Movies, Movies, Movies.....

[dammie16@vt.edu]

THIS IS IT: 11/10

 

Michael Jackson was an amazing musician, dancer, and a humble, hardworking human being. That concert series would've ROCKED, and would have reestablished him as the best in the game. Jackson is no longer with us but his talent will remain a part of our memories forever.

 

QFT

 

I saw this movie a few days ago and it blew my mind. It really shows how much dedication Jackson had to these concerts and the whole thing was just unbelieveable. I was a little agrivated that there wasn't any material from Off The Wall and barely anything from Invincible, but other than that, it was EPIC.

 

10/10

 

I actually refuse to see this movie. It is nothing against Jackson, I have no quams about him at all. The problem I have is with the celebrity garbage.

 

I won't say that this movie is bad or anything but I speak on principle here. It angers me when they do things like this because no matter how bad the actually movie (Production, editing, whichever part about it) is it will always be touted as the greatest movie ever made and it was such a great depiction of a great man/woman.

 

Anyway glad you enjoyed it and I hope it really was a good movie, though I will never be seeing it.

[Satchboogie3]

Antichrist - 5/10

 

This movie just confuses me. I've seen it twice now, done a lot of online readings about it, and I'm baffled. It's beautifully made. The acting is perfect. The premise is good. The problems I have with it are (1) it's not nearly as disturbing or violent as critics claimed it to be and (2) it's not so much as a horror film as a psychological drama.

 

Yeah, it's certainly not a perfect movie and it isn't as "gory" as it can be claimed to be, but I did think that "the" scene in the shed was pretty taboo and I'm still unsure exactly how I feel about it. I personally love the fact that the film is ambiguous as to what actually happened to "She". It works on many different levels (purely psychological, woman goes crazy with post-partum depression; the break up of a relationship; and/or actually evil). There are a lot of interesting themes.

 

As far as horror-comedies go, I am a fan of the genre. I LOVE "Shaun of The Dead" and "Zombie Land", as well as some of the low-budget movies (Dod Sno). I think the genre works well, but i think it has to be intentional and well crafted. I don't like horror movies that are so bad, they are funny, or films that try to take itself to seriously and fails.

 

I just watched "The Thing" again Halloween night and I think it is still one of the finest Horror films ever produced. It's perfect. I've heard some wild reviews for "The House of The Devil", it's supposed to be an old school horror film. I can't wait to see it.

[Satchboogie3]

"The House of the Devil" a horror film made by a horror fan for horror fans. It has a "Rosemary's Baby" feel. I think you'll really like it.

 

Spoilers here:

I just got through watching it and I have mixed feelings. It definitely did a great job of building tension, I loved the cinematography and 80's music, but I think the pacing was just a bit too slow. I'm not sure the payoff was quite right either. The end just didn't feel right. It felt too rushed and a bit cliche. I don't think they built up the final scene enough to make the suicide attempt fit. I realize that she was actually infected by the devil, but I found it too subtle and it happened to quick for her to immediately contemplate and commit suicide. It felt out of character.

 

I enjoyed it, but I was a little disappointed. Right now, I'd rate it about a 6/10. I'm a tough horror critic, so that is a pretty good rating for a "modern" horror flick. It could grow on me.

[Satchboogie3]

THIS IS IT: 11/10

 

Michael Jackson was an amazing musician, dancer, and a humble, hardworking human being. That concert series would've ROCKED, and would have reestablished him as the best in the game. Jackson is no longer with us but his talent will remain a part of our memories forever.

 

QFT

 

I saw this movie a few days ago and it blew my mind. It really shows how much dedication Jackson had to these concerts and the whole thing was just unbelieveable. I was a little agrivated that there wasn't any material from Off The Wall and barely anything from Invincible, but other than that, it was EPIC.

 

10/10

 

Not a Michael fan so I won't be seeing this. The one thing that bugs me, though, is how a lot of people in society seem to praise seemingly pointless attributes. Michael might have been an extremely hard working man, but I don't see how that makes him a great musician. It's like the same idea behind faith. I hear too many people talk about the importance of faith when faith itself is actually a terrible idea. I'm certainly not trying to knock the guy, he was an incredible performer, but dedication in and of it self is meaningless. A suicide bomber is extremely dedicated, but they are certainly not people I respect or envy.

