Movie Reviews Part 3 - The good, the bad and the ... rentals

[drEaMtiMe*@#]

Agreed. City of men wins my 'best lighting' award.
Also check out Dark City for the same 'I would love a poster of almost every shot'

i finally got my hands on dark city after wanting to watch it in its entirety for some 2 years (eek), since i missed the first half of the movie when i arrived late to one of my cinema screenings at uni.

the cinematography is good, no doubt about that, but what i was most impressed by in this was the set design, and the actual story, which were both phenomenal imo.

on the other hand though, i have now decided that i don't think that jennifer connely is as good an actress as i had previously thought. she’s still good, but she's pretty much the same in every single role that i've seen her in. actually, bar the blood diamond where her character was notably different from the ones she's played in the past, and she managed to pull it off. but still i’m not sure..

dark city however is definitely in my all time top 50 list.

...as i think is this movie the science of sleep.

if you've seen eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and you didn't enjoy it for whatever reasons, i'd say that you probably won't like this either, so it’s best to give it a miss. but if you did, i think you'll love it like i did.

its not the same of course as eternal, i was reading a review about it the other day which said that there's a certain shallowness to it that i guess in a sense is true, largely because the story doesn't tackle any monumental philosophical questions about the human mind or spirit, but it is rather, as gondry professes, a autobiographical work of his life. a life which i think is so amazingly innovatively and creatively displayed, not to mention at all times with an accompanying note of quirky humour, that when i wasn't laughing at the endearing characters i had a huge smile almost permanently plastered on my face.

i also read another article in a magazine about this movie where the reviewer said that "it is deeply confusing in a way that makes mulholland drive seem like meet the parents. by the end of the trip you'll probably be wearing the glazed-over look polite listeners get when you attempt to describe your own dreams to them." which i found to be a partly accurate discription, but mostly highly entertaining due to the mulholland drive reference. it is true, this film does blend dreams and reality to the point where sometimes you don't know which is which. and this is precisely why i realise not all people will appreciate its style, but personally i love the surrealism, and the wonderfully creative dream sets that were made out of cardboard and cellophane. so much so that this is probably my favourite movie release so far for 2007, and i would like to meet michel gondry

 

[katmeow]

Rent

All I could think about when I was watching this was 'Everybody's got Aids. Aids, Aids, Aids.'

Um, see it if you want something to laugh at for a couple of hours.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

Saw Zodiac the other day.

^As did I.

Can I just say.. wow. I walked out of this movie positively bristling with nervous energy.
The acting = superb. The plot = totally slap-in-the-face real. This is a true story we're not beefing up with a love-story, real.
They managed to create California in the late 60's, early 70's look real and believable and kept a fantastic sense of suspense the whole way through.

I read up on the background of the film today, and it's just incredible to see how much time and money and effort went into the research alone for this film.
It's a a truly honest portrayal of a haunting time in America.

I give it 4.5 stars.

 

[eggman]

Joint Security Area

Directed by the same director of Old Boy and Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, the movie is set on the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea. The movie begins heavy gunfire as an officer runs across the bridge separating the two Koreas to his native South after apparently being kidnapped by North Korean soldiers. A swiss lawyer is sought by the two governments as a neutral party to figure out exactly what transpired on that night.

The beginning is way too complicated, almost daunting, but once it cuts to the flashbacks it begins to fit into place nicely. Again, I recommend it.

I really have to second this as a recommended film, obviously you have to be into asian cinema, but Chan-wook Park's films are always worth it. If you watch thi and enjoy it, do your self a favour and check out the guys entire back catalogue, especially the vengence trilogy.

anyways, this weekend I watched The Hamiltons

The film comes off with a very indie vibe and at times seems a little slow and pointless, but the eerie settings, music and the downright evil nature of the characters keeps you going all the way to the ending where it all seems worthwhile.

