Rate / Review the Last Film you've seen v.3

[Yoana]

Lawless - 7/10

I was surprised I liked it as much as I did, but then again, the screenplay was written by Nick Cave. It's a simple enough story, and not especially original, but it's fleshed-out by underscoring the human element at the expense of the thrill and glamour we usually get in gangster films. I especially enjoyed the ambiguous supernatural element, it gave the film a sort of a lift from a gritty drama to a more fairytale territory and I thought that worked well. Also, fantastic acting. My only criticism is that the storyline with the ex dancer could have been dropped entirely and it wouldn't have made a difference.

[rogue_bludger]

Originally Posted by Yoana

Lawless - 7/10

I was surprised I liked it as much as I did, but then again, the screenplay was written by Nick Cave. It's a simple enough story, and not especially original, but it's fleshed-out by underscoring the human element at the expense of the thrill and glamour we usually get in gangster films. I especially enjoyed the ambiguous supernatural element, it gave the film a sort of a lift from a gritty drama to a more fairytale territory and I thought that worked well. Also, fantastic acting. My only criticism is that the storyline with the ex dancer could have been dropped entirely and it wouldn't have made a difference.

I recently watched this and totally agree with what youve said. I thought it was a great story and the acting was top notch especially from Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce, Shia Labeouf impressed me i was quite surprised by his performance i thought he was very solid. I thought Gary oldman was fantastic even though it was basically only a cameo, id would have loved to have seen more of him in the film. I thought the score was great too overall a decent film, cave and hillcoat make a great team.

[Goddess_Clio]

The Illusionist 8.5/10

I liked this movie to begin with but I watched the director's commentary last night where he explains that despite the fact that the magic in the movie is never explained and is at times obviously CGI'ed all of the tricks were based on period illusions and explained how they would have been done at the turn of the century. Was very cool and increased my liking of the movie.

[Yoana]

Originally Posted by rogue_bludger

I thought Gary oldman was fantastic even though it was basically only a cameo, id would have loved to have seen more of him in the film.

Yes, I forgot to mention that, Gary Oldman was predictably fantastic, but I, too, was a bit disappointed he had so little screen time.

[Asphodel79]

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - 8.5/10

Wonderful acting, great writing. I really enjoyed it. Curious to read the book now.

[Goddess_Clio]

I know it's not a movie but I watched the entire first and second seasons of Game of Thrones this weekend and loved it! It's given me conviction to give the books a third try even though I find them to be almost insufferable; maybe I'll enjoy them more now "knowing" the TV characters...

[slytherin001]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

I know it's not a movie but I watched the entire first and second seasons of Game of Thrones this weekend and loved it! It's given me conviction to give the books a third try even though I find them to be almost insufferable; maybe I'll enjoy them more now "knowing" the TV characters...

You and me both! I re watched the first season this weekend, and will most likely pop in the second season this coming weekend if I'm not too busy with school work. I personally enjoy the books more, but the show is wonderful and can definitely stand on its own.

Anyway, back to my rate/review. I watched Doubt this past weekend.

This is actually my third time watching the movie. I watched it once when it first came out back in 08, but I was only 16 at the time and it didn't really affect me, and I ended up watching it twice this past weekend. It's set in a Catholic Church in the Bronx during the early 60's, where Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is on a pursuit to get Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) out of her school based on her speculation and 'certainty' of him having indecent relations with the only black student in the school. It truly is the best movie I've seen in a long time. I just love the whole premise of the story and its deliberate ambiguity. There's a reason the movie isn't called 'Certainty' and it left me with more doubts than certainties. The film doesn't give neat, tidy endings and answers to the viewers questions. We never find out if Father Flynn truly was molesting Donald Miller. While part of that certainly bugs the heck out me, because I'm the type of person that likes definitive answers, I appreciate the direction of it. Ultimately the film, in my opinion, is not about whether the Father was innocent or guilty. I think that it rather was to be a test of sorts for the viewers and how we all form different conclusions derived from our interpretation of Sister A's speculation and preconceived notions of Father Flynn's behavior.

