Movie Reviews

[Wyvern]

Last night, I saw "The Host" on DVD. For those who haven't heard of it, "The Host" is a Korean monster movie that's gotten a lot of rave reviews and looked very intriguing from the previews. The film had a lot of nice scene setting and camera work, but overall I found it very average and quite a disappointment. The plot and character development of the movie left something to be desired, and the events and plot progression felt pretty random-for-the-sake-of-being-artistic at times. The movie also dragged for a bit in various spots, and its two hour length was kind of exhausting. On the plus side of things, the mutant walking fish monster was very well-designed and there was a really excellent plot twist involving the monster's disease. Still an average flick, though, and not really something that gets my recommendation.

 

I also ended up watching "Spiderman 3" on a plane ride recently, and I think that I'm leaning more towards Big Pointy One's review of it than Doctor Evil's. While it's not something that I'd pay to go to see in the theatres, I found it surprisingly entertaining and it held my attention the whole way through. To respond to Elvina's criticism - I think that the film's lack of serious elements and predictability were what made it more fun than the other "Spiderman" movies to me. That and Bruce Campbell's guest appearance as a French waiter, which I was not expecting. I pretty much hated the first "Spiderman" movie and didn't bother with the second one, but the lightheaded and comical nature of this one made it pretty darn entertaining to me.

 

In terms of anime series that were recommended to me, I ended up watching all of the series "Texhnolyze," which is a sci-fi anime done by the same studio that did "Serial Experiments Lain." I enjoyed "Lain" despite not being able to understand a good quarter of it, but "Texhnolyze" gets a respectable thumbs down from me. I appreciate a lot of the experimental stuff done in the series, like the first episode having only one line of dialogue in its thirty minute span or the bizarre depiction of the surface world, but I never really felt attached to any of the characters of the series and there were were very few points where the episodes really grabbed me. I also found it FAR too bleak and depressing - this coming from a big fan of "Neon Genesis Evangelion." I think "Texhnolyze" is definitely the darkest and most hopeless anime I've ever seen... nothing like watching the coolest character of a series get literally shot into a million pieces near its end. "Texhnolyze" had its moments, but I'm gonna have to shake my head and say pass on this one.

 

Has anyone here seen the "Simpsons" movie yet? I don't have very high expectations for it, but I'd still like to get out and see it at some point. Oh, and Big Pointy One - I have watched "Excel Saga" and did enjoy it for the most part. Actually, I think the two of us discussed it earlier in this thread! :-D

[Mynx]

I've seen the Simpsons, Wyv.

It's pretty good. Not outstanding, but...look at it like looking at a new season. Some parts/episodes might not be as good as others, but you'll still watch and get reasonable enjoyment out of it.

So I'd say see it - but if you wait for the DVD rather than pay for theatres, it's no great loss.

[Nyarlathotep]

A few friends of mine and I recently started a weekly movie night where about 7 of us get together and one person brings 2-3 movies. This week we watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Leon: The Professional. Since I had seen Leon before(one of my favorites), I figured I'd review the other one...

 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

 

Look, I enjoy ridiculous gun-fu violence as much as the next person and I have a raging boner for Brad Pitt, but come one! The forced chemistry between the Brad and Angelina, the over use of "we just had a fight now lets fuck" cliche and the cheesy explosion effects really ruined the whole movie for me. And look, I know, the movie is a metaphor for a tango, SO STOP PLAYING A DIFFERENT TANGO EVERY FIVE SECONDS!!! At least diversify your soundtrack a bit.

[Wyvern]

So, I ended up seeing the "Simpsons Movie" in theatres today... not overly impressed. I think that Mynx's synopsis of it is pretty accurate, except I haven't been a huge fan of the more recent "Simpsons" seasons and it definitely dragged at points for me. I felt like there was too much of an emphasis on slapstick action and not enough on clever dialogue and parodies. I didn't go into the movie with huge expectations, but still felt a little let down by it. Mynx is right that it's something you can wait for on DVD if you're planning on seeing it. Having said this, the film did have a few standout hilarious moments, with my personal favorites being the bomb-deactivating robot and the Fox advertisement parody. Strictly a decent movie though... possibly even a little below average.

