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

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Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005) -- A mature 14-year old girl meets a charming 32-year old photographer on the Internet. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him. I know many GTP'ers have seen this movie and to be honest, there's a lot of reasons to watch as it's a good movie, but many of the tidbits I want to talk about would let you in on too many aspects of the movie that are worth watching to discover, hence spoiler tags:

What I liked most of the movie is that for most of it, you're mainly seeing the guy's perspective, where the girl only seems to be a immature kid who thinks she's right about everything and makes constant mistakes. While many of those mistakes seem quite real, the twist at the end is hwat really made me think, whether the end justifies the means. Throughout the whole movie I was rooting for the guy, but in the last few seconds I was all for her. It's amazing what a bit of dialogue can add to a movie and make you see a situation from a completely different angle.

Ellen Page's acting is extremely good and very believable. The setting is a bit too causal, but it only adds to the suspense factor. Very good low-budget movie that will have you thinking and talking about it later. A great psychological movie with very slow and suspenseful scenes, while still being steady. The motives of the characters are possibly something I would've liked to explore more, but such is the movie. I'm under the impression this movie got lost somewhere between summer blockbusters and Oscar season, but it's not to be missed. 8.5/10
 


Пред дождот (a.k.a. Before The Rain) (Milcho Manchevski, 1994) -- An intense movie set during the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, though taking place in Macedonia, where Christians hunt an ethnic Albanian girl whom they say murdered someone of their own, and thus starts a deep drama in three parts, and told from three different perspectives. It's a very original and rare construction for the movie (though I was reminded a bit of Kieslowski's style), but with a high degree of inventive timelines. In doing so, the movie tells different stories that really open up the Balkan conflict for me, since I knew little of it. The photography is incredible and the acting is even better. My second Malchevski movie, and I have to say I really like his style. 8/10

Incidentally, I remember mentioning the last Malchevski movie I reviewed (Senki) was probably very, very rare and hard to find. There's a European movie festival in town and a friend asked me to go with her to watch a movie only I would appreciate. The title: Senki. Amazing that the movie is from 2007 and it's being released now here. Saw it again :)
 
I saw CARS 2 on Friday and it was FANTASTIC! The combination of over-the-top plot that was pulled off so well, the action (races, fight scenes, etc.), geek-out moments for car guys (basically the whole movie), and general ridiculousness of the movie that only Pixar can pull off made it an awesome movie (to me anyway). 9.5/10!
 
Grand Prix (1966) - great old F1 racing, with fairly predictable drama and death and injury and romance, but as a GTPer, gotta say, very nice to see this history done so well. Plenty of very realistic on-track time in what appear to be real courses (Monaco, Spa, etc.) And also, great performances by the French guy, James Garner, Toshiro Mifune (more or less as a cameo in my opinion though it was a role with a decent amount of screentime).

Funny story about how I got to this movie. I'd been watching Arrested Development, and then more recently Archer where I recognized the voice of the mother from AD, whereupon I IMDB'd to discover the actress, and found she was incredibly prolific going back a very long time, and when I saw the 1966 title Grand Prix I obviously checked it out, and when I saw Toshiro Mifune and a not horrible rating I decided I should try to watch it. Hard to believe that old biddy was once a hottie...

Before:
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After:
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Hairpin at Monaco:
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p-coletray
True, if these were available on the android app, or all the other little icons and tools.
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I use the Android app. Not often because it's difficult to moderate, but it's perfectly easy to create tags if you know what the tags are.

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Nic Cage's hair is truly awesome, in that it accomplishes so much with so little coverage. :D

Quite frankly, I'm kind of appalled that upon making an innocent suggestion, I could receive a response like this:

p-coletray
Either way, the thread is for movie reviews, not reviews of movie reviews mmm-kay?
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This thread is a general discussion thread about movies. You can't tell other members not to talk about movies, now, can you?
 
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The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)

Wow. Watching this movie is a serious adrenaline rush. The filming is superb, and the actors really give out their emotions in this one. You know it's a fantastic film when you get that feeling as each passing second that you watch, it seems as if you were there, with every scene absorbing you until the very end. [9.5/10]
 


Knocked Up (Judd Apatow, 2007) -- From the same guy who made me waste two hours off my life in 2005 with The 40-Year-Old Virgin, now Judd Apatow makes me waste 137 minutes with an utterly unbelievable and inconsistent comedy about a fun loving party animal who gets his one night stand pregnant and then decides to try and work it out with her. The thing is that the woman is portrayed as someone very independent and who goes after what she wants and works at it and is very responsible, yet when she becomes pregnant she jumps into this sort of relationship with someone she knows from the start that is not going to work out, yet she is always willing to give him another chance, though he still maintains his party animality. And thus, inconsistencies abound. There are a few funny bits regarding the party animal's roommates, but that aspect definitely doesn't belong in a rom-com about pregnancy. Also, the movie tries to make a point of people being different yet being able to work it out, but almost everything the characters do is enough to warrant a complete, utter and immediate break-up, but they are always willing to get back together, yet at no moment do they mention it is for 'the baby's sake', but just because of this illusion of love, and in reality one does not fall in love with a one night stand that you don't really like at all, and it doesn't even happen in 2 weeks, as it supposedly does here.

