how many more comments on star wars till a mod tells us to get back on track? 1? 2?

I actually just watched TRAINING DAY.
personally, I think it is one of the best cop movies out there. as far as character's go, and polished scripts(im not a fan of the usage of F's they use) but, boy, I thought it was really really well done.

I find it hilarious that people are mad that Jar Jar still appears in II and III, when all he does is pave the way for Palpatine to seize power, thus single-handedly allowing the Empire to be created.  I don't even remember him being that annoying to begin with, so I'm not sure I understand the overwhelming amount of hate he gets.

Also, this video makes an interesting point about the performances in the movie.  Generally, people tend to focus on actors when watching films, since they're the most visible and central part, but many forget the amount of effort and behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a movie.  Bad directing is just as, if not more, detrimental as bad acting.

Anyway:

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Wow.  This is really amazing.  Heart of Darkness, off which this is based, is one of my favourite books, and I feel they really managed to translate the themes of the book well into this film.  The cinematography, acting, sound design (love the use of the helicopter blade motif), everything, is perfect.  I particularly like the use of colour to create atmosphere.  As you probably know, the production of this film was notoriously troubled, and seeing it you can begin to appreciate the effort that went into this.  The pacing feels slow yet engaging, surreal and by turns dream-like and nightmarish, rather like the river itself, perhaps.  Either way, definitely a masterpiece.

Pacific Rim (2013)

I'm a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro, so I was definitely excited to see this.  It's pretty cheesy, but in an enjoyable sort of way (it's giant robots beating the crud out of sea monsters, after all...).  Nevertheless, I feel that there's something of a lack of depth that is somewhat disappointing.  Many of the characters act like one-dimensional caricatures, like the pilot who's a jerk... just because.  No real reason given, and we never see any other facet of him.  The two scientists are borderline cringeworthy.  (Why does one have the obviously German name of Hermann Gottlieb yet act like a stereotypical Oxbridge educated Brit in every possible way?!)  That said, Hannibal Chau was delightfully over-the-top

and I would have loved to see more of him.  However, whilst the cheesiness is enjoyable in some cases, it gets too much after a certain point.  The dialogue especially feels half-baked in many instances.  (Any half-decent army worth its salt would never tolerate a subordinate talking to a commanding officer the way Raleigh does to Stacker.)

I do feel like all this is to a certain extent deliberate ("Jaeger pilots became rockstars, Kaiju became toys"), and teh action scenes and special effects are amazingly well done--conveying the sheer scale of the Jaeger and Kaiju is no easy task, and the film manages it perfectly (cargo ship club, anyone?).  Still, the intro promises a lot of interesting things that never get delivered.  The whole movie has a bunch of interesting ideas (the Kaiju black market and sub-culture, the requirements for Drift compatibility and the implications of sharing your mind with someone, how Human-Kaiju Drifts work, the cultists who believe the Kaiju are divine punishment, etc.), but these are never really elaborated upon and never get more exploration than a few brief glimpses and throwaway lines.

In short, it's not bad per se, but it does feel shallow and underwhelming.  It's beautifully shot and good enough as "dumb entertainment", but I think that it had the potential to be so much more, yet never quite delivers.

The Iron Giant (1999)

This is simply, put, beautiful.  It's easily my favourite animated movie.  The animation and art style is amazingly well done, the characters are well-performed and believable, and the whole story is executed perfectly.  The 1950s setting is very fitting, and I love the overall tone and art direction of the film (love the design of the Iron Giant himself).  The only downside is that it's perhaps is a tiny bit short and could have done with a slightly longer run-time, but that aside, it's perfectly paced, framed, and edited.  It feels like a warm-hearted fable, yet it never condescends its audience and there's enough there for adults to appreciate.  I never, ever, cry whilst watching films, but at the end, I just about did.  It's that good.  Go watch it now.

Last edited by Mr Vertigo (May 20, 2015 (05:57pm))

I think people hate Jar Jar because he symbolises the whole problem with the Star Wars prequels, even though he hardly appears in Episode 2 and doesn't even speak in Episode 3.

Jar Jar was supposed to take the world by storm. George Lucas expected him to be the 1999 equivalent of Groot. The problem is that no-one ever put their hand up and said "Uh, George....this guys really annoying. He's not funny. He's not likeable. You could argue he's racist...which reminds me; we need to talk about all the other racial stereotypes."

