What movies have you seen lately? Now with reviews!Movies

[Ibonibo]

I also liked the manga blood style integration. very good movie. And han from Tokio drifts die in the first minutes. Seeing the trailer i thought he was a main caracter HAHa. Learn every day.

Big movie night this weekend:

Beowulf : 7.5/10

All in all a good movie. A nordic Kratos if you like. Very nice visuals, gore, and epic fights. Story was not bad. a bit unusual to see a full cgi film. It came one Tv so i need to watch it on Bluray where the experience will surly increase. good flick. Was unsure if it would be o much geeky, rpg, fanatasy related but no, it's quite understandable.

Bladerunner Final Cut:
Never saw the movie before. Played the game like 10-15 years ago. Watched it on Bluray: visuals are top-notch remastered (9/10). Sound remastered was okay: special effects were good. Some sequences were not remastered and you check that directly (6.5/10). Story was alright, for a movie of 1982 the story is very good. caracter play 7/10. Harrison Ford was not the best choice for this role, his facial expression at moments was disappointing. Other actors were a lot better. Pris is played top.

Whiteout: (6.5/10)
Well, my Gf chose this one because she likes Kate. My expectation for it weren't very high, but i was surprised that it wasn't actually that bad. Story is alright not amazing. Acting is good , visual are alright.
All in all, alright, Above mediocre, scratching at the good level

 

[Diego440]

My Boy Jack (Brian Kirk, 2007) -- A made-for-tv movie about Rudyard Kipling and his son's enlistment and later dissapearance iin WWI. It examines how grief affected Rudyard Kipling and his family following the death of his son, John (known as Jack), at the Battle of Loos in 1915. Acting is rather well by David Haig and Daniel Radcliffe (the boy can act, who knew?). It also explores abit the facts about Britain entering WWI and how unprepared they were for such a war... the Brits apparently had 160.000 troops in the armed forces, while the Germans has over a million. Guns were also about 50 years behind. Other than that it's a strong tear jerker and overall intense drama, that unfortunately falls short of being a great movie because of its TV status and the overcliche'd music. Still, not a bad effort. 6.5/10

 

[Touring Mars]

Antichrist (Lars Von Trier, 2009)

Hmmm, don't know how to describe this film really - part arthouse, part horror, part accidental blackest-of-the-black comedies, I wasn't sure just how seriously to take this film. After the opening sequence that sets the scene, the film adopts what can only be described as a 'leisurely' pace, and only comes out of it at the end of the movie, where it turns from the slightly bizarre into out and out nastiness. While some scenes are clearly designed to shock and disturb the viewer, I found that laughter was also an appropriate response from time to time.

As for the Blu-ray, I couldn't figure out why it was playing in 576p - it made quite a difference, and I couldn't help feeling that it might as well have been a DVD.

Anyway, plus points for the performances by the main actors, and the originality of the film overall - minus points for being a bit slow, a bit boring, and a bit too bonkers. 5/10

 

[Diego440]

Bakjwi (a.k.a. Thirst) (Chan-wook Park, 2009) -- If you've seen Chan-wook's previous work (Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg but That's OK), you'd know what to expect from a movie such as this: a very brutal, poetic, tragic, and artistic, with splashes of very grim humor, movie, and this one is all that, plus very original, despite being about vampirism. The downside is that as it happens with most Asian films, there's too many subtleties which would make you either watch it again or just ignore them. There's also too many 'silent' scenes, where the characters just move from side to side without speaking... I kept expecting some silent message to come out, but they just look at each other. The acting is amazing, especially by Ok-bin Kim, who has a very sensual and dangerous girlie character, putting her on the same level of sexiness as Ziyi Zhang. Bottom line: If you like beautifully told vampire stories or are a fan of Chan-wook Park, seeing Thirst should be obvious. Easily one of the best films of 2009. 8.5/10

 

[Apok]

Rat race(2001)
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
Well I got to watch this yesterday and it is a lot alike to It's a mad mad mad mad world, but to me it just didn't seem as inventive and funny as the latter.
It is a decent movie and if you have some time on your hands, then give it a watch.
The story is pretty much the same as it's a mad mad mad mad world, except now the money is given by Donald P. Sinclair.
I have no other comment really. The movie was good, but I prefer It's a mad mad mad mad world (that gets annoying to write).
I do however prefer the ending in this version vs. It's a mad world (I refuse to write the whole title )


I saw another movie today.

