Last Film You Watched

[Among Us]

Recently Qrewatched the Star Wars Qriginal Trilogy for the Q00th time.[QQQQ]

Edited February 11, 2012 by The Last of Them All

[Jean Valjean]

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: I went through the trouble of watching the midnight premier of this, even though I had a major test to do early in the morning that day. It might seem crazy but crazy doesn't exist when it comes to Star Wars, because Star Wars rationalizes everything.Was it worth losing sleep before a major test? Yes. Was it worth the price? Yes. Was it worth sitting in the front row, center seat and getting a sore neck after a short while? Yes, even that.When I think of the movies, Star Wars is the first thing to come to my mind. I've said other movies were perfect for the big screen, such as Jurassic Park and Titanic, but Star Wars is the big screen experience. My only regret is that I didn't have an authentic costume to make the night out at the theatre all the more festive.A part of me was a little nervous, seeing as I didn't understand how a 2D film could be converted into 3D, seeing as you'd have to invent a completely new image for the new angle required, but somehow they pulled it off. The 3D was nice, and surprisingly it worked well for Star Wars more than any other 3D movie I've watched so far. The best part, contrary to popular assumption, was not the pod race but all the simple moments such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi standing by each other, the tall doors opening to reveal Darth Maul, the scattered assortment of droids. Somehow the 3D was very fitting in enhancing those normal moments.Since it's been a while since I've watched this film (a crime, I know) I picked up on things that went under the radar before, such as the reason why Palpatine wanted Naboo invaded and the details of the Galactic Republic's politics.The final dog fight in space where Anakin saves the day was more fun this time around than even when I was a little boy. It helps that I felt like a little boy all over again while watching it. I noticed the dialogue in those scenes were very reminiscent of the dialogue in A New Hope, being slightly cheesy but nevertheless awesome. Overall, I found many of those moments throughout the movie where the structure of the lines echoed an older structure used in the original films. The style and flow of all the Star Wars films is something uncommon to cinema, and it's hard to say exactly what it is, but the movie didn't bother with clever angles and dramatic close-ups. Instead it just lets the screen be one big window to something fantastic. If that's the best way to describe it, I don't know, but I hope I'm on the right track.The aliens were fascinating, and so were the props and costumes and makeup and sets. The grandness of the unique Star Wars universe is something no film matches or even touches upon. The richness and diversity of their galaxy is intoxicating and is enough to make any world-building sci-fi nerd envious. And I am envious.One of the biggest pleasures, of course, was the constant music by John Williams, which only let up during the pod race, when there was already enough interesting sounds to tell a fun story. Surprisingly, I was the only person who stayed for the credits to listen to the ending themes, and I loved the last moments of Anakin's Theme, which slightly resemble the Imperial March, and when it is all finished and that final credit stayed in the center of the screen for a couple of extre seconds, the distant sounds of Darth Vader's breathe was queued. And that is awesome.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh Edited February 11, 2012 by Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Ultimate StarsSaberBee 823]

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: I went through the trouble of watching the midnight premier of this, even though I had a major test to do early in the morning that day. It might seem crazy but crazy doesn't exist when it comes to Star Wars, because Star Wars rationalizes everything.Was it worth losing sleep before a major test? Yes. Was it worth the price? Yes. Was it worth sitting in the front row, center seat and getting a sore neck after a short while? Yes, even that.When I think of the movies, Star Wars is the first thing to come to my mind. I've said other movies were perfect for the big screen, such as Jurassic Park and Titanic, but Star Wars is the big screen experience. My only regret is that I didn't have an authentic costume to make the night out at the theatre all the more festive.A part of me was a little nervous, seeing as I didn't understand how a 2D film could be converted into 3D, seeing as you'd have to invent a completely new image for the new angle required, but somehow they pulled it off. The 3D was nice, and surprisingly it worked well for Star Wars more than any other 3D movie I've watched so far. The best part, contrary to popular assumption, was not the pod race but all the simple moments such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi standing by each other, the tall doors opening to reveal Darth Maul, the scattered assortment of droids. Somehow the 3D was very fitting in enhancing those normal moments.Since it's been a while since I've watched this film (a crime, I know) I picked up on things that went under the radar before, such as the reason why Palpatine wanted Naboo invaded and the details of the Galactic Republic's politics.The final dog fight in space where Anakin saves the day was more fun this time around than even when I was a little boy. It helps that I felt like a little boy all over again while watching it. I noticed the dialogue in those scenes were very reminiscent of the dialogue in A New Hope, being slightly cheesy but nevertheless awesome. Overall, I found many of those moments throughout the movie where the structure of the lines echoed an older structure used in the original films. The style and flow of all the Star Wars films is something uncommon to cinema, and it's hard to say exactly what it is, but the movie didn't bother with clever angles and dramatic close-ups. Instead it just lets the screen be one big window to something fantastic. If that's the best way to describe it, I don't know, but I hope I'm on the right track.The aliens were fascinating, and so were the props and costumes and makeup and sets. The grandness of the unique Star Wars universe is something no film matches or even touches upon. The richness and diversity of their galaxy is intoxicating and is enough to make any world-building sci-fi nerd envious. And I am envious.One of the biggest pleasures, of course, was the constant music by John Williams, which only let up during the pod race, when there was already enough interesting sounds to tell a fun story. Surprisingly, I was the only person who stayed for the credits to listen to the ending themes, and I loved the last moments of Anakin's Theme, which slightly resemble the Imperial March, and when it is all finished and that final credit stayed in the center of the screen for a couple of extre seconds, the distant sounds of Darth Vader's breathe was queued. And that is awesome.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

