Films: Rate and Discuss

My rating is based upon my enjoyment of the movie. The monotony of the plot design leaves a bit to be desired. If I was to rate based entirely on plot design, it would probably be 5/10. I rarely go to see movies so when I do, the critic takes a backseat.
 
So basically on those rare occasions when you go to the movies, you make the decision to leave your brain at home?
 
To be fair, it's getting great reviews from ~proper critics~ too, just based on how enjoyable and well done it is, minus the plot. It's got Brad Bird on board, so I have some faith.
 
I don't see how you can just ignore a significant part of what makes a film.
 
My Sassy Girl (the original Korean one) - 8/10

My first impression as I started watching was that it seemed kind of stupid. It has plenty of moments that seem straight out of an American comedy. But it also has some genuinely funny stuff. Despite the semi-lame comedy, it has the plot of a weird Asian romance film to keep you wondering what's going to happen.

All in all pretty memorable and I'm glad I watched it.
 
Vegeta897 said:
My Sassy Girl (the original Korean one) - 8/10

My first impression as I started watching was that it seemed kind of stupid. It has plenty of moments that seem straight out of an American comedy. But it also has some genuinely funny stuff. Despite the semi-lame comedy, it has the plot of a weird Asian romance film to keep you wondering what's going to happen.

All in all pretty memorable and I'm glad I watched it.
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It didn't help you that I kept saying "American Comedy!" all the way through the first half.

I enjoyed the movie. Second half was better.
 
Yorick said:
I don't see how you can just ignore a significant part of what makes a film.
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Well it's not like I'm there to compare it to some better films, I'm there to enjoy it. If I see a truly great movie, then I'll be that much more happy about it. But for what I saw, I concentrate on the better points of it.
 
Yorik & Samon: "STOP LIKING WHAT I DON'T LIKE!"
 
We disagree on movies all the time, but we're at least intelligent enough to be able to argue them, rather than saying DUR, IT'S A GOOD MOVIE IF YOU IGNORE THE PLOT.
 
Yorick said:
I don't see how you can just ignore a significant part of what makes a film.
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When it's not a significant part of the film. I haven't seen it, but according to popular opinion the direction and acting are exemplary enough to carry it's lack of plot and characterization. It's a goofy setpiece action flick, but a well done one. Apparently. Your criticism is less about arguing the merits of the film and more about telling him what a film should be, fundamentally. Except a film can be entertaining on a more visceral level without going to great lengths to engage you with its story or characters - I can think of tons of examples off the top of my head (many of them feature martial arts prominently :B). They might not win any awards, but they're perfectly acceptable for what they are.

That said, I don't really agree with how Deathmaster qualified the score he gave it, but then if you still give a flying **** about score in this thread then I don't know what to tell you.
 
Castaway on the Moon - 10/10

Absolutely fantastic. It's original, funny, cute, charming, exciting, and heart-warming. Both characters are totally lovable (for me anyway) and I couldn't wait to see how the movie was going to progress. I was totally engaged from 5 minutes in to the end.

Highly, highly recommend this.
 
Vegeta897 said:
Castaway on the Moon - 10/10

Absolutely fantastic. It's original, funny, cute, charming, exciting, and heart-warming. Both characters are totally lovable (for me anyway) and I couldn't wait to see how the movie was going to progress. I was totally engaged from 5 minutes in to the end.

Highly, highly recommend this.
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God you sound like a trailer quoting reviews. Funny! Cute! Charming! Exciting! HEART-WARMING!

9/10 I thought it was a really good movie... and to say it was unconventional is an understatement. I think that was the winning ticket for the movie, the unconventionality and humor.
 
Bad^Hat said:
When it's not a significant part of the film. I haven't seen it, but according to popular opinion the direction and acting are exemplary enough to carry it's lack of plot and characterization. It's a goofy setpiece action flick, but a well done one. Apparently. Your criticism is less about arguing the merits of the film and more about telling him what a film should be, fundamentally. Except a film can be entertaining on a more visceral level without going to great lengths to engage you with its story or characters - I can think of tons of examples off the top of my head (many of them feature martial arts prominently :B). They might not win any awards, but they're perfectly acceptable for what they are.

