Periodic Movie Review

[Rei]

I'm not much in a space to review the film, but EL and I saw District 9 last night and were rather impressed. The film is incredibly intense and takes an interesting spin on the alien-human relations plot. I think my favourite part of it is how very depressingly human the story is. It just seems like how things could play out in our world.

[Petra456]

I was dragged to see District 9 last night (really had no interest in seeing it at all) and ended up really liking the movie. I especially liked the little alien, he was amazingly cute.

[locke]

Ten years on and the Matrix is still an incredible film. It’s even a better film today than it was then. It’s shocking to think that today’s sixteen year olds were six when this film came out. My how time flies too quickly. I remember first watching this film in the fall of 1999 when a friend of mine gave me two VCDs that his brother had downloaded through the magic of a high speed internet connection, which was only available outside of major corporations on college campuses at the time. I sat mesmerized through both discs, rewatching the dojo fight probably ten times and the subway fight six or seven times. Though I’ve never bought it (and netflixed the bluray for this revisit) I’ve seen it so many times since. It was shown in my college philosophy class, we went and watched it at a midnight theatre, we went on a pilgrimage on the very last night of my freshman year in los angeles to see a midnight showing of reloaded. This is the first time I’ve sat down to watch the original since I saw Revolutions, I think. And looking back at it, I actually do see seeds for the bizarre (but somehow logical) twists of the sequels in this film. the impossibly old oracle, the improbability of anyone actually surviving a flushing on their own, the reference to a first matrix and the implication that humans are defined by their suffering but nevertheless their minds constantly struggle against any form of bondage. I also think that the power/battery issue is the film’s only misstep. It would be far more appealing to me if the machines kept humans going because their brains were the most efficient and powerful quantum computers possible to make, I like the idea that it is our minds that are actually running the matrix that we’re being used as the instruments of our own imprisonment, I like the idea that the machines are almost benign in perpetuating such a system, in a way it raises even more interesting questions about religion, being, philosophy and god than the film already addresses obliquely. There’s so much more interesting possibilities to be mined if it is our brains the machines want, not our BTUs. In any event the film is brilliant, subtle and impeccable; impressive on every level and still as fantastically entertaining and satisfying today as it was ten years ago.

[mr_thebrain]

Due to a lack of worth-while new releases at our local Redbox as well as having watched practically all the movies at movie gallery, my wife and I have decided to watch some of our older movies. I have amassed a pretty hefty collection over the past decade, which sadly gets shelved and rarely watched. There are a few that get repeat performances, but for the most part they sit there while we watch whatever new releases come in, or in the winter months, television. It came to my attention that my wife has not seen even half of the movies that I own, some of which are classics. I proposed that we spend the next few months going through the movies alphabetically, only skipping over movies that we have recently watched, as well as some television collections. Apparently this sounded like too much of a difficult task to handle for my wife, so it was shot down pretty quickly. She’s extraordinarily picky about movies. She has a hard time staying awake, and talks almost completely through, which perpetuates her confusion and thusly causes her to ask more questions. So she generally sticks to short comedies and horrors (cuz they don’t make her fall asleep) romances and the like. It’s pretty horrible. I’ve been trying to broaden her cinematic horizons, and have succeeded for the most part.

It also makes me aware (as locke mentioned) today’s 16 year olds were 6 when they watched The Matrix; and thusly a lot of them haven’t even heard of some of the movies that I hold dear. Age is frustrating in that way, I suppose. I can understand this for people so young, but my wife is only a year younger than I, and it seems unacceptable to me that she has not seen certain movies (can you believe that she had never watched It’s a Wonderful Life until she met me?). It has become my mission to force my wife through all of the movies in my collection.

Anyway, I figure I’ll try and review these older movies while we go through the collection. Maybe it’ll get some people to watch some of them. I’m sure my reviewing chops are going to be pretty superficial and decidedly unpolished. But I’m going to try anyway. So there.

We watched 4 movies this weekend: Rain man, Almost Famous, The Life of David Gale, and Hotel Rwanda. Ok so I know they aren’t that old, but still, how could she not have seen them?!?

