The MOVIE REVIEW Thread

[Wyld]

Stardust opened in cinemas last Friday here and I watched it that same evening. This story has always been one of my favorite books - its whimsical and light, its funny and scary, its got love and lovers, treachery and deceit. In short. Its a fairytale. The movie did just that - translated the fairy tale into a movie.

 

The movie succeeds in bringing people back to the day and age when The Wall and Stormhold existed. The production design was executed really well. There was just the right amount of "special effects" ... not too much that it detracts from the mood and setting of the story, but enough so that it gives the viewers little jolts every now and then. Make up and costume was flawless - especially the make up and prosthetics done on the ghosts of the 7 brothers / wannabe Stormhold heirs.

 

The movie starts off with a narration done by no other than Ian McKellen; this sets the mood of the movie perfectly. The movie was well acted and well directed - it made me laugh at Yvaine and Tristan's misadventures... made me want to strangle the remaining 3 brothers and the 3 witches for their selfishness. I cheered when they triumphed. I cried when Tristan realized his feelings for Yvaine.

 

Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert de Niro were fantastic in this movie. They camped it out .. in a big way. I guess im a bit disappointed by Clare Danes' performance as Yvaine... she was too bland, and to my mind, not magical enough to pull the role off. Charlie Cox as Tristan was fumbling and charming in just the right proportions ... but again, there was something lacking in his portrayal of the lovestruck Tristan. That to me was the biggest letdown as far as this movie was concerned - the actors playing the lead roles could have been better chosen.

 

There were some cinematic liberties taken with the story but I can understand why - those cinematic liberties made the story more amusing actually. They made the story more visually appealing ... and was the perfect way to bridge the gap between the written word and a movie. This movie was a real treat. One HUGE real treat. I wont gush and say the movie changed my life but im amazed and glad that I was able to visually experience one of my most favorite stories of all time.

 

As most fairy stories go, this one makes us believe that good will always triumph over evil and that ... happy endings are always possible - you just have to believe in them.

 

Edited August 13, 2007 by Wyld

[dragonei]

Rush Hour 3

 

I never understood the point of forgettable Jackie Chan movies like the new police story. I mean it was one movie that ended with me begging for a porno instead. Jackie Chan, no matter how talented he is was never made for serious acting. I mean come on, his early films that emulatyed bruce lee flopped. But when he entered the genre of comedy action, thats when he became a legend of his own legend.

 

In this movie, Jackie Chan is finally home, doing what he does best. But do not expect too much from the movie itself either. If you have seen the previous two, you have pretty much seen this one. Plus, Jackie chan is beggining to show his age here.

 

The story isn't that hard to follow. It still has that east meets west comedy vibe. Two unlikely police officers find themselves in another predicament in which they will have to team up again to bring down the bad guys. As they go at it, it results to catastrophic and often hilarious escapades. In between death defying stunts and fight scenes, there is of course Chris Tucker's fast talking mouth. And thats all she wrote.

 

Everything here feels so recycled. Recycled jokes, recycled stunts, even recycled script, and supporting cast. In fact some of the supporting cast from the first film returns for this one, but they just don't add up to the appeal of the movies. Not even the setting (which is in beautiful paris), does not add up spice nor appeal to this movie. It worked for Jet Li's kiss of the dragon it just did not work here. Even the plots and twists are all so predictable.

 

Yeah there is still that trademark jackie chan stunts, but even them are so recycled. I mean come on, must he always fall down from a height at the climax of every rush hour movie come on! Its like Mary Jane always being captured by the villain at the climax of every spider-man movie. Moreso some of them are really unbelievable. Alright so maybe you can use a huge french flag as a shoot, but given physics, gravity and wind velocity, you rip your arms off if you pull a stunt like that.

 

I guess it shows one of those symptoms that a movie franchise has finally run out of its original ideas. There is nothing appealing anymore to this movie, but at least its not that difficult to sit trough. At least there is no clutter of plot or overloaded CGI in this movie. But the one thing I enjoyed in this movie was the performance of Hiroyuki Sanada as the bad guy. I did not know that this guy could kick ass. He would have been the serious actor version of Jackie Chan.

 

This not a movie thats meant to be talked about for months, its not even going to be a classic like its predecessors, its not even a movie that you will wanna watch in a 500 peso movie theaters. But as for something that will give you to let time pass, this movie does the job.

