What films have you seen recently?

[Sorrow-kun]

ITT we discuss and rate films we've seen recently.  (Try to use the NHRV rating scale where possible :p)

Title: The Dark Knight

Certainly the highlight was Heath Ledger's performance and the way he just completely loses himself in the role.  He was simultaneously unsettling and unrelenting.  Much like the film.  It was such a fast-paced, almost exhausting experience, and Nolan manages to create this constant chaotic atmosphere that very neatly (as "neat" as this brand of controlled insanity could be) complements the main theme of the film of order versus chaos and the corrupting and opposing influence one has on the other.  A few complaints: sometimes the action sequences are a tad too chaotic, and it's fairly easy to become lost in them.  I also thought the characterization wasn't quite as good as in Batman Begins.  The way they developed Harvey Dent was fairly well done, and they had so much to say about The Joker (the money burning, his philosophy on "rules" and then his philosophy on "schemes", the hospital, his "social experiment" and then the way he corrupts Dent), but his background remains a tantalizing but unexplored enigma.  We are shown so much about The Joker and what makes him tick, and yet I still wanted to know more.  I didn't like the look of Two Face, it kinda pushed credibility.

The Rating: 8/10

[AC]

Hooray, one notch up for discussion involvement!

Title: WALL-E - 9/10

Personally,  I thought that it was one of Pixar's best movies yet. The last Pixar movie that really had such an emotional impact on me was The Incredibles (sorry, but Ratatouille didn't really hit the mark somehow for me). I am not kidding when I say that at certain points during the movie, I find WALL-E to be better than The Incredibles. At the end of the movie tnough, I thought that The Incredibles and WALL-E are right on par with each others.

Basically, what I find to be amazing is that both are very different from each other. The Incredibles was action-packed, fast, furious and family-themed. WALL-E is innovative, heartwarming, touching and based on self-discovery (and nice work slotting in on the environmental messages). I was very entertained nonetheless. It was daring enough to have a movie where the two lead characters exchanged only a handful of words (or commands) to each other throughout the whole movie.

P.S. And I really dig WALL-E and EVE. Klutzy, curious and faithful compacter + fiesty, fierce and endearing iPod = best robotic couple ever.

[C0MPL3X]

The Chaser - 6/10

It's a new Korean mystery murder movie. It's interesting in that it takes a new take on the narrative structure. We already know who the murderer is at the start, and the police must find evidence before the guy is set free again. This might have worked only if the murderer himself was shrouded in mystery, but we are shown EVERYTHING about him from the very start, his behaviour, method of killing, hiding place, etc. There's absolutely no suspense whatsoever, and what's left is a poor attempt at melodrama through slooooooooowww motion capture, heartfelt music and very good acting overall. The level of details behind the events being unfolded is astoundingly poor as well, and I really didn't want more palm against my forehead after following Geass for so long.

The best korean mystery movies for me are still Old Boy and Memories of Murder. Se7en starring Morgan Freeman is very good too.

[Tamashii]

Edward Scissorhands

8/10

It had a lot of Burton's unique style, and of course, I enjoyed it a lot. As big of a Winona fan as I am, her performance here leaves much to be desired. It got a bit hokey when Burton kept pushing the idea that the scissors can cut accidentally. The plot, too, is silly. But in all of the film's silliness, there is a touch of gentleness, and it all added up to a very interesting balance of style and substance. I have to admit that I was not entirely emotionally attached to any of the characters (a big problem when it came to the ending scenes). Burton didn't work up Edward's character enough; and after learning that Burton did want the film to be emotionally riveting, I felt like he fell short of that goal. A better idea, I believe, would have been to push the film's silliness and quirkiness to incredible lengths, almost to the extent that it be "avant garde."

[Seven]

The Dark Knight

9.9/10

I came. That about sums it up.

[genki sakura]

I saw Rashomon in class today...

9/10

It was sweet. Toshiro Mifune FTW.

Things I learned from Rashomon:
- Bandits like to laugh.
- Don't wear clothing that can be easily flittered up by the wind.
- Toshiro Mifune is friggin awesome (but I knew that already).
- Babies redeem all.
- Bandits like to laugh.
- If you see a woman's hat and veil, don't go looking any further into the woods.
- RAIN.
- Some mediums can be mad graceful when re-enacting a death.
- WIND.
- Yep.


Last film seen outside of class? Billy Wilder's Stalag 17 for like the fifth time. I saw it in a theater in July, bought it at the end of July, and have watched it in its entirety/parts of it several times.

80% drama/20% humor 100% Awesomeness.

10/10 for Stalag 17.

 

[Sorrow-kun]

Title: The Promise

A really over-the-top and melodramatic Chinese wuxia fantasy film about a love triangle involving a princess, a general and his slave.  The use of special effects is obvious, borderline cartoony, and the direction and cinematography seems to be making every effort to make every shot seem epic... but when you try to make everything seem epic, it all just ends up feeling forced.  The plot has a huge dollop of irony, and the mystery behind the main character's past was interesting, but some of the elements and plot-twists in the story seem stupid (like the whimsical, meddling goddess whose presence in the film is never explained and never makes sense).  Not much to the characters either.  The palette and colourful cinematography was interesting, but eventually it also contributed to the over-the-top feel.