Rain man (1988)
Directed by Barry Levinson, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise

You have to love this movie. The story is rich and enjoyable. It’s before Tom Cruise was a complete waste of skin, so the acting was pretty good for the most part. Dustin Hoffman is superb as an autistic savant. One of his few really good rolls (seriously look at his profile, there are 66 movies and only 11 of them are good. For the most part he acts brain damaged in all his movies. Anyway, his performance in this one was fantastic.) Basically the movie is a road movie that tells the story of Tom Cruise’s character going from a complete a****** to a human. I both love and hate that the Charlie Babbitt is really the only person in the movie that changes. I mean, I love that they didn’t try to have Raymond Babbitt change at all. He didn’t grow as a human being. He had experiences, but they didn’t leave him different in any way. Which is great because it’s not like an autistic savant is going to snap out of it in the span of a few days. I hate that none of the supporting actors changed though. The one other key person to Charlie’s change is absent through half of the movie, but in the scenes that she’s in she’s the same simpering sweet girlfriend.

The movie is obviously pretty dated coming from 1988, in part of the storytelling, scenery and wardrobe, but also the quality of the film (this in not a film that would look that great in HD, I bet) but if you can overlook that trivial component. Then the only things you really have to get past are the length (just over 2 hours) and the acting of Valéria Golino. I mean she’s just so bad! I get that she has an accent and all, but she’s just a mountain of suck in every other way.

Me: Highly recommended 4/5 stars
Wife: Great movie, but not the best I’ve ever seen. 3/5 stars

Almost Famous (2000)
Directed by Cameron Crowe, starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit

I have to thank this movie for making Elton John’s older works more known, the man really shouldn’t be judged by his life post Disney. In fact the whole soundtrack is excellent. It’s hard to miss with a fully classic rock soundtrack in my opinion.

It irks me to no end that Billy Crudup gets top freaking billing for this movie. I mean what the hell? This is the epitome of an ensemble cast, and the act the hell out of this movie! Patrick Fugit really should have top billing though. He’s the main character. Who gives a s*** if he’s an unknown? This is also the first movie I saw Zooey Deschanel in. I wouldn’t hesitate to divorce my wife for her.

Anyway, this is Dramedy done right. It’s listed as a comedy but take away some of the falls and joking and it’s a drama. Then again, it would be a weak subpar drama so thank god it has the comedy to carry it.

So it’s a coming of age movie that basically takes a look into the director’s youth. What I wouldn’t give to be a 15 year old rock journalist in the early 70’s my god… that would be a dream come true. Just behind actually being in one of the bands. Anyway, unlike Rain man everyone in this movie changes (except maybe Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, but he’s only in it here and there.) Everyone grows in some way. Even Jason Lee’s character (who only grows to realize that he’s not as cool as he thinks he is (I love that he wears a shirt with his own picture on it towards the end))

Me: This movie is so endearing that you want to freaking hug it. Watch it, you’ll love it. 5/5 Stars
Wife: This movie had everything that I like. An excellent film. 5/5 Stars

The Life of David Gale (2003)
Directed by Alan Parker, starring Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, and Kevin Spacey

Ok this is probably not a movie for everybody. It’s an interesting look into the murder mystery genre. It seemed to keep my wife guessing. There are some pretty strong flaws to this movie, but I don’t see them as overwhelming which is probably why I purchased the DVD.

First the flaws: Kate Winslet (not my favorite actress. Nowhere near. But she doesn’t ruin this movie). Some of the plot devices weren’t that great. Personally I don’t think he needed to be an alcoholic, but I guess it’s something that drives him throughout the movie. Also I think the thing with Winslet’s car is pretty stupid and thrown in and detracts from the idea that Spacey’s character set it ALL up. I think there was a bunch of different ways to make her too late towards the end. The last real flaw is that the middle of the movie kind of plods along.

That being said the rest of the movie saves it. I love that political premise to the mystery, and I love love love that in the end it didn’t accomplish anything. I like the “twist” and the plot in general is pretty interesting. Kevin Spacey is one of my favorite actors ever. Top 5 anyway. This isn’t his best work by any stretch, but it’s noteworthy. He makes the film.

Me: Recommended 3/5 stars
Wife: Gripping. Made me ask a lot of questions that bugged the crap out of Josh. 4/5 Stars

Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Directed by Terry George, Starring Xolani Mali, Don Cheadle, Desmond Dube

Ok this is a horrible film. Not for any reason other than the subject. Everyone should see it. You have to be in the right frame of mind to watch it, prepare to be depressed and cry. It is most certainly a heavy film.

Anna picked this one out from the shelf because she hears me talk about it with other people who have seen it and she wanted to be able to know what we were talking about.

Don Cheadle is also in my top 5 list of actors, he’s the reason I watched it in the first place. He portrays Paul Rusesabagina very well, and really pulls at your heart.

