I just noticed there are 121 movies in my Netflix Queue. Haha, that's going to take me forever.

At 8/21/10 06:53 AM, Auz wrote:

At 8/20/10 09:09 PM, Makeshift wrote: Look at this badass poster:

I think I'll be seeing that movie in the cinemas. I'm pretty much obligated to since I watched all the movies up until now, plus I think HP movies work better in cinema than on an ordinary TV.

So will I, and I agree with you on that. I saw the last two movies on day one, and the rest in the theater, besides the first one. I'm just wondering how and where Part 1 will end, because I don't remember the halfway point in the book being "end-worthy". They need something that will bring people back from Part 2. I'm sure tons of people will see it anyway, considering it's the last movie.

I just hope it won't suck as much as HP6, but the trailer is promising.

I hope they ditch most of the comedy they try to pull and don't put major plot points in the movie that weren't in the book and wouldn't make sense for the next movie. The excuse for some of those things in this movie will probably be, "oh, they fixed it with MAGIC" ...

A club for movies....oh yea!

I love the Talkies!!

I don't think using HP7 on the poster is a good idea. Cause everyone knows that HP is brown sauce. Harry Potter is big and all, but he's not brown sauce.

I watched The Expendables tonight with a couple of friends.

I think this movie is not what it's supposed to be. I heard it's supposed to be some homage to those '80s action movies and they got a lot of these action hero actors from that era together to play in this movie. But it didn't really have that awesomeness that I expected.

Nonetheless it's still not bad in my opinion. I mean, you still get your long action scenes, your explosions, your spectacular car chases and all that sort of stuff. That's basically what you want when you go to these type of movies. I also laughed every now and again at the jokes. The cheesy one-liners were not memorable at all though. I know there were a few attempts in there, but I can't remember a single one.

To the Bruce Willis and Arnold fans, you're gonna be disappointed. There's only one scene with them that lasts for about 2 minutes and that's all you'll see from those actors.

Overall I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Whether you should go and see this movie is entirely up to you I think. People will probably be talking about this movie so it's interesting to go and see it for yourself. On the other hand, if you decide not to go and see it, you won't be missing that much really. My advice would be: Do not get your hopes up for this one.

At 8/21/10 12:37 PM, Makeshift wrote:

At 8/21/10 06:53 AM, Auz wrote: I think I'll be seeing that movie in the cinemas. I'm pretty much obligated to since I watched all the movies up until now, plus I think HP movies work better in cinema than on an ordinary TV.

So will I, and I agree with you on that. I saw the last two movies on day one, and the rest in the theater, besides the first one. I'm just wondering how and where Part 1 will end, because I don't remember the halfway point in the book being "end-worthy". They need something that will bring people back from Part 2. I'm sure tons of people will see it anyway, considering it's the last movie.

I wouldn't know, I haven't read the books. All I know is that they left out much in the sixth movie and my gf, who have read the books, is wondering how they're gonna fix all that in the seventh movies.

I just hope it won't suck as much as HP6, but the trailer is promising.

I hope they ditch most of the comedy they try to pull and don't put major plot points in the movie that weren't in the book and wouldn't make sense for the next movie. The excuse for some of those things in this movie will probably be, "oh, they fixed it with MAGIC" ...

Yeah, I think the comedy and romance stuff with Ron was just boring and stupid. I mean, I get that character development is important in the HP series, but it completely ruined the movie in my opinion.

I just saw Kick Ass for the third time. God I love that movie. Nicholas Cage was hilariously goofy as Big Daddy, and all the other actors did a fine job too. They never forgot the comedy aspect, which separates it from many other action-comedies. I still like Scott Pilgrim slightly more.

I've got a few to add to my list now, I recently watched 'No Country for Old Men' and 'V for Vendetta' for the first time and enjoyed both thoroughly, I can't find fault with them. Excellent films to watch, not trying to boost any critiques hype or aid the positive reviews, just expressing an opinion - ones to watch.

