Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) IV

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I saw Silk and St Trinians

Thought Silk was way too long and very slow and a bit boring.........Michael Pitt seems to enjoy NOT being an energetic actor (just look at Last Days also).

St Trinians I thought was fantastic.....I loved Rupert Everett in this and laughed at his character........all in all a fun Summer-type movie.


makes a change from all the silly gory graphic movies that Hollywood seems to be putting out these days....thats what seems to be on for rent.
Are they stuck for ideas or what! LOL!

:yes:
 
Robert Downey Jr. was on Jay Leno last night. Said he & Favareau popped into two theaters over the weekend in L.A. (Cinerama Dome and The Bridge). I've always liked him. Will have to catch this movie soon!

Saw Baby Mama over the weekend. Didn't have high expectations - thought it would just be alright, but I did like it. Was funny. Steve Martin :giggle:
 
Lila64 said:

Saw Baby Mama over the weekend. Didn't have high expectations - thought it would just be alright, but I did like it. Was funny. Steve Martin :giggle:

Even though we're big Tina Fey fans, my daughter went to see this very reluctantly, with a friend who dragged her to see it, because the commercials for it look so awful. She said it was better than she expected, that the dumbness of the commercials don't really reflect the overall movie.
 
The Fall 7.5/ 10

This film has a great look to it.
Try and see it on a big screen.
It has the actor from "pushing daisies"

he does a good job



Redbelt 8/10

I am a big David Mamet fan

this is very good, not his best

but very good from Mamet is better than good from most

Typical Mamet dialog, short, no frills sentences

and of course a plot that takes a turn or two.
 
By the way, saw Speed Racer in IMAX last night.

F-ing incredible.

I'm going to think about it a bit more though before I write up a big review for it. Maybe even see it another time.

But that's my teaser for you.
 
Iron Man - 7.5/10

I really enjoyed this, mostly thanks to Robert Downey Jr's dynamic, entertaining and endearing turn; I don't think the movie would have worked anywhere as well without him. I was also surprised at how much I liked Gwyneth Paltrow, I wouldn't have picked her for this kind of movie at all. The flying sequences were awesome and reminded me how badly I wanted to be able to fly when little, :)
 
Speed Racer - Andy and Larry Wachowski - 2008

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Speed Racer was a film 20 years in the making, a property that Joel Silver and Warner Brothers couldn't quite get off the ground for the longest time. With good reason. The original Speed Racer animated series was a low-budget, hammy, bizarre Japanese kids show with a quirky English dub... and it wasn't particularly good, a concession even the most die-hard Speed Racer fantastic would likely make. Nearly 40 years after it's initial three season run, Speed Racer found its Hollywood saviors in anime-and-comic-enthusiast filmmaking mavericks Andy and Larry Wachowski.

The brothers' last directoral effort was a combo of simultaneously filmed Matrix sequels, a set of films many fans and critic felt fell far below the lofty standards set by the original film. Four years later, an open-minded examination of the Matrix sequels could reveal a case of filmmaking far less disastrous than many would claim, particularly in the thrilling Matrix: Reloaded. They exhibit brilliant composition and virtual camera work, a keen visual design, and some of the more impressive and ambition action set pieces seen this decade. Where things begin to fall apart for The Matrix trilogy is in the verbose and wooden narrative exposition. The directors drew from their deep love and knowledge of anime features and delivered an adult-themed sci-fi adventure, very Japanese in approach and not unlike or uninspired by something like Ghost in the Shell.

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In creating Speed Racer, they took their patented living anime design methodology complete with lengthy verbal exposition and speechifying in the typical anime tradition, only now it fits within the customs of the source material and compliments the aims and structure of the film where it often fell flat in the Matrix films. Speed Racer really does accomplish something that has never been quite so successfully executed in a live action film before. The Wachowski brothers said they were going to make a live action cartoon, and that’s exactly that we have here.

Speed Racer is probably the second truly groundbreaking film of 2008 (the first being Mark Pellington and Catherine Owens’ landmark stereoscopic concert film U2 3D). The first and most striking feature of the film is its unique visual design. Many critics and audiences haven’t seemed able to get past the assault of color and light that never ceases throughout its 135-minute duration. However, underneath the initially overwhelming color palate lies an exquisitely conceptualized and executed composition of digital imagery. Nearly each scene is a composite of several two-dimensional and three-dimensional animated images that move over and with one another in much the same way as traditional Japanese animated features. The results mesh better with the live action components better than one would expect, and the performances across the board capture the magic of the fantasy world and imbue the inherently shallow material with a much needed core of humanity and sincere emotion.

