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Post by Pulpmariachi on Nov 6, 2007 23:24:25 GMT -5
Help! (Richard Lester) -- the movie is dedicated to the man who invented the sewing machine. Need I say more? A.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Nov 7, 2007 0:37:05 GMT -5
The Black Hole- Unlike Heiney, I must say I enjoyed this one. I thought for the seventies the effects were very good and that the robots made the whole movie. It was very cheesy but that's the point. Look at the blockbusters of today. Effects loosely wrapped around a story. Just a movie you can shut your mind off and enjoy. B. Wow, do we disagree on this one. Regarding the effects/look of the film. I think it already looked dated even back in '79 when it was first released and it's even worse now. When you consider that it came after STAR WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, SUPERMAN and the same year as ALIEN, it looks only slightly better than LOGAN'S RUN, which was released just before all of them. I don't think the point was to be cheesey, like they were trying to make a B-movie, I think that's just how it turned out. I think Disney was trying to make a serious sci-fi movie with some comedic moments, but the serious stuff was boring and the comedic moments weren't funny. And I hated the robots, they looked cheap. V.I.N.CENT was a complete STAR WARS rip-off as they tried to combine the physical look of R2-D2, ie: short and squat, with the very proper way of speaking of C-3PO (Roddy McDowall). And the other robot, BOB (Slim Pickens) was just lame. I just didn't find any of it entertaining, except for when the characters had to do action scenes and everyone seemed really awkward. Now, that was fun. On the other hand, we just saw AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007) With Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington being directed by Ridley Scott you'd expect a pretty damn good gangster film and while it's not quite in the same league as GOODFELLAS, THE GODFATHER, or even THE DEPARTED, this was still a good time. Probably more on par with CASINO. Very good, but not one of the all-time classics. Crowe plays a detective trying to bring down Washington's drugdealing empire in 1970's New York. Most of it you've seen before in other movies, but the actors, including all the supporting roles, are what mostly elevate the material from so-so to really good. Though this is mostly Denzel's movie and he's as great as he always is, with the very recent 3:10 TO YUMA and now AMERICAN GANGSTER, I have to say, it's been an excellent year for Russell Crowe. 8.5/10 |
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Post by slayrrr666 on Nov 7, 2007 11:06:02 GMT -5
Hostel 2 - a slick flick that had much less gore than I expected considering the first movie made me sick to my stomach. It was short, sweet, and the story wasn't half bad either. 7/10. I thought the first one absolutely sucked. Almost nothing worthwhile about it. Too long, too boring, not enough torture moments, the ones that where there were completely underwhelming, really bad gore and there's more kills outside the hostel than there was inside. How is that supposed to inspire fear where you die easier outside of the place where they're being really badly tortured. Seeing as how everyone says that part 2 is pretty much the same thing with the roles reversed doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. |
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Post by Termination on Nov 7, 2007 14:16:45 GMT -5
The Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1 (1984-2006) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Nov 7, 2007 17:31:24 GMT -5
Man, I can't tell ya how many times I watched that when I was a kid, I loved it! ;D POTC: Dead Man's Chest 2/4- I think I enjoyed the first one better... I kept dozing off while watching this one. |
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Post by frankenjohn on Nov 7, 2007 23:04:54 GMT -5
I liked how the robots were cheap.  |
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Post by Termination on Nov 8, 2007 3:15:48 GMT -5
Remember the Titans (2000) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10
Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut (2004) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
damn this is a long cut. 3h:30m+ yikes. Havn't seen a film this long sinse LOTR 3 EE.
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Post by Termination on Nov 8, 2007 20:44:30 GMT -5
A Few Good Men (1992) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 8/10
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Post by Termination on Nov 9, 2007 1:10:52 GMT -5
Seed of Chucky: Unrated (2004) (HD DVD)
HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby TrueHD - 9/10
Not much of an improvement over the SD DVD video wise. Colors & blacks are better but thats about it. The DD+ track sounds great & in some scenes, it oddly sounds better than the TrueHD track. The score for example, you can clearly hear ambient sounds better throughout. The TrueHD track has a more solid mix overall. Take your pick, it doesn't matter & lately thats been Universal's problem.
