1056 replies to this topic

[Gojira007]

Rewatched 9 recently, having gotten it on DVD. I know a lot of people find it shallow, but it's honestly one of those Movies I enjoy more and more each time I see it, because I keep finding little details that eluded me the last time. I'm VERY excited to check out the Deleted Scenes section, too...

[Lord Exor]

Unfortunately, if you are an old-school Star Trek fan, you might not like this movie. This movie is pretty far removed from the premise and dynamics of the Star Trek we all know and love, but on its own, it was a pretty good action sci-fi flick.

Screw those guys, they're usually riding on the "DS9 sucks" bandwagon.

[fishtheimpaler]

Rewatched 9 recently, having gotten it on DVD. I know a lot of people find it shallow, but it's honestly one of those Movies I enjoy more and more each time I see it, because I keep finding little details that eluded me the last time. I'm VERY excited to check out the Deleted Scenes section, too...

I continue my assessment that 9 is the best possible film that you can make with absolutely zero effort at characterization

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, via Netflix download. Two brothers in need of cash hatch a scheme to rob their parents. Things Go From Bad To Worse, until the movie ends. Suffers a bit from time jumping and trying to carve up the story into sub-stories belonging to each of the brothers and their father; I thought it would have been better, had they been able to manage it, to just tell the story in straightforward chronological order. Things also get a little baroque by the end. But the story does a great job of capturing the dynamics of father-first son-second son, and the location scout and cinematographer did a great job of creating a sense of the different worlds in which the characters live. 7/10

[John Roberts]

Up

Ahhh, Pixar. They always go for the heart. Love this - SQUIRREL! Movie.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

^ Could not have posted a better review of that film myself.

[Vlad Yvhv]

Screw those guys, they're usually riding on the "DS9 sucks" bandwagon.

It's not a bandwagon. It's called reality. DS9 sucks more than any other Star Trek... They all kinda suck, but that one's outright boring.

An American Carol. D+. Good idear, but really not something anyone would wanna watch more than once. The best part is the zombie fight.

They're not people! They're the ACLU!

[Lord Exor]

Screw those guys, they're usually riding on the "DS9 sucks" bandwagon.

It's not a bandwagon. It's called reality. DS9 sucks more than any other Star Trek... They all kinda suck, but that one's outright boring.

An American Carol. D+. Good idear, but really not something anyone would wanna watch more than once. The best part is the zombie fight.

They're not people! They're the ACLU!

How can DS9 be the most boring when it has more action than any other Trek? What other Star Trek show has gargantuan space battles and war that lasts multiple seasons?

[Gojira007]

While The Next Generation is probably my sentimental favorite, I consider DS9 to be easily the best overall Trek series. Its more serialized nature, highly dynamic cast (seriously, compare ANY given character at the start of the show to that same character at its end; the evolution is mind-boggling), and a willingness to upset the Roddenberrian Utopia of the Star Trek universe worked together to create the most highly watchable 'Trek series in my opinion.

[fishtheimpaler]

I'm not an expert in this, but someone told me it was the most dynamic and dark Star Trek series because it was the one most ripping off Babylon 5, plot development for plot development, as they ran simultaneously?

Paranormal Activity: It's pretty good! Effectively puts the Activity you should look for into a series of dedicated long takes with a tremendous depth of field; in some ways very surprising in the way it decides to escalate. Also has a somewhat effective technique of designing the story so that the audience feels guilty for wanting to watch. Could've stood to make one of the characters less of a self-absorbed asshole to promote further audience identification (and audience guilt). Also needed to take the foot off the accelerator a little bit around the halfway point. 7/10

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

I needed to take some time away from the feature length drama I got caught writing. So I decided to sit through a butt-load of films, a pastime of which I have very uncharacteristically failed to do lately. Spoilers because I dislike the sight of walls of text.

The Fugitive [U.S., Andrew Davis, 1993, 130 minutes]

10/10

This movie was so good. Where do I start?