At 8/22/10 01:26 AM, Blaze-Heatnix wrote: I've watched some old movies on blu-ray that I have seen a grainy version of first, and I really don't see what TheMaster and Auz are talking about. Unless you're talking about REALLY old movies, like stuff made in the 40s-60s.

Personally, I think removing the grain is a silly idea. Any film shot on film will have grain, removing it will be like colourising a black and white film, it won't look real or genuine.

I remember they removed the grain from Evil Dead II and Bruce Campbell looked like he belonged in wax museum.

yeah that was crazy

At 8/22/10 03:17 PM, EclecticEnnui wrote:
I saw the remake of I Spit on Your Grave a few days ago and it was quite a unique experience. I decided to write a review. A strong stomach is definitely required for viewing.

Not one to watch with the grandparents?

Great review though, although I have to admit, when I heard they were remaking I Spit on Your Grave, it sounded like the most pointless remake ever. Mainly because the original was a stinky exploitation film which only horror geeks are familiar with. It doesn't even have an inspired plot, its just a revenge film which are a dime a dozen at the moment.

However, I'm quite interested in this remake after your review. I mean, I'm sure its better than the original, which was trash. You've also got me interested in the kills, saying they're worse then the original. The one scene from the original which has stained my mind, is the the bathtub scene - it makes it worse that it takes the guy like 2 minutes to realise he's dick has been chopped off.

But yeah, I might rent that one.

-----------

Speaking of remakes, I watched the remake of The Crazies a few weeks ago. A lot of people have been giving it praise and to be honest, I'm totally lost by that. It was so incredibly bland its amazing. Seriously, if you've seen 28 Weeks Later, you've seen The Crazies. I mean, I can't say it was bad just very bland and uninspired. There were a few nice moments, mainly due to its direction.

5/10

At 8/20/10 10:19 PM, Ptero wrote:

At 8/20/10 09:13 PM, TheMaster wrote:

At 8/20/10 08:31 PM, Ptero wrote: Most movies have really high ratings before they come out, and then they drop drastically. Predators had 100% for a while, and Step Up 3 was in the 80s.

I don't know man, it's at 37 reviews and is still on 81%.

It's got 60% from Top Critics. Damn. Maybe it's actually good...?

If you get these ratings from rotten tomatoes, that's because only like 5 people see the movie. You can only only judge it really the day it came out because a majority of reviewers are seeing first screenings at 12 am and that's why the scores change

At 8/22/10 05:27 PM, Jack wrote: Speaking of remakes, I watched the remake of The Crazies a few weeks ago. A lot of people have been giving it praise and to be honest, I'm totally lost by that. It was so incredibly bland its amazing. Seriously, if you've seen 28 Weeks Later, you've seen The Crazies. I mean, I can't say it was bad just very bland and uninspired. There were a few nice moments, mainly due to its direction.

5/10

I really liked the Crazies. Also, it isn't a rip-off of 28 Weeks. The Crazies is a remake of a 1978 George Romero movie. Technically, 28 Weeks is a ripoff of this.

At 8/22/10 08:47 PM, EclecticEnnui wrote:
I don't think it's a copy of 28 Weeks Later. Although the basic plot of The Crazies is a standard survival of the fittest zombie film, I was entertained by it. It's at least kind of like The Happening, but with better acting and much less cheese. (The Happening is a guilty pleasure of mine, nevertheless.) The Crazies definitely has moments of suspense, like at the beginning where an infected man with a shotgun shows up at a baseball game. Even though I was never surprised by the scares, I was thrilled. Sometimes, I was unsure of what was going to happen, so I didn't foresee the ending or even certain scenes. The film was worth my time for an afternoon in March where I had nothing to do.

I don't think it copied from 28 Weeks Later, it just follows the basic plot of dozens of other zombie/virus films - 28 Weeks Later is also guilty of that.

