Movie review thread...

Lise

Ugh. Australia was total rubbish. I can't stand Nicole Kidman so that didn't help but the overall story is just crap. 
 
Last movie I saw was Avatar in 3D. The special effects blew me away but the story is nothing spectacular.

Virgil

[quote name='Lise']Ugh. Australia was total rubbish. I can't stand Nicole Kidman so that didn't help but the overall story is just crap. 
 
[B]Last movie I saw was Avatar in 3D. The special effects blew me away but the story is nothing spectacular[/B].[/QUOTE] 
 
I think thats generally the key to Cameron's success with his movies, they nearly always have a simple story line. Look how basic and cheesy Titanic was yet 90% of the worlds population fell for it. 
Must look pretty good on a directors CV to have helmd the 2 most successful films in movie history.

taniwharugby

The Lovely Bones - was not a bad film, well acted, was a bit weird (arty, airy fairy?) in places, but without having read the book to know what they were trying to acheive or portray from those moments, they will remain weird.

cricketman

[quote name='taniwharugby']The Lovely Bones - was not a bad film, well acted, was a bit weird (arty, airy fairy?) in places, but without having read the book to know what they were trying to acheive or portray from those moments, they will remain weird.[/QUOTE] 
 
You should read the book if you get a chance. It is not a big book, but is definitely worth a read. Although, now that you have seen the movie, it doesn't allow your imagination to take over as you will be replaying the scenes in your head from the movie. I am yet to see the movie.

TeeJay

I just know everyone's waiting with bated breath to know my thoughts on [B]Avatar[/B]. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
First off, we didn't know it was only available in 3D in two cinemas in Northland/Auckland (Albany & Sylvia Park). The way the movie is being advertised we thought the movie was being shown in 3D everywhere. What's all that about? 
 
We bowled up to the cinema in Whangarei and was just about to pay for our tickets and lollies when I asked where the 3D glasses were. That's when I learnt that Whangarei are only showing the movie in 2D <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' /> 
 
What's all the hype about if only a selected few cinemas around the country are showing it as how it's being promoted???? Isn't that false advertising? 
 
We drove down to Albany and saw it there (catching up with friends afterwards so as to make it worth a tank of petrol!) <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> 
 
Personally, we thought the movie is just like any other 3D movie. We were expecting something totally different...something really special. All the scenery etc could have been produced by every day special effects. Nice to see Weta involved though. 
 
And the `animals' were pretty tame too. Very predictable. Flying things that looked like dragons, lizard-type things, big cat-like predators etc. I would have thought they could have come up with something better than that; especially for a world that was so spectacular. 
 
The flowers that closed up and went underground and the little creatures that spun in the air were inspirational. Why couldn't the movie have been filled with more of this type of creature? 
 
The idea behind the movie was good but we just thought it didn't quite make the mark. Next time a 3D movie comes out we think we'll wait for the dvd to come out! 
 
Points out of 10 ... 7.

Sneakdefreak

Finally got round to watching Inglourious Basterds on DVD and if it wasn't for the brilliant and funny (not to mention sinister) performance by Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa (aka the Jew Hunter) this film would have been rat-shit. The Bear Jew couldn't act which was a shame because that could have been a great character. 
 
5.5/10

mariner4life

I watched the last half an hour of Australia, and got in the shit with the wife as i was laughing out loud. What an over the top cheese fest, fuck it was aweful. Baz Luhrmann makes horrible films (IMO), and the fact that some idiots rated Moulin Rouge the best movie of the decade says a lot about the decline of the western society. 
 
In much better news, i re-watched Black Hawk Down on the weekend. Fucking. Awesome. Ignoring the politics, and the [I]slight[/I] glorification of the US forces, the action in it is awesome. And once it kicks of it doesn't stop. Awesome gun battle after awesome gun battle. Eric Bana's character is the fucking man. Its awesome.

Munter

[QUOTE]In much better news, i re-watched Black Hawk Down on the weekend. Fucking. Awesome. Ignoring the politics, and the slight glorification of the US forces, the action in it is awesome. And once it kicks of it doesn't stop. Awesome gun battle after awesome gun battle. Eric Bana's character is the fucking man. Its awesome.[/QUOTE] 
 
Have you seen The Hurt Locker? Watched it on DVD the other night and it is hands down the best American war film I've seen in a long long time. As good as if not better than Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket in my opinion. The lead actors are all no names but they were all brilliant. Hats off to the chick who directed it. Outstanding stuff.

Virgil

The Day the Earth Stood still, no not the original but the remake with the guy from The Matrix films. 
Boring as bat shit, nothing story, nothing action, crap effects (the tall walking alien robot dude looked just stupid) 
 
1.25/10

Kirwan

[quote name='Virgil']The Day the Earth Stood still, no not the original but the remake with the guy from The Matrix films. 
Boring as bat shit, nothing story, nothing action, crap effects (the tall walking alien robot dude looked just stupid) 
 
1.25/10[/QUOTE] 
 
That's a tragedy if it's that bad, it's an idea that you would think is impossible to fuck up. The ideas behind that movie are even more relevant today than in the 50s.

raznomore

[quote name='Sneakdefreak']Finally got round to watching Inglourious Basterds on DVD and if it wasn't for the brilliant and funny (not to mention sinister) performance by Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa (aka the Jew Hunter) this film would have been rat-shit. [B]The Bear Jew[/B] couldn't act which was a shame because that could have been a great character. 
 
