simply the best animated film I've ever seen

Luc Besson's Leon/The Professional (first time in a long while) - 8/10
Sad, exciting, beautiful, moving, stellar performances steal the film. Gary Oldman at his best.

 

[LMP]

Recently

Miyazaki's Spirited Away (first time) - 10/10
Simply the best animated film I've ever seen

Luc Besson's Leon/The Professional (first time in a long while) - 8/10
Sad, exciting, beautiful, moving, stellar performances steal the film. Gary Oldman at his best.

Almost Natalie Portman at her best too, in her first role no less.

Well, that and V and Garden State.

 

[Lancemc]

Natalie is amazing. Leon was also Jean Reno at his best. Quite the trio of legendary performances in that film. Easily Besson's finest hour (or two)

I might as well round off a list of all the film's I've seen in the last few days with ratings. (Some seen for the first time, others not of course):

My intro to Miyazaki, other than Spirited Away:

Howl's Moving Castle - 7.5/10
Beautiful, and enchanting, with a fairly flimsy plot

Princess Mononoke - 9/10
Easy to see why this is an anime classic

Others:

Rollerball - 8/10
Surprisingly deep sci-fi film with a lot of fantastic filmmaking to be found within

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 9.5/10
Second best film of 1999

Sunshine - 9/10
See Sunshine thread for details.

The Bourne Identity - 8/10
Still totally badass, getting ready for #3

and finaly

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan - 10/10
Still one of my favorite films of all time. As far as kickass space adventures go, this one's hard to beat. Star Wars: A New Hope can kiss my ass.

 

[got_edge]

i'm not a big proffessional ( or Leon Killer* euro title ) fan , so naturally i can't tell , all i like is NYC scenery , some good scenes ( leon's first caSE ) + lifetime best perfomance by Gary Oldman in it , all his scenes are terrific , i wish movie was bout him , La Femme Nikita was done a bit better , less pressure , more natural , same ideas , more style , oh yeah and we get happy ending too

Watched Nikita for the first time the other night and I'm still drooling.

 

[angelordevil]

I had seen The Bourne Identity a few years ago, but failed to appreciate it to the extent that I now do. At times it is certainly difficult to believe, but it is relentlessly captivating and extremely engrossing. My only criticism would be that Clive Owen deserved a larger role.

If The Bourne Ultimatum had Clive Owen, it would've been perfect! Children of Bourne? Like you said, the franchise is really unbelievable at first glance, but then it sucks you in. I dare anyone not to smile at some of the ways Bourne manages to stay alive/not get caught. There's something about the character that's highly relatable. Maybe it's that we're all boring, drone-like, and searching for something beyond our grasp. I'm not sure what the magic is, but I always leave the theatre thinking I can take on the world when Moby's "Extreme Ways" kicks in. Don't laugh!

9/10

My only complaint is with the CIA director character. He seemed so lightweight at times...like he should be gardening instead (not that there's anything wrong with gardening). He just seemed out of place.

 

[Lancemc]

Inside Man - 7.5/10

This was a fantasticaly written heist flick. One of the most clever schemes I've seen in recent memory.

Unfotunately the film loses major points for having a fat saggy ass and becoming dangerously preachy.

Spike Lee almost got through the whole film without making it a Spike Lee movie. I guess he just couldn't help it though. Black power!!!, muthafuckas.

 

[Teta040]

Well..remember the CIA director guy who was gardening in Syriana, clipping roses or whateer, and he says "You are a wolf among sheep" or whatever, and I saw what he used to be in one second.

Last theater film? Bourne Ultimatum Fri night. Last TV film? The DVD of 300, last night. (Never saw it in the theater but hunted down the graphic novel.) After finishing HP Book 7 I need a rest from the page and wanted to get 300 anyway.

Seriously. ATROCIUS. Only good thing in it was Dave Wenham as the storyteller . He was an inspired choice as he has the lovliest speaking voice (when I first saw him as Faramir I finally understood what Tolkien was saying when he described someone as having a voice that was "clear and musicial")..and I have to admit that seeing the man unclothed from the waist up was an inspired choice for luring the ladies in, I'm glad I didn't see it in the theater as they'd have had to carry me out....I'd scrub my wash on that tummy of his ANYTIME! Pardon the drooling, fanboys...) And at times it had a really good score.