 

I guess my point is the focus should be on his craft. I find most serious musicians to be extremely dedicated to their craft, so I just don't think it's of any interest. It's like the distinction between practice and perfect practice; practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. I'm now rambling, aren't I.

[Satchboogie3]

I didn't think Paranormal Activity was amazing or anything, just that I like that type scary movie (more suspense than horror) better. Exorcist I may try; Poltergeist I've seen bits and pieces of, but probably should watch; seen all the Halloweens and they didn't interest me, much less scare me; don't care anything about seeing Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Nightmare on Elm Street, too horror-esque for me.

 

I like the anxiety type of scare in the unseen stuff. Does that make sense? The dread that it creates not knowing what's lurking just beyond the light. I find a movie like Signs, for example, scarier than Halloween. That clicking noise they made creeps me out to this day. My husband does it to me every time we pass a cornfield.

 

The original Texas Chainsaw is NOT gory, don't get it confused with the terrible remakes and sequels. The original was ALL about building tension. It is twisted, no doubt, but it isn't a gore fest at all, it's just the theme of the movie that is twisted.

 

I just re-watched Paranormal Activity and I just don't get why people think it is so good. I think it could have worked (the last 20 minutes) if they hadn't botched the first hour. Micha was really a stupid character and I mean script wise. The way he acted just made no sense. It was incredibly boring and cliche (especially the "psychic") and I couldn't take it seriously. It just didn't draw me into the movie to build up tension, it actually repelled me.

 

Tension isn't just about what you don't see, it isn't just about subtle "noises", it's about building a creepy BELIEVABLE atmosphere around good acting and believable characters. This movie didn't do any of that.

[Pufferfish]

A Christmas Carol:

Let me start off by saying, DO NOT TAKE YOUR LITTLE KIDS TO SEE THIS! This is in no way a kid's movie and if you have any experience with Charles Dicken's works, you would understand. This is a near perfect portrayal of the novel and can give your child lasting nightmares. The only times it strays from the novel is very inconspicuous and is only there for comedic/dramatic effect. The atmosphere created in the film is very dark and cold. This is THE best portrayal of this story I have seen. It is even better than the broadway production I watched a couple years ago.

 

The voice acting was brilliant, the story was fluent and spot on with the novel, and the animation style, while still creepy looking, really worked for this film. 10/10

 

One final note on the scariness of this film. I actually say that some parts of this film are scarier and more disturbing than Paranormal Activity. This is a horror movie about Christmas, just with a PG rating. Everyone go see it NOW!

[onewheeled999]

It's not a movie, but I think it suits this thread well enough...

 

I saw my school's production of Dead Man Walking yesterday. Now, I'm on the crew for the show and work props, and wasn't on my shift for opening night. So I decided to watch it, and let me just say, hearing it and seeing it are completely different.

 

It was very emotional, intense, and at some times quite funny. One of the best stage shows I've ever seen. And to be a part of it just makes me feel so important.

 

If anybody's in the Sacramento area, message me for some information about the show. It's excellent.

[dammie16@vt.edu]

The Fourth Kind

9/10

 

This movie was excellent and very freaky, just don't look up anything about it before you go it will ruin the initial effect it has on you!

[socalMAN123]

The Fourth Kind

9/10

 

This movie was excellent and very freaky, just don't look up anything about it before you go it will ruin the initial effect it has on you!

Quoted for truth. I thought the movie was actually pretty good, I was expecting something much worse. It actually made me jump once, which is something that is pretty hard to do to a horror fan like me. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit.

---Brent

[hobbit]

I watch now paranomal activity!

you can watch it for free here :

 

MOD EDIT: Link removed. Posting links to illegally obtained films is not allowed on Theme Park Review. Please do not let this happen again. Thanks.

[jmicha]

So I just used ^'s link to watch paranormal activity...alone in a big creepy building. And it still failed to get me going. The story was interesting and I liked the style of the movie, but seriously, there wasn't any suspense. The buildup of events didn't really lend itself to any dramatic suspense and the ending was extremely predictable. I guessed the general ending even before I started watching the movie. I'm not sure I understand what all the hype was all about. 4/10

[dammie16@vt.edu]

^First the movie is about noise and the surround sound in a theater does it best.

