Originally posted by gorlab@Jun 21 2015, 11:20 PM
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SLING BLADE so good it can't even be troll-reviewed.

Mhmmm

8/10 - A great blend of comedy, intrigue, and comedy action, Hot Fuzz is a fun film by director Edgar Wright that continues to show his talents as an auteur. Brilliantly directed and scripted, the film features great performances from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and features a plot that is incredibly interesting to follow. The characters are all really well done, but above all, the film is a ton of fun. As with all Edgar Wright films, they are well made and well written, so they meet those requirements for a good film and then they are entertaining, so you get to watch something that is really well put together and is fun to watch. A win-win, really. The action is as over the top as it should be in this one, as it is intended to be comedic and boy is it ever. The comedy is sometimes quite overt and sometimes a bit more subtle, which I really enjoy, as it adds a sharpness and wittiness that many comedy films ignore. Overall, Hot Fuzz is a really good film that entertains throughout and is a perfect display of Wright's directing ability.



7/10 - Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a film that establishes director David Lowery as a man to keep an eye on, as he displays incredible talent here in this romantic western drama. Not only is it gorgeously shot and brilliantly put together, but it features great performances from Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster. Very similar to Terrence Malick's films Badlands and Days of Heaven, both stylistically and story-wise, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is nowhere near as good as either of those in terms of pure film quality, but in terms of entertainment, it blows them out of the water. Far more entertaining, though still quite slow and tedious along the way, the film succeeds largely on its mise en scene and acting. The story is a bit weak, though it was told well, but it is never quite compelling as it could be and for an hour and a half, it does plod along a good bit. Not as weak or slow as a Malick film, but still. All the same, this one is a film that shows the potential of its director and showcases the talents of its brilliant cast.



7/10 - Manhattan is a film that definitely stands the test of time. With great cinematography, great writing, and terrific performances from Diane Keaton and Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan is already ahead of most films of this kind. However, the reason that I did not love it to the level I expected that I would be due to a few things. For one, Woody Allen's character is whiny to the point of pure annoyance in this one. I do not remember him being this damn whiny in Annie Hall, which turned me off immediately. Second, it was neither as funny or as romantic as one would expect from a film of this kind. It was romantic and funny at times, but never to the level that it should have been. Finally, the plot is so damn creepy. A 42 year old man dating a 17 year old girl? Jesus, Woody Allen let's be a little more subtle please. Regardless, as I said, the writing, imagery, and acting, are all impeccable, which really alleviate most of my concerns, and the direction from Woody Allen is very good as well as it perfectly paced and told very well. Overall, Manhattan is a very good film that does not feel as though it came out in 1979.



7/10 - Dark and moody thanks to brilliant cinematography from Roger Deakins and a great score from the late James Horner, House of Sand and Fog is a pretty good film all-around that manages to be quite thrilling and entertaining given the subject matter. Thanks to the eerie mood set by Deakins and Horner, the threat of something bad coming around the corner is ever present throughout and, again, Deakins' cinematography is great, exemplified by the shots of fog consuming the home. Man is this thing gorgeous. The acting, in particular from Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, is really good. The direction is solid and the film is pretty well-written. By the end, it is tough to decide who all to feel bad for, but one thing is certain; everybody loses. Nobody wins in this film and everybody winds up losing quite big. On the negative here, House of Sand and Fog does feature some unnecessary plot points that could have been cut and left the film pretty much unchanged, in particular certain concerns held by some characters that just never come up again and seem to dissipate amongst the larger concerns that arise. Yet, overall, House of Sand and Fog is a good film that features some powerful performances set along a beautiful backdrop in a film that is entirely heartbreaking.



2/10 - Natural Born Killers is example of a film that I "get" but still hate. Director Oliver Stone may not believe this to be possible, but it is. The film is certainly a successful satire of the media and America's love affair with violence, yet the film still winds up being terrible. The only shining star here is Woody Harrelson with a great performance. Otherwise, everybody else leaves much to be desired in annoying and distracting over the top performances. Horrifically shot that is as nauseating as it is headache inducing, the cinematography is some of the worst I have ever encountered in a film. It is almost as if they decided to make the film unwatchable. In addition, though the violence is the point, it really beats you over the head with that criticism of the media and the violence itself is entirely mind numbing. The film thinks it is far more profound than it really is and winds up falling flat even though it proves its pretty low-ball point. If you enjoy pseudo-intellectual films that have been cited as one of the most controversial ever released (due to its influence on mass murderers worldwide), this is the one for you.