 

I also forgot to mention that I went out to see "Sicko" about a month ago. In retrospect, it was an O.K documentary that made some pretty nice points. Michael Moore's hokey style and approach have decidedly worn thin on me, however, and I didn't find it all that memorable a flick. There were some funny and tragic moments that touched upon US health insurance, and Moore taking the 9/11 workers to Cuba was cool, but for some reason the story about the "I Hate Michael Moore" website stood out to me the most. Moore's objective propaganda-esque reportings are still in full effect in this... there were moments in his coverage of Paris where the inaccuracies made me cringe. Still, it's not that bad a documentary. If you like Michael Moore's previous work, there's a good chance you'll dig this one as well.

[Mynx]

Went to see Die Hard 4.0 this weekend and I have to say I am very impressed. I enjoyed all of the previous Die Hard films but - as with any sequel these days - was more than a little worried about this one.

I'm happy to say my fears were never realised as I had a freakin' blast. Bruce Willis still rocks it as John McClane all these years down the track, and his supporting cast were generally pretty damn good, with my favorites being Mac Guy (I'm never going to learn his name) as teh hacker sidekick, Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock, if you're a Deadwood fan) as the bad guy, and an entertaining cameo from Kevin Smith.

As always with any action flick, you have to suspend your disbelief to truly enjoy the film, but there were also some nice touches of realism to the situation that I appreciated (like, for example, why one person hostage situations rarely work).

If you're a fan of the franchise, I probably don't need to tell you to go see it in theatres, but if you're on the fence, I highly advise it. The explosions look so much cooler on a big screen.

Going out a little bit on a limb here, but with the exception of maybe the Transformers, I'm going to dub this one the best action flick of 2007.

Yippy Ki Aye, M***** F*****

[Elvina]

I think the funniest part of The Simpsons Movie for me was seeing Bart's schlong. I'd heard that it was shown but after all that effort to mask it behind pot plants, fences, hoses, people's hands, hedges, and so forth, I was not expecting it when it did appear and I laughed so hard I might have snorted up frozen coke through my nose if I'd had a mouthful at the time.

 

I finally saw Serenity recently - the movie Joss Weadon finally got to make after his series Firefly got cancelled a while back. I'd watched some of the Firefly episodes and liked it, but not all of them. There was something about it I didn't quite get - I think that morbid sense of the funny they have wasn't quite to my taste at the time. They're both (series and movie) space-westerns, which was intriguing and unique, and still is, IMO.

 

However, after watching Serenity I went out and bought both it and the single season of Firefly that was released and they're now a happy addition to my DVD collection. I have to say, Serenity is probably the best thing that could have happened where this series is concerned. The fact that it was a movie meant that Joss Weadon had to reign himself in a apply good cutting methods to keep everything snappy and fast-paced. This is considerably different to Firefly where the scenes can be quite long and slow sometimes. The character Inara (Morena Baccarin) had little role to play in Serenity, but it worked out anyway, and I was happy to see Summer Glau (who played River Tamm) finally take the stage. It was good to see what she could do, and she didn't disappoint. The fight scenes were designed specifically for Summer who is a dancer with amazing flexibility and grace. She was great in her role as River, something that Joss never really got to explore in Firefly's short stint, and Simon the brother (played by Sean Maher) was very good as well. Nathan Fillon as Captain Malcolm Reynolds was great as usual. Somehow this actor manages to portray an extremely tricksy captain with moments of boyish humour who in his darker moments can pull a gun on his friends and crew with the intent of "If you try to stop me, I will shoot you down", and is eminently believable. Gina Torres was also wonderful as Zoe, Mal's staunch first mate and war buddy.

 

There were some major losses to the crew in this movie, which was surprising and sad, but definitely added to its movie appeal as cast members rarely die in series and this is where Serenity originates. After watching this movie I watched the season of Firefly again and enjoyed them all, missing, however, that wonderfully faster pace of the movie. The plot was great and everything tied up neatly. I don't believe you'd need to have seen any of the series' episodes in order to fully understand this movie or its plot, though I had so I could be wrong.