 

Overall it is flawed but its worthy

 

B-

[pajac24]

Rush Hour 3

 

It is one of the most anticipated movie this summer, ( in America i mean), but sorry to dissappoint the fans it failed to deliver..The story line sucks, in tagalog mababaw ang istorya, maybe because of the report i heard is that chris tucker's team handled the production and the script, he also caused delays beacuase of superstar complex, imagine sumikat lang siya yumabang na, pumantay na ang billing nila at kung tutuusin si jackie chan ang nagdadala ng movie, and the result is a complete disaster.. Yes it was no. 1 but the 50+ million dollars it earned last weekend is way below Rush hour 2, which earned 67+ million dollars in opening weekend alone ..The saving grace is the fight scenes are still good and the punch lines are still funny but the conclusion is don't tell me I didn't warn you :thumbsupsmiley: :cool: :mtc:

[clubber_lang]

The Bourne Ultimatum was definitely the best of the espionage series.

 

The script left no loose ends and made sure everuthing moved at a brisk pace. Some would question the shakycam technique of Paul Greengrass but for me, it worked. It add realism as well as tension to an already suspense-filled flick.

 

Matt Damon definitely owns this film, probably the genre. All the other actors did splendid jobs too.

 

One of the Top 3 films I've seen this year...

[kerrmit]

The Bourne Ultimatum

 

Just a few tips: watch the Bourne Supremacy first, then go get some popcorns and get in line at the nearest THX-certified cinema. Of course, you don't have to do that but that's what I went through to make sure that I could appreciate the movie's full impact. Of course, im one of those who wanted to write off the Ultimatum as just another Part 3 movie in a dwindling trilogy (Matt Damon himself jokingly referred to the next movie as the Bourne Redundancy) but I happily found myself wrong on 2 counts: it wasn't dwindling and it certainly ain't just a trilogy

 

Matt Damon returns in this blockbuster movie as Jason Bourne / David Webb, the assassin with amnesia. The movie itself was well made, with the plot's dizzying twists and turns complemented by the camera angle's own migraine-inducing movements. By the time the first few action scenes have hit you, you almost start shaking and pumping your fists like a crazed UFC spectator. And as the plot lures you in, including references made to the previous movie (i told you to watch the other one!), you just FEEL the scenes literally engulf you in its cacophony of movements. I found myself cursing and gritting my teeth with the raw, savage ferocity of the fight scenes. :grr:

 

Hats off to Matt Damon who IMHO now joins the likes of Bruce Willis, Sly Stallone and Jason Statham as legit, hardcore action stars. If you're the type who likes your steak rare, with some blood oozing on the side, then this movie is for you. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

 

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1868/bourneposteryu2.jpg

[dragonei]

The Bourne Ultimatum

 

As the summer season ends, we got one more certified blockbuster espionage hit to enjoy. But mind you this is not one of your "bang-out-loud-brainless-action-thriller" so be in the mood for some thinking before you enter the movie house.

 

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

 

Picking up from where bourne supremacy ended..... no wait..... the events of this movie in fact took place in between the moscow after math (which was the climax of the second movie) and the epilouge of the previous movie. So its a sort of prequel and sequel rolled into one. In fact the ending of the second bourne movie was actually setting the stage for climax of the trilogy itself.... get it? oh well just watch the damn movie! So once again bourne is on the run, the agency that trained him sees him now as a threat and is out to eliminate him at all cost. Bourne must retrace back his steps in order to uncover the truth behind his identity, and the people he worked for. With the help of Nicky Parsons, a CIA logistics agent, Bourne follows the paper trail all the way to London, Morocco, and New York, where it all began.

 

The main asset of this movie is the nearly flawless script that even Robert Loudlum himself couldn't have done better. It manages to keep every complex details of the story simple enough for the audience to understand. I mean now we know who the good guys and the bad guys are. We know whos helping who, and whos after what. But in as much as the chases themselves can be entertaining and exilirating, they could also get just a little too monotonous. Its kinda feeling that you get after a strenuous work out that becomes too excessive. That at the end of the session, you get too exhausted to really feel the results.

