Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
Posts: 6,688
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Post by Squirrel Master on Feb 28, 2008 11:27:07 GMT -5
Less than twenty minutes ago, I finished watching SEVEN SAMURAI on TCM. Fantastic movie, and it moves along quite nicely for a 3 and a half hour long movie (well, most of the time, anyway). I loved the character of Kikuchiyo, who manages to be, at varying times, a drunken boor, the comic relief of the movie, and the most emotional member of the group. And according to Wikipedia: "Always the show-off, his sword is considerably larger than everyone else's." That's just awesome. I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Set in 16th century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic "Seven Samurai" follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested the thugs will return, so the village elder sends scouts to seek brave samurai to employ as mercenaries. However, the poor farmers can only offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice. Initially only Kambei, a fearless elder samurai, and his young apprentice, Katsushiro, take up their cause. Choosing carefully from the various nomadic warriors he encounters on the streets, Kambei recruits a formidable team of swordsmen, named Shichiroji, Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyuzo. Finally, Kikuchiyo, a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the squad of ronin. However, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much as they do the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his ronin create a strategy. Painstakingly, they take the time to train the peasants to defend their village. The seven samurai then launch a pre-emptive strike against the bandits. This surprise attack sets in motion a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle-- without a doubt one of the most stunning scenes in cinematic history. Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, "Seven Samurai" is credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kyuzo's duel, Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the films clocks in at over 3 hours, the story is consistently engaging and slowly heighten the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief and character development. Gleefully running amuck in a memorable performance, Toshiro Mifune imbues the comical Kikuchiyo with a streak of melacholy and instrospection. However it is Takashi Shimura who anchors the film as the thoughtful and courageous Kambei, who stoically takes on leadership of an almost impossible task. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, "Seven Samurai" is cinematic perfection in nearly every aspect, giving the production its most deserved status as one of the best films ever created.
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Feb 28, 2008 15:28:27 GMT -5
Less than twenty minutes ago, I finished watching SEVEN SAMURAI on TCM. Fantastic movie, and it moves along quite nicely for a 3 and a half hour long movie (well, most of the time, anyway). I loved the character of Kikuchiyo, who manages to be, at varying times, a drunken boor, the comic relief of the movie, and the most emotional member of the group. And according to Wikipedia: "Always the show-off, his sword is considerably larger than everyone else's." That's just awesome. I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Set in 16th century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic "Seven Samurai" follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested the thugs will return, so the village elder sends scouts to seek brave samurai to employ as mercenaries. However, the poor farmers can only offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice. Initially only Kambei, a fearless elder samurai, and his young appentice, Katsushiro, take up their cause. Choosing carefully from the various nomadic warriors he encounters on the streets, Kambei recruits a formidable team of swordsmen, named Shichiroji, Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyuzo. Finally, Kikuchiyo, a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the squad of ronin. However, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much as they do the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his ronin create a strategy. Painstakingly, they take the time to train the peasants to defend their village. The seven samurai then launch a pre-emptive strike against the bandits. This surprise attack sets in motion a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle-- without a doubt one of the most stunning scenes in cinematic history. Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, "Seven Samurai" is credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kyuzo's duel, Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the films clocks in at over 3 hours, the story is consistently engaging and slowly heighten the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief and character development. Gleefully running amuck in a memorable performance, Toshiro Mifune imbues the comical Kikuchiyo with a streak of melacholy and instrospection. However it is Takashi Shimura who anchors the films as the thoughtful and courageous Kambei, who stoically takes on leadership of an almost impossible task. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, "Seven Samurai" is cinematic perfection in nearly every aspect, giving the production its most deserved status as one of the best films ever created. Okay...I give it 3.9 stars out of 4, then.
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bigHEADinc
El Dandy
Wanted Conway Twitty as a special title.
lest we forget...
Posts: 7,711
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Post by bigHEADinc on Feb 28, 2008 15:34:26 GMT -5
Okay...I give it 3.9 stars out of 4, then. You flip-flopper... I can't trust anything you say anymore... One day you say you love me, the next you want to rip my head off...
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bigHEADinc
El Dandy
Wanted Conway Twitty as a special title.
lest we forget...
Posts: 7,711
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Post by bigHEADinc on Feb 28, 2008 18:15:22 GMT -5
OLDBOY
As the second part of a trilogy of Vengeance (Preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), Oldboy is possibly the most well regarded, at least when it comes to the internet. Figured I'd have to give it a shot.
The basic plot is that a man named Daesu was locked up in a makeshift prison for 15 years and, when released, he's plunged into a world of mysteries as he slowly tries to claw at anything that might give him the answer. And boy, does it get crazy.
