1601 replies to this topic

[Kp-Wings]

MacGruber

Grade: D+

It had it's moments, but definitly not worth the $6.50 admission price. This is a pretty good indicator of why SNL movies were on a 10-year hiatus, until this year.

[Cruiser008]

Get Him to the Greek

Best comedy of the year so far; go see it!

[SouthernWingsFan]

A-Team. Saw it last night.

Violence. Wit. Comedy. Beautiful. My kinda movie, worth seeing!!!!

[Lidstromboli]

solid

[Hockeytown0001]

Just watched Goodfellas for the first time. Brilliant gangster film, very very violent.

[Jedi]

Inception.

Ho. Lee. JUMPIN'. This movie was an absolute trip to the far edges of thought and back, and what a ride it is.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays a kind of thief known as an "extractor". He doesn't steal artwork or anything physical, it's ideas, secrets and information that he steals, and he does it through the dream world. By entering his target's mind while asleep, he is able to find a person's deepest secrets and steal them away.

Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Memento) wrote and directed this film, and you really can feel his fingerprints all over this one. It's dark, ethereal, and completely mesmerizing, all of which is bound together perfectly by the music, composed by Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean).

If you've seen the trailer, you've no doubt seen some of the phenomenal special effects, and that could be what hooked you in to wanting to see this movie. So, yes, the special effects are absolutely amazing. But what I find more amazing than the effects alone is the fact that they are *perfectly* implemented. While this is a movie with fantastic big budget effects, it really keeps the mood and feel of a smaller release thriller rather than an over the top "popcorn flick". IMO, they manage to perfectly walk the line where the effects are used only to compliment the story instead of the other way around. For an example, think of the differences in the use of special effects from the first three Star Wars movies (built to compliment and support the movie's plot) as opposed to the last three movies (where the plot is built to compliment and support the special effects). For a movie that takes place in the dream world, the effects feel perfectly "dream-like", in that they're both very real and yet very unreal. Absolutely the best use of special effects that I've seen in a long, long time.

If you've seen Memento, then Inception will have a familiar feel to it. In that, there are several sequences where you just don't know if you can trust what's going on, and there will be times where you will feel a bit lost in the story line. The beginning of the movie is very much like this, but if you pay attention, it will all be revealed as the movie goes along.

There's a fair amount of violence, like gunshots and explosions, though there is practically no gore shown. One person gets shot in the head, and you do see the wound, but it's not all gorey-and-exploded, it's really no worse than you would see from a big hit in a hockey game. Another character gets shot, and you see a shirt get bloody a few times, and he later coughs and you see blood, but that's really about it. For a movie with as many gunshots and explosions as this one ends up having, it's surprisingly gore-free.

The cast worked well together, and if you've seen any of Nolan's previous work, you'll see more than a handful of familiar faces. I doubt you'll see any Academy Award nominations for any of the cast members, but they certainly did a great job in this movie.

A fair word of warning, however. This movie is a tad long, clocking in at just under 2 1/2 hours. To me, it did not feel long at all. Some critics (the professional ones, who usually are dead wrong about movies anyway) will say that it is too long, but to me I think it was perfect. Looking back at the movie, I don't really see how you could cut much out without losing integral pieces of the plot.

If you like a movie that really makes you think, and completely draws you in, then go see this movie. It was a brilliant movie, and I absolutely cannot wait to go back and see it again.

A+. Best movie I've seen this year.

[haroldsnepsts]

MacGruber

Grade: D+

It had it's moments, but definitly not worth the $6.50 admission price. This is a pretty good indicator of why SNL movies were on a 10-year hiatus, until this year.

F- isn't low enough for that movie.

Seriously, for anyone considering going to see it, just set a ten dollar bill on fire. You'll save an hour and a half of your life and be more entertained.

[thedisappearer]

Just watched Goodfellas for the first time. Brilliant gangster film, very very violent.

Welcome to 1990!

[VladyIBELIEVE16]

Toy Story 3 (3D)

A+
This film was incredible. It's a nice wrap up on the TS series. It definitely gives you the full realm of feelings too. Be prepared to laugh and cry. Also the film short Night & Day at the beginning was absolutely adorable! Go see it!!!

[wingnut40]

Inception...

A fair word of warning, however. This movie is a tad long, clocking in at just under 2 1/2 hours. To me, it did not feel long at all. Some critics (the professional ones, who usually are dead wrong about movies anyway) will say that it is too long, but to me I think it was perfect. Looking back at the movie, I don't really see how you could cut much out without losing integral pieces of the plot.

If you like a movie that really makes you think, and completely draws you in, then go see this movie. It was a brilliant movie, and I absolutely cannot wait to go back and see it again.