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Emile Hirsch is tasked with a role I’d consider even more challenging than his critically praised turn in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild. Here he is demanded to be charismatic, exude a dominant physical presence, and be the heart of a sincere family tale. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon play Pops and Mom Racer, and likewise provide some of the film’s more emotional character interactions, and remain sincere without becoming hammy or saccharine. Supporting players like Matthew Fox and Roger Allam take advantage of the unique style of the film and their roles and seemingly have more fun in the process than they’ve ever had. Special note should be made to Christina Ricci who finds the perfect place next to Hirsch’s Speed as Trixie, femininely empowering but always cute and sexy, and plays her character as the perfect embodiment of a female anime lead with her huge expressive eyes and goofy haircut.

But Speed Racer is an action film first and foremost, and many people are going to come to the theaters looking for thrilling race sequences and dazzling visual spectacle. The Wachowskis clearly understand how to pace and structure an action film. Speed Racer features about six action set pieces, the first and last being prize races where Speed excises some personal struggles through the actions in his car. The central set piece is an extended rally race through three different climates and landscapes featuring some of the film’s more outlandish “stunts” and grand visual statements. Several martial arts oriented conflicts highlight the Wachowskis’ proven aptitude towards stylized hand-to-hand combat, only now infused with a new refreshing lightheartedness that audiences likely weren’t aware Andy and Larry possessed. The finale of the film, a dazzling Grand Prix race in a city center with mind-bogglingly intricate visual design, builds upon the momentum of the rest of the movie exploding into a wholly surreal deconstruction of the film’s color and graphic palate after the climax of the race.

In setting the pace of motion of the film, the creators utilized a fairly radical and potentially off-putting narrative technique. Any particular moment or indication in one scene can trigger a tangentially related flashback, flash-forward or flash-lateral/vertical/wherever you could possibly imagine. These transitions in time or space are usually accomplished by a horizontal wipe across the frame of a characters face or other bridging object. The very first race of the film alone carries the narrative space over an entire lifetime of character defining moments, simultaneously building an essentially straightforward back story and delivering an episodic action piece with its own emotional and narrative climax and resolution. It can be a confusing and difficult 15 minutes to open a film with, but if the viewer can buy into the Wachowskis’ vision and methods, the foundation of the following two hours is set in a beautiful, elegant, and often surprising new way.

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Said swipes and transitions inhabit even the most innocuous of scenes, such as a quiet conversation between Royalton and a potential business partner; profiles and faces wiping from side to side as the dialogue ensues distorting the continuity of the space and perspective in which this otherwise mundane scene would play. This remarkably forward-moving and forward-thinking editing ideology is pervasive of every aspect of the filmmaking, and lends the piece a unique rhythm that never stops moving and never stops ramping the amplitude of its visual and kinetic energy.

What is likely to prove the most influential innovation here is the extensive use of the virtual camera, taking full advantage of the digital medium, allowing for high-energy motion shots through the cinematic space the likes of which have remained unseen till now. The races are thus filmed in completely new and surprising ways that are initially startling and awkward upon first viewing, but quickly become more familiar and elegant as the film progresses. In one particularly technically inspiring scene where Speed and Trixie are racing one behind the other along a mountain Cliffside, the camera whips with breakneck speed forward and backward from one character face to another as they exchange quips. A typical edit of this scene would simply cut from one shot of the character to the other, but what the Wachowskis accomplish is far more kinetic, exciting, in keeping with the spirit of the original anime, and likely trendsetting. The combined effect of these techniques consequently both tightens and expands the space of the cinema world, the camera serving as an omniscient effervescent carrier for the viewer, and the transitional methods layering the time and space of the film in a sort of Z-depth where a wipe from side to side merely washes one dimension out of the way revealing the one below it.

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Ultimately, Speed Racer is just exactly what it is, a Hollywood adaptation of a cheesy cartoon from the sixties. So far it looks as though the film will go down in the books as a near complete commercial and critical disappointment, but such is the niche appeal of the source material and the approach of two visionary filmmakers on the cutting edge of the industry. Speed Racer is a fun family film with levels of humour that should appeal to a variety of demographics and a surprisingly poignant and successful emotional core. Where Speed Racer succeeds in strides in its bold groundbreaking technique and design that genuinely pushes the envelope and expands the cinematic language, an ambition that few modern blockbuster filmmakers rarely attempt let alone accomplish. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but few films this brave rarely are. However, it is likely just about as great a feature film as anyone could ever have hoped to make from “Mach GoGoGo” (yes, that’s Speed Racer to North American crowds.)
 
I realized I completely forgot to mention Michael Giacchino's absolutely fantastic score for the film, that incorporates a lot of really original fantastic work with a brilliant deconstruction of the famous Speed Racer musical theme, and a bit of play with diegetic sound herre and there inside the score.