I as well saw it, it was well remade into 3D and it is still one of my favorite movies.However....(I'm a die-hard star wars fan btw)I am kind of mad that they changed a few things....1st: They added all the DARN DELETED SCENES RUINING ORIGINALITY2nd: YODA AIN'T A MUPPET ANYMORE!!Hey, I still enjoyed it, but those changed made me mad.

[BenLuke]

Yoda is no longer a Muppet? RUINED FOREVER!

[Franz Joseph Haydn]

11-11-11And before you ask, it sucked.

[Jean Valjean]

A Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by Joseph Papp):It's very boring when read out loud by a bunch of normal people being put up to it by their English teacher, so I watched an VCR of a live play, audience and all. Now granted, it started a little boring, but then the mechanicals are introduced and I'm in love. For starters, Peter Quine not only looks like Steven Spielberg (and the actor's name is Steven!), but he also wears a beret! Can you imagine how much of a stereotype that is? And he was great, one of my top three favorite characters.The next thing that stands out to me is William Hurt playing Oberon. There are so many moments where he stands out as incredibly funny without making it look like the character is trying. The thing is, he has this makeup applied that makes his eyebrows long and pointy and he tals in a measured monotone. With the exception of the Native American attire, he looked very familiar. Someone who walked in even thought it was Leonard Nimoy. I said no, but a perfect nickname came to mind: "Let's call him Spockahontas!"But really, the character was funny, and simple lines like "I am invisible" were hilarious.The third character who really stood out to me was Helena. She's dressed rather odd in that she doesn't look one bit like an Athenian, but it's all for the best. Suddenly, the character has life. She doesn't have that much to set her apart from Hermia as far as characterization goes, or at least in the dialogue of the play alone, and they're really intergangable. However, Christine Baranksi adds individuality to the character, transforming her not just into a ditz after Demetrius, but a borderline geek wearing a cross between a praerie dress and a poodle skirt. Yes indeed, Helena has some odd fashion going on.When the men worshipped her was pretty good too. The awkward monologues are not awkward because Lysander and Demetrius are constantly acting horny in the background (although not overdoing it). And the argument between Helena and Hermia is more of a hectic catfight (and once again, the boring ramble is surprisingly funny).Finally, I give strong credit to the rest of the mechanicals, all of whom were even funnier than the talented Nick Bottom. I was entertained as Flute had to go through drastic measures to portray a woman and when Peter Quince was constantly embarassed. Yet, my favorites were Snout (previously seen with a headband and a tattoo of a spade on his bare arm) playing Wall (particularly when he says the word "Wall" and when he also goes outside the lines to draw the monologue on to intentionally awkward lengths), and when Starveling (who has thinning hear and wears glasses that makes him look like a deer in your headlights) portrays Moon (it is so random and for me a rather fun to quote part of the play, and yet for the rest just reading it it's frustrating to me because they don't get how it's so awesome).And there you have it: an awesome rendition of the play that does everything justice. Well, almost everything. I mean, I wasn't a fan of the woman playing Puck, but Spockahontas made up for it. Although the positions they got into during some of their conversations and moments in the background were a bit PG-13 in my book. Perhaps younger children in the audience wouldn't have noticed, though.Oh, and the wedding costumes were good, because I would kill for a cape like the one Theseus wore. And the hippie playing Philostrate was funny, though I'd recomment you read "The Knight's Tale" by Chaucer.And that's all I have to say about that.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus

[Sumiki]

I watched Tron the other night - the original, not Legacy. Not much to say on story, but I can see how the graphics were impressive to the early 80s cinema goers.There were also overtones of religion in a dystopian future, but I won't delve into those here.

