The MOVIE REVIEW Thread

[luol_deng]

flags of our fathers 9/10

i just love WWII movies and this one continues the trend of saving private ryan, thin red line and band of brothers series however dont remind me of windtalkers! arrgghh

 

great direction of Clint Eastwood, movie follows close to the book...much unknown cast exp for the likes of Mr JT Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker, Neal McDonough and Barry Pepper...

Edited November 3, 2006 by luol_deng

[pussycatdoll]

THE PRESTIGE

 

just saw this one last night...

 

i guess the reason why people don't like it is because

(1) it's not a RELAXING movie...you have to be attentive or you'll miss the details; my friend actually found it STRESSFUL

(2) the dialogue is sometimes hard to understand...i don't know if its the accents or the fact that my ears were still ringing from the metallica tribute concert i went to the other night. i was actually wishing for subtitles.

(3) it's a bit slow; the only "action" parts were the water* and the lightning.

 

but it's not a "bobo", spoonfeeding, action-packed film. don't expect wolverine, batman (and his butler) , and gollum to go at it.

if you like the "Twilight Zone" and other psychological thrillers, and you like david blaine and david copperfield, you'll appreciate this one. my friends and i were discussing the plot way, WAY after the movie ended. who was the REAL bad guy? did ____ really know there was a ____??? did ____ really tie the _____??? why did ____ _____ _____ _____.... ??? etc etc etc.

overall, a good film for the smarter, thinking set. watch it if you have the time to spare and time to think, during and after the flick.

....are you watching closely?

p.s. watch out for the cameo of a famous rock star!

 

Yup, I agree. A friend and I saw this one on 03 Nov. and we're still discussing it up to now. Some of the MTC members are still discussing it in one of my other threads, too. I'm planning to look for the book to see how it compares to the movie and to look for answers to the questions that the plot (and its holes!) raises.

 

Overall, it was a pretty good film, but probably not one I would like to see again. The last few scenes had too visceral an effect on me.

 

"My passion is equal to the task." :thumbsupsmiley:

[clubber_lang]

Saw "The Banquet" the other day...

 

First, the only similarity this movie has with "Crouching iger, Hidden Dragon", "Hero" and "House Of Flying Daggers" is it stars Zhang Ziyi...

 

It was more of a stage play than a film. Also, it kinda dragged...

 

Pero Zhang Ziyi bared the TWA! (tight, white a**)

 

That was the saving grace!

 

I wouldn't recommend this movie... pero it is not the worst film ever too...

[Joie]

Yup, I agree. A friend and I saw this one on 03 Nov. and we're still discussing it up to now. Some of the MTC members are still discussing it in one of my other threads, too. I'm planning to look for the book to see how it compares to the movie and to look for answers to the questions that the plot (and its holes!) raises.

 

Overall, it was a pretty good film, but probably not one I would like to see again. The last few scenes had too visceral an effect on me.

 

"My passion is equal to the task." :thumbsupsmiley:

 

 

I liked it. I still cannot decide whether I like it better than The Illusionist though.

 

Its not a masterpiece of a movie but its better than a lot of the inane stuff that moviemakers churn out these days. There are glaring loopholes and unanswered questions, true... and im almost tempted to buy the book to find out if those questions were omissions of the filmmaker rather than deficiencies of the story itself.

 

I just dont like the visual image that I carry with me of all those ... let me stop myself at this point as this is in danger of becoming a spoiler...

 

Watch it!

[pussycatdoll]

Yes, Joie, I agree. I still have visions of all those *ahem* when I'm alone in my room at night. Haha!

 

On a related note, I found some interesting discussion threads on the IMDB boards re: the supposed plot holes in the story. Some of the theories do a good job of explaining the problematic aspects of the movie, while others are simply a stretch, in my opinion. It might be worth a visit for all of you who are still bothered by some of the questions the movie raises, but if you haven't seen the film yet, please be warned: HERE BE SPOILERS!

 

I'm debating whether or not to get the book. According to some of the posters on IMDB, it's much, much darker than the movie. Yikes...

 

“The truth is a slippery notion in our line of work.”

[Joie]

PCD - I read those... interesting. Makes me realize that there are many many ways to interpret a movie.

 

I want the book but when I browsed the net - the author has other books and I dont want to get hooked.

 

Does anyone have any feedback on Borat yet? Im curious about it because I caught the guy on SNL and he was hilarious. He never broke character at any point during his spiel.

[Duke23]

Casino Royale

 

well, to sum it up, you would not feel that your watching a 'typical' james bond movie.

 

but in fairness, it is a very good and entertaining action movie starring Daniel Craig.