But the total CGI begins to wear thin after a while, as does the laughable "camera angles" during the fighting, and the nonstop slow motion. And it's ridiculous how the slave women in Xerxe's tent go for the hunchback. Totally unrealistic, even if they know the situation..him as a spy. And don't get me started on how it not only is more of Hollywood frig-up of ancient history than usual in such cases,it is blatantly racist. Xerxes looks more like a savage from deepest Africa than a Persian king. The real Persian kings wore their hair long and curled and had long thick beards that were even more elborately curled; many wore perfume; their featureswere Sematic and they had those boxy hats and long belted tunics that often had patterns of flowers on them, and baggy pants. Lots of jewels and such but any body peircing? They looked almost feminine copared to the Greeks. Good examples of what they looked like in Oliver Stone's Alexander and (the best) D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance." I expected, for al the hoopla, a LITTLE teensy bit of cinema buried in the propaganda peice, but no....and that "Ha-oo" call of the Spartans? That's "Hoo-ah" backwards, isn't it? And there would have been no tender love scenes of farewell, no "my lady" and all that crap with a Spartan king.That was for the Athenain philosophers and boy-lovers. And no mention of the enslaved Hoplites, that were such a big part of Spartan society? And anyway, the Athenians didn't become "philosophers" until the Periclian Age which was a couple of decades away. As for the women... Spartan women had a degree of eqality with their men unusual in the anceint world but they were still a far cry from today. No Spartan king would have looked to his Queen for permission to push the amabassador over the well, for example. That's a 21st century thing. And the Council of the Oracle! For one thing, they are supposed to be physically/spirituallyrotten to the core but Miller takes it too far, for Zeus's sake they all look like they have LEPROSY, and in the ancient world you know what they did with lepers, rich and poor alike. And this whole thing about ensalved by tradition etc OF COURSe the Council is Congress, and to top it all off I find it highly insulting to depict "Congress" as a bunch of corrupt old mountebanks while the FIGHTING KING is noble and pure. Yes, with each passing day it becomes evident that our Congress is in thrall to corporate forces but even their petty schemes and backstabbing and profiteering is just a drop in the mother$*$*$ BUCKET compared to the vast sinkhole of war profiteering and scandal and incredible wrongdoing of the Executive Branch. Our "Leonidis" is in bed and taking it up the backside from Xerxes, even as he sticks his head out of the tent flaps and proclaims otherwise...but his flushed face betrays everything, and the words of "truth" have long ago become ragged.

 

[Lancemc]

I don't like 300 at all either, but I think you owe a lot of your dislike of the film more to Frank Miller than the filmmakers, given your "review" of the film.

 

[Teta040]

Lancemc, guilty as charged. I find it ironic that Zack Snyder didn't have a neocon sensibilty and just wanted to adapt a really good comic. Iran wasn't even a blip on the radar, in conventional war terms, a year and half ago so I don't think he had a political ideology in mind. The fact that some people would interpret it in different ways might have crossed his mind but really in 2005 or so Iraq was already old news. I mean, it's not the first time films were "political."

( I mean, even The Ten Commandments was "political", Cecil DeMille even filmed that Prologue where he comes out on the stage and spells it out as an anti-Communist thing. "Are men the property of the state, or are they free souls under God? This same battle still exists in the world today." But you'd never know that if he hadn't told you. Granted, he was working n the midst of the McCarthy scare--in light of the current era, how quaint and tame that seems!--but he was still true to his own vision. The film itself is as true visually to the facts as possible, and seems to honor both cultures. DeMille didn't slam you over the head with it. So his film is timeless. ) Interestingly, the reason why Demille even had access to film in Egypt was b/c Nasser was a HUGE fan of his, and Nassar was a huge fan b/c when he was a teen he saw a Demille film called "The Crusades" where Moslems seemed to be shown in a positive light, and he walked out of the theater in a daze and saying, "I want to be like Saladin!" Of course, we all know what Nassar later became, and Saladin had a tad more tolerance than he did, let's say. But let's not go there. The imprtant thing is the East-West exchange, and it;s difficult to thinkof such a thing happening today in the current climate. Sadly, Demille is a relic.)

Frank Miller, on the other hand, is something else, and with Iran in the news daily, with Cheney beating the drums, it's no wonder that jerk in Teheran (for the love of God I can't spell his name) got pissed. Not that I love the regime in Teheran (I DON'T!) I can see why they had a s**t fit and are making their own cinemtic reply "The Glory of Persepolis." I'd love to see a pirate version of this when it comes out, BTW....just for the heck of it.....are they gonna go the whole hog and paint Jewish stereotypes? Wouldn't put it past them....I wonder how we'd react if we saw some of the more visious anti-American visual sterotyping. I could care less personaly, of itself, but if it's a huge international success THAT would bother me.

Miller is working on a sequel.....wonder what it will be since history offered a ready -made sequel, Salamis 3 weeks lateer, but 300 ends more than yr later. So no battle of Salamis? I always wanted to see THAT on the screen....and if Snyder makes it he won't be working in a political vacuum this time, it should be interesting to see.

Esp if Cheny gets his way and either we or Israel, our proxy, is a t war with Iran before Bush leaves office!

