The Movie Review Thread

Amazed nobody started this one yet...

After having built a full-blown movie theater in my bonus room, watching movies, primarily on Blu Ray and Netflix, has become a family affair of usually no less than 3 nights a week. On that basis, I figure I'll share my reviews as I go along. As I'm a bit of an audio/videophile, I will be sure to comment on the quality of any Blu Ray discs I review.

I encourage everyone here to share as well, whether it be an oldie, a new flick at the theater, or something you grabbed for a movie night at home!



Legend of the Guardians - The Owls of Ga'Hoole - Blu Ray Disc - 4.5/5

As far as family flicks go, this was one of the better ones I've invested in, which was surprising giving the largely mediocre-poor reviews.

Story-wise, there were enough sub-plots and action to keep the grown ups entertained, while being light-hearted enough that the kiddo got quite a few laughs out of it. Plenty of action, and a run time short enough that you're not clamoring to get out of your seats. The movie had it's dark moments, but none too much that our 4 year old felt scared/uncomfortable as she has with some of the others.

Visually, this movie was stunning. The animation was fantastic, probably only taking a back seat to Rango, which has set the bar astronomically high. Animal Logic, the production company, pulled off something that you'd typically expect out of a Pixar or Dreamworks studio.

Audio was also top notch. While the surround channels were a bit low-key, the dialog was crisp, clear, and leveled properly (a big disappointment in many current movie releases, where the voices are nearly whisper quiet, and the surround effects at reference level).

All in all, a great flick for the family, and an excellent reference-level Blu Ray disc to have on hand.

 

Super 7.5/10

Super is a film about an average individual that is annoyed with how his life has currently turned out since he has an awful job and his wife left him for an insane drug dealer, so he decides to become a super hero. The story has amusing moments, but the violence is realistic, similar to Hostel and the Punisher (2004), which means if you are sensitive to blood/guts/ or violence, then I would avoid viewing this film.

 

I watched part of the latest Star Trek film at work in the break room lately and decided to give a fresh mini review. My blog entry was right after I watched it in the movie theatre.
I will raise my rating to 2 out of 5 stars. I am being overly generous mainly for the outstanding effects, the fresh actors' strong portrayals of very well known characters (especially Karl Urban), and seeing Leonard Nimoy. Unfortunately it is still not worth buying as the rest of the action adventure drek and "should have been confined to a 2 part tv epsiode" plot drag it down to 1 star territory.
On the plus side Star Trek V looks damn good by comparison.

 

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 9.5/10

Hilarious and refreshingly disturbing. I enjoyed this immensely, all those stereotypes laid in front of you. Today it's easy to forget, there are still people with thoughts like that, and they live everywhere, not only in some imaginery backward village. It's usually not politically correct to say out loud all this stuff.

This came on tv the other night. I've known the character from topics and pics, but still this movie (from 2006) was a bit different than I had expected.

 

Went to see a Spanish filmCell 211. Really good prison film, not as violent as I was expecting. Hollywood are doing a remake, but see the original as I am sure that the remake will be awful. Very good film - take a break from the usual popcorn films and give this a go.

 

I don't know if I've ever laughed as hard as I did during the scene in the motel room when they were wrestling and Borat was nude. I actually thought I was going to vomit.

 

Breaking Dawn part 1: 3/10

Review: The fourth in the Twilight Saga invites us to see the wedding of Edward and Bella. And after that scene, the movie/story/dialogue/music rapidly declines into a poorly produced version of a soap opera. Whoever wrote the script, directed and edited this film should have been fired and rehired someone who knew what they were doing. I know it is difficult to create a movie based off a poorly written fourth book where absolutely nothing happens, but if HBO can create a great show (True Blood) based off a poorly written series (Sookie Stackhouse 1-12) then it should be easy for someone with an imagination to write a script for this movie. If you want to make fun a movie and want to waste two hours, watch this film, otherwise skip it.

 

Hamlet 2 : 9/10

Much funnier than the first. Catchy, memorable songs.

 

The Smurfs: nice animation, Gargamel was funny. No nudity or gore.

Dinner for Schmucks: Funny in spots, the protaganist was not very likeable, but Steve Carell was funny.

 

Anything involving vampires that "sparkle" in direct sunlight like they were caught in a glitter factory explosion and never shows more than two drops of blood is off to a bad start. Having a lead actress that has the acting range of 2x4 if that does not help any.
I much prefer vampire films like 30 Days Of Night where the vampires die just from brief exposure to an UV lamp and the gore is definitely there but not overboard.

on a positive note writing this post gave me inspiration for a new GIMP poster/T-shirt mockup.

 

My first beautifully terrible movie review:
(It's not new, but I don't watch many new movies)
Not only is it one of the most inept films that I have ever viewed, but it is also carries one of the most incredibly bizarre names I have ever seen for any kind of entertainment. 'The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies' (1964) is an absolute masterpiece in the realm of terrible movies.
It may not be as inept as 'Manos: Hands Of Fate,' or 'Monster-A-Go-Go' (which is nearly un-watchable), but it has an incredibly bizarre atmosphere that is quite unique. It is hard to find another movie that can compare to this film because of this factor.
The script is non-existent. In fact, in an interview the director, Ray Dennis Steckler (Who is known for his bad movies), he himself stated that there wasn't any script when they started and there barely was when the finished.
The sound is quite muffled. Several lines of dialogue are nearly impossible to decipher, even for the trained ear.
The camera work is quite static.
The make-up is so bad, that it's wonderful. (I'll give it points for being incredibly creative though)
The lighting could be worse.
The sets are quite 'sad.'
The acting as appalling.
It's incredibly low budget (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)
Maybe one of the worst aspects of the film is that at least half of it is just badly choreographed dancing. The monsters only really appear about two thirds way into the movie.
Somehow though, Ray Dennis Steckler keeps you in your seat. Something about this movie is absolutely mesmerizing. It is so bad that you can't help laughing many times (primarily because of the make-up and acting), but it is so weirdly disturbing and atmospheric too. This is a movie that all bad movie buffs must see. It may not be as hilariously bad as Manos: Hands Of Fate, or Plan 9 From Outer Space, but it definitely has something in it that is irresistible.

So there ya go.

 

Slacker (1991) - Richard Linklater
One of my all-time favorite films. There is no plot. The camera starts on one guy, he talks for a few minutes, then shifts to someone walking by on the street. They talk for a few minutes, and the camera shifts to someone else walking by. Repeat for 105 minutes. This might not seem appealing at first, but the characters vary greatly and they all have something quirky or even disturbing to do or say. I've seen it 6 or 7 times and notice something new every time.