5.5/10[/QUOTE] 
 
that was an odd bit of "in crowd" casting that. eli roth, director of hostel, not a noted actor just one of tarantinos mates.

MN5

[quote name='Razbra']that was an odd bit of "in crowd" casting that. eli roth, director of hostel, not a noted actor just one of tarantinos mates.[/QUOTE] 
 
I think he did alright, did we really need an oscar winning turn from what was basically a smallish role ? he was pretty hilarious when Landa was talking to him in italian. There were lots of lesser characters like this which was part of its charm, the hardass german officer who took his execution like a man, the german speaking posh english officer, the french farmer at the start..... 
 
Oh and I thought the film as a whole was fucken outstanding.

Nepia

[quote name='Munter']Have you seen The Hurt Locker? Watched it on DVD the other night and it is hands down the best American war film I've seen in a long long time. As good as if not better than Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket in my opinion. The lead actors are all no names but they were all brilliant. Hats off to the chick who directed it. Outstanding stuff.[/QUOTE] 
I'm going against the grain here and expressing my disappointment in the Hurt Locker. 
It wasn't that it was a bad film - it just didn't live up to the hype for me. I've been hearing how good it is and how it's making critics lists for the year but it just didn't seem that good to me. 
Maybe I'm unfairly comparing it to Generation Kill. Then again Munter lists Full Metal Jacket as one of his best war films and I don't rate it highly (good film yes, great, no). 
 
Spoiler alert (haven't managed to find spoiler boxes yet on the new forum): 
The sniper scene was pretty awesome, and I quite liked the cameos - although you kind of knew what would happen to those characters. 
 
I thought that Anthony Mackie(the black guy) was far better than the main guy who strayed into caricature for me. 
 
Re: Inglorious Basterds - I thought it was great, the film of last year for me, the only annoying thing was that when I watched it in the theatre the guy next to me was eating cooked pasta (that stunk) with his hands and wouldn't leave when everyone surrounding him asked him to.

taniwharugby

[quote name='Kirwan']That's a tragedy if it's that bad, it's an idea that you would think is impossible to f@ck up. The ideas behind that movie are even more relevant today than in the 50s.[/QUOTE] 
 
I can back him up, it was SH!T!!

Munter

[QUOTE]Then again Munter lists Full Metal Jacket as one of his best war films and I don't rate it highly (good film yes, great, no).[/QUOTE] 
 
Well, you certainly have a unique perspective on things. I just looked at how these two films were rated on Rotten Tomatoes: 
 
The Hurt Locker: 97% approval rating 
Full Metal Jacket: 96% approval rating

Nepia

[quote name='Munter']Well, you certainly have a unique perspective on things. I just looked at how these two films were rated on Rotten Tomatoes: 
 
The Hurt Locker: 97% approval rating 
Full Metal Jacket: 96% approval rating[/QUOTE] 
Not unique, just an opinion (I'm not going to like something just because others do) - Rotten Tomatoes isn't the be all and end all - it's just a collection of critics (I think I've already said on here how I used to read the critics in London and then do the opposite). I think this year all the critics have deemed The Hurt Locker worthy. Anyway, I didn't say it was bad, it wasn't as good as those critics made out. I may have had a higher opinion of it if I'd seen it blind without reading the hype, or if I hadn't watched Generation Kill.

raznomore

[quote name='Munter']Well, you certainly have a unique perspective on things. I just looked at how these two films were rated on Rotten Tomatoes: 
 
The Hurt Locker: 97% approval rating 
Full Metal Jacket: 96% approval rating[/QUOTE] 
 
Full Metal Jacket is a massive film IMO. If not for any other than R. Lee Ermey's drill instructor.

ECNP

Lost the child to the grandparents for the night and saw Holmes. Bit of fun but didn't quite hit the mark - felt the story didn't flow very well and just when i thought the action and adventure would get going there was a scene where Holmes would pause to figure something out the story would lose momentum - 6.5/10

Quo vadis

Rewatched letters from Iwo Jima the other night. Great piece Eastwood film making. Props to him for having the courage to piss off old US vets by making it and showing the pacific war from the the inverse perspective

LAKiwi

Watched Adam Sandlers 'Eight Crazy Nights'. 
An animated musical, with Sandler as the lead voicing a troublemaker over Christmas. 
 
Typical Sandler fare, so if you're a fan - you'll like this! 
Haven't heard of it before - but it was on TV over the Xmas break. DVR'ed it and finally got around to watching it.

The Silver Fern

Movie review thread...