Insert BS here A place to discuss anything you want

The Movie & Book Review Thread

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-14-2012, 02:44 AM
  #1  
Slowest Progress Ever
Thread Starter
iTrader: (26)
 
thirdgen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: The coal ridden hills of Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,022
Total Cats: 304
Default The Movie & Book Review Thread

I felt like startiing this thread, cause I like to watch a lot of movies. What movies have you seen that you really liked? This can include recently, or awhile ago, or whatever. I'll start...
The last movie I saw was "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".

My wife got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and she got the subtitled version of that movie for free. We watched about 5 minutes of it until we said let's just go to the theatre. The American theatre version was a bit different.
I felt "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" was pretty good, but it was very sexually violent and long. Sexual violence as in ---- rape scene, which I was semi disgusted with...but then it takes a satisfactory twist. This is a David Fincher film...he made fight club, which just might be my favorite movie of all time.
Next Movie...
Before the last movie, I saw "Drive".

I really loved "Drive", but my wife and my best friend and his wife were like "meh".
New years Eve...I was across the street and I was watching "The Big Lebowski". I saw this movie a while ago, but it's phoenominal. It's right up there with American Psycho and Pulp Fiction.
thirdgen is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 09:41 AM
  #2  
Elite Member
iTrader: (24)
 
viperormiata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Key West
Posts: 6,110
Total Cats: 283
Default

We have a "Modern Cinema" thread, but this works too.

As for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, don't get me started. Not seeing it.
viperormiata is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 10:27 AM
  #3  
Slowest Progress Ever
Thread Starter
iTrader: (26)
 
thirdgen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: The coal ridden hills of Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,022
Total Cats: 304
Default

Well $hit. I didn't notice that other thread, so mods please delete if necessary.
As for the girl with the dragon tattoo, I think I'm going to honestly say I was very dissapointed with that flick and I would not recommend it to anyone. Daniel Craig should only be allowed to be James Bond, that's it.
thirdgen is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 01:45 PM
  #4  
Elite Member
iTrader: (24)
 
viperormiata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Key West
Posts: 6,110
Total Cats: 283
Default

You should definitely copy/paste your reviews to the other thread.

To anyone who is thinking about seeing the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", please, for the love of humanity and kittehs, read the book. I shat you not, it's incredible.
viperormiata is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 02:17 PM
  #5  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
gearhead_318's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,966
Total Cats: 21
Default

Originally Posted by viperormiata
We have a "Modern Cinema" thread, but this works too.

As for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, don't get me started. Not seeing it.
¿Por que?
gearhead_318 is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 04:05 PM
  #6  
Elite Member
iTrader: (8)
 
matthewdesigns's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: WNC
Posts: 1,648
Total Cats: 55
Default

Book notwithstanding...

The 'Murica version of Dragon tattoo was much less visceral and emotionally involving than the original. Anyone who is interested in the series needs to skip the Fincher version and go straight to the Euro movie. I'm pretty sure it's on Netflix/dvd.

Thirdgen...the rape scene in the latest one make you squirm? The original is lightyears more devious and sadistic, but that makes the revenge scene even more gratifying The portrayal of the guardian in the Fincher version does not scratch the surface of performance in the original. Same goes for the climax scene, where Daniel Craig is about to go bye bye...

See the original. You won't regret it.
matthewdesigns is offline  
Old 01-14-2012, 04:26 PM
  #7  
Slowest Progress Ever
Thread Starter
iTrader: (26)
 
thirdgen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: The coal ridden hills of Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,022
Total Cats: 304
Default

I'll check it out! Thanks.
thirdgen is offline  
Old 02-24-2012, 10:15 PM
  #8  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
gearhead_318's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,966
Total Cats: 21
Default


Just saw "Act of Valor", it was really good and I'd see it again. It was played by active Navy duty SEALs, which is really cool.
gearhead_318 is offline  
Old 02-24-2012, 11:26 PM
  #9  
Junior Member
 
trickyrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: TX
Posts: 335
Total Cats: 5
Default

Haven't seen the American version of "Dragon Tattoo," but the original was very faithful to the book - and all of the books are great reading.

I finally saw "Drive" on DVD a few weeks ago... and... it might have been the worst movie I've seen in the last 10 years. Just absolute crap, and not at all the action thriller it was made out to be. I kept waiting for some kind of payoff but it never came. It was just a slow, plodding, wannabe-artsy-fartsy flick with really, really, really, really really, bad "action" scenes. The "car chases" were just comically terrible. I'm surprised it wasn't up for an Oscar...

