Movie News, Reviews, and Discussion Super-Thread

[The Fake Shemp]

Dude, you're insane.

[Phoenix Dark]

History of Violence is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Some movies are completely forgettable - "meh". Then there are movies that just make you want to get up and turn the dvd off. HoV is the latter

[The Fake Shemp]

This is up there with your review of Unforgiven.

[Raban]

I hated History of Violence but I had read the excellent graphic novel previously and the trailers led me to believe it'd be a 1:1 adaptation.

Eastern Promises is bomb.

[Phoenix Dark]

This is up there with your review of Unforgiven.

Not a review, just saying I didn't like the movie. The action/violence scenes were also fucking weird, like extremely sloppy. I get the whole brutal, visceral violence thing - it worked in Eastern Promises but just looked odd in HoS.

It's a movie where a family is being intruded upon in a pretty violent, ugly way, yet there wasn't a moment when I cared about them. Plus they're portrayed by some pretty meh performances outside of Viggo - the son, wife etc were just bad imo.

[Human Snorenado]

TVC called you a philistine for your take on HoV, Maurice.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

Ichi


or, "I Can't Believe its not a Zatoichi Movie!", is an respectful homage/installment to the long running samurai series, only now with a gender reversed twist and greater character depth then the series usually receives.  Despite the additions of extra time on character development, and a less jocular tone then the series is accustomed to, it stays true to the usual beats and expected trademarks (gambling hall, beleaguered town, outrageously evil dudes) that makes every Zatoichi movie so similar to the last but still so much fun to watch.  The series has always been about a well executed formula and the variations that make each entry if not unique, then part of a uniquely entertaining whole.  This film, like a old favorite meal cooked by somebody else, has pretty much everything that people like, plus a few distinctive touches that make it all a very well made piece of commercial cinema.  Its got heart, its got good acting, and its got some really damn awesome swordfights.

[chronovore]

Ichi

or, "I Can't Believe its not a Zatoichi Movie!", is an respectful homage/installment to the long running samurai series, only now with a gender reversed twist and greater character depth then the series usually receives.  Despite the additions of extra time on character development, and a less jocular tone then the series is accustomed to, it stays true to the usual beats and expected trademarks (gambling hall, beleaguered town, outrageously evil dudes) that makes every Zatoichi movie so similar to the last but still so much fun to watch.  The series has always been about a well executed formula and the variations that make each entry if not unique, then part of a uniquely entertaining whole.  This film, like a old favorite meal cooked by somebody else, has pretty much everything that people like, plus a few distinctive touches that make it all a very well made piece of commercial cinema.  Its got heart, its got good acting, and its got some really damn awesome swordfights.

That is a great take on the character and the formula. I enjoyed your write-up, and agree with your points.

I finally got around to watching the Ed Norton, Jr. version of The Incredible Hulk. I watched the Ang Lee version some time ago, and was not particularly impressed, so I was happy to find this newer one to be a better handling of the character. I'd rather watch Jennifer Connelly than Liv Tyler, but Liv honestly does a better job and the chemistry between her and Ed Norton is much more believable than the Jennifer Connelly/Eric Bana relationship.

My favorite part of the writing was dealing with General Ross as a complete, unrepentant jerk of marginal competence. The man doesn't catch a break through the entire film, and every choice he makes is the wrong one. Even so, William Hurt is a really questionable casting decision; Hurt can play a jerk, but he doesn't project the kind of constant-hard-on machismo that Ross needs to present. The only thing that keeps him from being completely distracting is Tim Roth's "Blonsky," the Russian-born, English-raised, "on loan from the Royal Marines" soldier, who on a whim is given the secret US bioweapon treatment. As a package, it's all so phenomenally out of place and infeasible that it makes the cartoon physics and marginal CG fade into actual plausibility.

Still, start to finish it is a fun ride, and I felt more empathy for Banner and Betty than I expected. Rushed ending and forced "there may be a sequel" final sequence aside, I enjoyed it.

[brawndolicious]

^Did you watch the part after the credits?  That basically confirms a sequel.