If you like off beat type horror flicks that are more about substance over gore, then its definately worth watching. Think early Tobe Hooper or perhaps Last House on the Left/Hills Have Eyes era Craven

 

[m4dd0g]

Leaving Los Vegas

I'd forgotten how good this movie is. Such a decedent jaunt down the black spiral of self destruction

"Giving you money makes me wanna cum"

 

[preacha]

I really have to second this as a recommended film, obviously you have to be into asian cinema, but Chan-wook Park's films are always worth it. If you watch thi and enjoy it, do your self a favour and check out the guys entire back catalogue, especially the vengence trilogy.

entire vengeance trilogy is first class
the long shot hammer fight scene in Oldboy is br00tal

 

[vanth]

Fucking pirates. That is all.

 

[MR Candyslut]

The Queen

Fuck this was an amazing movie. I watched it twice it was so good. I can't figure out what I liked best about the film; the characterisation or the cinematography. Both are amazing.

Characters

I can see what all the hype about Helen Mirren's portrayal of The Queen was about. She was brilliant. All of them were really good. Prince Charlie was a little annoying/unbelievable, but I have a feeling that they intended for him to be a sort of 'limp' character, so I am not sure if this means his actual portrayal was good or not. I was actually surprised that such a seemingly innocuous film changed my opinions so rapidly on the monarchy. Mirren certainly breathed some humanity into her character, without sacrificing what you would think are appropriate attributes for Old Bettie; haughtiness, willfulless and a certain eccentricity. Definitely a complex character that was handled with aplomb. It would have been fucking terrifying depicting The Queen, on so many different levels.

Cinematography

Apart from the 'achingly beautiful' landscapes of the Scottish Highlands and an insight into the actual private areas of Balmoral Castle, the cinematics of the film gave the whole thing a certain eeriness, helping to contextualise the 'other world' that The Royals live in. Seriously, I have not seen such unique landscapes since LOTR 1/2/3 (and no, not the artifical ones ). And they were not even just aesthetically beautiful; all of it had a certain etherealness that worked really well. As cliched as this sounds, some shots were literally breathtaking - desolate, majestic and many other things all at the same time.

I definitely recommend this little baby. It even took a little swipe at the whole Brown versus Tony Blair saga.

:D

 

[Samadhi]

I'm planning a gold class trip to see "Queen". I've loved Helen Mirren ever since I saw The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover. She's a risk taker.

 

[eggman]

^ Queen was worth it and that holds even if your not a big 'monarchy' type person.

this weekend....

A Night at the Museum
ho hum, at night everything comes to life and the lead character comes to grips with this reality after the second night. Ricky Gervais was a crack up, but basically pan.

Art School Confidential
A good character driven film. The plot was somewhat flimsy, but there was alwys still enough of it to get you through the scenes. If you like films where you can get lost in the individual identities of the characters rather than rely solely on plot then give it a shot.

 

[drEaMtiMe*@#]

i have to disagree about the queen. i actually can't believe that someone made a movie about this, or that a friend convinced me to go see it.

a film based on an supposed "educated guess" of how the royal family may have dealt with the diana saga...

i left the theatres thinking, 'most of what i just watched was quite probably a crock of shit. what a waste of time and money (mine and the producers alike)' – seriously, there's so many more important stories to be told, than trying to convince the world that the british royal family may (contrary to popular belief) have an inkling of heart.

 

[Samadhi]

– seriously, there's so many more important stories to be told, than trying to convince the world that the british royal family may (contrary to popular belief) have an inkling of heart.

I guess it's a case of each to their own, but honestly, some of the greatest movies haven't told a particularly "important" or true story, so i can't really agree with you on that point. I'm keen anyway to go and see it, as i tend to like movies that alot of people don't like

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

I thought The Queen was really good too. I was in the "Meh, not really interested" camp, but there was nothing else at the DVD shop so I caved. And was pleasantly surprised.

Not even close on my all-time favourite list but a really enjoyable movie nonetheless. Very deft, atmospheric and subtle.