A+. Best movie I've seen this year.

This movie was GREAT!! It's hard to compare it to the best movie I've seen because it's so unique. It wasn't that hard to follow, they did a good job of explaining it. It's definitely not a movie that insults your intelligence with stupid situations to advance the plot, everything fits together perfectly. Some people thought it was too long, but I wanted it longer! I loved it and didn't want it to end. I can't think of 1 thing I didn't like about the movie.

A+++

[Echolalia]

There's an excellent interpretation of Inception here: http://chud.com/arti...TION/Page1.html
Its a pretty good analysis of film, I think.

[wingnut40]

There's an excellent interpretation of Inception here: http://chud.com/arti...TION/Page1.html
Its a pretty good analysis of film, I think.

I disagree with him.

Spoiler

The movie is way too complex for it all to be a dream. There would need to be some kind of explanation as to how it was all a dream, kind of how the 6th Sense explained how he was a ghost. His connecting the characters to the roles of a studio team is good, but then you would need those kind of people in those roles for any team. Like in the military you have your CO(director/Cobb), your recon/intell man(producer/Arther), scout who knows the landscape(screenwriter/Ariadne), soldier(actor/Eames), and target(audience/Fischer). Also why explain how the totems work if they didn't mater? There would have to be some part of the movie that was reality because it wouldn't make sense if it was all just a dream. For the record, I think the end was reality and the top would have fallen.

[Echolalia]

I disagree with him.

Spoiler

The movie is way too complex for it all to be a dream. There would need to be some kind of explanation as to how it was all a dream, kind of how the 6th Sense explained how he was a ghost. His connecting the characters to the roles of a studio team is good, but then you would need those kind of people in those roles for any team. Like in the military you have your CO(director/Cobb), your recon/intell man(producer/Arther), scout who knows the landscape(screenwriter/Ariadne), soldier(actor/Eames), and target(audience/Fischer). Also why explain how the totems work if they didn't mater? There would have to be some part of the movie that was reality because it wouldn't make sense if it was all just a dream. For the record, I think the end was reality and the top would have fallen.

Spoiler

My biggest issue with the film and the reason why I can accept the above analysis was because of the ending. The fact that Nolan doesn't show whether the totem falls or not can only really be interpreted as "it doesn't matter whether it falls or not", and that's exactly what I was thinking when I first left the theaters. This didn't sit well with me, because if the totem didn't matter, then I believed that Nolan wanted us to think that whether the end was a dream or not didn't matter, and if it didn't matter then it undermines a huge driving force in the plot ie Cobb's desperation at staying in reality even if it means not being with his family. I was actually a bit pissed at Nolan because of this until I read the above analysis, which agrees that Nolan is saying "it doesn't matter if the totem falls or not", but instead of assuming that means "it doesn't matter whether he's in a dream or not", the analysis says "it doesn't matter because the totem never worked to begin with." This I can dig, as well as the idea that the whole movie was a dream. I'm looking at the totem now as a metaphor for Cobb's view on reality. When he believes he's awake, the top falls over ie his view on reality is "unstable". But when he knows that he's dreaming, the top stays spinning. Its in equilibrium and stable.
In any event I want to watch the film again with this analysis in mind.

[wingnut40]

Spoiler

My biggest issue with the film and the reason why I can accept the above analysis was because of the ending. The fact that Nolan doesn't show whether the totem falls or not can only really be interpreted as "it doesn't matter whether it falls or not", and that's exactly what I was thinking when I first left the theaters. This didn't sit well with me, because if the totem didn't matter, then I believed that Nolan wanted us to think that whether the end was a dream or not didn't matter, and if it didn't matter then it undermines a huge driving force in the plot ie Cobb's desperation at staying in reality even if it means not being with his family. I was actually a bit pissed at Nolan because of this until I read the above analysis, which agrees that Nolan is saying "it doesn't matter if the totem falls or not", but instead of assuming that means "it doesn't matter whether he's in a dream or not", the analysis says "it doesn't matter because the totem never worked to begin with." This I can dig, as well as the idea that the whole movie was a dream. I'm looking at the totem now as a metaphor for Cobb's view on reality. When he believes he's awake, the top falls over ie his view on reality is "unstable". But when he knows that he's dreaming, the top stays spinning. Its in equilibrium and stable.
In any event I want to watch the film again with this analysis in mind.

