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

[Diego440]

I can't say it's an 8 because it lacks any drama, but it's still very good if you like comedies.

Yeah, the same happened to me when I saw Schindler's List... I couldn't give it a 10 because it lacked screwball comedy-ness

 

[Northstar]

The last two movies I've seen are rather powerful.

Hurt Locker- Very good film, although it focused a little too much on the main character towards the end. 8/10

Blood Diamond- It rarely happens, but this movie made me shed a tear at the end. 10/10

Also saw Fahrenheit 451 and the kids movie Anastasia(might be kind of scary for younger kids), both decent films.

 

[TheCracker]

Delicatessen (Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1991) -- A post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasional prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants, though it's also what's to be expected from Caro and Jeunet, makers of Amelie and The City of Lost Children among other amazing dystopic movies. The movie succeeds at creating a completely consistent and believable universe with a totally distinct atmosphere where brown and green prevail. The 'genius' parts are in almost every scene of this movie, while the extremely dark humor makes it all worthwile and enjoyable. Definitely one of those movies that make me appreciate the imagination of French cinema and the overall quality Europeans have in their movies, which is something that sadly gets lost in the vast amount of movies the US makes. 9/10

Great film. Went to see it two nights running whilst at Uni. I've not seen it since then, even though i own it on DVD. I've just not managed to get the misses to sit down and watch it with me yet

I recently bought her The City of Lost Children, which i've not yet seen, so if we watch that and she likes it i'll probably be able to persuade her to watch Delicatessen too.

Which is the less dark and weird of the two?

 

[Diego440]

Which is the less dark and weird of the two?

That's a tough one.

Lost Children will probably be more appealing, since it deals with a nicer subject and has more funny moments, but Delicatessen is truer to that dystopian style. As for being dark, definitely Delicatessen... weirdness is a tie.

 

[DK]

Inception:
Public Enemy say, "Don't believe the hype." If they're referring to High School Musical, I would agree there. If they're referring to Inception, I would have to disagree. If you need to go to the toilet, you will regret it. This movie had me thinking well after it was finished. It's ironic that a movie about planting ideas in people's minds has planted an idea in my mind. All loose ends BUT ONE are tied up neatly. And I don't mind that last remaining loose end, as it provides a mind-blowing plot twist. However, I don't think that there's material for a sequel, as all the sequel can do is repeat everything in the original movie. Overall, it's just the best movie, but could you imagine it in 3D?
Score: Where's the infinity button?

 

[niky]

My Neighbor Totoro
Hayao Miyazaki

So, recently, we got a whole bunch of Hayao Miyazaki films... and we started off with one that I thought my daughter would best appreciate, seeing as Princess Mononoke is violent, Spirited Away is full of monsters and Nausicaa is full of people shooting each other (she hates that).

It's worth noting that the title character, Totoro appears in only four or five scenes throughout the entire movie. And yet Totoro has become an iconic figure in Japanese animation. I won a plushie once at an arcade, which I gave to a girl in Taiwan. (looong time ago). Back then, I watched Totoro in the original Japanese. Didn't understand a single word, and the subtitles were in Chinese. But I loved it.

As I watched this movie a dog's age ago (literally), upon re-watching, I was surprised by how laid-back the pace was compared to more modern children's animations. And yet, it's precisely that which immerses you in the world of Totoro. There is no rush-but between important scenes and there are no "adult jokes" to fill in the "boring" parts. You live the life of two sisters as they settle in and adjust to their new surroundings and as they become acquainted with their new neighbors and the spirits of the forest.

The main characters come off as very authentic (being a parent and a former kid), and the oft-nostalgic way in which Miyazaki views rural (pre-war?) Japan is very touching (having much of my childhood post-US surrounded by rice-paddies, I could relate).

The true litmus test would be my daughter. Despite fidgeting her way through modern children's movie classics like "Up" and "Toy Story 3", she watched the film completely entranced. And then asked for it again the next day. Totoro is a visual storybook that's simple in premise and execution, yet rich in detail. Perfect for kids... and adults... alike.

I guess there's something to be said for the "old-school", huh?

