The Movie Review Thread

[tswade]

The Thing

Genre: Horror

Year: 2011

Plot: Antarctica, 1982. At a Norwegian base, a team of scientists have made an extraordinary discovery: a spacecraft as well as a frozen specimen. When they bring the frozen creature back to base, it thaws and the scientists make a horrifying discovery: the thing attacks and replicates the cells of whoever it kills, thus making a perfect replica. Trust is shattered and paranoia sets in as the scientists try to figure out how to kill The Thing, but more importantly, try to find out who among them is truly human.

Review: First off, let me make thing strait: THIS IS NOT A REMAKE. It is actually a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter masterpiece. It's set three days before that film, actually. Now is this almost as good as the original? Uh, no. But is it still entertaining? That is a yes right there. The characters is this movie aren't the best, but they sure could've done worse. The leads go to Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an American scientist, who is invited to the site by a bigshot scientist played by Ulrich Thomsen(who I found boring and really unlikeable), and Joel Edgerton, who plays a character who's more closer to Kurt Russell's role in the '82 version in that he's a chopper pilot and a bit of a badass. These two leads do they're job pretty well, especially (and surprisingly) Winstead. There's some good supporting work, which is mostly made up of Norwegian actors, but most of them are just fodder for The Thing. Now one of the great elements from the '82 film was the feel of suspense and paranoia. This is where the prequel does well. There's a great deal of fear among the characters in that they don't know who to really trust. Even you as the audience are thinking, "Is that character really human, or just a replica made by The Thing?" You also feel the characters' feeling of isolation and helplessness, with no help for hundreds of miles across an arctic land.


Another thing that made Carpenter's film so awesome was the practical effects. There was hardly no CGI used in the entire movie. Unfortunately, most of this movie's effects are computer generated. Still, there are a few effects that are pretty cool, especially in a big scene where an unfortunate victim of The Thing morphs into like three different creatures, one of which is so laughably CGI-fueled. Another more personal complaint lies in the music, done by Marco Beltrami (the Scream series, Hellboy). There is almost no reference to the well-known heartbeat theme done in the '82 version by Ennio Morricone. The only times you hear it are two little snippets throughout the movie until the original theme is played at the end credits. Then again, this is a prequel and not a remake, so maybe new sound should've been made after all.

Laughable effects and some so-so performances aside, this is a decent homage to the 1982 Carpenter film, and it really does answer that film's question of, "What the hell happened to those Norwegians?" Bump, bump bump, bump bump...:)

7.5/10

[Muse]

I haven't posted here in the longest time. And to be honest, I haven't had much time to watch any movies lately. Saw this one on tv the other day.

Easy Virtue

Genre Comedy Drama Romance

Year 2008

Storyline: A young Englishman marries a glamorous American race champion. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future - blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window

What I thought: The story revolves around [Ben Barnes] and his highly dysfunctional family. The father is detached and nothing seems to make him frown - he has a very passive/jaded attitude ever since his return from war. The mother is controlling and very much attached to her son. Cares a lot about her family's reputation. The sister's are spinsters without much hope, given their bitter attitude and maliciousness. As if the family wasn't crazy enough the son marries an American and that too many years his senior!! The rest of the movie is all about the savvy Jessica Biel trying to adjust with her inlaws which she finds extremely difficult since she's constantly at war with her mother in law. They couldn't be more opposite, she speaks her mind about whatever she believes in and refuses to play any sort of charade. Only the father seems to welcome her into his house truly.

There were plenty of enjoyable scenes and the movie has a very theatrical feel. I enjoyed Biel's character thoroughly and Collin Firth's infuriatingly carefree attitude. It was interesting to see the hostility Biel's character receives for things like being warm/friendly and speaking her mind. The movie mocks the British upper class and their double standards for virtue.

I particularly liked Jessica Biel's acting as a classy American lady. Ben Barnes was charming as the young and totally besotted with his older wife character.

The ending was a little abrupt in my opinion but I knew what was coming.

My Rating: 6/10

[Koyuki_Hazehana]

Puss In Boots

Genre: Child Animation

Year: 2011

Plot: The story had taken place before Puss in Boots met Shrek and Donkey, when he was a side hero who protected the innocent. It is showing how he cleared his name (somewhat) by saving the town from the Evil Giant Goose they had angered by taking her baby (The Golden Goose) from the giants tower in order to earn great money. Humpty (Yes the egg) had planned on getting his revenge from Puss for him leaving Humpty on the bridge many years before after Humpty broke into a bank and dragged Puss along for the travel without him knowing the truth.

