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Author	Topic: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
morgan-aleghieri Title: Queen of redundant updates (event manager) Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 12/8/07 4:38pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings - Date Edited: 12/8/07 4:43pm (1 edits total) Edited By: morgan-aleghieri
	Heh you missed the boat on that one LC, we noted that one a month or so ago, possibly in the DVD thread. Ikeep seeing it in stores but not buying it... edit: Magnus_Darcrider (7 November) posted: Squee! That's the Region 1 release. Lets hope we get a local. -----signature----- "L'il Rorscach’s Journal, March 21: Fwuffy bunny squeezed out candy wainbows on sidewalk. This city fears me, for I have seen its twue face." "My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."
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Kahlan72 Registered: Dec '00	Date Posted: 12/10/07 1:13am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Saw a few movies over the weekend I've been meaning to see a while. Took free foxtel movies to get me to watch. Walk The Line was much better than I expected. I mean I knew they won awards and such but still couldn't amke myself see it. Was really good though and the acting was incredible. I haven't relaly seen Johhny cash on stage much but Me Phoenix was SO spot on. Good bios are good movies, and considering how much I love voyeuristic reality inside people's lives stories, it's amazing I don't watch more. anyway, not a bad film, and worth the time. Keeping Mum. Silly little British dark comedy about death and family and sex. So like Death at a funeral but a bit more British I guess. Good characters and was fun. Loved Rowan Atkinson in it, playing it pretty straight. Nice to watch him actually act. Anyway, this was at 530 am on Sunday and I enjoyed it. Fun. Saw a tiny bit of MI3 and still want to see the rest. Looks alright. and thanks to Morgs, saw the rest of the Jane Eyre series that showed on the ABC over recent weeks which was smashing. Not quite a movie, but good all the same. Bout all -----signature----- Angel is lame His hair sticks straight up And he's bloody stupid
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BigBossNass1138 Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 12/13/07 6:11am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	I was briefly talking to people about this at the Lan party, and I thought I should make a post about it. The year's coming to an end, folks, and it's coming up to award season, so I thought it would be fun if QLDFF chimed in on what their favourite and least-favourite movies of the year were. Keep in mind, these have to be movies that were released this year, as opposed to, say, something that came out a while back and you only saw for the first time in the last 12 months. So now, without further ado, here's mine: WORST FILM: Now, to be fair, this category perhaps should be called biggest disappointment, because I'm never going to go an deliberately see a movie that looks awful. The closest I'm going to get to that is a movie that looked good in previews and didn't live up to expectations. So with that said... Spiderman 3. Yowza. If there was one movie recently that demonstrated what happens when you spend a couple hundred million bucks on special effects and half a lazy Sunday afternoon crapping out the script, it was this. I love Spiderman 2. It's right up there with X-Men 2 and Batman Begins as one of my all-time favourite comic book movies. And man did they drop the ball on the sequel. The visuals were beyond gorgeous, but the script was a schizophrenic nightmare. Too many bad guys, too many plotlines, and way, way too much jazz dancing and pelvis-thrusting from Tobey Maguire. If you take it as a purely thematic thing it rounds out the Spiderman trilogy really well. It's just a pity that the actual implementation was so poor. So yeah, there were doubtless plenty of worse movies this year, but I didn't see them. Spiderman 3 was the only time I walked out of a cinema feeling bummed about what I'd just seen. BEST FILM: I kind of feel like I should have something more highbrow here. My selected film sure isn't going to win any Oscars. But I didn't really see many Capital-S Serious movies this year. Not through lack of desire, as such, I just never got around to it. But the thing is, I think that even if I had, Hot Fuzz would still be my pick for best. Hot Fuzz is a movie made for people who love movies. Love going to movies, love seeing movies, love the tropes and cliches and general silliness of the genres it pays homage to. Because it truly is a homage. It's not a parody of action films, or a spoof of them, it's a love letter. An adoring tribute to the Michael Bays and Jerry Bruckhiemers of the world, thanking them for all the moronic fun they've provided with us, all the gunshots and explosions they've plastered across our screens, and a tacit admission of how much we love it. Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright are certified, card-carrying god damn geniuses. They hit every single beat, every note, every crescendo a good action movie is supposed to have, but they do it with the wacky and oh so very British humour I love so much. Pegg absolutely nails the role of tough-as-nails gritty action hero, cementing his status as one of the most versatile actors around, and Timothy Dalton chews the scenery with so much glorious relish it's surprising you don't see him flossing his teeth in the background of every scene he's not otherwise taking part in. If nothing else, it's absolutely the most quotable film of the year. "This **** just got real" is now a solid and irreplaceable part of my personal lexicon. And Simon Pegg fly-kicks and old lady in the face. That's so god-damn awesome words fail me. So what say the rest of you? Chime in with your two or more cents on the issue. -----signature----- "A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of." -Burt Bacharach http://steamcommunity.com/id/mrneutron http://twitter.com/timbo1138 (Yes, I'm trying it again...)