9/10 (not Miyazaki's best work, ending decidedly low-key)

 

[Diego440]

Saibogujiman Kwenchana (a.k.a. I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK) (Chan-wook Park, 2006) -- A girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls. Despite such an unorthodox setting and actually being a very different approach to a love story, it works out nicely. Unfortunately, the movie lacks cohesion and every scene seems unconnected to the one before or the one after it, not to mention it's very confusing and rarely puts the pieces together. Actring is good enough, SFX are very well done, but the continuity (or lack of it) is what killed this movie for me. Still, it's enjoyable enough to count as a sunday movie. 5.5/10

 

[Speedy Samurai]

[

My Neighbor Totoro
Hayao Miyazaki

So, recently, we got a whole bunch of Hayao Miyazaki films... and we started off with one that I thought my daughter would best appreciate, seeing as Princess Mononoke is violent, Spirited Away is full of monsters and Nausicaa is full of people shooting each other (she hates that).

It's worth noting that the title character, Totoro appears in only four or five scenes throughout the entire movie. And yet Totoro has become an iconic figure in Japanese animation. I won a plushie once at an arcade, which I gave to a girl in Taiwan. (looong time ago). Back then, I watched Totoro in the original Japanese. Didn't understand a single word, and the subtitles were in Chinese. But I loved it.

As I watched this movie a dog's age ago (literally), upon re-watching, I was surprised by how laid-back the pace was compared to more modern children's animations. And yet, it's precisely that which immerses you in the world of Totoro. There is no rush-but between important scenes and there are no "adult jokes" to fill in the "boring" parts. You live the life of two sisters as they settle in and adjust to their new surroundings and as they become acquainted with their new neighbors and the spirits of the forest.

The main characters come off as very authentic (being a parent and a former kid), and the oft-nostalgic way in which Miyazaki views rural (pre-war?) Japan is very touching (having much of my childhood post-US surrounded by rice-paddies, I could relate).

The true litmus test would be my daughter. Despite fidgeting her way through modern children's movie classics like "Up" and "Toy Story 3", she watched the film completely entranced. And then asked for it again the next day. Totoro is a visual storybook that's simple in premise and execution, yet rich in detail. Perfect for kids... and adults... alike.

I guess there's something to be said for the "old-school", huh?

9/10 (not Miyazaki's best work, ending decidedly low-key)

Great review!

My 3 year old daughter loves Totoro and has pretty much the whole film memorized. I love it, too and also have the whole film memorized thanks to her.

 

[Diego440]

Klass (a.k.a. The Class) (Ilmar Raag, 2007) -- Who knew Estonia produced good movies? They actually do, or at least this one made it well: An average guy of an Estonian high-school decides to defend his bullied classmate. This starts war between him and the informal leader of the class, where given today's situations, everything ends in bloodshed. Though the movie can be seen as riding the same wave as Elephant, coming from Estonia really impressed me since the acting is very well done, the music is awesome and it actually kept me interested throughout the whole thing; at no point did I yawn or pause it to take a breather. Klass is an excellent representarion of teenage school bullying/violence which objectively points out teenage cruelty, its motives and violent results in extreme situations. 9/10

 

[nk4e]

My Neighbor Totoro
Hayao Miyazaki

So, recently, we got a whole bunch of Hayao Miyazaki films... and we started off with one that I thought my daughter would best appreciate, seeing as Princess Mononoke is violent, Spirited Away is full of monsters and Nausicaa is full of people shooting each other (she hates that).

It's worth noting that the title character, Totoro appears in only four or five scenes throughout the entire movie. And yet Totoro has become an iconic figure in Japanese animation. I won a plushie once at an arcade, which I gave to a girl in Taiwan. (looong time ago). Back then, I watched Totoro in the original Japanese. Didn't understand a single word, and the subtitles were in Chinese. But I loved it.

As I watched this movie a dog's age ago (literally), upon re-watching, I was surprised by how laid-back the pace was compared to more modern children's animations. And yet, it's precisely that which immerses you in the world of Totoro. There is no rush-but between important scenes and there are no "adult jokes" to fill in the "boring" parts. You live the life of two sisters as they settle in and adjust to their new surroundings and as they become acquainted with their new neighbors and the spirits of the forest.

The main characters come off as very authentic (being a parent and a former kid), and the oft-nostalgic way in which Miyazaki views rural (pre-war?) Japan is very touching (having much of my childhood post-US surrounded by rice-paddies, I could relate).