Virus breaks out, main characters try to escape, authorities start taking out innocent people, the main characters escape just before the infected area is destroyed by a large bomb, there is a hint that the virus has survived before the closing credits.

I've seen so many films and played so many games that follow that basic plot - its seems to be the default story for these type of films. But like I said, isn't a bad film, there were good scenes, the actors did a good job and the direction was very solid but the script was just very average.

Also Ptero, I didn't say it ripped off 28 Weeks Later, I just thought the basic plot of 28 Weeks Later was closer to the remake then the original.

Oh well, plenty of people seem to be digging this film, I'm just being grumpy.

Oh and I love The Happening, its terrible but so enjoyable.

Oh wow, just watched Les Triplettes De Belleville this afternoon, absolutely amazing. It's a french animation from 2003 (nominated for an oscar but lost to finding nemo), it's absurdly surreal and an absolute delight to watch. From the ladies who go fishing with hand grenades to the towering ships and thundering trains, everything made me laugh, clap, or feel sad, it was pretty stunning. The animation was neat and tidy but the art direction even better, a throw back to older animations or something that i don't really know.... but absolutely stunning. Watch the trailer or something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npro9kjya Jk

At 8/23/10 03:01 PM, EclecticEnnui wrote:
We'll just have to agree to disagree.

All fair points and agree to disagree we shall, good sir!

I've ordered some new DVDs today by the way, a website had a sale and I'm a man who enjoys a good bargain. I ordered the two Dr. Phibes films (which I've seen and they're fantastic), Brother (Kitano) and Night of the Comet.

I was also looking at some Shaw Brother films which going REALLY cheap. Very tempting.

I've also got The Final, a film I've wanted to see for a while, on the top of the retail list. Plus, Scott Pilgrim opens this week in the UK.

So yeah, a lot of viewing this week.

At 8/24/10 02:53 AM, EclecticEnnui wrote: I've been wanting to see that film ever since its release, but I unfortunately haven't got around to it and I keep forgetting. Writer/director Sylvain Chomet released a new animated film called L'illusionniste, which I may see at the Toronto Film Festival.

Yeah, some last minute plans have been made and I'm off to go see L'illusionniste now :), I'll get back to you geys later all about it.

At 8/24/10 01:03 AM, korg53 wrote:

At 8/18/10 06:40 PM, Auz wrote: I saw this movie last week and me and my gf came to the conclusion that this movie only tries to mess with your mind and doesn't have any further point. I believe I wasn't the only one here who got that out of the movie.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, but even some famous movie critics said similar things. So maybe you want to take the idea into consideration that there might not be a story...

No problem, I didn't understand it at all at first too. But there is a story. I'll explain it, at least I'll try as I saw it

I did actually read a story like yours when I looked for plot meanings and interpretations. I know there were some critics who also claimed that dreaming is a big theme in this movie and the story is quite simple but it's not put in a chronological order making it confusing.

But I think the director wanting to mess with the audience minds was a slightly more plausible theory, because there are several scenes and things that happen in the movie that seemed to only serve as a confusion for the viewers. Also, the director hasn't said a useful word about the movie except that he gave a list of clues and one of the actors did say in an interview that Lynch: "is genuinely happy for it to mean anything you want. He loves it when people come up with really bizarre interpretations".

So even if your story is true, I think he definitely did his best to mindfuck people and I bet he must've added some bullshit scenes here and there.

Anyway, I think I will give it another watch someday, even though I found it an eerie and unpleasant film to see the first time. I'll keep the list of clues in mind and all the dream theories and I'll see if I can sort out what's what.

At 8/24/10 07:59 AM, BananaBreadMuffin wrote:

At 8/24/10 02:53 AM, EclecticEnnui wrote: I've been wanting to see that film ever since its release, but I unfortunately haven't got around to it and I keep forgetting. Writer/director Sylvain Chomet released a new animated film called L'illusionniste, which I may see at the Toronto Film Festival.

