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ciallkennett
Strata Poster
In all honesty, I'd not even heard of The Hunger Games (either books or film) until about 3 weeks ago, so I hardly feel it's been a "teenage phenomenon". I won't bother seeing it, like Jordan said, Hollywood trash.
I'VE NOT WRITTEN IN HERE IN AGES! And thus, prepare for a post of epic proportions.
Ghost World - I do love this quirky indie films. They usually hot and miss, but this one was defiantly a hit. I loved the story, I loved all the characters and it was darkly funny at times. Steve Buscemi in particular was brilliant.
8/10
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part One - I enjoyed it, but it was nothing spectacular. There's been better films in the series, but I knew that this would mainly be setting up for the final film, so I let it pass. It kept well to the book, and Emma Watson was looking smoking hot.
7.5/10
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part Two - The final film for me to watch in the HP series, and it was a good one at that. Ended the series brilliantly, stuck to the book more than probably any of the other films and it was a tiny bit emotional. I have to admit, however, in the final scene, none of the actors looked like they were approaching 40 years old. Oh well. Make up can only do so much.
8/10
The first of a few foreign films in this post. San Soleil was a strange one at best. We watched it during a lesson on avante-garde cinema, and although I watched a couple of a-g pieces before, this one really took me a while to get into and try to work out. When I eventually did, however, I really started to like it. It's a shame a fire alarm during our lecture ruined the ending, but I got it out of the library on DVD just to finish the last 10 mins
7/10
Sideways - funny, loved the characters, charming, smart. All good things which made it a little gem of a film, but by no means amazing.
7/10
Thank You For Smoking - I expected a little bit more from the film in terms of laughs, and I'm still not sure whether I want to punch the protagonist or not, but it was certainly worth a watch, was amusing at times and was by no means terrible at all.
7/10
The Muppets - I've never really been a fan of the Muppets, nor of musicals, but I'd heard positive things about the film, so went in expectantly. It was a good family romp, the musicals numbers were ok (although most people loved Man or Muppet, my personal favourite was Life's a Happy Song which was in my head throughout the whole film). Amy Adams no longer looked like a beaten-up housewife from a roughened part of white Detroit and actually looked very hot. Jim Parsons was one of the main reasons I went to watch it, and I liked his cameo.
Good, but by no means anything to shout from the rooftops about.
7/10
Into The Wild - This film's been playing on my mind since I watched it. I still am puzzled as to why he suddenly up staked and left, but the story was done so well, told so beautifully and the character really did come to life. It was beautiful to watch and one that I think will play in my mind for even longer.
8/10
Elephant - LOVED Elephant. Beautifully shot, so eloquent, the story was paced so well and it was just a joy to watch. The cinematography really is sublime and it's one I want to watch over and over again.
8/10
Bubba Ho-Tep - Looked at this while studying cult cinema. It's so bizarre, and yet is so sensible. I actually found myself questioning whether Elvis was actually dead or not, which I know is complete crap. It was funny, tacky at times, had a strange charm to it and I genuinely felt for the characters.
7/10
Kanal - The first of a season of Polish films that were screened at my university which I attended. I really liked Kanal - it enlightened me on issues I'd heard only small amounts about, it was powerfully made and I actually felt like I was in the sewers, and some of the shots were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking. Excellent film!
8/10
Knife in the Water - The second film of the Polish film season, and Polanski's first feature. It was brilliantly simplistic and minimalist. Stripped it bare, the story is nothing more than a couple picking up a stranger, going out on a boat and the stranger falling for the female. The subtitling was appalling, which was a shame, but that didn't take away from the fact it was a good watch.
7/10
Passenger - The third film of the Polish film season, and this one really blew me away. It's an unfinished masterpiece which, bizarrely, I think would not have been as good if it were finished to how the director intended. He was killed in a car crash while it was shot, so for unshot scenes they used stills taken during pre-production, and it really gives the film an amazing edge. The film is literally left unfinished, and still I find it hard to describe in words. Amazing, inspirational and breathtaking. One I'm certainly getting on DVD.
8.5/10
Deep End - The fourth film of the Polish season, and the only film in English and shot in the UK. It has so much about it which makes it feel like a British film, but then again, so much of it makes it feel so foreign. The story is strange, but is developed and tackled well. The ending is shocking, strange and yet fitting. And don't let me get started about how smoking hot Jane Asher is in the film.
7/10
Night of the Living Dead - I decided I'd watch the original Romero 'Dead' trilogy, so started with the classic Night of the Living Dead. Oh it was brilliant! Straight into the story, could tell it was made on the cheap but that only added to its epicness, was genuinely a bit scary at times, classic horror techniques used. I loved it!