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Lozza Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 12/13/07 2:05pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Yeah, I'd agree with that pretty much... Wait was Pan's Labyrinth this year or last year? -----signature----- Currently suffering from: Keyboard in mouse disease Remember kids, click responsibly. Cheers, Lozza
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NeecH Registered: Feb '03	Date Posted: 12/17/07 3:23am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Pan's Labyrinth was this year. Just saw I Am Legend - Spoiler Free Review: This is not I Robot, this is not a Men in Black movie. I think many Will Smith fans that go into this movie are going to be a little shocked by what they get. I also think that many on the geek side are going to be a little surprised that they're not watching another all-CGI Hollywood blockbuster from the Director of Constantine. The funniest thing you'll hear Will Smith say in this movie was the 'vegetables' line from the trailer - seriously! I'm not going to say that Will Smith is Oscar-worthy in his performance mainly because I think he's better than what merits an Oscar nowadays. His portrayal of Robert Neville is so real (at least, what I can imagine to be real given the circumstances of the movie) and so detailed you genuinely feel sad watching him struggle through this empty world alone. You feel like you should be yelling at the screen "Hey, it's not so bad, we're all here watching you. You're not alone!" but he can't hear you where he is. A scene that shows this perfectly is at the very beginning of the movie; We've all seen this part in the trailers where he's hunting a deer and just as he's about to get himself some good ol' fashioned fresh meat, a lioness snags the bounty away from him. The conflict of the situation is all in his eyes, he's worked for that meat and he doesn't want to give it up so easily. Even when the male arrives, cubs in tow Neville still doesn't want to just back down but this is the new law of the city - everyone and everything for themselves and the lioness was just that little bit quicker so she wins. It struck me when I walked out of this movie how I really enjoyed The Omega Man with Charlton Heston when I first saw it. How the monsters were a little creepy and Heston was great at his usual scenery chewing. But not now - Now, when I think back to that adaptation of I Am Legend, I just can't enjoy it compared to this one. Charlton Heston seemed like he was having a good time in that movie, driving around in fast cars on empty streets, scavenging from dead people's houses - he was having a laugh at humanity's expense! The fast car and the scavenging are still present in this version but they're a means to an end and that end is survival, not enjoyment. So, what about the monsters in this version? Well, they scared the absolute crap out of me! Sure, they look a little too CGI at times but that actually doesn't detract from the fear they create. It's a scary thought that the world as you know it is almost entirely dead and the only survivors are trying their hardest to eat your face when all you want to do is help them. I think you guys are going to be surprised by this movie, just like I was. Will Smith is at his serious best (as opposed to his 'wise-cracking' best which is also good) and considering this is only Francis Lawrence's 2nd movie (directing) I think they both deserve a whole lot of praise for this film! 9.8 / 10 -----signature----- I'm what Willis was talkin' 'bout! http://pepperedgnome.blogspot.com/
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Lozza Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 12/17/07 1:51pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Thanks, couldn't really remember - saw it on a Friday, after happy hour, thank goddness I didn't need the subtitles or I'd have been in trouble. Pan's Labyrinth takes #1 this year for me. Beautiful, touching, and engaging. Wonderfully shot, great script, highlighting the great sadness and violence of the era it was set in. -----signature----- Currently suffering from: Keyboard in mouse disease Remember kids, click responsibly. Cheers, Lozza