Yeah, some last minute plans have been made and I'm off to go see L'illusionniste now :), I'll get back to you geys later all about it.

Oh wow, I loved it.
The story is of a down-on-his-luck illusionist who leaves france to find work in the UK. After being ousted by popular music in London he travels north to Scotland, where a young girl falls in love with his magic tricks and persuades him through her innocence and naiveté to dedicate more of his time to her to help keep the dream alive... There are a couple of absolutely hilarious scenes, but the art really steals the show. It oozes charm, with some absolutely beautiful depictions of remote scottish lochs and some awesome cows and sheep and thing, but also the hustle and bustle of vibrant Edinburgh. If there's any complaint, it's that perhaps the story just meanders along at the same dejected pace as the illusionist's life, and ends on a bit of a downer, but childhood innocence is never going to last, and as all his friends slowly fade away he inevitably does to.

It's completely different to the relentless onslaught of Les Triplettes De Belleville, and when compared side by side perhaps seems a little lacklustre, especially without a song as catchy as Belleville Rendez-vous in its intro, however it's arguably a much better movie IMO.
Regardless, it's a touching animation, kept buoyant by a charming soundtrack and some absolutely stunning art.

8.5/10

At 8/24/10 01:42 PM, BananaBreadMuffin wrote:

Regardless, it's a touching animation, kept buoyant by a charming soundtrack and some absolutely stunning art.

8.5/10

Brilliant, I've heard nothing but praise about The Illusionist. I'd love to see it on the big screen, mainly because you don't find animation like that in cinemas these days, they're all full up with squeaky clean CGI films.

----

I watched The Ladykillers (original) last night, a classic that I'd never seen. I thought it was pretty terrific, parts of it were more like an horror film then a comedy, particularly when your first introduced to Alec Guinness, who is fantastic in his role btw. Peter Sellers also has a nice small role. I only lol'd once or twice with a chuckle here and there. Most of the laughs came from the performances, which were hilarious. A lot of the written gags are quite dated now, which is fair because it came out in 1955. Nevertheless, it's well acted, written and really well directed.

I wouldn't suggest as a comedy to have you cracking up over but I'd suggest as a great piece of cinema.

8/10

Watched Piranha 3D today. It might be worth seeing simply because it's so rare to find a movie that pushes the boundaries of good taste and what's admissible under an R-rating that gets such a broad and unanimous critical reception. I guess the secret is to be self-aware of the fact that your film is campy exploitation. Still, if you're into gross-out gore, titties for the sake of titties, and low-brow humor this could be your newest favorite film.

At the same time it gets props being capable capable of shocking an avid horror aficionado like me. It's starts out so goofy with middle of the road gross-outs, a low body count, and a generally goofy attitude that I was just itching to see the hundreds of frat-boy spring breakers get torn to shreds. Then when the shit finally hits the fan it ramps everything so far beyond 11 that it becomes the horror equivalent of the D-Day intro to Saving Private Ryan. I was actually sorry that I had wanted to see all the drunken, douche bag college kids get murdered by fish.

Also, the film has some of the best uses of 3D that I've seen since this new wave of 3D films started up. I still don't think 3D is more than a fad that passing through once again, but if you want to catch one of the better ones while it's around this is it.

At 8/25/10 02:21 AM, Jercurpac wrote: Also, the film has some of the best uses of 3D that I've seen since this new wave of 3D films started up. I still don't think 3D is more than a fad that passing through once again, but if you want to catch one of the better ones while it's around this is it.

I've seen a trailer for it and I thought the effects looked really bad to be honest. Mainly the piranhas looked very unreal, but the trailer was in 2D and maybe the 3D makes up for that.

I was expecting the low-brow humor, titties for the sake of titties, gore fest kind of thing you described, so I was surprised this movie scored so high under the critics. Do you suppose it scores so high because of the twist towards becoming a much more edgy film or were there any other good elements in it as well, like was there a good story behind it all?

