Movie review thread...
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[I]The House of the Devil.[/I] *** (/*****)<br />
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Looks good, develops atmosphere, good acting, a spooky synthy score. Doesn't have a great climax though.<br />
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It's a fun movie. Tom Noonan is always good. Main actress is cute (dig those her high waisted jeans). Would've liked to have seen more Mary Woronov. Cool sequence set to a [I]The Fixx[/I] track. -
Piranha - exactly what you expect, almost a spoof horror type flick, easy 88 or so mins! <br />
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Not too sure we needed to see the Piranha with someone's tackle... -
[quote name='LAKiwi']Finally saw 'Get Him to the Greek'<br />
Great movie - both actors were perfect for the roles.<br />
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Russell Brand (playing a character he wouldn't have to step far from his own self to portray) and Jonah Hill's also perfectly cast.<br />
Very enjoyable movie.<br />
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Hill's character has to get the drug and alcohol fueled Brand to the Greek theater to play a 10 year reunion concert.<br />
All hell breaks loose on the way from London to there.[/QUOTE]<br />
This is the most bipolar movie I have ever watched. It went from the sublime to the shit a number of times. When all hell wasn't breaking loose the movie was rather dire. When it was breaking loose, which usually involved P Diddy it was hilarious.<br />
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Not as good as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and way below Superbad, Pineapple Express from the Aptow stable, but an enjoyable half a movie nonetheless.<br />
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Disappointing because it could have been the movie LAKiwi describes with a little tweaking. -
[URL="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damned_united/"]The Damned United[/URL] (2009)<br />
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Can't say how accurate this one is to the real facts, but I thought it one of the best sports films I've ever seen. It's about Bryan Clough's rivalry with Don Revie, Clough's inflated ego, his relationship with assistant (genius scout & tactician) Peter Taylor and the ascension of Derby County in the late 1960s, and ultimately his disastrous 44-day reign as manager of Leeds United in 1974. <br />
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Brilliant! 8.5/10 <br />
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The DVD also comes with some swell extras, including a featurette about English FA football in the 1970s, which is a trip down memory-lane for me as that's when I first got into Match of the Day and started following English football. (If memory serve me correct, it was broadcast during that era on TVNZ at noon on Sundays, and I well remember as a young boy Billy Bremner being presented as one of the shining stars of English football, but in the movie here he's played as a thug (the wikipedia entry does note his "reputation for being dirty.") -
Get Him to the Greek.<br />
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[quote name='Nepia']It went from the sublime to the shit a number of times.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Agree. I saw it at the cinema when it came out, and was laughing my ass off in places. (Memorably, when the Brand character was telling his minion that "the only logical thing to do" is stick heroin up his arse. Somebody once actually tried pulling something similar on me at a customs inspection a couple decades ago (not heroin, thank god, but mushrooms), and the situation was definitely not funny.) <br />
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[QUOTE]... a little tweaking.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Yup. A bit more care, and they could have made it something really special. Yet for me it's more than a passing grade. Comedy is tough. If you can get me laughing a half-dozen times in an hour, I'm willing to forgive gags that flop. I enjoyed it, but agree, it could have been better. 7/10 -
The Town (2000)<br />
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Well, I must say, I went into this one skeptical and cynical and wanting to hate it. Critics have been lavishing praise on it and it's one of the best reviewed films of the year. I wanted to be the Grinch. <br />
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It's starring and directed by Ben Affleck. Irish mob in Boston story. It's a really good story with very good suspense, some good action and tension, and moves along nicely. It's certainly not groundbreaking second-coming of Orson Welles or anything, and I think that's where Affleck actually succeeds as a director. He doesn't try to do too much, he isn't flashy, he plays it mostly straight and restrains the flair, which is smart, 'cos the story and actors are good enough to make it work. Rent it.<br />
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8/10 -
[quote name='LAKiwi']Finally saw 'Get Him to the Greek'<br />
Great movie - both actors were perfect for the roles.<br />
<br />
Russell Brand (playing a character he wouldn't have to step far from his own self to portray) and Jonah Hill's also perfectly cast.<br />
Very enjoyable movie.<br />
<br />
Hill's character has to get the drug and alcohol fueled Brand to the Greek theater to play a 10 year reunion concert.<br />
All hell breaks loose on the way from London to there.[/QUOTE]<br />
Watched it yesterday, laughed a lot. Yep, P Diddy was funny as fuck, quite surprising really. -
[quote name='Victor Meldrew']Watched a pre-release of "Red" last nite - Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Karl Urban.<br />
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Hackneyed, predictable plot, formulaic action sequences and utterly brilliant. One of the most fun films I've seen in recent years<br />
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The acting is superb (particularly Helen Mirren & Bruce Willis) and very,very tongue-in-cheek. Highly recommended 8/10[/QUOTE]<br />
Exactly what this bloke said. Loved it, highly entertaining. John Malkovich is piss funny as the unhinged ex-agent, a good character well done. Richard Dreyfuss as "the bad guy" is very good too. All star cast really. -
I also watched Prince of Persia last night (i have only recently discovered "sourcing" movies from the internet). It got some shit reviews, but i liked it. Its fun, its Disney so its a bit childish (see Alfred Molina's entrepreneur character), its a fairly formulaic fantasy story, but fuck that, so is every book i read. I was entertained through the whole movie, its looks cool, with heaps of cool stunts. And Gemma Arterton is seriously hot. Not one to add to the DVD library, but one i would probably watch again when it comes on Austar.