As equally compelling as the story itself, are the characters. It varies, I suppose, how each viewer sees Father Flynn. Some believe in his innocence and thus regard him sympathetically, whilst others will find him guilty and will regard him based on that. Sister James is naive and gentle hearted, and becomes haunted and disturbed by the notion of Father Flynn's improprieties. But, to me, the principal, Sister Aloysius, is the most compelling character. Harsh and traditional to an extreme, she has no doubt in her conviction and certainty throughout the movie. She comes across almost like an old crone to be honest, but there are moments that show her tenderness and compassion (however deeply buried they may be). She's apparently a widow, has committed some mortal sin with which she's never come to terms with (I personally don't think she ever forgave herself, which would be pivotal because that would mean she would be unable to forgive anyone else, like Father Flynn), and lied and manipulated in her quest to bring Father Flynn to justice. She's very prideful, again believing she is right and that Father Flynn is guilty although she has no proof whatsoever. She succeeds in getting Father Flynn removed and takes up her certainties of his crime with the Monsignor. However, by the end, Father Flynn was given a promotion when he was transferred, while it's speculated (and I believe) that Sister A got a demotion. At the end of all this, Sister A confesses tremulously to Sister James that she has doubts. We aren't told explicitly what she doubted, of course, but a viewer can infer. I believe that among the church and her faith, she doubted herself, her conviction and her certainty about the type of man she thought Father Flynn was.

Of course, the acting is truly superb. PSH has always been an awesome actor, and he was stellar in this. Totally convincing as Father Flynn. Amy Adams as Sister James held her own against the heavyweights of the film. And Meryl Streep. Oh Meryl, my personal favorite actress, gave what I think has been her greatest performance. And that says a lot. She brought Sister A's character to life. I didn't see or hear Meryl, I saw and heard Sister Aloysius. She portrayed the layers of Sister A's character flawlessly, and she absolutely shone in the last 25-30 min of the film. Definitely robbed of the Oscar as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and I cannot deny to mention Viola Davis as Donald's mother. She was so convincing, so heartbreakingly convincing, and though her screen time was extremely short (she only had one scene), she really deserved her Oscar nom.

All in all, a wonderfully well scripted and compelling film.
9/10

[Yoana]

The Proposition (2005) - 7/10

[Goddess_Clio]

Dreamhouse - 8/10

Dreamhouse is about a family who moves into a the house of their dreams only to discover that it was the sight of three gruesome murders. Stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiss

I only stumbled upon it after I fell asleep watching HBO and woke up with this movie halfway over. It looked interested so I rewound it on my DVR and watched it over. I liked it, it was entertaining, a good suspense movie, an interesting twist.

[Pearl_Took]

Watched The Hunger Games on DVD over the weekend and was very impressed.

9/10! 1 point deducted for just a slight slackening of pace in the middle.

I haven't read the books. I was expecting a cross between Battle Royale (an incredibly violent Japanese horror) and corny old Logan's Run from the 1970s. Happily, The Hunger Games was better than I expected.

The premise is pretty much identical to that of Battle Royale. The author can be forgiven for this because she is so obviously basing her story on certain aspects of Imperial Rome: I can tell that without having read the books. I found the violence in the film considerably toned down, given how horrific the premise is - children ordered to kill each other - but I can understand why the violence was toned down, given the target audience. The film still manages to be edgy and hard-hitting, and it's nowhere near as repellent as Battle Royale.

Normally I hate dystopian stories, they frighten and depress me, but The Hunger Games was more beautiful, profound and morally uplifting than I had expected. To me this film is not a horror sci-fi but a moral fable akin to The Truman Show.

I thought Jennifer Lawrence was outstanding - she's the best young American actress I've seen in ages. (She was the best thing in Winter's Bone.) How refreshing to have such a strong heroine: Katniss is intelligent, resourceful, courageous, defiant - and also morally conflicted. That came across well, thanks to a decent script and Lawrence's excellent performance.

And I loved the music!

Since I've not read the books, I don't know whether some story elements were simplified in adaptation. It was very obvious from the get-go that sweet little Rue wouldn't survive. It was also obvious that Katniss played up the 'star crossed lovers' angle not because she was in love with Peeta but to ensure that both she and he survived - wouldn't anyone, in that horrible situation?!

I loved the savage satire on reality TV - the teenagers all tarted up for an adoring audience the night before they are thrown to the wolves. Very creepy and convincing. And I loved the depiction of the gorgeous and decadent Capitol -- a sort of combination of Imperial Rome, late 18th century France and The Truman Show. The combination of desperate survivalism in the Districts (reminding me of 1930s Depression America) and sophisticated technology, both virtual & hardware, was very well done.