The true litmus test would be my daughter. Despite fidgeting her way through modern children's movie classics like "Up" and "Toy Story 3", she watched the film completely entranced. And then asked for it again the next day. Totoro is a visual storybook that's simple in premise and execution, yet rich in detail. Perfect for kids... and adults... alike.

I guess there's something to be said for the "old-school", huh?

9/10 (not Miyazaki's best work, ending decidedly low-key)

Great review!

My 3 year old daughter loves Totoro and has pretty much the whole film memorized. I love it, too and also have the whole film memorized thanks to her.

They recently change some of the American Voice actors.

 

[niky]

Great review!

My 3 year old daughter loves Totoro and has pretty much the whole film memorized. I love it, too and also have the whole film memorized thanks to her.

My daughter keeps asking for replays. I think she's getting close.

They recently change some of the American Voice actors.

The newer Disney version has Dakota Fanning as the older sister. I'm of two minds about Disney's new dubbing (their choice for the protagonist of Laputa is weird), but this one is well done.

 

[Diego440]

Shake Hands with the Devil (Roger Spottiswoode, 2007) -- A film adaptation of the Romeo Dallaire autobiography, who was a general for the UN peacekeeping regiment set in Rwanda during the 1993-1994 genocide and whom along with 260 volunteers decided to stay in Rwanda despite being recalled by their governments, and in turn saved the lives of around 32,000 Tutsis. This movie covers similar territory as Hotel Rwanda, but it deals more with Dallaire's frustration with the UN and subsequent guilt by refusing to get involved with what was going on and failing to stop the Rwandan genocide that he was witnessing. The movie is very well paced, many scenes are very disturbing and yet manages to come clean off it, though achieving its goal, which is not to gross you out, but to make you think and realize most of the world did nothing to stop the genocide. 8/10



The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006) -- And it is only by sheer coincidence that I manage to watch another movie which has to do with Africa. This one is based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s, and it got Forest Whitaker an Oscar for his role as Idi Amin. The movie itself is excellent historical fiction abut actual events; much of what you see actually happened, though the physician part is the only fiction about it, despite the character seeming so real. At first the character goes from being a free thinking, adventure seeking womanizer, to a scared, concerned and enlightened person, also which as viewers we go. Whitaker on the other hand stops being the silent, brooding character he usually plays and becomes an African dictator, portraying Amin perfectly. This movie's realism is scary enough and the way it builds the tension works out quite nicely for the conclusion. In the end it's a fast-paced, realistic and fascinating tale. 8.5/10

 

[Diego440]

Naboer (a.k.a. Next Door) (Pål Sletaune, 2005) -- A Danish/Norwegian suspense movie about a guy who's just been left by his girlfriend and later allows himself to be seduced to a mysterious and scary world, where there's insane amount of violent sex and some of the most bizarre mind-bending you'll see in a film. While being a movie from a place that is not particularly famous for their moviemaking, it's quite a decent homage to Polanski and David Lynch that keeps itself being interesting even if it only lasts about 72 minutes. Some of the scenes are highly erotic and very violent, but it doesn't become cheap, and it makes a good effort of blending disgusting with beautiful. By all accounts this movie is probably going to be too bizarre for anyone, but if you like David Lynch movies or have a craving for something that is certainly not average, Naboer is for you. 7/10



Mum & Dad (Steven Sheil, 2008) -- Although it's classified as extreme horror, this movie didn't really achieve much for me. It's kind of gore, it's a bit weird, but at no moment did I feel tense or bothered by what was going on. There's a bunch of continuity gaps and some completely implausible moments. It does try to be sick and disturbing, but falls short because it focuses too much on trying to show certain things, whereas the power of suggestion would be so much better and more effective. Acting is marginal and to a certain point, comical. 4.5/10

 

[Diego440]

Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993) -- An amazing homage to depression and the realities of life whilst following a few days in the life of a heartless womanizer. Th movie is raw, macabre and sharp as a tack with some of the most amazing dialogues written in the 90s. David Thewlis' acting is excellent and his performance explores the depths of a humanity that can't be arsed into thinking much ahead of what they want other people to think of them. It's about a guy who flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends some time homeless, spending much of his time ranting at strangers, and meeting characters in plights very much like his own. In general, a movie that becomes amazing because of its language, its mood and its effect, dealing with overall existentialism. 8/10

 

[boiltheocean]

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

I'm really not sure what to say about this film. I'm not satisfied I even understand it yet and I've been thinking for a good hour now right after I finished watching.​

 

[niky]

Porco Rosso (1992)
Hayao Miyazaki

If you're an aviation buff, a classic movie fan or an anime fan, you'll like it. If you're all three, you'll absolutely love it. This is one of the more successful Disney dubs. No children in the movie, so no way for them to ruin it through miscasting. One funny thing... this movie was sponsored by Japan Airlines, so it may stand forever as the best in-flight movie production of all time.

