Nope1172's Movie Reviews
 

Here I will post all of my movie reviews and maybe other stuff sometimes. I will update every time I see a movie that is worth reviewing, and I really hope to be able to update this thread as much as possible.
RATINGS SYSTEM
- Perfect Movie
- Amazing Movie
- Great Movie
- Good Movie
- Mediocre Movie
- Bad Movie
- Horrible Movie
- Disgusting Movie
- Horrible Excuse For a Movie
- Calling it a Movie Would be a disgrace to Other Movies

MOVIE REVIEW INDEX:
1. In Bruges
2. Locke
3. Her
4. King Kong vs. Godzilla
5. Godzilla Raids Again
6. Laser Mission
7. Little Miss Sunshine
8. Casablanca
9. Rear Window
10. The Hurt Locker
11. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
12. Mad Max: Fury Road
13. The Nightmare Before Christmas
14. Fantasia
15. Sita Sings the Blues
16. The Big Lebowski

17. Pinocchio

18. Big Daddy

19. The Searchers

20. Sleeping Beauty

21. High Noon

22. Psycho

23. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

24. MASH

25. Mission:Impossible - Rogue Nation

26. The Lion King

27. The Gift

28. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

29. They Live

30. Forbidden Planet

31. Spirited Away

32. The Gold Rush

33. Inside Out

34. The Hateful Eight

35. Hail, Caesar

36. 10 Cloverfield Lane

37. After Hours

38. Ace in the Hole

39. Vertigo

40. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

41. Dracula

42. Frankenstein

43. Hell or High Water

44. The Mummy

All 2017 Movie Reviews Written in My Movie Diary Thread Here

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

In Bruges

In Bruges is a 2008 film directed and written by oscar winner Martin McDonagh, and I don't know why this man has only directed 2 feature films. The movie follows two hitman that are sent to Bruges by their boss to wait for further instructions after a hit gone wrong. Colin Farell plays 'Ray', a young and obnoxious hitman who wants nothing more than to leave Bruges and never come back. Brendan Gleeson plays 'Ken', Ray's more older, experienced partner, who wants to take in the beauty of the city while they are there. Both of the characters play off of each other in a hilarious way, and it adds to the black comedy of the movie. Ralph Finnes especially shines, even though he does not show up until 75% into the film. That's my brief rundown, now for spoiler time!



This movie has probably one of the best screenplays of recent times. the dialog between the main two characters can be hilarious, dramatic, and even sad when it needs to be. The writer and director, Martin McDonagh has a great way of grabbing the audience, and not letting go, his great work on this film allows the audience to feel completely immersed in the film. Don't even take my word for it, Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars, and called it a fantastic character study. The movie is on Netflix instant, and VOD. If you're looking for a funny, thrilling sad, heartwarming good time definitely check out In Bruges.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Ever Since Bronson, Tom Hardy has always been one of the most unique actors in the entire business. The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior, Inception, and his most recent hit Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom Hardy has proven that he knows how to play a character, but for some reason, none have ever been as unique as Ivan Locke. http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xdaofZfgV_Q/maxresdefault.jpg From the first few seconds of the film, to the last you can't tell what it is that Locke is thinking, or what he might do next. If you haven't seen the movie, you might be wondering why this Tom Hardy performance stands out from all of the others, and it's simple, he is the only performer. The entire film takes place inside of Ivan Locke's car as he takes phone calls from friends, family, and co-workers, that's right the ENTIRE MOVIE takes place inside of a car.

While this might sound like a tedious snooze-fest for some, this was one of the most riveting movies of 2014. Tom Hardy delivers by far the best performance of his career due to great direction by Steven Knight, who also wrote the screenplay. The reason that I am not telling you much of the plot is because I don't want you to know it. Please do not look up anything about this movie, go into it knowing nothing and you will have the best experience.

The main strong point of Locke is definitely the previously mentioned outstanding performance by Tom Hardy. The way that he can shape even the most bland characters into in-depth character studies is incredible and he is one of the most talented actors working today.

An interesting thing that I recently discovered after researching the film is that the entire movie was filmed like a play, it was all just Tom Hardy, siting in a car, driving down the highway, with three cameras pointed at him. They only stopped to replace the memory cards. This only impressed be more as I discovered the work and effort that both Tom Hardy and Steven Knight put into this film.



All in all, Locke was a great movie, and it didn't just ride on one gimmick *cough cough* Boyhood *cough cough*. I highly recommend it for practically anyone.

HER

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I have been a big fan of Spike Jozne ever since his directing debut Being John Malkovich, one of my personal favorites, and he has continued to maintain an almost perfect track record. From Adaptation to Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze has by far proved himself as a competent director, and this one film alone proves him to be one of the most creative and ingenious writers currently working.

Her is a movie about a recently divorced, and constantly depressed writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who starts creating emotional attachments to an AI Operating System named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). As the two characters begin to learn more about each other, they start to learn more about themselves, and eventually fall in love. The AI theme in movies is definitely not an original idea, but the way that the film uses the future is absolutely brilliant, and I give all credit to Spike Jonze and his Oscar-winning screenplay. I appreciate that the movie does not attempt to explain the science behind the creation of the Operating System, and also does not give a specific year for when the movie takes place. This movie sets up one of the most realistic visions of the future I have ever seen in a film, an emotionless world controlled by technology.

The film has a very unique way of tackling important social issues, without coming across as preachy. Many of the issues that are dealt with include, technology, relationships, trust, intimacy, and most of all, love. The great performances from both Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson help make the relationship feel genuine, and the two have real chemistry even though you don't even see one of them. Every single thing from the characters' job, to his friends all reflect and go in depth about one of the issues that the movie has to deal with. For example one of the main ideas of the movie is that people need to spend more real time together, instead of spending time attached to technology, and the main character's job is writing letters to family members for other people.

It is very likely that this future will end up being what happens in real life. People are to attached to technology, no one meets face to face anymore, and people have to rely on others to have emotions and speak to others. IN the end, this movie is one of the best acted, directed, and written movie of recent years, and is absolutely worth a watch.

Nice reviews there! I agree with your take on In Bruges-fantastic movie, while Locke was just ok for me.

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Recently I decided to watch every single Godzilla movie in order, and I think this is the greatest idea I have ever had. This is the third Godzilla movie in the franchise, and most of them have been nothing but fun. While the original Gojira has been haled as great political commentary, I simply watched as a giant man in a dragon suit terrorizing a tiny city filled with people whose voices don't sync with their mouths, however this did kickstart a hilariously incredible franchise.

The first sequel in the Godzilla franchise, Godzilla Raids Again was boring because the movie took itself too seriously, but Godzilla vs. King Kong is where the series first started getting weird. The film is about a wealthy business man who wants to capture another monster after Godzilla is awaken from the glacier he is placed in in the last installment. The business man then sends his two workers to a remote island to capture King Kong, the monster they worship. There is also a couple in the film, but all they do is take screen time away from what should be ape vs. lizard action. Many failed attempts at both defeating the monsters, and trying to add character development, Godzilla and King Kong both end up together with a few bets to settle (bets are literally made in the movie about who will win), and this is where the fun starts.

If there's anything that this movie does right it is that it's the most fun Godzilla movie out of the three that I've seen. I would definitely recommend grabbing some buddies and turning this movie on, it is pure fun. Also do yourselves a favor and skip past all of the parts with human characters in it. While this movie certainly is NOT a good movie, it sure is a hell of a lot of fun, and it definitely worth a watch to see two of the most iconic movie monsters face off.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Now this is the kind of crap that I enjoy. :up: If I may offer up a slight detour in your monster viewing, should the opportunity arise to see King Kong Escapes, grab it with both hands. That film is pure gold.

The IMDb plot description sounds incredible "King Kong is brought in by an evil ruler to dig for precious gems in a mine when the robot MechaKong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle that threatens to level Japan."

