Lord of the Movies: The Return of the Review Thread

[Reply #80 on:]

The Last Samurai

I watched this on DVD the other day.  I'm usually not a big fan of Tom Cruise, but I thought that he did a good job in this film.  The Japanese cast was excellent as well.

The film portrays the end of the age of the samurai in the Meiji period.  Some artistic liberties were taken as far as historical accuray goes, but the story does manage to capture the general feel of the time period.

It's not Kurosawa, but it's definitely worth seeing.

[Reply #81 on:]

 

Originally posted by Zed 85:
 Checked out IMDB and it was marked as a TV movie, and the score is not too promising I'm affraid. Though I found this review off RottenTomatoes (the only review for it actually) and it's slightly more encouraging.

Thanks! 
I guess I'll just wait for it on TV then.

[Reply #82 on:]

Shrek 2

Adored it. It was just as good as the first one. Donkey was completely upstaged by the absolutely adorable Puss in Boots. Who knew Antonio Banderos could be so intertaining?

[Reply #83 on:]

 

Originally posted by BumbleBeeTheta:
Super Size Me
Excellent, pure and simple.  Morgan Spurlock is a born muck-raker, and his film is witty and intelligent.  This better get a Best Documentary nomination. 

I don't think this will get a Best Documentary nomination. The Academy usually goes for the more serious stuff  and also, isn't this documentary a little obvious? I mean, if you eat in McDonald's for a whole mont obviously it'll be bad for your health. It's not like the revelation of the decade.

[Reply #84 on:]

I remember that guy from the link thread!
So he actually made the movie?
Good for him.
Is it getting a general cinema release worldwide or what?

[Reply #85 on:]

Fahrenheit 9/11

Last weekend was the world premiere of Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 9/11. This movie has no release date so far. Some sources say September. It definetely belongs to the movies which i would like to see. It will be surely the most controversial movie of the year (beneath The Passion of Christ) and i think the Academy will be afraid to give Fahrenheit 9/11 an Oscar equal if this movie is a good one or a bad one. At Ain't it Cool News they have written that 9/11 has received a standing ovation of 25 minutes.

[Reply #86 on:]

Shrek 2

Not quite as good as the first one, but that's to be expected.  Still better then 95% of sequels out there.  When you get down to it, the movie was funny, and that's all I really asked of it.

It looses points for only having Dragon for 15 seconds, though.

Grade: B+

[Reply #87 on:]

i never saw Dragon! Where was she?

[Reply #88 on:]

You hjad to stay until the first half of the credits were done.  Then they had an extra 5 minutes for the movie featuring

Show spoiler

Dragon flying into Far, Far Away with her and Donkey's mutant babies.

[Reply #89 on:]

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So they got back together? Yay! I found it kinda depressing when he said he wasn't with her anymore.

[Reply #90 on:]

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He never really said they weren't together anymore, just that's Dragon'd been "moody" lately (apparently because she was  pregnant).  But if I were Dragon, I sure as hell wouldn't get back with Donkey - He left her alone and pregnant, didn't tell her where he was going, and wasn't even there for the birth of the kids!  'Course, I'm probably reading way too much into a children's film.

[Reply #91 on:]

Show spoiler

but if she was flying towards Far Far Away like you said earlier than he would have had to have told her where he was going or else she wouldn't have known to go there. But anyway, how did the scene play out? How did they react to each other and what did the kids look like?

[Reply #92 on:]

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Yes, they were happy to see each other.  And the dragon action figure comes with one of the mutant babies.  Check it out here.

[Reply #93 on:]

Bowling for Columbine

Saw it for the 1st time in Philosophy Class 2day. Blew me away.
Micheal Moore is a fucking genius with what he did with this documentary. Highly recommended to any fellow liberal, anti-war, left-wing people like myself.

Grade: A+

[Reply #94 on:]

Troy
I saw it today, I thought it was great. Everyone else I know who has seen it didn't like it. I thought it was well done though. A

[Reply #95 on:]

Troy

It was a good film. The special effects were breathtaking, but it lacked an 'edge of the seat' factor. I found myself looking at my watch more than I should have. The film relied too heavily on male nudity (not that I'm complaining    )than dialogue but none the less I'd give it a

B+

[Reply #96 on:]

Just to be popular: Troy

I liked it. Great action and fight scenes and a nice story. Have found respect for Orlando Bloom b/c he character is a whiney little bitch who thinks with his dick the whole movie.

A-

[Reply #97 on:]

Shrek 2

Funny, funny stuff. The story is basicaly the first one somewhat rehashed, but there were a ton of great jokes here. This had the most amazing 3D animation I've ever seen.

B+

[Reply #98 on:]

I didn't really like Troy.It wasn't terrible but it should've been alot better considering it cost $200 million and was based on one of the greatest stories of all time.   