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Magnus_Darcrider Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 12/30/07 8:17pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	According to release date info, Pan's Labyrinth was last year. Hmmm. Anyway, Best film: Zodiac Worst film: Ghost Rider Favourite film: Hot Fuzz Most disappointing film: Spider-man 3 Now, let's talk about Shoot 'Em Up, or as I prefer to call it, Clive Owen's Tuesday A guy at a bus stop chewing on a carrot sees a pregnant woman getting chased by armed goons. Against his better judgement, he intervenes and saves the woman, killing the goons with his carrot and the gun he takes from his first victim. Things get sillier from there. Throw physics, ballistics, engineering and good sense out the window and you'll have a great time. The plot, what there is of it, is just an excuse for Clive Owen to shoot loads of people in an entertaining fashion and say the occasional bad cheesey one liner. Paul Giamatti's fun in this as the villain of the piece. He gets to chew the scenery and be generally very disturbing. Monica Bellucci's there. Need I say more? Oddly, if this film had Clive Owen exhibiting mind control powers, it would probably be exactly like that script Patrick Stewart was talking about in his Extras sketch... Its fun; being nothing more or less than what it says it is. Be seeing you, Magnus Darcrider -----signature----- Killin’ ‘em all and takin’ their stuff since 1987. Pugnantes Malos, No Hos Pugnetis http://steamcommunity.com/id/darcrider http://twitter.com/Darcrider
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Luke_Sparkewalker Registered: Oct '01	Date Posted: 12/31/07 4:35pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Yes, Shoot em up is quite something saw it the other night. anywho.. Best film: Hot Fuzz (I've seen I am Legend in a press screening last week and if it came out here in 2007 it would have to be the best. Simply great) Worst film: AVP2 Favourite film: Transformers Most disappointing film: POTC: AWE -----signature----- "Fear..Fear attracts the fearful...The strong...the weak...the innocent..the corrupt..FEAR..Fear is my ally"-Darth Maul "I am a leaf in the wind" "Everyone fights, no one quits" "We've spilled the same blood in the same mud" "I love lamp"
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Kahlan72 Registered: Dec '00	Date Posted: 1/2 3:11pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Anyone awake that has actually seen Mr Magoriums..taking the kid today and wanted to hear someones views. I should google huh. Go to one of thos Christian movies for children reviewing sites.. -----signature----- Angel is lame His hair sticks straight up And he's bloody stupid
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Kahlan72 Registered: Dec '00	Date Posted: 1/2 9:13pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Wellll... Mr Magoriums... The kid was bored, and said so, and the themes were a bit much for a kid his age, but that's fair enough. I actually liked it. Thought Dustin Hoffman and Jason Bateman were great as was the kid. Natalie was good, but the character wasn't in depth in any particular way. Very simple story and really too short for anything intricate. Visually cool and a nice feel about it. Be nice to see it again sometime without the munchkin. As much as I love him, he's no movie companion yet. Probably a little forgettable, but glad to have seen it. 7/10 -----signature----- Angel is lame His hair sticks straight up And he's bloody stupid
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Magnus_Darcrider Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 1/7 12:16am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	National Treasure: Book of Secrets Having restored his family's honour, Benjamin Franklin Gates and his father Patrick are horrified when at a symposium dedicated to honouring Ben's great grandfather Thomas Gates as a hero of the American Civil War, a mysterious man claims and has proof that Thomas Gates masterminded the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With the Gates family name mud once again in the eyes of the Academic Community and the American Public, Ben sets out to clear his great-grandfather's name, and stumbles across another conspiracy harkening back to the darkest days of the Civil War. The first film could easily have been dismissed as The Da Vinci Code for kids, with a pro-American tilt, and while accurate, it really does the film a disservice. This sequel is very much the same; the Gates and their long suffering assistant Riley Poole have fallen on hard times despite their earlier successes, which gives them a bit of added incentive to chase after the treasure tantilisingly buried in the conspiracy. What I do like about this film and the original is that it's tastefully pro-American; none of the "Ra-Ra!" stuff we usually get. Ben Gates believes in the history of the United States, making the Gates Family de facto guardians of its legacy, which is an idea I find appealing. More people need to believe in that sort of thing. If this film has one flaw, its that Ed Harris; while making a great and also sympathetic villain; doesn't have the charisma of Sean Bean from the first film However, the star power on display here is mind-boggling. You've got three Oscar Winning actors and two nominated actors in the starring and support line up. You've got to wonder how the Mouse House pulled it off. I'm sure the answer is simply "Merry Bushells of Cash" A fun little family friendly romp. Also, Diane Kruger is gorgeous. I take back everything I said about her looking like a drag queen in the first promo shots for Troy Be seeing you, Magnus Darcrider -----signature----- Killin’ ‘em all and takin’ their stuff since 1987. Pugnantes Malos, No Hos Pugnetis http://steamcommunity.com/id/darcrider http://twitter.com/Darcrider