That said, I don't really agree with how Deathmaster qualified the score he gave it, but then if you still give a flying **** about score in this thread then I don't know what to tell you.
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I don't know, maybe it's just me forcing my own beliefs on others, but in my opinion, films, music, shows, they're all about telling a story, even if either subtle or badly done. You look at films like There Will Be Blood. I don't like that movie, but I can recognise it as being a well-done character piece. Then you have, you know, a David Lynch film that's just filled with depth. And you really place those on the same ranking system as something like Transformers 3 or Return to Halloweentown? Even with gaming, what makes Half-Life 2 amazing is the themes presented in it. Otherwise we'd all be sitting around playing Doom.

I'm not arguing about Ghost Protocol, since I haven't seen it, or even seen trailers for it, but the view that "It's a great film if you ignore the plot", or even the "I would have ranked it 5/10 for plot design but instead I ranked it 9/10" just seems so flawed to me. It's that viewpoint that allows terrible movies to be made again and again - because no matter how bad movies are (I'm looking at you, Marvel), people still pay to see them, for the completely mindless entertainment. We get films like Suckerpunch which pretend to be deep but are just shallow and "pretty".

Campfire stories never had this, radio never did. Stimulating the brain by flashing lights instead of actual thought is relatively new, and it works for people. Which is why so many liked Cameron's "Avatar" and I thought it was awful. Because I'm apparently flawed in that I can't just shut my brain off like the rest of the monkeys and enjoy something stupid and mindless. It's laziness on the part of the people who create these things, and every time you go to the theatre or buy one of their films or convince others to do the same, you're going along with it. And that's what I find truly repulsive. There is absolutely no need for such shoddy things to be created.

I don't mean to say that every movie made should be Shakespeare, and there are plenty of films that have gotten away with using pretty simple plots and doing it well. Likewise there are movies that are so overly-complicated that it ruins them. It's not necessarily about complexity, it's about quality.

But again, that's just my opinion.
 
The Help-9/10

Wonderful movie.



That is my critique. Good day to all.
 
Super 8 -- 7.5/10

I know I'm really late. I thought it was entertaining but not that memorable and the somewhat-meager story line wasn't great. For some reason I laughed pretty hard at the doggie bulletin board and the red-dotted doggie map, and also liked that the movie didn't take itself too seriously when....

he gives his "Bad things happen, but you can live!" speech to the alien, and the other kid was like -- "Wait, what??"

Laughing is always a plus. So my overall impression is positive.
 
Yorick said:
I don't know, maybe it's just me forcing my own beliefs on others, but in my opinion, films, music, shows, they're all about telling a story, even if either subtle or badly done.
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I sort of agree, but I think that story can come in many forms, and sometimes it doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as having a plot. A painting can tell a story, for instance. Similarly, a kung fu movie might just be trying to tell the story of "this guy is really good at kung fu." It's completely rudimentary and doesn't engage me intellectually at all, but if it's well done then I'll appreciate it for what it is. If the film's plot is actually poorly done instead of just thin, then that's a whole other, er, story.

Also saw Castaway on the Moon and it is indeed good.
 
Tree of Life- Yeah this was really really good. The family stuff in it is just amazingly familiar from so many experiences. I've seen brothers act hostile towards each other in that way and it was so well done. The space stuff was cool and very beautiful but I'm not sure if I can watch an entire movie of it, which is what Voyage of Time is supposed to be? Now my favorite Malick movie, I think. Still need to catch New World and Days of Heaven though.

Going By the Book- A Korean comedy that I also liked a lot. Very funny and charming, it's on Netflix and I recommend it to anyone. Not as good as Castaway on the Moon but still really good.
 
Going By the Book - What Sliver said. Like Castaway, I was intrigued with the setup so much that I was totally engaged throughout. And it did not disappoint. Lots of hilarious and clever moments. 8/10
 
Hunger- Really good. Couldn't understand them a bit with the accent at the beginning but it unraveled to just be really well shot and very absorbing.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil- Fun but convenient comedy. I love Alan Tudyk, the interaction between him and his brother was great and I thought a lot of the gags were pretty funny. Silly and fun watch.

Just got Heat and 13 Assassins on Bluray from my Reddit secret santa, so I've got those to watch. Along with two Korean flicks: Voice of a Murderer and Save the Green Planet.
 
Enter the Void - I think I "reviewed" this a while back, but this time I watched the full 164-minute cut. This time, 9.8/10. Flat acting by the lead slightly dampens an otherwise wholly engrossing meditation on life and death.
 
