[Scullibundo]

Theatrical cut of Fellowship is better in almost every way. The Two Towers extended is the only good extended version IMO.

I feel the exact opposite. Fellowship extended is leagues better and TT theatrical is my preference.

[Net_Wrecker]

Chronicle (2012) (Josh Trank): That was better than I thought it would be, but the whole handheld camera thing put me off the longer it went. Just....what's the point? Oh the camera's somehow always in the right spot? Oh and there's conveniently another person filming in the movie so we get her point of view too? Oh then we start seeing security footage, police footage, news footage etc. etc. as the story goes into its home stretch? It just became too convenient, and I thought they could've done a lot more with the characters and the use of their powers had they dropped the gimmick after a while. Blair Witch? Okay. Cloverfield? Alright, whatever. THIS? I thought detracted from the experience.

Next time someone wants to make superpower origin story + Akira, just film it normally pls thx.

[afternoon delight]

The Thing (Prequel) - I figured what the hell, it's a story with more "thing" action in it, I have nothing to lose. Except my time. I didn't like a lot of it, and by the end was waiting for it to just stop. The ending credits using the original music only reinforced for me how lame, unnecessary, and forgettable this prequel was.

[KrymynalChylde]

Brokeback Mountain

Sad, depressing movie with good performances, just as I figured it would be.
Question though

When Ennis learns of Jack's death, is it only in his mind that he gets murdered like the old man in his story? Or is the flashback actually what happened?

[Foliorum Viridum]

God Bless America.

Funny, shocking in spots and quite an interesting look at the modern society and the flaws within it. The central performances were really good, especially from the girl, but I felt it dragged quite a bit in the last 20 or 30 minutes. It also has huge morality issues and I'm not sure if a lot of the things I took issue with were intentional or if it was just highly flawed.

A fun film that gets less good when you think about the messages it gives.

[Salvor.Hardin]

Chronicle (2012) (Josh Trank): That was better than I thought it would be, but the whole handheld camera thing put me off the longer it went. Just....what's the point? Oh the camera's somehow always in the right spot? Oh and there's conveniently another person filming in the movie so we get her point of view too? Oh then we start seeing security footage, police footage, news footage etc. etc. as the story goes into its home stretch? It just became too convenient, and I thought they could've done a lot more with the characters and the use of their powers had they dropped the gimmick after a while. Blair Witch? Okay. Cloverfield? Alright, whatever. THIS? I thought detracted from the experience. Next time someone wants to make superpower origin story + Akira, just film it normally pls thx.

I think the concept made a lot of sense. Superheroes are fantastical by nature, but the cinematic direction found in big budget Hollywood superhero films can often detract from the potential awe of what super heroes do. The pedestrian perspective that can be captured from a handheld camera makes it possible to provide a more realistic representation of what it feels like to actually witness such anomalies but not be part of them. There's something to be said about the differences between understanding and following Superman, and merely living in a world where Superman is real. It's the same difference between the graphic novels Kingdom Come and Marvels.

Unfortunately the talent and budget wasn't entirely supportive of this endeavour. Having said that, I still enjoyed the movie.

[BaronLundi]

Adventures of Tintin
Best adaptation of the comics (which isn't saying much) and great looking CGI. That's about it. Non stop action is pretty boring (and missing the point).

Haddock is off (why did they make him have such a big head?). Dupondt are off (they don't have such fat faces).

There was no need to take bits and pieces of every book if you were gonna leave out the best parts of the main story.

Should have been in French (Haddock as a scotsman wtf ?! And the swearing is so much better in French) although I totally understand why it's not.

The last straw : the voices were not the same as in the book.

Overall very disappointing.

[Net_Wrecker]

I think the concept made a lot of sense. Superheroes are fantastical by nature, but the cinematic direction found in big budget Hollywood superhero films can often detract from the potential awe of what super heroes do. The pedestrian perspective that can be captured from a handheld camera makes it possible to provide a more realistic representation of what it feels like to actually witness such anomalies but not be part of them. There's something to be said about the differences between understanding and following Superman, and merely living in a world where Superman is real. It's the same difference between the graphic novels Kingdom Come and Marvels. Unfortunately the talent and budget wasn't entirely supportive of this endeavour. Having said that, I still enjoyed the movie.

I'm not saying it should've been shot normally with pristine precision to make us feel above the situation, but there are ways to get the "right there" handheld style across without literally filming from a character POV handheld camera. There are times in the movie where the angles basically become "over the shoulder" follow shots like when he robbed those guys on his block, or robbed the store and for a few moments the movie almost forgot what it was doing, and I thought those moments worked extremely well. It got to a point at the end though where the POV shots felt more like a gimmick that pulled me out of the experience. IDK, it just didn't work for me.