[Great Rumbler]

Surrogates

Has some interesting ideas, but they never get fully developed. This is probably the biggest problem with mainstream scifi movies, they drop a few ideas and then move on to the next action scene. Surrogates isn't really any different in that regard, although the idea it does raise are, nevertheless, interesting. The action scenes are done well, but nothing particularly special or new. One of the best things about the movie was seeing how all the real people different in appearance from their surrogates, which often produced interesting and funny results. James Cromwell's character could have been interesting, but was ultimately very poorly handled. The ending was sloppy and not well thought out. Overall, decent, but fails to achieve its full potential.

[Phoenix Dark]

Serpico

I was kinda worried Always Sunny had ruined the film for me, but I really liked it lol. Awesome movie

And holy shit, it seems like Pacino could do no wrong in the 70s 

[twerd]

i liked HoV better as a movie than as a graphic novel. same with road to perdition.

[Great Rumbler]

To be fair, Pandorum does seem to bear a close resemblance to Event Horizon and Alien/Alien 3. Also, Dead Space.

Surrogates is nothing at all like Blade Runner, other than that it deals with humans and humanoid robots. In the case of Surrogate, though, the robots are directly controller by a human user.

[Third]

Let the right one in

Best vampire movie ever. Watch it. Wow.
It's a 2008 release. But it's my best movie of this year, since I've seen it this year for the first time.
The movie is pure magic, imo.

[fistfulofmetal]

Watched Star Trek

good movie. Zoe is pretty stunning. Great special effects. Great action scenes. wtf Cloverfield monster on the ice planet. Fuzzy time travel plot. Oh god Zoe is beautiful.

B+

[Third]

Who was zoe again? I think i'm becoming gay for chris pine.

[fistfulofmetal]

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Let the right one in

Best vampire movie ever. Watch it. Wow.
It's a 2008 release. But it's my best movie of this year, since I've seen it this year for the first time.
The movie is pure magic, imo.

I keep reading this over and over again.  I guess I'll give it another shot.  This will be the third time I've tried to watch it....I've always lost interest like about 30 min into the thing.

[Third]

Yeah, Zoe is hot. That's not really a good picture of her though 

I've never watched a single Star Trek episode. Does her character really fall in love with Spock? Such a weird ass couple.

Let the right one in

Best vampire movie ever. Watch it. Wow.
It's a 2008 release. But it's my best movie of this year, since I've seen it this year for the first time.
The movie is pure magic, imo.

I keep reading this over and over again.  I guess I'll give it another shot.  This will be the third time I've tried to watch it....I've always lost interest like about 30 min into the thing.

Well, you could always wait for the American remake. It's planned for next year and will be called "Let me in"

spoiler (click to show/hide)

and will probably be very shitty

[close]

[Great Rumbler]

Primer.

Eh. I felt that it would have been stronger if stuff was explained better. It was a great concept, but there was very little in the way of a coherent plot.

I understand practically none of it the first time through. But watching it a second time made a lot of the scene make more sense.

[CajoleJuice]

Does anyone else get really annoyed when movie critics name-drop every film that bears a marginal resemblance to the film that they're reviewing? Every review of Pandorum that I've read mentions Alien and Event Horizon and basically call the film a big mishmash, and a lot of the Surrogates reviews mention Blade Runner and other films in a similar way. It's pretty damned annoying. From what I've read, the premises of the films in question aren't very similar at all to the films they're accused of being derivative of. I understand that people like to point out similarities, but this kind of thing should be reserved for cases when the premises actually are nearly identical, such as with The Last Samurai and Dances With Wolves (and possibly Avatar), or when entire sequences are blatantly ripped off, such as with Doomsday and The Road Warrior. Just for once I'd like to read a review of a sci/fi monster movie that doesn't mention Aliens, to give an example. So many stories have been told at this point that it's nearly impossible for anything to be completely original, even if the storyteller is trying to be so. I inadvertently wrote a story that shares many similarities with the movie "9" over a year before I had even heard of that movie, for Christ's sake.

Preemptive damage control, huh?

I also need to watch Primer again. Such a mindfuck.

[fistfulofmetal]

Yeah, Zoe is hot. That's not really a good picture of her though 

yer crazy. she looks great.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

.