 

The only thing that bugged me a little about this movie was the bad guy (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). Lord save me from philosophic villains! It was a little unbelievable that this dude carried a samuri sword around to stab at ineffectual Parliment grunts, but I think it was more the way he spoke that annoyed me. Philosophic - more like sophorific! I kept wishing he'd get off the screen so I could get back to the Serenity crew.

 

Aside from that, this movie has excellent entertainment value. I hope you like this one as much as I did.

 

Five stars out of five, because even though the antagonist annoyed me the rest was so good he got drowned out.

 

Edited August 25, 2007 by Elvina

[reverie]

I've recently succumbed to Netflix, so have taken the opportunity to catch up all those anime series I always wanted watch but never wanted to buy/rent.

 

Puni Puni Poemi

 

Probably the funniest two episode series I've ever seen. Definitely not for children, but great for teens! The plot of the story can be summed up as this: Insane parity of a cute-girl anime heroine series. Borrows or morphs several character from the Excel Saga, (by the same ppl, I think) which I've just started watching. Also hilarious -- just slightly less so, but takes a while to get started (which is actually intended). Someone in this thread has already did a much better and more thorough review than me, but I'm too lazy to find it.

 

Perfect Blue

 

Confusing and twisted. Borrows heavily from the pschyo-drama "Silence of the Lambs." If you're in to pscho-thriller / drama you might like this otherwise, I'd skip it.

 

Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture: Prince of Darkness

 

Awesome, only wish it was longer. A lot darker than the original series, but still worth the watch. Ending seemed a bit too easy too. Think they ran over budget or something.

 

 

***

 

Non-anime:

 

Born-Ultimatum

 

Not bad. Like a super-charged bond film but with more edge and less sex appeal. Basically the movie is one long almost-continuous car-crash scene. Gonzo film making gone Gonzo to the nth degree, but that's cool. It's a ride, I get it. Only thing that really bugged me was the title. Can someone please tell where the !@$!# there was even a mention of an "Ultimatum." More the like the Born-Identity-Crisis or the Born-Gonna-get-my-Vengeance-on. or the

Born-Realization: hey-what-do-you-know-I-really-am-a-cold-blooded-killer-after-all.

Maybe an Ultimatum was in the book, but it got written out of the script. I don't know, it just bugged me.

Edited August 25, 2007 by reverie

[Wyvern]

I recently watched "The Lives of Others" on DVD. It's a German film based on the secret police of socialist East Germany during the 1980s, and focuses on the corruption and surveillance methods that they used while at the same time offering a surprisingly humanistic portrayal of some of those involved. The film won "Best Foreign Film" at last year's Oscars and has received rave reviews across the board, so I thought I'd give it a try. I thought it was a solid good movie with some well-developed characters and a very nice ending, but it didn't quite measure up to "Pan's Labyrinth" in the "2006 Foreign Film" book. It was still better than any of the American movies that won Oscars last year, though, and I don't regret having seen it.

 

After purchasing and re-watching it several times, I can also safely say that "Inland Empire" is my favorite movie from 2006. "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Borat" were also great to me, but "Inland Empire" really is in a league of its own and never gets old. Every time I watch it, I end up viewing it from a completely different lens and perspective, which is very refreshing. Enormous replay value. Of course, not everyone will be into it... in fact, it'll probably only appeal to a select group of people, since it's pretty darn artsy and piecing together the fragmented plot doesn't really seem to be possible. It'll also rack your brain and shock your senses at points. Still, in terms of experiencing a woman's deeply internal thoughts and fears on-screen, it's damn near unparalleled and a huge accomplishment from Lynch. This movie leaves an impression so strong that it's difficult to get it out of your head after watching it, even weeks after seeing it. Only the daring in search of something entirely abstract and experimental need apply, but it's essential viewing for those people. You can read my original review of it here.

 

A word to those who skipped "Grindhouse" in theatres and were planning on checking it out on DVD: it seems that you missed out. Tarantino and Rodriguez are releasing extended versions of the films on two seperate DVDs (one for each film) but these films have been edited to include more scenes and are supposedly different from the original theatrical presentation. The DVDs apparently won't include the hilarious fake B-movie trailers and lost film reel moments of the original screenings, for example. I'm really glad that I managed to catch it while it was still in movie houses... it's a shame that it bombed so badly in the US. You can read my original review of "Grindhouse" here.