Sliver said:
Save the Green Planet
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... is good. It definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're up for something a bit different then you should check it out. In a nutshell, it's about a guy who thinks he's uncovered a vast alien conspiracy, so tries to capture a businessman who he believes to be an alien in disguise. Saying much more than that would ruin it, because it's one of those movies that really benefits from going in blind. Seriously, if you intend on checking it out, don't even watch any trailers or anything. The only reason you might want to avoid it is if you're very squeamish, but now I'm saying too much. :)
 
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (The U.S. Version) - Pretty good

Haven't read the book, fell asleep during the Swedish one, but regardless I liked this. Daniel Craig is good, the girl is sexy/boss (a winning combination) and the film is decently engaging. Pretty lengthy though, just short of 3 hours, and without a proper idea of the plot I kept expecting to end and it didn't. Mind you it's length is the bi-product of a film adaptation which is done quite literally 'by the book', at least according to my girlfriend, who has actually read the books. If they make a sequel I will go see it.
 
JUL3 said:
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (The U.S. Version) - Pretty good

Haven't read the book, fell asleep during the Swedish one, but regardless I liked this. Daniel Craig is good, the girl is sexy/boss (a winning combination) and the film is decently engaging. Pretty lengthy though, just short of 3 hours, and without a proper idea of the plot I kept expecting to end and it didn't. Mind you it's length is the bi-product of a film adaptation which is done quite literally 'by the book', at least according to my girlfriend, who has actually read the books. If they make a sequel I will go see it.
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I think Mikael (Daniel Craig's character) was better in the American version, but it failed on other fronts. The care-taker of Lisbet, who would later rape her, was miserably miscast. The guy in the Swedish version had a genuinely creepy vibe to him, which was nowhere to be found her. As for the American Lisbet, her acting was flawless, but I dislike her characterization, and the way they watered down a lot of her feminist aspects that are of such vital importance to her character. She is portrayed as rather weak and shy, and when she asked Mikael to ask for permission to kill the guy at the end (which she never did in the novel or the Swedish version), it was just ridiculous.
 
In the past month or two I've watched:

An American Tale - 8/10. What an adorable movie. Poor little immigrant mice. It's interesting how demonically the cats are portrayed, except for the vegetarian Dom Deluise. It's also interesting how many cinematography parallels there are between this and The Land Before Time.

An American Tale: Fievel Goes West - 5/10. It's pretty obvious from seeing this how much more involved with it Spielberg is. It reeks of his touch. Far more terrible puns, far more pointless "action" and just goddamn shallow silliness. **** off Spielberg. You've barely ever made any good films.

Dark City - 7/10. Kiefer Sutherland is fantastic in this. The "climax" is definitely weak and silly, but it's a pretty damn solid film otherwise.

Batman Year One - 6/10. Another movie with a really stupid climax. Samon tells me it's pretty altered from how it appeared in the graphic novel, but I haven't read it yet. Still, there was a lot about this that I liked. Some of the casting felt weak. I never thought I'd say I disliked Bryan Cranston in a role, but his Jim Gordon felt pretty uninspired. I don't think it's the fault of the actors so much as the director.

Blue Velvet - 8/10. Some arguably weak motivations early on, in my opinion, but a fantastic and disturbing film. I want to watch this one again. And by this one I mean all of Lynch's movies forever.

Fire Walk With Me - 6/10. Definitely gave some nice closure to Twin Peaks, and gave a solid perspective of some things that were only hinted at prior, but I felt it could have been so much more.

Three Days of the Condor - 7/10. I love this movie, I have ever since I was young.

Good Night and Good Luck - 9/10. Absolutely fantastic. I knew Clooney was a brilliant actor and director, but I had no idea he could write so well. Absolutely loved it.

Stranger than Fiction - 7/10. Pretty cute movie, considering it's Will Ferrell. It would have been better if they had cast any other person for Queen Latifah's role.

I may be forgetting 1-3 others. I feel like I've seen more.

AKIRA said:
Cube: 7/10

Triangle: 10/10 for me...that was an absolute mind**** like i've never received
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I really like the original Cube, but I think your rating is pretty accurate, it's definitely not a great film.

And I've totally been meaning to watch Triangle for a few months. I'm pretty excited to see it, I just want to make sure I'm in the right frame of mind. I was talking to a friend about it and he also recommended Los Cronocrimenes (TimeCrimes) which might be right up your alley. I can't say since I haven't seen that yet either.
 
I haven't seen the second one in a long long time, and I don't remember anything at all about it, but I vague recall liking it?

The third one is ****ing awful though.
 