[Taka Nuvia]

"Labyrinth". With David Bowie.Pure awesomeness. :3

[Grant-Sud]

Watched Star Wars the Phantom Menace, which Kraggh did as well it seems. Just going to say, I know that overall it received mixed reviews, but this was my favorite out of the prequels and I really liked it. There were a few lines in there that seem a little poor, but overall most of them were very well thought out. I enjoyed Jar Jar and Anikin, and I can't figure out whey people didn't that much. :/Qui-Gon Jinn was the best Jedi ever btw and the final battle between the Jedi and Darth Maul was wonderfully done. His death was still incredibly moving. ;_; The relationship with Obi-Wan is also a killer. Great movie, one of my favorites. (And I even understood the politics this time around, since it was over my head when I was little.)The 3D however, I disagree and say I wasn't impressed. I just couldn't get into it.

[Jean Valjean]

The reason why I say the 3D worked for me is that I actually remember some of the experience in 3d. As opposed to when I saw Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King in 3D, in which case my memory of all the visuals in 2D. Of course, those were hand-drawn animated films. As mixed as my feelings toward 3D is, I decided to just shut up and be entertained with Star Wars. And it worked for me. Perhaps it's because the clunkiness of it all reminded me of the original trilogy.Which reminds me, the awesome thing about Star Wars in general is that you can take it seriously and not so seriously at the same time. And that truly is awesome.Anyway...Some Like It Hot: While watching this film with my sister, she was on a mattress and I was in a cushioned chair. At one point I asked if she'd like to switch spots. "More thrashing room?" she asked."Exactly."So I was on a mattress while watching the film, violently thrashing about and happy to take a lunch break. You see, this is one of those films where a person comes up with an embarrassing and impossible to keep secret that shouldn't realistically convince anyone, and yet for the duration of the film it actually works. Those are always painful to watch. This one was no exception, especially with the guys crushing on Marylin Monroe.Speaking of which, Marylin Monroe's character was stupid. As in, absolutely stupid. Of course, it was a comedy, and of course, it was Marylin Monroe. However, near the end I constantly wanted to yell at the screen. Partly it was because everything was awkward already, and partly it was also because I'm so incredulous with the character. It's sort of hard to take her seriously when her name is "Sugar".Any and all romance between Sugar and the two main characters is difficult to endure, especially when Joe invents the most outrageous lies to get on a good date with her. I have to hand it to him: he was a very good liar. But again, because it was ultimately so unsustainable it was painful to watch. Especially when he convinced Sugar that he professionals such as Sigmund Freud himself had told him he couldn't fall in love and that she had defied all his diagnoses. He had fallen in love! Of course, he's saying that knowing that there's no way he can make it work out on the long run.The romance between Jerry ("Daphne") and the old millionaire was much more amusing to watch near the end, especially when Jerry for a night almost completely immerses himself in his disguise's character.Fortunately, all ends well, as we all knew it would. Joe even gets to keep Sugar, although the goodness of that can be contested. If all the awkwardness is difficult to watch, don't worry; you can make it throught the film. Just remind yourself that there's an awesome ending.Monty Python and the Holy Grail: I rewatched this with my sister and took the time to pause and read the subtitles at the beginning...Anyway, there's not a whole lot that I caught on to this time around that I didn't before. Besides, I was watching it on a television set that was dim and had very little detail. Things like the face of the French soldier were impossible to see, as they were just dark enough that the television set depicted it as just black. Curse that set.Anyway, I still maintain it as one of the most random films I have ever seen and a perfect example of the "antiplot". Again I assert that it has a very quotable nature. It's humor is very British and fast, far different from the sitcom humor dominating American airwaves. I wish more humor like this was around.The one thing I had worried was that this movie would not please my sister. Fortunately, she loved it. However, I should caution that obviously this isn't something everyone will enjoy. Some people like the sitcom humor mentioned earlier more. Some people aren't that into comedy. Some people enjoy stuff that's a bit more refined, a bit of a higher budget deal. That's okay. But Monty Python is still one of the