8/10
Dawn of the Dead - The second of the original 'Dead' trilogy, and I have to admit, it was hard to follow at times. I watched the directors cut version as it was the one sent to me, and it felt so jumpy and the story seemed to flow so quickly with such quick edits that I really struggled to work out what just happened and what they said was going to happen. Ignoring that, it was brilliant - I loved the mall setting a lot, I felt it made the film what it was.
7.5/10
Day of the Dead - Finally, the third film of the 'Dead' trilogy. Oh my it was a bore. I found myself feeling physically tired watching it, yawning and switching off a couple of times. I stuck with it, however, but it never picked up and I think the only resolving factor from it was that it was the final 'Dead' film I think I'll ever put myself through.
5/10
Drive - Stylistic? Yes. Cool? Definitely. Slick? You bet. But there was something missing. Something I still haven't figured out. It certainly deserves most of the praise it has got, but I dunno, it just felt a bit like a modern version of Taxi Driver at points and I think it's one I'll need to revisit to fully appreciate.
8/10
And finally, for now... Hunger. Steve McQueen's first feature got a lot of praise, and now I can see why. Stylistically stunning, the story although politically heavy - is done very well, and the acting by Fassbender is amazing as always. A stunning watch.
7.5/10
I'VE NOT WRITTEN IN HERE IN AGES! And thus, prepare for a post of epic proportions.
Ghost World - I do love this quirky indie films. They usually hot and miss, but this one was defiantly a hit. I loved the story, I loved all the characters and it was darkly funny at times. Steve Buscemi in particular was brilliant.
8/10
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part One - I enjoyed it, but it was nothing spectacular. There's been better films in the series, but I knew that this would mainly be setting up for the final film, so I let it pass. It kept well to the book, and Emma Watson was looking smoking hot.
7.5/10
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part Two - The final film for me to watch in the HP series, and it was a good one at that. Ended the series brilliantly, stuck to the book more than probably any of the other films and it was a tiny bit emotional. I have to admit, however, in the final scene, none of the actors looked like they were approaching 40 years old. Oh well. Make up can only do so much.
8/10
The first of a few foreign films in this post. San Soleil was a strange one at best. We watched it during a lesson on avante-garde cinema, and although I watched a couple of a-g pieces before, this one really took me a while to get into and try to work out. When I eventually did, however, I really started to like it. It's a shame a fire alarm during our lecture ruined the ending, but I got it out of the library on DVD just to finish the last 10 mins
7/10
Sideways - funny, loved the characters, charming, smart. All good things which made it a little gem of a film, but by no means amazing.
7/10
Thank You For Smoking - I expected a little bit more from the film in terms of laughs, and I'm still not sure whether I want to punch the protagonist or not, but it was certainly worth a watch, was amusing at times and was by no means terrible at all.
7/10
The Muppets - I've never really been a fan of the Muppets, nor of musicals, but I'd heard positive things about the film, so went in expectantly. It was a good family romp, the musicals numbers were ok (although most people loved Man or Muppet, my personal favourite was Life's a Happy Song which was in my head throughout the whole film). Amy Adams no longer looked like a beaten-up housewife from a roughened part of white Detroit and actually looked very hot. Jim Parsons was one of the main reasons I went to watch it, and I liked his cameo.
Good, but by no means anything to shout from the rooftops about.
7/10
Into The Wild - This film's been playing on my mind since I watched it. I still am puzzled as to why he suddenly up staked and left, but the story was done so well, told so beautifully and the character really did come to life. It was beautiful to watch and one that I think will play in my mind for even longer.
8/10
Elephant - LOVED Elephant. Beautifully shot, so eloquent, the story was paced so well and it was just a joy to watch. The cinematography really is sublime and it's one I want to watch over and over again.
8/10
Bubba Ho-Tep - Looked at this while studying cult cinema. It's so bizarre, and yet is so sensible. I actually found myself questioning whether Elvis was actually dead or not, which I know is complete crap. It was funny, tacky at times, had a strange charm to it and I genuinely felt for the characters.
7/10
Kanal - The first of a season of Polish films that were screened at my university which I attended. I really liked Kanal - it enlightened me on issues I'd heard only small amounts about, it was powerfully made and I actually felt like I was in the sewers, and some of the shots were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking. Excellent film!
8/10
Knife in the Water - The second film of the Polish film season, and Polanski's first feature. It was brilliantly simplistic and minimalist. Stripped it bare, the story is nothing more than a couple picking up a stranger, going out on a boat and the stranger falling for the female. The subtitling was appalling, which was a shame, but that didn't take away from the fact it was a good watch.