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN

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The second movie I saw in my Godzilla Movie Marathon, Godzilla Raids Again was the sequel to Gojria and as of now, this is the worst Godzilla movie I have seen. Warner Brothers marketing attempted to release this movie in America as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, as a way to create a whole different franchise with a different monster. Fortunately, the film was a major bomb in the US and they made a new dub, changing his name back to Godzilla.

In terms of the dreaded character development in a monster movie, this film is the biggest offender of that crime. The movie follows two pilots as they crash land on a desert island and discover you know who fighting a monster named Anguirus, a dinosaur-like creature who lived millions of years in the past with Godzilla, forming a rivalry between the two. The film then clumsily slaps a terrible love story filled with cringe-worthy acting in between half-assed fight scenes that did nothing but make me yawn. The failed attempt at an actual story is the biggest embarrassment of this embarrassing film. The characters are completely one-dimensional and unoriginal. The movie follows the stereotypical Godzilla movie cast of characters checklist, the stereotypical hero *check*, his girlfriend whose father owns a large company *check*, the goofball unfunny comic relief friend *check*, this film does this in such a terrible boring way, that it is painful to watch, and the characters and story are definitely the biggest flaw of this very flawed movie.

The issue that Godzilla Raids Again had was that it tried to hard to replicate the charm of the original, but just failed miserably. This movie took itself way to seriously, and just tried to be what it wasn't. This was the dark area of Godzilla movies in between the actually good, and the hilariously bad, where the movies were simply boring. If you ever get around to watching all of the Godzilla movies (which I would recommend) you might want to skip this one.

And it looks even better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrUFlFD4Lvo

I think this was the last film I saw which I just instantly loved.

Also, this is pretty good, too. I prefer King Kong Escapes, but still, if you like this stuff and Godzilla.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQ8FKGMHHk

I had my birthday recently and I got a dvd collection with 50 super campy Sci-Fi movies kind of like those two

I love all Godzilla, plus King Kong Escapes. As a kid, I always thought it was weird that the bad guy was called Dr. Who. I wondered at the time if he was supposed to be the same character as the U.K. Doctor Who but no.

Honeykid, thanks for posting that Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla medley. I've yet to see that movie although I've seen/own most of the Godzilla movies on DVD. I want to get this one but it starts at the price of $100 and climbs from there. There are three titles that are in that high-price area and I don't know why when the others are all at very affordable prices. Might be that they are about to go to Blu-Ray as I've seen quite a few of them steeply priced before they go Blu-Ray. Here's hoping.

Kudos to you, Nope, for digging into Godzilla.

You can grab it here

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

I've not watched a Godzilla movie in a very long time, so I won't comment on those, but huge thumbs up for the Her review.

Absolutely fantastic movie and, though I disliked Where the Wild Things Are and feel only lukewarm about Adaptation, I agree that Jonze is a unique and talented director. His Being John Malkovich is in my top ten, while Her would probably fall at #11.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Thanks for the tip, Nope! :cool:

LASER MISSION

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As I previously mentioned earlier on a separate thread, for my birthday I received a collection of 50 of the cheesiest and most hilarious sci-fi movies ever made, and I just think it might of been the greatest gift I have ever received. The first film I decided to watch from this collection was Laser Mission, which was more of and action movie than because there are no actual lasers in the entire film, but it was still cheesy and hilarious regardless. This film has enough cheesy one-liners, terrible actors, and terrible dialog to make any fan of so bad it's good movies call it an instant classic.

The film follows the late Brandon Lee as Michael Gold as he tries to rescue a brilliant laser scientist played by Ernest Borgnine from the KGB, who are trying to use his knowledge to create a laser weapon that will destroy the United States! Gold is helped by the professors' daughter played by Debi Monahan, and the two take out multiple military goons as they fight there way to the evil Colonel Kalishnov. Based on that plot description alone, you should already know exactly what kind of movie Laser Mission is. The funniest part of this entire movie is the terrible dialog. After Michael Gold crashes through a roof of a family eating dinner he say, "I just stopped by to say... bon appetite!" and this had me in stitches. The entire movie had be laughing, from the terrible acting, to the terrible editing, to the terrible editing, to the multiple plot holes.

Laser Mission was definitely a great time, and I will probably watch it again along with the other 49 movies left on the DVD collection. This movie was absolutely hilarious and I would recommend this for anyone who like movies like The Room, Birdemic Shock and Terror, or any of the Godzilla movies I reviewed before . This might have been one of the worst movies I have ever seen, but it was also probably one of the best movie watching experiences I ever had.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

For anyone wondering about that 50 sic-fi classics DVD I mentioned in my previous review, you can get it here

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

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In between watching movies such as Godzilla vs King Kong and Laser Mission I actually managed to squeeze in a great movie into my schedule. Little Miss Sunshine is one of those very few movies that really has true emotion in it. This film knows when to be hilarious, heartwarming, disturbing, and even depressing. The movie took home two oscars for its incredible screenplay and Alan Arkin's great performance, and was even nominated for best picture.

Little Miss Sunshine follows a incredibly dysfunctional family as they travel from New Mexico to California for their daughters beauty pageant. On the way they experience car troubles, a porn loving cop, and even Brian Cranston! The main highlight of this movie is the incredible characters that are brought to life by the incredible performances of all of the actors involved. The obsessive motivational speaker dad, the smoking depressed mom, a drug addicted grandpa, a gay suicidal uncle, a son who hates everyone, and a naive little girl who only wants to perform in her beauty pageant. All of the characters have incredible chemistry, and they play off of each other in an incredibly comedic way. While all of the characters are incredibly over the top, they remain relatable in some way. All of the emotions, issues, and problems that the characters have lead up to an incredible and hilarious climax.

Little Miss Sunshine is an incredible film, and if you somehow haven't seen it yet, go watch it now. If you enjoy dark comedy and hilarious dialog, this is a film that you will love. Every single actor including the eight year old Abigail Breslin delivers an outstanding performance and I especially enjoyed Steve Carell's depressed Steve, who failed a suicide attempt, and it was strange seeing such a comedic actor play such a serious role. Definitely worth a watch.

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When I first watched Casablanca I was only 9 years old, and was not nearly old enough to understand the genius and perfection behind this film. My grandparents showed it to me, and I liked it, but only because they told me I was supposed to. I knew that I had seen it, so I always just checked it off greatest movies of all time lists and moved on to watch other films. So it was tonight, with around $4 left in birthday iTunes money, that I finally decided to really watch and experience this brilliant masterpiece of a film.

As you probably already know, the film follows Rick Blaine, an American living in Casablanca during World War 2. He is the proprietor of a nightclub, and he is very surprised to see his ex-girlfriend Ilsa walk in. The story begins to unfolds as we learn more about their past together, the rise against the nazis, and the man that Ilsa arrived with. The story is able to flow so properly and seamlessly due to probably the greatest screenplay of all time. The film reminds me of a perfect blend of Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, and North by Northwest, three incredible films. The ending of this film rivals movies like Fight Club, The Gradate, and The Bridge on the River Kwai for the greatest of all time.

The greatest thing about Casablanca is its incredible characters. The cool and selfish Rick, the loving and sweet Ilsa, and many others. All of them have very clear objectives and boundaries, and every actor gives an oscar worthy performance. The film also shines on a technical level, using great lighting and shadows to show emotion and mood. The movie also has great music and directing.

Casablanca is an all time classic, and if you haven't seen it, don't be an idiot like me, go see right now. Despite having little to no action, this movie kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and was incredible to watch. This film was fantastic on a technical level, and all of it still holds up today. From the romance, to the action, to the dialog, this is a perfect movie, and there is probably nothing else I can tell you that you haven't already heard before.

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Before I watched Rear Window, I was incredible ashamed to say that I have only seen two Alfred Hitchcock films, now I have seen three. North by Northwest and Strangers on a Train are the other two films, and both of them were as incredible as this one. This film is one that you have to watch if you ever want to understand the master of suspense himself, for this is one of his best works (of the three that I have seen).