9/10 - Wow is all I have to say. After laboring through the other films by Terrence Malick and seeing the potential for a great film if he could ever figure out how to write a damn film, this one brings it all together. Featuring his trademark brilliant cinematography, The Thin Red Line is brilliantly written and beautifully acted turning this one into one of the best war films ever released and one of the strongest films of the 1990s. A character driven film, The Thin Red Line relies upon love, brotherhood, and other true human feelings and emotions rather than blood and carnage to tell the tale of its many characters. The script is beautifully poetic with so many moving lines they are impossible to count. The cast is huge and features many past and current stars in great turns, such as Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Elias Koteas, Ben Chaplin, Nick Nolte, Dash Mihok, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, John Travolta, George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, Larry Romano, and many, many more. This is one of the best examples of a film in which every seen features somebody you know and have seen in many different films and it really puts them together for a phenomenal cast. The score to the film is also beautiful and is the last touch to what is really one of the most poetic and brilliant war films ever. Though it gets lost in the shuffle of 1998 due to the release of Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line is fantastic in its own right.

I just watched John Wick starring Keanu Reeves. Normally anything starring Keanu Reeves I consider kinda a joke. However I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's a revenge, hard boiled crime/action flick. Very understated and very well done with an outstanding supporting cast.

9.5/10

This movie was so fantastic I don't get teary eyed during movies much but this one sent me on a emotional roller coaster and all in all made me feel good in the end and happy. Robin Williams and Matt Damon's acting in this movie is really good. I would totally recommend this to everyone.

Ballermann 6 and Coach Carter... McZ and RED may have a few words on the first one

Watching pulp fiction tonight.

Finally got around to seeing Mad Max: Fury Road the other day and wow probably one of the best action movies I've seen in years if not ever. Just a complete thrill ride.

8/10 - The perfect conclusion to one of the best trilogies of all-time, Before Midnight continues the success of the first two films and somehow finds a way to yet again improve upon the formula. The direction from Richard Linklater is yet again spectacular and the acting from Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are once more perfection. Whereas the first two films, I believe, were largely optimistic, this one does paint quite a sad portrait of love as you age. Yet, in many respects, I think it is still a beautiful picture. It is a film that shows difficulties in relationships and leaves nothing out. However, the way in which it walks it back and shows the tender moments in the aftermath of war, it illustrates that though it can be messy and hurt, love is worth fighting for and the blood, sweat, and tears, spent in the pursuit of it are not in vein. For this, Before Midnight is the best of the trilogy, though they are hard to separate, since all three are such great films. Just as natural and brilliant as the first two, Before Midnight is incredibly satisfying.



4/10 - The Grifters ultimately left me feeling quite disappointed. The ending is quite intriguing and well done, but the first three quarters of the film are pretty terrible. Though John Cusack is strong and the premise is interesting, the premise winds up being the only interesting part for much of the film as it winds up just dragging along and never really feeling like anything ever happens. Anjelica Huston is terrible here (seriously, her pronunciation of Los Angeles made me question my decision to watch this one at all) and Annette Benning is alright, but her character is so poorly written and sexist, it is appalling. Honestly, her character is resigned to being nothing more than an object to have sex with, in spite of showing some serious talents as a "grifter". Anyways, the last little bit does save this one from being worse because it is interesting and the film itself is well made, though the direction from Stephen Frears was quite disappointing to say the least. Overall, The Grifters is a sub-par film that should have been way better than it was.



8/10 - Funny, heartwarming, touching, and heart wrenching, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl features hopefully breakout performances from new stars in Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, and Ronald Cyler II. In addition, the direction from sophomore director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is gentle and he is comfortable taking a backseat to his young stars here and letting them go, which is perfect. An honest look at both high school, friendships, and death, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl is funny from beginning to end and guaranteed to make you fight back tears (a fight you will more than likely lose). The film is also a film nerds wet dream with so many references and mentions of classic films that the film itself is as much as an homage to classic films as the amateur films made by the characters. Though there are better coming of age dramedies out there, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl is certainly one of the better ones I have seen thanks to great acting, directing, writing, and a heartfelt story that feels so relatable it almost hurts. It is hard to imagine this one not winding up as one of my favorite films of 2015.



8/10 - School of Rock is a film that has a phenomenal performance by Jack Black in a role he was born to play. In the sure hands of Richard Linklater, the film manages to avoid being too formulaic and is incredibly funny throughout. The film manages to not just be funny, however. Rather, it is also quite touching, entertaining, and moving, throughout as you see this man be "touched" by these kids and see the way he 'touches" them. Well-written and directed by Linklater, School of Rock also has a good performance from Joan Cusack and very impressive performances from the young kids who show tons of potential in this film. The main drawback is that some of the scenes are really hard to watch due to how uncomfortably awkward they are, but hey, that's just me. Coming into this one, I had pretty low expectations in spite of Linklater and came away quite impressed while also being quite entertained. A comedy film with heart.