 

In terms of films that I'm looking forward to seeing in the future: Wes Anderson's new flick "The Darjeeling Limited" is coming out in September and looks pretty promising. The Coen Brothers also have a new film coming out in November called "No Country for Old Men," which is apparently some kind of Western thriller that features Tommy Lee Jones amongst others.

[The Big Pointy One]

Quick comments, 'cause the ole' brain isn't what it used to be...

 

Simpsons- Just an overly long episode of the show, nothing' special. Funny, but not great.

 

Superbad- Funny, but doesn't live up to the hype.

 

Oh, well, that's it... or is it? Nope!

 

I just remembered I picked up some DVDs of some classics...

 

Revenge of the Nerds- If you call yourself a nerd, and haven't seen this movie... pick it up! You owe it to yourself. It's classic 80's movie comedy (a bit formulaic, but it's an 80's movie, so...)

 

Evil Dead, Evil Dead II... Ah, the non-zombie zombie movie classics. It's hard to choose between the trying to be serious Evil Dead and trying to be slightly funny, but still kinda serious Evil Dead II... I think I like the first one better. They both have cheesy special effects, and well, they're both just awesome. High recommendations for fans of the zombie (or near/non-zombie) genre who haven't seen these yet.

 

Good Will Hunting- One of my faves. What can I say? As if having about half the soundtrack Elliott Smith songs isn't good enough... "Do you like apples? Yeah? Well I got her number! How do you like *those* apples?!" 'nuff said.

[Elvina]

Babel

 

Man, this was a weird movie. I kept watching it, hoping for a point... but there was nothing. Three groups of characters were tied thinly together by a rifle (given by someone from one group, used by someone in another group, wounded thanks to the someone in the second lot). What that has to do with a Japanese girl flashing herself to a bunch of guys or throwing herself on others I don't know. She was traumatised by her mother's death. What did any of this have to do with anything happening to the other groups? I DON'T KNOW!

 

Maybe some people thought this movie was a masterpiece or even just good, but I couldn't believe I sat through an hour and forty minutes of this drivel waiting in vain for some reason to have wasted my time. Cate Blanchett was good in it, Brad Pitt was average. The other actors were pretty average as well, though the Japanese cop was good in the way he reacted to Chieoko (I think that was her name).

 

Garr, this was a pretty uninteresting and unremarkable movie, IMO, no offence to those who might have liked it.

 

It give it one frowning face out of five:

 

 

Catch and Release

 

I really know how to pick 'em. *shakes head at self* This movie almost went for too long - a drama about how a woman and her fiancé's friends all cope when the fiancé dies. At first I didn't know what it was about the big bearded guy that I liked so much... I thought maybe I just had a thing for big cuddly guys who were really sweet... then I found out it was Kevin Smith of Silent Bob (Clerks, Clerks 2, Mallrats, etc.) fame! Kevin Smith in a serious role - this I hadn't seen. I must say I thought he was really great - not just a comedian this guy. Good to see and I hope he does more in the future.

 

Jennifer Garner was quite good - I usually find her acting so. And Juliette Lewis was in it as well, which was interesting. The plot was a little predictable, and overall this is probably one of those movies they'll show at noon on a weekday somewhere down the track. It was interesting discovering along with Garner's character Grey things about her fiancé she'd never known. The movie was really about what she finds out about herself in the process.

 

Okay, but I wonder if I would have been as predisposed if I hadn't been excited to see Kevin Smith in such a role...

 

I give it two and a half Silent Bobs out of five. :chris: ...

[Nyarlathotep]

Death at A Funeral

 

The Brit's have done it again, giving us another hysterical witty comedy. The story centers around a dysfunctional family during the main character's father's funeral. Acid tripping, midgets and hypochondria are just a few topics of some of the running jokes in this wonderful film. Defiantly recommend to any one with a decent sense of humor.