simpler pleasures of life, and overall I think that the majority of people who watch the film will enjoy it.Doctor Strangelove (Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb): It was actually not what I expected it to be, considering that it was by Stanley Kubrick. I though that it would be a confusing and/or abstract film, but it was actually far from it. The plot made a lot of sense and had all the elements of a classical drama. It was surprisingly coherent considering the one scene I had ever glimpsed at from the movie was the nonsensical but iconic moment when Major Kong falls to his Death waving a cowboy hat and hollering while straddled to a nuclear bomb. Otherwise, it functioned well as a semi-realistic film (though self-proclaimingly unrealistic when it came to the actual scenario) that described the mechanics of the Air Force convincingly.I initially didn't see it as a comedy until I considered that it was satirizing all the fear and paranoia of the day. I suppose what I expected was a more hap-hazardous crazy humor like King Kong on the bomb, and so most of the humor flew by me as subtle details at first. However, I did get it all in hindsight. Especially the names. I've been told never to make a joke through names, advice that I always stubbornly denied. Therefore it was a pleasure to me to see the main trouble-maker named General Jack D. Ripper, and for a joke to be made about the length of Dr. Strangelove's name before coming to America. It was also a bit strange that a caucasian American would be named Kong.Some of the humor was obvious the first time around. I was very amused by the president's conversation with Dmitri. I loved the comment that "We can't fight in here; it's the War Room!" I loved the crazy survival supplies given to the members of the air force. And I loved the joke about answering to the Coca Cola company.There were some aspects that struck me immediately as different, though. There was no main character. There was no one the audience was specifically meant to relate to. It was all about the scenario and how it was handled. There wasn't really a need for a main character, since he or she would have got in the way. In that aspect, the film was very different. I think that's part of the feel I was expecting to get when I first decided to watch it. I expected a film that was very unconnected, and while to some degree I was wrong, I was right in the sense that unlike all modern films the connecting element wasn't through a main character, who conventionally "makes the story".And by the way, the ending was the most random I've ever seen. Period. There have been other films that have taken me by surprise, and there have been other films that have been more random overall. Yet this was the most random ending I've ever seen. Up until the ending, everything made sense. It was flowing like a conventional film minus the main character. Then out of nowhere this happens, and all of a sudden all of my preconceived assumptions about the film's surreality came true. Well, more power to Dr. Strangelove for pulling it off, I guess. It makes for one of those hard to forget endings that lives on.My last thought, one it was all said and done, other than "Where on Earth did that ending come from?", was "Why did they call the film Dr. Strangelove?" I mean, he was only a minor character, albeit one of the more interesting ones. It makes a little more sense, though, considering that he's played by Peter Snellers, who pulled off a Frank Morgan. I didn't notice it until I read on the back of the movie cover, and only then did it occur to me that none of his characters appeared on-screen at the same time. Smooth move, Kubrick.It's a bird of a different feather, but one well worth watching. In fact, some college classes require it, because it is a landmark historical film. I usually recommend that people go and see classics just to see how they have intigrated teir way into popular culture. Another Stanley Kubrick film, the glorious 2001: A Space Odyssey is another such example of a cultural icon and mover. If this doesn't convince you to see it, perhaps James Earl Jones will.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh Edited February 20, 2012 by Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Protodite Karzahni]

The 2011, Russell Brand edition of Arthur. I never watched the Dudley Moore original, so I have nothing to compare it to, making that aspect difficult to comment on. However, as a film itself, I'm not too sure on it. It certainly dragged on a long while and a lot of the time it just felt like there was to much Russell in Arthur for me to be invested in his character. Also, the relationship between Arthur and Naomi seems a little forced and false, especially given as I reckon the only reason she fell for him in the first place is because he had that station emptied.