9/10 - Featuring great acting from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels, Looper is an incredibly original and bold film that you do not see made very often nowadays, so for this one, I am grateful. Blessed with a great concept and very interesting design for the future, Looper has some great direction and writing from Rian Johnson. Looper has some very good action sequences, but its real strengths are from its heady science fiction thrills and from the emotional impact it has on you. In addition, it also has some interesting things to say on the nature of evil in our world, as well as the importance of family and love. When it comes to the time travel feature of the film, it is not afraid to raise questions about what time travel really means. Do things keep repeating and we are powerless to stop them? Are we able to change our futures by altering our pasts? These questions are a few of many that come up, but for a major motion picture, Looper certainly is risky, not just in its willingness to test its audience, but in the fact that it was made at all. Thankfully, it paid off in spades and did quite well financially, but most importantly, it is a really great film. Fun, smart, and original, Looper is easily one of the best sci-fi films of the 2010s.



8/10 - Exciting, funny, and powerful, Cast Away features a killer performance from Tom Hanks. An incredibly well known film, there is not much new to be said about Cast Away other than to say that I really enjoyed it. It was brilliantly acted by Hanks and damn, the film made us care about a volleyball. Sure, it is a bit by-the-numbers in the way things happen and the film itself breaks little new ground, but that is just fine by me, as long as it is well done. In the case of Cast Away, that is certainly the case. It is very well directed by Robert Zemeckis and very well written. Other than Hanks, nothing about this film is excellent, but all of it is good all the same. The special effects here were also really well done and the crash sequence was brilliantly executed and packed with excitement. This one really puts you through every emotion possible, which ultimately, is what film is supposed to do. Overall, Cast Away is a very well made and brilliantly acted film that entertains in bunches.



3/10 - Unfunny, unromantic, unrealistic, and all around annoying, Moonstruck is a complete and utter failure in my book. Cher is annoying in the lead role, Danny Aiello is alright but his character is literally an idiot, leaving Nicolas Cage as the only good part of the film (though his character is quick to get attached, eh?). The film feels as if it was made by some teenager romanticizing about love, who has no idea what love really is. I would know because I am not too far removed from those days myself. Completely lacking any substance, believable romance, and jokes, Moonstruck falls flat from the very beginning and the longer it goes on, the more and more you get annoyed by its very presence. A shame really because Cage is great here, so he wasted a good performance on a terrible film, which I guess is pretty characteristic of him.



7/10 - As a whole, To Catch a Thief is yet another classic film directed by master director Alfred Hitchcock even if it is not one of my favorites by him. Though the plot itself is very intriguing, it lacks the thrills and suspense that Hitchcock is known for. In spite of that, it was directed very well and holds up pretty well though it has showed numerous signs of aging in the 60 years since its release. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are great and have good chemistry together in the lead roles. The mise en scene is great, as is the costume design, both of which were the stars of this one to me. Finally, as I said, the plot is very interesting as Grant tries to discover who the jewel thief wreaking havoc on this picturesque French vacation destination is. Overall, To Catch a Thief is a good film that is aging relatively well and provides for really good entertainment.



7/10 - Though St. Vincent is not the most original film ever made and is quite safe on the whole, it is still very well made and quite entertaining. Featuring a stellar performance from Bill Murray, St. Vincent is quite a charming little film that manages to be both funny and moving as we watch the relationship between this jaded old man and a young kid come together. Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts are also both pretty good here. There is not a ton to say on this, because as I said, it does break much new ground when it comes to sentimental dramedies, other than to say that this one is quite well made and extremely entertaining. While not original, it does not stop it from being a good film featuring a great performance from Murray.



8/10 - Hilarious, hilarious, hilarious. Easily one of the best comedies ever made, Blazing Saddles holds up very well in spite of the fact it could never get made today due to the racist jokes. With only a few jokes falling flat, Blazing Saddles is funny from beginning to end as it gleefully deconstructs westerns and pokes fun at them, as well as the film industry as a whole. Though it can get a bit vulgar at times, it never stops the film from being great entertainment. Nobody is spared from being mocked by Blazing Saddles and in the end, that is what makes it great. Unafraid of taking risks, the film has aged well and still manages to entertain and create laughs in 2015.

