• 🇳🇿 🇲🇲 🇯🇵 🇨🇳 🇦🇺 🇦🇶 🇮🇳
    Australian & Asian
    Drug Discussion

    Welcome Guest!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
  • AADD Moderators: andyturbo

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

Status
Not open for further replies.
i completely agree with katmeows' brokeback mountain review, especially the part about never really being able to feel that deep love that the two main characters shared for eachother. one of the films biggest draw backs, i thought.
 
Just a question for dreamtime and kat, and this in no way is meant to be an indictment on either of you, as I can't think of any two more open-minded people to be positing this question to, but do you think it was the homosexual nature of the love depicted that prevented you from fully empathising?

I only ask as the movie has really resonated with every single male homosexual friend of mine who has seen the film. I mean obviously, someone who can identify so closely with the story is going to be more connected to it, but I'm just interested, as the feedback I got from them that it was a story above and beyond about love - regardless of between whom, so I have been interested to see people not connecting with the film.

That being said, I should really just get off my ass and see the movie, but I'll be sure to post once I do.

:)
 
Wolf Creek - Fucking suspenseful!! Great, ended a bit strange tho. 8/10

I
24.gif
Huckabees - Meh. Don't see what all the hype is over. 6.5/10
 
My thoughts on Brokeback Mountain (transposed from LJ):

Nothing better than buying into hype, right? It was a strange sort of an experience. At first, I was disenchanted with the movie. The scenery was beautiful, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the sheep looked like maggots (and I have a certain sort of reluctance towards maggots). I felt a bit overladen with long gazes (not unlike Rumour Has It ..., though far less offensive being that Jennifer Aniston wasn't in it) and it seemed to take awhile for the audience to get past the "when are there going to be BOYS KISSING?". The first scene of that persuasion certainly put the more eldery in their places (that is, catapulted ferociously from the 50s to the present).

So, we watched it. It was a trying movie, kind of tedious and it felt very long.

When it was over, we went home and slept.

In the morning, I felt as though the movie had settled over me like a fog, as though it had to catch up with me and just hang around until I felt something. And I felt plenty of somethings. It became crushing and hurtful; the characters became intensely believable and I found myself actually sort of mourning for them. Now, this is possibly a side effect of my crazy drug binge. But the aftermath of the movie was far more enjoyable and touching than the actual viewing of the movie. Which has been kind of torturous really, because they're not real.

And I have a burning desire to take Jake Gyllenhaal to a mountain with a tent and fuck his brains out. But I'd also be satisfied with that incredible longing look he does so well as Jack Twist.

It will certainly be joining my DVD collection at first opportunity.
 
<3

anna! said:
So, we watched it. It was a trying movie, kind of tedious and it felt very long.
Click to expand...
^Oh gosh, I agree with this whole-heartedly. :|. I thought I was the only one... shame on me.

I watched the first half on the weekend and was really disappointed.
It was slow moving with little to no storyline, and while the acting is superb and really faultless it brought nothing to the fore for me. I didn't connect at all.

I also grew tired of not being able to understand half of what they were saying [damn cowboys who speak without their lips moving... gah'] but maybe that was my own limitation?

I would only give it two stars. :\.
 
Brokeback Mountain

I was interested to see how Ang Lee would take the successful short story and convert to a movie - from reviews it seemed raw, gritty and a bit depressing so I wasn't too sure if it would appeal to me.

I didn't feel like there was enough emotional development/connection between the boys in the first 20 minutes so when they had their first physical encounter I was surprised. We'd all heard the hype so I think everyone in the audience was waiting for this first sex scene to see exactly how far they'd go, being two leading Hollywood men and all. I wasn't emphasising at this time, I remember consciously thinking, "Where is this movie going, I'm not involved at all."

