Film Reviews Thread
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Jayk Bakner
Name of Film: The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
Martin Scorsese! The greatest director never to win an Oscar? Or overrated, homophobic trash-monger? You hear a lot of things thrown about concerning the mono-browed director. But whatever is said about him, he's delivered something special with The Departed.
Rating out of 10: 9
Martin Scorsese! The greatest director never to win an Oscar? Or overrated, homophobic trash-monger? You hear a lot of things thrown about concerning the mono-browed director. But whatever is said about him, he's delivered something special with The Departed.
Rating out of 10: 9
I'd say best director to never win an Oscar and going on the past few films he is unlikely to make another film as good as the ones that got away (an example of why the Oscars suck)
I thought it was a good film, well made, well acted - but really only a watch once affair. I think you sum it up when you say it was nothing new or original (even discounting the fact its ACTUALLY not original because of the other film)
On the plus side as well the time really does fly so the 2.5hours doesn't seem it.
7/10 for this.
If you gave this a 9/10 what do you give Goodfellas???? )
jojo72
I'd say best director to never win an Oscar and going on the past few films he is unlikely to make another film as good as the ones that got away (an example of why the Oscars suck)
I thought it was a good film, well made, well acted - but really only a watch once affair. I think you sum it up when you say it was nothing new or original (even discounting the fact its ACTUALLY not original because of the other film)
On the plus side as well the time really does fly so the 2.5hours doesn't seem it.
7/10 for this.
If you gave this a 9/10 what do you give Goodfellas???? )
I thought it was a good film, well made, well acted - but really only a watch once affair. I think you sum it up when you say it was nothing new or original (even discounting the fact its ACTUALLY not original because of the other film)
On the plus side as well the time really does fly so the 2.5hours doesn't seem it.
7/10 for this.
If you gave this a 9/10 what do you give Goodfellas???? )
Gave Goodfellas 9/10 too
I always try to judge a film based on it's own merits, not taking into account films it may or may not be based on, nor the director's previous work. Obviously I will draw comparisons, but I won't let that affect the rating of the movie itself! Not everyone has seen Scorsese's previous stuff, or Infernal Affairs; and I reviewed it as such!
Jayk Bakner
Gave Goodfellas 9/10 too
I always try to judge a film based on it's own merits, not taking into account films it may or may not be based on, nor the director's previous work. Obviously I will draw comparisons, but I won't let that affect the rating of the movie itself! Not everyone has seen Scorsese's previous stuff, or Infernal Affairs; and I reviewed it as such!
I always try to judge a film based on it's own merits, not taking into account films it may or may not be based on, nor the director's previous work. Obviously I will draw comparisons, but I won't let that affect the rating of the movie itself! Not everyone has seen Scorsese's previous stuff, or Infernal Affairs; and I reviewed it as such!
Fair enough - I take into account all sorts of things. I compile my own personal list and vote at IMDB so I end up with a list that has groupings in the best films going down.
It wouldn't matter if Scorsese had made Goodfellas specifically, but if I was gonna give The Departed 10/10 I would compare it against another 10/10 and realise its nowhere near as good IMO.
Jayk Bakner
Gave Goodfellas 9/10 too
I always try to judge a film based on it's own merits, not taking into account films it may or may not be based on, nor the director's previous work. Obviously I will draw comparisons, but I won't let that affect the rating of the movie itself! Not everyone has seen Scorsese's previous stuff, or Infernal Affairs; and I reviewed it as such!
I always try to judge a film based on it's own merits, not taking into account films it may or may not be based on, nor the director's previous work. Obviously I will draw comparisons, but I won't let that affect the rating of the movie itself! Not everyone has seen Scorsese's previous stuff, or Infernal Affairs; and I reviewed it as such!
i thought goodfellas was boring, i hate the endings the gangsters always lose. they did in casino (although de niro surviving was good) in godfather Pacino dies alone etc etc i cant help loving em, but i hate the endings
unfinished sympathy
i thought goodfellas was boring, i hate the endings the gangsters always lose. they did in casino (although de niro surviving was good) in godfather Pacino dies alone etc etc i cant help loving em, but i hate the endings
Yeah; Goodfellas certainly is a patience tester...and the ending ain't to everyones taste (most people I know hate it, and think I'm wierd 'cause I like it
)The only problem I have with Goodfellas is that my copy of it is one of those older copies - before they worked out how to do dual-layer DVD's - so it's double-sided and you have to flip it in the middle of the film
Jayk Bakner
Yeah; Goodfellas certainly is a patience tester...and the ending ain't to everyones taste (most people I know hate it, and think I'm wierd 'cause I like it )
The only problem I have with Goodfellas is that my copy of it is one of those older copies - before they worked out how to do dual-layer DVD's - so it's double-sided and you have to flip it in the middle of the film
)The only problem I have with Goodfellas is that my copy of it is one of those older copies - before they worked out how to do dual-layer DVD's - so it's double-sided and you have to flip it in the middle of the film
awwwww
i dont dislike it, but i just hate it when the gangsters dont win, cos you like em throughout the film then they get sent to jail, or get killed, like Pesci gets killed...
unfinished sympathy
awwwww
i dont dislike it, but i just hate it when the gangsters dont win, cos you like em throughout the film then they get sent to jail, or get killed, like Pesci gets killed...
i dont dislike it, but i just hate it when the gangsters dont win, cos you like em throughout the film then they get sent to jail, or get killed, like Pesci gets killed...