A man named Dr. Richard Kimble is falsely accused of killing his wife, and, after escaping the prison bus during a terrific train wreck, is chased by U.S. Marshals to be brought to "justice".

The movie works on so many levels. You really feel a sense of desperation from Harrison Ford's portrayal of the character Kimble, as he tries to hide from the authorities while trying to prove his innocents. And Tommy Lee Jones really makes this movie what it is, as his character constantly tries from different angels to get Kimble to reveal himself.

The script feels fresh and exciting, which was a feat considering it was so bad that most of it was changed the night before shooting. As a result, many of the movie's memorably lines were made up by the actors themselves.

Andrew Davis' theme in many of his film of the environment becoming a character within the film really plays helps pull this film from all of the other "missing persons" movies/shows released in the last two decades. And the music written by James Newton Howard brings out the cool, edgy, and exciting aspects of the chase.

It's a riveting example of a movie that doesn't do anything unique, but accomplishes everything very well.

Spirited Away [Japan, Hayao Miyazaki, 2002, 125 minutes]

10/10

I'm still kinda surprised that I actually took the time to see this film. I first saw this film as par a class project in film school to find examples of storyboards, and someone showed this film's storyboard reel in it's un-subbed Japanese language. I didn't care much for anime at the time (in fact I hated it), and that experience didn't make it any better.

But after discovering that some anime had desirable qualities, I gave this film another shot. It would be an understatement to say that I was impressed.

In this film, Hayao follows a 10 year old girl named Chihiro into the bath house of the gods in order to rescue her parents from their own mistake. Nothing is wasted in this film, as the director orchestrates all of the characters and events Chihiro encounters to undergo some well tuned character development.

The film really is a work of art. Everything from the set design to the color pallets used in both backgrounds and character designs work with the subdued lighting effects to create very inviting, and at times somewhat unsettling visuals.

Miyazaki has a strange way of viewing the spectacular in a way that doesn't distract from the film. He has a very honed technique of the spectacular working with the characters, rather than trying to balance the two as separate items. It's a quality that lacks in most modern films, and should quickly be realized before a studio becomes bankrupt over people tiring of shallow spectacle films.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time [Japan, Mamoru Hosoda, 2006, 98 minutes]

9.5/10

Wait. An anime about teenage school girls without fan service? Even with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto involved? Can there be such a thing? Will it be any good?

Yes.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is quite easily one of my top 5 favorite anime features ever. It tells the story of a girl named Makoto Konno who discovers she can literally leap through time by just, well, leaping. Instead of trying to do something crazy evil with it (like every other movie does), she merely decides to do things like get her pudding back that her sister ate on her, get extra time in the karaoke room that she only rented for an hour, not miss that last baseball pitch, and stuff like that. The problem starts when she finds that her meddling is causing everyone else grief.

The visuals are very pretty. It's the kind of animation that makes me feel like I'm breathing the same fresh air on a sunny day as the character is. And the voice performance felt very, very natural to me (referring, of course, to the original Japanese dub). There's a slight plot hole in the script, but who cares. Everything else, even the other script elements, is handled so beautifully that only the nitpickers who don't really like much of anything that isn't "x" will focus on it. (I've met them while discussing other issues. I've no idea what they like, but they sure complain a lot about everything.)

The film's climax weaves an appropriate roller coaster of emotions towards the end of the picture, and leaves you with a sense of "Awww..." when the credits roll.

The Secret of NIMH [U.S., Don Bluth, 1982, 82 minutes]

6.5/10 Stars

Don Bluth is probably the most misunderstood among marketing agencies. He's one of the few "children's films" director who touches on subjects kids really don't like, with some of his more memorable films dealing with the death or loss of a parent figure. (American Tale and The Land Before Time to name a couple.)

NIMH is no exception. It follows a mouse character named Mrs Brisby who struggles to keep her family alive after the death of her husband. In desperation, she turns to the mysterious Rats of NIMH to move her house out of the path of a tractor before harvest season concludes.

