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

[preacha]

I'm going to watch "Infernal Affairs" again tonight.
Easily one of the best suspense/thriller spy vs. spy movie's i've seen, ever. The whole movie is endless high stakes, really REALLY tense.

Unfortunately, because it's good, but asian, it's getting an american remake. At least it's not going to be as bad as the 'remake' of JSA, though...
Hollywood...
*shudders*

man, the remake is being made with scorsece directing, and matt damon/leo di caprio as the mains. this doesnt seem as cheap as normal remakes (the grudge mainly).

personally, its gonna be the shit

 

[m4dd0g]

electra: lucky you didnt pay for it then (assuming)

Thought about going to see it, but i just keep finding 'serious art' .. uncreative? not sure, but certainly both boring and uninspiring

 

[kittymeow]

I watched Super Troopers last night. I've seen it but watching it again reminded me that its actually a pretty good movie. Has so many funny bits and the plot is half decent.
8/10

Today I watched Wedding Crashers which was another funny one. Typical comedy though that turns into soppy stuff at the end.
Oh and I FINALLY saw Clockwork Orange....Liked that one too. Cant be stuffed doing elaborate reviews....but I can see how it can shock people. Would have to watch it again to really get ALL of it......

 

[anna!]

Being stinking hot, part of this weekend was spent in the cinema. So..

The Family Stone

Romantic comedy about a bird (Sarah Jessica Parker) who goes to meet the fiance's family. She's uppity and they don't like her, she struggles to impress them, her sister arrives, fiance falls in love with the sister, etc.

It was really predictable in many ways. But the characters were wonderful, especially Diane Keaton's and Josh Wilson's, and there is a secondary storyline that is just horrendously moving. Rachel McAdams is lovely, Claire Danes is lovely; they are just lovely, lovely characters.

I laughed a lot, and cried a few times as well (and then for 10 minutes at the end ). I mean, when it comes down to it, it is still a romantic comedy, but a very good one.

Rumour has it ...

I'm pretty anti-Jennifer Aniston, so this probably wasn't a great choice of movie for me It's a story about The Graduate. Basically.

Shirley Maclaine is wonderful, but uh, this is a really tedious movie. I spent most of it thinking "Okay yes, we know that part, what happens now? Seriously, stop fucking glancing sideways at each other!" Nice scenery, lots of long gazing into each others eyes, crying, cliched sentimentalities, etc. It is completely predictable. Completely. You could sleep through half of it and still know what was happening. Very DOOL!

---

It might be interesting to note that when I saw both of these movies advertised, I thought "why do companies bring out the same movies as their competitors at the same time?", but they were completely different.

 

[katmeow]

This afternoon I saw Little Fish on DVD.

So did I... and I can't say much more than what you did. I thought it was great... a little slow in parts, but the characterisation was excellent. Should be more Australian films like this one!

 

[Shnouzerpuff]

Oldboy

In the same afternoon I was posting about subtitled movies (above) I decided to check this out...

Lent to me by a movie buff friend of mine it is a Korean film based upon a businessman who is suddenly abducted off the streets and held captive for 15 years.

He has no idea why and by whom...so his anger builds throughout the imprisonment as he trains to fight, learns about the world through television and attempts to escape inbetween the gassings in his room that send him to sleep and the hypnosis treatment.

After the fifteen years he wakes up on top of a building with the invitation to find out who did this to him and why - but he has five days to figure it out or else his love interest dies.

But if he is successful and figures out the mystery, the person guilty for putting him through it all will commit suicide.


It is really good on the whole with some fantastic acting and directing. The story keeps you thoroughly entertained, and even though I guessed the "twist" early on it didn't affect the enjoyment of the movie at all.
It also demonstrates the aspect of "honour" and just important Asian cultures clearly value it.

8/10

 

[katmeow]

And I also meant to say:

Napoleon Dynamite

I can't believe I put off watching this for so long.

Seriously, one of the most randomly funny movies I've seen in a long time.

Vote for Pedro!

 

[MoeBro]

^^Heard much about that movie from a movie buff friend, but kept forgetting the bloody name.
At least now its written down somewhere that I can easily access.
Will get around to it soon.
ta to you, shnou

edit: meant for shnouzerpuff
I refuse to ever subject myself to watching Napoleon Dynamite.