[TheKaeptain]

Adventures of Tintin Best adaptation of the comics (which isn't saying much) and great looking CGI. That's about it. Non stop action is pretty boring (and missing the point). Haddock is off (why did they make him have such a big head?). Dupondt are off (they don't have such fat faces). There was no need to take bits and pieces of every book if you were gonna leave out the best parts of the main story. Should have been in French (Haddock as a scotsman wtf ?! And the swearing is so much better in French) although I totally understand why it's not. The last straw : the voices were not the same as in the book. Overall very disappointing.

That was the biggest problem I had with it.

[harSon]

Extended. Weirdly enough it didn't feel like it moved slow, on the contrary, it felt like it moved to fast at times. With that said, I wouldn't want it to be longer. I don't know, there's something weird about it. Maybe it's some parts dragging that makes other parts feel too fast.

Did you watch it at the Del Mar in Santa Cruz by any chance?

[&Divius]

Chronicle - I guess at one point everyone has dreamed about getting a superpower of sorts, and this movie handles the big 'what if' pretty well, yet I feel like the full potential was not reached. The main character was kind of a little bitch. 6.5/10
The Bridge on the River Kwai - Gorgeous and brilliant in every aspect. Especially loved the ending. 9/10
Lethal Weapon 2 - The bigger budget compared to LW1 was very noticeable with more explosions, car chases and destroyed buildings, and although it was enjoyable, it wasn't as much fun as the first one. 6.5/10
Intouchables - Probably the feel-good movie of the year. 7/10
Inglourious Basterds - Love the opening scene and Waltz in general, didn't care as much for the segments with the 'Basterds' themselves. Liked it more than the first time (that experience was partly ruined by annoying people in the theater) 7.5/10
Vargtimmen AKA The Hour of the Wolf - This did not do much for me. Some of the disturbing/creepy imagery was good, but other than that I did not feel captivated at all. 5/10

[Foliorum Viridum]

Lethal Weapon 2 was letdown by their desire to tie in the death of Riggs' wife into the story. I've always hated that part of it.

[&Divius]

Yes, that was pretty farfetched. Muhaha, we are ze bad guys and yes! we also killed you wife some years ago!

[BaronLundi]

Fish Tank
Disturbingly great. Excellent acting from everyone. Fassbender almost had me fooled.

[otake]

Same. I sometimes have to force myself to watch new stuff, or movies I've had on the backburner for a while because I just enjoy rewatching certain movies so much. Pulp Fiction and the Back To The Future trilogy might be my worst offenders. Not only have I had both on numerous forms of home media, but I also stop to watch them ANYTIME I see them on TV.

A great movie for me is one I typically watch more than once. A great movie rewards multiple viewings, this isn't to say you need to watch it 10 times and it isn't an absolute rule.

[sixteen-bit]

Horrible Bosses. It was cute I guess.

[Scullibundo]

Adventures of Tintin Best adaptation of the comics (which isn't saying much) and great looking CGI. That's about it. Non stop action is pretty boring (and missing the point). Haddock is off (why did they make him have such a big head?). Dupondt are off (they don't have such fat faces). There was no need to take bits and pieces of every book if you were gonna leave out the best parts of the main story. Should have been in French (Haddock as a scotsman wtf ?! And the swearing is so much better in French) although I totally understand why it's not. The last straw : the voices were not the same as in the book. Overall very disappointing.

Sounds like you should have just watched the French release.

Divius: LW2 is great. It is the last film where Riggs is actually a lethal weapon. The scene where he's carrying Rika's corpse up and down the beach destroyed me as a kid.

It's part of the reason I so desperately want to read the script Shane Black's script for LW5 (he wrote LW1 and the story for LW2). I want to see the mad dog Riggs that called Shadow company 'pussies' return.

