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

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

The Reader did amazing things to my heart-strings. It played them like they were part of a beautiful harp. I cried many times throughout the film and felt my eyes welling up and my throat getting tight and warm on a few other occasions. It was so real and just wonderfully crafted. I wanted to cry at the beauty, in some parts.
The cinematography, costumes, make-up, set design, acting, script was all so perfect. Someone commented to me today that they felt that was a limitation on the film's real character as it came across as 'stale' to them; but I completely immersed myself in the restrained and bleak storyline and appreciated it from all angles.

Amazing amazing film. Don't watch it when you're feeling emotional, or with someone who has a short attention span. Enjoy it and savor every morsel this masterpiece has to offer.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

Everyone needs to see Slumdog Millionaire. It was absolutely brilliant and I loved every second.

We ended up growing a little tired of the romance playing out between the main characters toward the end. Beside that, I agree 100% - a fantastic and moving film with all of the elements to appeal to pretty much everyone from 2 to 80 years old.

 

[up all night]

^ Yeah, I really liked Slumdog, but I didn't love it. I found the romance plot really superficial. Also, despite having a lot of time dedicated to it, I thought the relationship between the brothers was fairly unengaging.

It was a fun movie, but it hasn't stuck with me and I wouldn't watch it again. I don't know what it was, but the only thing I can think of is that it was too obvious, if that makes any sense. I like movies that are a little bit more subtle and don't feel as if they're just tugging at your heart strings in the easiest ways possible.

I absolutely loved Milk though. One of the best movies I've seen in ages.

 

[up all night]

I realise this means that I missed the whole point of Slumdog, but eh.

 

[JoFace]

Juno = awesome

Saw it about a week ago and didnt stop laughing the whole movie.
I ed they way the characters actually talked like real people rather than all this American high school - use big words bullshit. But yeah, loved it, definately rate it.

qft!
I espescially loved the soundtrack as most of its done by my favourite artist/band kimya dawson/the mouldy peaches

 

[UnSquare]

80's Australian UnKnown (?) - Ne' Plus Ultra

I doubt you can rent it anywhere,
but the otha night the 'Area
show'd me the fuckin'
halaritiousness film I've seen
since,
well,
probably
'Burn After Reading'.

Hercules Returns.

A smile did not leave my lips the entire film.

That's good comedy.

Later tonight I think I'm gonna watch
'Into The Wild'.
Which I've also been recommended.

PEACE
UnS

Just watched the latest Romero film, Diary of the Dead, and it is genius. I love that he deliberately opted this time around to make another low budget film (after Land of the Dead, the first film he was actually given a decent budget for by the stooges in Hollywood) and it is amazing.

Oh and Zombies and Scotch. Blissful was to spend an afternoon!

It's a fucking crime that as far as I know this movie didn't get a cinema release.

Why doesn't my video store have it!!!​

 

[UnSquare]

I Hope They Make It A Fuckin' 3 Hour Epic Thang. You Can' Mess With This One.

^
So, LP you must be dyin'
(I'll leave that one)
fo' the release of "World War Z".

They can't fuck it up.
Although I am int'rest'd in how they will present it.
Brad Pitt's Canal B gots the production on -
Max Brook & Romero are involved.
May well be the best zombie film everest.

 

[up all night]

I doubt you can rent it anywhere,
but the otha night the 'Area
show'd me the fuckin'
halaritiousness film I've seen
since,
well,
probably
'Burn After Reading'.

Hercules Returns.

A smile did not leave my lips the entire film.

That's good comedy.

Later tonight I think I'm gonna watch
'Into The Wild'.
Which I've also been recommended.

PEACE
UnS

Why doesn't my video store have it!!!​

haha My friend messaged me last weekend saying, 'Let's get high and watch Hercules Returns. Seriously. I've done the same thing three weekends in a row and it's still not old.'

I watched Into The Wild last week. It's okay. The movie itself isn't that spectacular but I thought Emile Hirsch did a pretty good job. I like the idea behind Christopher McCandless' journey, but I still kind of felt it was inherently selfish.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

I enjoyed Into The Wild, too although it was a bit cliche in parts. I couldn't help but mock it on occasion.

 

[leecie]

I saw Rachel Getting Married last night. I got a headache from it because it's one of those 'wobbly camera follows the person around' type movies and the beginning is a little slow, but it's quirky and interesting. Maybe wait for the DVD.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

^I saw a review of that on The Movie Show and I really want to see it. I always agree with David more than Margaret, but they both seemed to appreciate this one.

 

[vanth]

I am pissed off that Coraline isn't coming out here until May and its out already in the U.S.