 

[eggman]

a film based on an supposed "educated guess" of how the royal family may have dealt with the diana saga...

Yeah and whats your point... its a film derived from a screenplay about someones perception of how a group of real people behaved in a situation.

Just like many other films that came before it and many more films in the future, its a story designed to entertain.

The fact the lead actress won an Oscar and so too the film itself was nominated for one, should provide an indication of the quality of the performances in this film.

If your going to pass judgement though I would like to know how you felt about the performances or the impact of the story irrespective of your pre-concieved opinion of the subject matter?

 

[drEaMtiMe*@#]

the quality of the performances were good (the actor who played tony blair was particularly hilarious), but that has nothing to do with my point, which is that the story had little to no impact on me precisely because it comes from some aribitrary third party, who is obviously obsessed with the royal family enough to try and not only formulate what was going on behind closed doors after diana’s death, but also insinuate that despite what people may think, and what external events show, that the queen and her family are not a bunch of cold, egocentric, spoilt, old fashioned, monsters, but do in fact (ha!) have heart.

never in my life have i even remotely noticed anything about the royals that should change my mind about them being cold, spoilt, etc, etc, until this movie came out which attempts to do so based on one persons completely subjective perspective, who has no facts as to what was going on in elizabeth’s head, or charlies’, or anyone else’s. furthermore, movies are never just entertainment. even the completely mindless ones that you might call ‘entertainment’ are actually a form of escapism, and thus serve a deeper purpose as far as society is concerned than what originally meets the eye. also, it is my belief that films such as this one, that are based on a real life event and which are trying to recreate the scene as closely to the events as possible should be looked at more seriously and critically, precisely because they look; and if they are done really well, feel, like truthful accounts.

and that was also my other point about there being more important stories to be told if you’re going to go along the path of recreating real life events in your films - i.e. take a look at the film kandahar which shows you a little bit of what life is like in afganistan. imo, which is subjective - yes, there are much more important and interesting political stories to be recreated than the fucking life of the queen.

so i guess when it comes down to it, my dislike for the queen comes from my personal beliefs of what the queen is like as a person, differing from the ones that came across in the movie (which aren't factual anyway). also, i don’t like movies that attempt to look and feel as much as the real thing but they actually aren’t. i much prefer almost entirely surrealist works than ones like this.

/end overly long reply.

 

[preacha]

The fact the lead actress won an Oscar and so too the film itself was nominated for one, should provide an indication of the quality of the performances in this film.

you're kidding right?

 

[eggman]

Well im serious to an extent. The point I was really trying to make with that comment was that there is more to this film then just a womans day/new idea spin on reality.

I'd be one of the first to agree there is no positive correlation between Academy Award nomination or Oscar win, however in this case I believe the performance was great and the film itself, whilst no masterpeice, was good.

 

[Samadhi]

Okay, it's not new, but i recently watched, for the second time, "In the Mouth of Madness".

One word: Disturbing. Really disturbing... Not so much in content, but in the context of disturbing, it's reminiscent of "Event Horizon".

Directed by John Carpenter (who also directed "Christine", "The Thing" and "Big Trouble in Little China"), it tells the story of John Trent (played by Sam Neill), who is an insurance investigator. He is hired to investigate the disappearance of Sutter Cane, a horror writer, whose books have caused cases of psychosis and insanity in some of his readers. The search takes Trent to Hobbs End, only Hobbs end is a figment of Cane's imagination, which is only the beginning of the weirdness.

Cool quote by Sutter Cane: I think, therefore you are.

Crazy-arsed movie.

 

[preacha]

I'd be one of the first to agree there is no positive correlation between Academy Award nomination or Oscar win, however in this case I believe the performance was great and the film itself, whilst no masterpeice, was good.

cheers

 

[lostpunk5545]

I love Event Horizon. I may have to check that one out Samadhi...

"Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see"