7/10
Passenger - The third film of the Polish film season, and this one really blew me away. It's an unfinished masterpiece which, bizarrely, I think would not have been as good if it were finished to how the director intended. He was killed in a car crash while it was shot, so for unshot scenes they used stills taken during pre-production, and it really gives the film an amazing edge. The film is literally left unfinished, and still I find it hard to describe in words. Amazing, inspirational and breathtaking. One I'm certainly getting on DVD.
8.5/10
Deep End - The fourth film of the Polish season, and the only film in English and shot in the UK. It has so much about it which makes it feel like a British film, but then again, so much of it makes it feel so foreign. The story is strange, but is developed and tackled well. The ending is shocking, strange and yet fitting. And don't let me get started about how smoking hot Jane Asher is in the film.
7/10
Night of the Living Dead - I decided I'd watch the original Romero 'Dead' trilogy, so started with the classic Night of the Living Dead. Oh it was brilliant! Straight into the story, could tell it was made on the cheap but that only added to its epicness, was genuinely a bit scary at times, classic horror techniques used. I loved it!
8/10
Dawn of the Dead - The second of the original 'Dead' trilogy, and I have to admit, it was hard to follow at times. I watched the directors cut version as it was the one sent to me, and it felt so jumpy and the story seemed to flow so quickly with such quick edits that I really struggled to work out what just happened and what they said was going to happen. Ignoring that, it was brilliant - I loved the mall setting a lot, I felt it made the film what it was.
7.5/10
Day of the Dead - Finally, the third film of the 'Dead' trilogy. Oh my it was a bore. I found myself feeling physically tired watching it, yawning and switching off a couple of times. I stuck with it, however, but it never picked up and I think the only resolving factor from it was that it was the final 'Dead' film I think I'll ever put myself through.
5/10
Drive - Stylistic? Yes. Cool? Definitely. Slick? You bet. But there was something missing. Something I still haven't figured out. It certainly deserves most of the praise it has got, but I dunno, it just felt a bit like a modern version of Taxi Driver at points and I think it's one I'll need to revisit to fully appreciate.
8/10
And finally, for now... Hunger. Steve McQueen's first feature got a lot of praise, and now I can see why. Stylistically stunning, the story although politically heavy - is done very well, and the acting by Fassbender is amazing as always. A stunning watch.
7.5/10
Nemesis Inferno
Strata Poster
Hunger Games was pretty good actually... I was purely ignorant of the books and what happened aside from the whole killing each other thing... Some of the deaths were still pretty grim for the 12A rating they cut out 7 seconds and removed all the blood for...
There was WAY too much shakeycam though. I was already a bit iffy in the head and it really didn't help me at all after a while... Still though, Woody Harrellson was probs the best thing in it, and I'm still adamant that the person in purple was a bloke in drag...
Jennifer Lawrence also has a chubby face, but she can act which is good... I also want the epic beard from the guy they stole from a vampire film...
Saw both the Snow White trailers beforehand... Now THOSE are Hollywood turd...
There was WAY too much shakeycam though. I was already a bit iffy in the head and it really didn't help me at all after a while... Still though, Woody Harrellson was probs the best thing in it, and I'm still adamant that the person in purple was a bloke in drag...
Jennifer Lawrence also has a chubby face, but she can act which is good... I also want the epic beard from the guy they stole from a vampire film...
Saw both the Snow White trailers beforehand... Now THOSE are Hollywood turd...
D1993
Hyper Poster
Its funny ..... one of the reasons I was so attracted to the Hunger Games is because it felt to something so different to the usual Hollywood crap .... thats what Twilight is.
Hunger Games has so much more going on in the storyline ..... its not just a teenage sensation, its a movie for everyone really .... everyone should be able to enjoy it.
Hunger Games has so much more going on in the storyline ..... its not just a teenage sensation, its a movie for everyone really .... everyone should be able to enjoy it.
ciallkennet said:
Ooooohhhhh, get you with your 6-months-into-a-film-degree critique! You ain't exactly Lars Von **** in' Trier yet, you know.
I've had a bit of a Mae West afternoon today. There's not much point reviewing individual films since they're all pretty similar and Mae West really only ever plays one character: herself. She's **** ing FAB though.
nadroJ
CF Legend
nealbie said:nadroJ said:
Eugh. Film snobs <///3
(And you Ciall
I meant it more in a 'urrgghhhh look what they've turned what could potentially be a really really great piece of cinema into' as opposed to I don't like Hollywood. Because I do (omg Titanic 3D <3). I don't like how Hollywood presents stories on the whole, I believe there's much more to cinema than the high-budget, special effects, big name stars that Hollywood tend to focus on in order to make a film successful.
nadroJ
CF Legend
^I think it's more the 'way' they go about things.
