This is actually the first movie I've seen with Ryan Gosling and after seeing it I want to see more of him and I need to see more of him, especially in a film where he has more dialogue too. He was very cool in this though. Good film.
Altitude(Kaare Andrews, 2010) I like the initiative of independent producers to shoot horror movies. It is a way to stimulate the genre and deliver nice stories. Also, it admires me of how well produced most of them turn to be. Due its low budget, the production design of Altitude is impressive and the plotline catches your attention. Although, the script has a lot of noticeable flaws that harms the general experience. Instead, I recommend the australian hit Triangle, which intentions are kinda similar to this one, but faaaar better.
The Village(M. Night Shyamalan, 2004)RE-WATCHED The finest example of how a wrong marketing campaign can ruin the reputation of a movie. Today, though, I don't see it as a bad thing: it's undeniable that The Village became one of the most underrated productions of the past decade. An intense psychological drama turns into an unforgettable experience. It's also a pleasure watching Bryce Dallas Howard on screen. I actually can barely find any flaws. I love the way Shyamalan presented the allegory: it's sophisticated, smart and it has phylosophical roots. Everything is followed by the mesmerizing soundtrack by James Newton Howard. One of my favorites movies ever.
Carriers(David & Alex Pastor, 2009) Although the performances being solid, it doesn't happen anything really interesting, moving or exciting. In the end, it is another exemplar of the genre that will be forgotten soon.
I went to the theater today with a friend that wanted to see the movie and now that I have had a second viewing I need to lower my original score. The first time I watch any movie it is usually a general brushing into my mind, but with a second viewing it lets you focus on everything you missed and things you did and didn't like from the first viewing. Let me start by saying that the shake cam was absolutely annoying and obnoxious. When you have the opportunity to portray haunting empty shots or just more stationary and mobile smooth shots like a camera zooming or moving then it is an idea they should have elaborated on. Using the shake cam for almost every scene was not only frustrating to focus upon and see what was going on but it provides you with a bit extreme of a feeling of being lost in the chaos. I will admit for some scenes like the uprising it worked, but really I felt a lot of it was unneeded especially in the beginning with Katniss. I could understand in the woods but when you see countless shots of blurry individuals or solem moments like miners walking to work, I do not see how this benefits the interpretation of the story. I did like Ross' use of focusing. I liked the inward and outward focusing he used in the film to show different aspects of things that Katniss would notice. Now here is one thing that I wanted to mention. I feel that the movie did not establish characters in the area that were more than one dimensional. Cato is the only exception and Thresh for only one scene. All others are merely numbers to be slaughtered. I felt nothing when anyone died other than Rue. They were just random kids. The book was a lot deeper I felt with these other tributes, but it is one of the faults of any film when you focus on the main character and their story. When it comes to Special effect as well this viewing left me analyzing how they looked and in my eyes they look like something from a direct to tv movie when it comes to fire. Fire is a hard natural element to reproduce and I just felt this felt too thin, and too light. The Forest, the parade outfits and the dress were all letdowns to me. The Hovercrafts and the capitol were standouts of great work as the hovercrafts looked like real steel and the capitol layout, crowds, and infrastructure looked real. As far as characters come Jennifer Lawrence really stood out with wonderful development however I felt as her and Peeta were to meet their demise with the berries and then it is announced that they have both won, after all they have been through that there would be more of a shock reaction and possibly even a few tears. With how traumatic the arena events were, and now it was over I expected a bit of a stronger response that "wow this is finally over." I was really impressed with Hutcherson after seeing him in some eh roles over the years I thought that Peeta was greatly adapted as was Katniss. The stand out for me in a majority of the movie was the soundtrack. My favorite being the ending intertwined with the original soundtrack and a soundtrack piece from Hanna which had a great soundtrack created by the Chemical Brothers. Theres more and more I could go on about but I have to study for an exam. Bottomline: 5/10 #RysTwoCents
I, too, feel like I need to lower my score to a 7 or 7.5 upon a second viewing. It's above average, but not great. It has its flaws.