[Zadown]

Elvina, I thought Babel's point was very easy to see. It was a movie about communication (as the title already pretty much gives away) and cultural clashes. I enjoyed it, though I understand it isn't a movie for everybody. More a trigger for the watcher's own thought than really telling coherent, interesting stories on its own.

 

:star: from me.

[Patrick]

Braindead - finally got my hands on this cult-film and watched it. Definitely not for the faint of heart, as it is very gory, but quite an entertaining zombie flick.

 

Simpsons - If you like the TV series you'll like this, if you don't you probably won't. It's mostly the same except with jokes that can develop during the duration of the film. As for me, who only occasionally watches the TV series it was entertaining, but not the best film I've seen recently (I rewatched Pan's Labyrinth, which is still awesome )

[Elvina]

Elvina, I thought Babel's point was very easy to see. It was a movie about communication (as the title already pretty much gives away) and cultural clashes. I enjoyed it, though I understand it isn't a movie for everybody. More a trigger for the watcher's own thought than really telling coherent, interesting stories on its own.

Yeah, I can see that, and now I remember when it came out people were saying the same thing. Thanks for posting that. I suppose it makes a bit more sense now I know that, but it still wasn't really for me; I'll be keeping my one frowning face for it ( ).

[Elvina]

A Perfect Stranger

 

This was an interesting thriller/mystery starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis. Berry plays Rowena Price, a journalist who goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill (Willis) as her best friend's killer. Posing as one of his temps, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse. Giovanni Ribisi plays Rowena's friend Miles Haley. There are some very interesting cross-currents between Miles and Row - he's obviously got a thing for her, and probably not a healthy one.

 

What I found most interesting about this movie was the twists. I wondered why the director was being so blatant about certain scenes that showed things about one of the characters. They made me unequivocally think - "He did it! Look at him!". Most directors aren't so obvious... but then my premature expectations got flipped on their head and that's all I will say about that! Overall I thought the movie was well done, very interesting, good mystery, and good twists, especially at the end.

 

I give it three Elvis wigs out of five. :ElvisWig:

[Wyvern]

Thanks for the reviews everyone, I'm enjoying reading your thoughts. :-) On the subject of "Babel," I think my opinion falls between Zadown's and Elvina's, though it might be leaning a little more towards Elvina's since I didn't think that the ends of the film really justified the means. I did find the Japan story kind of interesting, though... my full review of the film is earlier in the thread if you want to check it out.

 

I've been tagging along with relatives to various films as of late, and recently watched "3:10 to Yuma" and "Hairspray." I wasn't particularly excited about seeing either film, but they more or less met expectations and were pretty entertaining.

 

"3:10 to Yuma" is a recent Western movie starring Russel Crowe and Christian Bale that's been getting a lot of acclaim in the US. It's a pretty good flick, though not mindblowing by any means. Russel Crowe is predictably excellent as the main outlaw being taken to execution, and his humor and attitude are the major highlights of the picture to me. That's not to say that the supporting actors aren't good, since Bale delivers in his role as well. The final city-wide shootout scene was a little over-the-top, but also kind of original for a Western film. Worth checking out if Westerns are your genre of choice.

 

"Hairspray" is a new musical (*gag*) with an all-star cast featuring John Travolta, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer amongst others. Though most of the musical numbers in the film are awful and John Travolta couldn't sing a note if his life depended on it, it's still a pretty well done movie with a nice point about race relations and some cool acting. Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer are both terrific in their respective roles, though Travolta fails to impress in his role as the ugly wife of Christopher Walken's character... there was some potential there, but Travolta's acting pales in comparison to Walken's. In terms of singers, Queen Latifah struck me as the best vocalist of the bunch, though the songs were all low points of the film for me. Not bad, but not really my cup of tea.

 

Still waiting for "The Darjeeling Limited" and "No Country for Old Men."

[Canid]

Cherish Rated R :Fuzzy:

Despite the awful title, and despite the awful cover, this is a very good movie.

Zoe Adler (Robin Tunney) is placed under house arrest to await her trial for the murder of a policeman while driving under the influence. The truth is that she was forced into the driver's seat by a stalker, who hit the accelerator in panic when it looked like he was about to be revealed; but there is no evidence to support her wild claim and her situation looks hopeless.