The film is about a recently wounded photographer played by James Stewart. He has broken his leg, and is stuck in home with only his girlfriend and nurse to keep him company. While in his wheelchair, he uses his camera to spy on his neighbors, and he spots what he believes to be a murder right across the street. The entirety of the film takes place in one room, so all of the camera views are from that room, even when you are looking into somebody else's home. This creates a large amount of suspense because the audience can do nothing while the action occurs in another building, and Alfred Hitchcock makes the viewer feel as if he is trapped in this room along with the photographer. This film would be fantastic on this setup alone, but the movie has an intriguing story, great characters, and brilliant writing. All of the buildup that occurs during the movie turns into an explosive climax.

The characters were very well done thanks to great performances. This was the first time in a movie that a spoiled female movie character was actually likable instead of annoying. I especially enjoyed Raymond Burr as Mr. Thorwald, who managed to be incredibly menacing and intimidating without even speaking on screen.

My Alfred Hitchcock marathon will continue, and hopefully I will like all of his films as much as this one. The talent and effort that goes into every single shot of this masterpiece is shown. I love movies with great endings, and this certainly has a great one that will stick in your mind far after the film is over. Alfred Hitchcock has already proven his genius to me, and I can't wait to watch more.

Wizard of Oz

:cool: *puts sunglasses on*

The wizard of oz is a stupid kids movie thats unrealistic. Also the scarecrow and the lion can talk and so can the robot. I mean the robot makes sense because some robots can talk but a lot... nah come on. The movie is about a girl who goes to sleep and wakes up in a town called muchkin land which is full of dwarfs. They run around and sing and she goes and meets a fairy (i mean come on) and they defeat a witch. May I also add that its not even a battle she just dies. Also may I add that none of the people who fight are boys like come on its kinda ridiculous. Then she meets a scarecrow who sings with her and then she meets the robot. The robot and the scarecrow are nice which is cool but they dont do anything cool. Then a lion scares them in the forest but he is actually nice as well (i mean come on why dont they have at least one battle). Then they meet a really scary face but it turns out its an old man in the green city and the mans name is OZ. The witch tries to defeat the girl but the one cool part is that she has powers and burns the witch. They all celebrate and go back to her farm where they transform into humans. Its a happy ending ( i mean come on) which means its a silly movie, so in all 8/10. :p

[ratin]5[/rating]

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Kathryn Bigelow has proven herself to be one of the greatest action movie directors since her ex-husband James Cameron, and The Hurt Locker is the greatest example of this. This film shows true talented directing, and it even got Bigelow an Academy Award, the first Best Director Oscar to ever be given to a female director. If you are not already convinced that she is one of the finest directors working today, watch either Zero Dark Thirty or Point Break and your mind will be changed.

The Hurt Locker is about Sergeant William James, a rouge veteran who becomes the new leader of a EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit during the Iraq war. The film follows him, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge as they try to stay alive until their rotation. The highlights of this film are the various bomb defusal scenes throughout the film. I appreciated the choice to not use music during these important scenes. Some people would make the mistake of thinking that adding music would add to the suspense, but most of the time it is exactly the opposite. By choosing to not use music at crucial action moments during the film made them even more intense and dramatic.

This movie shines much more on a technical level than anything else. The editing, sound design, directing, and cinematography were all some of the best I have seen from a more recent film. The slow motion was especially used very well in the film, much better than any current day action movies. The characters weren't anything too special, but the good performances allowed the audience to feel emotions towards them, and you never know whether or not any character could die in any given scene.

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is on of the greatest action movie to come out in the past ten years, and great directing, sound, and editing was what brought it to life. This was one of the Hollywood action movies that strays away from the typical tropes and clichés, and the effort definitely shows in the final product.

You lost me after this. It was such a good start, too. :D

MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR

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My expectations were set very high when I went to the theatre to watch Mad Max: Fury Road and they were met. The movie was enjoyable, and it only tried to be fun. However when I decided to watch Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, I used expectations for Fury Road, and they were surpassed. This film was a perfect mix of action, sci-fi, and fantasy, and they blended perfectly together for this film, and it much surpasses its slower paced Mad Max, and the more action-packed Fury Road.

After avenging his family's death, Max Rockatansky tries to protect an outside tribe from nomadic marauders trying to steal their gasoline. Max must deliver the gas 2,000 miles and help the tribe escape. Every single scene of this movie is completely action packed. From bikes to tankers to gyrocopters, the props and setting is used to it's fullest. Some of what makes the film hold up so well after 34 years is the use of only practical effects. CGI was not very popular when Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was released, and I could not imagine how much more I would have hated the film if they used CGI. The practical make every crash and death look so much more real, and it helped with the immersion of the film.

I can't exactly tell you why I enjoyed this film so much more than Fury Road, because they are definitely very similar films. If I had to pick a reason, I would say that it was surprisingly how much smaller Road Warrior was in comparison. Road Warrior is definitely not a small film at all, but much smaller than current day action films. I loved the uniqueness of every shot, character, location, and line of dialog. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is one of the greatest action films ever made, and I loved every second of it.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Good reviews. Members really need to start Repping more.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Gross Mad Max :p

You wrote a very good review though.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Glad you liked The Road Warrior. Excellent film, though despite having grown up watching it I actually prefer the more action packed Fury Road.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

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As I previously said in my Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior review, my expectations were set pretty high for Mad Max: Fury Road due to all of the praise surrounding it, and I would definitely say these expectations were met. This is probably one of the better recent action flicks, and it reminded me of movies like Speed where the action literally could not stop. While in my opinion it wasn't better than The Road Warrior this film was still very fun, and felt like it could proudly stand on its own, away from the trilogy.

The film follows Max and Furiosa as they try to steal a tanker from an evil dictator and bring his wives to a fantasy-like green place that Furiosa was born in. Unlike the more attached to civilization environments from the original trilogy, Fury Road replaces them with a barren wasteland of dust. I liked this choice for the movie because it makes the audience feel like there is no hope left at all, a theme the film seemed to be going for. To me this film was much more impressive on a technical level than anything else. While I was worried that the use of CGI would damage the film, I was glad to see that it wasn't over used, and when it was used, it was used very well. The lighting and color scheme was also great as the movie changed from the the bright orange day time to the light teal blue nighttime. While teal and orange is defiantly not an original color palette (look up teal and orange movie posters) I thought it was used very well in this film.

To me Mad Max: Fury Road did not feel like a Mad Max film, it felt like a post-apocalyptic action movie that was heavily inspired by the trilogy. They changed the character, the landscape, and the plot structure, and while this wasn't a bad choice, it made me leave the theatre thinking I didn't just watch a Mad Max movie.

All in all, even though it had its flaws, the movie didn't take itself too seriously and was simply fun. Watch the trailer, and if you think it looks like fun, then you will like the movie. Also if you liked this film, I would definitely recommend The Road Warrior because in my opinion it is much better. Mad Max: Fury Road was a lot of fun, and the best action movie yet this year.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

No. no. no. no.

+1 for EFFORT, but that rating is 2-3 stars too high.

You should write a review on it, I want to see what you have to say about it.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

I couldn't do a fair one for it. I was disgusted by it, and left before it ended. The first movie I've ever walked out of, actually.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

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I was never such a huge fan of musicals, but when I saw that the Animated Musical HoF was taking nominations, I decided to give it a shot. The first film I watched from all of the nominees was The Nightmare Before Christmas. I had seen the film before but not since I was very young, and I was skeptical if it would still be enjoyable as an adult, and I was pleasantly surprised. This movie had great visuals, catchy songs, and a good story, and it still held up.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington, the Halloween pumpkin king, and he becomes bored of the same old Halloween scares. He then stumbles across the holiday of Christmas, and decides to have him and the other citizens of Halloween town take over christmas. What I enjoyed the most about this film was the way they used the songs to progress the story instead of delaying it. All of the musical numbers, good or bad, were used to either advanced the plot or gave exposition, and doing the opposite is what I don't like about some other musicals. The movie got to the point and didn't waste your time. The claymation was also incredibly used, and the animation was another one of the main highlights.