Edited February 20, 2012 by The Wretched Automaton

[Jean Valjean]

Can you evaluate what you meant by having the station emptied? I haven't seen the film, so I'm not sure what you meant. I assume you mean "he was the only guy around in the station, so she eventually had to fall for him", but if I'm wrong, correct me.And By the way, not a huge fan of the name Naomi. And sometimes names can make a difference for me, which I'll highlight in an upcoming review.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Protodite Karzahni]

As a first date with Naomi, Arthur has the entirety of the Grand Central Station emptied (I assume it was implied he paid for replacement services, I don't remember), so it's just the two of them as they sit together. I just got the vibe that she wouldn't have paid him any attention afterwards, had he not done something quite so glamorous. Although, that's probably just me nitpicking.As for the name, I can certainly see where you're coming from and how it may annoy you, but I felt it didn't truly stand out too much through the film.

[ShellHead]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Awesome movie. Love me some cyberpunky neo-noir

[Voxumo]

well the last film which i just finished watching like maybe 15 mins ago was tank girl. for some odd reason it is a really weird but good movie.

[Jean Valjean]

Children of Men: It was a good movie, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it the greatest sci-fi movie of its decade, which I have to point out because I know I've seen a couple of lists rank it as #1. The way it came off to me was as a fairly gritty film, which was what I expected. It's incredibly realistic in its depiction of violence and the more brutal side of human nature. During the climax, when there's a lot of shooting and betraying, I was satisfied with how likely it was for a person to get hit, as opposed to most action films where one person can be shot at by dozens of men with machine guns while out in the open and not get a single nick on them. In contrast, the climax of this film was in a ghetto and the main character had to be incredibly careful and constantly duck and scurry quickly from one side of the street with careful timing. Ultimately, he dies, but he successfully saved the future of mankind.As far as films with a gritty premise, I think this one delivered. In raw terms, it depicted a world without children. It pulled no breaks when characters got into dangerous situations and was willing to kill good characters unceremoniously when they would have realistically been killed. It's far from an idealist or romantic film, nor is it impressionistic. It's definitely a realist's film, in spite of its science fiction setting. And even then, the science-fiction hardly stands out.It's hard to come up with the words to describe what this film meant to me. I had a hard time figuring out how I felt immediately after watching it. The impression wasn't that strong, but there are a few moments that stood out. Otherwise, it was all sort of a blur. What I ultimately came away with was the gritty feel and the grim realism, though it struck no emotional chords.-My final post should finally bring me up to date with a review for Clash of the Titans.Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Sumiki]

Tron: Legacy.The entire virtual world was awesome. The music was awesome. The lightcycles were awesome.I don't think I can find anything not awesome about that movie.

[Voxumo]

Tron: Legacy.The entire virtual world was awesome. The music was awesome. The lightcycles were awesome.I don't think I can find anything not awesome about that movie.

I have yet to watch the original but that is is really great. my favorite part is probably when they go to see the one guy who has that cane in that high up tower where it seems he owns a dance/night club. i mean really that is like the funniest part of the movie and it help break up the seriousness of the movie. i also really like that off road vehicle that the creator owned. although the flying crafts are pretty cool i still think the off road vehicle is better.and one would think that if that little disk thing is destroyed or broken the owner would die.I still find it hard to believe disney made that movie. although after they did a movie with adam sandler as the main character i don't know what to expect from them.

[-Toa Lhikevikk-]

After about a year of being a Firefly fan, I decided to finally watch Serenity....That movie was far more awesome than I had expected.

[Transcendence]

Knowing.It was surprisingly good.

[Velox]

Saw Act of Valor Friday night.Now that is an awesome movie. Especially the ending, being quite moving and very well done.

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Rewatched it, and boy does it age well. Best Pirates movie ever! (Though, to be fair I have yet to see the newest one. Even so, this one beats the second and third movie hands down).

[Jean Valjean]