Mix of some action (A few fight scenes, one really good), drama, love, and mystery, Oldboy is definitely a mixed bag. The story itself is compelling and it's pace leaves you grasping for more with each little clue they give you. The acting is good, with Min-sik Choi as Daesu absolutely eating up the whole screen. The score was also a really good addition as it didn't take away from any scene but instead added to most, if not all of the scenes. There are definitely some gory parts and the ending is one big "Are you f***ing serious?" but in a good way (As opposed to, say, the ending of The Secret Window... man I hated that movie). It's a good flick but it ran a little too long for my taste and some of the actions by characters in the movie just didn't make sense in any real world sort of way.
***1/2 out of *****
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bigHEADinc
El Dandy
Wanted Conway Twitty as a special title.
lest we forget...
Posts: 7,711
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Post by bigHEADinc on Feb 28, 2008 18:19:35 GMT -5
I just wanted to add that Oldboy is going to be my last addition to this thread for awhile. I'm giving up movies for a bit but you guys definitely need to keep adding to this thread. It's nice to see a ton of reviews in one place.
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Post by G✇JI☈A on Feb 28, 2008 19:50:59 GMT -5
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)Caught this on Fox Classics last night. And I thought this film was great. Good use of the H.G Welles source material even though for probably budget reasons could not really do everything. I thought the ending was weak though. Look just because the ending in the book worked dues not mean it will translate to film. I mean the Martians are laying waste to L.A and all of a sudden they drop dead. They did this in the 2005 movie as well (well they let the Martians stumble around for a bit before croaking at least). EDIT: Another thing I did not like about this film is the narration. The guy in this film sounded like he was just reading off a piece of paper on his coffee break. There is no sense of urgency or fore shadowing in his voice. At least Morgan Freeman and Richard Burton made it sound like some serious shit was about to go down. The 2005 Spielberg film make many references to this film as well. The angry mob stealing a vehicle, martian's force field and the line 'once they start moving we get no more news out of that area' were originally in this film. And the scene were they tried to stop the Martian War Machines with a nuclear bomb was pretty much copied in 'Independence Day'. All and all a good film. 3.5 out of 5.
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bigHEADinc
El Dandy
Wanted Conway Twitty as a special title.
lest we forget...
Posts: 7,711
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Post by bigHEADinc on Feb 28, 2008 20:01:55 GMT -5
I thought the ending was weak though. Look just because the ending in the book worked dues not mean it will translate to film. I mean the Martians are laying waste to L.A and all of a sudden they drop dead. They did this in the 2005 movie as well (well they let the Martians stumble around for a bit before croaking at least). I never saw the remake (Or the original... Or any other version for that matter...) but didn't birds kill the aliens in the Tom Cruise version? I just remember hearing it and thinking how absolutely ridiculous it was...
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Post by G✇JI☈A on Feb 28, 2008 20:08:22 GMT -5
I thought the ending was weak though. Look just because the ending in the book worked dues not mean it will translate to film. I mean the Martians are laying waste to L.A and all of a sudden they drop dead. They did this in the 2005 movie as well (well they let the Martians stumble around for a bit before croaking at least). I never saw the remake (Or the original... Or any other version for that matter...) but didn't birds kill the aliens in the Tom Cruise version? I just remember hearing it and thinking how absolutely ridiculous it was... No it's the same the aliens or martians die in every adaption of 'War Of The Worlds' ever made. SPOILERS:The martian immune system is craphouse. And bacteria in the Earth's atmosphere kills them. Earth will be screwed if the martians discover vaccination shots. Also you mention the birds well you are sort of right. In the 2005 film Tom Cruise's character notices birds picking at a Tripod and realizes the force fields are down and lets the military know about it. Yes a simple dock worker spots the weakness before the army does. SPOILERS I END THEE
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Feb 28, 2008 23:55:42 GMT -5
Okay...I give it 3.9 stars out of 4, then. You flip-flopper... I can't trust anything you say anymore... One day you say you love me, the next you want to rip my head off... To be fair, I always want to rip your head off!
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Post by lucaspunkari on Feb 29, 2008 2:14:16 GMT -5
American Gangster
I saw this originally in theatres on opening night last November, and thought it was the second best movie I saw all year, only behind Grindhouse.
So I recieved it on my birthday this year, and watched it again tonight, and it was just as good if not better the second time.
I still won't understand why this movie didn't pick up a best picture nod, or nods for the performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, because they were outstanding. In actuality, everyone was great, heck even T.I. of all people.
I dug the slow build and pacing to it as well, and while I didn't really liked how it ended the first time I saw in theatres, it came off even better the second time I saw it.
All in all, a great viewing experience and highly reccomended.
4.5 out of 5
(Also they used Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack in the movie, which gets high marks from me every time)
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Post by REDUNBECK~! on Feb 29, 2008 2:19:11 GMT -5
Extreme Ops
Extreme Ops is a movie.
