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Post by Aedh on Aug 30, 2009 18:47:47 GMT -5
Just saw "GI Joe: Rise Of Cobra" with the kid. We both loved it. That either says something about him or about me ...
When I think of all the live-action movies made in the last forty years I have seen, I could count on my fingers the ones where I would not wish anything changed. Not even EQ or 'Ultraviolet' escape. This however is one of them.
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Post by Libby on Aug 31, 2009 9:32:05 GMT -5
Just saw "GI Joe: Rise Of Cobra" with the kid. We both loved it. That either says something about him or about me ... When I think of all the live-action movies made in the last forty years I have seen, I could count on my fingers the ones where I would not wish anything changed. Not even EQ or 'Ultraviolet' escape. This however is one of them. We were in Bristol last week in Cabot Circus and had a really nice meal at 'Coal' followed by seeing GI Joe: Rise of Cobra. We thought it was ace...completely brainless but beautifully crafted, totally predictable but ultimately satisfying. Last night, we revisited 'Iron man' and 'The Hulk' and got the same rush (loved Tony Stark's cameo at the end). As worthy as some films are these days, our RLs are too stressful and some films just transport you...
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Post by Aedh on Aug 31, 2009 11:54:50 GMT -5
Just so. To say I would not have changed anything is not the same as saying it was immortal cinema or high art. It was a damn good romp, which is all I expect from any film I take the kid to.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Oct 18, 2009 17:48:52 GMT -5
Yesterday I saw Law Abiding Citizen written by Kurt Wimmer and directed by F Gary Gray. Both rottentomatoes.com and metacritic.com gave bad reviews to this film, but both websites acknowledge that the idea of the film was very interesting, although the implementation of the movie was flawed. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/law_abiding_citizen/www.metacritic.com/film/titles/lawabidingcitizenUnfortunately I agree with these reviews, but the director's errors cannot be blamed on the writer. Regrettably, one way or another, KW is often starting with very good ideas, and in the end the implementation is getting sabotaged... However, we have see things in perspective and take into consideration the fact that the story of the movie is one man's rebellion against the government: Thus for the lack of a better word, this rebel is acting as a terrorist... But since America is supposed to be at war against terrorism, even though the protagonist of the movie is a Christian terrorist, he is still a terrorist, and so the director could not go far enough to implement a more complex and glorified cat and mouse game between the rebel and the government. Had the director made a real hero of the rebel terrorist, he could have been prosecuted for encouraging terrorism. But in July 2010, the new movie Salt written by KW will be released, and once again the story seems to be very creative. Hopefully it will be better implemented.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Oct 31, 2009 20:04:03 GMT -5
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Post by invisiblescientist on Nov 7, 2009 0:15:54 GMT -5
The Box is a very intriguing movie about the freedom of choice. Full of surprises, and deep in many ways. Highly recommended... This is one of the films you will not forget. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009151-box/
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Post by clericjay on Nov 13, 2009 13:50:43 GMT -5
I watched "Let The Right One In" the other evening ... an unconventional and excellent Swedish horror movie. Anyone interested can watch it here... www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHc_xf20baII heared a lot of positive reviews about this one. Hopefully I'll get it in front of my eyes one day. ;D
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Post by invisiblescientist on Nov 13, 2009 23:16:02 GMT -5
I have seen the 2012 movie, and despite its $260 million budget, it was far inferior to EQ which had a budget of only $20 million. From all the expensive special effects, only 10 minutes of the 2012 were watching (out of 158 minutes total.) The plot was executed in a totally superficial way. Moreover, the authoritative rottentomatoes.com website has a current rating of only 37 % for this movie. In fact, even though before the opening of 2012, temporarily some proponents of the film managed to jump in early and force the voting process to raise the rating to 80%, by the time the movie was released today, the rating declined to 27 % today. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/2012/In comparison, EQ has a rating of 36 % at rottentomatoes.com, which is essentially the same grade despite the much lower budget. But the story, the plot of EQ is far superior: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equilibrium/
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Post by invisiblescientist on Nov 15, 2009 22:51:53 GMT -5
I have seen the 2012 movie, and despite its $260 million budget, it was far inferior to EQ which had a budget of only $20 billion. From all the expensive special effects, only 10 minutes of the 2012 were watching (out of 158 minutes total.) The plot was executed in a totally superficial way. Moreover, the authoritative rottentomatoes.com website has a current rating of only 37 % for this movie. In fact, even though before the opening of 2012, temporarily some proponents of the film managed to jump in early and force the voting process to raise the rating to 80%, by the time the movie was released today, the rating declined to 27 % today. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/2012/In comparison, EQ has a rating of 36 % at rottentomatoes.com, which is essentially the same grade despite the much lower budget. But the story, the plot of EQ is far superior: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equilibrium/I've only seen the trailers for 2012 and even from those it just looks to me like another version of "The Day After Tomorrow." ( Oh and I think you meant $20 million budget for EQ. )And on a side note, for anyone interested in watching a varied assortment of full length movies/TV shows legally and for free online, check out Crackle.com's website... www.crackle.com/Yes, it was a typographical mistake, and I have corrected it. Actually The Day After Tomorrow was a much better movie than 2012, with a superior plot, and far more possible science fiction, with almost half the budget. Basically the world is becoming more and more superficial. Today rottentomatoes.com site raised the rating of 2012 to 39 % from 37 %, but this grade is still comparable to Equilibrium, which had a small budget, and it was an experimental film. If you have nothing else to do, it is OK to see 2012...