The movie is a true story about the completely asinine 1994 attempted genocide in Rwanda. The acting is excellent, respectful and heartfelt. The movie doesn’t tiptoe around anything. I also don’t think that they really made any changes to the true story to make a cinematic experience which I think is the right move. Then again, I rarely approve of changing the story to make it more interesting for the screen. Even Nick Nolte being in it didn’t detract from the experience.

What can you say? Just see the movie, you may not want to see it again but you’ll come out a better person.

Me: Heart-Wrenching you may not forgive me, but see it anyway. 5/5 stars
Wife: sooooo sad, makes you feel horrible. 5/5 stars

So we’ll see if I can keep it up and provide more reviews.

[Eaquae Legit]

District 9


WARNING! SPOILERS!
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Enough space? I hope so. Anyway, like Rei said, we went to see District 9 a couple nights ago. I was charmed and amused by the marketing posters, and when I saw some good reviews appearing, it just seemed like a good night out. And it was, it really was. It was terrifically gory (not expected), very gritty (somewhat expected), and totally unique (hoped for).

When it comes to making "first contact" movies, there are a couple of established tropes: hostile invasion by aliens, hostile invasion by humans, benevolent advanced race, mix-and-match. I've never seen a film take the "bureaucratic sink-hole of hell" tack before.

Basically, a ship full of aliens appears over Johannesburg. They are insectoid, advanced, filthy, starving, and leaderless. Oh, and their ship is broken, so they can't leave. What starts as a temporary fix for housing them becomes a permanent ghetto/slum as the nations of Earth decide actual action is too difficult. The slum is full of gangs, drugs, violence, and destruction, and control gets handed to a multi-national paramilitary group who is mostly interested in weapons R&D. By the time the main storyline kicks off, it's been 28 years, and nothing has changed. No weapons have been developed, and the slum is as bad as ever. Communication between "prawns" and humans is pretty much nil.

The story from then on wuld require me to detail the whole movie. It mainly follows (in semi-documentary form) the events surrounding an attempted relocation of the "prawn" population and one poor office schmuck who has something of a biological disaster happen to him.

This movie is very very violent, and it is NOT off screen. No punches are pulled. People are dissected, exploded, torn apart and eaten, cut, shot, and mutilated. If you have a weak stomach or children, I would not go see it in theatres. If you are offended by the f-word, do not go see it. Having said that, I need also say that with only a couple exceptions, all the violence and swearing works. It is plentiful, but in my opinion it's not gratuitous. It serves a purpose for the story.

This is a depressing story of human greed and selfishness, and a lot of bad things happen. Some of the characters are definite Black Hats, and there might be one or two who could be called White Hats, but a lot of people are just... people. Stupid, selfish, careless, proud people who have moments of kindness, generosity, and growth.

Things I Loved:
No known actors. And all the actors seemed local.
It was set in Johannesburg, not New York, London, or LA.
Realism.
It did not take any easy outs or go for the easy happy ending.
Originality.
Realism.

Things I Did Not Love:
The violence. Necessary, but still stomach-churning.
Realism.

It was very, very good. And if you come out of the theatre discussing ramen, varelse, and djur, you won't have been the only ones.

[locke]

I am so tempted to edit your post with invisitext Ali. :-p

speaking of Rain Man I just watched Mississippi Burning for the first time last night (they were both nommed for BP in 1988 and Rain Man won) and was blown away. Gene Hackman is incredible, Willem Dafoe is a fantastic foil to him and the supporting cast, especially Frances McDormand is amazing. The story is chilling and brutal. Just an incredible film.

Also, every time I hear Rush Limbaugh's voice I think of the unseen radio voice in Hotel Rwanda yelling about how the cockroaches are coming for people and that we need to squash the cockroaches because they cockroaches are taking our jobs and money and women and rights and and and...

Almost Famous is one of my all time favorite movies, and it too introduced me to old catlogue Elton John. I think I would put Mona Lisas and Madhatters (which is the song when William Miller runs into Penny's room after she's taken queluds, iirc) as one of my all time favorite songs, top five for sure.

I watched Ponyo today. The movie is completely adorable. So pure and sweet. it's about an innocent conviction of love as a five year old conceives it. While it's more of a children's movie than any of Miyazaki's others, the film is not banal in any respect and never talks down, neither does it terrify the way that Spirited Away does (a film small ones find harrowing), it manages to have a relatively low stakes dramatic line that is still quite dramatic. But for being a children's movie it is essentially a character drama about the friendship between Sasuke and Ponyo. The voice work in the dub is SUPERB. the best dub of a Miyazaki film I've heard. Even the kids manage to get the right level of intonation into their lines without sounding all false-kawaii anime-child imitation of Japanese intonations. The adults all imbue exactly the right tones and sounds and emotion to their characters. If I didn't know it was originally Japanese I would think that it was an English Language production.

