Last Seen 70s/80s Movie

[Zero]

Originally Posted by vanlutz

Now, that's funny. Why can I see them and no one else can?

KICK ASS - was excellent. The little girl Chloe is gonna be a star.

i guess they stopped the mandatory IQ testing around here

[vanlutz]

Originally Posted by Zero

i guess they stopped the mandatory IQ testing around here

Coming from someone who voluntarily watched Zombie's Halloween 2, that answer should be abundantly clear.

[scouse mac]

Blackout (2008)


Three people stuck in a lift, as time drags by and help doesnt come things go downhill quickly. I quite enjoyed it, solid enough performances and cut scenes taking us away from the claustrophobic elevator dont detract from the tension. Not as good as it could have been but good enough.

[Doctor Loomis]

Spawn (directors cut)

just as cheesy as i remember :cool:

[roshiq]

The Company Men (2010)



>>: B+

The Ugly (1998)



>>: B

[psycho d]

Black Swan (2010). Starting with an almost unpolished demeanor, Black Swan slowly builds into an amazing movie experience, but then it just... Let's start from the beginning.

The opening shots depict the confidence of Darren Aronofsky, rugged, almost washed out and without visual substance, luring the viewer into a false sense of security. Slowly and surely, Black Swan builds into an intense and believable depiction of the unappreciated and misunderstood dedication that this discipline requires. The underlying force here is the lure to achieve perfection, the bait that ensnares the perfectionist into thinking that such a thing is possible, where fate brings one to the brink, the precarious edge, and then whispers into the hopeful ear that to jump is to own.

Natalie Portman is simply perfect in this role. Her fanatic drive for perfection would impress the most ardent of Nazis, a belief that life itself can be cheated through dogged preparation. The cracks of reality that occasionally slip through are splendidly ignored, and not until the end do we see just how bent this determination is. Mila Kunis chirps in a surprising good performance, the perfect counterpoint to Portman's Nina, dedicatedly unleashed and all the more perfect because of it. Vincent Cassel, what can I say? This guy owns every role. While he plays a rather unlikable character here, it is one that perfectly balances the ambiguity of his intentions. Is his core filled with ooze or is his love of the craft so intense that he will opportune any moment to drive artistic heights out of his dancers?

Vying for top honors, the camera work goes head to head with Portman's performance. This is no surprise, but its dazzling effects, from the voyeuristic walking of Nina, a symbol of her journey that demonstrates her denouement through the camera's increasingly agitated ambling, to the agile capacity that the camera demonstrates, almost cavorting with the dancers themselves, was simply phenomenal.

The editing and direction was typical Aronofsky, his style an earmark of artistry, toned down when appropriate but ramped up to MTV speed for effect, as can be seen in the dance club scene.

The story was a superb take on the brutality that life has to offer this pursuit. These dancers are to both strive for perfection and yet must also live their lives; they live the perfect polar impossibility, for they must dedicate their every ounce of existence towards perfecting their craft but must also live life such that their performance is based on more than just sheer preparation. How these performers do no go postal is one of life's greater mysteries. As the story moves forward and to its end, as it builds up a momentum that is just barely tolerable, the viewer becomes strapped to the seat, electrocuted with anticipation as to how this thriller will execute its final moments, white knuckles all the way.

And then it ends, suddenly and without much fuss. This ending makes perfect sense, and I guess to some it might seem a brutal finality, but to me it was so lackluster that I could not help but feel cheated. I mean, really, that's it, that's the payoff? Maybe my expectations were too high, but in almost ever other moment of this showing I was suitably Wowed by the performance but then left unfulfilled, hollow even, as the credits rolled. Had I walked out just moments before the last scene I bet this would have been considered Oscar worthy, but instead I cannot help but feel spurned, and alone, a feeling that only a chocolate shake heavily spiked with Gran Marnier could fix. Merci.
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[psycho d]

OOPS! No one wants to read my review once, let alone twice...

[FreddyMyers]

Originally Posted by psycho d

OOPS! No one wants to read my review once, let alone twice...

Yeah right. Your reviews are highly anticipated and valued.

The Horde
I thought this was a great zombie flick. Pulled no punches and didnt try to be anything other than a zombie movie. Considering the past couple of turds that have come out lately (The Walking Dead obviously excluded) this was a descent movie. Meaning you know what your gonna get, no gimmicks or surprises. Liked the way the zombies looked along with desent gore/cgi. Bad acting and sub par plot aside i enjoyed it and only hope it doesnt turn into an american version. Just read the sub-titles and enjoy the movie, honestly its not that hard.

[AmericanIdiot]

Make Out with Violence

[psycho d]

Bronson (2008). Nicolas Winding Refn does not disappoint in this dark art house take on the notorious English prisoner "Charlie Bronson." With a premise that could easily be dismissed, Bronson turns a prolonged prison stint into a violent caricature of theater. The mind of Charlie is set upon the stage, literally, and this wily character finds his dreams of fame reified by way of celluloid.

Tom Hardy must be seen to be believed, for this performance frustrates description, but common sense will find no repose in this pathetic attempt. In the story proper, Hardy creates authenticity for a creature that defies belief, a man that so loves the physical act of the fight that we almost come to understand his joyful brutality. His frequently naked body is a testament to the feral nature that he fully employs at each and every opportunity. This portrayal is not one of sadism, but instead of a love of life through fisticuffs. This guy was built for cage-fights, but he seemed hell-bent on living there as well. Each new prison is a like a new hotel stay, where making vicious friends becomes his vocation.

Whereas his portrayal of life seems authentic, his stage presence is perfectly contrived, facial expressions held for just the right amount of time, then dropped with a sociopathic aplomb. On this dreamy stage our anti-hero gets what he wants, fame for being himself. His antics are only perpetuated through hammy makeup and histrionic mischief. He sings he plays he entertains. His creative expression finds his desperate audience, and Charlie Bronson seems truly happy for it.

Refn does a magnificent job taking the life of a thorough thug and turning it into splendid entertainment. His manipulation of the screen captures our emotions effortlessly. His creativity was daring and refreshing, dark art house has never been better. The camera work was incredible, creating a literal ballet of violence that was more entertaining than repugnant, manufacturing for the audience the literal sense of bliss that Bronson found in the beatings. In the end, the awful truth of his existence is not glorified, but his life's choices stand naked, caged up and ready to pounce.
d