Apologies for making a review full of spoilers, but this isn't the type of movie where you are surprised. It's a very predictable and standardized rom-com with mediocre acting, absurd situations and not a lot of quality. 4.5/10
 
A full 4.5/10?? Where did it get its points to go above 1/10, because from your review, it sounds unwatchable. Wait, okay, funny bits with roommates brings it up to 1.5/10 or maybe 2/10, but what else?
 
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Dan in Real Life (2007)

I managed to make it 30 minutes into this crapfest. Steve Carell is really annoying in this role(really didn't seem like he put much effort into it) and Dane Cook is his usual "ruin the entire movie by walking on set" self. I have no clue how this movie did so well critically and sales wise, I knew how the story would play out about 15 minutes into the film(checked afterwards and I was for the most part right in my assumptions). Avoid this movie if you like movies to be good and at least semi-original.

1/10
 
Sorry to keep replying without reviews, but I believe Justin's avatar speaks for itself with regard to his 1/10 Dan in Real Life evaluation. Moloko to me means Clockwork Orange. I used to sport a Droogs Don't Run T-shirt myself. Conventional Hollywood is crap because conventional Americans are crap because they're all brainwashed by advertisers and edu-Mc-ation and TV.
 
jeffgoddin
A full 4.5/10?? Where did it get its points to go above 1/10, because from your review, it sounds unwatchable. Wait, okay, funny bits with roommates brings it up to 1.5/10 or maybe 2/10, but what else?
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I don't really have a checkmark list of the things that make me give it a certain amount of points. I just watch the movie and come up with a number that more or less matches my expectations vs. outcome of the movie. Granted, anything below a 5 is mostly unwatchable, but there are degrees to unwatchfulness. I will usually decide to watch a movie given its IMDb score, and Knocked Up had a 7.7 or something around that, which for IMDb is a pretty good score. I was a bit let down, though Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl should've been enough of a warning.

Justin
Dan in Real Life (2007)

...snip...

1/10
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See, I actually gave it a 4. Still very unwatchable.
 
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Intense movie. The fact that it's based on actual events makes me enjoy it a bit more than the average murder mystery movie. It's quite long (2 hrs 37mins) compared to an average movie, but it's completely worth it, since this story needs time to develop the characters. Great movie overall.
 


Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) -- A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together. Having watched the sequel before the original, I knew that the 'never' part of the plot wasn't exactly real, but the movie really works perfectly with all the hopes and illusions one has a a younger person and how much you think you know out of life and how your expectations seem so real and plausible, whereas the sequel works on this and goes on to explain why they are mere illusions. A good movie that works alone, but when coupled with the sequel, filmed in 'real time', works perfectly with life, the reality and illusions of it. 8.5/10
 
Ah, Before Sunrise, a true classic, back when I believed in true love or at least hoped it was real. And being young myself had personally experienced the amazing sensation of meeting someone exotic in a strange place and connecting in a beautiful way. Certainly a must watch for any not-yet-jaded romantic.

Edit: and I love Julie Delpy
 
I think I avoided it to protect my memory of the first movie. Was it also a Linklater? Because if so (I wasn't aware at the time) I'd check it out since he's one of the best.directors.ever..
 
Indeed it is. it really ties perfectly with the first one, since it's not really a sequel, but more of a conclusion.
 
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This movie was MUCH better than I expected. Excellent special effects and the fight scenes with the females was just awesome. Some female fight scenes in movies just looks terrible like in Bloodrayne but dang they made these girls kick some serious butt. Storyline was a bit strange but still well worth watching and looked great in Blu Ray. 👍
 
CAMAROBOY69
like in Bloodrayne
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Comparing something to a Uwe Boll movie is like saying a piece of pizza tastes better than dog crap after it was re-eaten by said dog, puked back up, eaten again and crapped back out. Basically, if you use Uwe Boll as a measure everything looks good. I publicly tear on Michael Bay a lot, but compared to Uwe Boll, Bay is a genius.
 
Well there really arent that many chick fighting movies and Bloodrayne helped support my point. And clearly worked because it instantly got your attention. :lol:
Anyway take it how you will, The Sucker Punch fighting scenes were pretty dang good compared to almost any other chick fighting movies. Especially the battles where they were working together as a team.
 
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Cars 2

This was a great sequel to the original with lots of new and exciting characters. The plot revolves around Mater more than Lightning so be prepared for lots of redneck jokes. The movie's pace is extremely fast as they try to cram in multiple story lines. You'll be laughing through the first 30 minutes for sure. Tons of great car enthusiast jokes and puns as well. Definitely worth seeing in the theater and picking up when it comes out on Blueray/DVD.