Oh and goddamn Where the Wild Things Are looks all sorts of awesome and amazing, probably my most anticipated movie of the fall at this point.

[zeroguy]

Funny Games (2008). I can describe it in one word: uncomfortable.

I enjoyed it, too, though, so I guess that's a few more words.

[locke]

Inglourious [sic] Basterds [sic] was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Note that Tarentinos screeched in an interview that the title spelling was not a typo, and that it was wrong of people to expect him to explain an 'artistic' decision like that. Yet if you've read the script (as I did last summer) there are at least a dozen basic typos and misspellings on every page. It is definitely a typo (he writes on a typewriter, not computer) and the continued use of the misspelled title is one of those events when a mistake becomes "a feature"

Still, despite the film being too long, and often indulgent in the Shoshanna scenes it is often quite entertaining, particularly awesome are all the scenes in which Aldo Raine and Hans Landa are on screen at the same time. These two characters are obviously the best parts of the film, and the Shoshanna subplot about killing nazi's with cinema is so hamfistedly hilariously pretentious and symbolic that it's a bit of a shame that subplot is interfering with telling more of the story of the two most interesting characters (Raine and Landa).

[Gravity Defier]

(500) Days of Summer.

I saw this yesterday and have been trying, without success, to find a way to describe the impact this movie had on me and how, a day later, I have thought of little else. I will be the first person to admit that 90% of what I watch is complete and utter garbage -fun, light garbage but garbage all the same. This is NOT that.

The same way I felt like someone understood me the first time I read Novinha's story, I felt like someone understood me when I watched Tom -played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt- throughout this film. He is whiny, hopelessly hopeful, delusional, passionate to the point that it blinds him from the truth of his situation. He is so very flawed but charmingly so. Ha, before I look too arrogant, I guess I should say I identified with the stupidity behind his actions more than all the character traits. People like the two of us just can't do casual the way Summer could and did, but dammit all, we'll try if it gets us closer to that special someone for even a moment longer.

While some may see it as a weakness, the way he completely fell to pieces at first, I took it as a strength. How brave do you have to be to let yourself hit rock bottom? I've never been able to do it to the degree he did but I've wanted to. Perhaps I tell myself that because I have been as bad as him and it had a different look. Either way, this movie spoke to me.

Hardly an Adam-esque review but I had to say more than the typical "It was cute" that I've been hearing. This movie is so much more than that; it's real.

[locke]

a brilliant line from Zorba the Greek, the movie I'm watching tonight.

Remember this: if a woman sleeps alone it puts a shame on all men. God has a very big heart but there is one sin he will not forgive: if a woman calls a man to her bed and he will not go.

Zorba is speaking of the widow with which Zorba's boss, the Englishman, has sexual tension with.

the movie is frought with delicious and marvelous lines. I should go back to watching it now, but I found that line so delightful and gruffly charming that I had to go tell someone about it.

I've also been completely unable to write about of 500 Days of Summer. Alea nailed much of what I felt about it though.

[zeroguy]

Kafka's "The Castle" / "Das Schloß" (1997). Michael Haneke. If you've ever read the novel, you might be wondering (as I was) what the hell kind of movie this would be. And, well, it's actually pretty much just like the novel, as much as that doesn't sound like a movie. Haneke sure does like his sudden cuts and sudden endings. That is definitely the most sudden ending I've ever seen, and possibly ever will; even moreso than I would have thought with the knowledge I had going in.

[Jebus]

Recent movies I've seen:

Funny People - Boring. Boring. Boring. Not Funny. Too long. Boring. Annoying. Hated it. Walked out of the cinema for, I think, the first time since What Women Want. Boring. Not Funny. Don't go see this.

0/10


District 9 - Pretty cool. I loved the setting and found the story believable. One of the least distant and removed sci-fi stories you'll come across. The main character is extremely enjoying to watch, even when you think he's a dick, which is a great quality. Still, the movie felt like it was missing something through-out, and despite all Jackson's efforts to create sympathy for the aliens, my black heart couldn't muster up too much for these CGI fellas.