I definitely liked the book better, but in saying that I sound like a purist and am opening the floodgates. Oh well lmao. I just felt that the film could have been so much better in many different areas. I am disappoint haha. Also with Gary Ross' Michael-J-Fox-Esque-Shake-Cam, I am excited to see who fills the shoes for the next film and if they can adapt the material better than the book haha
Mirror, Mirror(Tarsem Singh, 2012) Trailers are a really important piece of promotion and advertisement of a film, after all, they are responsible, most of the times, for creating your expectations towards a movie. I considered the trailer a total mess and even visually the movie didn't look appealing. What a surprise. Mirror, Mirror is actually a naive and harmless fun, with a stunning and creative set design and a nice soundtrack. Of course, Tarsem Singh is a much better art director than a director itself, but the film balances genres well and the humor actually works. The opening sequence is also inventive and evens reminds The Tales of the Three Brothers. It's another nice touch. It can be not remarkable or memorable, but it is, indeed, an innocent family movie worth the price of the ticket.
The Box Watched it again a few days ago. This movie never fails to impress me. I love it so much even though it's so terribly structured. But noticing new little details in every new viewing is just great. But when I watch this, I just can't help comparing it to Donnie Darko. Despite completely different premises they're way too similar. Richard Kelly really repeats himself here, but to me he's still one of the most underrated directors out there. While his cinematic style remains here, I love how The Box is shot in a completely fairy tale-like aura. Overall, to me it is a great experience, but I can completely understand why someone would not like it. 7.5/10 for me
MAN! There it is a really underrated movie. Kelly totally achieved the Twilight Zone feeling atmosphere. It has it flaws, but overall it's a really twisted and sick experience! A nice and underlooked thriller for sure, man!
I can now say that it has definitely withstood the test of time. Absolutely incredible, one of the most thrilling movies of all time, and crafted almost perfectly. My only complaints: it ends a little too fast, and the effects, while revolutionary at their time, are a little out of date. I can only hope that they'll touch them up with the 3D re-release next summer.
The Descent: Part 2(Jon Harris, 2009)RE-WATCHED While it has some nice and tense sequences, the incoherent and unnecessary plot ruins the experience, specially when the first one is a new-classic of the genre.
Hanna(Joe Wright, 2011) While the script has it flaws... HOLY SHIT! It has been a while I haven't watched such a stylish, creative and inventive action flick. Joe Wright is a really promising director from this generation. I like how eclectic he is. His movies have personality, a rare thing these days. And, once again, his partnership with Saoirse Ronan does not fail. Amazing.
TITANIC 3D - 95% One of the best cinematic experiences I've had in my whole entire life. Titanic is monumental, there's no other word. The film holds a very special place in my heart, so it's really hard to describe it.
All I can say is that I'm extremely glad that it got re-released. Now I can say that I had the pleasure to see this gem of cinema as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen :')
Another Earth(Mike Cahill, 2011) A strong, provocative and emotional independent drama with a sci-fi background that not only convinces you, but also make you thoughtful. Brit Marling delivers a great performance, while the script has some deep dialogues and moments.
@Rick you hadn't watched Hanna yet? :O God, I love that movie so much, I listen to the soundtrack since before the movie came out, and it never gets old!
--
The Muppets What a pleasant surprise! I rented it with zero expectations, just to see what the fuzz was all about. And while the songs go a little over the top, I laughed so hard! Seriously, how the hell is this so funny?! So many pop culture references, awesome cameos, and just plain fun all the way through! 8/10
@Rick you hadn't watched Hanna yet? :O God, I love that movie so much, I listen to the soundtrack since before the movie came out, and it never gets old!
I hadn't, man! Can you believe it? I regret so much that I took so long to watch it
American Reunion(Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, 2012) It's always nice to see the gang back, but most of the gags are repetitive and can be found in the trailer. The truth is that American Reunion doesn't bring anything new. More a tribute than a reunion.
Titanic 3D 7/10 - great to see it for the first time on the big screen for me and the 3D was done quite well. American Reunion 7/10 - was unexpectedly quite funny and had some good moments while some less so , but a great final visit to the series.
visit my blog! www.mediahype101.blogspot.com (tv shows/reviews)
There Will be Blood is a masterpiece. The baptism scene is one of the most intense and dramatic scenes I ever watched in a movie theater. The performances by Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano are just...
Another major blockbuster of the year, with theaters selling out many sessions on it's first day of release.. The theater was packed out , and anyone who got to see the film would think it was well worth it as Marvel managed to provide one of its most epic superhero films in its string of huge hit films.
With an assembly of six superheroes, its usually difficult to make a great film with so many characters to focus on, but this proved that it can surely be done. With plenty of comedy and action for audiences, 'The Avengers' provide for a entertaining movie to keep everyone satisfied. It provides in all it set out to be and ties in with all the other Marvel superhero movies that led up to this film.It can be confusing for some audiences to understand the chronological order and how it all fits, it also had me wondering.. but perhaps major fans will be able to understand this much more.