While all of these things were good about the film, I think that it didn't do anything special to make itself stand out from other similar films. The music, visuals, and story were good, but there are other movies with much better music, visuals and stories. Because of this I wouldn't call this film great, just sort of ok. Some songs were very good and impressive while others sort of fell flat. This doesn't mean that I didn't like the movie, but it wasn't anything special. The Nightmare Before Christmas was a good start to the Animated Musicals HoF, and I can't wait to watch more.

That rating is at least a half a popcorn box too low, actually.

FANTASIA

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Despite its child-like animation, Fantasia is definitely not a children's movie. When I first saw Fantasia, I was about 9 years old, and I found it incredibly dull and boring. Rewatching it as an adult, I realized that it is a visual masterpiece. The soundtrack was brilliantly put together by Leopold Stokowski, and the visuals are fantastic, you could turn off the picture and just listen, or turn off the sound and just watch, and it would still be a great movie.

There is no continuos story during Fantasia, and the film is made up of 7 different segments. My two favorites of the 7 would be the finale, Night on Bald Mountain, and the now iconic Sorcerers Apprentice. The visuals used in the final segment was some of the greatest 2D animation I have ever scene, and it makes Fantasia probably the darkest Disney movie of all time. The Sorcerers Apprentice on the other hand, was just a great story with great music. I also very much enjoyed Meet the Soundtrack, but it was very short and not really a segment.

If there was any segment I didn't like so much, it would have to be Rite of Spring. The animation was nothing special, it dragged out for far too long, and I didn't care too much for the music. However I did appreciate that Disney did not shy away from showing some good old dinosaur carnage. Another thing I did not care for was when the narrator, Deems Taylor, would explain everything that happens in each segment before it appears on screen. He especially ruined the segment Dance of the Hours for me because not only did he describe what happened, but also what the symbolism behind the segment was. I would have much preferred if the film let the audience discover the symbolism on their own.

This film was one of the darkest, best scored, and most beautiful animated movies I have ever seen. Fantasia might not be so great for children, but if you enjoy classical music and great visuals, definitely give this one a watch.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES

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Sita Sings the Blues is probably one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. I decided to take a break from the Disney classics nominated for the Animated Musicals HoF, and chose to watch one of the more obscure films. During this viewing experience I learned about the Ramayana, learned about the story of Sita and Rama, and listened to some 1920's jazz music, and for the most part, it was very enjoyable.

In the film, three narrators tell the story of Rama and his beautiful wife Sita as they are banished into the woods for 14 years. There is also a side story about to lovers in a long-distance relationship, one in India, and one in New York. The movie had three main styles of animation. A flash animation used to tell the story of Sita, a more generic 2D animation used for the three narrators, and a very crude animation used for the long distance lovers that greatly reminded me of It's Such a Beautiful Day.

In my opinion the best part of the film was the conversations between the narrators. The director chose not to cut out the banter between them and even left in mistakes that they made telling the story. The actual story of Sita was where all of the musical number took place, and I was surprised to see that there was no original music. All of the music in the film were songs sung by Annette Hanshaw in the 1920s. It was very interesting to see that there was an almost perfect Annette Hanshaw song for practically every event that takes place in the story. The New York couple was ok, but in my opinion, could have been cut out of the film completely.

I surprisingly found myself really enjoying Sita Sings the Blues. I thought it was a very original, unique, and creative idea for a film, and it was very fun to watch. The story was interesting, the songs were fun, and animation was great. This film is absolutely worth a watch.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI

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What is it that makes The Big Lebowski so funny? Is it the brilliant script, the incredible characters, the great performances, or any of the other great things about this movie. The answer is all of the above, because The Big Lebowski is one of the only comedies that has all of these aspects.

The Big Lebowski is about a lazy, pot smoking, bowler, who, after a mistaken identity crisis, gets dragged into a confusing kidnapping case filled with nihilists, severed toes, and porn tycoons. Arguably the main strong point of the film are its incredible characters. The other Coen Brothers' films I really enjoy, Fargo and Burn After Reading have good character's too, but none of them stand out nearly as much. All of the characters are so over-exaggerated that they somehow become relatable. The other strong point is the incredible and hilarious script also written by the Coen Brothers. They are able to create scenes of dark comedy so well, that they are rivaled by no one.

The performances in this film are incredible for a comedy. Jeff Bridges and John Goodman are especially good as The Dude and Walter Sobchak, two best friends who work together perfectly. The two have such great chemistry, that any scene with them together is already comedic gold.

There is no one specific reason that The Big Lebowski is funny. The brilliant characters, the brilliant script, the brilliant actors, the brilliant directing, I could go on and on. This is one of the biggest cult films of all time, and it deserves that status.

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Proof that Pinocchio is one of the greatest musicals of all time is that every time a song started, I knew all of the words, and this was my first time watching it. This was the second Disney feature ever made, and probably, the best.

Pinocchio is about an old woodcarver who has his wish granted when his wooden puppet, Pinocchio, becomes alive. He and his conscience Jiminy Cricket are then sent on a long journey away from home, and try to get their way back. Like what I said before, the music is what really turns this movie into a timeless classic. The songs are so well woven together with the actual story, that it never feels like the plot is being stopped for a song. The best out of all the songs is 'When you Wish upon a Star', probably the most iconic film song after 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'.

I wish that more animated movies were still made using 2D animation, because the animation in this film is some of the most beautiful I had ever seen. Another movie I watched for the Animated Musical HoF, Fantasia, was also a great example of incredible 2D animation. This might just be my opinion, but newer CG animated movies like Inside Out and Minions look boring and unoriginal, and it isn't very often that we get a beautiful CG animated movie like How to Train Your Dragon. I just think it would be great if 2D animation wasn't completely dead.

All of that aside, Pinocchio isn't just one of the greatest Disney movies ever, but also one of the best animated movies ever, and if you somehow haven't seen it by now, watch it.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Great review, it's nice to know that someone else is a huge fan of Pinocchio! :up:

We have a lot of similar tastes in films!

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I am going to start off this review by saying that I think John Wayne is one of, if not the most overrated actor of all time. He always gives a stilted performance, he stumbles through his lines, and he delivers them with no emotion. But even though I don't like John Wayne, that doesn't mean I don't find his films enjoyable.

The Searchers is about a Civil War veteran who returns home to his family, only for them to be murdered soon after. He and his adopted nephew then go on a mission to find his kidnapped niece. What follows is the greatest cowboys vs indians tale ever put to film. One of the greats things about this movie is its use of landscape. Almost every single shot is absolutely breathtaking, and it is by far the most beautiful Texas has ever looked in a film. Even though the dialog can be awkward at points, I still think it is a very good screenplay that has moments of genuine humor and heart. Most of this heart comes from the love B-story that occurs in between the scenes of action. So while the landscape and cinematography made The Searchers a great western. The screenplay kept it from being boring.

The biggest problem I have with this film is no doubt the acting. I already told you that I hate John Wayne, but everyone else also gives a below par performance. The acting was either way too serious, or way too comedic and silly. For example, Jeffrey Hunter (Martin) gave a very over the top performance, while Ward Bond (The Rev.) gave such a silly performance that I couldn't take him seriously even when I was supposed to.

I used to think that once you've seen one western, you've seen them all, but this film proved me wrong. It was unique, entertaining, and most importantly, fun. If you like westerns, watch this film, luckily John Wayne didn't ruin it.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Good reviews Nope, enjoyed reading them :)

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Nice thread. Keep them coming.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Thanks guys, it really means a lot

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I was never a very big fan of princess movies, not because I thought they were too girly, just that they were all the same. Except for some exceptions like The Little Mermaid every princess story seemed to bore me. Because of this, I tried to put away watching any princess movies nominated for the Animated Musical HoF, but unfortunately, I had to eventually.