7/10


(500) Days of Summer - Meh. I mean, it was good, and had some funny parts, but it wasn't anything amazing. It was brought down a lot I felt by some poor supporting cast choices. Would have preferred if Main Guy's (don't ask me for names) friends weren't such pussies, he needed some normal people as friends to counter his own emotional neediness. Also, Main Guy's sister (I think it's his sister) is an annoying far-more-wordly-than-she-should-be 12 year old that he goes to for relationship advice, which is just irritating. While the story is cute, Summer (Main Girl) does one absolute bitch thing near the end which is kind of at odds with her character through the movie. The ending is pretty cheesy and obvious, and that includes before the whole autumn thing.

5.5/10

[Dr. Mobius]

Zombieland is made of awesome! Just got home from the midnight show. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a good laugh and don't mind a little blood and gore (it is a zombie movie after all).

Also the first time in a really long time I've been to a great movie with a great crowd. From booing the Twilight trailer to clapping and cheering at the best parts of the movie, that crowd was pretty cool.

[locke]

Whip It is awesome and funny and just all around marvelous. I love Ellen Page.

Also, Alea should play roller derby, she already has her derby name.

[locke]

it's enjoyable to see Toy Story and Toy Story 2 again in the theatre, but I dunno that it was really worth the price of a 3D ticket. they're great movies, but it was a long time to sit in the theatre with 3D glasses. Also makes you realize how far Pixar has come at imbuing more and more honest and complex emotion into their films. Toy Story was fairly simple and Toy Story 2 has Woody's internal struggle of whether to go or stay as well as that incredible sequence when Jessi remembers what life with Emily was like. Then they got better in Monster's Inc, and by Finding Nemo figured out how to maintain that for their whole films, which they've done since, except perhaps in Cars or Ratatouille.

All that said, if they did a double feature next fall of Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo in 3D I'd definitely go.

[zeroguy]

Persepolis. Magnificent. I should find the graphic novel sometime.

[Gravity Defier]

As I mentioned elsewhere, my boss got me a copy of Coraline so I could help him decide if we want to show this to the public on one of our Saturday movie showings. I popped it in this morning and have to say, I was a bit distracted and not loving it at first. But as the story started to draw me in more, I found myself getting terribly anxious about what was going to happen. Was this movie supposed to be scary? Because it scared the crap out of me towards the end. Not in a horror movie sort of way but rather in a "Alice in Wonderland," will she ever make it home sort of way, which is one of the worst/best ways to scare me.

I did end up liking it very much, though I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that there was a character named "Whyborn" in this after having started (and I swear, intending to finish sometime this year) Graveyard Book and reading about the character "Nobody."

[locke]

we have a new holiday classic on our hands. The first perhaps since Santa Clause and/or Nightmare Before Christmas.

Listen up Pwebbers, this is a version of Christmas Carol that is the real deal Dickens, more like live Shakespeare in diction and delivery, vocabulary and elocution. This is definitely not dumbed down or anglicized in the regular disney style, all the intelligence, wit and genuine feeling of the original text is there in this film, and I'd be willing to venture this is perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Christmas Carol ever.

It's also very scary, I would not take a kid younger than seven or eight (depending on the kid) to see it.

Oh, and see it in imax3d if you can because it's the first movie I've seen in 3d or Imax that really felt like it was utterly and absolutely worth it. I'd go again (and may very well go again) despite the 17$ price tag (that hurts just to write, ouch. but it was worth it).

The Dead Eyes that plagued Beowulf and Polar Express and 300 are completely gone here. Scrooge's eyes are more like Gollums. Deep and expressive, haunting and often the most 'real' part of the performance.

One caveat though, there are some sequences that were added to make producers feel better about spending money on this project (because producers think that's what kiddies want) and these sequences are all excellent and fairly organic, though they do somewhat affect and alter the tone and remind you that you are watching a movie, not experiencing a powerful story directly. :-p

Colin Firth is awesome
Bob Hoskins as Fezziwick is inspired
and this may be the best Bob Cratchit ever done.

and it made me cry twice. :-p

[Satya]

Zombieland was indeed an instant classic.

There were times where it felt like it was a bit contrived for the sake of displaying as much gore as possible - basically the idea that there were "zombies" not "people" and therefore it wasn't gratuitous to show them being horribly mutilated in every possible way. It was almost too much; I don't have a problem with movie violence but they reached that edge where it was almost disgusting.

At any rate, Bill Murray's cameo was like ten minutes of the best cinema of recent memory, and as usual Woody was defectively brilliant.

[locke]

Precious is an absolutely amazing movie.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is like a Roald Dahl explosion of deliciousness. Utterly entertaining and delightfully hilarious.