The climax, with her dramatic escape and the exposure of the true criminal is, I admit, contrived; as is the all-too-convenient romance between Zoe and the officer responsible for checking her bracelet, Daly (Tim Blake Nelson). But accepting that the plot is not poetic perfection, it still comes out a satisfying story, with interesting, well developed characters and a premise that hasn't been used a thousand times before.

 

Also in its favour is the casting of Tim Blake Nelson as one of the leads. Even after his success in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" as Delmar, he hasn't played many. He is an excellent actor, and well suited to this role.

 

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

The Purple Fuzzy Rating Scale

= No redeeming features.

1 = Had potential. Ruined it.

2 = Average entertainment level. Mediocre.

3 = Worth renting. Solid movie.

4 = Faultless. An excellent watch.

5 = An all time great.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Canid

[Canid]

Otesánek (Little Otik) :Fuzzy::Fuzzy:

One almost wants to rate this movie on a different scale from regular cinema.

I have only seen one other movie by director, Jan Svankmajer, (The other being "Neco z Alenky" or "Alice") but I want to see more. "Otesánek" is supposed to be the most conventional of his films, and I can believe it. They are works of surrealism, using stop motion animation (no CG) and imagery more than words to tell their stories.

"Otesánek" differs in that much of the story is revealed in dialogue, but it maintains the dark and disturbing atmosphere of his other films. It is a Czech fairy tale, about a childless couple, who in their desperation, see a vaguely baby-shaped tree stump as real. The wood baby, Otik, is real enough, and soon develops an appetite that cannot be stopped by mere broth.

 

The film is quiet. Not pretty by any means: it is not meant to be. The characters are compelling and very real. I appreciate it especially for how unusual it is, but even if the style were a popular one, this would still stand out for its quality storytelling.

[Ozymandias]

Some movie reviews in two sentences.

 

(more or less)

 

Dark City

 

Watch this movie. Then never watch it again.

 

 

 

Hot Fuzz

 

Sweet mother of crap, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are clever bastards.

 

 

 

O Brother, Where art Thou?

 

Best musical set in the early 1900s American south based on The Odyssey ever.

 

 

The Simpsons Movie

 

Plot, comedy, animation, etc. : juuust worth the $9.75. Watching a 2-D cartoon on the silver screen again: Priceless.

 

 

Die Hard with a Vengeance

 

"You gonna cause a traffic jam? You gonna throw a car at me? You think that's gonna stop me?!?" ^^

[Zadown]

Saw Eastern Promises yesterday at Love & Anarchy film festival. It was surprisingly conventional for a Cronenberg movie, except for the vivid burst of violence midway through, and in the end it left me slightly disappointed. There were no obvious flaws, but it simply lacked something to really distinguish itself. Perhaps it was missing depth, or perhaps watching it after seeing the weird, crude wonders of other L&A movies made it seem pale in contrast.

 

Three outta five shinies: :star:

[Wyvern]

Thanks for the review of "Eastern Promises" Zadown. :-) I'm definitely considering seeing it, but might wait till it's on DVD or up for free download on the net before checking for it.

 

A couple of thoughts on a bunch of recent things I watched:

 

"Death Proof" DVD - A very strong recommendation. It may only be one half of the original "Grindhouse" and it may be lacking the brilliant fake trailers of the theatrical version, but naysayers and fans of the original should take the following sentence into account: "Vanessa Ferlito lapdance scene." WOW. So hot, so stylish, such great music... glad that Tarantino decided to include it on this version! Of course, the whole flick is a brilliant romp, and the ending alone is worth a hearty recommendation to anyone who hasn't seen it.

 

"Little Children" - Very mature and well thought-out film starring Kate Winslet that deals with the relationships between people in an American suburb and the ways that they change after a man previously convicted of indecently exposing himself to a child moves in. The movie switches between the every day lives of numerous characters and their imperfections a la "Magnolia," and the interactions between the many well-developed characters result in an intriguing and emotional movie. Good stuff.