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Post by invisiblescientist on Dec 20, 2009 1:15:15 GMT -5
I have seen the Avatar in 3D, and even though the story is not very deep, this is a very well made movie. The new computer graphics is not only revolutionary, but it is made without too much junk or nonsense, and the film certainly does manage to get the audience emotionally involved (and this is not because of the 3D, the 2D version would also have the same emotional impact). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(2009_film)www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/Definitely worth seeing! And I almost forgot, in Avatar there is a slight (perhaps intentional) similarity with the Aliens movie made by the same director! The similarity is the materialistic "yuppie" corporate executive that was also in Aliens (different actor, but similar). Cameron made sure that Sigourney Weaver is very different from her role in Aliens, but perhaps intentionally added such a yuppie character. There are also a few intentional slight similarities such as militarism, but Avatar is a totally new movie in a class of its own.
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Post by clericjay on Dec 21, 2009 12:37:21 GMT -5
I have seen the Avatar in 3D, and even though the story is not very deep, this is a very well made movie. The new computer graphics is not only revolutionary, but it is made without too much junk or nonsense, and the film certainly does manage to get the audience emotionally involved (and this is not because of the 3D, the 2D version would also have the same emotional impact). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(2009_film)www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/Definitely worth seeing! And I almost forgot, in Avatar there is a slight (perhaps intentional) similarity with the Aliens movie made by the same director! The similarity is the materialistic "yuppie" corporate executive that was also in Aliens (different actor, but similar). Cameron made sure that Sigourney Weaver is very different from her role in Aliens, but perhaps intentionally added such a yuppie character. There are also a few intentional slight similarities such as militarism, but Avatar is a totally new movie in a class of its own. Have seen it! Loved it! Love all work of Cameron! Dream of making films of this class... ;D That's the short version, because I could fill many many pages with my impressions and I've only seen the 2D version.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Dec 22, 2009 0:09:13 GMT -5
I am convinced that the 2D version was equally great! Since you appreciated the Equilibrium movie, you have a good chance of becoming a great director. However, before you move to the United States, I would recommend that you should initially stay in Germany for several more years in order to study the European culture in more detail, so that when you finally move to Hollywood, you will have something original to offer. Otherwise you will be in danger of disappearing among the many ordinary commercial directors. Note that in the Equilibrium movie KW was helped by talented European artists when he devised the minimalist but noble scenes, and therefore, in some sense, this makes EQ a European movie. For instance, let me re-emphasize the depth and intensity of the Steppenwolf movie, which was adapted from Hermann Hesse's book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(film)www.amazon.com/Steppenwolf-Max-von-Sydow/dp/B000FUF7EOThis version of Steppenwolf made in 1974, had special effects which were revolutionary for its time, and at the same time it was also a modest and minimalist European movie. This Steppenwolf movie was a surreal fairy tale that I have seen in 1979, and its intensity and depth was such that I still remember it as if I have just seen it today. Thus if you can absorb the flavor of Steppenwolf movie, maybe you can later make a movie version of The Glass Beads Game, which was Hesse's Nobel prize winning book. You really do not need a large budget to make a movie version of Glass Beads Game, since it can be made in a castle, and remote European village, with mostly conversations and discussions, only good actors are needed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_GameAnyway, Werner Herzog made a remarkably good movie recently: Bad Lieutenant. This film is in New Orleans, and it is probably the best Nicholas Cage movie. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_lieutenant_port_of_call_new_orleans/
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Post by Aedh on Jan 5, 2010 1:27:00 GMT -5
Mira and I watched "Yo-Yo Girl Cop," a 2006 romp starring Aya Matsuura (Ayaya) and produced by the same team who made "Battle Royale." Interesting, quirky romp, basically a live-action anime complete with all the characteristic dialogue ("You bastards have spoilt my day, now I shall beat up all of you") and bizarre plot twists.