Review: I fully enjoyed watching this film, Antonio Banderas makes an amazing Puss In Boots, and it lets you be able to not only get to know the characters more but it makes you want more of the Shrek Films. Even before the movie I was a fan of the cat in the boots, But hearing his side story, watching the animation and the effects they added to it amazed me. It is completely and utterly able for the young ones to see, humor is good and not sexual by any means.



My Rating: 8.5/10

[tswade]

Warrior

Genre: Action, Drama, Sports

Year: 2011

Plot: Bitter ex-Marine Tommy Conlon(Tom Hardy) returns to the home of his father Paddy(Nick Nolte), a former alcoholic who made his family's life miserable, to train for an MMA tournament with a historic $5,000,000 grand prize. Little does Tommy know that his older brother, physics teacher and former UFC fighter Brendan Conlon(Joel Edgerton), is also preparing to fight in the tournament as well. Soon these two fighters' paths will cross in the ultimate confrontation.

Review: Only two movies in the history of cinema had ever made me cry: Cast Away and United 93. Now I gotta put another one up there, cause Warrior is one of the most emotionally tearjerking sports dramas I've ever seen. The biggest contributor to this is the story: a tragic tale of two brothers who faced horrible pasts caused by their drunken father and are forced to confront each other head on, both on and off the ring. Each of the three primary characters are facing a conflict: Tommy has a mysterious and haunted past, Brendan isn't making ends meet with his teaching job, and Paddy is trying his best to earn forgiveness from his sons for what he has done in the past. You care for all of these characters and when the two brothers face each other, you don't want either of them to lose. Nolte, an actor who actually dealt with alcoholism as well as drug abuse in the past, delivers perhaps one of the best performances of the decade as Paddy Conlon and contributes to two extremely heartbreaking scenes that even broke me down. I felt really bad for his character, and thanks to the powerful performance, you actually believe Paddy's doing his best to try and fix all that he has broken.

But hey, this is a fight movie too, and the movie does well in that department too. This isn't a movie where you see one or two fights, but several. Some are short, but some are nice and intense, especially the final fight. The choreography is well done and I felt I was watching actual MMA fighters in the ring, not just actors. The soundtrack by composer Mark Isham is good as well, incorporating bits of Beethoven's Ode to Joy into the mix.

Overall this is a flawless sports drama and easily one of the best films of the year, with incredible performances, powerful drama, and awesome MMA action. Throw in part Rocky, part The Fighter, and just a dash of Miracle, and the result you get is the perfect combo in the form of Warrior. Even if you're not a fan of the MMA sport, check it out anyway. It's got more than enough to satisfy any moviegoer.

10/10 (Just for reference, I hardly ever do perfect 10s. This movie is THAT good.)

[gunstsings]

i know is been some time since someone actually posed something here, so if the mods decide to close so be it, ill take may chance with a review ;)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

The reason why I am doing this is that I just sow it at the cinema. I have to say when the writing came to the screen, you know the one that just flows, my breath stopped, even if I knew all that happened, I was surprised and amazed the whole time, since it was not the first time I saw it, I got the chance to observe more stuff. Plus the scene of the fith, jedi vs sith, pricelsess.

Year 1999

Gender SF

Plot I don’t think this is necessary, but here it is. This is the first prequel for the old Star Wars movies, where we are explained how thing come ti be like than, how the republic was overtrown and the most important the history of Anakin Sklwalker aka Darth Vader.
We have Obi-Wan and his master jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, they are going to settle a matter in the far planet of Naboo and they get tangled in the locals affairs.

Review
What can I say, I just love this movie, in fact the whole series. But since this was supposed to be a 3D, I knew not to expect much, there were some effects, but for the greatness of this, they were quite puny, my opinion, the special effects of the movies were enough for me.
The focal was mostly the context of the world, is like a setting for the next movies, we get to meet the main characters, for mostly whole 3 new movies, and we get a grip of the world (but I guess most of you already know that)
Is refreshing seeing characters like Jabba the Hutt, most does he knows that the kid of the lill brat, on with race he slept, will be one of his killers, or that c-3PO will go on a lot of planes and will be in the middle of the conflict.

Ratting 10/10

Imdb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/
A trailer

http://<a href="http://www.youtube.c...6hOlI9cg4o</a>

[tswade]

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Genre: Action, Superhero

Year: 2012

Plot: Years after making a deal with the devil and becoming the fiery-skulled antihero Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze(Nicolas Cage) is hiding out in East Europe. But when a man named Moreau(Idris Elba) asks for his help to protect a boy from the Devil himself, Blaze is going to have become the Spirit of Vengeance once more.