"The Wrestler" - Saw this when it opened in theaters a couple years ago. A really good movie where Mickey Rourke is perfectly cast. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy date flick, but very, very well done if you like downward-spiral stories like "Requiem For a Dream." Marisa Tomei's naked body makes lots of appearances too, so that's an added bonus.

"No Country For Old Men" - I read the book first, and I highly recommend it along with the movie. The movie is an almost spot-on translation of the book. The acting is superb - Javier Bardem takes the prize for one of the most ruthless and creepy bad guys to come along in a while. Another gold star for the Cohen bros.

"TRON: Legacy" - Yeah, yeah, I'm a sucker for TRON. I felt like an 8 year old all over again when I saw this at the IMAX. I'm sure it's a little thin on plot and acting, but I was too busy looking at all the shiny pretty things to care. And the Daft Punk soundtrack is pretty badass too.

"Step Brothers" - So ridiculous that it still makes me snicker when I see bunk beds - so much room for activities.

"Hot Tub Time Machine" - One of the best 80s movies ever...
trickyrix is offline  
Old 02-25-2012, 11:53 PM
  #10  
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
 
Joe Perez's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,593
Default

I've a certain fondness for 70s vintage dystopian science fiction. Just watched THX 1138 this evening, in fact.

That is all.
Joe Perez is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 12:40 AM
  #11  
Junior Member
 
trickyrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: TX
Posts: 335
Total Cats: 5
Default

Originally Posted by Joe Perez
I've a certain fondness for 70s vintage dystopian science fiction. Just watched THX 1138 this evening, in fact.

That is all.
Ooooh... good stuff...

And of course you know that THX-138 was the plate number for John Milner's '32 Ford Coupe in American Graffiti two years later... right? Those are about the only Lucas flicks that he hasn't gone back and effed up...
trickyrix is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 03:01 AM
  #12  
Elite Member
iTrader: (24)
 
viperormiata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Key West
Posts: 6,110
Total Cats: 283
Default

The fact that I'm not the only person on here who knows the existence of THX-1138 makes me happy
viperormiata is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 08:53 PM
  #13  
Elite Member
 
Sparetire's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,642
Total Cats: 36
Default

Originally Posted by Gearhead_318
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlPgo9TaGo

Just saw "Act of Valor", it was really good and I'd see it again. It was played by active Navy duty SEALs, which is really cool.
I am watching the old SEAL movie with Charlie Sheen, and it is one of the biggest POS wastes of time I have seen. I think I'd like it a lot more if I was drunk. Good to know the new one does not suck.

Maybe this is just civilian ignorance talking, but I think its a bad thing that there has been so much interest in the SEALs specifically lately. I think the support of the military independent of political BS is fantastic and I am glad I don't live back in the BS days of the 70s. But it just seems like a really terrible idea to have active duty SEALs basically demoing tactics and whatnot. If I'm the head of some intelligence service for some country that's in/may be a war with us, that might be some useful information. Along with the faces of military personnel who may be involved in said war. I don't really need to know the specifics of how SEALs kill/kidnap/rescue/sabotage/reconnoiter/etc. I just need to know that they do.

Hijack mode off.
Sparetire is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 09:32 PM
  #14  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
gearhead_318's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,966
Total Cats: 21
Default

From what I saw nothing was shown that reveals anything about any special tactics used by SEALs, to me it looked like pretty normal stuff, but what do I know. But yeah, I think it would be better if there wasn't so much of a spotlight on them, but on the other side of the coin it shows the sacrifice they make. At the end of the movie a list of names is show who are the SEALs who where killed in action since 9/11, there where a lot more names then one would imagine.
gearhead_318 is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 10:08 PM
  #15  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
redfred18t's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MA
Posts: 434
Total Cats: 1
Default

Originally Posted by trickyrix
Haven't seen the American version of "Dragon Tattoo," but the original was very faithful to the book - and all of the books are great reading.

I finally saw "Drive" on DVD a few weeks ago... and... it might have been the worst movie I've seen in the last 10 years. Just absolute crap, and not at all the action thriller it was made out to be. I kept waiting for some kind of payoff but it never came. It was just a slow, plodding, wannabe-artsy-fartsy flick with really, really, really, really really, bad "action" scenes. The "car chases" were just comically terrible. I'm surprised it wasn't up for an Oscar...

"The Wrestler" - Saw this when it opened in theaters a couple years ago. A really good movie where Mickey Rourke is perfectly cast. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy date flick, but very, very well done if you like downward-spiral stories like "Requiem For a Dream." Marisa Tomei's naked body makes lots of appearances too, so that's an added bonus.