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Magnus_Darcrider Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 1/7 9:43am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	I watch too many children's films... Enchanted In the fairytale realm of Andalasia, the maiden Giselle tries to create a mockup of her True Love she dreamed about the night before with the help of her talking woodland creature friends, led by the chipmunk Pip. Meanwhile, Prince Edward, stepson of the (obviously evil) Queen Narissa has bagged himself another troll with the help of his squire Nathaniel. Edward's pretty good at this; turns out it's a plot by Narissa with the help of Nathaniel to keep Edward busy so that he never meets, falls in love, and marries a girl, cos the little upstart will obviously overthrow Narissa. Unfortunately the troll escapes, and drawn by Giselle's singing, attacks her home and friends. Fortunately, Edmund saves the day, and once he and Giselle set eyes on one another, its True Love at First Sight. They ride off into the sunset to be married the next day. Narissa, having no truck with that, disguises herself as a crone before the wedding, and tricking Giselle, pushes her into a well that leads to a portal to somewhere "Where there is no 'Happily Ever After'." Giselle falls into darkness, and emerges into a complete foreign place; New York City. And this is where the fun begins. Enchanted is to traditional Disney Films what Galaxy Quest is to original Star Trek, a fantastic homage and satire of the work and genre. The Mouse House should have done something like this ten years ago when traditional cell animation was more prevalent; in fact the original script for Enchanted was first written in 1997 - shows you how long it takes to make these things. Anyway, I loved this film; its far too joyous really. I suspect an insidious plot The traditional cell animation in the opening sequence is great; its a pity Disney laid off most of its traditional animation department over the last few years when they decided to work exclusively in CGI animation. It also gets the ball rolling with the injokes; the troll's loincloth is made up of the clothes of earlier Disney Princesses, and it's wearing Ariel's sea shells as earrings. Amy Adams as Giselle is amazing; she's gorgeous, and has qualities of Julie Andrews (who narrates this film) and Megan Follows (its the hair). Awards scuttlebutt says this is a career making role for her, equivalent to the aforementioned Andrews' Mary Poppins. And while she can do all the traditonal Disney princess stuff (summon animals, inspire onlookers to sing and dance, make clothes easily) with beauty, grace, exuberance and keeps a straight face the whole time, what sold me was her ability to convey naivity and sadness. In a scene in Robert Phillips's (Patrick Dempsey's character) law office, Giselle cannot understand the concept of divorce. Marriage is meant to be Forever; the idea that it could end causes her great pain, and Adams nails the scene. The idea of the concept and institution being so simple to her is actually rather sweet, its sad that we make it so complex these days. Patrick Dempsey as the lawyer who rescues Giselle from the streets of New York is a tragic character. His own romanticism has been squashed flat by the real world when his wife abandoned him and their daughter, leaving him cynical, and trying to prepare his young daughter for the real world by not encouraging fairytales or make believe. Interesting character choice that the wife left, rather than passed away, especially for a Disney film; maybe that would have been too cliched. Anyway, its clever casting, thanks to Grey's Anatomy Dempsey is already a modern Prince Charming, so there's already a lot of audience goodwill there. His best bits are during the musical number in Central Park, where he can't understand how come everyone seems to know the song Giselle is singing and all the appropriate dance steps. Also, his chest hair breaks the Disney Princess paradigm. You'll see what I mean James Marsden continues his campaign to prove he is just as awesome as Hugh Jackman by playing Prince Edward, Andalasia's Prince Charming. The role necessitates Marsden playing it self-involved and slightly stupid, but its fun to watch him running