Let the right one in

Best vampire movie ever. Watch it. Wow.
It's a 2008 release. But it's my best movie of this year, since I've seen it this year for the first time.
The movie is pure magic, imo.

I keep reading this over and over again.  I guess I'll give it another shot.  This will be the third time I've tried to watch it....I've always lost interest like about 30 min into the thing.

Well, you could always wait for the American remake. It's planned for next year and will be called "Let me in"

spoiler (click to show/hide)

and will probably be very shitty

[close]

Well, I did like Quarantine......lol

I've put in back in my queue.  I'll probably give it another go tomorrow instead of watching the Seahawks lose.

[Raban]

Saw these two movies:



Both were excellent.

[TakingBackSunday]

Whip It...excellent?

[Raban]

Whip It...excellent?

It's not fine cinema, obviously. But I came out of the theatre thoroughly entertained. My favorite film is Tron ffs, I'm easy to please.

[Bildi]

Oldboy

A Korean flick where a guy gets locked up in a room for 15 years and when he's let out he goes on a vendetta to find out why.

It was... weird.  But entertaining and very well done in places.  There's an impressive fight sequence where he takes out a bunch of guys in a corridor with the camera viewing from the side "through the wall" and the camera angle never changes or cuts so it would have been done in one take.

[The Fake Shemp]

That's kind of an iconic scene, Bildi. I can't tell you how many people have ripped it off over the years.

[Bildi]

Oh.

[Raban]

There's a thread on GAF where I compared Oldboy to Crank and basically disapproved of the movie because no real vengeance was carried out. I've gone back to the movie recently and while I still enjoy it, I can better phrase why I'm not too fond of it: none of the characters are likeable. In the end I didn't really give a shit about any of the characters because all of them were either boring or worthless. The cinematography is genius, and so is the music, but the writing is cringe worthy sometimes and the plot is a contrived version of Dumas' classic.

I'm sure my opinion holds no weight by now though, having invalidated it time and time again in other film discussions :'( 

[The Fake Shemp]

I'm sure my opinion holds no weight by now though, having invalidated it time and time again in other film discussions :'( 

Pretty much!

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I'm sure my opinion holds no weight by now though, having invalidated it time and time again in other film discussions :'( 

I didn't care for it either.

I remember making a thread over at GAF a couple years ago about not enjoying it and it was like throwing shit into a fan.  People were not happy with that. 

Isn't there supposed to be a Hollywood version of Oldboy coming out sometime in the near future?  Seems like I remember reading an article about one being made awhile back.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm sure my opinion holds no weight by now though, having invalidated it time and time again in other film discussions :'( 

 

Isn't there supposed to be a Hollywood version of Oldboy coming out sometime in the near future?  Seems like I remember reading an article about one being made awhile back.

An American remake has been knocked around [with Spielberg as director], but I don't think anything tangible has come of it yet.

[Raban]

I'm sure my opinion holds no weight by now though, having invalidated it time and time again in other film discussions :'( 

I didn't care for it either.

I remember making a thread over at GAF a couple years ago about not enjoying it and it was like throwing shit into a fan.  People were not happy with that. 

Isn't there supposed to be a Hollywood version of Oldboy coming out sometime in the near future?  Seems like I remember reading an article about one being made awhile back.

Will Smith was attached, last I heard.

[ManaByte]

Mel Gibson will star in "The Beaver" for director Jodie Foster.
The script, written by Kyle Killen, topped the Blacklist in December.

Gibson will play a depressed man who finds solace in wearing a beaver hand-puppet. On top of helming, Foster will play the role of the man’s wife.

Foster boarded the project and brought it to Gibson, with whom she co-starred in 1994's "Maverick."

Anonymous Content's Steve Golin and Keith Redmon will produce the film. Producers are pushing for a September start date in New York.

Financing for the $18 million-$19 million pic has yet to be finalized. A studio could pick up the project or it could go the indie route, as Golin did with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Babel."

It's possible that Gibson's production company Icon could get involved in some way. Icon has distribution shingles in territories such as the U.K. and Australia.

Project had several star and director combos circling -- including Steve Carell and Jay Roach -- over the past several months.