IIRC The Godfather is based on a book and Goodfellas is based on a real story so none of those endings were their fault unfortunatley
jojo72
IIRC The Godfather is based on a book and Goodfellas is based on a real story so none of those endings were their fault unfortunatley
i know but usually they change the story completely so it hardly resembles the original story! why cant they in these cases
The Descent - one of these worst films I have seen for ages. If it didn;t have a couple of jumpy moments it would have been a total disaster.
It saddens me to read people saying it was the best movie of 2005, and even worse their absolute fave or in their top 5.
It saddens me to read people saying it was the best movie of 2005, and even worse their absolute fave or in their top 5.
January Victim
I watched shawn of the dead again! funny! 
i'm going to watch domino and final destination 3 soon
i'm going to watch domino and final destination 3 soon
to watch shaun of the dead, scary movie 3+4, Xmen 3 the list goes on and on.........
Name of Film: The Guardian (2006, Andrew Davis)
I like surprises. Particularly surprising movies. So when I went to see The Guardian, you can imagine how happy I felt when I walked out of the cinema! To explain; I honestly didn't expect much from this flick. It seemed generic, a touch cliched and...well...it had Aston Kutcher in it. On the plus side - I thought - it does have Kevin Costner in it, and he used to be a consistently good actor. At least until he proved us wrong with Dragonfly...
Basically, it plays out exactly as the trailer promises. Old, professional Coastguard burns out, and goes to teach newbie Coastguards in order to level himself back out again. One newbie is a high-school swim champion with a tormented past, and old guy takes him under his wing. It's shallow and - excuse the pun - a mite soggy, but hey, whatever works right? This wasn't exactly the aspect that caught me off guard.
What did surprise me is twofold; first, the strength of the core performances. Much to my disbelief, Kutcher actually is vaguely convincing as Jake Fischer; just about managing to pull off the damaged, false bravado that is prefectly appropriate to the character. And Kevin Costner is certainly back to form as the just-as-damaged-but-in-a-different-way old burn-out, Ben Randall. And there's something between them, and almost tangible spark that adds a decent edge to the tried-and-tested old-guy/newbie relationship.
There's also a fantastic sense of humour throughout the movie - though obviously it's not the main focus - and it makes the occasional moment of awkward dialogue almost un-noticable. And the supporting cast, while never truly outstanding, are all solid, with Sleeper Cell's Melissa Sagemiller being the best of the bunch as Fischer's love interest.
Second is the confidence of the action sequences. They're very well done, with Davis - along with cinematographer Stephen St. John - giving them all a sense of urgency that many generic actioners of this type lack. It also seems that both Costner and Kutcher did as many of their stunts as they possibly could, and this further adds to the reality of the whole thing. There's something about knowing that the actors are actually doing these crazy stunts that makes you care more about their character. There're two scenes of particular note, and these both happen in cramped surroundings, and Davis imbues them with a true sense of claustrophobia that adds fantastically to the tension naturally present in a scene where the water's coming in and you've got nowhere to go.
This is also one of the movie's inherent problems - which is unfortunate to say the least. The problem being that Davis uses this claustrophobic style throughout the movie, and it gives the dialogue sequences a strange feel to them - despite the above-mentioned spark between Costner and Kutcher - almost like your barging in on a conversation you weren't meant to, and this really doesn't help. Also, Jake's back story is really badly misplaced; it probably would have been better if we knew that he was damaged, just not why he was. But these are minor niggles really.
Still, as a fun piece of cinema that is both tense and entertaining, it works really rather well. It is a touch on the long side - two hours, ten minutes more or less, if you're interested - but not quite in the 'arse-numbing' territory, and if you're patient enough, they'll just fly by. It's by no means a masterpiece, but if you've got nothing better to see - like if you've already seen The Departed - then this is as good a film as any to fill the time. Definitely worth a look!
Rating Out of 10: 7
I like surprises. Particularly surprising movies. So when I went to see The Guardian, you can imagine how happy I felt when I walked out of the cinema! To explain; I honestly didn't expect much from this flick. It seemed generic, a touch cliched and...well...it had Aston Kutcher in it. On the plus side - I thought - it does have Kevin Costner in it, and he used to be a consistently good actor. At least until he proved us wrong with Dragonfly...
Basically, it plays out exactly as the trailer promises. Old, professional Coastguard burns out, and goes to teach newbie Coastguards in order to level himself back out again. One newbie is a high-school swim champion with a tormented past, and old guy takes him under his wing. It's shallow and - excuse the pun - a mite soggy, but hey, whatever works right? This wasn't exactly the aspect that caught me off guard.
What did surprise me is twofold; first, the strength of the core performances. Much to my disbelief, Kutcher actually is vaguely convincing as Jake Fischer; just about managing to pull off the damaged, false bravado that is prefectly appropriate to the character. And Kevin Costner is certainly back to form as the just-as-damaged-but-in-a-different-way old burn-out, Ben Randall. And there's something between them, and almost tangible spark that adds a decent edge to the tried-and-tested old-guy/newbie relationship.