 

SPOILER ENDS

 

The chases were brilliantly done though. It was better directed than the first two movie. It manages to keep you at the edge of your seat and at the same time it does not become too predictable. Whether by foot, or by car, this surely is a winner. The car chases were realistic and visceral, and I think that is a formula for a great action scene.

 

The casting of this movie was also a winner. Of course we wont see matt damin get an oscar for it, but this character is what will have him remembered for just as the T800 to Ahnuld. He is a natural born stone cold killer, but at the same time he also gives us a glimpse of his humane side. The returning casts of this movie also adds power to the story itself. Finally Julia Styles gets to be in the spot light and not some forgettable supporting character in the previous two movies.

 

Will we see a fourth one? Well why not? But definitely not in the next two years or so, after a a succesful trilogy its time for the franchise to give it a rest I mean after all we always have to keep things fresh. Im not worried that the fourth bourne book was not written by loudlum, who cares, there were a lot of deviations from loudlums book anyway, and it worked for this movie. I think its time for us to miss Bourne for a while the way we did in Terminator and Lethal Weapon series

 

All in all the best in the Bourne series so far

 

A-

[profX]

Blades of Glory - i was dissappoint after watching this movies , a little laugh they deliver alright but the play and the effects are for kids and the cutting (editing) was way off. the story was mababaw !

Edited August 21, 2007 by profX

[tanis]

The script left no loose ends and made sure everything moved at a brisk pace. Some would question the shakycam technique of Paul Greengrass but for me, it worked. It add realism as well as tension to an already suspense-filled flick.

 

Hate the shakycam technique. Watched the Bourne Identity - different director - and it affirmed my thinking that i will get to appreciate the fight scenes without the technique. But that's just me.

 

Greengrass though provides better action scenes.

 

I don't know if it's just the story, the book or Greengrass' style but the Bourne Ultimatum's ending is anti-climatic. You start off with great action scenes then bigla nagslow-down ang pace.

 

Anyway, any reviews on Evan Almighty? Heard nag-flop sa US.

[moetwisted]

Watched Evan Almighty on DVD...

 

It's a sequel to Bruce Almighty starring Jim Carrey but this time another Jim starred, in Jim Carrell of the 40 yr old Virgin movie hit. Morgan Freeman still plays the cool, witty and collected God.

 

Evan plays an ex-newscaster who was elected to Congress. He moved to this new big house and suddenly he receives packages of wood and ark building materials from a no-namer and the animals come in droves to his house and work. Things begin to be more complicated when he starts to look like Noah and that's when God asked him to build an Ark... Things get out of hand since it complicates his job as a congressman and his relationship with his family..

 

It was a so-so movie, no huge laughter or memorable scenes for me. Not worth the buck.

[Gideon]

Evan Almoghty - Movie theater

 

Ok sya, less comedic than Jim Carreys' version. But ok na rin, maganda ang effects nung flood, also the trained Animals.

[aNarchy24]

Just watched this morning 'BOURNE ULTIMATUM' (Matt Damon)...

 

As expected another blockbuster hit that delivers the thrills Director Paul Greengrass masterfully has brought to the screen. I was just awed by the pacing and drama of the chase scenes by foot, by motorbike, and by car that are as powerful as the close-quarter mano-a-mano fight scenes between Bourne (whose true identity has now been revealed as David Webb) and CIA assets like him out to rub him.

 

But other than the intense action scenes, what is quite remarkable is how Bourne again goes into a cold-blooded killer mode when faced with danger, but remains genuinely humane and in control of his senses when he gets the upper hand in subduing his enemies. I liked the ending.

 

Expect another Bourne 4! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Napanood ko narin to. Ok ang story at action. Pero ang sobrang likot ng camera, nakakahilo panoorin tuloy. Pero ok parin yung movie.

[Waterbearer]

Watched Fracture the other night. It's like CSI meets Silence of the Lambs. A really good film. Great Performances from Ryan Gosling and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

[Wyld]

Watched Fracture the other night. It's like CSI meets Silence of the Lambs. A really good film. Great Performances from Ryan Gosling and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

 

 

I actually didnt expect to like this movie. First off, I watched on a plane during a flight from Houston to San Diego.

 

Second, I had a seat that was not positioned well enough to see the screen at a good angle.

 

Third, I am notorious for falling asleep on planes regardless of the chaos around me.