The film's structure was well thought and flowed nicely throughout its 2 hour and a half run time as it created a great balance between the story , action, drama etc. which made it a quick paced film, which is often difficult as audiences can easily be bored . The 3D was also done quite well for a post 3D conversion, as it was not to distracting with some great 3D moments from time to time. The CGI and cinematography was once again top notch as Marvel usually provides with great acting from the whole cast and some nice acting skills from the new actors on board, particularly Cobie Smulders (aka Robin, HIMYM) and Mark Ruffalo (the New Hulk). The film's score was also quite good as it managed to help boost the intensity of the action scenes particularly in certain scenes with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
Overall, The Avengers delivered in everything it set out to be, an epic blockbuster film that manages to live up to all it's hype. Also don't miss another bonus scene (which Marvel has being doing quite often) after the first few credits which may hint of what's next to come in Marvel's superhero series.
Overall Rating:
9/10
visit my blog! www.mediahype101.blogspot.com (tv shows/reviews)
Did actually find it a bit interesting at times the first hour for creating suspense without utilizing any cinematic devices, but even at this point there were things that bothered me like breaking the fourth wall, how weakly the family fought back and that the woman didn't cry for help when the neighbours came over. It got even worse as it played on typical horror conventions like the phone not working, low battery and the woman being captured way too easily, but what completely threw me off was when one of the psychopaths used the remote control to rewind time and change the past. It lost all credibility at that point and basically rendered the whole thing a shit movie. I wish I could rewind time and decide to skip this movie. Rating? 0.5/4
Wow, PJ. Really? I love Funny Games, both versions (although they are basically a copy paste of each other). I love how Haneke breaks the fourth wall and catches you totally unaware. While it does manipulate the audience, I think that's the exactly purpose of it. Did you pay attention to the conversation between Peter and Paul at the end of the movie? About what's fiction and reality? What does the audience want to watch? How a movie manages your perception of reality? Does it fulfill your expectations?
I also love the way Haneke portraits the violence in the movie. It's always hidden, and it's only explicit in the rewind scene.
Regarding the cliches... It's all part of the game. I suggest you to face Funny Games more as a satire about thriller, as a thriller itself. The movie makes much more sense in a satiric way.
I didn't expect to see a pretentious metafilm, or a satire about films, if you would. It should have sat up these expectations from the beginning and developed one coherent and plausible story, as opposed to randomly changing course near the end. The ending didn't feel like it was a part of the same film really. Nothing in the film pointed towards such a horrendously implausible turning point as rewinding the past and pretentiously questioning what's fiction and what's reality. That reminded me of my father while watching DH 2 actually. In response to my mother reminding herself that it was only a movie when the snake attacked Snape, my father was like, "yeah, but what if life is a film too?" Needless to say it was the first and last time I'll watch a HP film with him...
No. And I need to digest this first which may take some time. Thankfully I can turn to Hitchcock who is capable of remedying any damage done towards my cinephile tastes.
No. And I need to digest this first which may take some time. Thankfully I can turn to Hitchcock who is capable of remedying any damage done towards my cinephile tastes.
I recommend you The Piano Teacher, Caché and The White Ribbon. They are much better than Funny Games, as they are much serious movies.
It's the internet, your opinion is going to be taken with a grain of salt anyways and you should know that when you come on. Who cares if someone doesn't accept your opinion? Just move on and forget about it.
I do recall wanting to see it back in the old days when I actually cared about oscar nominations. The cinematography looks good anyway. So alright, I will trust you on that and watch it some time. :P
Comments
This is actually the first movie I've seen with Ryan Gosling and after seeing it I want to see more of him and I need to see more of him, especially in a film where he has more dialogue too. He was very cool in this though. Good film.
I like the initiative of independent producers to shoot horror movies. It is a way to stimulate the genre and deliver nice stories. Also, it admires me of how well produced most of them turn to be. Due its low budget, the production design of Altitude is impressive and the plotline catches your attention. Although, the script has a lot of noticeable flaws that harms the general experience. Instead, I recommend the australian hit Triangle, which intentions are kinda similar to this one, but faaaar better.