around New York in a hilarious fantasy getup and play homage to Prince Charming's of old. He's also started his campaign to star in a film with every Grey's Anatomy star. Next up he's in 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigel Susan Sarandon is having too much fun as the evil Queen Narissa. She chews the scenery with relish and makes a memorable Disney villain, up there with the likes of Jafar (who was so cool he freakin' Bob Hoped Aladdin to the ends of the Earth!). The in-jokes are thick and fast, the response of a pregnant lady surrounded by kids when she is confronted with Prince Edward is great. My favourite is that Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, plays Robert's secretary. Her impersonation of Giselle is just a little too good. And while not exactly an in-joke, Idina Menzel who plays Robert's girlfriend Nancy was the original Wicked Witch of the West in the Broadway production of Wicked. Given that, she's almost criminally underused. Yup, that went on too long. I'll save the I Am Legend review for later. Sufficed to say, go see Enchanted. Be seeing you, Magnus Darcrider -----signature----- Killin’ ‘em all and takin’ their stuff since 1987. Pugnantes Malos, No Hos Pugnetis http://steamcommunity.com/id/darcrider http://twitter.com/Darcrider
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morgan-aleghieri Title: Queen of redundant updates (event manager) Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 1/7 1:42pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Also to be noted is that the Pregnant Lady in the apartment block is the voice of Pocahantas, and the woman in the sitcom that Nathaniel watches is the voice of Belle... I believe the wiki page has a fairly comprehensive list of all the official references and injokes. Lately I've been likening the movie to a Krispy Kreme doughnut. My Krispy Kreme experience was that I enjoyed the doughnuts in melbourne, but didn't think they were so special as to cart a box home like LC did. Upon arriving home though, I realised that whilst they didn't seem special, I was craving the damn things. Enchanted is like that. I've been reliving all the bits that I loved about the movie in my head for a few days. I think I will actually go see this again before it leaves cinemas. Anywho, I'm still at home so I'll finish my review when I get to work -----signature----- "L'il Rorscach’s Journal, March 21: Fwuffy bunny squeezed out candy wainbows on sidewalk. This city fears me, for I have seen its twue face." "My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."
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Magnus_Darcrider Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 1/17 7:51am Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings - Date Edited: 1/17 8:00am (1 edits total) Edited By: Magnus_Darcrider
	MD's Review Wagon rolls onwards... I will keep some of these brief however as people have already put up excellent reviews. I Am Legend - A great adaptation; Will Smith is beyond brilliant in his portrayal of a Last Man on Earth. The film is amazingly tense at times; the moment Robert Neville enters a "nest" I don't think anyone breathed in the cinema I was in. Unfortunately it loses its way when other people turn up, but Will Smith continues to be great, and it's not enough to derail what was great that came before. Well worth checking out. Death at A Funeral - Full of a cast of British "You Know, That Guy/Girl", this is a rather amusing film set at a funeral with various hijinks ensuing. The plot is quite predictable if you're paying vague amounts of attention, and there's a case of gross out humour I didn't really need. However the rest is charming; Matthew Macfadyen of Spooks (Tom Quinn) and Pride & Prejudice (Mr Darcy) fame works well as the lead, and Alan Tudyk is hilarious as a funeral guest who's taken some mislabelled drugs; he's apparently getting a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role. Frank Oz (remember him?) has done a great job with the film, and it is certainly in the same league as other famous British comedies of recent years. No Country For Old Men West Texan Sheriff Ed Tom Bell narrates how the country is becoming increasingly violent in June 1980 as we observe Anton Chigurh violently escape police custody, murdering innocent bystanders as he flees. Meanwhile, Llewelyn Moss whilst hunting near the Rio Grande finds the remnants of a botched drug sale that turned into a massacre. Finding the money from the sale, Llewelyn takes it, and soon realises that people are after him to get it back. Sending his wife to safety, Llewelyn goes on the run, pursued by Chigurh, a hitman hired by the drug barons to retrieve their money. Trailing after them both is Sheriff Bell, who can ultimately only observe the