 

Second I watched an illegal version of it after I saw it in theaters (wanting to see one scene again) and that version was actually not the same. The end was different, and some of the nights were different, including the first one.

 

I recommend seeing it in theaters before quoting it off as bad, but now that your opinion of it is poor already you wont be able to see it objectively.

[jmicha]

^I suppose you really do need to have the surround sound of a theater for the noises to really get to you. And I watched the illegal version which has a different ending than the theatrical version.

 

*Spoilers for anyone that hasn't seen either*

 

I read up on it and the ending of the one I saw involved Micah awaking to Katie screaming after she had been staring at him for hours in his sleep again and when he runs downstairs you hear him yelling and then they both stop. There are then some loud footsteps up the stairs and Katie emerges with a knife and blood covering her tanktop. She then proceeds to rock back and forth for an entire day until her friend Amber comes over, finds Micah and runs out of the house. The police show up shortly after and upon finding her rocking back and forth upstairs, she comes out of it and starts walking towards the police officers frantically asking where Micah is. Then the door at the end of the hallway slams shut which startles the police who end up shooting her.

 

This is the original ending apparently and this version is a little longer and had a few differences. It was 97 minutes long instead of 86 and didn't involve the scene where the portrait is broken. Instead it has a scene showing the exorcism of a girl with the exact same circumstances as Katie that goes bad. The girl ends up chewing her own arm off in an attempt to escape and dies from blood loss. And the ending doesn't include Micah's body being thrown at the camera.

 

Apparently there is a third ending that was only shown publicly once that is similar to the ending of the original version but instead of rocking back and forth for a day, she walks upstairs and slits her throat and that's the end of the movie.

 

*End Spoilers*

 

I wish I could have seen it in theaters. Unfortunately I'm in an area right now that only has two theaters within 50 miles, both of which aren't playing it, and by the time I get home it is going to be out of theaters. Oh well.

 

The movie wasn't bad in the sense that it was poorly shot, acted, etc. In fact I felt that acting was extremely good. It just wasn't that scary and the suspense was missing, something that I don't think seeing it in a theater would really change. Sounds do get me going sometimes, but only when they're sudden and the most sudden sounds in the movie were always preceded by softer sounds, which for me removes the jumpiness.

 

Just out of curiosity, which version did you like better? I will rent it once it comes out on blu-ray that way I can get a surround sound, HD experience (not as good as movies surround sound, but better than a laptop lol) to see if my opinion changes. And I'm always open to rewatching movies to see if my opinion changes of them, which has happened many times in the past. Some of my favorite movies were just 'meh' movies the first time I saw them. So maybe watching it again will lend me to a different opinion. Still though, I just feel the movie was missing something overall.

[J man]

I just saw an amazing movie called "Mystery Team".

 

It's made by the people from Derrickcomedy on Youtube. Right now it's only going around to whichever cities it's demanded most. So I'd say check out their website and demand it.

 

It's been a while since I've seen a movie this funny. I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone on TPR.

 

8/10

[Homer]

Diabolique

 

Watched this for a film class project and this classic is probably one of the best thrillers out there. The twist was done properly, coming literally out of NOWHERE and the film (even if its black and white and in French) manages to keep the audience's attention. If your looking for a good Hitchcock-esque thriller, I recommend this film.

 

4/5.

[Homeboy23]

2012: What can I say? Disaster movies never learn. They always end up as a drama instead of a disaster.

 

6/10.

[Pufferfish]

The Men Who Stare At Goats:

This movie is very good. It has an excellent cast, a great storyline, and the perfect balance of real humor and stoner humor. Most of the jokes are very well hidden and will probably take a couple of veiws to get the full meaning from them. If you are wondering, don't listen to others, this movie is NOT an anti-war movie. It does base itself around a bunch of hippies though. If you enjoy stoner comedy, then you will love this movie. 8/10

[jmicha]

So I saw 2012 last night. It was exactly how I expected it to be. Amazing special FX with hardly anything to back them up. The story had potential but there was just WAY too much drama, impossible situations, and movie cliches for me to take it seriously. And some of the comedic reliefs were in really bad taste and didn't really help the movie at all. If it had attempted to be a little more realistic (I know, coming from a movie about the end of the world sounds funny, but I think you'll all know what I mean) it could have been a very interesting movie. In its current state though, it's pretty laughable.