[Ether_Snake]

Chronicle - I guess at one point everyone has dreamed about getting a superpower of sorts, and this movie handles the big 'what if' pretty well, yet I feel like the full potential was not reached. The main character was kind of a little bitch. 6.5/10 The Bridge on the River Kwai - Gorgeous and brilliant in every aspect. Especially loved the ending. 9/10 Lethal Weapon 2 - The bigger budget compared to LW1 was very noticeable with more explosions, car chases and destroyed buildings, and although it was enjoyable, it wasn't as much fun as the first one. 6.5/10 Intouchables - Probably the feel-good movie of the year. 7/10 Inglourious Basterds - Love the opening scene and Waltz in general, didn't care as much for the segments with the 'Basterds' themselves. Liked it more than the first time (that experience was partly ruined by annoying people in the theater) 7.5/10 Vargtimmen AKA The Hour of the Wolf - This did not do much for me. Some of the disturbing/creepy imagery was good, but other than that I did not feel captivated at all. 5/10

Oh don't get me started on Inglorious Basterds. Typical "I'm writing a bunch of stuff and jam it together" stuff from Tarantino. The Basterds part was completely 100% useless. The Shoshana story stands completely on its own. In fact neither side ever interact with one another. The movie should have been all about Shoshana, it was a lot more interesting. Basterds should have been something else entirely, Tarantino could have done a real WWII movie if he wanted to that was actually about the war, but the basterds had nothing to add to Shoshana's story.

[Schweini]

Mystic River: It's probably my favorite Clint Eastwood movie now. Just thoroughly awesome. I think everyone was certain since the start that Dave had killed her. It was a nice surprise in the end, and didn't feel forced or anything, like in most movies that have the same premise. But shouldn't Sean had arrested Jimmy for confessing he killed Dave?

9.0

[Scullibundo]

Oh don't get me started on Inglorious Basterds. Typical "I'm writing a bunch of stuff and jam it together" stuff from Tarantino. The Basterds part was completely 100% useless. The Shoshana story stands completely on its own. In fact neither side ever interact with one another. The movie should have been all about Shoshana, it was a lot more interesting. Basterds should have been something else entirely, Tarantino could have done a real WWII movie if he wanted to that was actually about the war, but the basterds had nothing to add to Shoshana's story.

As far as I can remember, originally the film WAS all about the war when he was first talking about it. Those were back in the days when he wanted Arnold, Sly and Bruce Willis to headline the Basterds, though.

[Borgnine]

Brokeback Mountain Question though When Ennis learns of Jack's death, is it only in his mind that he gets murdered like the old man in his story? Or is the flashback actually what happened?

It's in his mind, though I think they chose "killed by an exploding tire" because it sounds like a load of horeshit.

[BaronLundi]

Sounds like you should have just watched the French release.

I watch movies in their original language, no exception. Wouldn't have saved it anyway.

[JB1981]

Mystic River: It's probably my favorite Clint Eastwood movie now. Just thoroughly awesome. I think everyone was certain since the start that Dave had killed her. It was a nice surprise in the end, and didn't feel forced or anything, like in most movies that have the same premise. But shouldn't Sean had arrested Jimmy for confessing he killed Dave? 9.0

He didn't kill her though and I'm pretty sure Sean will be going after Dave. I kind of don't like Mystic River, think it's pretentious and over acted. Laura Linney's Shakespearan monologue about Dave being a King and owning the town was so over the top and not something anyone in real life would have said. And give me a break the guy is a loser who owns a corner store in a shithole Boston neighborhood. He's a nobody.

[icarus-daedelus]

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck walking around in a desert for the entire movie. I have never even watched it, too scared.

This is like one of my most hated movies ever.

10 minute shots of clouds...10 minute shots of clouds. Fuck you, Gus van Sant.

[TheKaeptain]

He didn't kill her though and I'm pretty sure Sean will be going after Dave. I kind of don't like Mystic River, think it's pretentious and over acted. Laura Linney's Shakespearan monologue about Dave being a King and owning the town was so over the top and not something anyone in real life would have said. And give me a break the guy is a loser who owns a corner store in a shithole Boston neighborhood. He's a nobody.

Would you mind explaining to me why it is pretentious?

[JB1981]

Would you mind explaining to me why it is pretentious?

i already did read above

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Mystic River sucks. Over-the-top scenery chewing from Sean Penn, an almost entirely forgettable script, stupid BS like the "you're a king" monologue that was both poorly written and made no sense in context, etc.

[Schweini]

Nah, it was drama at it's finest. If we want to talk about an overrated movie by Clint Easwtood, look no further: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105695/

The 'King' dialogue happens in the last scene of the movie. Annabeth said it because her husband had just confessed he killed a man to protect their family. I see no problem in saying that.
Btw, Laura Linney is so hot.

[TheKaeptain]

^MOTHERFUCKING WHAT!?

i already did read above

Nothing you said has anything to do with the word you used.

[JB1981]

^MOTHERFUCKING WHAT!? Nothing you said has anything to do with the word you used.