 

[katmeow]

edit: meant for shnouzerpuff
I refuse to ever subject myself to watching Napoleon Dynamite.

That's what I said too, but I was surprised... the characters were just so dorky, it was hilarious.

 

[preacha]

Oldboy

In the same afternoon I was posting about subtitled movies (above) I decided to check this out...

Lent to me by a movie buff friend of mine it is a Korean film based upon a businessman who is suddenly abducted off the streets and held captive for 15 years.

He has no idea why and by whom...so his anger builds throughout the imprisonment as he trains to fight, learns about the world through television and attempts to escape inbetween the gassings in his room that send him to sleep and the hypnosis treatment.

After the fifteen years he wakes up on top of a building with the invitation to find out who did this to him and why - but he has five days to figure it out or else his love interest dies.

But if he is successful and figures out the mystery, the person guilty for putting him through it all will commit suicide.


It is really good on the whole with some fantastic acting and directing. The story keeps you thoroughly entertained, and even though I guessed the "twist" early on it didn't affect the enjoyment of the movie at all.
It also demonstrates the aspect of "honour" and just important Asian cultures clearly value it.

8/10

besides, the one man hammer fight scene is the best fighting scene ive seen in years

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

I forgot to mention I saw Memoirs of a Geisha on Saturday too. Agree with COTB.... it's a gorgeous, gorgeous looking film....it's so pretty it almost hypnotises you; sort of like staring into a pond of floating cherry blossoms. Every shot is framed beautifully. It's a work of art.

At the same time, this kind of intricate subtlety can get a little tiring at times, and you really feel the length of the film. I was stretching and squirming a bit. I thought it could have done with some humour to provide contrast, and more action; I seem to remember there being a lot more drama in the book (the severity of the cruelty Chiyo experienced in the house for example).

Still - a lovely film and quite poignant at the end. I cried more in Little Fish though

 

[leecie]

^^I loved it too. Saw it tonight with my mum at Gold Class and enjoyed every second of it. I got a little worried at the beginning when they raced through (what I think) sets the story up (about 5 chapters worth?) but it came together beautifully and I loved every second of it. Highly highly recommend.

 

[up all night]

I The Princess Bride.

Westley: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

 

[Samadhi]

I forgot to mention I saw Memoirs of a Geisha on Saturday too. Agree with COTB.... it's a gorgeous, gorgeous looking film....it's so pretty it almost hypnotises you; sort of like staring into a pond of floating cherry blossoms. Every shot is framed beautifully. It's a work of art.

At the same time, this kind of intricate subtlety can get a little tiring at times, and you really feel the length of the film. I was stretching and squirming a bit. I thought it could have done with some humour to provide contrast, and more action; I seem to remember there being a lot more drama in the book (the severity of the cruelty Chiyo experienced in the house for example).

Still - a lovely film and quite poignant at the end. I cried more in Little Fish though

How does it compare with the book, SLM? I know most books are better, but i thought "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" the movie stood up quite well next to the book, and "The Power of One" the movie was an utter farce compared to the book...

UAN: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaassss Yoooooooouuu Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisshhhhhhh!" I love love love Princess Bride :D

 

[dialated665]

Underworld Revolution

Um yea it was full of Action And Gore... Now i see why they were so strict on the Whole "Can I see Your ID Please"

I liked the first one and well the second one, just seems to be a Boxoffice make me more money movie ?

well it kept me awake after a Huge tweakin night ! and the Lead Lady is Just Fine ( See Avatar :D)


I aslo saw Cat in The Hat

dont ask me Why but my G/F hired it out. and it brought back childhood memories of reading the book !

It really pissed me off when the Charters "Thing 1 & Thing 2" came out.. i remember reading that part of yhe book and feeling hate for them trashing the house More..

I know WTF ! But yea great for 5 ~ 8 yrolds

 

[up all night]

Munich

I don't know what to say about this movie except that thinking about the movie is, for me, much more enjoyable than watching the movie. That's not to say it wasn't good. I didn't know enough about the political side of things to fully grasp what was going on all the time which was frustrating [although you can easily pick it up while watching it - I just wished I knew more background info]. It was long. Too long in my opinion. It was also quite graphic. Some of you may think it's nothing but I spent a lot of the movie with my eyes closed.

