What film(s) did everyone watch today? Redux Trois!

[smacaskill]

The Sandpiper with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - It's basically just a story of an extramarital affair between a married reverend and a freespirited woman but the performances make this a very good film. Eva Marie Saint is also excellent as Burton's wife. 8/10

[Mikey2Dope]

Get The Gringo - 8/10
This Means War- 7/10

[Lazy Boy]

Recent viewings...

Polisse - 6/10
Moonrise Kingdom - 7/10
Lazybones - 6/10
Curly Sue - 4/10
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - 5/10
Woman on the Beach - 6/10
The Woman in Black - 5/10
Dog Days - 8/10

[syxxpac]

The Dictator



Sacha Baron Cohen brings another nutty alter-ego to the big screen, this time without the benefit of spontaneous reactions from real life interview subjects. The result? Still hilarious, with buckets full of bad taste, even if the scripted setting takes away most of the unpredictability that made Borat and Bruno so genuinely subversive. This is basically a crasser version of Coming To America, with Cohen’s Aladeen finding himself usurped and his beloved Wadiya on the verge of becoming a dreaded democracy. Fish out of water ensues as our favorite Admiral General schemes his way through the unwashed American masses to reclaim his glory. Not to shit on the formula by any means, since it worked wonders for Eddie Murphy’s comedic talent and does for Cohen too. I laughed more than I didn’t, and huge laughs at that. I’d be surprised if it didn’t become commonplace in the next few years for people to substitute any verb, noun or adjective with “Aladeen”, or to call someone a “lesbian hobbit”. All in all, I Aladeened this movie, but I didn’t Aladeen it, know what I mean?

-> 7/10

[echo_bravo]

Rewatched this today and loved it



9/10

[Dirtyfrog]

Ghost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance


Bad fx , poor story elements & characters development, anti-climatic ending with the main villain. This sequel makes the original look like the best super hero movie of all time in comparison.

The only reason I enjoyed part of this movie is because of Johnny Whitworth who plays the Devil's main henchman Ray Carrigan/Decay. He's funny and he kicks Nic Cage's ass about 3-4 times in the movie. I was cheering for the guy at the end.

3.5/10

[MidnightAngel]

9/10

[Dirtyfrog]

Hwanghae (aka The Yellow Sea)


Gu-nam is a desperate gambler and debt-ridden taxi driver living in Yanji City — a region that has adjoining borders to North Korea, China and Russia. His wife fled to South Korea six months ago and he hasn’t heard from her since. In order to repay his debts and attempt to find his wife this mild, unassuming man accepts a contract killing from local gangster Myun-ga. Crossing the dangerous Yellow Sea to Seoul he seeks out both his target and wife, but soon finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy of lies, deceit and betrayal. Before he can fulfill the contract he witnesses others murder his target. Fleeing the scene, he is not only being pursued by the police, but those responsible. I'm tired so i just copied and pasted this , better description than what i could come up with

Official South Korean Selection at Cannes 2011 , this slow-paced but brutally violent thriller does a great job at building character development while depicting the grim reality of the ''Joseon-Jok''* (North Korean refugees living in Yangi City).

8.5/10

[Roy Batty]

8/10

[MidnightAngel]

7/10

[Roy Batty]

9/10

[Matchbox225]

Gene Hackman is meatpacking plant boss, which is actually a place that he uses as a female slavery auction.

He owes the mob money but won't pay up, so Lee Marvin is sent down to get the money.

Definitely sleazy, but fast paced with a great chase sequence out in a field.

This was also Sissy Spacek's first film.

7/10

[Dirtyfrog]

The New Daughter (2009)


Kevin Costner in a straight-to-DVD horror movie ? Madness ! Curiosity got the best of me and i had to check it out.

A divorced father with 2 kids move to an old house in South Carolina. Soon things starts to go strange. An indian burial mount is discovered and the daughter is drawn to it. What mystery lies beneath ?

Part suspense , part creature movie. This film got all the elements of a good Lovecraft novel yet the pacing is very slow and only the last 20 minutes got any actions. Surprisingly for a STV movie , it is very well shotted and the acting is pretty good but it is pg-13 fare so don't expect a lot of scare/gore ( bodycount is under 5 , very low by the standard ). Usually , in the genre , the director tries to put a good twist at the end but this time around , the writers did one better for him .... they didn't write one. The film just kinda ends. Did they ? Didn't they ? Do we care ?