I sit here before my keyboard having just seen this film and that's all I can think of to type. I wanted to open with a catchy line that would sum up my attitude toward Extreme Ops, but now that I think about it I don't know what my attitude is toward it. I don't even know what this movie is supposed to be other than a movie; a succession of photographic images that simulate movement, accompanied by a recording of music, speech, and sound effects.
That's all it is.
I can't even call it a bad example. It's not. It matches that definition perfectly, in fact. Then again,of course, every movie does, or else we wouldn't call them movies. But Extreme Ops is the purest example of movie-dom I think I've ever seen. It exhibits moving pictures, and sounds, and nothing else. What I'm struggling to say here is that It's an empty experience. You sit down, you watch the movie, you see things, you hear stuff, it ends, you move on. Nothing more, nothing less. It's like injecting a placebo into your blood stream: it goes in, it doesn't affect you in any way, and then it goes away. You may as well have not injected yourself at all, because there would be no difference. I may as well have not watched Extreme Ops at all because there would be no difference.
I mean, at least Uwe Boll movies make me feel angry. At least Ed Wood movies make me smile. At least Supercross left me a headache to remember it by. Extreme Ops left me feeling nothing and I can tell that I'll forget all about it very shortly. In fact, when I wake up tomorrow and log on here I'll probably see this post and be perplexed as to how it got here. I fear I may then unknowingly subject myself to my second viewing of Extreme Ops and lose another Ninety minutes of my life down the memory drain in a futile attempt to jog my memory.
The film concerns itself with a group of people who all lack names, occupations, and origins. They fly to Austira, and ski down a mountain repeatedly. They kill some men with Serbian accents who looked kinda surly. The film ends. This is the entirety of Extreme Ops, at least to the extent that I remember it (and my memories are fading fast). These events happen in succession with no explanation as to who, when, why, or how. They are filmed in a manner that obscures much of them, and judging from the film's ending scene, none of the events depicted had any impact on the character's lives.
One can only wonder why any of it happened. You might think it's all a set up to justify some neat shots of extreme skiing, but no. Judging from the way the film is directed, we're not supposed to be able to see or comprehend any of the skiing at all: it all either happens at night, or in shots so tight you can't see a darned thing anyway. Perhaps they felt they had a genuinely good story to tell, you posit. No. If they did, they would have told one. They didn't, because there is no plot. Perhaps, you think, we're meant to enjoy the beauty of the moutains. Then tell me why these people keep blowing them up to set off avalanches.
I can't figure out why this movie exists other than, as I said before, to be an example of what a movie is. That's the only answer. Well, congratulations Extreme Ops; you succeeded in that mission and since you didn't try anything else you have no failures under your cap to diminish your victory. But much like Bruce Jenner's gold medal win at the 1976 Olympics, your triumph will be forgotten by time even though you may not realize it. Wait, did I say "will"? I mean "was".
Now, who are you again?
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Post by G✇JI☈A on Feb 29, 2008 8:59:04 GMT -5
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)Director: John Carpenter Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Von Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Issac Hayes & Harry Dean Stanton. Oh and Ox Baker. I forgot how awesome this film is. Just watched it tonight. OK set in the future of 1997, crime in the U.S has risen so much that Manhattan Island is made into one big prison. Which does not seem bad if you are incarcerated (I call the Empire State Building Observation deck as my home ) I mean a large city would be better then a small prison cell. Anyway Air Force One crashes in Oz York (WC Crickets Chirp ) and Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is a bad enough dude to rescue the President from Chef oops I mean the Duke of New York (Issac Hayes) with help from The Bad (Lee Von Cleef) and The Skipper (well you know). 5/5
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Cheeba
Don Corleone
Matt Striker for VP
Posts: 1,587
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Post by Cheeba on Feb 29, 2008 9:01:04 GMT -5
Better than I thought it would be.
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Grendel
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
But ... why is all the rum gone?