The story is rather darkly woven. Upon first viewing this film when I was 5 years old, many of the visuals seemed to be rather hellish in nature. The introduction of the wise old owl alone was enough to creep the living daylights out of me. Even when watching the film now, I am amused to think that it was marketed as a children's film.

Watching the movie, I can't help but feel distant from what was going on. But strangely enough, it didn't effect me in a bad way. It felt more like watching some horrible plot unfold from the sidelines and being helpless against it.

In the end, it's probably another animated film. But I seem to like how it doesn't apologize about unleashing the creepy and, at times, seizure-inducing visuals to younger audiences.

[Lord Exor]

I'm not an expert in this, but someone told me it was the most dynamic and dark Star Trek series because it was the one most ripping off Babylon 5, plot development for plot development, as they ran simultaneously?

Right. They share many similar elements, but aside from the basics, nothing that would qualify as a direct rip unless you start picking at straws. Your mileage may vary on which one was ultimately superior, but it's no secret that DS9 had a much more significant budget.

[Vlad Yvhv]

How can DS9 be the most boring when it has more action than any other Trek? What other Star Trek show has gargantuan space battles and war that lasts multiple seasons?

Personal preference and a general lack of actual stuff going on... All of the episodes I've ever seen are just drama aboard a space station. And I'm not into drama... The others're more watchable as at least they're going somewhere most of the time. It could be akin to the rift in the Alien fanbase. Some of us think that Alien 3 was the downfall of the series, and others think it's some sort of masterpiece... The same goes for Alien Resurrection. To some of us, that's the redeeming move after the abysmal Alien 3. For those who like Alien 3, it's the ruination of the series... It probly also doesn't help that I'm not a Star Trek fan, so I really don't care about the characters and other subtleties that probly make DS9 appealing to those who are...

[Shadow]

Altered States
8/10
Probably the most trippy and unusual films I ever have seen. It's quite real yet..really surreal in other parts.The only part I felt did not go over to well was when the char. turns into a caveman and runs around which made me think of Wolfman that is a clich'e in itself.But the agility in climbing and swinging like a monkey was awesome.
Alot of people complained about the end but I didn't mind.The girl had one sweet ass scene at the end.

[Chaosmaster8753]

Alice in Wonderland (2010): C+

[Massagraf]

Two movies today;

The Big Lebowski: 6/10
Expected better. I liked the Dude a lot and it was enjoyable enough but not as funny as people said it'd be.

Sin City: 9/10
This is what I'm talking about. Insane action, though guys and hookers and hardcore fight scenes, I loved it.

[Tristan Palmgren]

I liked the Dude a lot and it was enjoyable enough but not as funny as people said it'd be.

This only sets in on repeat viewings, once you know enough to be able to follow everything.

[E-Master]

Robot Carnival - 10/10

It was incredible. It's a collection of unrelated robot anime stories that all form a movie. And there's no official Region 1 DVD for it making it a rare find. Anyone into Japanese Robots should know of it's exsistence.

Twilight of the Cockroaches - 7/10

Another rare anime movie, only this time it's anime roaches living in a live action Japan setting. A unique story that may seem sad to some people if you pity the life a roach goes through. The roaches themselves are a take on old anthropomorphic American cartoons.

[Chaosmaster8753]

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno): B

[Gojira007]

Alice in Wonderland: C+

There's some real potential here, but the Movie just goes through its paces too fast to make 'em count. The visuals and musical score are nice, though.

[The Man]

Most people say it's the atmosphere, but nowadays it's the technical nitpicy aspect I'm interested in. Considering the diverse people out there, it's understandable there's something about the show you dislike. But it's nice DS9 and other treks are liked by 'all' its fans for different reasons.

Remember, and if you're also a writer, you're not going to impress everyone.

Saw VI.

I'm not overly excited about the deaths. The trap scenario's could be interesting along with the ironic twists. But there's some overall message with the entire series I'm unaware of.

7/10. Only because I don't care for that much gore for a simple moral story.