Clash of the Titans: Actually, it was surprisingly good. I was expecting to enjoy a movie like Children of Men better, but it turned out that these were switched around. Of course, when I say that it was good, I mean that it was merely better than okay. I'm not giving any huge props to the film, but for what it was worth, it was an entertaining action film for the moment, and beyond that moment it was still memorable. Although not awe-inducing.Basically I was expecting a lot of flaws, but there were surprisingly few. The advertisements made the film look like it was going to be overly face-paced in order to cram all of those action moments in there or that the trailer showed only the best parts. Fortunately, the film found the happy medium. It even went completely against my expectations in a few areas, such as when the Djinn was played by an actual actor in a costume, which is pretty rare.Now, I should still warn people of the flaws. I think that the main thing preventing this film from making the jump between likable and lovable was Sam Worthington. I'm not bashing the actor's skills, but he didn't seem to be the right actor for the job. His Perseus didn't seem to add a real heart to the film like a main character should have. If they wanted to go all-out with the tough guy persona, Sam Worthington would have done it with flying colors, but they tried to make him sympathetic as well, even romantic. Sorry, but I couldn't put myself into the shoes of his willing love interest.Now, on the other hand, there's Io. Her background story in this version is completely different and I'm not sure why they used her name, but I still loved it. Io's one of my favorite characters in mythology, and in spite of her obscurity they chose to use her. Yes, it was in name only, but it was still enough for me to be predisposed to like her. Because of that, there was someone within the main cast who I truly did get invested in.Why she fell for Sam Worthington doing a sucky job of being the sympathetic character? No clue. I still liked to pretend I was him, though, because Io seems like very admiral company.The one other acting problem that I had was perhaps the bearded men. Too many of Perseus's company look exactly the same, and there were two important characters who I couldn't quite tell apart. Hades, similarly, had me frustrated, even though he was distinct, because he essentially looked like Voldemort with a nose and beard. I'm guessing they were going for the crippled look, but I wouldn't have gone with Ralph Fiennes. Liam Neeson as Zeus, however, was the real stroke of genius in the casting. He's one of the few actors who reminds me of Christopher Lee as far as being a total large ham (fittingly, Qui-Gon Jinn was Count Dooku's apprentice). Do I believe he is Zeus? Oh yeah!The one final small problem was the monster hunters. They needed more screen time, but halfway through they were dumped. Perhaps it made the main hero look tougher for being the only survivor, but I feel that there had to be some people who helped him to slay Medusa and save the way.Well, that's about all I have to say. About that.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Pridak for Prez]

C.H.U.D. An oldy but a goody. Gotta love cannibalistic hobos.

[Gargan Roo]

The VowIt sucked... And I usually like chick-flicks.~Gargan Roo~

[Darcsyde]

I saw John Carter the other day. I was really impressed. It wasn't wuite as silly as I expected, was exciting, had funny moments, and was really fun to watch.

[Jean Valjean]

Well John Carter was a famous kids' book series nearly a hundred years ago. Good stuff. I would expect Disney to try their best to make it a real fun movie. Nevertheless, it's nice to have your reassurance. I'll make sure to check it out when it's available in DVD.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Legolover-361]

I last watched The Matrix. 'Twas an awesome film; when you can add ridiculous slow-motion shots of unrealistic stunts, coupled with a lot of shooting and explosions, and you can soundly justify it all in-story, you know you have a blockbuster on your hands.

[Dark_Stranger]

Thor-- Amazing acting, solid special effects, and an well crafted (if sometimes rather predictable) plot. Overall, not quite as good as the Iron Man or Captain America movies, but definitely worthwhile.BZP Lovers (aka The Film that the Word Filter Takes Issue With For Some Reason)II-- A solid follow-up to it's predicessor; some of the special effects haven't exactly aged well, but overall it's very enjoyable. And now I'm excited for the third one...Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance--Oh, yeah! An odd little film, and not the sort of thing that suits everyone, I suppose, but I would urge you to at least give it a try. Not a cinematic masterpiece, by any means, but certainly very entertaining."But as long as I'm here, I get to bust heads!"

Edited March 16, 2012 by The Main Man

[Jean Valjean]