However this all changed with the introduction of the women in their lives. Having not seen each other for four years, in this time both men had tried to regain a so-called 'normal' life, marrying and having children. Their first meeting after that time was so intense, it was palpable how much they were trying to shield their feelings but they just couldn't. I began to understanding that what they had was not just an animal lust (as had been with the first encounter) but had developed into an actual love affair. They were two men that found solace in each other in such isolated scenery, and although they both tried to live accepted lives, they really couldn't run away from it - they hurt people around them, but they couldn't help that either. For me, it was a real feeling of you just wanted them to be together, but central America in the 60s and 70s was probably one of the most difficult places to do so.

The cinematography reinforced how much isolation they felt - big long shots that made you feel sick but showed the immensity of Wyoming, the little impact the cowboys made on anything. A life as a rancher or a rodeo guy was a tough and depressing one. There were only fragments of real happiness in the film.

I was wondering what all the hype was about with Heath Ledger, the only film I remembered him from was 'Ten Things I Hate About You' and his atrocious American accent. However, he has really improved tenfold from there, his character Ennis Del Mar was subtly downplayed to perfection. Jake Gyllenhaal is just so hot, I found it difficult to sympathise with him as much, especially when they were trying to age him over time. He is just too gorgeous (!), it really didn't gell. Michelle Williams has certainly gone a better route from Dawsons Creek then her co-star Katie Holmes - I'm not surprised she got the Oscar nomination because her role in this film is a pivotal one and almost as heartwrenching as the male leads.

A film that surprisingly sucked me in damn good.

8.5/10
 
iamtha1 said:
I was wondering what all the hype was about with Heath Ledger, the only film I remembered him from was 'Ten Things I Hate About You' and his atrocious American accent.
8.5/10
Click to expand...

Does this mean you haven't seen Two Hands?

If so I oblige you to rectify this problem immediately. It's well worth it just to watch my namesake Bryan Brown playing a VB drinking criminal mastermind. Top stuff :)
 
Bubble Boy is the worst fucking movie ever made
And i've SEEN Curly Sue in it's entirety, so it isn't an unfounded claim
 
Goodfellas

Fantastic. A little gory at times but what can you expect from a movie about gangsters. I am now in love with Ray Liotta too. The movie is 16 years old and aging nicely I must say. At first I was like, 'I want to be a gangster too!!' and the rest of the movie is basically a lesson in why being a gangster would be kinda shitty. ;)

For a quick plot synopsis it basically follows the life of a Henry Hill [who is actually a real person and who the movie is supposedly based on] as he works his way up through the mob.

I guess most people would have seen it but people who haven't should definitely give it a go.
 
^^ Casino is in the same vein and I rate it just as awesome.

Plus who can go past Robert De Niro!
 
^^^ Indeed, I saw Cape Fear recently (for the first time, I know, sad sad) and loved him in that. I suggest you go hire it if you haven't seen it yet. Very intense movie. Top work Scorsese.

He's one of my alltime fav's.
 
i like goodfellas but taxi driver is my all time favourite scorsese movie. i saw it for the first time in one of my cinema classes on a big projection screen and it was just awesome. :)

i saw casanova the other night with my friend who wanted to go to the movies and see something light hearted and that wouldn't require much effort to watch. anyway, so i agreed to go, mainly because i was bored and felt like getting out of the house, but i did tell her that i was fairly sceptical about the director's decision to cast heath ledger as casanova. heath, although, yes, does admittedly possess some charm and is a good actor, overall just didn't seem like he would have been the right choice to me. i would have much preferred to have seen someone like johnny depp play it as he's just got that special something in his eyes that can't be acted out....plus i think he's hotter :D;)

the movie was set and filmed in venice which was nice because i've been there so it was cool to be able to re-visit places and be able to go 'yes, i know where that is, but how the hell did they manage to get rid of all the freakn' pigeons' ;) overall the movie was alright but nothing special. i'd probably give it 3/5 stars, in that it's enjoyable enough to watch so you won't be screaming for your money back but at the same time you don't want to be expecting too much from it either (as i'd imagine most people wouldn't be).