6/10

[sarah1980]

watching the Original Japanese Version

8/10

[echo_bravo]

Whatever Works (6.5/10)

[poopontheshoes7]

HUGO

5/10

Gorgeous to look at, with wonderful performances by the cast. That's about all the enjoyment I got out of the film.

Overlong and dull. The film is a massive disappointment. It sets up an intriguing premise only to have it go nowhere slowly. Then Scorsese gets lazy and just has one of the characters explain away the entire plot for 10 minutes.
I can see why many film buffs drooled all over this, but I never felt the story of Hugo and Melies connected in any sort of dramatic or emotional way. It's just sort of "oh, ok so that's what all this was about."
It just felt like the film was building toward something more.
Not to mention the film is devoid of any sort of charm or warmth. It is a cold, overly morose film with painfully awkward comedy.

I guess I didn't get it, but I was majorly disappointed.

[Dirtyfrog]

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)


A bodycount even lower than The New Daughter , absolutely no tension building and Katie Holmes getting outacted in every scene by a 12 years old ( actually Bailee Madison is a really good child actor , I think she got more talent than Chloe Grace Moretz )

5/10

[sarah1980]

watching on dvd



8/10

[Hucksta G]

Attack the Block (7/10)
Hugo (8/10) - better on the second watch.
Can't Buy Me Love (6/10)

[Hubbs]

The Dictator

In this overly PC world (and ultra PC UK) Sacha Baron Cohen is an exhilarating breath of fresh air that is most welcome. This new film isn't quite as good as his previous films, 'Bruno' being the best for me, 'Borat' coming second and lastly 'Ali G' but this is only down to 'Ali G' needing a better film, the character is probably his best creation.

As for 'The Dictator' its a stirling effort in harsh political satire, more typical stereotypes and vulgar verbal humour but the approach lets it down. 'Bruno' and 'Borat' were brilliant because they were basically a collection of individual embarrassing real time sketches that humiliated other people of Cohen himself, these were all linked together to make a general plot.

This new film goes down the route of 'Ali G' by having a rather poor plot, it seems to run along the same lines as 'Coming to America' albeit a completely racist, sexist, bigotry filled version hehe. So the 'proper' story route doesn't really work as well for Cohen's skills if you ask me but there are still some great comical cringe worthy scenes to be seen. The language of John C. Reilly's character in his scenes are really quite unbelievable! your thinking...'should I be laughing at this? is it OK?...hmmm no ones looking, yeah it should be OK'.

I enjoyed it but its not the best he's done, the beginning was good when he was all powerful and the sequences where he is getting used to life not being all powerful were also good but it lags through the middle and the happy-ish ending spoils it a little. End of the day you all should know what to expect from Cohen and you all know he doesn't beat around the bush, this guy has balls!. Its offensive and in your face so only watch if you like the guy, simple really.

[gabriel1980]

Haywire 5/10
Transit 6/10
The Divide 7/10

[syxxpac]

The Crucible



If only I could write a mere review with the passion and gusto of a Daniel Day-Lewis performance, even one that’s less indelible than a Bill the Butcher or Daniel Plainview. Though the mild-mannered John Proctor is that classic heroic figure that makes his own mark on Dan’s filmography. The movie itself is interesting attendant viewing to Scorsese’s Age of Innocence. Not for any particular content reason – 19th Century New York bears little resemblance to 18th Century Salem – but for Day-Lewis’s remarkable ability to bring the best out of Winona Ryder, even as he brings the best out of himself. For some reason they click together. Here Ryder plays the opposite to her role in Innocence as Proctor’s vengeful former lover, who takes advantage of the mass hysteria of the witch trials to plot his wife’s demise in one of the scummiest schemes ever devised on film. This basic triangle works wonders on its own, with some incredibly staged sequences – admittedly very theatrical, given its Arthur Miller roots - like the “corroboration” scene that bursts with tension. But then there’s the overarching commentary on the chaos that can be created when fear and superstition win the day over reason, improving the odds of it sticking in your mind long after you’ve pondered why Ryder’s Abigail was such a twisted little bitch, exactly.