Sleeping Beauty is the animated version of the classic 1967 Brother's Grimm tale that I'm sure all of you know by now. The most enjoyable part of this film is by far the animation. I have said before in previous reviews that I think movie studios should return to 2D animation, because it looks so much better that anything made today. Movies like Pinocchio and Fantasia amazed me with the beauty of every frame, and today's animation is boring and forgettable. Another thing the movie has going for it is the runtime. I enjoyed that the movie did not go on for too long, and didn't shove in filler to try and make it any longer. It sat at a very nice 76 minutes.

While Sleeping Beauty was over fast, that does't mean it didn't still bore me. I especially felt sleepy during the scenes where the only thing the characters did was talk. Animation can be used to show literally anything on screen, and I felt that they did nothing special with this. Animation should be used for huge spectacles and great adventures, not conversations and flower picking. Besides a few good scenes, I don't think the film did anything to stand out.

I definitely didn't hate Sleeping Beauty even though that's what it might sound like, and the scenes that were good, were very good. I think this is a very good children's movie, but not much else besides that.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Great reviews Nope! I agree with you on The Searchers, great film! I haven't seen Sleeping Beauty yet which is one of the very few classic Disney's that I have yet to watch.

Keep them coming! :up:

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

I loved the CinemaScope widescreen in Sleeping Beauty, so beautiful and together with that very corner-cutted artistic animation it was stunning to look at. I don't think the animation needed much really, but the story could've been more tightly written, though I like its almost magical and poetic pace and approach. Maleficent is an awesome villain and the film has a great climax. My rating went down a tiny bit last time, but it's still one of Disney's finest works imo.

Good review. :up:

I completely agree. The "good scenes" I mention in the review mostly involve her.

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I recently said in another review that The Searchers was my favorite western of all time. I would like to immediately retract that statement, because soon after writing the review, I saw High Noon.

High Noon is the story of a formal marshall who is shocked to hear that a criminal he once sent off to execution, is coming back for him. He then has only a few hours to recruit as many deputies as he can. The greatest thing about this movie is that it takes place mostly in real time. This was way ahead of its time in 1952 when the film was released. Most of the story follows five different character, the former marshall, his wife, his deputy, his ex-lover, and the men who are waiting to pick up the criminal. The movie switches between all five stories seamlessly, and makes us interested in every one of them. I original applauded The Searchers for being the most straight forward western I had ever seen, and I applaud High Noon for doing exactly the opposite. Gary Cooper played the lead role very well, much better than John Wayne ever has. All of the acting in this film was incredible, especially for its genre. The only problem that I have with this film is that some of the main character look alike, and that confused me.

As of writing, this is the best western I have ever seen. The music, the acting, the writing, the story, everything falls together perfectly. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Nice review. :up:

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I really wish I was alive in 1960 to see this film when it first was released. When I first watched this movie a few years ago, I pretty much already knew all of the spoilers there were to know, and while I still loved it, I could have loved it so much more.

Psycho is about a woman named Marion Crane, who steals $40,000 and runs away from home, and on her way, she decides to stop at the Bates Motel. This movie reinvented the psychological thriller, and it's amazing that Alfred Hitchcock could still reinvent things after he'd already been in the business for 30 years. He knew exactly how his audience would react to things, and used that skill perfectly. I don't know why, but I think my favorite thing about this movie is its music. From the opening credits the music jumped me right into the movie, and I knew exactly how I would feel for the rest of it. The music gave off a haunting vibe that was intensified further by the great acting and cinematography. Even though this isn't me favorite Hitchcock (that honor belongs to North by Northwest) it is still one of his best.

Another thing that was very impressive about this movie was the use of shadows. Many other Hitchcock films use lighting for dramatic purposes as well, such as Notorious and Rear Window, but none were used just as well. Shadows and lighting were used to show how a character is feeling, who has the power in a scene, and it was also used to foreshadow the plot. Mirrors were also used frequently during the film for the same reasons.

This review is shorty than my other ones, because there is really nothing to say about Psycho that hasn't already been said. This is the greatest horror movie of all time, and even though I'm not a very big horror fan, I can still respect its genius. If you haven't seen this movie yet, get off of Movie Forums and watch it right now.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

I agree wholeheartedly Nope, Psycho is probably the best horror movie of all time. And yes the music is legendary! If you noticed during the opening credits composer Bernard Herrmann is listed second to last, just before Hitchcock. That proved that everyone involved knew beforehand just how amazing the soundtrack was.

I had noticed your rating in the other thread for High Noon. I think I'm going to watch it in the next week.

Nice reviews!

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Some people might not see it, but South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is a very meta movie. The Terrence and Phillip movie Asses of Fire is pretty much an analogy for this movie, and the rest of the film is an over-exaggerated reenactment of how people reacted to the movie. When I first saw this film, I saw it as nothing more than some fart jokes and a bunch of cursing, but now that I am seeing it again at an older age, I realize that it is actually brilliant satire of censorship and the MPAA.

The film follows Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman as they see the new Terrence and Phillip movie. This causes them to become more vulgar and rowdy, and the rest plays out like an long South Park episode. I was always was a fan of South Park, and would watch it whenever it came on, and this film is made for South Park fans, so obviously I would enjoy it. The humor of the show is a very specific type of comedy, and doesn't stray from that, so people who do not like that comedy, don't like all of South Park, and people who like that comedy, love all of South Park. This is why in the Animated Musical HoF, everyone who participates either hates the movie, or loves it. You can pretty much separate the whole world into people who like South Park, and people who don't.

Like Monty Python and the Holy Grail every single line of this film is a joke. There is no moments where they comedy is stopped. Even when they are trying to deliver a serious message, they always do it in a comedic way. The actual jokes are very funny, and are exactly what I expect from Trey Praker and Matt Stone, but I think that there are episodes of South Park that are more funny, and I wish that they went all out for the movie. Because instead of watching this movie, I would just recommend you to watch the 4 best episodes of the show back to back, it would be more funny. This isn't really a huge problem, and it didn't lose the film many points, but I think you should only turn a TV show into a movie, you have to do something you can't do on TV. This is the same problem I had with The Simpsons Movie.

And now about that brilliant satire I was talking about earlier. A while ago I watched a documentary called This Film is Not Yet Rated it was a documentary about the MPAA, and how they constantly like to screw over filmmakers. Violence and blood barley bother them, while cursing and sex make them give films the dreaded NC-17 rating. There are many cleverly hidden lines about the MPAA in this film, and I imagine must have been hard to get past them. There were lines in the film were they said that violence is fine for children, but how dare they say certain words. Isn't "sticks and stones may break my bones" what we teach children? One of my favorite things about South Park is that it is always the children that realize when something is bad instead of the adults. I now see this movie as an argument against censorship, and I think that it is much smarter than many people give it credit for.

I have now tried to explain why South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is pretty brilliant. In my opinion, the whole movie was an analogy for censorship, and they threw a Saddam and Satan love affair in there just for fun. I think Terrence and Phillip represented freedom of speech, and MAC was the MPAA. It is a very far-fetched theory, and is probably wrong. This review was way longer that I thought it would be, so I'm gonna end it now. If you like South Park, like satire, and don't mind some cursing, this is the movie for you.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

Nice review. I haven't seen Southpark in years so i can't really give an opinion. I don't think i'd enjoy it now because the whole South Park ship has sailed for me.

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I had recently finished the show I was watching, and decided to move on to something different. At the top of the recommended list I saw M*A*S*H, the iconic television show that was based of of this iconic movie. Since I can only watch things in order, I knew I must watch the film before I begin the show, am I'm very glad I made that choice.

MASH is the story of a group of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital officers as they perform spend their time in between surgery. Much like a film like Animal House, there is no continuous story throughout. Instead each scene is a smaller contained story, and they all come together to form a bigger over-arching picture. The humor in this film is exactly my type, and the writing is most of the reason I enjoyed the film so much. The screenplay was written by Ring Lardner, Jr. and it was based on the novel by Richard Hooker. This might be one of the finest screenplays of all time, let alone for a comedy. This script won Lardner the oscar.

