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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 25, 2004 12:39:10 GMT -5
WOW. That IS a tough choice. Between Harold and Kumar (which is surprisingly getting some nice reviews), the Manchurian Candidate, and the Village, this is one tough choice. Forget Thunderbirds. Mo' Like Blunderbirds.... sorry.
However, the first one I will be seeing this weekend will most likely be the Village. Because M. Night Shyamalan rules.
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Jul 25, 2004 12:52:37 GMT -5
Def. The Village.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 25, 2004 17:39:36 GMT -5
Ditto THE VILLAGE.
If MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE gets good reviews I might see that. No interest in HAROLD & KUMAR. THUNDERBIRDS looks like it's for the SPY KIDS crowd. Nothing wrong with that, just not interested in it myself. Now, if they had done it in the original marionettes style of the TV show or at least as an all CGI movie I might be a little more curious.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 26, 2004 1:08:52 GMT -5
Manchurian Candidate IS getting good reviews.
Surprisingly enough, so is Harold and Kumar.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 26, 2004 8:51:27 GMT -5
Manchurian Candidate IS getting good reviews. Surprisingly enough, so is Harold and Kumar. Yeah, I watched "EBERT & ROEPER" last night and they gave "H & K" two thumbs up! I'll wait till it hits HBO. Just not the kind of thing I'm gonna spend money to see in a theater. |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 29, 2004 13:03:12 GMT -5
My first impressions on this week's releases are now up on my website. www.xanga.com/thesmittyI'd also like to see Garden State, but didn't address it because of its extremely limited release. |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 30, 2004 5:24:46 GMT -5
Having just seen the Village...
The Village: Not so much I expected more from it, but I expected it to be something else.
PLOT - 10/10
An old Amish village is terrorized by mysterious creatures that lurk in the surrounding forest. In a town where everyone seems innocent, nothing is as it seems.
ACTING - 10/10
Want to talk about characterization, this is it. These actors were very believable and realistic.
SCREENWRITING - 8/10
Realistic dialogue, but I docked a couple of points because this is much more predictable than Shyamalan's past efforts. About an hour before the movie is over, you'll probably know what the twist is. You might even know it now.
DIRECTION - 10/10
M. Night Shyamalan. I've said enough.
VISUALS - 7/10
Beautiful locations, nice cinematography, and an overall eerie look, but the creature looks all kinds of stupid.
MUSIC - 10/10
Chilling, suspenseful.
I have docked 5 points for advertising; they made this movie out to be something it's not. I can't really explain without giving it away, but don't expect this movie to be what the trailer makes you think it's going to be.
Still, I really can't help but love this picture. It's probably my least favorite of Shyamalan's work (I have yet to see Unbreakable), but still very good, and one of the better films this year.
THE SMITTY APPROVES. (8.3/10)
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 30, 2004 9:23:45 GMT -5
SCREENWRITING - 8/10 About an hour before the movie is over, you'll probably know what the twist is. You might even know it now. Well, I do know that the script had been leaked to the net months ago, I purposefully never read it, but I hear that M. Night went back and changed and reshot some stuff because of that and some poor early screenings. I'm definitely seeing this, but I've lowered my expectations based on some early reviews.  Smitty, if you love Shyamalan this much go rent UNBREAKABLE already! It's one of his best, IMHO. |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 30, 2004 12:44:19 GMT -5
I have revised my review... I have decided to cut off a few more points.
The Village: Not so much I expected more from it, but I expected it to be something else.
PLOT - 10/10
An old Amish village is terrorized by mysterious creatures that lurk in the surrounding forest. In a town where everyone seems innocent, nothing is as it seems.
ACTING - 10/10
Want to talk about characterization, this is it. These actors were very believable and realistic.
SCREENWRITING - 8/10
Realistic dialogue, but I docked a couple of points because this is much more predictable than Shyamalan's past efforts. About an hour before the movie is over, you'll probably know what the twist is. You might even know it now.
DIRECTION - 10/10
M. Night Shyamalan. I've said enough.
VISUALS - 6/10
Beautiful locations, nice cinematography, and an overall eerie look, but the creature looks all kinds of stupid.
MUSIC - 10/10
Chilling, suspenseful.
While at first I was planning to cut off only five points, I got to thinking about just how wrong the advertising was. By no means is this a bad movie, but you're going to be walking out saying, "That's not what I came here to see." You're going to go in expecting a certified Shyamalan suspense thriller, and what you're going to get is a drama. It is a very GOOD drama, mind you, but the trailer promised us a Shyamalan suspense thriller. Obviously, the promise has been broken. There will be lots of disappointment for this, and I can tell all the bad reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were for this very reason. Therefore, I have instead decided to dock TEN points from the final score. I just really hate it when they do that.