-> 8/10

[Dirtyfrog]

The Lost Bladesman (2011)


A loose adaption of the novel "Romance of the 3 Kingdoms" ( didn't read the book but i destroyed my NES cartridge playing that KOEI classic )

Featuring Donnie Yen .... STFU and give it a 10 lol

Seriously , it's an honest approch to the basic idea behind the novel but with more kung-fu. The NES game was like a RISK clone but with 40 factions.

Anyway , good action scenes and a great narrative. And to this day , Guan Yun is revered by both police and criminals ... weird!

8/10

[Digifruitella]

Terminator 2: Judgment Day



Rewatched my favorite film of all time with some friends. Always will stay a favorite.

10/10

[MidnightAngel]

7/10

[Puck Bond]

Men in Black(1997)-8/10


Men in Black II(2002)-6/10

[vera0707@sina.com]

A Bite of China - Documentary 10/10
This Means War - Romantic Comedy 9/10

[sarah1980]

watching on bluray



8.5/10

[DrJellyfingers]

Contagion
7/10

[smacaskill]

Priceless - Even when Audrey Tautou plays a goldigging bitch she's still adorable and irresistable. I didn't care for the lead actor as much but Tautou was amazing. 8/10

Monsieur Verdoux - Not one of Chaplin's best but the black comedy still had its moments - like when he tried to kill one of the women in the boat. It's nice to see him as something other than his Little Tramp character. 7/10

[JCR]

Moonrise Kingdom

My favourite film of the year so far. The ending is tied up a little too neat, but it's bold and charming and funny. Loved it.

9/10

[Mr.HyDe807]

I remember a moment where Matthew McConaughey seemed to be a pretty great actor, and that was in the film A Time to Kill. McConaughey’s character was a righteous, hotshot lawyer defending a black man, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who’s on trial for gunning down two men who assaulted his youngest daughter. He brought his southern Texas charm that many viewers knew from Dazed and Confused, but also brought a fair amount of intensity and conviction to his performance. It’s that type of resilient, yet broken characteristics that McConaughey seems to truly excel at on screen, and it’s no wonder why his newest film The Lincoln Lawyer, based on a novel by Michael Connelly, brings out that same intensity.

McConaughey pretty much plays a bit more “on-the-fence” character in this film, as defendant lawyer Mick Haller who pretty much works out of his Lincoln convertible, with a clientele that is pretty much on the skivvy side. But, in pure McConaughey charm (how many times am I going to have to write this last name), he certainly makes the character work in it’s semi-antihero way. He has a soft side for some of those scummy types, while also the belief that if the justice system on the other side didn’t put the same effort as he did, he wouldn’t be so successful.

Thankfully, along with a solid showing for Mr. McConaughey, there’s a pretty solid story surrounding the actor’s showcase. This is a courthouse drama that certainly raises the stakes as the plot moves forward. There are those plot points that some viewers will probably be expecting, but it certainly plays with that card in style. It’s the “lawyer takes on the case that is more than it appears” story, but it never tries to go overboard with the plot and allows the viewer to get truly involved with the proceedings.

There’s also that special helping of solid supporting character work, from William H. Macy to Marisa Tomei bringing all the goods that those actors are known for. Director Brad Furman just seems to understand that when he’s got a solid actor in McConaughey, he might as well as fill the cracks of smaller, but competent roles with great character actors. As for the director’s style, he brings a bit of that washed-out palette that most films taking place in Los Angeles look like, while also retaining that grounded camera work to the viewers sucked into the characters’ stakes and predicaments.

Simply put, The Lincoln Lawyer is the movie that you should rent or catch on cable if you are in the mood for a breezy, engaging Saturday night movie. It doesn’t flip the script on how courtroom dramas work, but it’s time well worth invested with Matthew McConaughey bringing the acting goods, as well as bouncing off the supporting cast around him.

7.5/10



Ahhh, the “man/woman lashing out at society” genre of film, what would we do without you? There’s so many iterations of this type of film, from the fairly simple Death Wish to the more complex Taxi Driver, but it’s a type of film that will probably always jump back into the fray after every couple of years. But, while there can be hit and misses for such a film, Harry Brown certainly keeps his head on it’s a shoulders throughout it’s 103 run time, with the excellent Michael Caine in the reins as the titular Brown who beings his own brand of vigilante justice against British hoodlums.