Yellow Submarine (1968)
Directed by: George Dunning

This is really strange.
The plot is, that Captain Fred needs to take a yellow submarine to get help to protect pepperland from the blue meanies. So he gets none other than the Beatles.

At first I thought, that the old and kind of choppy animation would bother me, but no.. I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was interesting and quite funny. It isn't for everybody. Definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of the Beatles or if you like imagination, then this is for you.
Considering that it's a mad mad mad mad world got 9.5 then this must get 10/10, because I enjoyed it a lot more.
Yikes I need to get more strict.

 

[Public'sTwin]

I didn't say Blood Simple was their best film; it's a pretty raw movie and it's totaly deprived of the humour of most of their following films but when it came out in the mid 80's I just had never seen anything like it... and I don't think I have a favorite Cohen brothers film; I like them all and there are 5 or 6 I like A LOT!

I have not seen Blood Simple. In fact, I would need a list of Coen Bros. films just to know which ones I haven't seen, and should.

Addendum: A list of Coen brothers' films from 1984's to 2009:
Green indicates what I've seen.

1984 - Blood Simple
1987 - Raising Arizona
1990 - Miller's Crossing
1991 - Barton Fink
1994 - The Hudsucker Proxy
1996 - Fargo
1998 - The Big Lebowski
2000 - O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2001 - The Man Who Wasn't There
2003 - Intolerable Cruelty
2004 - The Ladykillers
2007 - No Country For Old Men
2008 - Burn After Reading
2009 - A Serious Man

Ones which I'm sure I have to see would include just about everything else except The Ladykillers, which didn't seem to appeal.

 

[RUI]

I've seen them all except:

The Ladykillers;
Burn After Reading;
A Serious Man.
(Yeah, I've been missing their latest movies!)

My top 5 Cohen movies would have to include:

Blood Simple;
Barton Fink;
Fargo;
The Big Lebowski;
and O Brother...

 

[Diego440]

Hmm, I've seen all except

Intolerable Cruelty
A Serious Man

My Coen Top 5 is:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. Fargo
3. Raising Arizona
4. Burn After Reading
5. Barton Fink

 

[JacoJa]

Kick-Ass

I saw it last night, and I'll give it about an 8/10, because it completely kicked-ass. Yeah, I'm no good at reviews, but I'd guarantee it to anyone who has not yet seen it. It's the funniest film I've seen for a long time. Expect a bit of humorous gore. 👍

 

[Touring Mars]

1984 - Blood Simple* - 6/10
1987 - Raising Arizona
1990 - Miller's Crossing
1991 - Barton Fink* - 9/10
1994 - The Hudsucker Proxy* - 6/10
1996 - Fargo* - 9/10
1998 - The Big Lebowski** - 10/10
2000 - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - 5/10
2001 - The Man Who Wasn't There - 6/10
2003 - Intolerable Cruelty - 4/10
2004 - The Ladykillers
2007 - No Country For Old Men - 9/10
2008 - Burn After Reading - 7/10
2009 - A Serious Man

My first Coen Bros. movie was Barton Fink and I loved it - it's a bit on the slow side, but I still regard it as one of my favourites - only Fargo and The Big Lebowski compare in terms of repeat watch value and enjoyment. No Country For Old Men is less memorable, but possibly because I've only seen it once, as is the case for all the rest of the Coen Bros. films I've seen, even the ones I have on DVD. I've tried watching Raising Arizona a couple of times, but never got much further than the first half hour for one reason or another. * indicates I own the DVD, ** indicates I have two copies of the DVD!