[clubber_lang]

I agree with Duke's review. Watched it and loved it. I already expected before watching that Bond is no superhero agent here.

 

No gadgets, no Q. No problem. The grittiest film of the franchise.

 

Daniel Craig is the best thing going for this film. If you're not into poker, this movie might bore you...

[Marshall Bruce]

Casino Royale was nothing but action. The action sequence between 007 and the Bomber was fast and very entertaining. Galeng :cool:

Edited November 16, 2006 by Marshall Bruce

[marc.alan]

here's my take on Casino Royale... SPOILER WARNING!!! dont say i didnt warn you, it is a REVIEW thread

 

so, Bond got an update. i say, Just about freakin' time!!! the gun barel sequence - opening gambit - opening credits intro is starting to get old

 

love the B/W flashback effect for Bond's mission, but, as it segues onto the gun-barrell sequence, as ive sed in the bond thread, ive got one bone to pick about it: why dirty grimy mens room? couldnt they have picked a better location? but thinking about it... it does make sense... its white (well, sort of) and its private enough to do an assassination, and its a cool sort of "origin story" of the gun-barrel sequence, giving it "how-it-came-to-be" -esque feeling of the recognizable opening scene

 

the story is updated and brought to the modern world setting (considering the novel dealt with russia-america cold war era) even the main game, in the novel, it was baccarat, but now, the popular texas hold-em was used in the movie

 

on a side note, too much sony products: Vaio laptops, SE phones (M600-vesper, K750-matthis, K790-bond) and cybershots

 

now we also know why Bond does not have children in succeeding movies no matter how many bond girls he sleeps with... that toture scene made me twitch, cringe and grimce with each of Le Chiffre's hits! damn!

 

Craig pulled it off! the way he portrayed bond is markedly different from other incarnations (i think Star movies is doing a marathon on previous bond films, go watch and compare the characterization) but i think it went well with the storyline

 

ive read somewhere that theyre comparing this with Nolan's Batman Begins which rebooted the franchise, and i tend to agree. its a great reboot, charcter focused, action based. not much gadgets (i do miss Q and bond's witty exchanges though)

 

did you guys catch the identifier sentences by Bond and Lynd in the train? Bond says something like "did you spend a lot of MONEY" and Lynd replies with something like "worth every PENNY" ... so Ms. MoneyPenny did make it in this movie...

 

another thing, ive waited and waited for the classic Bond lines uttered by the previous incarnations, you know, like "Bond, James Bond" and "Vodka martini, shaken not stirred"... well, we did hear the former, but the variation on the latter ("do i look like i give damn?") was just plain cute.

 

there were interesting stunts, like the free-running chase sequence, great chase there, will keep you on the edge of your seat. also the moment where bond swerves the aston martin in time to avoid Lynd... cool... thats why we wear seatbelts. although the airport tussle while driving a fuel truck with the dramatic brake and turn was also fun, i knd predicted what would have happened when the bomber activated the detonation and Bond smiled.

 

so, was Matthis involved? Bond does not trust him, he learned his lesson. Bond died, and I thought he was invincible! and hey! Felix Leiter is black? nice one...

Edited November 17, 2006 by marc.alan

[pol_gimikera]

on a side note, too much sony products: Vaio laptops, SE phones (M600-vesper, K750-matthis, K790-bond) and cybershots

 

sony pictures bankrolled the film.

 

now we also know why Bond does not have children in succeeding movies no matter how many bond girls he sleeps with... that toture scene made me twitch, cringe and grimce with each of Le Chiffre's hits! damn!

 

in the novels, he had a son james suzuki born in 1964 sired by kissy suzuki of you only live twice.

 

....Felix Leiter is black? nice one...

 

leiter was also black in the renegade connery-bond flick never say never again. choice of actors seemed to break the timeline in the franchise.

[jake_speed]

did you guys catch the identifier sentences by Bond and Lynd in the train? Bond says something like "did you spend a lot of MONEY" and Lynd replies with something like "worth every PENNY" ... so Ms. MoneyPenny did make it in this movie...

hmm.. i think the line goes like this:

 

Vesper Lynd: "I am the Money" and James Bond looked at her and replied "worth every penny"

 

---

Good movie! superb chase sequence at the early part! but not the typical James Bond movie.. i tried to boycott it, but hey, that's a James Bond movie! i'm gonna miss 1/8 of my life! :boo:

 

I stil can't comprehend why Daniel Craig was chosen.. but i watch it last night, i think the story just fits for him because here, he was mistaken for a valet, and women [ betray him! ] :cool:

[marc.alan]

sony pictures bankrolled the film.

 

yah... i forgot about this, Sony Entertainment purhcased UA? tama ba?