Don't see how you could've possibly liked it, I mean it had a cool idea with the scientific traps but it was just poorly executed and the low budget really hurt it.

Grave of the Fireflies 9/10..
Good Christ, how have I never seen this? Probably because I've avoided all anime for such a long time but I've decided to check out Studio Ghibli films recently.
I have never cried this much from a film before, god damn.
I'd put it up there with Schindler's List and Letters from Iwo Jima as one of the more powerful war movies that I've seen.
 
I accidentally didn't include Jurassic Park for some reason. Also, I've never seen a couple which are rather critically acclaimed works.

I also didn't include a bunch of his less important but still very entertaining and fun movies.

From those I've seen (which is the vast majority of that list) there are only two films I consider weak. What exactly do you consider weak in the director list? Simply put, the man has undeniably had a long and lustrous career, where he created a real f*ck of a lot of American classics.

Basically, if you say some dumb shit like "Spielberg barely makes good movies," you're doing it on purpose. Pretty mind-numbing. but hey man if it gets you attention!
 
Cowboys and Aliens

Good enough/10

Solid movie with action and woman and guns and a cowboys and aliens. Also did I mention Olivia Wilde is in it?? but yeah I liked the movie, kinda wish I saw it during the summer but for the most part it was a good watch but I know its silly but its not that memorable and I'll probably have to watch it again
 
Yuri said:
I accidentally didn't include Jurassic Park for some reason. Also, I've never seen a couple which are rather critically acclaimed works.

I also didn't include a bunch of his less important but still very entertaining and fun movies.

From those I've seen (which is the vast majority of that list) there are only two films I consider weak. What exactly do you consider weak in the director list? Simply put, the man has undeniably had a long and lustrous career, where he created a real f*ck of a lot of American classics.

Basically, if you say some dumb shit like "Spielberg barely makes good movies," you're doing it on purpose. Pretty mind-numbing. but hey man if it gets you attention!
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Whoa there Sally. Just because a movie is an "American Classic" doesn't mean I'm obligated to like it. It means I should, but I don't have to. Examples not of Spielberg's include: Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange. In the context of Spielberg, there are some classics that I didn't like - such as Hook, ET, and Jaws. I consider others to be weak as well: Minority Report, The Terminal, AI, Lost World. Even Temple of Doom, as much as I like it, is flawed as hell. It's an enjoyable movie, that doesn't make it a good movie.

More movies I've watched lately:

High Fidelity - 7/10. I wanted to love this, but I found myself unable to. Something about the way it was presented, with the main character talking to the camera, just rubbed me the wrong way. Some films can do it well (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) but it just felt kind of tacky in this case.

Fright Night (2011 Remake) - ****ing awful / 10. Seriously why did I even watch this.

(500) Days of Summer - 8/10. Yeah pretty good, it was interesting to watch in that while I love both Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, I really disliked both of the characters they played. It was pretty good, not something I'd jump right into watching again. Oh, and the soundtrack was fantastic.

And because I think I forgot to put it up before.

The Spirit - -1000/10. The absolute worst movie I have ever seen. In one part the villain beats the hero with Frank Miller's head, but in reality, Frank Miller is beating the audience with an awful story told incredibly badly.
 
Fright Night (2011) - 5/10...
David Tenant was fun to watch and Imogen Poots was really cute, other than that... tried too hard to be funny, badly done gore, and unlikable characters.

(oh and +1 for the mention of Farscape)

Tucker & Dale vs Evil - 8/10...
****ing hilarious, wasn't what I was expecting it to be like at all.

Definitely see this movie without reading anything about it or seeing any trailers, the only reason I even saw it was because it has Alan Tudyk(Wash from Firefly) in it.
 
I've finally started watching The Wire and am halfway through the first season (about to start episode 7). I wasn't immediately sold by the pilot, but since episodes 2 and 3 I've been hooked. It's deliciously modern noir, with a surprising amount of accuracy and depth. And the acting, oh goodness the acting. Everyone in this is just fantastic.
 
Lucid said:
Tucker & Dale vs Evil - 8/10...
****ing hilarious, wasn't what I was expecting it to be like at all.
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Did I post about this already? Well, whatever, I really enjoyed it too. It's pretty formulaic, besides the whole <youknowwhat> thing, but I think they pulled it off really well. It plays with common horror tropes just enough to make them fresh and funny, and the characters are all performed with tons of charm.

Also Alan Tudyk.
 
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