aftermath of events and reflect on them in context of his advanced years. Well hey, the Coen Brothers are back and in fine form after more recent disappointments, this is a great and worthy crime drama that is ultimately a Twilight Film with a different angle of approach; rather than seeing everything from the perspective of an elderly protaganist; in this case Sheriff Bell. Here he's merely an observer to events, events that make him realise that he is too old for this job now as the world changes and gets darker around him. Tommy Lee Jones is subdued as Sheriff Bell, I like the world weariness he carries with him, coupled with the sense of dedication to see the job done. Josh Brolin is surprisingly good as Llewelyn, a man with the boogeyman on his tail. He plays the character as believably resourceful, pragmatic and competent without ever being unconvincing. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh has helped to create one of the more sinister film monsters of recent years. An unstoppable, uncompromising, plain psychotic killing machine that completes his work with brutal efficiency and a unique signature weapon. Its he who really pushes the film forward as the primary antagonist, and the performance is great to watch, disturbing as it is. What is interesting about this film is that there is no story catharsis; bad people do bad things and get away with them, and the major confrontations happen off screen. It also ends fairly abruptly too, but these are all good things and should help cement this film as a classic in years to come. Highly Recommended. Atonement Thirteen year old Briony Tallis of a well to do English family prior to World War Two sees something she shouldn't have seen and misinterprets it for a variety of reasons which results in her older sister Cecilia's love Robert Turner being sent to gaol and being forced to fight in World War Two four years later while Briony comes to realise she may have made a mistake and tries to get back in touch with her older sister and Sweet Merciful Buddha I dispised this film; it went from mildly interesting to disappointing to downright bad before the end of its runtime. To be fair, the first act up until Robbie's arrest is great; looks like it belongs in an old Merchant Ivory film. In this act how the film shows events as they truly played out rather than how they were observed is well done and non-intrusive yet. Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan as the young Briony are all great. There are two scenes in the second act that are also worthy of praise; when Robbie and Cecilia are reunited in a cafe (and its the only romantic scene in the film) and when Briony and other nursing students have to cope and in some cases not cope with the wounded soldiers being brought back from the evacuation at Dunkirk. That is something that had not been seen before, and it like the scene in the cafe belong in better films. As for everything else, ye gods... The timeline and pacing are all off; coherent narrative is not a sin, messing it up is; look at Flags of our Fathers. Cecilia realised she loved Robbie cos of a smutty letter? Tramp! There are transition shots that are obviously trying to be arty but just waste time. The much lauded tracking shot of the evacuation of Dunkirk isn't that great, more complicated shots have been done and its not even the evacuation, it's the British Army standing on the beach prior to the evacuation! The music, while interestingly trying to incorporate real world sounds into the score, becomes obtrusive and annoying. Finally, what the story is trying to do comes across as conceited and arrogant, especially in the final scene, which looks like they ran out of money but somehow managed to blackmail Vanessa Redgrave into coming in for the day. I was throughly disappointed, so much so that I don't actually want to read the book now. A better film could be made out of this, by dumping a majority of the film's final scenes at the beginning of the film to serve as a framing device, keeping the timeline linear and removing all the wanky transition shots. Still, what do I know? This got on a lot of people's "Best Of" lists. Personally I think it's Homer/Lynch Syndrome... I'm Not There Six different actors portray Bob Dylan at different points in his career in another existential bio-pic. Wackiness ensues. It helps to know a bit about Bob Dylan's music and career, or you could just go along for the ride, or you could impose a geeky framework on the film to explain it (a Time Lord named The Troubador is on trial and forced to recall his current and past five regenerations; see, its easy!) The performances are great; I particularly liked Richard Gere's take on Billy the Kid, but the standout is Cate Blanchett; her Dylan is The Coolest Thing walking, a