 

in the novels, he had a son james suzuki born in 1964 sired by kissy suzuki of you only live twice.

 

hehehe... it was a tasteless joke on my part... sorry dude...

 

leiter was also black in the renegade connery-bond flick never say never again. choice of actors seemed to break the timeline in the franchise.

 

well, they cast M as a woman, so i guess nothing is impossible with Bond

 

 

thanks for the corrections dude!!

[pol_gimikera]

thoughts on casino royale (spoilers ahead):

 

when i saw cr in its opening day, i forced myself to put aside all the bond pictures behind to really understand the beginning of the 44-year old franchise and appreciate the movie. i was disappointed of the shortcut not showing him recruited from the royal navy to the mi6. long time since is saw bond in a naval uniform in tomorrow never dies.

 

cr deals us with a real action bond flick. never before have we seen bond bruised, bloodied and banged. jason bourne, i ain't a sissy anymore. unlike the past bond movies where we see only trickles or even no hint of blood, we can see bond as a real person rather than a comic-book character and true to fleming's original description of bond. last time he was roughed up that much was in dalton's ending scene in licence to k*ll.

 

in the first noir scenes, he is earning his double-O status by assassinating two spies and the new gunbarrel scene...new "focused" barrel and no cgi image of a bullet blasting into the screen, very unlike the past flicks. then came the psychedellic '60's opening theme with cornell's "you know my name" to satisfy bond purists and the bigger market share - the next gen audiences. david arnold again made a good job in the music and background bond themes.

 

trends in cinematography had evolved bond into a real-life persona, sweating and gasping as he runs after a bomber and using his technical skills and wit in pursuing the "target" in a construction area. his fight scene in the embassy which he infiltrated was very fast-paced and his uncanny escape quite surprising.

 

cr is a story of espionage and betrayal. he hunts down le chiffre, a banker backing terrorism worldwide. hoping to look into dmitrios (le chiffre's contact in the bahamas) by seducing his wife, first he wins the ol' aston martin db-5 (first seen in goldfinger) from dmitrios over a card game, then following him to miami and kills him, and ends up foiling the destruction of the world's largest passenger plane. the vehicle fight action scenes were reminiscent of schwarzenegger films.

 

a love story broiled with vesper lynd, a british gov't agent to look over bond's gamble to win against le chiffre in a no-holds barred poker game. in between his poker games, he kills le chiffre's enemies and got posioned. surely vesper to the rescue via bond's new aston martin (haaahh, buti na lang hindi invisible car) and medical equipment supplied by the q branch. now we get to see the whole q group and not the old, funny chief (may he rest in peace).

 

one-liners in the film were never avoided and craig's 007 seem to escape with it. in one of the notable scenes a waiter asked him, "how do you want your vodka martini, sir? shaken or stirred?" bond gruffily replies, "do i look like someone who cares?"

 

here craig never tried to imitate the "pogi points" of connery which all of his predecessors did. he was even bribed into wearing a tuxedo by vesper, who bought it for him. imo, he was ruggedly fine-looking and not as bad as his critics do.

 

the casino scenes maybe took a lot of rolls of film, to illustrate his card decks?. here is meets leiter for the first time (bahamas at the airport in dr. no right?) as an undercover adversary. another black guy as his cia counterpart as in connery's renegade never say never again. but no tactical support from him this time.

 

craig is no doubt the bond of the times. the powers that be at eon would not bet on him if he did not have it. true to the name, eon (everything or nothing) productions had a poker winner in dan craig. great actor, very powerful performance and bassy english voice.

 

a high note of the film is his torture scene where he got his balls, yup yagbols niya, beaten up by le chiffre. he even afforded to be sarcastic with his tormentor via a one-liner. because of audience maturity, craig was able to do this scene where no past bond actors would ever dare to try. he escapes this time, thanks to the betrayal of his supposedly "first love" in the franchise and see him saying his famous line - "the name's bond, james bond" in an ending which is a prelude to the next film (due 2008 as "risico" - working title).

 

commercialism of bond films will never fail to be noticed started by seiko watches of roger moore to brioni of brosnan. this time sony products cartelled (as they now own production rights) and one mention of omega, although not shown.

 

market foces and technological developments have made this bond into a continuing hero - he's here to stay after 4 years of bond drought. the ending credits....james bond will return. yup, he has returned. http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/8093/iconbond1pq.gif

[wisecracker75]

Yup... Those scenes are impossible! :cool:

 

 

Check out the "Casino Royale" Thread my friend that chase scene has a very factual explanation kung bakit ganun katindi mag pasikot sikot yung hinahabol ni James Bond.