Last movie you watched and your critique of it

[Rye]

Was gonna go see Avatar, but between the price and the fact that it's 3-D, decided not to last minute.

Inglorious Basterds then. I really really loved it. Hanslanda~ <3

Was Precious really that depressing? I mean, it looked it, but it looked it in a good way. I really want to see that movie. The previews make me a little teary.

[sdm42393]

Twilight: New Moon. Nothing happens.

[Kossage]

I just saw two films back to back.

The Red Canvas is a martial arts drama about a man and his strained relationship as well as a big tournament on the titular red canvas.

The story turned out to be surprisingly compelling by juggling the two storylines about family and the tournament and mixing them together in the end, and the actors did a decent job. The fight choreography and cinematography are amazing; the fight scenes are mind-blowingly epic in a good way with enough lingering shots mixed with frenetic pacing to really get your blood bumping. The final battle alone is a highlight as the hero has to go through not only a physical but psychological battle as well.

What really elevates this film, however, is the score by James Peterson. I never expected to hear a powerful orchestral score for a martial arts film, and Peterson really delivered a beautiful yet brutal score that really complements the story on screen. The final, 11-minute cue titled "Ballet for Brawlers" is a highlight and it really makes the final battle epic as it goes through all the leitmotifs that the score had presented earlier in the film. All in all this film is worth watching if you enjoy a compelling mix of brutal fights and an emotional family drama.

Another film I saw was Gilda. The story's about a small-time gambler who ends up in a casino at Buenos Aires and his relationship with the casino's owner and Gilda, the owner's wife.

The first thing I have to praise about it is the sparkling chemistry between the leads: Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth really steal the show with their amazing acting and how they really elevate the love-hate relationship between their characters to an epic level. Cinematography is wonderful as well with slick camera moves, use of perspective and manipulation of shadows and light to set the right mood.

The music is really memorable as well with tango rhythms being played in the background, but the most memorable scenes are the musical bits with Gilda singing. The song that I really liked was "Amado Mio" which is definitely one of the most stunning moments in film history. The film as a whole is definitely worth watching if you enjoy good music, a surprisingly complex plot and film noir elements.

[Shiny]

Was Precious really that depressing?

Yes.

[Bastian]

Were the World Mine

Now before I go bashing this movie, I need to place a disclaimer. I came up with the exact same idea as this movie in 1998-ish and then wrote my version in 2001-ish as a rock opera. I never finished the music for it and it has never seen the light of day. So when I heard about this movie (via an email from a friend who said "Someone stole your rockopera idea!) and then told me about this movie) . . . I was miffed someone else came up with the same idea. But I tried to put that aside when I popped the DVD in and . . .

Okay. If you don't know about the play A Midsummer Night's Dream here it is in a nutshell: two guys and two girls are involved in a love rectangle. A fairy causes them each to fall in love with someone they were not in love with before. Hillarity ensues. The Fairy King and Queen step in and force the naughty fairy to fix what he did. The end.

This movie is a gay modern adaption of that same plot, but this time around the main character is a homo at a Catholic boys high school, and they're putting on the aforementioned play.

My first problem with this movie: since it is an all boy's school the director casts boys for the female parts. Yes, in Shakespeare's time this was how it was done, but this is NOT how any Catholic boy's school would do it EVER.


The main character is a homo who plays the fairy (hahahaha) in the play. He finds a "magic love potion" in the play . . .
My second problem with this movie is that NO SUCH POTION EXISTS IN THE PLAY! Bad, bad, bad screen writing to invent something that is supposedly in a famous piece of literature that simply isn't there.
The boy uses the magic potion to cause people to fall in love . . . but by some absurd coincidence, the first person each person sees is only that of the same sex. Come on! And not only that, it causes them to not only fall in love, but to adopt stereotypically gay mannerisms and lifestyles. And to suddenly spout Shakespearian poetry even if they would have never before been the sort of person who would have read it.

Naturally the main character causes the straight jock he has a crush on to fall for him.

So when the drama teacher catches on and doesn't seem to be surprised at ALL that there is magic afoot
she advises him to return everyone back to normal, including the jock he likes. He does. But what's this? The jock is still in love with him?

The end.

I HATED this movie. Of course, I'm probably mainly bitter that they stole my idea and defecated all over it, thereby preventing me from ever getting my rock opera produced . . . but thems the brakes.

Regardless, it's an awful movie.

But the boys are cute and the music is good.

[Miriel]

Avatar (in 3D)

7/10 - Crappy storyline, beautiful visuals. I thought it was solid popcorn flick entertainment, but nowhere near as good as people are hyping it to be. I've heard it compared to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, but no. Just no. It was decent.

[Rye]

Delicatessen -

Finally saw this after meaning to torrent it for ages. I love Jeunet, but I was ambivalent because the plot is similar (greatly similar) to Sweeny Todd, and I absolutely detested that movie - it was the only movie I almost just stopped watching in the end from pure hatred. But then I remembered that Jeunet isn't some twat trying to get back his Nightmare Before Christmas glory, so I watched it.

This film was really great; probably one of the funniest ones I've seen in a while. The imagery was also fantastic, one of the things you wouldn't expect in a movie like Delicatessen. A shockingly good first movie attempt.

8.5/10

[Del Murder]

Avatar 3D

When I first heard about it I thought this movie would blow. Then it got some good reviews and people were talking about how it blew them away. I found it somewhere in the middle. The visuals were stunning at times but there was never a point where I was blown away or thought this movie would change filmmaking. The story was completely unoriginal and absurdly predictable at times, and besides the doctor none of the characters stood out to me at all. The 3D experience was pretty cool and it was probably what made it worth the money. I also liked the fight scenes.

3/5

[The Man]

I watched the pilot to Battlestar Galactica.

I'm going to smurfing love this series.

[Shlup]

I saw Princess and the Frog! I really didn't think I'd care much for it but it won me over.

[BG-57]

I watched the pilot to Battlestar Galactica.

I'm going to smurfing love this series.

Original or new?

[Breine]

Just finished watching Oldboy like 10 minutes ago. Intense stuff. Very good movie.

[Necronopticous]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-AyD661tUE">Crazy Heart</a>. Great.

[Vermachtnis]

District 9, it was alright. Little gross near the middle, very actiony at the end. Watched with someone who'd already seen it and liked talking about it during it.

[The Man]

I watched the pilot to Battlestar Galactica.

I'm going to smurfing love this series.

Original or new?

The remake. I've now seen the miniseries and the first five episodes of season one.