 

[Ibonibo]

I've seen them all except:

The Ladykillers;

The ladykillers is an absolutly fantastic film. Just can recommend it. you will laugh off with this flick

 

[Blitz187]

The ladykillers is an absolutly fantastic film. Just can recommend it. you will laugh off with this flick

Agreed, The Ladykillers is a very entertaining movie... Has some good laughs in it.

 

[Delphic Reason]

My first Coen Bros. movie was Barton Fink and I loved it - it's a bit on the slow side, but I still regard it as one of my favourites - only Fargo and The Big Lebowski compare in terms of repeat watch value and enjoyment. No Country For Old Men is less memorable, but possibly because I've only seen it once, as is the case for all the rest of the Coen Bros. films I've seen, even the ones I have on DVD. I've tried watching Raising Arizona a couple of times, but never got much further than the first half hour for one reason or another. * indicates I own the DVD, ** indicates I have two copies of the DVD!

Raising Arizona has always been an odd one in the lineup. It doesn't help that there's only a few films where I can stand Nicolas Cage, and Raising Arizona isn't one of them ("Adaptation" is, though).

As for the Big Lebowski (or "The Grand Lebowski", for those who have seen it). Easily one of my favorite films of all time. I even own it on HD-DVD

Fargo is high on the list as well.

No Country For Old Men was fantastic, but a bit slow paced.

 

[DK]

I watched this on RTE over the Easter holidays. Honestly it is a great film, with a plot that possibly twists more than Keiichi Tsuchiya's dream road. Up until the aforementioned plot twist, it's kinda like a female version of Rocky. Hilary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, a waitress who aspires to be a boxer. She trains at a boxing club run by Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), who refuses to train her at first for two reasons: first, she's a woman, and second, she's 32, which is too old in his opinion. He is persuaded to train her by Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who also acts as the narrator throughout the film. She rises quickly but tragedy strikes in a big fight. I will elaborate further as this would ruin the plot for the rest of you.
Ratings:
Acting: There's a reason this won 4 Oscars. 10/10
Plot: Same as above. 10/10
20/20=100%=A1

I saw Clash of the Titans last week in the cinema in 3D. Sam Worthington plays Perseus, the legendary demi-God, son of Zeus. After losing the family that raised him in a terrible sea disaster, he goes on a quest to save Argos (not the store chain, idiots!) from the Kraken (which is not a giant squid like in Pirates of the Caribbean) and the wrath of Hades. Although the visual effects will impress you, anyone familiar with Greek mythology will know the plot. Also I would have thought that they would have made Medusa really ugly seeing as her face turns people to stone - maybe an Anne Widdecombe look-a-like, perhaps?
Ratings:
Acting: Good, but not Oscar material. 7/10
Plot: Familiar to the well-learned, such as myself. Throws in surprises for those who aren't as familiar. 8/10
15/20=75%=B2

 

[Diego440]

The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982) -- Definitely among my personal favourites and one of the best horror movies of all time. Despite being a remake from a 50s movie, and though the plot follows it well, the SFX and the suspense are all Carpenter's, speaking of which, though it's from a time when there was no CGI to aid the horror, the make-up effects and sound are mind-blowing. It's a shame this movie flopped when it came out, since it's a true masterpiece of horror and a great exploration of the paranoia when you don't know who's the bad guy and who's not. It's also #162 in IMDb's Top 250. 9.5/10




Cruising (William Friedkin, 1980) -- A police detective goes undercover in the sleazy and underground gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is murdering numerous gay men with S&M tactics. Definitely one of those movies that couldn't be done nowadays because it really exploits the gay sub-culture of leather, chains and bad boys. I read there's a 140 min cut of this movie (director's cut?) that hasn't been seen, though I'm sure it would be better than this movie, since it has too many plot holes, shady areas, loose ends and pointless scenes and characters that just seem too much like a b-movie with good actors. Still, it's an enjoyable police movie, if you can stand the intense homsexuality in it. 6/10

 

[Apok]

The Thing

Did you watch the original? If so how does it compare?

 

[Diego440]

Did you watch the original? If so how does it compare?