2/4
The finest example of how a wrong marketing campaign can ruin the reputation of a movie. Today, though, I don't see it as a bad thing: it's undeniable that The Village became one of the most underrated productions of the past decade. An intense psychological drama turns into an unforgettable experience. It's also a pleasure watching Bryce Dallas Howard on screen. I actually can barely find any flaws. I love the way Shyamalan presented the allegory: it's sophisticated, smart and it has phylosophical roots. Everything is followed by the mesmerizing soundtrack by James Newton Howard. One of my favorites movies ever.
4/4
Although the performances being solid, it doesn't happen anything really interesting, moving or exciting. In the end, it is another exemplar of the genre that will be forgotten soon.
1.5/4
I went to the theater today with a friend that wanted to see the movie and now that I have had a second viewing I need to lower my original score. The first time I watch any movie it is usually a general brushing into my mind, but with a second viewing it lets you focus on everything you missed and things you did and didn't like from the first viewing. Let me start by saying that the shake cam was absolutely annoying and obnoxious. When you have the opportunity to portray haunting empty shots or just more stationary and mobile smooth shots like a camera zooming or moving then it is an idea they should have elaborated on. Using the shake cam for almost every scene was not only frustrating to focus upon and see what was going on but it provides you with a bit extreme of a feeling of being lost in the chaos. I will admit for some scenes like the uprising it worked, but really I felt a lot of it was unneeded especially in the beginning with Katniss. I could understand in the woods but when you see countless shots of blurry individuals or solem moments like miners walking to work, I do not see how this benefits the interpretation of the story. I did like Ross' use of focusing. I liked the inward and outward focusing he used in the film to show different aspects of things that Katniss would notice. Now here is one thing that I wanted to mention. I feel that the movie did not establish characters in the area that were more than one dimensional. Cato is the only exception and Thresh for only one scene. All others are merely numbers to be slaughtered. I felt nothing when anyone died other than Rue. They were just random kids. The book was a lot deeper I felt with these other tributes, but it is one of the faults of any film when you focus on the main character and their story. When it comes to Special effect as well this viewing left me analyzing how they looked and in my eyes they look like something from a direct to tv movie when it comes to fire. Fire is a hard natural element to reproduce and I just felt this felt too thin, and too light. The Forest, the parade outfits and the dress were all letdowns to me. The Hovercrafts and the capitol were standouts of great work as the hovercrafts looked like real steel and the capitol layout, crowds, and infrastructure looked real. As far as characters come Jennifer Lawrence really stood out with wonderful development however I felt as her and Peeta were to meet their demise with the berries and then it is announced that they have both won, after all they have been through that there would be more of a shock reaction and possibly even a few tears. With how traumatic the arena events were, and now it was over I expected a bit of a stronger response that "wow this is finally over." I was really impressed with Hutcherson after seeing him in some eh roles over the years I thought that Peeta was greatly adapted as was Katniss. The stand out for me in a majority of the movie was the soundtrack. My favorite being the ending intertwined with the original soundtrack and a soundtrack piece from Hanna which had a great soundtrack created by the Chemical Brothers. Theres more and more I could go on about but I have to study for an exam. Bottomline: 5/10 #RysTwoCents
Trailers are a really important piece of promotion and advertisement of a film, after all, they are responsible, most of the times, for creating your expectations towards a movie. I considered the trailer a total mess and even visually the movie didn't look appealing. What a surprise. Mirror, Mirror is actually a naive and harmless fun, with a stunning and creative set design and a nice soundtrack. Of course, Tarsem Singh is a much better art director than a director itself, but the film balances genres well and the humor actually works. The opening sequence is also inventive and evens reminds The Tales of the Three Brothers. It's another nice touch. It can be not remarkable or memorable, but it is, indeed, an innocent family movie worth the price of the ticket.
2.5/4
Watched it again a few days ago. This movie never fails to impress me. I love it so much even though it's so terribly structured. But noticing new little details in every new viewing is just great. But when I watch this, I just can't help comparing it to Donnie Darko. Despite completely different premises they're way too similar. Richard Kelly really repeats himself here, but to me he's still one of the most underrated directors out there. While his cinematic style remains here, I love how The Box is shot in a completely fairy tale-like aura. Overall, to me it is a great experience, but I can completely understand why someone would not like it.
7.5/10 for me
I can now say that it has definitely withstood the test of time. Absolutely incredible, one of the most thrilling movies of all time, and crafted almost perfectly. My only complaints: it ends a little too fast, and the effects, while revolutionary at their time, are a little out of date. I can only hope that they'll touch them up with the 3D re-release next summer.
While it has some nice and tense sequences, the incoherent and unnecessary plot ruins the experience, specially when the first one is a new-classic of the genre.