The setting is in the Adriatic after the Great War... Porco Rosso is a famous seaplane pilot for hire, a bounty hunter who dogfights with sea pirates in the air. The reasons for him being a pig are not explained, exactly, except that he is cursed. This curse may tie in with a mystic experience during the war and his eventual desertion from the Italian Air Force ("I'd rather be a pig than a fascist"). While many of Miyazaki's films suggest it, this is one of the few where he makes his views on the Second World War pretty clear. He'd rather have had no part in it. It's a politically charged time, the decade before the war, and the underlying themes are complex... but the story is one of simple, classic romance. Of that between a woman and a man... errh... pig, and between a pilot and the air.

Miyazaki's family was involved in aircraft production during the war, and his love of airplanes shows. Unlike some of his more fantastic movies, this one delves deep into many technical details of piston-powered aircraft, and is a nerd-gasm for the mechanically inclined.

The non-CGI dogfights are lushly and meticulously animated, and the rest of the movie looks pretty good, too, with clean, simple lines and excellent execution and animation. One reviewer, in fact, compares it to an animated "Tin-Tin" comic... that's how dense the detail is!

Unlike many Miyazaki movies, the protagonist here is male. And he's entirely believable, partially because Miyazaki modelled him after himself. Porco Rosso comes off as a sort of Humphrey Bogart with a pot-belly, and he has that same allure for women that Bogie did. He presents to the world the face of a mercenary who only cares about himself, but as the women in his life force him to face up to his honor and destiny, a strange transformation comes over him...

10/10 - though I realize it won't be to everyone's tastes, it's a must-see as an excellent example of the genre.

-----

I'm trying to go through the Hayao Miyazaki playbook year by year, but I keep skipping around. I actually think I'll go all the way up to Ponyo then end my viewing with Nausicaa, which I've watched before, so I haven't watched the Disney dub yet... I much prefer the original US dub... which Miyazaki hates because they cut out some of the scenes which explain the mechanics of his world. But that dub had a terrific voice cast. Shame. I wish Disney had dug up those actors and re-used them instead of casting celebrities. C'est la vie.

The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006) -- And it is only by sheer coincidence that I manage to watch another movie which has to do with Africa. This one is based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s, and it got Forest Whitaker an Oscar for his role as Idi Amin. The movie itself is excellent historical fiction abut actual events; much of what you see actually happened, though the physician part is the only fiction about it, despite the character seeming so real. At first the character goes from being a free thinking, adventure seeking womanizer, to a scared, concerned and enlightened person, also which as viewers we go. Whitaker on the other hand stops being the silent, brooding character he usually plays and becomes an African dictator, portraying Amin perfectly. This movie's realism is scary enough and the way it builds the tension works out quite nicely for the conclusion. In the end it's a fast-paced, realistic and fascinating tale. 8.5/10

Keep thinking about watching, but I never get around to it... hmmmm....

 

[Driving Park]

Geez Tom, where do you find the time to watch all these movies?

I saw the Untouchables for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I quite liked it. Pace was good, action was good, acting was good, soundtrack was pretty good. On my relatively inexperienced movie watching scale, this one gets a 7.5/10.

 

[Northstar]

The Departed 2006

After the police get an informant in the mob they realize that there is an informant for the mob within the police dept. It has a rather good storyline, although it got a little bland at a couple parts. It has some excellent acting, but that is to be expected after seeing the roster they put together for this film. Other than a couple boring scenes this is a great movie. I do wish I'd known it was a re-make though as I like to watch the original first. 8/10

Greased Lightning 1977

It tells the story of Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win a stock car race. Richard Pryor does an excellent job in the roll, and the overall acting is fairly good. I liked how they mixed real race footage with the movie footage and it added that extra touch. However despite that it seems like more of a movie than a bio pic, it also has an extremely cheesy 70's soundtrack. 7/10

 

[Diego440]

Keep thinking about watching, but I never get around to it... hmmmm....