 

But I started to watch this movie and was hooked. The opening scene in itself is enough to catch anyones attention -- I mean, a movie that tells you who killed who and why within the first 15 minutes is a rarity. But thats exactly what Fracture does.

 

We see a controlled performance by Anthony Hopkins as a genius engineer whose wife is cheating on him. He kills her - no bones about it, and proceeds to muddle up the evidence such that the crime he admitted to committing cannot be pinpointed back to him.

 

Ryan Gosling holds his own against Anthony Hopkins. He plays a brash, ambitious Deputy DA on his way to a cushy private sector job. He gets called on this case and sees it as his quick last case before he goes off to the bigtime world of litigation law. Little does he know that this case will change the very course of his life.

 

Genius that he is, Ted Crawford (Hopkins' character) has managed to manipulate the evidence such that he cannot be pinpointed for the crime he has admitted to. Everyone knows he did it, they just cant prove it. However, he did not take into account the tenacity and smarts of Willy Beachum (Gosling's DA character). Beachum got obsessed by the case - especially when Crawford got acquitted. His obsession and eventual discoveries are actuallly the meat of this movie.

 

This is a good film. Not an excellent one - it basically rehashes a plot line that has been done before... but in a different way. What works for it is the way it was paced - tight and quick (although to my mind, it got a bit slow towards the middle part). The denouement was perfectly executed though. It was a perfectly entertaining film that I did not regret staying awake for.

[Tank Girl]

Apologies if it's been mentioned but I saw Stranger than Fiction with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Dustin Hoffman and I thought it was very good. It's about a meticulous IRS auditor who is alienated & lonely from the world around him, that is, until he starts hearing a voice narrating his life as he lives it. Weird to see Ferrell in such a role after films like Anchorman & Talladega Nights but I thought he was great. He plays a substantially subdued character who has to learn to "take a shot", he still cracked me up, his scenes with Gyllenhaal were particularly good, as was she, very bubbly and a bright spark on screen.

[ImRJ]

downloaded redline a while ago today. sayang lang oras ko. bad acting, bad story. saving grace were the really sick rides and the last race sequence. unfortunately, it wasn't enough to actually save the film. :thumbsdownsmiley:

 

after watching it, it kinda made me wonder whether gimik lang yung pagbangga ni eddie griffin dun sa ferrari enzo ni daniel sadek so as to generate publicity for the film.

Edited September 2, 2007 by dodong_79

[don juan casanova]

Parang minadali ung rush hour 3 Same as x-men 3 Disappointing din Bret Ratner the Director has a habit of this...

[Waterbearer]

Have watched three films during the weekend and here's what I had to say about it.

 

The Bourne Ultimatum

 

Finally, I got to watch it.....I loved it.....I do think there will be a fourth....but the ending is enough to consider the trilogy over. All the loose ends were connected and I loved the twists that come along with it. It's not boring and it kept me thinking scene after scene what David Webb is about to do next. Few of the topsy turvy chase scenes could really give one a headache though but after watching Transformers, it didn't seem much of a problem. Overall, Id give it a 4/5.

 

Knocked up

 

What happens when a career woman gets impregnated by an illegal alien nerd without a job? Thats the premise of the story. I've waited for like months just to be able to see this and like most reviews, I liked it....I actually really liked it. Seth Rogan is geared to become the next comic heavyweight....he truly shines in this movie......but most of all, This film belongs to a select few that gives you a couple of laughs but never misses out on the central plot which is making a relationship work for the sake of their child and what marriage is really all about. Worth watching.

 

Superbad

 

Once again, Seth Rogan writes and co-stars in this movie and all i can say about it is this.......Superbad is a classic! .....This my friends is the American Pie of 2007....Its even way better than any American Pie film and as to laughs, it reminds me of John Belushi's National Lampoon Animal House. It's about two co-dependent best friends trying to cope up with separation anxiety after a booze soaked party goes awry.....The laughs are all over...from start to finish.....definitely the No.1 comedy of the year....and Hands down the sleeper hit of the summer!

Edited September 3, 2007 by Waterbearer

[ibirp]

1408 - this horror film based on the book by Stephen King has a different twist.

 

Personal rating: 8/10

[Waterbearer]

1408 - this horror film based on the book by Stephen King has a different twist.