And that really sums up the whole prequel trilogy. Lucas genuinely believed he was creating a work of art, and no-one ever stepped in to tell him otherwise. I think people lump all the hate on Jar Jar because he's the loudest, most annoying example of this.

I actually re-watched Episode 1 again recently, and the strangest thing about it is that out of all the prequels it's the one that feels most like a Star Wars film. There's only one shot that uses 100% CGI, greenscreens are hardly used, and because actual sets are being used then the action can be blocked dynamically. Because of this, scenes flow. Yes, the script and acting are awful, but the editing and cinematography feel like a Star Wars film. Watch the original films, and then watch Episode 1 with the sound off and it's obviously the same franchise.

This and "the music is awesome" will be the only praise I shall ever give to Episode 1.

I totally understand everyone's, including Max's dislike for the prequels.  I get absorbed into the backstory of sci-fi, and am always fascinated by the politics and intrigue behind the worlds, which there is a lot more of in this.  Any one of us would have written something better, I think, and we all are saying, GEORGE, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!  But the deep politicking, intrigue and behind-the-scenes scheming makes up for it enough that I perosnally enjoy the prequels.

One correction, though: Jar Jar DOES say two words in Episode III.  After the fist big battle scene, he bumps into Senator Eetolay (If I selled it right.  It's been over a decade now...) and says, "Excuse me".  Just George making sure Ahmed Best gest his royalties.

Jar Jar I can deal with.  You know what I can't stand?  EPISODE I ANAKIN!  "Sandstorms are very, VERY dangerous!"  (speak that line out loud in falsetto.)  "You mean, 'I' get to ride with YOU in your STARSHIP??!!"  "Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"  "Are you an angel?"  Cute line that I like, but after, "They're found on the moons of Iiego i think."  So non-chalantly on "I think" as he tinkers, like he's rote reciting something he memorized.  No emotion, like Padme's beauty he was struck by wore off seconds later.  He does the same when he says Sebulba almost turned Jar Jar into "orange goo".  Dumb line (even "a puddle of orange goo" would be more aceptable), worse delivery.  I watched "Jingle All The Way", so Jake Lloyd can act.  He was younger in that movie, so his acting talent should have improved by episode I.  Who else can you blame but George?

But I'm half Italian and I LOVE that Watto is "Italian".

Mickey, it's fun and insightful to take a break in these threads a bit to discuss Star Wars and iconic movies a bit until the next movie someone most recently saw brings us back.  "To Kill A Mockingbird" is also one of the most recent movies I watched (but I didn't log an entry on it), and a favorite of mine.  Something very strange about the book: Harper Lee got a lot of initial criticism becaue,

  The point that prejudice leads to injustice was lost on some people, people who actually agreed with Harper Lee's premise.  By the way, to this day I don't actually know her race nor do I care to: the message is important and so what does that matter the color of the hand that wrote the message?  Thanks for sharing your thoughts on To Kill A Mockingbird. 

  Just a reminder for people not to forget that people with autism are no less worthy than anyone else.

And like trekkers do with Star Trek V, let's all pretend that midichlorians don't exist.

My last movie: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Last edited by HoldingOurOwn (May 22, 2015 (06:53am))

Rudderless - Rated R (lots of bad words for the kiddies but honestly if you're 15/16 it should be fine to watch)

Let me just start off by saying that to me, this is one of the most underrated films of 2014. William Macy's direction for this film is refreshingly well done and I couldn't believe it was the first real film he directed. This film is one of the few that I can say moved me to tears by the crescendo and left me with a profound internal conflict of what my definition of right and wrong are. For me to say anything else about this film would be a disservice to anyone interested in watching it, so please do not look up anything about this movie before you watch it, not even the trailer.