Porco Rosso is an amazing movie, perhaps the most based-on-reality of Miyazaki. I liked it a lot.

Geez Tom, where do you find the time to watch all these movies?

You'd be amazed at my movie cue. I bought myself a 40" TV for christmas just for watching them. I usually watch one when I get home from work, or at least try to.

 

[niky]

Porco Rosso is an amazing movie, perhaps the most based-on-reality of Miyazaki. I liked it a lot.

It took me time to kind of digest it... but yes, it's an incredible film. And more than any other Ghibli project, gives great insight into the mind of the master.

You'd be amazed at my movie cue. I bought myself a 40" TV for christmas just for watching them. I usually watch one when I get home from work, or at least try to.

Addiction times ten. I usually watch on my computer or burn movies to my iPad to view them. But for really special stuff (like this), I whip out the PS3 and watch in the living room.

 

[livemusic]

If I sit down to watch a movie when I get home from work I'll be sleeping in 30 minutes. That's why I stay on the computer playing games.

So my girlfriend made me watch Twilight last sunday. The story itself isn't that bad, but the acting and directing of the movie are horrible.

 

[niky]

If I sit down to watch a movie when I get home from work I'll be sleeping in 30 minutes. That's why I stay on the computer playing games.

So my girlfriend made me watch Twilight last sunday. The story itself isn't that bad, but the acting and directing of the movie are horrible.

Started slow. Completely humorless, even when there was occassion for humor. Progressed like an episode of "Dawson's Creek with Vampires" and ended exactly like an episode of "Dawson's Creek". Only Katie Holmes actually had expressions besides the angst-ridden "woe-is-me" teenage pout... and Dawson's Creek actually had better writing.

At the point where "Edward" started sparkling... despite being forewarned and exerting a superhuman effort not to... the missus and I laughed in the theater. I still haven't forgiven the cousin who dragged us to that mess.

 

[Northstar]

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 2003

The Bride(Uma Therman), a former assassin goes on a quest to get revenge on the people that tried to kill her. This movie is over the top times 10, and has some great visual effects(lots of bright colors for a rather dark movie). Some of the acting could be better, but this isn't really the type of movie you watch for the acting, or storyline for that matter. It's overall a solid movie, a tad short though. 7/10

 

[Diego440]

Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson, 2003) -- The good thing about this movie is that Jennifer Garner spends lots of time in a skin tight leather suit. The bad thing is that Ben Affleck also spends a lot of time in a skin tight leather suit that has more muscles than he does. It also stars John Favreau, otherwise known as Ernest Borgnine for the 21st century. Daredevil runs above the city and the fact that he's blind also means he has very sturdy ankles and an enhanced sense of profound idiocy, he also battles Bullseye. Bullseye is called like that because he always hits bull's eyes, so why doesn't Daredevil dare the devil to do unsafe things is simply beyond me. In the general sense, a bad movie made even worse because Benn Affleck acts like crap and there's too many plot holes or lack of interest to make the movie decent. 3/10

 

[niky]

Wow, harsh. I was nicer to it. I gave it a 2/10.

 

[Diego440]

Wow, harsh. I was nicer to it. I gave it a 2/10.

Don't tempt me!

 

[Public'sTwin]

Waking Life (2001)

Disappointed.

 

[Diego440]

Waking Life (2001)

Disappointed.

You thought it would be like A Scanner Darkly?

 

[Prince.M5]

WAR/Rouge Assasin - 2007

After his partner Tom Wynne and family are killed apparently by the infamous and elusive assassin Rogue, FBI agent Jack Crawford becomes obsessed with revenge as his world unravels into a vortex of guilt and betrayal. Rogue eventually resurfaces to settle a score of his own, setting off a bloody crime war between Asian mob rivals Chang of the Triad's and Yakuza boss Shiro. When Jack and Rogue finally come face to face, the ultimate truth of their pasts will be revealed. (6.2/10)

 

[Diego440]

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Peter Greenaway, 1989) -- Wow! An amazingly colorful movie about life and the universe, where the parking lot is the world, the kitchen is purgatory and the restaurant is hell. The colors represent each stage perfectly and the actors play their part knowingly. The overall mood is very dark, though every image is like a highly emotional painting; definitely a very art-house of The Divine Comedy, made in a completely refined, subtle, sensual and intelligent way. Definitely a movie I will watch again. 9/10