[Gravity Defier]

I know this is going to sound entirely too obvious and I'm telling the wrong crowd/demographics but given I am pretty undiscriminating when it comes to movies, you must believe me when I say Hannah Montana: The Movie is god awful. Just terrible.

The boss man gave me the DVD to screen (he didn't want to) for a program we're having this Saturday meaning lucky me, I get to see it again!

[Luet]

My husband picks many movies to rent through Netflix that I would never choose, so let me tell you about some other terrible movies. GI Joe was really bad but Land of the Lost somehow managed to be even worse. Wow.

[Syphon the Sun]

Observe and Report was also terrible. I'm more than a little disappointed that I used a Redbox promo code for it, though that's better than actually spending $1 to rent it, I suppose. The only redeeming scene is when he quite unexpectedly shoots the pervert that had been sexually harassing people.

[Confessions]

First, I'll start by saying that I appreciate nobody getting overly upset at my using this account from time to time. I have no desire to really come back here, but I still liked this place at one time and as such I still stop by to see what's been going on. Now, on to the reason I decided to post...

Ink. It's not just for writing! It's also the name of a gloriously thought provoking indie Sci-Fi/Fantasy film. It's not very widespread, but in the last few weeks it has hit torrent and usenet websites and has gained immense popularity. Three weeks ago on IMDB it had 42 votes. Now, it has over 1500.

In summary, Ink is about redemption. But, it is so much more than that. It is a great story, it has an amazing soundtrack, and is the best movie I have seen in some many years. On top of this, the writer/director has "embraced the piracy", which is an amazing thing to see done, as it has driven DVD and blu-ray sales and given the film a much needed, free, boost in attention. This fact, combined with how great the movie is, has driven me to both purchase the soundtrack as well as buy a copy of the movie for myself and for several other people as Christmas gifts.

This sounds like one huge advertisement. In a way, it is. But, this movie was so surprisingly good that this is the first time I've ever felt the need to support an indie film in such a strong way. Anyone who enjoy's Sci-Fi (see: Moon, Dollhouse) I believe will quite enjoy this film as well.

I don't rate movies on a scale, but merely on entertainment and the amount that it affected me. In these two ways, I've never enjoyed a movie more. Those that own the rights to the movie have given you their permission to download it first, even! Hopefully you'll enjoy it so much you'll feel the need to purchase it! See it, please!

W.

[Dr. Mobius]

Some random guy in trade chat on WoW:

Saying 2012 is worse than Twilight is like saying horse s*** is worse than dog s***. Once you get past a certain level of bad, nobody cares anymore.

[jotabe]

Well, i just saw 2012 yesterday, and i have to say it's pretty awesome. The kind of movie you would only want to watch at the cinema too (i am guessing it loses too much if you see it at home, unless you have home cinema).

It's an action movie, a disasters movie. And it delivers what it promises. It's done with a good craft and with intelligence. It sets the suspension of disbelief bar high early on, with a long car race scene, so you get used to it, until you forget how implausible that driving is and you simply enjoy the fireworks.

Even the science isn't too bad. I mean, if you get past the silliness of the galactic allineation (i think i read the actual spot-on allineation was in 2005 or 2007), which in any case, it's only mentioned by the nutjob of the radio program, you are much better off than in other movies like The Core or Deep Impact (let alone Armageddon XD lol).
Neutrinos (eletronic neutrinos, the ones produced by nuclear reactions in the Sun) have been shown to be able to shift to other kinds of neutrinos (tauonic and muonic) very recently. And these other 2 types have been proved to have a non-zero minimum mass. That is, unlike the electronic neutrinos, the other two types can interact gravitatorily. So it's not entirely impossible to think that neutrinos could oscillate into "something else" that is more interacting"... that it only happens in a particularly bad sun storm is harder to swallow, though.

If the mantle and the lower crust significatively increase their temperature and hence, their plasticity, it's not entirely implausible that the "crust displacement" happens. Still not sure how Wisconsin would end up in the south pole though... doesn't seem to agree too well with rotational mechanics, but it might be caused by interaction with the rearrangement of mantle plumes and convection currents. In any case, the temperatures given by the movie are way too high: the crust itself would melt.
But doesn't agree with the global government conspiracy to supress panic: seismologists all over the world would notice how the S-waves severely dampen along the time or even disappear if they go anywhere near the mantle, as they routinely study them.

But supervolcanoes are cool.