Part character study and a slight stance on the effect of gang violence in London, Harry Brown handles it’s story in a very solid fashion, giving Caine’s character to stew into his eventual breakdown into violence, while also letting the other players in the film to have their say as well. There is the problem of having the antagonists be one-note, but that’s pretty much expected in a film of this caliber. What isn’t treated highly is the character of Harry Brown, who Caine knocks out of the park with his subdued and emotional performance. He’s the elderly character with a military background who’s seen and done some terrible things, but just wants to leave it all behind. But, as that violence that Brown tries to avoid comes onto his doorstep, he beings to slowly but surely return to that dark streak as a means of survival and vengeance.

Theirs is also some very solid direction from director Daniel Barber, who treats this “Death Wish” type film with some serious gusto. One such suspenseful scene involving Brown delving to the dark, seedy side of London is nightmare fuel that is built up to a loud crescendo, until the cork finally pops off. Then, once Barber is done knocking that scene out of the park, he leaves Caine to pick up the pieces with his acting prowess. The rest of the film doesn’t stand up to that level, but it’s the scene that truly marks where the character and story is going, so it’s feels sort of expected.

As for the rest of the film, everything else is pretty much is plain old vanilla. There is the solid Emily Mortimer as the cop who may be onto Brown, as well as the police commissioner who expresses his doubts to Mortimer’s claims that somebody else may be taking the law into their own hands. But, it certainly doesn’t feel like a waste of time, as Mortimer’s character has a good arc throughout the film that doesn’t feel like filler. She’s the angel next to Caine’s devil on the moral compass, and one scene near the end certainly allows the two actors to lay all their cards on the table.

Harry Brown is a film that tries to tiptoe around all the usual expectations and trappings that the “man on a warpath against society” type of films usually brings to the table. There are certainly slip and falls in the bigger picture, but Caine’s excellent acting and Barber’s competent direction doesn’t make seem like a lost cause.

8/10



Duncan Jones’s Source Code has all the right ingredients for a solid sci-fi film. Mystery, intrigue, layers slowly being peeled back so the audience gets the bigger picture. It’s all done in a competent fashion, but then there are the final moments that seem like the film is wrapping up nicely with a bow in it, when it ultimately, in truth, sort of feels like something that got shoehorned in.

But the mystery and intrigue, that’s truly where Source Code shines. The film drop us right into Jake Gyllenhall’s shoes, waking up on a train that he has no idea how or when he got on. He’s has a flirtatious passenger (Michelle Monaghan) who seems to know him, but he believes that he’s an air force helicopter pilot whose aircraft was shot down. From there, the screws get tightened and Gyllenhall’s character soon finds himself in a predicament that involves, what else, attempting to be a hero and save million of lives.

Gyllenhall is the audience’s avatar, completely discombobulated and confused until the answer soon becomes clear for him. He nails all the different layers of confusion perfectly, from anger, impatience, to ultimate acceptance in the film’s 93-minute runtime. There’s also the plus that, while the only focused setting is mostly the train, there is still that freshness as answers become prevalent for Gyllenhall and we want to see where the mystery will ultimately take the audience. Everything is fired on cylinders, with the belief that the film will focus on one plot point, but surprisingly jumps around to Gyllenhall’s inner turmoil, or his surprising attraction to the friendly passenger, played amicably by Monaghan, with relative ease.

The film is a very solid little thriller, and it’s disappointing that the film needs to go another step beyond from where it could’ve truly ended on a solid note. Instead, it seems to want to go bigger than it should have, bringing about an ending that feels clever and, at the same time, fairly unnecessary.

Director Duncan Jones knocked one out of the park with his independent feature Moon, making a small scale film have that big budget scale regarding the story and themes. For this film, he seems to embrace the big budget film, but seemed harnessed towards the expectations of what divisive audiences wanted when the film came to its conclusion. This brings about a still solid repertoire for Jones filmography, if the landing for Source Code seemed a bit bumpy.

But, as much as I continue to question how the film comes to its inevitable conclusion, Source Code is still a taut sci-fi thriller that should definitely be checked out. The mystery surrounding Gyllenhall’s character is aces, and Jones handles the majority of that plot point to effectively sustain it for the majority of the film. It’s the equivalent of reading of solid mystery book that has an ending that you need stew over to see if you really like it or not.