But, please, no more shaky hand-held cam in an epic blockbuster.

[MmeBergerac]

Alexander Nevsky, 9/10

My choir is preparing Prokofiev's cantata, so I felt curious about the movie it came from (the concert piece is like an extended version of the soundtrack). I got the same impression that when I watched Battleship Potemkin: Eisenstein was ordered to make a pamphlet and he actually made a masterpiece. It's true that the propaganda is very obvious (that was the point, after all, wasn't it?) and that, like other early spoken movies, it feels a bit odd because the style is still too much like the silent ones. However, the storytelling is amazing. The characterization is great (that terrifying teutonic organist...), and the battle on the ice is a jewel of movie-making. And there are a few shots, like that one taken from over the Russian spears, that feel today more modern and more powerful than any weird travelling in present day action movies.

And, of course, the soundtrack is amazing

[Yoana]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 7/10

[Goddess_Clio]

Aladdin - 9/10

Okay, so not exactly a new release and not exactly a movie I've never seen before but I did watch it for the first time in a couple years and it renewed my love of this movie and why I have a hard time reconcilling the fact that it's #2 on my list of favorite Disney movies. (And not only because I had ten-year-old-girl crush on Aladdin )

It's refreshing, sometimes, to watch a straightforward movie where the protagonist is clear, the antagonist is clear, character goals are clear and the story is not muddled by excessive subplots - the only subplot i can really find in Aladdin is the Genie's freedom subplot as just about everything else directly relates to the main plot or contributes to character motivations.

Plus, I just love Robin Williams as the Genie. "If you want to court the little lady you gotta be a straight shooter, do you got it?" It does annoy me, though, that the words of the opening song, "Arabian Nights," were changed to be more PC in the DVD release - and dubbed over pretty badly I might add. Makes me really happy that I have the original soundtrack before they monkeyed with the lyrics.

[Pox Voldius]

Argo -- 9/10

Even going into it knowing the historical outcome, it was still edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. Very effective editing, and a good job of approximating the look & feel of a 1970's film stock.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by Pox Voldius

Argo -- 9/10

Even going into it knowing the historical outcome, it was still edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. Very effective editing, and a good job of approximating the look & feel of a 1970's film stock.

Agreed.

Argo - 9/10 for me, too.

The only thing I knew about the story was what I'd seen in the trailers. The ending was not surprising in the slightest to me but the way with which it was portrayed was very dramatic and well done, IMO.

I liked the photo montagey bit at the end credits; they did a really great job of making the film look authentic to the photographs of the actual events and I liked that they used the actual new footage of the time which added even more authenticity.

My only... surprise, I'd say, was seeing how '70's 1980 still looked. I have this amusing mental image of the ball dropping on January 1st 1980 and everyone throwing out their bell bottoms and pulling on their fuscia leg warmers and donning their Flock of Seagulls hairdos. Apparently that wasn't the case.

[Pox Voldius]

Frankenweenie -- 6/10

It was amusing, but I think my enthusiasm got dampened by the impression that not only did the kids in the audience not get the references to the old horror films & monster movies, but sadly neither did their 20- and 30-something parents. I think I was practically the only one in the theater that got so much as a chuckle from most of the in-jokes.

[Yoana]

Red Lights by Rodrigo Cortes - 4/10 - This film started out great and ended up ridiculous.

[merry18]

The Addams Family & The Addams Family Values - 9/10

I hadn't seen either of these since I was VERY young so I remembered almost nothing about them, but I caught them on the 13 nights of Halloween ABC Family does. Morticia Addams is my hero.

[Yoana]

Asterix and Obelix - Mission Cleopatra - 5/10 - it was fun, but I like the comic better.

[gertiekeddle]

The Perks of being a Wallflower

9,5 / 10

One of the best films describing the back and forth in youth I yet watched, not only for the very intense, almost shocking ending.
...Not willing to describe any more about the ending for anyone who never read the book, because that's very JKR-like (if I can describe it that way on this board): you have tons of hints, but you only see them coming afterwards.

Most of the film easy + very good entertainment, while never too easy, too silly or too typical. The actors are great, and even Emma Watson fully leaves any signs of witch, know-it-all, and, well, hero.

And it has a wonderful soundtrack. All over a recommendation.