One thing i didn't like is the length they went to make the US president's scientific advisor unsympathetic. Several decisions are tough, and it doesn't get any tougher than knowing that you can't save more than a 0.006% of the mankind. That 6000 million people are going to die, and there is no helping it. And that somehow you have to save some people. (Africa's bailing out almost unscathed would be something not to be counted on... also, most people in Africa would as well live in coastal areas, which would be swept by the first wave of tsunamis... in any case, African survivors would vastly outnumber the ark-ites; i think it would be an amazing tale seeing how the world would reconfigure in that situation.)

[starlooker]

I was dragged to New Moon over Thanksgiving break by a friend who has gotten into the series. I have never read it, never seen it. Kinda knew the basic plot.

I don't know what to say about it. Other than it was much, much, much too long.

I laughed in places. Some of which were intended by the movie makers, and some which probably were not.

I do not see the attraction to Edward at all. Jacob I get. He likes you and is affectionate and makes you happy when you're around him and is warm and cuddly. Edward is an unbalanced mopey liar who decides to do things without consulting you for your own good, and who is just not all that good looking when you come right down to it, either. Oh, and he equates desiring you with desiring to hurt you. I mean, frankly, if I were stuck choosing between a guy who might inadvertantly hurt me by turning into a werewolf when he's pissed off, vs. a guy who might decide to hurt me during throes of passion, I'm gonna --

Well, I'm not going to go with either of them. I like to think I'm healthier than that. But, if I had to, I would pick the one whose aggression is provoked by anger rather than desire. Anger management is easier to deal with in therapy than sadism. Just sayin'.

Anyhow, the movie did keep me entertained. For the most part. And, when I wasn't entertained by the movie, it was pretty easy to entertain myself with snarky comments. I don't regret going to it. I might even go to the next one. Maybe. The fact that I didn't pay for it helps.

My friend promises me that I would understand why we're supposed to root for Edward if I saw the other movie. But I highly doubt it. Romance of forbidden desire does not a relationship make.

[Luet]

I saw the first one and I still don't understand why anyone would want to root for Edward. He is just dang creepy. I haven't seen the second one and mostly watched the first to see what all the hype was about.

[Mich]

Here, my sister-in-law cleared this up for me really simply:

"You're not romantic, obviously."

So there you have it. You ladies aren't romantic. I'm sorry. It doesn't matter how romantic you considered yourselves, how many sappy love stories you've bought into before, how much you love It's a Wonderful Life. If you don't find Edward dreamy and Twilight a masterpiece of romance, you aren't a romantic person.

[starlooker]

Well, I could've told you that

[Confessions]

I apologize for posting under this name again, but even though you gave me the gift of un-icing (thanks ), it still says my account is inactive. I tried contacting the moderators, but none were online at the time, so I figured I'd just wait to mention it until I felt the need to post again.

Avatar. Every time someone says this word, I think "The Last Airbender?!". That is, until this morning. Without any knowledge of what the movie was about, or why they spent $500 million on it, I went and shelled out the $15.50 for an IMAX 3D ticket to see this movie. It was entirely, unquestionably, worth it.

The story is nothing special. It's nearly generic sci-fi fantasy. I've been told the story has been done at least twice more. Think Fern Gully. The plot is predictable to the "T"ee. Despite these facts, the acting was well done, and I still enjoyed the story.

The last time I experienced any form of movie in 3D was Disneyland probably eight years ago. Let me tell you, they've mastered the art of 3D. The movie, when it first starts, without the glasses looks like a blurry mess. I put the glasses on, and it was like I was watching a crystal clear, stunningly sharp and vibrant 1080p LCD picture, except it had incredible amounts of depth. The opening sequence is so well done that I literally felt like I was right there with them, floating. I personally didn't find it at all nauseating or tiring to watch in the slightest, but I heard the people around me complaining of strained eyes and headaches. My recommendation is to put your head back, rest your neck, and simply focus on what is IN focus on screen and don't try and watch that which is out of focus.

Avatar, without a doubt, has the single best CGI I've ever witnessed. At times I was entirely sure that the characters I was watching were actors dressed up in costume. The movement is so fluid and graceful, it's almost unreally realistic. I've heard it called "hyperealistic" or "ultrarealistic". The facial expressions are absolutely stunning.

When you first go in to the movie, you're thinking "Whoa, those creatures are kind of creepy. Like.. really tall and lanky smurfs". By the end you start to really wish you could be a Na'vi in the world of Pandora. They managed to create a rich, original (to me), lush and desirable world.