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Post by Aedh on Jan 11, 2010 12:59:18 GMT -5
Mira and I watched "Children Of Men." I don't think I would have liked the book, but the movie is a piece of art comparable with "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix."
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Post by Aedh on Jan 11, 2010 13:05:41 GMT -5
Mira and I watched "Children Of Men." I don't think I would have liked the book, but the movie is a piece of art comparable with "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix." Just after writing this I checked into Snarkerati.com's list of 50 greatest dystopian films of all time, where CoM, as it happens, ranks at 6 ... between "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix." Interestingly, EQ also figures on their list. At Number 50 ... which is not the worst place to be, as they rank from bottom up, so EQ pops up first when you bring up the page. I would say that anyone who hasn't seen "CoM" should, and a recommendation that strong from me is extremely rare.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Jan 11, 2010 23:10:23 GMT -5
Mira and I watched "Children Of Men." I don't think I would have liked the book, but the movie is a piece of art comparable with "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix." Just after writing this I checked into Snarkerati.com's list of 50 greatest dystopian films of all time, where CoM, as it happens, ranks at 6 ... between "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix." Interestingly, EQ also figures on their list. At Number 50 ... which is not the worst place to be, as they rank from bottom up, so EQ pops up first when you bring up the page. I would say that anyone who hasn't seen "CoM" should, and a recommendation that strong from me is extremely rare. I have seen CoM as soon as it was released, it was very good, and I still remember it. In the future history of the world maybe the next apocalyptic situation will not be exactly the same as in this movie, but the general atmosphere seems plausible. On this occasion, you might also find the Daybreakers movie very interesting, since it is an apocalyptic film noir with a lot of satire.
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Post by clericjay on Jan 14, 2010 14:00:03 GMT -5
Children of Men is definitely a "must-see-film" for everyone, who loves dystopian movies. I saw it during my London vacation in October 2008 for the first time. Maybe Mira remembers one of these days... But not only the story and characters impressed me, but most of all these amazing long-shots. When I saw the szene at the end, when he runs through this war-area I felt like walking next to him through a Kosovo-war town during an assault. I needed some time to realize that it was only one shot, amazingly choreographed (though I think that they made cuts, which are so perfact that you don't recognize them ).
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Post by Aedh on Jan 15, 2010 20:43:10 GMT -5
This DVD just arrived on our local rental racks to-day: Jennifer's Body. It appears to be about a cheerleader who is possessed by evil spirits. ClericJay, you are hereby deputed to watch it and give us a review.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Jan 17, 2010 12:23:51 GMT -5
Despite the current glut of post-apocalyptic movies, The Book of Eli is not bad. In this movie, after the nuclear war, almost all the bibles have been burned because people think that WW III was caused by religion. But Denzel Washington is in possession of the only surviving copy of the bible, and a lot of people are after him for that reason (especially the bad guys!) This subject might be interesting for the Equilibrium fans. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010488-book_of_eli/
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Post by clericjay on Jan 21, 2010 6:09:23 GMT -5
It's true, what was crawling around in my brain: I've already written a VERY similar story to "Avatar" back then in 2006. After checking my "ideas-folder" I found a concept, which was basing the same basic idea, but my version would have been way darker/pessimistic then Cameron's vision. Maybe I'll write it some day as some kind of "counterpart", but then the readers would compare it with the film too much. Well, my version is quite good I think, but it would be corrosponding with more negative emotions, so it really would be some kind of "reverse" of Avatar, starting at the same point and going into another direction... I like the idea more and more... ;D Well, "Jennifer's body" didn't seem interesting to me, when you take beauty Megan Fox out of consideration. I don't know if I'll find the time, but let's see, if I'll get it. In case I'll let you know. But thanx for appreciating my opinion. ;D
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Post by invisiblescientist on Feb 21, 2010 0:29:40 GMT -5
I have seen Shutter Island, and it is very good. This movie is somewhat connected with mind control, and so EQ fans should find it interesting. It has a lugubrious, sinister film noir atmosphere, and it is authentic. However, please do NOT look at the Wikipedia site for Shutter Island because that article is giving away the plot, which has some crucial surprises at the end of the movie. The surprises are shocking. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1198124-shutter_island/
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Post by Aedh on Feb 23, 2010 8:38:39 GMT -5
Rewatched "The Fifth Element" last night. OMG that movie is good, the rarest of gems; a comedy that can make me laugh again and again every time I see it.