The original is (frankly) not much compared to the remake. But it's due mostly to the SFX and the suspense factor. The 'monster' in both movies replicates other human beings, but while in the original you just see someone else after the 'conversion' and he acts a bit differently, in the remake there's a lot of blood, guts, screaming and alien things involved. Also, the remake makes a better usage of the whole mystery/paranoia/horror factor.

Don't get me wrong, the original is ineresting enough and not a bad movie, but the remake is so much better.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Watched Couples Retreat. It was ok. A few funny parts.

 

[Appie]

I watched this on RTE over the Easter holidays. Honestly it is a great film, with a plot that possibly twists more than Keiichi Tsuchiya's dream road. Up until the aforementioned plot twist, it's kinda like a female version of Rocky. Hilary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, a waitress who aspires to be a boxer. She trains at a boxing club run by Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), who refuses to train her at first for two reasons: first, she's a woman, and second, she's 32, which is too old in his opinion. He is persuaded to train her by Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who also acts as the narrator throughout the film. She rises quickly but tragedy strikes in a big fight. I will elaborate further as this would ruin the plot for the rest of you.
Ratings:
Acting: There's a reason this won 4 Oscars. 10/10
Plot: Same as above. 10/10
20/20=100%=A1

I saw Clash of the Titans last week in the cinema in 3D. Sam Worthington plays Perseus, the legendary demi-God, son of Zeus. After losing the family that raised him in a terrible sea disaster, he goes on a quest to save Argos (not the store chain, idiots!) from the Kraken (which is not a giant squid like in Pirates of the Caribbean) and the wrath of Hades. Although the visual effects will impress you, anyone familiar with Greek mythology will know the plot. Also I would have thought that they would have made Medusa really ugly seeing as her face turns people to stone - maybe an Anne Widdecombe look-a-like, perhaps?
Ratings:
Acting: Good, but not Oscar material. 7/10
Plot: Familiar to the well-learned, such as myself. Throws in surprises for those who aren't as familiar. 8/10
15/20=75%=B2

Ahum...

 

[DK]

@ Appie: Are you suggesting that the Clash of the Titans poster copied the poster for God of War 3, or is it the other way around?

 

[Appie]

@ Appie: Are you suggesting that the Clash of the Titans poster copied the poster for God of War 3, or is it the other way around?

I meant like the Zeus thing and the Gods is just the same as the God of War Series

 

[Diego440]

Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) -- So, after I've prided myself in being a movie buff for so long, it came as a surprise to some fo my friends that I hadn't seen this movie... and the truth is that I'd tried watching it at least 3 times and never could stand either the behaviour of Scarlet O'Hara or the fact that the movie is nearly 4 hours long. Talking about that with my grandma, she told me Scarlet's behaviour is on purpose, because the movie is not so much a love story but about how Ms. O'Hara is a complete bitch and is used to having her way always, but in the end she gets reaped all that she's sown. Thus, I decided to bite the bullet and have a go at it. The result is that the movie is very good, it could certainly do with lots of editing (238 minutes is the actual runtime) and given the time and the epic-ness, it was quite cheesy in many parts and not really well acted. Even Clark Gable had a hard time justifying his choice to make it. The amazing part is that it's one of very few movies made in colour at the time (along with The Wizard of Oz) and that's one of the first notorious 'epic' films. All in all, the movie is good, but not something I'd watch again, and that famous "Frankly my dea, I don't give a damn" line is very well timed. I can finally cross this one off my list. It's #155 in IMDb's Top 250. 8.5/10

 

[McLaren]

I meant like the Zeus thing and the Gods is just the same as the God of War Series

Except Clash of the Titans came about 24 years before God of War existed.