This is only a portion of Laura Linney's monologue but it is the very definition of pretentious:

Jimmy: I killed Dave. I killed him and I threw him into Mystic. But I killed the wrong man. That's what I've done. And I can't undo it. Annabeth: Shh, Jimmy. Shh. I wanna feel your heart. Last night, when I put the girls to bed, I told them how big your heart was. I told them how much you loved Katie. Jimmy: Annabeth. Annabeth: Because you created her. And, sometimes your love for her was so big, it was like your heart felt like it was gonna explode. Jimmy: Please stop. Annabeth: I told them their daddy loved them that much, too. That he had four hearts and they were all filled up and aching with a love that meant we would never have to worry. And that their daddy would do whatever he had to for those he loved. And that is never wrong. That can never be wrong, no matter what he had to do. And those girls fell asleep in peace.

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Mystic River ain't drama. It's melodrama, plain and simple, the sort that requires the characters to do the dumbest possible thing in order to propel the action forward. It's also rather poorly-filmed, though that's not uncommon at all for Eastwood, at least in the modern day, where muddy lighting apparent = grit, or something.

Also, that "you're a king" speech is A) terribly written unto itself, B) poorly delivered, since Laura Linney's character and accent were underdeveloped, and C) from a character that had pretty much nothing of any consequence to do throughout the rest of the film, thus undermining any possible resonance that it could have had. But, much worse, it has pretty much nothing to do with the rest of the film! It's a cloying attempt at poetry from a film that does nothing to earn it.

That's not to even mention all the hammy acting ("IS DAT MY DAUGHTA IN DER!!!???"), cliches (Kevin Bacon is a cop with a cool black partner nicknamed Whitey? Really?), inconsistencies (the daughter was killed in an accident, but as I recall, there was mention at some point that the body showed signs of abuse, which is a rather obvious example of a red herring thrown in even though it makes no sense), and the assorted other things that are wrong with it. It's not outright offensively bad the way Million Dollar Baby is, but it's nowhere near real drama.

[JB1981]

Nah, it was drama at it's finest. If we want to talk about an overrated movie by Clint Easwtood, look no further: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105695/ The 'King' dialogue happens in the last scene of the movie. Annabeth said it because her husband had just confessed he killed a man to protect their family. I see no problem in saying that. Btw, Laura Linney is so hot.

The problem is it reads like it was written by a screenwriter trying to give an actor her "oscar' moment. It is completely out of character and at odds with the realism is the movie is going for. When a real-life character suddenly starts speaking like he/she is in a shakespearan drama it breaks the immersion and becomes pretentious.

[TheKaeptain]

This is only a portion of Laura Linney's monologue but it is the very definition of pretentious:

That makes the character pretentious (which is the point as Snowy said it is melodrama) not the movie. A movie can't be pretentious. A director can be. An actor can be. But a movie can't.

[StuBurns]

Pretension is a false sense of importance, I think a film can have that.

[JB1981]

That makes the character pretentious (which is the point as Snowy said it is melodrama) not the movie. A movie can't be pretentious. A director can be. An actor can be. But a movie can't.

Movies are an art form. Art can be pretentious. You're wrong.

[EliCash]

So I finally watched A Clockwork Orange properly for the first time (had only seen bits before) since someone gave me the blu-ray. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it. I'm not the biggest Kubrick fan, but I've been thinking about it for around two days so I guess that's a compliment to him.

Looking forward to Eyes Wide Shut. Unpopular opinion time but The Shining is the only film of his that I outright love.

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Uh, what? A movie can be pretentious, for the reason that StuBurns said. It's not just an adjective used to describe people.

[daviyoung]

Looking forward to Eyes Wide Shut. Unpopular opinion time but The Shining is the only film of his that I outright love.

Have you seen Dr Strangelove?

[StuBurns]

2001 is my favorite, but I'd actually put Lolita second I think.

[EliCash]

Have you seen Dr Strangelove?

Like most Kubrick's yes but I was too young to appreciate it, so I'll be watching it after Eyes Wide Shut to give it a fair go. Same with Spartacus. Then The Killing and Lolita which I haven't seen.

[UrbanRats]

Pretension is a false sense of importance, I think a film can have that.

Uh, what? A movie can be pretentious, for the reason that StuBurns said. It's not just an adjective used to describe people.

I'd agree with this, but then again, whenever a film is or isn't saying something relevant is also subjective to the viewer (something can be obvious and trite to you, and completely blow my mind) so you can only end up measuring this pretentiousness from the creator's intentions, i'm thinking.
Or does a film become pretentious, once you expand your culture?
EDIT: Not only culture, but also personal emotional experiences can factor in, of course.