Aside from the screenplay, I also very much enjoyed the acting. Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould have great chemistry. Gary Burghoff and Robert Duvall also stood out. The great performances were absolutely necessary to bring alive the great characters written int he script, and every actor delivered. My favorite scene in the movie was the football scene. I thought it was hilarious, and would even call it one of the funniest movie scenes I've ever seen. If there were any problems I would have with this film, it would be the beginning. I thought the first 15 or so minutes of the film were very dull, boring, and unnecessary.

MASH was a very fun movie, and I would recommend it for everyone. The humor is very original, and it still holds up today. Now I have eleven seasons of a show to watch.

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I was neves a huge fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise. The only other installment in the series I had seen was Ghost Protocol and I would probably just describe it as "meh". So when my friends and I decided to go see Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, I was expecting that same meh quality, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The film follows Ethan Hunt, who is forced to track down the Syndicate, a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order. He and his team must also face the CIA, after the IMF is disbanded. The biggest problem I had with the movie was the use of exposition. Many of the scenes were just people talking to each other, and over-explaining the plot. This is something that frequently occurs in action movies, and is the biggest issue with the genre. What I enjoyed about films like Mad Max: Fury Road is that it knew it was an action movie, and didn't have a large amount of boring talking scenes, just action. I enjoyed the characters, even though they were very clichéd. My favorite character in the film was Simon Pegg's I thought he was the most unique, and was much easier to relate to than Ethan Hunt. I am glad he got more screen time in this film than in Ghost Protocol.

The thing that this film by far does the best is action. Everyone has now heard of Tom Cruise hanging on to a plane, but there were also many other fun action sequences I was glad they didn't spoil in the trailer. My favorite scene in the movie was the opera scene. I loved how we were discovering what was happening while it was happening. They realized the audience was smart enough that they didn't have to explain to us what was going on, something many action movies do. I also enjoyed the underwater sequence, even though it was very cheesy and over-the-top. I also tried and miserably failed to hold my breath along with Tom Cruise. The car/motorcycle chases were also fun.

I would not go to this film if you are expecting anything more than a good time. If you liked any of the other Mission:Impossible films, you will like this one. I thought it was done well, or at least could have been done a lot worse.

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It has been a very long time since I last saw The Lion King, and I just remember loving it as a kid. I would always sing a long with the song, and have a great time watching it. I still enjoyed the film when I watched it now, but for much different reasons.

This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba, the heir of his father Mufasa, and Mufasa's evil brother then stirs up an evil plan to take control of the crown. The plot is about as straight-forward as a disney story can get. There is villain, a hero, and a clear cut message to wrap the whole thing up. The songs in this film are some of the best out of any animated musical. My favorite as a kid and as an adult is still 'I Just Can't Wait to be King'. I used to play the song on repeat in the car and drive my parents crazy. All of the songs still hold up, and I wouldn't call any of them weak or lazy. I don't know why, but I enjoyed the film much better when Simba was a kid vs when he was grown up. I thought that the first half of the movie was much more fun and exciting than the slightly darker second half.

I don't know how many times I have to say that 2D animation almost always looks better than 3D animation. I'm not saying there aren't beautiful 3D animated movies like How to Train Your Dragon and Rango, but these look so much better. Pinocchio, Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, and this film are some of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, let alone in animation. I would be so happy if more studios went back to making 2D animated movies instead of the boring looking animation we use today. I have already said this in pretty much all of my reviews for the Animated Musical HoF, so I probably won't say it again.

This film was just as fun as I remember it, and it was definitely a good time. Great music, great animation, and a great story all came together to create one of Disney's finest films.

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The only reason I went to see The Gift in theaters was because Straight Outta Compton was sold out. I was expecting nothing more than a cheesy, stereotypical thriller staring a comedic actor who wants to be taken more seriously, but what I got, was something completely different.

The movie follows a married couple who unexpectedly encounter Gordo, an acquaintance from Simon's past. Little do they know that their perfect lives will be thrown into a terrifying tailspin. What I enjoyed most about this film was the way that it was able to slowly reveal information that made the audience quickly change their opinion on each character. It was able to blur the lines between good and bad. I could easily see this movie being directed by someone like David Fincher, a man who masters drama through information. I was surprised to see that Joel Edgerton wrote and directed the film as well as staring in it, and this was a great directorial debut. Another great thing about this movie were the performances. I have been a fan of Jason Bateman ever since Arrested Development, but I never knew he was such a talented dramatic actor. Each character in the film has their moment to shine, and all of the actors do a very good job. The cinematography was done very well. The movie used slow moving cameras to give off an eerie thrilling vibe and it worked very well.

While there were a few jump scares in the movie, it didn't rely on them to frighten the audience. Towards the end of the movie especially I was on the edge of my seat. I love movies with good endings, and this had a great one. Me and my friend were theorizing long after the credits had rolled, and I can see the many different opinions that people can have about the movie. It is a film that you need to sit back and actually think about for you to fully appreciate it, and that is a rarity in modern thriller movies.

I have never been so pleasantly surprised with a film since The Lego Movie, and I would recommend this film to almost anyone. If you enjoy David Fincher or Alfred Hitchcock, you will love this movie, and I will be looking forward to Joel Edgerton's next film.

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I can proudly saw that Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome goes up there with Back to the Future 3 and Spiderman 3 for being one of the most disappointing movies of all time. Notice a pattern? Not only was this a weak and pathetic end to an incredible trilogy, (now quadrilogy) but it was an offense to the Mad Max name.

"What's the big deal about Mad Max?" I'm going to tell you. The original Mad Max was one of the heavy hitters in the Australian New Wave (something I'm not going to go much detail into, but you can research it on your own if you want), and it's sequel, The Road Warrior, is arguably the greatest action movie of all time. Many directors such as Guillermo del Torro, David Fincher, James Cameron, and Robert Rodriguez, have all said that The Road Warrior has been an inspiration in their work. This entire legacy was completely sh*t on by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

The worst thing about Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is it's lack of action. There is only about 10 minutes of car driving in the entire film, and it is saved until the very end. I will admit that the fight between Max and Blaster was entertaining, but that was just about it. Max's main allies in the film is the Lost Tribe, sounds cool huh? Well it looks good on paper, until you realize that the Lost Tribe is a group of whiny, obnoxious Goonies rejects that just wandered onto set one day. A good half of the film is dedicated to The Lost Tribe, and it's annoying as hell.

I would like to meet the person who thought it would be a good idea to let Tina Turney act in a film, and I would like to slap that person across the face. All of the performances in this film are laughable, and the only person that holds their own is Mel Gibson, but he was still lacking.

I would go into more detail about why I dislike this film so much, but I find myself getting mad just writing about the film, so I think I'm gonna stop here. Watch the three other Mad Max movies, they are a wonderful example about how to make a great action movie, but Mad Max Beyond Tunderdome is a wonderful example of how to ruin a trilogy.

Re: Nope's Movie Reviews
 

I like Thunderdome. :shrug:

I don't think it's great or anything, but I certainly wouldn't accuse it of ruining anything. I found it entertaining.

We have pretty different opinions on movies.

Trust me, you are not the only one. :D

I didn't like Thunderdome at all back when it came out. I also prefer Mad Max to The Road Warrior.

THEY LIVE

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The greatest thing about They Live is by far its amazing concept. All of the advertisements, propaganda, and images that surround are daily lives make a lot more sense if they were there because aliens from another planet are using them to try and brainwash us.

The movie follows George Nada as he slowly discovers that everything around him is not as it seems after he discovers sunglasses that show him what the world really is. Because of this fantastic concept, the movie is able to have tension and action throughout the entire film. The main character is played by the late Roddy Piper, and he does a surprisingly good job for a pro-wrestler, and he delivers probably the greatest action one-liner of all time. He is able to give a good blend of badassness and reliability to the character. Most of my enjoyment from the film came from its cheesiness. There is a hilarious wrestle-like fist fight that occurs between to characters, and it is hilarious and entertaining throughout.