Posts: 17,593
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Post by Grendel on Feb 29, 2008 15:40:55 GMT -5
Less than twenty minutes ago, I finished watching SEVEN SAMURAI on TCM. Fantastic movie, and it moves along quite nicely for a 3 and a half hour long movie (well, most of the time, anyway). I loved the character of Kikuchiyo, who manages to be, at varying times, a drunken boor, the comic relief of the movie, and the most emotional member of the group. And according to Wikipedia: "Always the show-off, his sword is considerably larger than everyone else's." That's just awesome. I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Set in 16th century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic "Seven Samurai" follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested the thugs will return, so the village elder sends scouts to seek brave samurai to employ as mercenaries. However, the poor farmers can only offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice. Initially only Kambei, a fearless elder samurai, and his young apprentice, Katsushiro, take up their cause. Choosing carefully from the various nomadic warriors he encounters on the streets, Kambei recruits a formidable team of swordsmen, named Shichiroji, Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyuzo. Finally, Kikuchiyo, a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the squad of ronin. However, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much as they do the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his ronin create a strategy. Painstakingly, they take the time to train the peasants to defend their village. The seven samurai then launch a pre-emptive strike against the bandits. This surprise attack sets in motion a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle-- without a doubt one of the most stunning scenes in cinematic history. Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, "Seven Samurai" is credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kyuzo's duel, Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the films clocks in at over 3 hours, the story is consistently engaging and slowly heighten the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief and character development. Gleefully running amuck in a memorable performance, Toshiro Mifune imbues the comical Kikuchiyo with a streak of melacholy and instrospection. However it is Takashi Shimura who anchors the film as the thoughtful and courageous Kambei, who stoically takes on leadership of an almost impossible task. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, "Seven Samurai" is cinematic perfection in nearly every aspect, giving the production its most deserved status as one of the best films ever created. I thought the Seven Samurai was a great flick. I am currently watching Beowulf, and I have to say it's no where near how I remember the story when I read it as a kid. But it's been years since I've read it. so maybe I'm mistaken. So far, it's not too bad, but it's almost formulaic down to the minute. Before that, I watched Justice League: The New Frontier. I never read the graphic novel that this was based on, but I thought it was done fairly well. I can recommend it.
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clifford
King Koopa
Shingo Takagi stan
Posts: 10,692
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Post by clifford on Feb 29, 2008 21:32:22 GMT -5
Just back from the pictures, where I saw 'There Will Be Blood'. A good movie, I really enjoyed it, not a fantastic movie by any means, but one I would definately recommend. Daniel Day Lewis was amazing, but even moreso, the score. My god, the score I thought was FANTASTIC. 8/10
By the way, of the films I have seen so far in the cinema this year, this is how I rank them;
No Country for Old Men; 9/10 There Will be Blood; 8/10 Cloverfield; 7.5/10 I am Legend 7/10 Juno; 7/10 Rambo; 5/10 (as a film, I still enjoyed it though!)
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rra
King Koopa
Posts: 10,145
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Post by rra on Feb 29, 2008 21:48:55 GMT -5
Just back from the pictures, where I saw 'There Will Be Blood'. A good movie, I really enjoyed it, not a fantastic movie by any means, but one I would definately recommend. Daniel Day Lewis was amazing, but even moreso, the score. My god, the score I thought was FANTASTIC. 8/10 By the way, of the films I have seen so far in the cinema this year, this is how I rank them; No Country for Old Men; 9/10 There Will be Blood; 8/10 Cloverfield; 7.5/10 I am Legend 7/10 Juno; 7/10 Rambo; 5/10 (as a film, I still enjoyed it though!) I predict you will dwell and think about TWBB for several days.....and that's when the magic happens.
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rra
King Koopa
Posts: 10,145
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Post by rra on Feb 29, 2008 21:50:30 GMT -5
Well, I've decided my first review since I'm taking my own probation from my lifestyle.
Here's the clue....
"You know who to call when you have ghosts....but who do you call when you have monsters?"
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Post by lucaspunkari on Feb 29, 2008 23:42:35 GMT -5
Semi-Pro
While nowhere close to rip-roaring festival that was Blades of Glory, it was still pretty good. A bit slow at times, but did have some really great moments.
Recomended.
4 out of 5
Oh and it had bears, you can't go wrong with bears.
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jobberjoe
Trap-Jaw
enhancing talent since the Nixon administration
Posts: 457
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Post by jobberjoe on Mar 1, 2008 0:09:11 GMT -5
Saw Be Kind Rewind today- it was an odd lark of a movie-charming,offbeat,imperfect- I liked the concept of outsider art meets Hollywood flicks with the sweded flicks- but I was not in love with the execution
just saw part of Paradise Alley- geez the dialogue sux - will finish it tomorrow I guess- wants to see Terry Funk in it
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Grendel
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
But ... why is all the rum gone?
Posts: 17,593
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Post by Grendel on Mar 1, 2008 19:24:29 GMT -5
Okay, I just watched the extended editions of Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. If you're a fan of the original movies, the special editions add so much more to the movie watching experience.
Okay, it's not the first time I've seen them, but I consider them good anyway. 9 out of 10 stars.
Pitch Black
I absolutely love this movie. This was a movie that didn't do that well in the theatre, but I remember seeing it on video and thinking that it was a great little sci fi flick. Much more raw than the watered down sequel. 8.5/10 stars.
Maybe later this weekend I'll watch 30 Days of Night and give my opinion on that as well.
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