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Post by Termination on Nov 11, 2007 2:38:11 GMT -5
The Shining (1980) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10
Damn this looks awesome in HD. Great restoration & the audio is good too. Only complaints video wise, is minor contrast wavering & a few specs of print damage. Audio wise, dialog sounds a bit dated & could have been mixed a bit better. Otherwise a solid 10/10 transfer.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Nov 11, 2007 11:13:17 GMT -5
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola's version of the oft-told tale of the Transylvanian vampire.
This time Gary Oldman dons the fangs and Anthony Hopkins plays his nemesis Van Helsing. Both actors do a fine job of making characters that have been played numerous times by countless actors, seem fresh and different. Oldman brings a sensuality and pathos to the character that had been missing from a lot of the previous Draculas and Hopkins just seems to be having a really good time playing the character as a true eccentric and bringing some much needed comic-relief to the film.
Also need to mention that most of the effects were intentionally done live-on-set, the way they would've been done in the early days of moviemaking, not in post-production, so there are miniatures, reverse film and even shadow puppetry. And everything was filmed on sets, not locations. All of this helps to add to the overall surreal, dreamscape look of the film.
The Japanese inspired costumes and hairdos, while controversial at the time, also help make the film look very different from any other Dracula movie, before or since, this one.
Also gets points for the music, makeup effects, Tom Waits as Renfield, and the sexiest trio of "Dracula's brides" to ever appear on screen.
However, not a great idea was the casting of Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker.
7.5/10
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Post by Pulpmariachi on Nov 11, 2007 11:58:52 GMT -5
Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson) -- cute, easy to access, full of little moments, and, as with any typical first feature you can see the later styles and trademarks starting to develop. B.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Nov 11, 2007 13:34:33 GMT -5
Safe (1995, Todd Haynes) Noteworthy aspect: Julianne Moore's performance. 8/10 Burnt by the Sun (1994, Nikita Mikhalkov) Noteworthy aspect: Social criticism on the Soviet Union - from Russia. 8/10 Unzipped (1995, Douglas Keeve) A very well-made documentary, but fashion design really isn't my type of subject. If you're into that sort of thing, I highly recommend this film. If not, not so much. 7/10 Transformers (2007, Michael Bay) Still the best special effects this year. I give the creators of this film credit for making the non-robot characters (particularly Shia Labeouf) incredibly likeable. After learning much of Shia's performance was improvised, I gained much more respect for him as an actor. Look forward to seeing him as Indy's son. 8/10 Once Were Warriors (1994, Lee Tamahori) What the Hell happened to this guy? This film was brilliant! How does the director of this heartwrenching family drama wind up directing crap like XXX 2 and Next? Temeura Morrison (Jango Fett from the Star Wars Prequels) does a great job as an abusive husband, and I was particularly impressed by Rena Owen's performance as a wife torn by her dilemma. What could have easily been a typical film, wasn't. 9/10 Bee Movie (2007, Steve Hickner; Simon J. Smith) Are you a Seinfeld fan? If so, you'll love this movie. This film was written with Seinfeld's sarcasm, wit and his keen observations on petty things. The plot ends up getting incredibly ridiculous (I mean, the talking Bee isn't even the half of it), but it's a cute, fun movie to watch. 7/10 Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003, Kenneth Bowser) To a film student, this is the Holy Grail of documentaries. Scorsese, Hopper, Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Ashby, Bogdanovich, Peckinpah... they're all covered, and covered well. Now I need to read the book, because I'm hearing the movie leaves out all the good stuff. But even without, the movie is very informative. 9/10 Bliss (1985, Ray Lawrence) It started off very well. I'm usually into this sort of quirky, dark comedy. But it's not to any film's credit if I glance at my watch four or five times... Worst of all, my mind wandered towards the end. I do not have ADD, it's not that easy for my mind to sidetrack when I watch a movie. It's got a good story, I was mildly interested, but... what can I say? It was boring. 6/10 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg) with RifftraxFunny how some of the best Riffs are on great films, as opposed to films that suck. I found the riffs on the Matrix and Lord of the Rings to be hilarious, and recently I noticed they riffed Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was busting up - I believe this is the best rifftrack yet. I guess it helps when you're watching one of the greatest films ever made to begin with. With or without Rifftrax: 10/10
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Post by Termination on Nov 12, 2007 10:35:17 GMT -5
From Hell (2001) (Blu-Ray)
HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Nov 12, 2007 11:27:59 GMT -5
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