I'm about to watch Memento for the first time. This is the happiest day of my life.

And on Blu-Ray...

I watched Hercules and the Amazon Women.

Decent fantasy film. Hilariously bad effects in the one monster fight in the movie, but that's such a minor part that basically only serves to establish that Hercules is hard as nails, and the rest of the film is him convincing a bunch of women warriors that men aren't evil. Plot isn't amazing, and the ending is the ultimate cop out (Spoiler: Zeus rewinds time and everything is okay again), but Hercules himself is likeable, and Zeus is awesome.

6/10.

At 8/25/10 09:34 PM, Makeshift wrote: I'm about to watch Memento for the first time. This is the happiest day of my life.

And on Blu-Ray...

I felt thoroughly miserable after I first watched Memento :P.

At 8/25/10 09:34 PM, Makeshift wrote: I'm about to watch Memento for the first time. This is the happiest day of my life.

And on Blu-Ray...

One of my favorite movies ever.

At 8/25/10 05:18 PM, Auz wrote:

At 8/25/10 02:21 AM, Jercurpac wrote: Also, the film has some of the best uses of 3D that I've seen since this new wave of 3D films started up. I still don't think 3D is more than a fad that passing through once again, but if you want to catch one of the better ones while it's around this is it.

I've seen a trailer for it and I thought the effects looked really bad to be honest. Mainly the piranhas looked very unreal, but the trailer was in 2D and maybe the 3D makes up for that.

Of course the CGI isn't nearly as good as, let's say, Iron Man 2. As far as the stereoscopic effects go though you get a lot of scenes where shit's flying at you from the screen and breasts are popping out and that's what I want when I see a 3D film. If the only point of 3D being in a film is just to have the illusion of depth then I don't see the point. It's a neat trick, but by the end of the film I'm no longer noticing it and it's effectively adding nothing to the film except and extra four bucks to the cost of my ticket.

I was expecting the low-brow humor, titties for the sake of titties, gore fest kind of thing you described, so I was surprised this movie scored so high under the critics. Do you suppose it scores so high because of the twist towards becoming a much more edgy film or were there any other good elements in it as well, like was there a good story behind it all?

The story is college kids are partying at a lake and this one kid decides to not babysit his little brother and sister so he can hang with this sleazy film producer who's making a Girls Gone Wild style video. You can probably guess how much depth that plot has beyond facilitating some fairly graphic nudity. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that critics are rallying around a film that, at it's core, is just sleazy exploitation, it's a genre that's dear to my heart. I honestly don't know why so many critics have decided to give a nod of approval to this one.

To me it wasn't really all that self-aware. Yes, the tropes are there but to me they were less tongue-in-cheek additions and more things that were there because they belonged in this film because it's just a sleazy film. So unlike a film like Planet Terror, which was an A film parading in B clothing this is thoroughly B-grade trash and I love it for it. Apparently the critics have come into some sort of hive mind agreement.

At 8/26/10 01:28 AM, Jercurpac wrote: Of course the CGI isn't nearly as good as, let's say, Iron Man 2.

And not to completely turn this thread into me ruminating on Piranha, but that was kind of misleading of me. It may not be as flashy in the CGI department as the biggest budgeted films, bit I still thought it worked very well and it's filled with loads of non-CGI gore effects that are fantastic in how effectively convincing they are.

Machete Trailer
This is the funniest trailer I have seen for years, I first saw it a few months ago but never brought it up here. I believe that I was first made as a joke and never intended to be made but they are now making it. Can't wait personally. Its so over the top, My favorite bit is the Mini-gun on the dirt bike at the end XD.

When this film comes out in cinemas everybody has to go and see it. Here is the Wikipedia page for more info.

At 8/28/10 06:38 PM, Decky wrote: Machete

I can't wait for that movie. It will probably get a pounding by the critics, but it looks like a nice and dumb action movie. Now if only we can get DON'T! the movie...