1.5/4
Mysterious thing time.
While the script has it flaws... HOLY SHIT! It has been a while I haven't watched such a stylish, creative and inventive action flick. Joe Wright is a really promising director from this generation. I like how eclectic he is. His movies have personality, a rare thing these days. And, once again, his partnership with Saoirse Ronan does not fail. Amazing.
3.5/4
One of the best cinematic experiences I've had in my whole entire life.
Titanic is monumental, there's no other word. The film holds a very special
place in my heart, so it's really hard to describe it.
All I can say is that I'm extremely glad that it got re-released.
Now I can say that I had the pleasure to see this gem of
cinema as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen :')
G.G.
A strong, provocative and emotional independent drama with a sci-fi background that not only convinces you, but also make you thoughtful. Brit Marling delivers a great performance, while the script has some deep dialogues and moments.
3/4
God, I love that movie so much, I listen to the soundtrack since before the movie came out, and it never gets old!
--
The Muppets
What a pleasant surprise! I rented it with zero expectations, just to see what the fuzz was all about. And while the songs go a little over the top, I laughed so hard! Seriously, how the hell is this so funny?! So many pop culture references, awesome cameos, and just plain fun all the way through!
8/10
I still have to get it too, now I've remembered...
It's always nice to see the gang back, but most of the gags are repetitive and can be found in the trailer. The truth is that American Reunion doesn't bring anything new. More a tribute than a reunion.
2/4
American Reunion 7/10 - was unexpectedly quite funny and had some good moments while some less so , but a great final visit to the series.
visit my blog!
www.mediahype101.blogspot.com (tv shows/reviews)
An intense survival thriller with a powerful performance by Liam Neeson and some nice and subtle dramatic moments.
3/4
9.5/10. A true American masterpiece and one of the best acting performances of all time from Daniel Day-Lewis! Loved it.
I still get chills!
Another major blockbuster of the year, with theaters selling out many sessions on it's first day of release..
The theater was packed out , and anyone who got to see the film would think it was well worth it as Marvel managed to provide one of its most epic superhero films in its string of huge hit films.
With an assembly of six superheroes, its usually difficult to make a great film with so many characters to focus on, but this proved that it can surely be done.
With plenty of comedy and action for audiences, 'The Avengers' provide for a entertaining movie to keep everyone satisfied. It provides in all it set out to be and ties in with all the other Marvel superhero movies that led up to this film.It can be confusing for some audiences to understand the chronological order and how it all fits, it also had me wondering..
but perhaps major fans will be able to understand this much more.
The film's structure was well thought and flowed nicely throughout its 2 hour and a half run time as it created a great balance between the story , action, drama etc. which made it a quick paced film, which is often difficult as audiences can easily be bored . The 3D was also done quite well for a post 3D conversion, as it was not to distracting with some great 3D moments from time to time. The CGI and cinematography was once again top notch as Marvel usually provides with great acting from the whole cast and some nice acting skills from the new actors on board, particularly Cobie Smulders (aka Robin, HIMYM) and Mark Ruffalo (the New Hulk). The film's score was also quite good as it managed to help boost the intensity of the action scenes particularly in certain scenes with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
Overall, The Avengers delivered in everything it set out to be, an epic blockbuster film that manages to live up to all it's hype. Also don't miss another bonus scene (which Marvel has being doing quite often) after the first few credits which may hint of what's next to come in Marvel's superhero series.
Overall Rating:
9/10
visit my blog!
www.mediahype101.blogspot.com (tv shows/reviews)
Did actually find it a bit interesting at times the first hour for creating suspense without utilizing any cinematic devices, but even at this point there were things that bothered me like breaking the fourth wall, how weakly the family fought back and that the woman didn't cry for help when the neighbours came over. It got even worse as it played on typical horror conventions like the phone not working, low battery and the woman being captured way too easily, but what completely threw me off was when one of the psychopaths used the remote control to rewind time and change the past. It lost all credibility at that point and basically rendered the whole thing a shit movie. I wish I could rewind time and decide to skip this movie. Rating? 0.5/4
I also love the way Haneke portraits the violence in the movie. It's always hidden, and it's only explicit in the rewind scene.
Regarding the cliches... It's all part of the game. I suggest you to face Funny Games more as a satire about thriller, as a thriller itself. The movie makes much more sense in a satiric way.
Have you seen other movies by Haneke?
It would be a nightmare!
But trust me, man. The White Ribbon is a masterpiece. I love it.