[Mondriaan]

This past Friday I saw Safe and Think Like a Man.

Most of what I liked about Safe was how very little was outright explained, which provides a stark contrast to TLaM where there is a narrator who tells you what's going on throughout the movie, just in case you weren't paying attention. Safe reminded me why I prefer action movies to be rated R, at any rate.

TLaM had its moments, but I feel like it was shilling for Harvey's book and Harvey really struck me as a smug bastard in every appearance he made in the movie.

[Diseased Yak]

A Prophet - One of the best movies I've seen this year. Really, really loved it from start to finish. There's a few nits to pick, but overall, just incredible. Nothing is ever handed to the viewer. How does Malik feel about the things he has to do? He's obviously haunted by them. The (mid-movie plot spoiler) murder in the cell that he was forced into doing was one of the most brutally filmed things I've seen in a while.

I struggled with the race dynamic at first, not really understanding why the Corsicans would hate on the "Arabs", as they called them. Quickly, though, you get the gist of it, and why Malik straddles the line between the two, which for most of the movie isn't a good thing, as he's not accepted by anyone. I loved Niels Arestrup's turn as Cesar Luciani. So bad ass, yet tragic.

9/10

[TheKaeptain]

Pretension is a false sense of importance, I think a film can have that.

Glad to know that their are some films out there that thought so highly of themselves that they willed themselves into being.

A film is nothing more than pictures edited together to tell a story. They're not self-aware. The false sense is instilled by the person behind it not the film it self.

[StuBurns]

Glad to know that their are some films out there that thought so highly of themselves that they willed themselves into being. A film is nothing more than pictures edited together to tell a story. They're not self-aware. The false sense is instilled by the person behind it not the film it self.

People don't will themselves into existence either. Maybe it's finally time for the birds and bees talk...

It's true a film does not have intent, but the creator does, and if the film contains an attempt at something designed to impress, of which it fails, it, as an artifact, is pretentious. To say a film can't be pretentious is like saying a clock can't be ostentatious.

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Glad to know that their are some films out there that thought so highly of themselves that they willed themselves into being. A film is nothing more than pictures edited together to tell a story. They're not self-aware. The false sense is instilled by the person behind it not the film it self.

They're not self-aware, but art is usually referred to as having a life outside of its creator. And if a film affects depth or profundity but has neither, then it is *gasp* pretentious.

I'm honestly a bit shocked that I have to defend the idea that a work of art can be pretentious. An artist behind a film can be pretentious, sure, but once they release that work into the world, it is its own thing, independent. Yes, the artist is the REASON that it's pretentious, but the pretense of the artist and the pretense of the film are separate things.

[Liquidsnake]

Safe:Jason Stathem Pretty good. some funny moments, lots of action. 7/10

For the love of all that is holy can Hollywood please take the god damn shaky cam BS and send it to hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This movie is riddled with shaky cam, I get so pissed.

[Superx]

What movie is it?

[StuBurns]

Mississippi Mermaid

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Rewatched Pan's Labyrinth last week.

I was conflicted. One the one hand, the creature design is still fantastic. The movie is still really good-looking. Some of the acting is still very good. But at the same time, I felt this time like the blurring between fantasy and reality was actually quite clumsy.

The start of the movie zooms into her eyeball, which cinematically signals that what is about to follow takes place within her mind/memory. Given the synchronicity between aspects of her "real life" and the fantasy (such as the two drops of blood for the mandrake root paralleling the two drops of sedatives that the mom has to take, those sorts of things), one would come to the conclusion that the movie is an attempt by a young girl surrounded by violence and pain to make sense of the most recent period of her life by delving into the fantasy that she loves very dearly. At the same time, though, the movie cuts quite often to scenes featuring the captain and the rebels, which are A) far more violent than I think a young girl disconnected from reality would want to imagine, B) things that she could not possibly have known, and C) of no interest to a girl of her age and disposition. Are those the director contrasting her fantasy with reality? If so, why position the whole thing as in her head or memory in the first place? And why have the "real-world" stuff so violent and gritty if you're not going to present it through the lens of more realistic and believable characterizations? I've read before that the movie started filming without a script, and if that's the case, then... it kinda makes sense.

Honestly, while I think the movie is effective in certain regards - and I would classify it as "good" overall - it's just too flawed in other respects for me to give it more than a slight recommendation. "The Spirit of the Beehive" is a much more deft, sensitive, and realistic representation of the ways in which childhood and fantasy intersect, at least from what I remember.