Spoiler

But again, that's way to complex to be a dream. That would mean that "reality" is actually a dream, making when they go into Fischers mind 4 levels of dream instead of 3. Also, it can't ALL be a dream without some explanation, otherwise it's just a movie that wastes your time an pisses you off, which Nolan hasn't been known to do. If it was all a dream they'd have to explain how he got in the dream, how could he dream about his wife and kids, did they really exist, what actually happened to her. The only part that I think could be a dream is at the very end. The whole movie was real up til he goes home but I'm only saying that because you don't see the top fall. Personally I think it was real because, the top wobbles when it never did in the dreams,( I don't think) it just spun smoothly, and because he saw his kids faces which there was no other way for him to see them because he was basing his projections off his memory and his memory didn't have his kids faces...and because I want it to be a happy ending IDK I've only seen it once, I'd have to see it again looking at it from the other view point to make a decision. As of now though, I'm taking it at face value. There was reality, there was dream, and the top would have fallen.

[Echolalia]

Spoiler

But again, that's way to complex to be a dream. That would mean that "reality" is actually a dream, making when they go into Fischers mind 4 levels of dream instead of 3. Also, it can't ALL be a dream without some explanation, otherwise it's just a movie that wastes your time an pisses you off, which Nolan hasn't been known to do. If it was all a dream they'd have to explain how he got in the dream, how could he dream about his wife and kids, did they really exist, what actually happened to her. The only part that I think could be a dream is at the very end. The whole movie was real up til he goes home but I'm only saying that because you don't see the top fall. Personally I think it was real because, the top wobbles when it never did in the dreams,( I don't think) it just spun smoothly, and because he saw his kids faces which there was no other way for him to see them because he was basing his projections off his memory and his memory didn't have his kids faces...and because I want it to be a happy ending IDK I've only seen it once, I'd have to see it again looking at it from the other view point to make a decision. As of now though, I'm taking it at face value. There was reality, there was dream, and the top would have fallen.

Spoiler

Normally I would agree with you on the bolded part, but having the whole film be a dream is the ultimate way of conveying the film's main themes. Nolan uses dreams as a metaphor for movies, and this movie is about the film-making process. Its a very unique and ingenious technique because the metaphor actually goes beyond the confines of film and seeps into reality. The film is your dream and my dream and Nolan's dream the same way the plot of the film is Cobb's dream. When the movie ends our metaphorical dream ends as well. Its only appropriate that Nolan not have an explanatory scene outside the realm of dreaming in the film, because nobody or nothing explains to us that we're watching a movie in real life. It would be the equivalent of Nolan putting a scene in the film that literally says "you are watching a movie/dreaming. This isn't real." At that point the metaphor breaks down, along with the fourth wall.
I'm definitely going to have to watch this again, but the amount of evidence that supports this analysis, whether you want to go along with it or not, is staggering and I'm coming across more and more ideas that fit almost too nicely into this interpretation for it to all be coincidence.

Edited by Echolalia, 23 July 2010 - 06:44 AM.

[wingnut40]

Spoiler

Normally I would agree with you on the bolded part, but having the whole film be a dream is the ultimate way of conveying the film's main themes. Nolan uses dreams as a metaphor for movies, and this movie is about the film-making process. Its a very unique and ingenious technique because the metaphor actually goes beyond the confines of film and seeps into reality. The film is your dream and my dream and Nolan's dream the same way the plot of the film is Cobb's dream. When the movie ends our metaphorical dream ends as well. Its only appropriate that Nolan not have an explanatory scene outside the realm of dreaming in the film, because nobody or nothing explains to us that we're watching a movie in real life. It would be the equivalent of Nolan putting a scene in the film that literally says "you are watching a movie/dreaming. This isn't real."

Spoiler

I get what you're saying, but we can't know for sure. I just seems like a too complicated dream that needs an even further complicated explanation to explain how it's all just a complicated dream. I think this is something people will be debating for years until Nolan tells us himself. I think he just put that ending to screw with us, not because he had some grand meaning behind it. But then like I said, we can't know for sure. I guess for now we'll have to agree to disagree.

[miller76]

I went and saw 'The Town' last night.

Ben Affleck and the rest of the cast was pretty solid. I love bank robbery story lines. It was well worth the money!

[Cruiser008]

The Town: A well-made crime thriller that makes you feel the palpable tension and care about it's characters. Well worth the price of admission.

The Social Network: Right up there as one of the best movies of the year (although I still like Inception better). The pacing is superb, the cast shines, and I couldn't help but be swept up in it all. Go see it!

Edited by Cruiser008, 04 October 2010 - 01:33 PM.

[ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24]

The Expendables

im terrible when it comes to movie reviews so all i can really say is
A+ if you like lots of action
this had lots of it!

[SouthernWingsFan]

The Mechanic.

Fighting

Guns

Shooting

Killing

*drools*

Go see this movie now if you haven't. Jason Statham is cool.