Movie Reviews Part 2 - The good, the bad and the ... rentals

[MooShiE]

Wolf Creek

OMG Ladies ladies ladies, please do not see this movie if you want to keep ur food down!! Seriously.. this movie was horrifying. The first horrific scene nearly made me throw up and I also noticed about 3 people leaving.

Its definitely scarey, but not so much because it catches you by surprise but more so the fact that its frightenly real. These things do happen in real life and to actually live through it whilst watching this movie is way too close to home.

I think the movie sucked and it was only held together by violence and bloody scenes. It left me shaking and nervous and feeling close to being sick...

 

[Doppelganger]

Did others read that review and think the movie sounds well worth the watch, or am I the only sadist on campus?

 

[breakyaself]

^^ nope ! i thought exactly the same !

 

[breakyaself]

amelie

I just watched this film now. It was the most beautiful precious thing I have ever watched. I am still crying. haha - im pathetic !

 

[preacha]

Wolf Creek

OMG Ladies ladies ladies, please do not see this movie if you want to keep ur food down!! Seriously.. this movie was horrifying. The first horrific scene nearly made me throw up and I also noticed about 3 people leaving.

Its definitely scarey, but not so much because it catches you by surprise but more so the fact that its frightenly real. These things do happen in real life and to actually live through it whilst watching this movie is way too close to home.

I think the movie sucked and it was only held together by violence and bloody scenes. It left me shaking and nervous and feeling close to being sick...

do you think the movie sucked because it forced you to accept undesirable parts of our society, or was the plot too paper-thin to support the 'horrifying' scenes so it just seemed like a montage with plot interludes?

i mean, if a movie makes me feel like shit by the end of watching it (requiem for a dream, anyone?), in no way is my automatic response "pft, fucking crap"

at least it made you feel something.

(and as if anyone couldn't tell, i saw this on thursday last week and fucking loved it. slow start and the violence got a bit cartoony towards the end, but it's about time a horror movie has come out that didn't depend on the "OH SHIT YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THE BODY TO FLY OUT OF THE WINDOW AND THE MUSIC GO EEEEEEEEEE WHEN IT DID!" cliche)

 

[MooShiE]

^^

I think you might be correct in saying that it forced you to accept undesirable parts of our society. Its a very hard thing to accept and believe. Out of sight out of mind.

Now ive had some sleep, Id say that they have done the movie really well. It gain a very emotional response from me last night.

It did upset my tummy lots. I was pissed off that i felt so sick afterward, IM TOO WEAK!!

 

[Raz]

^^^I dunno, I have to disagree....I think the movie sucked because the movie sucked. It took way too long to get into anything resembling a storyline, there was zero characterisation, and the ending was abrupt and kind of tacked on.

The violence and fucked-upness of what happened in the middle was disturbing and well-done, but it's really the only thing it has going for it as a film. I think you could quite easily take out most everything else from the film aside from that violence and not really lose anything, and that's wrong. A movie should be more than just its one defining characteristic.

 

[lostpunk5545]

I've seen a few good movies recently:

Hotel Rwanda: I've read a lot about genocide in the last few years and this movie did a really good job of putting a human face on the text I've read, especially of course in relation to the genocide in Rwanda. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes reading about it, let alone seeing it acted out. I'm not quite sure I agree with the directors decision not to show the extremes of the violence perpetrated against the tutsi people, but I can understand the reasoning that he wanted the movie to be accessible to a lot of people.

Hitchhiker's Guide: Was a decent enough movie but I was extremely let down by it in comparison to the book. And seriously a PG movie? Some of the random off guard swearing in the books were the funniest parts.

Once Were Warriors: Even the title of the film is deep, and provokes thought. Bits were difficult to watch, but that is part of the reason it was such a good movie.

A Life Aquatic: I'm a fairly big fan of Bill Murrays, and in fact enjoyed all of the cast in this film, the roles they played. I guess it's not really so surprising seeing as I loved the Royal Tenenbraums (And Rushmore - the second time I watched it). The stop motion animation was a nice touch and gave the film a quirky feel.

 

[up all night]

^ Random. I came on here to write about Hotel Rwanda too.