I'm going to use Harry Potter for an example here. I really think the first however many are really dismal, mostly because the special effects are so over the top that it just makes me cringe to watch. However, in the last film (ie, the one with arguably the most action/magic) and yet I think the special effects in that film, although big budgeted, are pulled off really seamlessly. They are a lot classier and less 'tacky Hollywood special effects' and I think it sets the whole film off beautifully.
Time and time again Hollywood equate high budget special effects to tacky and over the top and this simply doesn't have to be the case. I think another good example is Titanic. Yes, the special effects are huge but they have an elegance about them that doesn't degrade the entire film, something I think Hollywood are often guilty of.
So like I said, I'm not saying Hollywood is big bad and evil, I'm just saying it's tacky and cringeworthy when it doesn't have to be. They definitely have the talent (and the budget) to make something fulfil its requirements (as in The Hunger Games) without being vile and tasteless about it.
I'm going to use Harry Potter for an example here. I really think the first however many are really dismal, mostly because the special effects are so over the top that it just makes me cringe to watch. However, in the last film (ie, the one with arguably the most action/magic) and yet I think the special effects in that film, although big budgeted, are pulled off really seamlessly. They are a lot classier and less 'tacky Hollywood special effects' and I think it sets the whole film off beautifully.
Time and time again Hollywood equate high budget special effects to tacky and over the top and this simply doesn't have to be the case. I think another good example is Titanic. Yes, the special effects are huge but they have an elegance about them that doesn't degrade the entire film, something I think Hollywood are often guilty of.
So like I said, I'm not saying Hollywood is big bad and evil, I'm just saying it's tacky and cringeworthy when it doesn't have to be. They definitely have the talent (and the budget) to make something fulfil its requirements (as in The Hunger Games) without being vile and tasteless about it.
kimahri
CF Legend
Welp, I just finished watching The Crow. Someone (Mark?) mentioned watching it for the first time on Facebook and that reminded me of it and I went out to get it. I really like it, I remember a couple years ago when I first saw it I didn't think much of it but now watching it and paying more attention I found I really enjoyed it.
Might go raid The Travelling Man to see if they have the original comic in there (and see if they can get Squee as well since this a Furie themed post)
Might go raid The Travelling Man to see if they have the original comic in there (and see if they can get Squee as well since this a Furie themed post)
One thing really bugs me with John Carter: Hollywood tactics. The natives of Mars have flying ships with accurate cannons, and rifles and whatnot, but when they battle, it's all using swords. I mean, hello? The only ones seen using rifles extensively live under rocks in a desert. They also appear to be quite good at shooting.
Then there's the entire city massacred by a guy with a death ray. Who never apparently left his flying ship when fighting. Didn't people have enough common sense to just go underground, or, heck, just indoors where he couldn't reach them?
Obvious logic holes really bug me.
Also, for some reason, John Carter appears to become one of the biggest flops of Hollywood history, on which I blame the mentioned logic holes. Or that the cynics are right; originality and lack of big names and an easily boiled-down story doesn't sell well.
Then there's the entire city massacred by a guy with a death ray. Who never apparently left his flying ship when fighting. Didn't people have enough common sense to just go underground, or, heck, just indoors where he couldn't reach them?
Obvious logic holes really bug me.
Also, for some reason, John Carter appears to become one of the biggest flops of Hollywood history, on which I blame the mentioned logic holes. Or that the cynics are right; originality and lack of big names and an easily boiled-down story doesn't sell well.
tomahawk
Strata Poster
21 Jump Street
Jonah Hill needs to get fat again. Ok, not fat, but he can't be skinny. It doesn't work. In this movie he is perfect size, well maybe a bit bigger would be better but still. I laughed my ass off. I saw it with my dad and we were both cracking up. The last movie that him and I just went to and we laughed that hard at was Jackass 2.