Pic brings Foster back to feature directing for the third time, after 1991's "Little Man Tate" and 1995's "Home for the Holidays."



TL;DR version = Mel Gibson is in Jodie Foster's Beaver.

[Diunx]

For fistful:
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/20/script-for-aronofskys-black-swan-is-very-intriguingwith-a-quiet-slow-burn/

(Spoiler warning: Since this article is based on a script review, there are spoilers all over, even before the jump. You’re warned.)

There’s a review of Mark Heyman’s script for Black Swan, soon to be a Darren Aronofsky film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, over at ScriptShadow. There’s a lot of detail there and some good analysis, but the piece opens with a huge bit of salesmanship that will likely get at least half our readers interested in the film really, really fast: “in this movie, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have sex…And not just nice sweet innocent sex either. We’re talking ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex.” Does that make all you puerile bastards more interested in a movie about ballerinas? Yeah, I thought so. More after the break.

I don’t always agree with the take of Carson at ScriptShadow, but I at least get where he’s coming from. And in this case, I’m intrigued by the premise and description. Basically, Black Swan sounds like it could be a Don’t Look Now sort of piece — ‘quiet slow burn’ sounds really appropriate, and I’d love to see Aronofsky make that work on screen. He can nail things this script suggests: soft tension, an increasing lack of trust in your own perception, a shaken sense of identity.

We’ve previously run this description: Portman is a veteran ballerina who finds herself locked in to a competitive showdown with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance. Portman’s character is not sure whether her rival is a supernatural apparition or if she is having delusions.

Based on this review, that sounds more or less right. Portman’s character, Nina, is angling for the lead role in Swan Lake, where she’d have to play two halves of one being, the ‘White’ and the ‘Black’. Nina’s overtly sweet nature makes the White a snap, but her director has doubts about her ability with the dark side, and Nina struggles to find the right darkness. Then, as ScriptShadow summarizes:

    …she begins noticing another girl around town and at the ballet company who looks exactly like her. But not just “exactly.” We’re talking identical. Yet every time Nina tries to get close, the girl turns away or hides her face. Finally, Nina meets this mysterious doppelganger after rehearsal. Her name is Lily. And while she definitely looks like Nina, she’s by no means an identical replica. Was it Nina’s imagination perhaps?

Nina and Lily begin to revolve around each other, and in her mind Nina’s identity begins to blur with Lily’s. One thing ScriptShadow notes is that the script really takes its time. The thing is 130 pages long, and a good chunk of that is evidently dedicated to creating moments and observing very small action. On the page that probably seems indulgent, but that’s the sort of thing I can see Aronofsky knowing how to work. He’s no slouch when it comes to timing and understanding how a subtle moment can change the tone of a scene. Oh, right, and then there’s the sex. You’re probably already thinking Requiem For A Dream, and who am I to stop you?

The film was put into turnaround by Universal two years ago before Portman’s interest and The Wrestler’s success helped revive it, and is currently a total independent production. Fox Searchlight may come on board to distribute. Filming will hopefully begin in the fall in New York City.

Movie of the millennium?

[chronovore]

That came out a few months ago in Japan, and was being used to push the PS3. It felt a bit disingenuous because, well, "HERE! Watch this HD game(-based movie) on a PS3; these are the game characters you love, and WOW look at the graphics!"

Even so, I want to see it. I liked the first Biohazard movie just fine, probably because I'm not a fan of the game series. On the other hand, I want to see Degeneration, provided it gets a rental release over here.

[Diunx]

The guy playing Eric in true blood should have played Thor, he is fucking huge and even looks Swedish.

[Solo]

The Brothers Bloom was pretty fucking great - and I hated Rian Johnson's first movie, Brick. This one wasnt built on a gimmick, had a really unique flavour to it, took some refreshing turns, and was just a lot of fun. This is also about the third different movie that I fell in love with Rachel Weisz while watching.

[ManaByte]

A Team!

http://www.wwtdd.com/2009/10/first-look-at-the-new-a-team/

[Great Rumbler]

A Team!

http://www.wwtdd.com/2009/10/first-look-at-the-new-a-team/

I'm not too big on this, but it looks like they've got a pretty good cast for the A-Team themselves.