 

[Queen Bee]

Unforgiven - 5/10

What a snoozefest filled with over-the-top performances by a mediocre cast... hell, Clint Eastwood's performance couldn't save it. This won best picture in '92?

 

[LMP]

at least it didn't win over A Few Good Men... oh wait it did!

 

[U2girl]

Die Hard 4.0 5/10

I liked the series (I watched the first 3 movies this week for comparison) and due to B. Willis hyping the movie as the best so far, I decided to try it out.

Action wise some great scenes (CGI in the auto-plane scene and the tunnel ducking scene though), the script uses a well worn idea, it could do with more McClane comments. McClane is getting old - Willis is still convincing in the role, but it's time to move on. (he used to be more human before - remember how battered he looked at the end of first three movies compared to this one) The young hecker actor was okay, but the Farrel-McClane team is no match for McClane - Zeus from movie 3, or McClane - the black cop from movie 1. And this is probably the weakest villain in the series.

To sum up, it's a tad better than part 2, but not better than parts 1 and 3. Assuming part 5 is coming, it needs a better script/idea (maybe a prequel?) and please, let John McTiernan direct again.

 

[LJT]

Lancemc, guilty as charged. I find it ironic that Zack Snyder didn't have a neocon sensibilty and just wanted to adapt a really good comic. Iran wasn't even a blip on the radar, in conventional war terms, a year and half ago so I don't think he had a political ideology in mind. The fact that some people would interpret it in different ways might have crossed his mind but really in 2005 or so Iraq was already old news. I mean, it's not the first time films were "political."

( I mean, even The Ten Commandments was "political", Cecil DeMille even filmed that Prologue where he comes out on the stage and spells it out as an anti-Communist thing. "Are men the property of the state, or are they free souls under God? This same battle still exists in the world today." But you'd never know that if he hadn't told you. Granted, he was working n the midst of the McCarthy scare--in light of the current era, how quaint and tame that seems!--but he was still true to his own vision. The film itself is as true visually to the facts as possible, and seems to honor both cultures. DeMille didn't slam you over the head with it. So his film is timeless. ) Interestingly, the reason why Demille even had access to film in Egypt was b/c Nasser was a HUGE fan of his, and Nassar was a huge fan b/c when he was a teen he saw a Demille film called "The Crusades" where Moslems seemed to be shown in a positive light, and he walked out of the theater in a daze and saying, "I want to be like Saladin!" Of course, we all know what Nassar later became, and Saladin had a tad more tolerance than he did, let's say. But let's not go there. The imprtant thing is the East-West exchange, and it;s difficult to thinkof such a thing happening today in the current climate. Sadly, Demille is a relic.)

Frank Miller, on the other hand, is something else, and with Iran in the news daily, with Cheney beating the drums, it's no wonder that jerk in Teheran (for the love of God I can't spell his name) got pissed. Not that I love the regime in Teheran (I DON'T!) I can see why they had a s**t fit and are making their own cinemtic reply "The Glory of Persepolis." I'd love to see a pirate version of this when it comes out, BTW....just for the heck of it.....are they gonna go the whole hog and paint Jewish stereotypes? Wouldn't put it past them....I wonder how we'd react if we saw some of the more visious anti-American visual sterotyping. I could care less personaly, of itself, but if it's a huge international success THAT would bother me.

Miller is working on a sequel.....wonder what it will be since history offered a ready -made sequel, Salamis 3 weeks lateer, but 300 ends more than yr later. So no battle of Salamis? I always wanted to see THAT on the screen....and if Snyder makes it he won't be working in a political vacuum this time, it should be interesting to see.

Esp if Cheny gets his way and either we or Israel, our proxy, is a t war with Iran before Bush leaves office!

Its a fantastical depiction of a historical battle....everything goes to extremes...I don't see it as racist...its Thermopylae done a la Lord of the Rings styley. It isn't meant to be historically accurate...for that Michael Mann's Gates of Fire is meant to be a more accurate retelling....most Greek sources of course paint the Persians as being barbaric and monsters or as overly feminine because they wore trousers, but as always the Greeks heavily romanticised everyone who was not Greek, they either loved them in the extreme or hated them. The battle of Plataea would be a better choice I think than Salamis, unless they can combine the two.

The Battle of Thermopylae is just a creation myth of Europe as heavily romaticised as any other regions creation myth. I don't really have much of a problem with it. Not to say you can't have a problem with, just attacking it for not be historically accurate is pointless when it did not set out to be historically accurate tis all.

 

[Varitek]

The Illusionist 8/10

Fabulous visuals of Vienna more than make up for the liberties taken with Habsburg politics. The romance is moving, the acting is fabulous, the violent prince is a great villain, the costumes and cinnematography create a believable "period" feel, and the plot is enjoyable right up to the twist at the end, which is one of those "I thought I had predicted it but I wasn't quite right and this is way better" moments. I really enjoyed it.