Review: Okay, before you see this you need to know the directors: Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine. This guys are known for making the psychotic, super-charged Crank films. Some of that is definitely rubbed off in Spirit of Vengeance. This movie is darker than the first one (which was a hunk of crap, btw), but it is WAY more insane. After all, where else do you see a flaming-skull superhero pee fire? First is the acting: Cage is still meh, but he is way more into the role this time and lets the crazy fly. If you know how Nic Cage acts, which is primarily like a loony, then this performance should be quite familiar. But I was impressed by the fact that instead of being completely CGI, Cage actually portrayed the Ghost Rider himself, plus the CGI for the flaming skull of course. Idris Elba was really good in this film as Moreau, delivering some good seriousness to his role, and Johnny Whitworth provides a decent enough performance as a side villain called Blackout.

Then there's the action, where the movie does deliver rather well. Car chases and one-on-one fights fill up the action meter that hardly ever lets go. The effects, while not fantastic, add more fun to this sequences. The design of the Ghost Rider in this film is also far better than the original, sporting a smoky and charred look instead of the basic shiny white skull. The story is really basic, but it's got a nice touch of Neveldine/Taylor sprayed all over it which adds a good deal of humor to the film(like the peeing fire bit mentioned above). The dialogue is hammy, but not as horrendous as the first. And lastly is the 3D. Well, it's a decent start for Neveldine/Taylor, but if you see this in traditional 2D, you're not missing much.

Overall, Spirit of Vengeance is an improvement over the first film, though it's not a great film. If you're expecting a traditional superhero film in the likes of Batman or Spider-Man, this is not for you. But if you want a zany, hyperactive balls-to-the-wall film with an over-the-top performance by its lead actor, then this is the perfect choice. It delivers just what is expected of it. 'Nuff said.

Rating: 6.5/10

[gunstsings]

The Fifth Element

Gendre Action, Sci-Fi

Year 1997

Plot This movies is about an ex military person witch lives his retired life as a taxi driver. One day a girl land in his car and he takes responsability for her. The girl is the fift element and she is meant to save the world from this evil "planet" with the help of a priest, a ex-military man and a radio speaker.

Review We have a futuristic, steam punk like atmosphere, with characters that could be living also today, the people are very familiar with you evveryday humans, just the time is different. The movie is very colorfull and even if the story is serious the movies has a lot of humor and funny situatuion. This is very action orinteted and we get to see Bruce doing what he knows best, beating terrorist ass :D:D.

The story is fluent, and is very easy to understand if you pay attention, plus there are a lot of elemnts in the movies that may ameze you, for example there is a Diva singing, i think that scene was brillinat, it was the song that alternated with the action.

This movie will keep your eyes on the screen and there is a big chance that you dont have time to get bored.

What i like about it is that you can anjoy it very well, and still not get bored, there is a lot of action and elements, but i think the used it good, there is not to much, not to loud, not to dramatic.

A very good movies, witch i recommand to anyone.

Rating 8/10

IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119116/

[tswade]

Wrath of the Titans

"Feel The Wrath"

Genre: Action, Adventure, Mythology

Year: 2012

Other Stuff: Runtime: 99 minutes. Directed by: Jonathan Liebsman.

Plot: It's ten years after the events of Clash of the Titans and demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) is trying to live the life of a normal fisherman with his son. But when his father Zeus (Liam Neeson) is captured by Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Zeus' traitorous son and god of war, Ares (Edgar Ramirez) to free the titan Kronos, Perseus must once again gear for battle to save his father and prevent the destruction of the world by Kronos. Joining Perseus in his adventure is Agenor (Toby Kebbell), the son of Poseidon, and warrior queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike).

Review: The remake of Clash of the Titans that came out two years ago was a real piece of crap filled with terrible acting, blah action, and one of the most horrible 3D conversions ever to date (I gave it a 3.5/10). But it made a TON of money and of course, a sequel was made. Though the first film was very loosely based off of the Greek myth of Perseus, this sequel has no correlations to any Greek myths at all, being just a stand alone action/adventure tale that just so happens to have gods and mythical beasts. But strangely enough, this movie was quite an improvement over the rancid 2010 film.

First is this film's 3D. It was post converted, like the first film, but this time they were smarter about it. I viewed the film in IMAX 3D and I'll tell you the 3D isn't spectucular, but it is decent with a few well placed shots during battle sequences. If you catch this in 3D, good for you. But if you don't want to spend extra on your ticket, you won't miss much just seeing it in 2D. But the 3D effects, as well as the special effects, are far better than the first with improved CGI compared to the clunky effects of the first film.