giant of music and wit that despite being harrassed on all sides, cannot be brought down. The music is great, the performances are top notch; highly recommended. Cloverfield As a group of twenty-somethings have a farewell party for their friend in New York in April, something attacks the city. Through hand-held camera footage, we follow the progress of five of the party goers as they try to make their way out of the city in the midst of panic, destruction, a military buildup, and further attacks by some unknown creature. Firstly; this film made my nauseas. Not usually a problem for me with shakycam stuff, but I think seeing this on an IMAX screen didn't do me any favours. Despite that however, I enjoyed this movie a lot. Just keep that in mind if that sort of thing does effect you however. Its a monster movie; it's not ground breaking, it won't rock your world, but its well done with great performances and few if no missteps. Choices are made by some of the characters that when heard about out of context sound stupid. In the film though, while they are still foolish choices, they make sense and you can easily understand why the choices are made and the motivations for them. Sufficed to say, if monsters attack, the rules should be thus: Get the Hell out of Dodge; don't try to save anyone who isn't in your immediate party. Avoid dark places. If someone's wounded, as soon as you come across the authorities, tell them! There are some great scenes in this, and the main cast are all good in their roles, particularly Hud the camera man who gives us some great commentary. There is one scene that really appealed to the romantic in me, which is immediately followed by some squirm inducing stuff. Another scene I liked is a soldier taking genuine pity on the party, and giving the main character information he needs to accomplish what he feels he needs to; little moments like that are great. There's also some jump out of your seat moments, such as when the monster or something else seems to rush the camera, or when we see the aftermath of a biological attack. As for the monster itself; its good, but not the most original creation. Thinking about it afterwards, I could come up with influences for all the various components. Still, it is very well realised, and a real terror to all and sundry in the film. I hope when this gets a DVD release it's supplemented by bonus material detailing the monster as well as more "in world" stuff. This film doesn't need a sequel or companion film, but good documentaries or even an art book like the one produced for the King Kong flora and fauna would be well received. Of course, a DVD release might be delayed; who's gonna write this supplemental material if its not already done with the WGA on strike? Still, Cloverfield is a simple idea reimagined and done really well, and is worth seeing on those merits alone. And I'm spent. Be seeing you, Magnus Darcrider -----signature----- Killin’ ‘em all and takin’ their stuff since 1987. Pugnantes Malos, No Hos Pugnetis http://steamcommunity.com/id/darcrider http://twitter.com/Darcrider
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morgan-aleghieri Title: Queen of redundant updates (event manager) Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 1/17 4:15pm Subject: RE: At The Movies - Reviews & Critical Musings
	Cloverfield I do like to think was probably a good movie, but I myself was also quite nauseous, which was very distracting. I don't think I've felt so ill from motion sickness since the last time I went camping up at O'Reilleys (which to get to you must drive up a very long and extremely windy road up a mountain). That's not all the movie's fault though, the sheer size of the screen has been an issue for me in the past and there was something going on with the sound in the cinema that grated somewhat - to the extent that all of the ads and trailers prior to watch were also hard to focus on (barring of course the Iron Man trailer which was pure glee hums theme song). There were definitely some great moments in the piece that make me want to give the movie a second chance on a smaller screen. There's some very touching moments, moments where I near-well leapt out of my seat, and some humorous touches added by our eyes for the movie, Hud. There were some great shots of the monster levelling the city from the helicopter vantage point, although because it's on shaky-cam2000 it is still hard to see which was sad. But yeah, if you're not usually prone to motion sickness, you should enjoy it. -----signature----- "L'il Rorscach’s Journal, March 21: Fwuffy bunny squeezed out candy wainbows on sidewalk. This city fears me, for I have seen its twue face." "My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today."
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