 

Personal rating: 8/10

Ive watched it for like 3 times already and it still gives me the chills.

[kanto-terrorist]

Just watched The Last Legion

 

Story- :thumbsdownsmiley:

 

Acting- :thumbsdownsmiley:

 

Movie- :thumbsdownsmiley:

 

as my indian officemate commented: Kerala,India is not yet existing during those roman times, yet aishwarya told the guys seh originated from that place. historical flaws. weak story. pathetic fight scenes. only the beauty of aishwarya is the saving grace of this movie.

[Waterbearer]

9 Songs

 

Two words.... REAL SEX! This is the first date movie helmed by a mainstream director thats too artistic to be considered porn....but nevertheless very explicit because it actually shows penetration and ejaculation and oral sex and light bondage.....f#&kshit dude.....The phasing maybe boring but f#&k i couldn't count the number of times i got off watching it.....For a film that is shown at festivals, this turned me on......Very realistic performances from the two actors....too realistic it makes you think were peeking through their bedroom window. This is the future of hollywood.....while it is true that some actors indeed have sex on film to make the scenes realistic, this time, they don't have to deny it because everything will be in full view explicit and graphic.....This future is going to k*ll the porn industry.

[bogliboi_blue]

"Hairspray."

 

John Travolta is well and good, but it's Nikki Blonsky and Christopher Walken that carry the show. Great choreography, great story, absolutely fantastic music.

 

It's two hours of rollicking clean, good fun.

 

9/10.

[Waterbearer]

I can't believe i'm saying this but i actually liked High School Musical 2. The songs selections are better and the dance moves are well executed.

Edited September 10, 2007 by Waterbearer

[Mandrake]

Watched "3:10 to YUMA" last night. I'd say it was a better remake of the classic western that starred John Ford. Russel Crowe (Gladiator) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) were just tops in their roles. Great ending...I won't spoil it for you. Two Thumbs Up! :thumbsupsmiley:

Edited September 12, 2007 by Mandrake

[dragonei]

9 Songs

 

Two words.... REAL SEX! This is the first date movie helmed by a mainstream director thats too artistic to be considered porn....but nevertheless very explicit because it actually shows penetration and ejaculation and oral sex and light bondage.....f#&kshit dude.....The phasing maybe boring but f#&k i couldn't count the number of times i got off watching it.....For a film that is shown at festivals, this turned me on......Very realistic performances from the two actors....too realistic it makes you think were peeking through their bedroom window. This is the future of hollywood.....while it is true that some actors indeed have sex on film to make the scenes realistic, this time, they don't have to deny it because everything will be in full view explicit and graphic.....This future is going to k*ll the porn industry.

 

Ok Allow me to present here a more detailed review here

 

The movie follows the bizare and instense love affair of a british climatologist and an exchange student. The beginning of the movie shows footages of the climatologist's trip to the desolate area's of antartica where he begins to tell the story. Then trough the flashbacks, we see the intense love affair of the two main characters, filled with..... well sex drugs and rock and roll (and a lot of the first one too). We see footages of the couple or or the guy by himself, watching live rock music. The 9 songs are supposed to describe their "intense love affair".

 

But IMHO, the niine songs are not the highlight of this movie, its the grotesque sex scenes, that were so intense and realistic it could already pass for a hardcore porn flick. Actually I still couldn't as of this moment comprehend why it was ever released as a mainstream in public theaters. It was definitely one of those movie which I felt required a PhD in film litterature to be understood. What was evident however in this movie was the overwhelming desire of the director to make a statement (and be noticed) by making a mainstream movie that featured realistic sex.

 

I tried as hard as I could to get beneath the surface of this movie, and there is simply nothing else in its core than the statement it is trying to make. No tangible story, a mediocre acting, and not to mention a lot of pointless footages of antartica that did not even pass for symbolism. At the end of it all you get the idea that rock music is the greatest aphrodisiac.

 

The frequency and intensity of the sex scenes made me feel that this movie is just simply being pretencious. Pretencious about the fact that it would have been better marketed as a porno rather than a mainstream, sure its artistic but that is subjective, besides some pornographers will argue that their work is art. But the biggest pretention of all was the director's, what this was simply about was the desire to be noticed by not only pushing the envelope but shredding it.

 

all in all Id give it a D