 

[up all night]

As part of the whole unemployment schtick I've watched more DVDs in the last month than I've watched in a year, so I thought I'd write a quick rundown of my favourites (even though most of them have been out for ages!)

Paris, Je t'aime - Definitely a new favourite of mine. It's 18 five minute segments, by different directors, based in and around Paris. I was a little hesitant because I'd seen Coffee & Cigarettes (which has a similar premise) and hated it, but I thought this was stunningly beautiful and rather than left wanting, the fact each story was so brief made it much more interesting. As each short concluded, I generally had to stop the film to give me time to process what had gone on. There are definitely some stories that were much weaker than others, but I enjoyed every single one. I still think about this movie all the time.

Control - Even people who have no interest in Joy Division/ Ian Curtis will probably enjoy Control. I thought it was a really delicate portrayal of a musician who I find fascinating. Obviously it also has an awesome soundtrack.

Atonement - I'm not actually a big fan of Ian McEwan, who was the author of this story, so didn't expect much from the movie. I'm also vice president (leecie is president) of the Keira Knightley Pisses Me Off club, however ever since Shameless I'm a huge James McEvoy fan (I even watched the very lame Becoming Jane just because he was in it) so I decided to give it a go. Beyond the beautiful cinematography, this is a really tragic and stunning story about how regret can shape your life. It starts off so innocently, but then the movie gains pace with such horrible inevitability that it was all I could do to sit there completely entranced. Really, really pleasantly surprised.

Milk - I mentioned it briefly earlier in this thread, but I just wanted to repeat how much I loved this movie. I thought Sean Penn was fantastic as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man voted into office in San Fran in the 70s. It was funny, witty, engaging and really, really moving. You will fall in love with Harvey Milk. James Franco and Emile Hirsch were great as Harvey's lover and assistant, but Josh Brolin was really something special as Dan White, Milk's political adversary. I know I'm gushing, but I loved it. I wish it had won the Oscar.

 

[leecie]

Well I am pleased Sean Penn won the Oscar for Milk (which is still sitting upstairs waiting for me to watch) because I won a shitload of money from it.

 

[vanth]

Coffee & Cigarettes was a piece of shit and really burnt me for art house movies.

 

[up all night]

^ Yeah, it was really horrible. I can't believe how many people actually liked it.

 

[eggman]

Im going to bring the tone down a bit just below the gutter and disclose that I watch Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Whilst this movie is extremely stupid, purile and pointless it still brought the lolz

/end of review

 

[lostpunk5545]

^ Yeah, it was really horrible. I can't believe how many people actually liked it.

I really liked it. A few of the pieces were boring as fuck such as the one with the White Stripes people but most of them really hit the mark. For some reason I love the vignette with the old guys chatting on the roof, it's touching.

 

[Benefit]

Pish posh. Clearly anyone that didn't like Coffee and Cigarettes isn't on our intellectual level, otherwise they would "get" it. I bet vanth thinks Jackson Pollock was just a drunk weirdo who hurled paint around like a monkey!

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

My review of Watchmen - copied from Film and TV.

I loved the montage in the beginning, and while the soundtrack was strange and unnerving in parts, Busty and I came to the conclusion that it was probably designed to do just that. I find if I'm watching a film and a predictable well-matched music sequence begins [i.e.: swelling strings for an emotional scene] I can tend to 'zone out' and lose touch of what's going on in the film. It's as if my mind thinks it already knows what's going on and joins the dots automatically without actually participating. The choices of music in Watchmen forced me to really look at what was happening for my brain to register a 'wtfbbq' reaction.

I loved the cinematography, scripting and acting.
Spoiler inside:

NSFW:

The relationship between Ms Jupiter and Nite Owl was amazing, and really gave the whole film so much more realism than most classic comic-book approaches. I loved how he couldn't get it up on the first attempt. It felt so human; so natural; so real. The resulting sex-scene was incredibly sexy, to me. I don't get turned on by porn for whatever reason, but this had me very hot under the collar.

I felt the violence was beautiful and grotesque, and clearly gratuitous. I still wouldn't have had it any other way. Some of those scenes of great violence were truly breath-taking. Some of the film even reminded me of Saw - a very positive thing, imho.
Spoiler inside:

NSFW:

I was particularly impressed by the savage scene depicting the murdered girl being eaten by vicious dogs and the angle-grinding of midget's 'heavy' while Rorschach was in prison.

My favourite character by far was Rorschach. I adored how they portrayed his ever-changing mask, and discovering his dark past made me love him even more.

Doctor Manhattan was portrayed in an excellent way, but I was troubled by his complexity and God-like status. Do the comics flesh this out any more than the film?

The plot was great if not a little too long, and I didn't really love the ending. That said, I gave it

, as I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through.