4/5
The Hunger Games
So with everyone jerking off over the series, I decided I was going to read the book. 5 days later, I have finished all three, and I am kind of pissed that I wasted 5 days for that **** of an ending to a book. To tie that in, of all the horrible books made into movies, this definitely is not one of them. It did most things right, which is what I was hoping for. Unlike HP 1-3, 5, and 6, this actually followed the book pretty well. (I really wanted to get that dig on Harry Potter in because those movies were complete ****) The next two can't be PG-13, it is way too violent of a series to hold the rating down, because it lost some of its edge because of that. They skipped a few things I felt important, but for a book movie, it was really good. I did get quite annoyed when the trailer for Twilight showed for the 6 seconds, and every stupid in the audience screamed like it was something great. Then it hit me, they explain Katniss as emotionless, cold, and hard to like, which makes me think, Kristen Stewart would have been so much better than the chick who did it! Clearly the gay baby of Nic Cage and Keanu Reeves with her acting chops, she's ugly to an extent (how Katniss is supposed to be) , she is emotionless, and nobody with a brain likes her. She's awful. Anyways...
9/10 for a book movie, overall 7/10
Jonah Hill needs to get fat again. Ok, not fat, but he can't be skinny. It doesn't work. In this movie he is perfect size, well maybe a bit bigger would be better but still. I laughed my ass off. I saw it with my dad and we were both cracking up. The last movie that him and I just went to and we laughed that hard at was Jackass 2.
4/5
The Hunger Games
So with everyone jerking off over the series, I decided I was going to read the book. 5 days later, I have finished all three, and I am kind of pissed that I wasted 5 days for that **** of an ending to a book. To tie that in, of all the horrible books made into movies, this definitely is not one of them. It did most things right, which is what I was hoping for. Unlike HP 1-3, 5, and 6, this actually followed the book pretty well. (I really wanted to get that dig on Harry Potter in because those movies were complete ****) The next two can't be PG-13, it is way too violent of a series to hold the rating down, because it lost some of its edge because of that. They skipped a few things I felt important, but for a book movie, it was really good. I did get quite annoyed when the trailer for Twilight showed for the 6 seconds, and every stupid in the audience screamed like it was something great. Then it hit me, they explain Katniss as emotionless, cold, and hard to like, which makes me think, Kristen Stewart would have been so much better than the chick who did it! Clearly the gay baby of Nic Cage and Keanu Reeves with her acting chops, she's ugly to an extent (how Katniss is supposed to be) , she is emotionless, and nobody with a brain likes her. She's awful. Anyways...
9/10 for a book movie, overall 7/10
Bel Ami
It's quite an interesting film, it looks great and is quite watchable but I found Robert Patterson's character really frustrating to watch, I mean he pulls it off really well just that the character pisses me off for some reason. So yeah, looks great, the cast are fantastic and the story is ok.
Rating: 3/5
It's quite an interesting film, it looks great and is quite watchable but I found Robert Patterson's character really frustrating to watch, I mean he pulls it off really well just that the character pisses me off for some reason. So yeah, looks great, the cast are fantastic and the story is ok.
Rating: 3/5
Me again. Saw The Pirates! In an adventure with scientists!
It was good fun, pretty similar to other Aardman fare in that it's good fun to watch and funny but not laugh out loud funny. Annoyingly our screening was tainted by 4 little kids that decided to run amock in our screen throughout, like they were seriously taking the piss. My mum stopped them at one point and asked them where their mother was and they just ran off, another lady did the same and then went and got an attendant to remove them because they were really disturbing and just where the feck were their parents? Most of us had rage, couldn't really enjoy the film fully.
It was good fun, pretty similar to other Aardman fare in that it's good fun to watch and funny but not laugh out loud funny. Annoyingly our screening was tainted by 4 little kids that decided to run amock in our screen throughout, like they were seriously taking the piss. My mum stopped them at one point and asked them where their mother was and they just ran off, another lady did the same and then went and got an attendant to remove them because they were really disturbing and just where the feck were their parents? Most of us had rage, couldn't really enjoy the film fully.
nadroJ
CF Legend
Went to see 21 Jump Street which was really funny. Some real laugh out loud moments and didn't go over the top (not really anyway). Also, best. Cameo. Ever. I'd say it was better than Superbad and would categorise it with those sorts of comedies. 8/10
I also watched Romeo+Juliet last night. It's just SO so good! The editing, the sound editing, the acting, the costumes, the sets. Everything is perfect and just so watchable. Even if Romeo and Juliet is a pretty crappy love story overall. And Leonardo is pretty <3 Makes me excited that he's going to be Gatsby this year and it's directed by Baz Luhrmann *squee*! 10/10, I really can't fault it.
I also watched Romeo+Juliet last night. It's just SO so good! The editing, the sound editing, the acting, the costumes, the sets. Everything is perfect and just so watchable. Even if Romeo and Juliet is a pretty crappy love story overall. And Leonardo is pretty <3 Makes me excited that he's going to be Gatsby this year and it's directed by Baz Luhrmann *squee*! 10/10, I really can't fault it.