For anyone that doesn't know, the movie is based around the secret Israeli squad hired to assassinate Palestinians after 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics. That being said, I think it's more about one man's [Eric Bana] struggle with his role in the revenge attacks but it definitely has a wider message.

After watching the movie, discussing it with people who actually know something and reading up on it myself I can say that I'm really glad I watched this movie. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone though.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

How does it compare with the book, SLM? I know most books are better, but i thought "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" the movie stood up quite well next to the book, and "The Power of One" the movie was an utter farce compared to the book...

The book was, as is usually the case, much better... simply because it's more detailed. But I think the movie did justice to the "soul" of the book, it got the feel of it right, and you did not emerge from the cinema feeling ripped off or like your experience of the book had been cheapened. Which was more than I can say for many book-film productions (including the one you mentioned).

 

[psytaco]

I hired a few good movies recently, well more specifically 3 good movies and one crap movie.

Cindarella Man: starring Russel Crowe and Renea Zellwigger (sp?). A really great movie. Follows the story pf a boxer during the great depression who goes from poverty to national fame and fortune. The desperation of the time is really well captured, as is the struggling of the two main characters to do the best for their children. Great boxing scenes and great acting by both Russel and Renea. 4 1/2 stars.
Little Fish: starring Cate Blancette, Hugo Weaving and Nooney from Play school! I'm often a bit dubious about Aussie films but this film was great. It follows the stories of a family and their friends through drug addiction, dealing and tragedy. It is brilliant although sometimes I thought it was slow at times, when the end came I actually cried. The ending is very touching. Great cinematography, great storyline. Hugo Weaving does yet another stand out performances that is further cementing him as one of Australia's best actors. 4 stars.
The Island: Ewan Mcgregor and Scarlet Johanson. A mixture of a think piece and action movie. Action scenes were great, lots of great special effects. The story line by its subject matter alone engages you to think about ethics behind cloning and other sorts of controversial biotechnology. Scarlet looks amazing in this film too. This film also seems to have more product advertising snuck into it than I have seen in a movie before. Acting wasn't anything special but as far as action movies go this was a good one, with a good storyline and thought provoking content. 3 1/2 stars.
Three: Starring Billy Zane and some other no names. Very shit movie. About a charter ship that burns whilst out at sea and 3 members of the ship survive: Billy Zane, his very tastey wife and the stereotypical hot south American Cabin Boy. Zane gets jealous about his wife and gets shitty with the cabin boy, theres the story line and that brief retelling is more interesting than the film. Billy Zane is typically shit, terrible acting. The plot is aweful and I couldn't wait to get to end of this tripe. Do not watch. 1/2 star.

 

[katmeow]

I forgot to mention I saw Memoirs of a Geisha on Saturday too. Agree with COTB.... it's a gorgeous, gorgeous looking film....it's so pretty it almost hypnotises you; sort of like staring into a pond of floating cherry blossoms. Every shot is framed beautifully. It's a work of art.

I agree, visually it was spectacular.

I loved the book, so was very interested to see what they would do with the movie. I have to say, even though I knew it was filmed in English, it seemed rather strange at the start when they began speaking. Once I got passed that and settled in, I really enjoyed it. I actually didn't feel the length that much SLM, which is surprising for me because I normally start noticing the back ache fairly early in movies. While it's not the best movie I've seen, I certainly wasn't disappointed.

7.5/10


However... Brokeback Mountain... saw this on Sunday night and I felt a little let down. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were ok, but not outstanding. I'm just not quite sure that I really felt the level of emotion and passion that they were attempting to portray. For those who haven't heard about it, the movie is the story of two ranch hands whose love story spans several decades and the marriages of both men.

I think much of the hype comes from the fact that two of the most in demand young hetero actors in hollywood have done the 'taboo' and played gay males. Much fuss is made of the homosexual scenes in the film, but watch any episode of Queer as Folk, and you'll see a whole lot more man lovin than in this film.

Considering the film has been nominated for a number of awards, I was expecting a lot more. The story was quite slow in parts, and though I wont give any spoilers, I wasn't particularly moved by the ending either.

6/10

 

[Mary Poppins]

I The Princess Bride.

Westley: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

Inconceivable!

My favourite movie, in fact, I think I might go and watch it now.