I couldn't sleep last night so decided to watch it. Bad idea. It's one thing to hear about the death of a million people but in reality, it's just a statistic and I find it almost impossible to comprehend just what that means. This movie made my heart break. I was crying fairly uncontrollably, so much so that my brother asked me if he could get me a glass of water or something. It wasn't a manufactured tear jerker though, it just showed the horrific reality of the situation. The violence wasn't so graphic that it was unwatchable [I don't deal well with blood/gore] and so I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Also watched Closer the other day and absolutely loved it. I was mesmerised by the whole movie and considering I normally have a very short attention span that says a lot. The characters didn't have many redeemable features and yet I still sympathised with them all completely. I wasn't sure who to like and who to hate until I realised... that wasn't the point. I wouldn't recommend seeing this with your significant other though - I have no doubt many couples looked at each other out of the corner of their eye after watching this.

 

[katmeow]

I hired out Hotel Rwanda on the weekend too.

I'll third what you guys have said. What a profoundly moving story. I feel such intense sadness and hopelessness at the way of the world some days

 

[lostpunk5545]

^ The hotel manager of course was a real person but not sure if you know that the Canadian General of the UN was modelled on a real person (for some reason they changed his name making him a fictional character in the movie).

Anyways his name is Roméo Dallaire and he was the leader of the UN forces in Rwanda. He constantly petitioned Clinton to allow him to use the UN to help in preventing the genocide and in the end was pretty much reduced to begging.

He blamed himself for the death of the Rwandans

"At the end of my command I drove around in my vehicle practically looking for ambushes, I was trying to get myself destroyed and looking to get released from the guilt'

as he felt he had let them down and became a suicidal alcoholic for a few years after he returned. Now he has pulled himself together and is a human rights champion trying to prevent things like this happening in the future.

Anyways he's a pretty amazing guy, you can read about his thoughts and experiences in Rwanda here.

There's a decent biography here and his personal webpage is here.

 

[preacha]

Oldboy, a Korean movie that got selected at Cannes a few years back.

One day this businessman is abducted out of the blue and placed in an inescapable room with only a TV, bed and shower for 15 years. One day he is released, and he receives a phone call

"I did this to you, find me"

The rest of the movie is him trying to find the man who he wronged so badly that he decided to confine him for such a long time.

Note: THE ENDING IS FUCKED! (sorry i couldnt be more eloquent)

 

[lostpunk5545]

Watched Bubba Ho-Tep tonight.

I recommend watching this, especially if you are a fan of Bruce Campbell (Ash from the Evil Dead series).

It was really funny and entertaining, the whole premise of the film is so ridiculous it had me in stitches.

Possible slight spoilers - But nothing that isn't on the back of the DVD cover:

The story is based around Elvis still being alive (he swapped places with an impersonator - who was the one who had a heart attack) and is now living in a nursing home. His best friend is a black man who believes he is JFK (the people out to get him stole part of his brain and replaced it with sand, and dyed him black). And if that doesn't sound strange enough there is a Mummy killing residents of the nursing home to boot.

Campbell plays Elvis so well he is barely recognisable as himself.

Anyways it's in the new release section at the video shop at the moment so next time you're there, if you see it on the shelf pick it up. If you are a fan of movies that don't strictly follow one of the ten or so standard hollywood movie plot lines you should enjoy it.

 

[Mary Poppins]

Also watched Closer the other day and absolutely loved it. I was mesmerised by the whole movie and considering I normally have a very short attention span that says a lot. The characters didn't have many redeemable features and yet I still sympathised with them all completely. I wasn't sure who to like and who to hate until I realised... that wasn't the point. I wouldn't recommend seeing this with your significant other though - I have no doubt many couples looked at each other out of the corner of their eye after watching this.

ahhh, a girl after my own heart

fucking loved this movie, IMO the beauty of it was not glossing over all those things we do/parts of ourselves that we hate, and would probably like to think WOULD be glossed over in movie accounts of our lives.

Though the dialogue, of course, was staged (as is everything written, and not naturally flowing) i thought it was one of the best cinematic representation of relationships and dynamics.

6 stars from mary poppins!

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

Sin City

Wow... what can I say. UnSquare, you were right - I did love this film. I'm only sorry I waited until dvd

Classy, stylish, harking back to the film noir 50's, Sin City was like a cross between a black and white comic book with a modern graphic arts twist (the injection of random colour), The Godfather and Kill Bill - with a hefty dose of humour and fun. I really, really loved it. This is one I'll be getting to keep on DVD. 9.5/10

The Island

Surprisingly good. I can't take my eyes off Scarlett Johanssen, no matter what she's in, so that was no surprise; but it was nice to see Ewan McGregor back in form, and this was a cleverly done twist on the "break out of the mould you're programmed in"-Sci-fi drama. Good movie. 8/10

Lords of Dogtown

This movie was the reason I just logged on to Bluelight and searched for this thread immediately. I'm not a HUGE skateboard fan but god-damn... this is an entertaining movie. I'm also not a fan of Heath Ledger, but I have to grudgingly admit that his portrayal of "Skip" in this is sublime. Reminded me a little of Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison, but that's not a bad thing.