8/10

[barryallen_thef]

8/10

A decent film..probably a bit better than the 2nd one since this one has something going for it and there's a reveal toward the end where it's explain WHY Agent J(?)recruited Agent K in the first place(although i think i have both of them mix up somehow).


(8.5/10)

First off Julia Dietze is one major,hot,gorgeous, good-looking actress. Ok so i manage to get my hands on this after i saw the trailer and i like what i saw. The question is WHY Hollywood produced more movies like this? This is hands-down a political satire film considering that in 2018 Sarah"I can see Russia from my backyard"Palin is President of the USA. Somehow in 1945 the Nazi ended up on "the dark side of the moon." We go back there, discover the installation and the Nazi think is an invasion of some sort. After the Nazi attack, USA attacks back with a Spaceship name "Bushy" W.Bush(ironic isn't?). Don't want to spoil TOO much though so I will leave it at that. Will this get a US release? The real question is which Major Studio will end up having balls and get it release here? I put my money on STD since it's basically making fun of Sarah"i can see russia from my backyard"Palin, but the actress that play Palin play her to a T literally.

[Puck Bond]

Men in Black 3(2012)-7/10

[ilovemovies]

The Grey - *** 1/2

Still my favorite movie of 2012! The last scene is just AMAZING and really there isn't a better way they could have ended the movie! Wonderfully poetic, haunting, powerful and soulful, great performances from top to bottom with the two that need to be singled out are Liam Neeson in what is probably the best acting he's done since Schindler's List, and Frank Grillo, who really digs deep and despite the fact that his character really begins an asshole, you eventually get to like him. Beautifull photographed with some truly astonishing cinematography. This is a movie that just stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

[smacaskill]

Goya's Ghosts - So much wasted talent in this one. Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman should have been better but the script wasn't very good either. 4/10

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Excellent film with Ellen Burstyn giving one of her greatest performances. She definitely earned her Oscar. The son was annoying but I guess he was supposed to be. 9/10

[Dirtyfrog]

Originally Posted by barryallen_thef

(8.5/10)

First off Julia Dietze is one major,hot,gorgeous, good-looking actress. Ok so i manage to get my hands on this after i saw the trailer and i like what i saw. The question is WHY Hollywood produced more movies like this? This is hands-down a political satire film considering that in 2018 Sarah"I can see Russia from my backyard"Palin is President of the USA. Somehow in 1945 the Nazi ended up on "the dark side of the moon." We go back there, discover the installation and the Nazi think is an invasion of some sort. After the Nazi attack, USA attacks back with a Spaceship name "Bushy" W.Bush(ironic isn't?). Don't want to spoil TOO much though so I will leave it at that. Will this get a US release? The real question is which Major Studio will end up having balls and get it release here? I put my money on STD since it's basically making fun of Sarah"i can see russia from my backyard"Palin, but the actress that play Palin play her to a T literally.

I agree ! Watched it last night and I had a blast. The movie is filled with campy humor at the expense of the US government , the Nazi and the UN. It's fun to watch a film that doesn't take itself too seriously while dishing out quality acting and cinematography. Can't believe this movie costed only around 12M$us , the CGI/FX are incredible (especially the space fight sequence) and they got Laibach to do the musical score ( legendary industrial act )

8.5/10 and a well-deserved one

Edit : In-depth review HERE

[Roy Batty]

6.5/10

And is Iron Sky a porno?

[Dirtyfrog]

Originally Posted by Jig Saw 123

And is Iron Sky a porno?

lol no .... it's one of the best B-movie i've seen in a while

Edit : Metropia also features Udo Kier omg

[Matchbox225]

After an employee at a factory has an accident, the workers decide to go on strike, with the help of a professor who had just wandered into town.

I was glad that this movie actually focused on the workers and their problems instead of the Professor, which I thought it would do.

8/10





A while back there was a thread about subtitled vs. dubbed foreign films. I'm definitely in the subtitled camp and I would present this film as a reason why.

The dubbing was a constant problem for me. The voices really didn't seem to match the actresses and a lot of the lines were just bad. I don't know if they are in the original film or not, but the dubbing made it especially difficult to listen to.

Other than that, the movie was actually a lot fun. It's definitely what I wish Charlie's Angels would have been.

7/10