This is simply one of those movies like Guardians of the Galaxy or Mad Max: Fury Road that you can't dislike because it's just so fun. This is actually the first John Carpenter movie I have ever seen, and it defiantly makes me want to check out his other movies even more. If there was anything bad I would say about the movie it would be that some of the character motives didn't really make sense, and some actions were confusing at times.

Anyone who likes sic-fi or action will enjoy this movie, and have a great time watching it. I would defiantly recommend it to anybody and everybody.

I love They Live. Such a fun movie. Oh and just to nitpick, Piper's character is called 'John' Nada, not George.


Wow really? Well you're in for quite a treat when it comes to discovering his other work. Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog, Christine, Starman, Escape from New York etc; the man made a lot of fun films.

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In my opinion 50s sic-fi is one of the most interesting and fun genres to watch. The ideas were new and fresh, and they all had that B-movie low budget charm that I have come to love, and Forbidden Planet is the crème de la crème.

This was one of the first films of its time to send humans to space instead of aliens to earth, and it was done incredibly well. Most of the reason this was done so well was because of the incredible set design and special effects, most of witch even hold up today. The film follows a spacecraft travels to the distant planet Altair IV to discover the fate of a group of scientists sent there decades earlier. They find the brilliant Dr. Morbius, his daughter, and their helpful and lovable robot Robbie. A great part of this film is how well done the "science mumbo-jumbo" talk is used. I completely understood everything that was going on, instead of other sic-fi movies where I have no clue.

The thing I loved most about the film were the aforementioned sets, props, and SFX. The technology looked like something that would pass in modern sic-fi movies, and all of the scene with the monster were done perfectly. The only real problem I had was with the stiff action, especially from Leslie Neilson, but it was still fun to see one of my favorite comedic actors so much younger. The script was put together very well, and the story was fun and entertaining throughout.

Forbidden Planet is one of the greatest sic-fi movies of all time, let alone the 1950s. The movie was unique, fun, beautiful, and it defiantly paved the way for science fiction films in the future.

Haha good one! :p

I will defiantly check all of those out soon, I've also had The Thing, Halloween, and Big Trouble in Little China on my watch list for a while.

:furious:

Nice to see your take on Forbidden Planet because I'm going to watch it soon.

Nice to see your take on They Live because it's awesome.

Forbidden Planet is one of my all time favorites. I first saw it as a kid at a drive in with my parents and was completely blown away, and scared when the ray guns outlined the monster from the Id. I didn't see it again until I was an adult and still think it was one of the classics of that era. It has a place of honor on my video shelf along with The Day the Earth Stood Still, the 1950 version of course. I still want to know how that computer in Robbie's head, the one with the clicking things, worked.

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For a very long time I've always wanted to get into anime movies, but for some reason, I never did. I always heard nothing but incredible things about this movie, and it was on my watchlist for a long time, but I never got around to it. I was so glad to see when it was nominated for the 8th Hall of Fame, and immediately but it at the top of my netflix queue.

Spirited Away is about a young girl named Chihiro who accidentally stumbles into a bath house for spirits with her parents. She then must work for a witch to save her parents and escape from the resort. If you have read some of my other reviews of animated films, you will know that I much prefer 2D over 3D animation, and this film is a prime example of why. This is one of the most beautifully animated films I have seen in a while, and possibly one of the most stunning ever. If it were't for the visuals, there is no way that the magical fantasy world this film takes place in would have come to life like it does. This, along with movies like Pinocchio and Fantasia should prove to people that 2D is the way to go, instead of the bland and boring animation most movie studios stick with today.

Along with the animation, the story and characters are what really drive the movie for me. Every character in this movie is original, creative, and has a unique personality. This film wasn't based on any book, tv show, or comic, and it is probably one of the most original films ever made. That is probably the reason I loved this film, its originality. After seeing this film, I became very interested in Hayao Miyazaki, the writer and director of the film, and I will be planning watching his other films My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle sometime soon.

This movie defiantly introduced me to the world of anime, and I'm excited to watch more. This is the first film I have watched for the 8th Hall of Fame, and so far, it's off to a great start.

Thanks for this thread, Nope. Out of those I saw, I disagree only on Mad Max. I give it 0.1 points less than you do. My favorite is The Big Lebowski. There are many that I love, Rear Window, for example. I love those funny details of Alfred's. Like the little dog that goes up and down on a lift. Can I recommend maybe some films of his or in general?

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Great review Nope! I agree, Spirited Away is one of the very best when it comes to animated films. My favorite from Miyazaki is Spirited Away, Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Do check out Totoro when you get the chance! Just a heads up though—don't expect the vast, epic scope that Spirited Away had. Totoro is a lot more lighthearted and laid-back, which is a big reason why I like it so much! If you want another "epic" story, then check out Princess Mononoke, which is amazing as well!

I actually haven't seen much Hitchcock. The only ones I have seen as of now are Rear Window, Psycho, Strangers on a Train, and one of my all time favorites, North by Northwest. I have also seen half of Vertigo, and I'm planning on watching the rest of it sometime soon. While I love all of those movies Psycho is probably my least favorite, even though it is his most critically acclaimed.

I also have had all of those on my watchlist for a while now. Someday I will probably do a Miyazaki marathon, something I have done with many other directors when I fell I haven't seen enough of there movies.

I think you might love the end of Vertigo. I don't wanna spoil it for you, but it's definately impressive, imho. I actually thought it's the most critically acclaimed. Psycho is my least favorite too (out of those), I'm not that much into horror.

Why not try Rebecca? It's his first US film, I think, from '40, with Olivier and Joan Fontaine. It was my grandmother's fave. :) Well, with the probable exeption of Gone With The Wind.

I love/like all of his I've seen, I'll try to recommend in order: (this is just my opinion, of course)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Vertigo
The Birds
Marnie
Strangers On A Train
Dial M for Murder
The Lady Vanishes
Under Capricorne
Torn Curtain
Frenzy
The Wrong Man
I Confess
Rope
To Catch A Thief
The Trouble With Harry
Family Plot
Topaz

They must of runned a cycle of his films on TV here dozens of times, it was each day for months! (during each cycle)

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This is the 4th Charlie Chaplin film I have seen, and he continues to amaze me. All of the amazing things he was able to do long before modern technology blows my mind. Besides Modern Times (one of my all time favorites) I think this is his most impressive work.

The Gold Rush follows the Tramp and his run ins with a convict, a successful prospector, and a beautiful woman during the search for gold in the Klondike gold rush. While this isn't my favorite film of his, I do think it is the best portrayal of the tramp I have yet to see. In other films, the tramp is just an average guy who falls victim to a domino effect of incredible coincidences, but in this film he has much more detailed emotions. You feel truly happy when he wins, and very sad when he doesn't. There is one scene in particular that was extremely emotional due to great performances from both Chaplin and the leading lady, Georgia Hale. This is stuff you don't normally get of of Chaplin films, and I loved it.

Along with the acting, this film had great practical effects, especially for the 1920s, particularly the two main scenes in the cabin. Both of these scenes show the incredibly physical acting that Chaplin can do. I can't imagine how hard it must be to pretend a house is slanted, and he did it perfectly. I also believe this film originated the 'I'm hungry so I think my friend is food' gag, and it is the only film I've seen that has done it successfully.

Overall this film had great performances, great practical effects, and that special Chaplin charm only he can achieve. This film is fantastic, and anyone who has enjoyed any of Charlie Chaplin's other films, should really check this one out.

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I tried to watch In Bruges once a couple of years ago and turned it off about twenty minutes in, but I have read so much positive stuff about the film on this site that I think I'm going to have to give it another chance.

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Love your review of Her, a movie that I've been curious about for awhile, but your review definitely made me want to see it.

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Your review of Little Miss Sunshine is on the money and I totally agree with you regarding Steve Carell...I would have nominated him for an Oscar before Arkin, whose award I think was a body of work/lifetime achievement thing. Also loved the always watchable Toni Collette, an actress you never catch "acting."