"No Country For Old Men" - I read the book first, and I highly recommend it along with the movie. The movie is an almost spot-on translation of the book. The acting is superb - Javier Bardem takes the prize for one of the most ruthless and creepy bad guys to come along in a while. Another gold star for the Cohen bros.

"TRON: Legacy" - Yeah, yeah, I'm a sucker for TRON. I felt like an 8 year old all over again when I saw this at the IMAX. I'm sure it's a little thin on plot and acting, but I was too busy looking at all the shiny pretty things to care. And the Daft Punk soundtrack is pretty badass too.

"Step Brothers" - So ridiculous that it still makes me snicker when I see bunk beds - so much room for activities.

"Hot Tub Time Machine" - One of the best 80s movies ever...
I agree on all of these except with Tron as I havent seen it. Drive was such a disappointment
redfred18t is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 10:09 PM
  #16  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
redfred18t's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MA
Posts: 434
Total Cats: 1
Default

Also I saw Midnight in Paris today. thought it was pretty good and interesting, but it's definitely out there
redfred18t is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 10:14 PM
  #17  
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
 
Joe Perez's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,593
Default

Originally Posted by trickyrix
And of course you know that THX-138 was the plate number for John Milner's '32 Ford Coupe in American Graffiti two years later... right?
Yeah, and a thousand other places. Luke (disguised as a stormtrooper) claimed to the guard that they were transferring Chewbacca from cell block 1138. The helmet that Leia wears which freeing Han from Jabba's palace has "1138" painted on the side. An unnamed speaker over the PA system at the German harbor in Raiders calls out "eins, eins, drei, acht" (1138 in German.) In the Library, MCXXXVIII (1138) is clearly written in Dr. Jones (Sr.)'s Grail Diary.

(I'm such a geek.)


Those are about the only Lucas flicks that he hasn't gone back and effed up...
Actually, he did.

The 2004 "Director's cut" of THX 1138, which is the only copy I have, has been quite thoroughly CG'ed. For instance, everything behind the glass in the hot-cell rooms, where they're manufacturing the androids, is 100% CG (and the most visually discontinuous) but they also added in a bunch of cars in the garage, expanded several crowd scenes, copied-and-pasted actors into new CG sets in a couple of places, and just generally made the whole thing look like a poorly-compiled fan film which constantly cuts back and forth between, say, Episode 1 and the original 1977 theatrical print of "A New Hope."

I've actually never seen the original, unaltered version. It's never been released on DVD, only VHS and Laserdisc.

Examples:

CG Background added:




Upper 2/3 of factory is new CG:




Interior of hot cell is 100% CG (no original shots remain of the android manufacturing process in this version):




Ah, well. It's actually not that bad, as compared to, say, Greedo shooting first and Han stepping on small-Jabba's tail. And there's still plenty of bald Maggie McOmie hotness.
Attached Thumbnails The Movie & Book Review Thread-olefq.jpg   The Movie & Book Review Thread-jefu8.jpg   The Movie & Book Review Thread-3to2v.jpg  

Last edited by Joe Perez; 02-26-2012 at 10:54 PM.
Joe Perez is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 10:36 PM
  #18  
I'm a terrible person
iTrader: (19)
 
FRT_Fun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 7,174
Total Cats: 180
Default

I just watched Goon. Some hockey flick with stifler from American Pie. The movie was terrible. But I LOL'd hardcore when in one of the beginning scenes the main character's brother, who is gay, has his boyfriend roll up in a flaming red miata. HAHAHAh.
FRT_Fun is offline  
Old 02-26-2012, 10:47 PM
  #19  
Elite Member
iTrader: (7)
 
mgeoffriau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Jackson, MS
Posts: 7,388
Total Cats: 474
Default

Originally Posted by viperormiata
The fact that I'm not the only person on here who knows the existence of THX-1138 makes me happy
Seriously? Come on, we all went through a Star Wars phase in which we learned all kinds of nerdy facts about George Lucas and bought "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", right?
mgeoffriau is offline  
Old 02-28-2012, 05:47 PM
  #20  
Newb
 
nightsgt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 15
Total Cats: -14
Default

Originally Posted by redfred18t
Also I saw Midnight in Paris today. thought it was pretty good and interesting, but it's definitely out there
I saw Midnight in Paris recently too. I enjoyed it but felt I was too uneducated to fully appreciate the movie. For example, I know a bit about Hemingway and Picasso, which made their characters more enjoyable. My knowledge of the other writers/artists/musicians, not so much.
nightsgt is offline  


Quick Reply: The Movie & Book Review Thread



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:28 PM.