 

3.5/10 (for the amazing special FX)

[onewheeled999]

We watched the first two scenes of Romeo + Juliet for English class yesterday.

 

I think that's the weirdest movie I've ever seen.

 

I mean, it's set in an urban, modern setting, with really exaggerated colors and characters, but they use the original Romeo and Juliet script. So it's Old English.

 

The entire time, the class was just like WTF.

[CoasterExpert13]

Twilight Saga: New Moon

Rating: 9/10

 

The movie was awesome! It's still in theaters so of course I'm not gonna spoil it for others, but I will say that the movie was vastly entertaining and long (movie started at 7pm, we got out at 9pm something)! Great acting, great story and it doesn't hurt to have good looking actors in the movie!

[HCLcoasters]

^ it's a 0/10 in my opinion.

 

The theater burst into laughter with the quote "Will you marry me."

[onewheeled999]

So I just watched Where the Wild Things Are with a few friends.

 

It was very good, very well made. The music, visuals and character development were all fantastic, and the plot was pretty great.

 

However, as many have said before, the movie is really sad. Both me and my two friends almost cried several times, so watch out if you're bringing a kid to the theater.

 

But there was one thing that made the entire movie awesome: Richard.

 

9/10

[Jds03]

This is probably one of the greatest movie reviews I've read in a long time:

 

Here's a primer for how to endure Old Dogs if an unfortunate series of circumstances should place you where seeing it is unavoidable. Arrive late and leave early. In between, visit the concession stand as frequently as possible and stand in the longest lines. Drink a gallon of water beforehand so multiple visits to the restroom are mandatory. Hopefully, this will limit your exposure to a level where Old Dogs loses its toxicity and is merely uncomfortable, although I'm not sure that's possible. More tests are needed but there are some experiences no one should be subjected to even in the name of science. It may be that forced viewing of this film has been outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

 

Much has been made about how family films like Where the Wild Things Are and A Christmas Carol are too mature for younger children. The inverse is true of Old Dogs, which is too infantile for anyone who can speak in full sentences. As for the rest of the potential audience... They'll probably appreciate it, but many of them enjoy eating paste, so that establishes a baseline level of taste. To be frank, eating paste would probably be less likely to induce vomiting that sitting through the entirety of this motion picture abomination.

 

Old Dogs makes Wild Hogs, the predecessor of its director, Walt Becker, appear Oscar worthy. What's wrong with this movie? A better question might be: What's right? Every attempt at comedy is not only obvious but delivered in such a forced manner that any hope of generating laughter dies before the joke has been told. Old Dogs also attempts to include its share of dramatic moments; these are about as well conceived as Rob Schneider doing Shakespeare. Side effects of watching Old Dogs' mawkish melodrama range from eyeball rolling to uncontrolled retching.

 

Amazingly, the filmmakers manage to take situations that should at least have a minimal level of comedic potential and reduce them to where laughter by anyone over the age of four could be construed as a sign of a psychological maladjustment.

 

If there's anything significant about Old Dogs, it's that it illustrates how diminished Thanksgiving weekend has become for movie releases. Once, this was deemed the fourth biggest time of the year for opening films (after Memorial Day, Christmas, and July 4). Now, it's a dumping ground. With good reason, Disney has little faith in this movie's performance - they're releasing it against their own A Christmas Carol, and it will soon be joined by The Princess and the Frog. Perhaps like old soldiers, Old Dogs will fade away - although not matter how quickly it does that, it won't be fast enough.

[socalMAN123]

^

I really want to go see Fantastic Mr. Fox, it has a super high rating on Rotten Tomatoes and I'm a huge fan of stop-motion animation. Anyone on here gone and seen it yet?

---Brent

[krazekiddd]

Last night, I saw Brothers. Although I didn't really see the trailer, it was different that I thought it would be. It was really intense and definitely had some moments that bothered me.

 

I was surprised that the theater was empty, but I highly recommend everyone to see it. 9/10 for me.