Really inspiring stuff all around, absolutely fantastic composer as we all know, and he really pushed the envelope here.
 
Did you write that up, Lance? Well done.

The visuals look really intriguing, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that there's any sort of plot or emotional interplay that would a) be any good; b) make the movie anything more than a visual marvel.

And yes, this is just based on the little I know of Speed Racer. The mere concept of the movie did not interest me in the least. But my interest is piqued at least on a visual level.
 
I did write that, thank you.

And I'll address your points really briefly again:

Decent plot. It's not particularly substantial, but it doesn't need to be. The original show is remarkably shallow and breezy, and the movie is pretty much the same way, except the characters are all really likable, and it has a great family message at its center that surprisingly keeps away from being too hammy or eye-rolling. The plot involved Speed being signed by an evil corporation who fixes all the major racers for stock and what not. Then Speed Racer tried to overcome all odds to win on his own legit terms and bust the criminal conspiracy. But it's the family thing, and a genuinely moving relationship between Speed and his "lost" brother Rex that give it good motivation and weight.

Like I said, it's not a heavy drama or anything, but it's more there than you'd anticipate. It can be easy to lose in the visual barrage from time to time though.
 
Great write-up, Lance. :up:

Do you see any other summer films, apart from The Dark Knight, topping this one for you?
 
Hellboy II, The Dark Knight, and The X-File all have the potential I think, but I wouldn't be entirely too surprised if none of them did.
 
That's cool.

Speed Racer interests me and I'd have to see it on IMAX if I were to see it, but I've gotta save money for Indy IV and any other Lady Friend rendezvous.

I think this summer is going to pwn, and Iron Man was a terrific start. :up:
 
I'd still like to see both before I pass judgment on either.

Posted some thoughts on Goodfellas in the Random Talk thread if you'd like to comment.
 
LA Vie En Rose is fuggin spectacular.

Took a while to find its rhythm, but I'd be a bald faced liar if I said I wasn't in tears for the last 10 minutes or so of this sucker.

And I'm officially of the Marion Cotillard faith from this point onward.
 
Control. I really liked it. I'll probably like it less in the morning, but I think watching it at midnight while it's raining heavily outside was a pretty good choice. Visuals were really nice, as expected. Found a bit of the dialogue rather cold - I also can't remember how closely it fits in with the real thing, but it did the job.
 
Hannah and Her Sisters -- 9/10

Loved it! From start to finish I laughed my ass off. Great characters, great dialogue, uncomfortable scenes that made me squirm, and happy scenes that just had me beaming. I can't wait to watch it again!

Crimes and Misdemeanors -- 7/10

Good film. Some great scenes that really made me cringe. However, I saw it 2 days after Hannah and Her Sisters, and Crimes . . . just didn't quite get there for me. It felt a bit heavy-handed and overdone at points, especially the flashback to the morality discussions at the dinner table on the Sabbath. I *really* hated Martin Landau's character in this, but I guess that just means he did his job perfectly!

The Anniversary Party -- 7/10

Great conceit. I love the idea of real-life actor friends just kicking back and making a somewhat improvisational movie together. However, it was definitely too melodramatic at times, especially with all the tragedies and revelations toward the end. And though I really only severely disliked the Alan Cumming character, I'm not sure I really liked most of the characters . . . especially not enough to root for them.

There were a few that really got to me and I liked them a lot. John Benjamin Hickey, because I love him and everything he does. Phoebe Cates was really good and not as neurotic as the rest. I liked how Mina Badie (the neighbor wife) came out of her uptight shell and finally relaxed enough to let her hair down, and Kevin Cline is always a treat.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is definitely a top-notch actress, but I don't know that it did her any services in this film, playing such a self-obsessed, whiny, narcissitic character.

I was definitely entertained by this movie, and did laugh a bunch, but this is definitely not a party I would want to be invited to.
 
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall 7.5 / 10

This movie was better than I expected.

The premise is much more believable than Knocked Up.

Sure, this guy is no hot stud, but he is not a complete loser. The premise that a TV actress could be hooked up with the composer for her TV show is very plausible.

That being said all four actors were very good in their parts. the writing was consistent , a bit exaggerated at times, I like it a bit more subtle, but the audience loved it.
 
Charlie Wilson's War

7/10

I dug it just fine and enjoyed a lot of the banter-y lines. Fast-moving film. Thought Julia Roberts was very well-suited for her role.

Not much else to say!
 
The Great Debaters. 7/10

It was an interesting movie, although not really historically accurate. I liked it well enough but it was by no means great. The casting was well done, though.
 