A Better Life: A surprisingly good movie and one of the best "a slice of life" films I've seen. Writing in general needs more "A slice of life" stories. Good ones, mind you. There are some that try to romanticize it, or, as Robert McKee said in Story, just wander around and substitute realism for actual storytelling. This one managed to tell a very great story about real life struggles. Also, the main character was rocking a hardcore beard. That alone justified his nomination for an Oscar, although obviously his acting talent and the character's portrayal were both also great.A Midsummer Night's Dream: Unfortunately, not the Joseph Papp version. It was a film adaptation, and by all means nowhere near half as funny as the Papp production. There were so many great funny moments in the other one I reviewed that were completely dropped by these directors, who only seemed to half-understand that it was a comedy. It looks like they wanted to take it seriously, but in order to do that I think that you have to actually first take it unseriously.The only thing they did better than Joseph Papp was perhaps their depiction of Bottom. But otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this movie at all, especially if you're looking for a quick way of getting through the play while reading it for a class. If you can help it, get a recording of an actual play instead.Courageous: I was instantly unimpressed, but then I considered the audience and adapted my viewing experience accordingly. It was of course preachy, which wasn't a bad thing considering that it fits into the Faith Film genre. As a slice-of-life film, even though it's realistic it still falls flat.The delivery wasn't the best ever, and I've seen films of its genre deliver its points in a more effective manner (Letters to God was very good at this). The main thing that disrupted its strength was its highly episodic nature. There was no real climax, just a bunch of mini-climaxes along the way as the story wandered through the lives of an ensemble cast and the various highlights thereof. While that's not a bad thing in and of itself, it definitely doesn't fit the trend of modern storytelling, which has a clearly defined introduction, rising action, climax, and conclusion.My favorite part would be Javier. Perhaps that's because he represents the struggles of a real-life demographic that many people would relate to. Perhaps it was because only a week or two prior, I had just watched A Better Life. But it was nice seeing a completely normal guy that defeated Hollywood trends altogether.If you fall within the target audience, I recommend seeing it and taking it as it is. Just remember what I said about it being episodic.Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Franz Joseph Haydn]

Kraggh, I'd just like to say that I've very impressed with your reviews and they've given me a good insight into which movie I'd like to watch after limitless.

[Transcendence]

The Deaths Of Ian Stone.I wish I could say something deep and/or interesting about this movie, but I'll only say this: The actor who played grown-up Ian is hoooot!

[Nuile the Paracosmic Tulpa]

Winnie the Pooh. It was very cute. The pit scene was highly amusing, as was the post-credit sequence. I loved how they enhanced Owl's personality, and I thought Eeyore's new voice was well-casted, but they ruined Rabbit. I dread to associate his voice with a certain abominable sponge, and though his military signalling was hilarious, it was incongruous with Rabbit's personality.Yeah, I think I was the first person to review a children's film here. http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.png

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

[WriterofReapers]

Secret World of Arriety.I read the books a few years ago, and had some fun comparing the two versions. I wouldn't say the movie is better, but I did like some of the changes that were made. The animation was beautiful ( as it should have been; it was my main reason for seeing the movie), but my favorite part was definitely the music. If I had ten more cents, I'd buy the soundtrack on iTunes in a heartbeat.I liked the voices, although I'd like to see it with subtitles. Apparently they changed the ending for the American release, and I'd like to see the "original" for myself.Nuile, does that make me the second?

[Dark_Stranger]

Winnie the Pooh. It was very cute. The pit scene was highly amusing, as was the post-credit sequence. I loved how they enhanced Owl's personality, and I thought Eeyore's new voice was well-casted, but they ruined Rabbit. I dread to associate his voice with a certain abominable sponge, and though his military signalling was hilarious, it was incongruous with Rabbit's personality.Yeah, I think I was the first person to review a children's film here. http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.png

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

I saw this over Christmas break, and feel that it was well done and consistently entertaining. However, I must disagree with you about Rabbit, as I feel Tom Kenny performed well enough to make up for any associations his name may conjure up (though I think of him more as the Penguin from The Batman, myself). I also see his signals as fitting fairly well with his personality as the guy obscessed with keeping things organized and planning stuff out in advance."But as long as I'm here, I get to bust heads!" Edited March 19, 2012 by The Main Man

[Manducus]

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

[Vandenreich]

Psycho.I havent showered for two days...

[Voltex]

I saw The Muppets (2011) the other day on my plane ride home. To be honest, I'm not completely sure how I felt about it; on the one hand, it was awesome to see the Muppets in action and to see some of them star besides Kermit. On the other hand, it seemed like the characters burst into song without warning or reason, and the subplots of characters like Animal didn't feel as felshed out as they could've been.I did love how the characters were constantly breaking the fourth wall however.-ibrow

[Jean Valjean]

Yeah, I think I was the first person to review a children's film here. http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.png