This movie has everything, drama, action, romance... it's just a really, really good watch. See it! 9/10

 

[Skwirrelle]

Watched Hotel Rwanda last night. Have been wanting to see it for a while now but my SO wasn't up for hiring it until there was nothing else in last night.

Wow, amazingly confronting, especially given that I had heard the stories before from people involved and in the midst of it all.

Kind of gave me the heebie jeebies thinking about how I am moving to Africa next year and this kind of tribal warring is still going on (though to a lesser extent currently) just over the border from where I will be living.

Also made me think more about the way things work. Always thought the children of a Hutu and a Tutsi would be somewhat protected by either side. I'll be living with family who are Tutsis and it did put frightning ideas into my head.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

I continued my winning streak the other week by winning tickets to Red Dust at Kino Dendy the other week.

Duckboy and I both went with little to no preconceived ideas having seen only the tiniest amount of pre-show advertising and we were happily quite delighted with the results.

Red Dust is a real-life drama based loosely on the lives of some characters in South Africa in the early ninety's when the Truth and Reconciliation hearings were held.

The story-line was tight and gripping, the setting was incredible and absolutely breath-taking. The acting was superb, barr a few clanging scenes from Miss. Hilary Swank, but besies that there really wasn't anything to fault.

I walked out feeling my eyes had been opened and I had glimpsed an important part of history - reached behind the headlines, if you will.

Well worth seeing - - - look for it at the Dendy here in Melbourne, as nobody else is showing it. .

Red Dust =

/

.

 

[Shnouzerpuff]

Flight of the Phoenix

There was nothing else at the video store... but even still it was a bad choice. In hindsight I probably should have just hired a Futurama or something.

Dennis Quaid - the eternal poor mans Harrison Ford - is flying a bunch of people across a desert. Somehow it crashes without being able to send out a mayday and this bunch of misfits are forced to band together in the face of scorching days and freezing nights to somehow build a "new" plane out of the wreckage to fly out and save themselves.

Giovanna Ribisi (sp) is at his annoying character-acting best here once again where he infuses a character with just the right number of mannerisms and twitches to make him uncannily similar to almost every other character he has ever played in a movie.

Along the way they deal with sandstorms and problems with the gasoline. Dr House (only with an English accent) talks to some nomads.

Finally - and I don't want to spoil this movie for anyone hanging out for the ending...

SPOILER WARNING
*
*
*
*

they fly out to safety.


I think my pulse jumped twice throughout this entire movie...

The first time being where you think a main character has met with an utterly gruesome death which works so well in the movie and adds that element of unpredictability and "anyone can die"... but then the director pussies out and somehow makes him escape from the unescapable deathtrap so he can still bust out a couple more unfunny lines about peaches.

The second time was when my doorbell rang and I wasn't expecting anyone. It was just a family friend.


Flight of the Phoenix gets my highest rating, 2 stars out of a possible two. Watch it so you can find just one more reason to hate on Giovanni Ribisi.

 

[Mary Poppins]

^ i love giovanni ribisi!!!

anyway

i saw the constant gardener the other week and really loved it.

ralph fiennes, as always, is faultless...his restrained performances are always hypnotic and hit the mark.

rachel weisz also is fantastic.

the cinematography, particularly in the african scenes is stunning - bright, vivid colours...and I also really liked the sequencing of the film.

the only thing i didn't like was towards the end of the film it did begin to drag a bit, essentially because the plot was kind of cut and dried...you knew what was going to happen to all intents and purposes and it was just a matter of sitting it out.

i still really enjoyed it though...and found the subject matter (global pharmaceutical companies who perform new drug-testing on people in Africa) worthy food for thought.

4 out of 5

 

[lostpunk5545]

^ I've seen previews for that, looks decent to say the least.

LAND OF THE DEAD!!!

Really can't say enough about this movie. I fucking love Romero, and his latest is finally the movie he should have had the budget to do in the past.

So, so, gory. And of course the fuck you Bush message is nice too

Bought it the day before yesterday and I've watched it 3 times already. Kick arse!