 

"The Painted Veil" - Another really mature film, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts as a couple with marriage problems that move to a Chinese town in the midst of the 1920s cholera epidemic. Edward Norton is great in it as the shy-yet-aggresive man of the house, but Naomi Watts really shines as the rich bitch he marries. Watts really pulls off the shift in her character well, as she transforms from a spoiled brat to a loving and responsible woman in a very gradual and realistic manner. The French song that children sing at the end actually brought a couple of tears to my eyes. Very good flick, with plenty of awesome actors on board.

 

"The Prestige" - Disappointing. I figured that Nolan plus Scarlett plus Christian Bale would guarantee a fully entertaining film, but I predicted the twist of the ending long before it occured and there wasn't any other aspect of the movie that really grabbed me. Perhaps the most annoying and frustrating part of the movie was the inclusion of the cloning device - the film might have been salvaged if it had stood its ground on realistic terms, as any respectable magician movie would, but the inclusion of a supernatural device just kind of drained all of the drama from it for me. I'd say skip this one and check out "The Illusionist" instead - that was a pretty solid magician movie.

 

"The Fountain" - Eeeehhh, yuck. This is the first film I've seen from Aronofsky, and I'm not a fan. He can flash artsy images in my face all day if he wants, but the truth of the matter is that there simply isn't that much going on in this film. It didn't strike me as "deep" in the least, as the bare bones plot is limited to a man suffering over his love dying from a brain tumor. Now, this might have worked if there was more depth to both of the characters involved, but as it stands they just strike me as cardboard cut-outs meant to fill in Aronofsky's pretentious "high art" images and plot. There was potential in the concept of having three radically different time settings for the same story, but I feel like it was wasted in this. It struck me as being very heavy on the special effects, and very light on everything else. Anyway, if you want to have your breath taken away by some visionary abstract imagery, I'd recommend "Inland Empire" over this any day of the week.

[Nyarlathotep]

The Fountain

 

And now for a completely different take on said movie.

 

Just saw this amazing film last night. Defiantly the most visually stunning films I've seen in quite awhile. Aronofsky's movies are known for their stunning(often disturbing) visuals and wonderful cinematography, and The Fountain is no exception Though the base plot may be simple and straight forward, the rest of the movie is far from that. Taking such a straight forward idea and building layer upon layer of visual metaphors upon it was brilliant, IMO. Hugh Jackman gives a wonderful performance as does Rachel Weisz. If you've seen Pi and Requiem For a Dream, then and love what Aronofsky did, then I especially recommend this. I also recommend it to anyone who is not bothered by a predominantly visually driven movie.

 

Shoot 'Em Up

 

Do you like Clive Owen? How about John Woo movies? Over-the-top action films? If you said yes to any of these then it is your civic duty to see this friggen movie!

Edited September 23, 2007 by Nyarlathotep

[Mynx]

Y'know Wyv, I think a viewer's opinion on the Prestige and the Illusionist might actually depend on the order you see the films.

I saw the Prestige first and absolutely loved it, but I found the Illusionist to be very eh and predictable.

Perhaps the two are just so alike that they almost spoil each other?

[Zadown]

I can't even remember which one I saw first, the Prestige or the Illusionist.

[Canid]

I saw the Prestige first I believe, and I really didn't like it. Like Wyvern, I expected much more from the cast.

The Illusionist on the other hand, I quite enjoyed.

 

The two movies may be similar atmospherically. Both somewhat slow paces and set in roughly the same era. Both involve fantastic illusions, and concentrate on showmanship.

BUT

Those are mere trappings... they are entirely different films.

The Illusionist, while not perfect, was far more an intellectual thriller. It plays on your sympathy for the characters, and your willingness to be 'taken in' by a magic show.

The Prestige had a comparatively messy plot, and was less about the magic than the relationship between these two men. Both of the gentleman magicians had a nasty streak bordering on stupidity. I enjoyed it in bits, but was left displeased with the shape of the thing.

 

 

Well, now that I have reviewed it, I might as well rate it.

The Prestige PG-13

 

 

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The Purple Fuzzy Rating Scale

= No redeeming features.

1 = Had potential. Ruined it.

2 = Average entertainment level. Mediocre.

3 = Worth renting. Solid movie.

4 = Faultless. An excellent watch.

5 = An all time great.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Canid