Monkeyskin's Cinema Round-up

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Very funny, very sweet and more or less surprisingly real. While some of the main characters are more developed than others it feels really honest and never forces its characters to act totally out of character for the purposes of a forced plot point. The best part of the film for me was the dinner table scene, the way the two men in Sarah's life rip her last film to shreds with relish while Mila Kunis gamely tries to stick up for her is spot on, as is the way the night carries on. Never thought I'd say this either but Russell Brand was terrific in a role that must surely be tailored to him. The dialogue in his final scene had me in stitches.

This film is really hard to criticise. It supplies both the laughs and heart in spades and for the most part resisted the urge to get too crude like many comedies do these days. Well worth it.

Grindhouse
Oh how I've waited to finally see this on the cinema. To quickly remind everyone, this was split up into the two separate, extended films for everywhere but the USA and they came out September / November last year. But some lovely people have managed to get hold of a few prints and are currently touring them round the UK (Australia had the same recently too).

So, as it was a one-night only showing the place was packed and the atmosphere for the runtime was brilliant. Planet Terror earned near continuous laughter and grossed out groans pretty much from start to finish, as did the fake trailers. During Death Proof the mirth was a bit kore subdued, although the funny lines hit the right notes. It was absolutely electric during the first crash and final car chases though. Quite simply, one of the most fun experiences I've ever had at the cinema without taking a girl with me.

Iron Man
Wasn't sure if I was going to make the effort for this but I'm glad I did. Robert Downey Jr was worth it all by himself, throwing out golden lines so casually it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Tony Stark. Hopefully the rumours of him unwiling to return for the sequels prove to be unfounded. To be frank the rest of the film and particularly the finale were pretty average, neither bad nor anything we haven't all seen before in other superhero movies. But Downey has taken an interesting character and created one of the most entertaining protagonists in recent years. It's also refreshing for him to still be the same character at the end of the film as he was at the start, granted with a more morale conscience. All those brooding, conflicted and oh so noble heroes have got a wee bit wearing. Tony Stark is the new top dog in my eyes. Hell, even his beard is cool.
 
Saw Sarah Marshall tonight.

It was cool. Very funny moments throughout. Russell Brand provided some truly brilliant comedy. And yes, monkeyskin, the dinner scene where the four leads confront eachother near the end is easily the highlight of the movie. The delivery of the line "bloody awful movie" when talking about Sarah's latest film had me laughing my ass off. And the rest of the scene was perfect, too.

However, it wasn't incredibly memorable. I knew going into it that Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis are smoking hot and I left thinking the same thing. That's pretty much all I got out of it besides the laughs.
 
The Sad Punk said:
Control. I really liked it. I'll probably like it less in the morning, but I think watching it at midnight while it's raining heavily outside was a pretty good choice. Visuals were really nice, as expected. Found a bit of the dialogue rather cold - I also can't remember how closely it fits in with the real thing, but it did the job.

I loved it. It also carries the dubious distinction of being the only movie I've seen in my life where I was the only one in the theatre. I've been with a friend and we've been the only ones before, but I couldn't remember ever being totally alone before. It was creepy and wonderful, and the perfect film for that experience.

I just noticed in my netflix queue that it is released on DVD on June 3, if anyone missed it.
 
Lars & the Real Girl - I couldn't imagine how they were going to sustain this storyline believably for the length of the film but they did, and I bought it, and it was sweet.
 
Alright, so I'm gonna post a rambling but spoiler-free review of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL here.

The operative word here is FUN.

It's been about 3 hours now since I actually left the theater. I didn't talk to any of my friends for about 20 minutes after we walked out....I needed some time to reflect in silence.

It rocks. It's funny. It's thrilling. It winks at the past but is firmly set in its time period...they make no mistake about this being set in the 50's. That is especially the case in the first half of the movie - which, right now, I would say I enjoyed more than the second half.

Ford owns the role as much as he ever has.

Spielberg gives us a lot of his grand hero shots of Indy, and the shots look great. Obviously this guy is a master filmmaker...and he lets us know what he's capable of early and often.

Shia didn't bug me at all - in fact I really liked his character for the most part and thought he had some cool moments.

The big action scenes were fucking awesome...the audience (packed theater) cheered more than a few times. I think the first half of the movie stands up with a lot of the high points of the rest of the series - especially the sequences surrounding Indy and Mutt's first encounter.

There were moments after the midway point where I felt things didn't quite click and the pace was off. But whatever, the more I think about it, the more I want to go back and watch it again.

Final verdict -

The smiles that kept appearing on my face outweighed any shortcomings that I came across.

Indy Jones :rockon: !!!
 
Into the Wild which was produced by Sean Penn. ESCELLENT film. I highly recommend it to everyone. It ws slightly long at over 2 hours, but the message is great, the scenery is gorgeous and the ending is.....well, you'll just have to see it to find out for yourself.
 
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