The acting has improved, but only slightly. From the returning cast, Worthington is still so-so, though someone gave him a good haircut this time (hated the buzz cut from Clash), and Fiennes & Neeson are pretty good. Among the new cast, Kebbell is borderline annoying as Agenor, Ramirez is god-awful as Ares, and Pike is more bland as Andromeda than Alexa Davalos was in the first film, but a great supporting performance comes from Bill Nighy as the crazy god Hephaestus, who aids Perseus and his group.

The film does provide more action than the first film, with battles against Chimeras, Cyclops, and Minotaurs, and this film actually does play on the title in that there are Titans involved in the story. The final action sequence, which is around 20 minutes long as its composed of various little battles, is far longer than the Kraken battle from Clash and is easily the best scene from the film. The story is the usual meh, but the effects and action keep it from getting utterly boring. Afterall, this was directed by the same guy who did action-driven Battle: Los Angeles.

Overall this is a better film than the first with a better 3D conversion, greater effects, and a more charged and fun pace, that is if you can get past the still so-so acting and typical plot. This reviewer would much rather feel the Wrath than endure the Clash.

Rating: 6.5/10

IMDb Profile http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646987/

[gunstsings]

with all the fuss about the hunger games, i really lost my interest in it, so i taught ill watch this instead:

Battle Royale

Year 2000

Gendre Horror

Plot In an alternative reality the flow of life is normal, people go to school, get in love, have tragedies, but here there is a program BR (Battle Royale) in witch a hi-school class is chosen and they are to fight to death until only one remains.
We have the main character Nanahara who after hid dad's suicide is obliged one more time to face a crude reality.
The kids have to fight to death so that they can prove themselves to become better adults, thats what the teacher told them as an explanation for all the upcoming atrocities.

Review The movie shocks us by indicating the winner of BR, we can see a girl that outlasted the carnage and with smiles, creepy I tell you.
We have class 9-B going for a trip, less they know what is about to happen, like the start we are not let to rest and besides a creepy and wtf explanation of the game already the number of students is decreasing,
We get to see how by accident, misunderstanding and stress people react and the sense for survival drive them to do things that they would have never taught of.
I sow it in 2 sits, cause it was getting late I sow half and next day the other, I have to say that seeing the last halph was amazing, I did not even noticed when the time passed and the number of alive student was getting pretty low. So it does get you attention and I became very interested in the story.

Rating 8/10 This is an outstanding movie, I got a low quality, but I enjoyed it to the max.

[tswade]

The Cabin in the Woods

"You think you know the story."

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Year: 2012 (Actually this movie was made in 2009 but due to MGM's bankruptcy it was shelved for a couple years)

Other Stuff: Runtime: 95 minutes. Directed by Drew Goddard.

Plot: Five young friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams) head out for a weekend retreat at a secluded cabin in the woods. All's fun & games at first, but then bad things happen. Bad things that are part of a plot you never would've believed.

Review: Like the posters and ads, this movie is not what you think. If you're expecting a traditional "kids get slaughtered at a remote location" horror picture, you are DEAD wrong. Like what Scream did for the slasher genre, Cabin does for the old "cabin in the woods" genre by starting it out the same, then pulverizing it into a witty satire.

That's the first and best part of Cabin. It takes a simple story, then twists and turns it until it becomes something incredibly unique. I won't spoil it, but it's like a serious punch in the head. The characters here are also surprisingly well done and are played out as the standard genre stereotypes: there's the dumb, slutty blonde Jules (Hutchinson), the sweet brainiac/Token black guy Holden (Williams), the tough jock Curt (Hemsworth, in a pre-Thor role), the goofy stoner Marty (Kranz), and the final girl worthy virgin Dana (Connolly). Each of these actors do their job right, especially Kranz as the comic relief Marty. His character nails every joke and turns into something that's a little different from other comic reliefs. There's also spectacular work by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford in supporting roles that I don't want to spoil. There's even a special cameo performance late in the film that is quite satisfying.

Speaking of jokes, this movie has a great since of humor and wit. It pokes fun at itself while also delivering decent jump scares, some even at the same time. This keeps you entertained for every second up to the incredible third act. In fact, the only problem I had with this movie was that it did have a slightly disappointing ending.

But you owe it to yourself to see this film. It's got surprises around every corner and is one of the best horror films I've seen. In fact, it's even a better satire than the legendary Scream and even more enjoyable! Few horror movies are entertaining throughout their entire running time, and Cabin in the Woods is one of these few. Bloody brilliant.

Rating: 9.5/10 (The second best I've given for a horror film, and I've seen over 100+ horror movies).

IMDb Profile http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/