Spangs watch dear john

Former
SHL Head Commissioner S12ish-S27ish
GM S8 & S9 (Won cups both years)
2x GM Of The Year
5 Time Cup Winner
League MVP

Past Players
D - Aidan Richan - (S5 11th Overall)
C - Chico Salmon - (S17 1st overall)  

Current Player
D - Chico Smeb (S46)
SMJHL - Drafted 65th Overall by
SHL - Drafted 23rd Overall by

School of Rock is one of my favorite family comedys

I wasn't nearly as high on Looper though.

Thank you to My boys @Merica and @Ragnar for the lovely sigs!

School of rock one of the few movies I can watch multiple times

Former
SHL Head Commissioner S12ish-S27ish
GM S8 & S9 (Won cups both years)
2x GM Of The Year
5 Time Cup Winner
League MVP

Past Players
D - Aidan Richan - (S5 11th Overall)
C - Chico Salmon - (S17 1st overall)  

Current Player
D - Chico Smeb (S46)
SMJHL - Drafted 65th Overall by
SHL - Drafted 23rd Overall by

Originally posted by xDParK@Jul 3 2015, 05:12 PM
Spangs watch dear john

Lmao no.

Spangs way too macho to watch a movie like dear john

Former
SHL Head Commissioner S12ish-S27ish
GM S8 & S9 (Won cups both years)
2x GM Of The Year
5 Time Cup Winner
League MVP

Past Players
D - Aidan Richan - (S5 11th Overall)
C - Chico Salmon - (S17 1st overall)  

Current Player
D - Chico Smeb (S46)
SMJHL - Drafted 65th Overall by
SHL - Drafted 23rd Overall by

7/10 - Overall, this one's best feature is the acting. Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton are awesome in this drama film brought to us by director Sam Raimi. While the direction and writing are both strong, the acting truly takes center stage in this film. In addition, the drama between the characters is quite well done and it really takes the whole "if you found milions of dollars in the woods, what would you do" hypothetical question and runs with it, forming a captivating film around that premise. The cinematography is also quite good and really beautiful at times. While A Simple Plan can get a bit predictable and never truly sniffs greatness as a comprehensive unit, it still winds up being a good film that really pulls on your heart strings at times and makes you sad, angry, happy, etc, which is truly what film is meant to do. Come for the plot and director if those are what draw you to a film, but stay for Paxton and Thornton, who steal the show and use it as a showcase for their incredible talent.



8/10 - Packed to the brim with horrifically funny violence and jokes, Zombieland is a fun film featuring some deadly writing and killer direction from Ruben Fleischer (who may be a one-hit wonder, sadly). Jesse Eisenberg is very good in the lead role, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are also both very strong, and Woody Harrelson was born for this role. Nothing like watching Woody massacre zombies with the kind of glee only he can show, while being oddly vulnerable at the same time. A funny film, the romantic elements do not feel forced, neither do the emotional moments. As gory as a zombie apocalypse needs to be, even the violence manages to be comedic here as they manage to suck every joke they can out of everything going on, which is great. I love when films do that. Overall, Zombieland may not be finding a place in the Library of Congress any time soon, but it is still a very fun and well made film.



7/10 - Ruthless People is not as good as the other works by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers, but is still quite hilarious at times and actually has a pretty interesting plot. Danny DeVito is hilarious here, as are Bette Midler and Judge Reinhold. The writing is quite strong and every scene seemingly manages to have a joke or two, as is customary in their films. Not all of the jokes work out here and it can go too far at times, but for the most part, it manages to be hilarious and provides for some serious entertainment as the hour and a half just flies by.



(Vol. 1)

7/10 - Provocative, moving, and exquisitely put together, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1's biggest sin is how over the top it is. Though the sex scenes are obviously going to be present, their over the top nature makes you wonder if your time would be better off spent just watching a porno instead. Honestly, this one is just a porno with an A1 plot. I would also like a count on the exact number of guys Joe sleeps with. Like, oh my God, forget tossing a hot dog down a hallway. Anyways, it is brilliantly directed by Lars von Trier and the work on the sex scenes is impressive since they are non-simulated, but are heavily edited. Though the film can be gratuitous at times, it does get quite emotionally powerful at times as you see how troubled this girl and why she acts the way she does. This emotionally fragile girl is brilliantly portrayed by Charlotte Gainsbourg and, especially, Stacy Martin. Stellan Skarsgard is also quite good here as he plays the straight man to Gainsbourg/Martin's crazed sex escapades. He essentially plays the role of the audience here and is trying to understand and make sense of what he hears in the same way we are. One of my main concerns here, as well, is that some guy cheated on Uma Thurman, so how believable this film is should certainly be in question solely based on that. Seriously though, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 is an interesting start to this two-part sex journey that really pushes limits and gives Von Trier free reign to be as weird as he likes to be.

I watched Ted 2 last night