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Post by invisiblescientist on Mar 14, 2010 23:01:59 GMT -5
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Post by Aedh on Mar 21, 2010 1:19:02 GMT -5
Just saw "Gattaca. " Struck me as being rather EQ-esque with the Elites and the In-Valids and all that. It took an effort of will not to see someone questioning Ethan Hawke about rearranging his desk.
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Post by clericjay on Mar 21, 2010 15:31:09 GMT -5
Shutter Island was really a good movie, but I had the right idea about what was going on right from the start and that took out some of the suspence, but it's worth seeing anyway. Leo and Kingsley acted very convincable. Fight Club's so f***ing awesome!!!
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Post by invisiblescientist on Mar 22, 2010 10:42:41 GMT -5
Mirabilis and Cleric Jay, I am glad you liked the Shutter Island movie. Until the end of the movie it was impossible for me to believe that Leonardo was simply the real mental patient or criminal. I always wanted to believe that it was a conspiracy even if there was something wrong with the Federal Marshal. Besides Kingsley and Leonardo, Max von Sydow was also a very good actor. Note that Max von Sydow is the main character in the Steppenwolf movie! The role of the first Rachel Solando character in Shutter Island was played by the English actress Emily Mortimer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_MortimerBut the role of the second (real) Rachel Solando was played by the American actress Patricia Clarkson. Clarkson was very convincing in this role, sounded very real and noble. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_ClarksonHere is a historical note: Apparently, in this film the scene where the American soldiers killed the S.S. guards of Dachau after they surrendered, was accurate. This really happened. Here is an article about this event: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_massacreBut maybe Kurt Wimmer could have made a version of the movie where there is really a government conspiracy for mind control!!! Shutter Island can be good inspiration for Wimmer!!!
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Post by invisiblescientist on Mar 22, 2010 10:43:33 GMT -5
Just saw "Gattaca. " Struck me as being rather EQ-esque with the Elites and the In-Valids and all that. It took an effort of will not to see someone questioning Ethan Hawke about rearranging his desk. Gattaca was a great movie!!!
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Post by clericjay on Mar 25, 2010 7:00:14 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing these background info about "Shutter Island". I've never heard about the "Dachau Massacre" before, but it doesn't surprise me, because history (and our history books ) are written by victors. Emely Mortimer caught my attention though she had a very short appearance in the movie, but her "screen presence" was astonishing. I like actors who catch one's attention though even if they appear only briefly (like Sean Bean as Partridge ).
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Post by invisiblescientist on Apr 6, 2010 19:04:07 GMT -5
For the Equilibrium fans who are interested in other movies about mind control and experimental drugs used in government conspiracies, etc, here is a forgotten but exceptionally original movie from 1990: Jacob's Ladder is a psychological horror movie about Vietnam, and it is full of surprises. This film is forgotten since 1990, but it has great reviews, and those who liked Shutter Island would find it very interesting. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jacobs_ladder/#
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Post by invisiblescientist on Apr 8, 2010 2:41:27 GMT -5
For the Equilibrium fans who are interested in other movies about mind control and experimental drugs used in government conspiracies, etc, here is a forgotten but exceptionally original movie from 1990: Jacob's Ladder is a psychological horror movie about Vietnam, and it is full of surprises. This film is forgotten since 1990, but it has great reviews, and those who liked Shutter Island would find it very interesting. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jacobs_ladder/#I saw that years ago...a completely brain melting movie...much like Angel Heart.I am glad you liked Jacob's Ladder, which was in some ways related to Shutter Island... Angel Heart also had comparable hallucinatory qualities. But on this occasion, let me mention another forgotten horror movie connected with drugs used in government conspiracies: Scanners (1981), directed by the redoubtable David Cronenberg, and this film is very underrated despite the high reviews: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1018315-scanners/
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