Writing
The writing behind this film is almost perfect. The way

All the main characters are very well written and the dialog is quite organic. The structure of the story has every scene in its perfect place, throwing the audience into a roller coaster of emotions that climaxes in a very sudden, strong, and effective way while still providing comic relief in an appropriate style and proportion.
10/10

Acting
For the most part, all the major actors did a great job. Billy Crudup was on point as Sam, expressing every emotion a father would experience in that type of situation with a sincerity that was like no other. Anton Yelchin was also very good as Quentin and he deserves the award he got for Best Actor at the Chicago Film Festival. However, Selena Gomez felt like she was trying a little to hard and broke my suspension of disbelief momentarily.
8/10

Cinematography
It was good. It wasn't exceptional like The King's Speech or full of gorgeous shots like Skyfall, but rather the beauty of it was fittingly subtle and effective when it needed to be.
8.5/10

Soundtrack
The soundtrack is the heart of the film, as one of the central themes is music. As college student who doesn't make that much money to spend on things like music, I bought the soundtrack instead of torrenting it. It's that good. When the music of the film is blended with what's happening on screen, something almost magical happens. The original songs used in this film develop one of the characters in a very surprising and in my opinion, a very original manner. I have never seen character development through music quite like this and it was honestly one of the most clever things I've seen in modern film.
10/10

This is not a movie for the kids, this is not a movie for a young family to watch together. The language used is coarse, but without it the story wouldn't be as strong. This is one of the most underrated films of 2014 and it breaks my heart that it didn't break even. It's a buried gem that is worth digging out.

Overall: 9.5/10 - freaking watch this film

The Iron Giant gets way, way to little attention. I couldn't agree more. While it isn't my favourite animated movie, it certainly is in my top 10, probably top 5. Actually, this is one of those rare movies where I actually like the movie much more than the book it is (sort of) based on. The Quest for Camelot is a great movie also. It might not have the production level, but it is still really fun.

My last movie: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Meh. I literally watched this only for the pentagon breakout part of the movie featuring Quicksliver...

It's rare for me to walk into a theater and watch a film that I instantly love. Even more rare is when I get sucked into such a film, and loose my "director's eye" that exposes every angle, cut, and page from the script within my own mind. However, if there was such a director who's consistently done this, it's Brad Bird. The Iron Giant was the first 2d animated film I saw on television, The Incredibles, the first CGI film I saw in theaters, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol the first Mission Impossible film I'd seen in theaters. All of these films remained some of my favorites of all time, and greatly inspired me to change my approach to filmmaking.

Yet, none of the previously mentioned films add up to how I feel about

Tomorrowland (2015)

Tomorrowland is one of those films you watch, and are never the same afterwards. It takes a rather happy weekend and makes it even better. It uplifts you when you didn't realize that you were down, and perfectly stimulates your imagination! It enters your thoughts and will most likely be there, somewhere, in the back of your mind by the time you die. - It's a film you'll always remember.

And, for me, Tomorrowland is that. Perfectly blending Cyberpunk AND Steampunk to create a fictional world is no easy feat. I probably would have said it was impossible before seeing this film, but, now, am convinced that the two sub-genres can perfectly work together in harmony!

The visuals, jokes, pacing, action, and acting are all on par - a staple of Brad Bird's films. While I could see how some may pass up this film if they aren't ones for Back to the Future or The Rocketeer, everyone else will enjoy this film.

Apart from one or two moments, I don't see how anyone couldn't like this film. It's a little bit of everything, and a lot of something magical. I definitely recommend it! Tomorrowland is a perfect example of how a PG film can still tell a more "grown up" story, just like Casablanca or Citizen Kane did in the old days of Hollywood.

I feel like it's an understatement to rate this film a 5 out of 5 stars. 10 out of 10 just sounds bigger, no matter if the percentage for all intensive purposes is exactly the same. A better compliment, perhaps, would be to say that I put Tomorrowland as my 3rd favorite film of all time!

It's perfect, in every sense of the word - maintaining a realistic image, while not taking itself too seriously. Tomorrowland has it all. I'm certain it'll be my favorite film of this year! (Jurassic World and Star Wars VII will have to work overtime to even stand a chance) I'd recommend that everyone go see it sometime. It doesn't have the hype of something like James Cameron's Avatar, but easily deserves it!

I've been hearing very mixed reviews across the board and sort of want to see it due to Brad Bird, I was dissapointed that the local IMAX was play it rather then Mad Max: Fury Road, which, even though I didn't get to see it on IMAX was still COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY AWESOME!

Thank you for the review, Dyland.  Tomorrowland looks like one of those movies I just would personally love.  There's nothing I enjoy than uplifting retro-future adventure.  If I can get a way to sneak out with my wife & see it while the kids are watched, I would, but it looks like I have to wait for home video release.  The fact that critics are panning makes me want to see it all the more!