and finally to answer your question, mp, about brokeback mountain - i think that it's very true as you say that the more you can identify with the characters in a movie that the more you will feel emotionally drawn to it and hence appreciate it; and since i'm not a guy, and therefore can't literally identify with a guy loves guy sort of love, that will naturally prevent me from being able to associate with that particular aspect. however something that i am able to identify with is the universal love story element, which imo is the most important part as that is what it's essentially about. and although i thought that both heath and jake did good jobs individually at acting out their characters roles in this movie, in the end i just felt like there wasn't enough on-screen 'chemistry' or 'spark' or something between them which was preventing me from ever really being able to feel that apparent overwhelming love that they both felt for eachother. i don't know, i mean maybe that's a load of bollocks, but i hope that it's not as i'm really trying to be as objective as i can be :\

all in all i thought that the movie was very good but not great, so i give it 4/5 stars.

and if you end up seeing it post up your thoughts mp, cos i'm very intrigued to see what more people here thought of it :)
 
Last edited:
omg, i fucking loved brokeback mountain.

at first thought i was a bit taken a back by it but i really really felt liked these two characters were forced to extinguish their love and hold back from what they really felt. The scenery was absolutely stunning, and the similarities to the book were amazing.
in the book i really didnt feel elmas character at all, yet the movie michelle williams really made my heart ache, having to go through that watching the man she loved be with someone else.
i cried my eyes out at the end. my god poor poor heath ledger, all alone and will be forever. how sad.
 
anna! said:
My thoughts on Brokeback Mountain (transposed from LJ):

Nothing better than buying into hype, right? It was a strange sort of an experience. At first, I was disenchanted with the movie. The scenery was beautiful, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the sheep looked like maggots (and I have a certain sort of reluctance towards maggots). I felt a bit overladen with long gazes (not unlike Rumour Has It ..., though far less offensive being that Jennifer Aniston wasn't in it) and it seemed to take awhile for the audience to get past the "when are there going to be BOYS KISSING?". The first scene of that persuasion certainly put the more eldery in their places (that is, catapulted ferociously from the 50s to the present).

So, we watched it. It was a trying movie, kind of tedious and it felt very long.

When it was over, we went home and slept.

In the morning, I felt as though the movie had settled over me like a fog, as though it had to catch up with me and just hang around until I felt something. And I felt plenty of somethings. It became crushing and hurtful; the characters became intensely believable and I found myself actually sort of mourning for them. Now, this is possibly a side effect of my crazy drug binge. But the aftermath of the movie was far more enjoyable and touching than the actual viewing of the movie. Which has been kind of torturous really, because they're not real.

And I have a burning desire to take Jake Gyllenhaal to a mountain with a tent and fuck his brains out. But I'd also be satisfied with that incredible longing look he does so well as Jack Twist.

It will certainly be joining my DVD collection at first opportunity.
Click to expand...

I just saw it (like an hour ago), and I completely agree with you anna. I'm still in that tired, weird, disenchanted state (you described it perfectly!). And yet, I can't stop thinking about it. The more I think about it, the more poignant it is becoming. A very strange experience. In the cinema I was thinking "this is pretty crap, is that all there is?"... I teared up twice, but only momentarily.... I wanted the full-on hankie soaking experience I was expecting (and I'm a hanky soaking expert with these kind of films). But it never quite got there, like a failed orgasm. And yet, it's staying with me.

Kryal, I agree with you about the scenery... gorgeous, gorgeous. Made me want to escape to the mountains and eat baked beans cooked over an open fire. :)
 
Donny Don't said:
Napoleon Dynamite

Has a movie more perfect for a scattered Sunday afternoon ever been made? I don't think so!
Click to expand...

Ahem.... I think you've forgotten a certain film called The Big Lebowski.

Best film involving a stoner ever.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top