[Reply #99 on:]

Shrek 2

This was a great movie. There were lots and lots of great jokes geared for the older audience. Puss in Boots was hilarious, and I liked that they brought back the gingerbread man, pinnochio, the pigs, and the mice. Easily one of the best sequels ever.

A

[Reply #100 on:]

Shrek 2

Just saw it 2day and i really liked it. Definitely better than most sequels nowadays. Puss in Boots was definitely the highlite of the movie and i cracked up laughing when the cops confiscated the catnap.

"Uhhh, thats not mine"

Great movie A+

[Reply #101 on:]

Alright!!! I'm very happy to say I finally saw Kill Bill volume 1! Even better, I say Volume 2 the next day! Yeeeeeaaah!
So, here are my thoughts on both of them, reviewed as one story.

Kill Bill

Utterly bloody fantastic. I can't think of a part of this movie I didn't like. The action jumped all over the place in style, never allowing me to get bored. The music... all I can say is, another Tarontino classic soundtrack. Ultra-groovey. The dialogue... interesting, funny, crass, brutal, fantastic. The constant homages to other movies, especially the crummy special effects, were pure gold (even to someone like me who hasn't seen the majority of the films being referenced). The story didn't really exist, initially, but by the end I actaully cared about what was going to happen. Predictable in it's straight up plot, but never in it's execution. Also, you just KNOW that the Willhem scream was so conspicious on purpose.    Also, I think I have a new ultimate movie moment, that is, whenever  Beatrix would find one of her targets, and that awesome siren like music would play.   

Suffice to say, I doubt I'll see a better movie this year. A+

[Reply #102 on:]

Crap distributor politics. I am really looking forward to Shrek 2 but i must wait until July 1st. That's not nice.

[Reply #103 on:]

You're still luckier than me. I have to wait till September 3rd. That's not nice either.

[Reply #104 on:]

TROY

Ugh. A very dissapointing film. Some parts were ok, but the film just simply bored me to tears. It was also a very laughable film. Some parts were supposed to be powerful but came off as corny and funny, for example:

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When Achelles calls out for Hector, it goes on for so long that an audience member yelled out "What?". All of Orlando Bloom scenes were horrible. The scene where he wants to run away again with Helen was halarious

This film does have a couple good points. Eric Bana was phenominal as Hector and his fight with Achellies was exceptional. Other than that, a bad movie.

Grade:D+

Van Helsing

Now THIS is a movie. Action, Adventure, Lots and lots of CGI. A gulity pleasure of a movie. Richard Roxemburgh's preformance as Dracula was a riot(not in the bad way). The action just kept on coming and didn't let go for a second. Although the film had a couple weak spots(Drac's brides, some line delivery) this film was pulse-poundingly fantastic.

Grade:A-

Shrek 2

By far the funniest film this year. Me and the audience went nuts over this thing. The jokes came out like a machine gun with unlimited ammo. Every sigle joke hit the mark. A rarity in comedy's. The Animation was wonderful and just everything about it just puts a smile on my face. Antonio Banderas just kills as Puss In Boots, he made the movie. The most classic scene in the film is when Puss gives those big, cute eyes at Shrek("Aw, I want to keep him" ). I was laughing till I cried. Go see it.

Grade:A

[Reply #105 on:]

I agree! There's nothing cuter in the world then when a cat does this:

[Reply #106 on:]

 

Originally posted by spacepilot3000:
 Antonio Banderas just kills as Puss In Boots, he made the movie.

That was Antonio Banderas?! I had no friggin idea. Wow he did one hell of a job as Puss.

[Reply #107 on:]

Shrek 2 was a fantastically funny movie, Antonio Banderas was great(despite what the Washington Post said), and it had jokes for all ages.

"Uhhh... That's not mine"

That cracked me up.

[Reply #108 on:]

Kill Bill vol.2: The ending was long and lame. The only cool thing was the eye ball and the cartoon at the end. D-

[Reply #109 on:]

 

Originally posted by Alliteration:
Shrek 2 was a fantastically funny movie, Antonio Banderas was great(despite what the Washington Post said), and it had jokes for all ages.

"Uhhh... That's not mine"

That cracked me up.

What did Washington Post say? And the "That's not mine" line cracked me up too.

[Reply #110 on:]

 

Originally posted by homerjaysimpson:
Kill Bill vol.2: The ending was long and lame. The only cool thing was the eye ball and the cartoon at the end. D-

Hurray! Someone else who didn't like the Kill Bill movies.

[Reply #111 on:]

 

Originally posted by newhook_1:
 Hurray! Someone else who didn't like the Kill Bill movies.

I didnt particularely like em either. I thought that they were kinda boring *braces for numerous disageements* but I found them somewhat funny...