THE SMITTY APPROVES. (7.3/10)
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Post by Gabriel on Jul 30, 2004 14:10:40 GMT -5
Well now thanks to 'The Smitty' we know there is a creature...
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 31, 2004 1:55:54 GMT -5
Well, it's not much of a spoiler... that's like saying there are aliens in Signs.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 31, 2004 2:39:23 GMT -5
I have seen the Manchurian Candidate and a majority of Harold and Kumar. Surprisingly, BOTH movies owned the Village.
The Manchurian Candidate: Fun to compare with the original, but not a duplicate.
PLOT - 10/10
The original played on the fear of communism, whereas this one plays on fear of terrorism. Hypnosis and brainwashing, you gotta love that stuff.
ACTING - 10/10
Oscar nominations: Best actor - Denzel Washington. Best supporting actor - Liev Schrieber. Best supporting actress - Meryl Streep. It's good to know Denzel refused to watch the original, so that he wouldn't have been influenced by Sinatra's performance. That is why his performance as Ben Marco stands alone.
SCREENWRITING - 10/10
This stuff is reminiscent of the obligatory classics we love (such as the ORIGINAL Manchurian Candidate).
DIRECTION - 10/10
Jonathan Demme. Jonathan "Silence of the Lambs" Demme. Jonathan "Philadelphia" Demme. You get the picture.
VISUALS - 10/10
Great cinematography, and I really like what they did with camera angles.
MUSIC
Didn't notice, didn't score.
OVERALL
I had fun making all the comparisons between this version and the 1962 version, but soon realized they are two different films. The original Frankenheimer version will always be the best, there's no doubt about that. But this version is not a disgrace to Frankenheimer's. In fact, it's a perfect supplement, proving that the story that was praised decades ago is still relevent today.
THE SMITTY APPROVES. (10/10)
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: Now I crave White Castle. Thank you very much.
PLOT - 8/10
Seriously, Two guys get high and set off on an unforgettable journey to White Castle. Hilarity is sure to ensue.
ACTING - 10/10
Delivering the comedic goods, John Cho and Kal Penn. These guys are great. What more can I say?
SCREENWRITING - 10/10
I laughed. Oh, God, did I laugh. This is easily one of the funniest movies this year. Seriously, this was funnier than Anchorman, and MAYBE Dodgeball.
DIRECTION - 6/10
That white guy who directed Dude, Where's My Car? Don't get me wrong, I loved DWMC, but as a director, this guy's nothing special. Nothing painful, but nothing truly memorable.
VISUALS - 8/10
A LITTLE bit of CGI take away from its visual appeal, but overall, it had its moments of eye candy.
MUSIC - 8/10
Good, good, good.
OVERALL
As much as I loved DWMC, as much as the critics loved this movie, I wasn't expecting much. God, was I surprised. Would it be too bold to compare it to such classics as Fast Times at Ridgemont High? I don't really think so. I'd say it's about time we had another one of those.
THE SMITTY APPROVES. (8.3/10)
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Post by Gabriel on Jul 31, 2004 6:06:40 GMT -5
Smitty... don't you think you through 10 outta 10's about abit... much?
I mean I've read about 4 of your reviews and either Im a lucky guy to be in a generation of such classics... or you really dont know meaning of phrase 'middle ground'...
I dont mean overalls either... Just in general...
And on the subject of ' The Village' the whole idea of suspense is so we think we know... but we dont... hence why The Signs was so good. I didn't know we would see the Aliens in the signs, which made the scene when we did all the more memorable.
And who knows Shymalan may have had a huge twist which wouldnt have involved creatures...
Rock n roll...
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 31, 2004 13:04:21 GMT -5
Well, it depends. In the case of a drama, I'm going to be less inclined to hand out a 10/10 rating unless the actors certainly gave it their all.
But with a comedy such as Harold & Kumar, it's a question of their delivery, and I was rollin' on the floor. So, if I having given Harold & Kumar a 10/10 for acting, it's NOT the same 10/10 I gave the Bourne Supremacy.
I am aware of the middle ground, too. I'm not one of those losers on IMDb who vote either "10" or "1" and ignore all the numbers inbetween.
Unless you're talking about the Manchurian Candidate, in which case, yes, it DOES deserve the 10s.
As for the Village, trust me, I didn't spoil anything for you.
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Post by Bartwald on Aug 6, 2004 14:33:05 GMT -5
I can't even focus on any other poll choices: it's The Village all the way!!! I've already got my tickets booked for Sunday and after I see it I'll tell you to what extend I agree with the above reviews.
Damn I'm excited!
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