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Ho there, not so fast! A wild Kraggh appeared. Kraggh used disprove. It's supper affective!I also made reviews of Tangled and Beauty and the Beast. However, these are only reviews. The first reference to a children's film here is in this post by Despair (although that's arguable if anyone would like to contest for Batman: Under the Red Hood, although animated doesn't equal children's film).Anyway, I just checked out the following- The Birth of a Nation- Doctor Zhivago- Downfall (Der Untergang)I'll watch them over the weekend and write reviews then. Hopefully they're all positive, although it's hard to say. Until then, here's my preconceived notions before seeing any of them:The Birth of a Nation: It's considered to be the most significant film of all time, according to the back cover. That is, of course, if you belong to the American culture to which it pertains. I'm watching it because it's a classic, which Mark Twain defined as "a book that everyone praises but nobody reads". Switch around a few key words with their proper analogues, and that quote pretty much fits this film, although personally it's a whole lot easier to watch a classic film than it is to read a classic book. I actually expect to enjoy it, since something about its archaic nature will probably keep me intrigued on some artistic level, considering that there's really little for me to compare it to. I've never watched a silent film before, so this should be an explosive first.Doctor Zhivago: I know it's a classic, but I don't know what it's about. Something about the cover makes it look like it takes place amidst the backdrop of a war, although which war I don't know for sure, but my guess is the Russian Revolution. I don't expect to enjoy this as much as the Birth of a Nation and I will probably never rewatch it, but I'm open to claiming otherwise after watching it.Der Untergang: The supreme memetic foreign language on the internet. I must confess, this one interests me the most. I like foreign language films, especially ones in German. I know that it's won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and from the clips I've seen, the acting looks excellent, which will make for listening to the German dialogue even more pleasing. The subject matter is also a very intriguing one. Overall, I expect to be very involved in this film and it's very likely that I will watch it several more times in the future, especially if I ever pursue learning German.I'll let you know my final thoughts and cast my reserved judgments after watching them. See you!Your Honor,Tyrannosaurus Kraggh

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

The last film I remember watching is:The Secret of Kells. I reviewed this one in the post dataclysm topic, but I'll sate my thoughts again. Honestly, I had never heard of this movie before it got the Academy Award nomination. But that's why I love the AMPAS, because they show me gems of a film like this that I never would have heard of otherwise.It's a fairly simple movie about a young monk who lives in a monastery in Ireland and befriends a visiting monk. He tries to help him write a special book while his uncle, the monastery abbot, would rather have him help build a wall to keep out Viking invaders.Let me start off by saying that this movie showcases some of the most beautiful hand drawn animation that I have ever seen a movie (although I admit I have not seen many non Disney animated movies). The minimalist style to the characters is a little off putting at first, but then you're treated to the lush images of the forrest (imbued with subtle and not so subtle celtic imagery), and it's really hard not to fall in love with it. But as the story progresses and things take a darker turn, greens and browns of the forrest are replaced by reds, blacks, and whites of the Viking invaders. Or blacks and blues to represent certain cave monsters. Actually I never thought about how colors are used in the film, but upon reflecting, certain colors definitely are associated with certain characters and situations.I also must comment on the use of sound and music in the movie. I'm not sure if I'm just making things up, but silence and lack of music seem to be used exceptionally well in this movie. Happier, more exciting tunes lighten up the moments of adventure while heavier orchestral choir music emphasizes the terror of the Northmen (Norsemen?). The scenes of heavy dialogue between the monk and his uncle use no music whatsoever. Which is good because it's not really necessary. Brendan Gleeson's voice acting is so great in this movie that his talking sets the entire tone and mood of the scenes he's in. Literally, as soon as he utters his very first word, you know instantly what his character is about. There's no need for music. I was also impressed with the rest of the technicalities: editing and sound effects were all great. The use of split screen during some scenes was effective, especially during the forrest scenes where it was used to play with depth perspective.The story, as I said, is simple. Almost too simple. Some have complained about it being too slow of a story, but with the movie at just over 75 minutes I find that probably won't be the case of everyone. Even so, the amazing animation is more than enough to sustain interest even if the story at times doesn't. My one complaint with the story is that the end was rushed. It's not confusing, it's certainly clear what happens, but I feel like more time could have been spent in the last act.All in all, I cannot recommend this movie more. Everyone should watch it. The animation is lush and mesmerizing, the score and sound effects are well used, and the story, although simple, is fairly compelling.And the animation is amazing. If that part hasn't been made clear yet.I also last watched City Lights, The Passion of Joan of Arc, J. Edgar, and Knife in the Water within the last few weeks. I may or may not write up reviews on these. Let me just say that, with the exception of J. Edgar, all of these where pretty well made films. I confess that their only audience will probably be cinephiles and film history buffs, but they are good.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Vorahk1Panrahk2