Rating 4.5/5 stars.
 
^ I cant wait to see Cars 2. I love the first movie.

I forgot that I also watched "No Strings Attached". Mostly predictible movie but not too bad for a chick flick. Sucker Punch helped balance everything out. :)
 
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Just saw this due to various recent references to Gator McKlusky, most recently from Archer.

What can I say? Some of the best stunt driving performances I've ever seen? Lots of great classic cars, definitely a prequel to Dukes of Hazzard, pretty good acting, fast paced story. Some horrible sound editing at times however. Overall 7/10, which may be generous but I'm feeling good after watching it so hey.
 


Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, 1993) and Paradise Lost: Revelations (Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, 2000) -- A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence and on theapparent ignorance of an Arkansas town and assumptions the police make based on teh fact that the alleged murderers are satanic because they dress in black and don't consider themselves catholic. This is an absolutely haunting and stunning search for justice in a trial made on three young adults (between 16 and 18 year olds) for the brutal slaying of three young boys (with very graphic imagery, so beware). As the documentary unfolds, one begins to wonder if the culrpits are truly guilty or if they're being persecuted because they look different. In the end, both of the movies make a strong case but let the viewer be the jury, which led me to research a bit of what has come to light and still be amazed how a legal abomination such as this can happen in this day and age. I don't expect a 3rd film but I am really following the case closely now. 8/10 and 7/10 respectively.
 
Transformers 3. 2/10

Yikes.

Sure, it's better than the 2nd, but the 2nd was just awful. There's no reason for the movie to be 2 hours and 40 minutes.
 
Noob616
Transformers 3. 2/10

Yikes.

Sure, it's better than the 2nd, but the 2nd was just awful. There's no reason for the movie to be 2 hours and 40 minutes.
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Just saw it tonight too.


Much much better than the second one, but still crap by most standards. Here's to hoping the reboot of this franchise is done right.
 


Reverón (Diego Rísquez, 2011) -- A Venezuelan movie about one of the most famous artists to come from this country: Armando Reverón, a painter and sculptor who was no less than very much into the world he had created within his own mind and who was kvery eccentric in his own right. Because there's a distinct lack of documentation regarding his life, the director and writers took a great deal of creative licenses with the movie and I have to say they didn't come out that bad. It's a movie that as a Venezuelan I can watch and enjoy, but anyone from another country will probably be too lost to realize what's going on, since much of the movie has to do with local history and the local lore. It's also very art-house, especially regarding the painter's 'world' and his behavior, to the point that he was actually commited to a psychiatric hospital during the last years of his life. An interesting bit, when I went to see the movie it has already been in theaters for over a month, yet when I was in line to pay for the parking fare, the girl I was with pointed out that guy in front of me was an actor in the movie and about 3 people behind us was an actress in it and the mvoie's director was talking to some people around there too. I don't suppose they're supervising who goes and watches every movie, so it was a nice coincidence. 7.5/10



Case 39 (Christian Alvart, 2009) -- I have to say, Christian Alvart isn't doing a bad work in the horror and suspense department; his last few movies have really been intense and hard-hitting, and this one is no exception. Too bad it relies too much on the scare factor, but the fact is that the subject (of an evil child) has already been played out too much, yet he manages to keep the movie interesting (and he's less than 40 years old). It's about a social worker who fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected, blah blah blah; from the start it's obvious there's something off in the way the family treats her child and despite some off and inconsistent moments, it becomes a bit surprising, but frankly, it's not enough to push the envelope and that's something this movie didn't do. There's three bits that really detract from the movie's quality: predictability, acting (from the kid) and originality (or lack of it). But still, the execution isn't as bad as it could've been, or as the genre tends to be, and that alone is an important fact, despite being so Hollywood. 6.5/10
 
jeffgoddin
Reminds me of when I was living in Ecuador and Entre Marx y una Mujer Desnuda..
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I haven't seen that one, but personally, I lost all hope in the local talents ages ago. My score is purely from a national standard and that's already giving it a lot.



Kataude Mashin Gâru (a.k.a. The Machine Girl) (Noboru Iguchi, 2008) -- I have to say I was quite impressed that this was a USA-Japan joint venture, where most of the cash came from the US, but clearly the style is very Japanese, or at least made to resemble the typical blood-spurting style. That's where the impressive nature of it stopped, since the movie is pointless after pointless scene of inane attempts to shock the viewer, but it gets old, predictable and too stupid (and not in a b-movie fun kind of way) after the first 20 minutes. In fact, at the 20 minute mark the movie could've ended and it would've been okay, but the chose to drag it along with too much plot twists and not enough interest-appealing action. Even from a blood-spraying point of view, this movie is just too Japanese for my taste, but I think it would even been too Japanese for Japan... it seems like it's trying to hard, though it has very few memorable moments, and for that: 3.5/10
 

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