I'd give it a C-

[Reply #112 on:]

Looks like there are quite a few people who don't really care for the Kill Bill movies. I know I didn't. I still can't believe I satyed up until 2:30 last October to watch the first one    I liked the second volume better than the first, but I still don't really care for them. And that Urami-Bushi some really gets on your nerves after a while.

As for Shrek 2, That is a  great movie. Everyone in the theater was cracking up, mostly due to Puss In Boots. I enjoyed the references to the TV shows and movies rather than just fairy tales. And can't forget Livin' La Vida Loca

The extra scene after the executive producer credits (just before the cast and character listings) is great, but that is the only extra scene, there is nothing else after that, believe me. I've seen the credits for the movie at least 20 since last wednesday.

[Reply #113 on:]

 

Originally posted by Nasty Pasty:
 I didnt particularely like em either. I thought that they were kinda boring *braces for numerous disageements*...

It's not worth it. I'd rather say that I saw Troy, and it was OK but not really that good. They were too afraid to show death and destruction. They talked about the gods a bit, but the gods never really did anything, which is pretty lame. The movie was generally pretty slow.

[Reply #114 on:]

Spirited Away

I know this one's been out for a while, but I've only recently seen it, and liked it enough that I wanted to write a review. Let me say first that I hate most movies in general. Drama's cheesy and emotionally manipulative, comedy is rarely funny, action doesn't excites me anymore. But this movie is pretty unique, and I like it more than most fantasy, maybe because I don't understand it too well, but I didn't feel like I had too. It's just cool to watch, and one of the only kids movies out there that I would say actually entertains adults too, even though far too many movies are said to do that. I liked it, anyway.

A-

[Reply #115 on:]

Troy

Not the best film i've seen recently, but an amusing diversion at the very least. The first Hollywood epic in years, Troy is not dissimilar to Spartacus and Ben Hurr, which is no bad thing. The fight scenes are suitably titanic yet the duels are equally well choreographed, both of the former are probably the best aspects of the film.
Most of the characters in the film are played fairly well, Eric Bana seems to be at an all time high, his acting in this film was superb. However some of the other actors left a little to desire, i thought Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom were average at best. Unintentionally, the most hilarious moment is when Orlando Bloom, obviously typecast, whips out a bow and arrow in the final scene and starts shooting down Greeks. Although, like almost every film ever made, Troy didn't live up to the hype, it is a film worth seeing for the historical aspect and the huge fight scenes.

I'm going to break the trend of giving grades for some reason, and give troy 7 out 10 good, but not great.

[Reply #116 on:]

 

Originally posted by spacepilot3000:
 What did Washington Post say?

They said he was a terrible voice actor and that you could barely understand what he said, which is pure rubbish.

[Reply #117 on:]

Well it's the the first film I have seen in a cinema for a long time so I should review it I guess.

Troy

Just a little info for you first. i studied the Iliad as part of one of my courses. As such I wilspeel the names as I was taught and not the how the film spells them. I will also put a little spoiler section at the end of this review on what wa majorly different.

Now this is one of those odd films that appeals to both sexes (at least until they have seen the movie). When I went to see it alot of the girls there were just there to see Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom in various states of undress (which the film supplies). What they do not realise is that theIliad was never meant to be a love story but a tale of the anger of Achillieus. The film is quite violent, although it does have some tender parts, it is a movie about a war.

First let's get the acting out of the way. To be honest most of the actors seem to stretch their real muscels rather than their acting ones. There are a few exceptions. I thought Peter O'Toole was very good as Priam (especially in one of the later sceens) and Eric Bana made a good Hektor. Brad Pitt did manage to get the arrogence nad self importance that Achillieus is usually portrayed with.

Now the action. I was very impressed, the armies did look huge and the battles were just as immense. The one on ones could diappoint but were generally ok.

Dispite beng 2 and a hlaf hours long (not includuing the adverts). It did not feel like it and I did enjoy the movie.

now for those comparisons.

Show spoiler

Firstly in the movie the war lasts about a mount but the actual war lasted tne years. The Iliad only tells of three months of the war.

Agememnon does not die in the war of Troy. In fact he gets murdered by his wife when he returns home.

Like I said the Iliad only tels of three months of the war. Starting with Achllieus getting pissed off with Agemmmnon  and ending with the funeral games.

Achillieus also does not make it into Troy. He is killed long before by Alexandros (Paris) by a poisoned arrow to his ankle.

One thing I will say about the comparison to the book is that the film is far more favourable to the Trojons than the book (not surprising since Homer was presumably Greek).

All in all a nice little action film.
A-

[Reply #118 on:]

wasn't there more of mythylogical aspect to the original story?

[Reply #119 on:]

Well yes. Teh God's played a huge role in the book but do not really appear in the movie.