The Rating: 5/10

[Sorrow-kun]

Title: Lars and the Real Girl

Wow, this was a complete surprise.  It wasn't my choice, and I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was a completely unique and surprising film.  The performances are incredible, particularly from Gosling and Mortimer, and the portrayal of the small town is sweet and homely, beautifully complementing the mood of the film.  The characters are all well written, but the highlight is the

Spoiler for Hiden:

romantic relationship and the way it's portrayed.  It's so ironic in one way (as much as I hate to think of something as disarming as this as "ironic"), that they can make a relationship with a sex doll so sweet and pure, but the way they portray the characters is so utterly charming and heartfelt that you just can't help but be completely emamoured by what you see.

This was great.  I love surprises like this.

The Rating: 9

[Tamashii]

Flow
7/10

Forgiveness
5/10

Adaptation.
8/10

Raging Bull
9/10

[Akira]

Dr. Strangelove
I don't want to give this movie a rating; its epic transcends numbers. It is by far one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, ever. The black humor and irony in the movie is so ripe and mocking, I don't think people will ever NOT understand what it's about, despite the Cold War being history. If I had to give it a rating, it would be a 9.5... possibly even higher.

Airplane!
...rewatched this one, understood a lot of the humor much better. No real review needed, I think... >_>;; 10/10

Chinatown
And old classic, nominated for 11 Academy Awards back in '74; would have won most of them (in my opinion) if Godfather II didn't come out that same year. It's a film noir starring Jack Nicholson, about a water scandal in LA. The script is really strong, and the film really avoids cliches, especially the ending, which I totally did not expect. 9/10, I think everyone should give this one a watch, especially if you like psychological thrillers.

[Tamashii]

I didn't like Chinatown.

[C0MPL3X]

I loved Dr. Strangelove though (like with every other Kubrick's work)

[Tamashii]

Eagle Eye
3/10

Standard Hollywood fare from a standard, untalented director. Oh well, it was an advanced screening. And free. Once you see product placement (McDonald's, Macy's, Circuit City, Apple, the list is long for this baby), then you know where this one's headed: the dumpster truck. But hey, if you jump into the dumpster, you'll get a "ride," you know, you're on a moving vehicle. What a thrill. Yes, moving vehicles. I must have witnessed forty car-crashes, lots of explosions, and a lot of other silly things before establishing that the budget was gigantos: wasted money robbed from a better cause, like cleaning up city streets and feeding starving people in third world countries. Speaking of multitude: Hey guys! What's better than one Shia LaBeouf? How about two! Well, at least his character had a bit of dimension, while his co-partner, and about everyone else, could have been replaced by talking poster board. The film is full of cheats, gimmicks, and LeBeouf corniness to satisfy the standard audience (yes I heard some clapping, I was about to insert sharp objects into my ears at that point). No thanks Mr. Caruso, I saw through your placid, boring sentimentalism (can I even call it that?), and just because someone can cry on cue doesn't mean I have to give a shit.

This is some leaked conversation from the development team eight months ago, thanks to my superior surveillance technology that always, for some apparent reason, has a frequency and/or is hooked to the internet:
"Sir, I've got a great idea. Let's have the mother--"
"No. Stop."
"Yes?"
"Before you give me a suggestion for this script, you must excuse yourself to the bathroom, make sure no one is around, and ask yourself, in a high-pitch-yelling-voice: 'DOES IT SEEM RIDICULOUS ENOUGH?'"

[genki sakura]

Floating Weeds- Ozu
9/10

Some really great, random lines come from this film about a troupe of actors in a small town.

"What a big mouth she has." (Referring to the cute daughter of the barber.)
"I want to eat a cutlet." (In response to a very pessimistic line.)

I prefer it to "Tokyo Story" (Ozu's 1953 film about an elderly couple that comes to Tokyo to visit their children). Maybe it was a bit more "Western-y." Or maybe it was just simply the fact that there isn't a really annoying scene at the end--I've seen "Tokyo Story" twice and both times I really disliked the dialogue between Noriko and the father at the end. But that's just me. Other than that, "Tokyo Story" is amazing.

"Floating Weeds" is my type of film. It is really only about a small town and the inhabitants going about their daily lives. I really like slice of life stories...




 

Chinatown was okay...but didn't do it for me. ("Yeah...he didn't do it for me." Spaceballs on the otherhand...XD)

[start spam]
I should go to bed soon...haha


...I get to shoot arrows tomorrow afternoon....
...and attempt to talk Japanese...
...and draw people....

That's my day tomorrow...in reverse....

I'm really hyper...haha...[/end spam]

[Sorrow-kun]

Title: Goodbye Bafana

Not the most exciting film ever, but a really good story, since it was based on Nelson Mandella's time in prison told from the point of view of his prison guard.  The prison guard was a bit quick to turn from seething racist to Mandella's best friend, but it had some decent dramatic moments, was well directed and had a few interesting parallels here and there.  A decent history lesson as well.  Things were just a bit understated, I think, so the impact probably was lacking a bit.

The Rating: 6/10