[Raban]

I don't really understand why they didn't just use Mr. T, but the dude they cast looks badass, so I don't care anymore. I've never seen a single A-Team episode so I probably won't catch that one in theatres.

[Raban]

THE INVENTION OF LYING OMG SO PSYCHED

Will post impressions later tonight

[Tauntaun]

I don't really understand why they didn't just use Mr. T, but the dude they cast looks badass, so I don't care anymore. I've never seen a single A-Team episode so I probably won't catch that one in theatres.

I PITY THE FOOL!   

[ManaByte]

I don't really understand why they didn't just use Mr. T, but the dude they cast looks badass, so I don't care anymore. I've never seen a single A-Team episode so I probably won't catch that one in theatres.

I PITY THE FOOL!   

He was born in the 90s. What do you expect? A-Team is the 80s.

[Raban]

I don't really understand why they didn't just use Mr. T, but the dude they cast looks badass, so I don't care anymore. I've never seen a single A-Team episode so I probably won't catch that one in theatres.

I PITY THE FOOL!   

He was born in the 90s. What do you expect? A-Team is the 80s.

Only missed it by a few years, too.

[Tauntaun]

No excuses! 

[Great Rumbler]

Wait, we have people here that were born in the 90's? Boo! Go away, youngins!

[Mr. Gundam]

Wait, we have people here that were born in the 90's? Boo! Go away, youngins!

Hell, I'm still weirded out by people born in the mid-80s.

[Raban]

I was born in the 90's and have enjoyed many episodes of the A Team and Macgyver.

I'll eventually catch up.

Wait, we have people here that were born in the 90's? Boo! Go away, youngins!

Hell, I'm still weirded out by people born in the mid-80s.

Gimme a break

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Great Rumbler]

Wait, we have people here that were born in the 90's? Boo! Go away, youngins!

Isn't it time for your nap, oldman?

Back when I was your age, we respected our elders!

[Great Rumbler]

Where's my dadgum pills?!

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Just got back from the Toy Story 1 & 2 double feature. I hadn't seen the movies in years, and they really hold up. They're both still pretty funny, and the 3D was great. Good value too.

[Raban]

Invention of Lying was good. Kind of shit ending. But good stuff. Awesome nod to Extras in it.

[Bebpo]

Rudo Y Cursi

The main overall plot arc is very stereotypical of small town kid rise to fame sports film, but the characters and rivalry of the two brothers within that still make it an enjoyable film.  Plus it's about soccer and soccer is awesome.

[Bebpo]

Eastern Promises

My brother complained the movie was predictable as fuck, thus sucked. Meh, I definitely saw most of the plot coming a mile away but this is still a great movie. Viggo is fuck awesome. Nice shots, and the violence feels...real.

way better than history of violence

Dude, you're insane.

History of Violence is entertaining but not much more.  Eastern Promises is A+++++ excellent film.  Probably my favorite Cronenberg film.  It has a greaaaaaaaat story and excellent acting & direction.

[Bebpo]

The Brothers Bloom was pretty fucking great - and I hated Rian Johnson's first movie, Brick. This one wasnt built on a gimmick, had a really unique flavour to it, took some refreshing turns, and was just a lot of fun. This is also about the third different movie that I fell in love with Rachel Weisz while watching.

I love Brick and so I was disappointed with Bloom when in it came out in theaters.  It's a good film and the ending was great, but I didn't like the characters much.  Will probably give it a 2nd chance on blu-ray because there were a lot of things I liked about the film.

[chronovore]

Watched Hancock finally. That movie really, really doesn't know what it wants to be. I get the feeling it was re-edited a few times for different demographics, leaving some interesting stuff on the cutting room floor. It felt like it might have gone the direction of Luna Bros THE SWORD, but chickens out. All in all, the finished product is like someone in hollywood said, "Let's make a superhero movie... but shoot it like the submarine sequences in Hunt for Red October." Gimmicky, lame, and shallow.

[The Fake Shemp]

Hancock would have been awesome as a hard R-rated film about a superhero addicted to drugs and alcohol.

[Barry Egan]

Fucking awesome!!!