There's also a fantastic sense of humour throughout the movie - though obviously it's not the main focus - and it makes the occasional moment of awkward dialogue almost un-noticable. And the supporting cast, while never truly outstanding, are all solid, with Sleeper Cell's Melissa Sagemiller being the best of the bunch as Fischer's love interest.
Second is the confidence of the action sequences. They're very well done, with Davis - along with cinematographer Stephen St. John - giving them all a sense of urgency that many generic actioners of this type lack. It also seems that both Costner and Kutcher did as many of their stunts as they possibly could, and this further adds to the reality of the whole thing. There's something about knowing that the actors are actually doing these crazy stunts that makes you care more about their character. There're two scenes of particular note, and these both happen in cramped surroundings, and Davis imbues them with a true sense of claustrophobia that adds fantastically to the tension naturally present in a scene where the water's coming in and you've got nowhere to go.
This is also one of the movie's inherent problems - which is unfortunate to say the least. The problem being that Davis uses this claustrophobic style throughout the movie, and it gives the dialogue sequences a strange feel to them - despite the above-mentioned spark between Costner and Kutcher - almost like your barging in on a conversation you weren't meant to, and this really doesn't help. Also, Jake's back story is really badly misplaced; it probably would have been better if we knew that he was damaged, just not why he was. But these are minor niggles really.
Still, as a fun piece of cinema that is both tense and entertaining, it works really rather well. It is a touch on the long side - two hours, ten minutes more or less, if you're interested - but not quite in the 'arse-numbing' territory, and if you're patient enough, they'll just fly by. It's by no means a masterpiece, but if you've got nothing better to see - like if you've already seen The Departed - then this is as good a film as any to fill the time. Definitely worth a look!
Rating Out of 10: 7
jojo72
I'd say best director to never win an Oscar and going on the past few films he is unlikely to make another film as good as the ones that got away (an example of why the Oscars suck)
Quite true, although I wouldn't say Scorsese was better than Alfred Hitchcock (5 nominations), Robert Altman (5), Stanley Kubrick (4), Federico Fellini (4), Ingmar Bergman (3), or David Lynch. He's certainly in the top flight of contemporary film directors, though.
wilbur
Quite true, although I wouldn't say Scorsese was better than Alfred Hitchcock (5 nominations), Robert Altman (5), Stanley Kubrick (4), Federico Fellini (4), Ingmar Bergman (3), or David Lynch. He's certainly in the top flight of contemporary film directors, though.
Best director ever hasn't had a nomination for an oscar... Sergio Leone
Once Upon a time in the west
Once upon a time in america
The Good The Bad and the ugly
3 films that are pure class.
quadruple_twist
Film: The Devil Wears Prada
Liked: Just about everything really. Fabulous acting from everyone - Meryl Streep is tremendous at playing the cold, unsympathetic Miranda and Anne Hathaway was fantastic too. I also liked how the ending, whilst happy, was not as cheesy and clichéd as I thought it was going to be.
Disliked: The fact that 10 minutes into the film I desperately needed a wee and couldn't find a suitable point during the film at which to leave the cinema to go...
Rating: 9
Liked: Just about everything really. Fabulous acting from everyone - Meryl Streep is tremendous at playing the cold, unsympathetic Miranda and Anne Hathaway was fantastic too. I also liked how the ending, whilst happy, was not as cheesy and clichéd as I thought it was going to be.
Disliked: The fact that 10 minutes into the film I desperately needed a wee and couldn't find a suitable point during the film at which to leave the cinema to go...
Rating: 9
Seconded!
wilbur
Quite true, although I wouldn't say Scorsese was better than Alfred Hitchcock (5 nominations), Robert Altman (5), Stanley Kubrick (4), Federico Fellini (4), Ingmar Bergman (3), or David Lynch. He's certainly in the top flight of contemporary film directors, though.
agree, (but David Lynch???? nope, Scorsese was better than DL)
PS.like his Raging bull more than The Departed
PS.like Infernal Affairs II (made me cry) more than The Departed (just so so,if u had seen Infernal Affairs II)
aggie813
agree, (but David Lynch???? nope, Scorsese was better than DL)
Perhaps, although in my opinion Scorsese hasn't made a truly great film since Goodfellas, whereas Lynch made superb films like Mulholland Drive fairly recently (2001?). It just seems like Scorsese had a handful of excellent films early in his career, and then burnt out. Lynch, for me, has remained consistently interesting.
wilbur
Perhaps, although in my opinion Scorsese hasn't made a truly great film since Goodfellas, whereas Lynch made superb films like Mulholland Drive fairly recently (2001?). It just seems like Scorsese had a handful of excellent films early in his career, and then burnt out. Lynch, for me, has remained consistently interesting.
haha, it's ture
but
The Elephant Man
Blue Velvet
Mulholland Drive
..........??
since Mulholland Drive , where has Lynch been? he burnt out too!
anyway,
im waiting !!
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