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[quote name='mariner4life']I also watched Prince of Persia last night [B](i have only recently discovered "sourcing" movies from the internet)[/B]. It got some shit reviews, but i liked it. Its fun, its Disney so its a bit childish (see Alfred Molina's entrepreneur character), its a fairly formulaic fantasy story, but fuck that, so is every book i read. I was entertained through the whole movie, its looks cool, with heaps of cool stunts. And Gemma Arterton is seriously hot. Not one to add to the DVD library, but one i would probably watch again when it comes on Austar.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Mate where have you been!<br />
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Have watched a few movies in recent weeks..<br />
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Machete , not bad as expected really. Over the top gore and a great cast. Hell you get to see Lindsay Lohan take her gear off. 7.6/10<br />
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Toy Story 3, very very good. Have been my favourite animated 'Kids film series, great way them to end. 8.9/10<br />
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Knight and Day, as said in previous posts pretty cheesy film, entertaining enough without being memorable, just something about Tom Cruise thats unsettling. 7.3/10<br />
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An oldie in Event Horizon, have never properly sat down to watch it. Man what a waste of a movie, great potential plot wise. Just silly and overall shit script with a wasted cast in Sam Neil and Morpheus from the Matrix. 6.0/10 -
Virgil, i knew it existed, but i never knew how to do it, and never really asked, so like an idiot i just kept paying for stuff. And incurring DVD fines. Fuck that now, i don't even have to wait for it, i watched Red on my TV!! (to all authorities reading this, it wasn't mine, i found it, honest)<br />
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Toy Story 3 was cool, bit darker and more serious than the last ones, but still brilliantly done. Mini-mariner loooooves Toy Story, so i have seen them all a few times now, they really are brilliant.<br />
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Event Horizon is cool!! Its a cool idea, it scared me to death (for some reason the thought of being trapped in a confined space in the middle of nowhere being hunted scares me more than anything). Yes it had a cheese element, but it was far from silly. Good sci-fi i thought. -
The Abyss: Great large scale movie, what we have come to expect from Mr Cameron, though felt very "Disney" at the end. 8/10<br />
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Tron: Be cool to watch if you were on an acid trip. Or not. Simple story line with not a lot of plot but enjoyable. 6/10 -
[quote name='Victor Meldrew']Watched a pre-release of "Red" last nite - Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Karl Urban.<br />
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Hackneyed, predictable plot, formulaic action sequences and utterly brilliant. One of the most fun films I've seen in recent years<br />
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The acting is superb (particularly Helen Mirren & Bruce Willis) and very,very tongue-in-cheek. Highly recommended 8/10[/QUOTE]<br />
Victor - what was the copy of Red like? I'm wondering if I should bother watching it or waiting a while. -
I commented on Red ([U]R[/U]etired [U]E[/U]xtremely [U]D[/U]angerous) a few pages back, Malkovich is awesome! <br />
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Watched Social Network last week, was pretty good, a few flat spots dragged it out, but some good acting from both Eisenberg (as Zuckerman) and Timberlake (as the Napster dude) -
[quote name='taniwharugby']I commented on Red ([U]R[/U]etired [U]E[/U]xtremely [U]D[/U]angerous) a few pages back, Malkovich is awesome! <br />
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Watched Social Network last week, was pretty good, a few flat spots dragged it out, but some good acting from both Eisenberg (as Zuckerman) and Timberlake (as the Napster dude)[/QUOTE]<br />
I'm actually interested in what the 'copy' is like TR? Same with Social Network? -
Watched Love Happens with Mrs Jack the other day . Two people i usually don't like in it , Jenifer Aniston and Aaron Eckart or whatever his name is . A real chick movie but still quite watchable . 7/10
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watched the first half of the new Harry Potter movie, and despite the 135 odd minute film and the fact that it left me hanging (given this is the one I have yet to read) I quite liked it. <br />
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Never liked Radcliffe as an actor, but I have to say he has gotten better as he has gone on, sadly for him, no acting gig he ever gets form now on, will he be seen as anything other than Harry Potter!<br />
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Is also interesting, saw a pick of Hermoine from the original HP, and one now...blossomed! -
Watched V for Vendetta again. One of my fav movies of all time (and not just because Natalie Portman is in it) with one of the best endings I have ever seen.<br />
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9/10. -
[quote name='taniwharugby']<br />
Never liked Radcliffe as an actor, but I have to say he has gotten better as he has gone on, sadly for him, no acting gig he ever gets form now on, will he be seen as anything other than Harry Potter!<br />
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Even after Equus?<br />
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I have a lot of time for him after his appearence on Test match special last Ashes with Tom Felton (lucius Malfoy), they were a riot - took the piss out of bumble Boycott and had to be chased out of the commentry box after they attempted to hijack it! -
[quote name='Sneakdefreak']Watched V for Vendetta again. One of my fav movies of all time (and not just because Natalie Portman is in it) with one of [COLOR=red][B]the best endings I have ever seen[/B][/COLOR].<br />
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9/10.[/QUOTE]<br />
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"Best Movie Endings Ever" (or final shot in a film) probably deserves it's own thread.<br />
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My fave ending ever: "I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang."<br />
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Other contenders:<br />
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"Midnight Cowboy"<br />
"Nights of Cabiria"<br />
"Laws of Gravity"<br />
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"<br />
"Robocop"<br />
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...and probably a few I can't remember this minute...<br />
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add - "City Lights"