 

[Diego440]

Ballast (Lance Hammer, 2008) -- The story of three broken souls affected by the death of a fourth. basically about how these three people reassemble and mend their fences after the 4th person's death/suicide. The movie (literally) follows the lives of these three people (with a very shaky handheld camera) about their daily lives and their times of thought... because of which the movie has very long silences. I saw this movie because it had a good deal of positive reviews and even won a few awards at Sundance (new director and cinematography) and I have to say I'm deeply disappointed. The movie is very slow-paced, the dialogues aren't well though out and it's actionless; and while I can appreciate and even enjoy a movie without action, it usually makes up for it in terms of acting, plot, circumstances or whatnots. This is also the type of movie without any sort of conclusion... life just goes on and there's no way to tell whatever happens next. 4/10

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Started watching Prison Break on Netflix this weekend. Awesome show, especially the use of Engineering and Architecture for each episode. I am hooked!!

 

[Apok]

Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Director: Mel Brooks

Ah one of my all time favorites. This and the animated movie Hercules were the two movies I could watch over and over again and not get bored of it.
So I recently decided I'll watch it again. And I still love it. While it isn't the best it is certainly a lot of fun. I recommend this movie, because really it will brighten up your day. It brightened up mine for sure.

7/10

 

[Diego440]

Started watching Prison Break on Netflix this weekend. Awesome show, especially the use of Engineering and Architecture for each episode. I am hooked!!

That is not a movie!

This is a movie:



THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971) -- The first feature-length movie by Lucas, and based on a short he made while at USC and it's set in the 25th century in an underground city where everything is controlled (very much like Metropolis) and sex is outlawed. Our hero (THX 1138) and his female roommate (LUH 3417) end up having intercourse and now everyone's after them. While being nothing groundbreaking nowadays, it was a great concept almost 40 years ago, despite being a box office flop. But once you take into account this was originally an improvised student movie that was later turned into a feature, it's just something that's got to be recognised. Same thing happened to John Carpenter at some point in his upstarts. In any sense, this is a science fiction movie that is darker and more sinister than anything Lucas has made since, and no doubt it's an underrated classic. As far as the movie's quality, it does have its faults, no doubt about that. 7.5/10



Where The Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, 2009) -- So a bunch of friends came over and we were going to watch 8½, before which we'd already had about 4 bottles of wine. Less than an hour of 8½ had gone by and everyone was either asleep or not understanding anything, so I decided to pop this one in instead. Having none of us ever seen or heard of the original story (yeah, if you don't live in the US, there's a lower chance to hear from it), I took it in with at least some level of ingenuity. With that said, I thought the movie was alright. Nothing too grand, especially since at no point is it said that the Wild Things come from the kid's imagination or if they're really there and how did Max get there or anything (yeah, by boat, but one does not just get on a boat in a pond and appear on an ocean). Still, I'm sure had I known the original stories, I would've liked it much better; but there are many other movies which you don't have to had read the originals to know about the movie, and I think that's what this movie lacked. The soundtrack is amazing, though... really transmits that childish mischief feeling. I felt slightly identified with Max at many points, being an only child and whose parents divorced when I was about 4 years old. And of course the CGI is top notch. 7/10

 

[Neal]

Where The Wild Things Are ......... 7/10

I've been looking forward to this movie for ages as my son really likes the book so I'm hoping with the vested interest it'll get a point or two higher from him (and me), it's not out here yet but I've pre-ordered it so won't be too long. The Arcade Fire track from the trailer is one of their best (and most of their songs are great) but the soundtrack CD looks like all original music so I'm keep an ear out for that.

BTW I believe only the faces of the Wild Things are CGI, Jim Henson created full body Wild Thing suits so that the actor playing Max could interact with them.

 

[Moglet]

2012

When the credits rolled, I wished the world had ended. There's 2 1/2 hours of my life I'll never get back.

 

[Diego440]

BTW I believe only the faces of the Wild Things are CGI, Jim Henson created full body Wild Thing suits so that the actor playing Max could interact with them.

I can believe that. The CGI is amazing and blends real well with the costumes.

The Arcade Fire track from the trailer is one of their best (and most of their songs are great) but the soundtrack CD looks like all original music so I'm keep an ear out for that.

Arcade Fire in general is pretty awesome, tbh. Though all the musis in the movie is done by Karen O the Kids, which though not as good as Arcade Fire, also has an indie sound that makes it very enjoyable.