Still some solid reviews in here, Nope. :up:

So glad you liked Gold Rush too. Can't remember if I asked, but I hope The Great Dictator is among those four of his that you've seen. :)

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Really enjoyed your review of Rear Window, a movie I have never seen but now, thanks to you, will be adding it to my watchlist.

Definitely give In Bruges a second try, it's fantastic

It is, the four I have seen are Modern Times, The Gold Rush, The Gread Dictator, and The Kid. I like them from best to worst in that order.

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While I did end up enjoying this movie, I felt like it was another case of a pixar film being over hyped. This film was nowhere close to the quality of Finding Nemo or Monster's Inc. I personally didn't think the film was anything more than a fun concept.

Inside Out takes place inside inside of a young girl's head after she moves to San Fransisco. While I did enjoy the concept, I would't necessarily call it original. The idea of emotions being people inside your head has been used before, and I didn't think the character's were so original either. The only reason I am bringing this up is because this film was hailed as "Pixar's most original film". This being said I did enjoy parts of the film and thought they were somewhat original and creative. For example I thought the dream production scene was very fun and interesting. The thing that bothered me most about the writing and story was just how bipolar Riley was. No other human character in the film seemed to act as irrationally as she did. One second she would be happy about sliding down the stairs, and then she would just start crying about sliding down the stairs. I didn't make much sense. Also did it not bother anyone else how the emotions in everyone else's heads had the same hair and look as the people they were inside, but not Riley's. This didn't take away from me liking the film, it just was bothered me.

My other main problem with the film was the animation. There was nothing wrong with it particularly, but it just wasn't special. I have mentioned many times before in the past that I much prefer 2D animation over 3D, and I think this is a perfect example. Look at the beautiful hand-drawn animation from Pinocchio and compare them to the somewhat boring animation from modern pixar films.

Even with all of these negatives I was entertained throughout the film. While it does not come nearly as close to the quality of Toy Story, Wall-E, or Up, it is better than either of the Cars movies or Brave. Defiantly not my favorite Pixar movie, but at least it wasn't the worst.

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Enjoyed your review of this movie and will definitely be watching it at some point...I loved Being John Malkovich and Adaptation so loving this should be a no-brainer.

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I think you were a little hard on this movie...Sandler has done at least half a dozen films that are worse than Big Daddy.

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I have seen bits and pieces of this movie but have never seen it from beginning to end...my recent watch of Hitchcockand your review have made me want to actually watch the entire film.

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Damn, Gideon. That's Hitch's best film. Get it seen. :tsk:

I guess that's an order, Honeykid?

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:yup:

Go forth and get Psycho'd :D

It's true that Big Daddy isn't his worst, but you can't say it's alright just because it's not as bad as all the others.

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Quentin Tarantino has been my favorite director for as long as I have had a favorite director. The stylization, dialogue, and violence in all of his films are incredible each time. The Hateful Eight was no exception.

The film follows bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth as he is bringing criminal Daisy Domergue into the town of Red Rock to be hanged. After picking up two hitchhikers, his stagecoach is forced to stop at a nearby haberdashery due to a heavy blizzard. The film takes place in five different chapters, each bringing the story in a completely different direction, and one of my favorite aspects of the film was the fact that it mostly took place in real time. As with every other Tarantion film, the dialogue was a highlight. This being said, The Hateful Eight was an incredibly new direction for Tarantino.

Since the film was a western about bounty hunters, I was expecting the movie to be very similar to Django: Unchained. Instead the film actually shared many similarities with my favorite Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs. The film was about a group of shady characters trying to decide who among them is a traitor, and the two films hit some of the same beats. Even tough it was market as one I didn't feel like this film was a mystery. I won't spoil anything, but there weren't any clues that led to the final result, at least, not any the audience would notice. As I previously said, each chapter in the film takes the story in a new direction. The film starts as a western, becomes a whodunit, and it all results in an incredibly bloody finale.

Even though I wasn't lucky enough to see the film in 70mm, it still looked incredible. The movie was very stylized, and that was one of my favorite things about it. I have talked with many people who said they thought this was one of Tarantino's weaker films, but I have to disagree. I really enjoyed this movie even though it had a few flaws, including the slow beginning and lengthy running time.

Overall I enjoyed this film as much as I expected I would, but I thinks this is a film that requires you to be a Tarantino fan to enjoy. If you love Quentin Tarantino as much as me, you will love this movie.

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When watching the trailer for Hail, Caesar! you will probably be severely misled. When I first watched the trailer, I believed this would be a mystery about a kidnapped actor at a large 1950s movie backdrop. While this was a part of the story, I wouldn't say it was the main plot. The main story really follows a film exec as he struggles to solve the issues that arise from different actors and directors, one of which happens to be a kidnapping.

While I did enjoy the film, it was defiantly not for the story, it was for the comedy. While the movie being funny is defiantly not a bad thing, films like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Burn After Reading manage to be hilarious and have a far superior plot and characters. This movie simply wasn't focused enough to have me care about any of the characters. Now before I continue I would like to make it clear the I did enjoy this movie, and my harsh words are just specific criticisms I have.

My main problem with the plot was the lack of motivation. There were no points in the film at all when anyone was in any danger at all. George Clooney's character is never really put in any harm, and even the ransom money doesn't even seem to be an issue for the people who pay it. Because of this problem, I fail to sympathize or care for any of the characters or there motives, and throughout the film there really are no consequences. I won't spoil anything, but even the main reveal at the end doesn't effect anything at all. The highlight of the film for me was Alden Ehrenreich's character, who delivered most of the comedy in the movie. Unfortunately his character was the only one who was really fleshed out and interesting.

I wish I had not seen the trailer before I watched the movie, because it probably would have changed my viewing experience for the better. If you wan't to see this movie because of big names like Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, or Scarlett Johansson, you would be disappointed because their combined screen time is about 10 minutes. If you went to this film to see a mystery kidnap thriller, you would be disappointed because that is not what this film is about. While I enjoyed the humor, the general public would probably find it quite boring. Overall, only see this movie if you a fan of the Coen Brothers, like myself.

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Rep for Hateful Eight review even though I don't agree. Well, I agree about the fact that this isn't really a mystery, but other than that we are in different ends. I'm a Tarantino fan, but didn't like this one.

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I'm going to start this review off by saying that I have never seen the original Colverfield. It never really seemed interesting to me, and I am not a fan of found footage films. This movie however did stand out to me in many ways. It had a genius marketing campaign, and the concept seemed original and unique. I'm glad I haven't seen Cloverfield, because I feel like it would have impeded on my viewing experience.

10 Cloverfield Lane follows a girl named Michele, who has a car crash and wakes up in an underground bunker. A beyond creepy man named Howard tells here that the world has been destroyed, and everyone in the bunker are the only survivors left. My biggest problem with this film was the unnecessary involvement of Cloverfield. The reason I am glad I had not seen the original film before seeing this, is because I would have just been waiting for the connection to happen. I won't spoil anything, but when the connection between the two films does happen, it is very forced. The acting was well done, but John Goodman was the only performance that really stood out.

While I very much enjoyed the experience of watching this movie, I wouldn't go as far as to say this movie was well made. I enjoy being tense and stressed when watching a movie, especially when I'm in the theater. While I was incredibly tense during this movie, that was mainly because of jump scares and unexpected audio changes. Another problem I had with this movie was that it was slightly clichéd. There was only one really unexpected moment, and that was at the very beginning.

Overall, this film was a fun experience, but I would only recommend it if you see it in a theater. If you only want to see this movie because you are a big fan of the original Cloverfield, than check it out, but don't expect much. In the end, this was a fun popcorn flick that I enjoyed watching.

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I disagree about the unexpected moment. I believe there were at least two of them. Both used to great effect.

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Yeah I agree there were a couple of good little twists this movie took, that surprised me a lot. Pretty ballsy movie if you ask me too, considering that it doesn't really get attached to Cloverfield until the very end.

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The Lion King and Inside Out are awesome.

Big Daddy and Southpark are fun.