$15.50 for a movie, at first, seemed extremely steep. But, having sat through the 162 minute movie and enjoyed every single moment of it, from start to finish, I must say there was no better way to spend my time and my cash. I enjoyed it so much that I am very much considering going to go see it again very soon. I don't, however, imagine myself purchasing this movie later on, because part of what makes this movie so absolutely enjoyable is the fact that it was in 3D. Seeing it in anything less than a 130x90 foot screen with stereoscopic, polarized three-dee seems like an insult to the movie. Despite the kind-of-generic plot, the saving grace of this movie was the good acting, great soundtrack, and amazing CGI work. I give it to hyper-realistic three dimensional blue hands thumbs up.

Wil

[Luet]

Glad to hear the review. I plan on seeing it in 3D Imax on Christmas Day. With the discount passes I have (that they let you use towards the ticket price), it should cost me a mere $11.50 instead of $15.50.

[locke]

I also saw it in IMAX.

I loved the story which reminded me of SftD more than FG or DWW.

I loved the romance.

I loved the action, best action scenes since the LOTR movies!

I loved the acting, fantastic performances all around.

and the effects were pretty good too. Staggering and mindblowing in every respect.

In all it's a great movie that belongs up there with James Cameron's best.

My favorite thing though was all the little elements that complete it as a totally distinct and different world. Creature design is not just 'goofy and strange exotic insect=alien' that is often used by scifi, rather the whole world has a coherence to it that feels as though they evolved on the same planet together (which would make sense for the Na'Vi's hair thing). There's an inherent Terra-ness to some of the design simply be going with the principals of humanoids, but that's not really bothersome to me, and I enjoyed it as much as I would enjoy a Pern movie, I think.

The advanced military technology is not at all representative of the direction that we are currently going towards, loved the representations of the computers though. For example, in the event that we have manned aircraft in the future, they'll be manned by pilots who can see through the floor, or through any of the rest of the structure of the plane, like the helmets being implemented on the f35 Likewise, a mech would not have or need rearview mirrors because a mech operator would likely be wearing a similar helmet. But it's great movie-representation/action nonetheless and incredibly entertaining.

The film has tremendous emotional impact, and I found it to be quite powerful and wonderful in every respect. I would put this in the top 2 for 2009, so far, though I need to see both Up and Avatar again before deciding which one I like more, Up had biplanes with dogs and that is the sort of awesomeness I find really really hard to beat. :-p




One thing though. It did not cost 500 million! in the NYT article with the headline that the movie cost 500 million they say it cost 280 to make, and 150 to market.

Yeah, the New York Times can't do basic math.

Not to mention that 280 is a good 30 million less than Spider Man 3 cost, that 280 was not how much it cost, it cost 220, but they got 40 million in tax breaks from new zealand so the actual cost to them was 180, and 220 is less than any of the six harry potter movies have been made for (except maybe the first two which might have only been 200) since they're budgeted at 250 a pop.

there's also various other ways the film offset even the 180 price tag. Fox is probably only on the hook for about 150 in negative cost on the picture and 150 in marketing.

That means the film only has to get to 600 million in world wide grosses (if it makes 600 at the box office, the studio will get back a little more than 300). Since box office on this will probably account for 66% or more of the gross, it probably only needs to make 200 million in the US box office for fox to break even in theatrical.

So no, it's not the most expensive movie ever made. In inflation adjusted dollars that movie is still easily Cleopatra. In today's dollars that title belongs to Spidey 3 and Pirates 3, most likely.

[Craig]

locke,

I agree with nearly everything you said. I read Cameron's scriptment a couple years ago when it was said that Avatar was going to be his next project (then going by the alias Project 880, I believe). So I knew where the story was headed and I found myself throughout the second act anticipating the big battle sequences in the third act. But having seen it now, I honestly think that everything on the planet, from the animal life, to the plants and ecosystem, was the most interesting part of the movie.

It's funny how you mention Speaker for the Dead, I was actually telling my wife last night, after we got back from the movie, about the similarities between the two.

I think it must also be pointed out, that while this is drawing a lot of criticism for it's story, or lack thereof (to some people), or being unoriginal, this was written what, 15 years ago?

That said, I saw it in the digital 3D form and am planning on seeing it in IMAX 3D.

Avatar before it's release was called a game changer, a revolutionary film, and I truly believe that it not only lived up to the hype, but it exceeded it.

Ender's Game 3D in 2013?

Salaam

[steph]

It's funny how you mention Speaker for the Dead, I was actually telling my wife last night, after we got back from the movie, about the similarities between the two.

Craig, did I totally miss you getting married? I have serious pregnancy brain, so maybe you mentioned it and I just totally forgot about it. In case I didn't say it, congrats!