Hello101's movie reviews

T2 has a little too much Hollywood flare for my taste. Arnie didn't seem like a robot, and some stuff was recycled from the first movie.

I haven't seen Midnight Cowboy, but if you give it 5 stars, then I'll have to add it to my To Watch list.

T2 changed the mold of Hollywood Action movies, for better or worse I'm not sure but for its time, it was awesome. I don't think I have a problem with the emotional stuff (Arnie and John Connor's bond), I can't provide a reason (in story) as to why it should be but it boosts the film's quality and that's what matters at the end of the day.

Definitely watch Midnight Cowboy, given Lilja Forever is one of your favs, you'll like it (most likely).

I love all 3 of those last movies.

Good stuff, hello101.

The Snowtown Murders has been on my radar for awhile. I generally like bleak, disturbing movies, so even though you didn't like it, your strong comments pique my interest. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a favorite of mine and one of the darker movies I've seen, so if it's "pussified" compared to Snowtown, I'm impressed.

I didn't see The Terminator until about three or four years ago. I liked it a lot, but nowhere near as much as T2, which I've loved ever since I was five years old.

Alien is awesome and ranks very high among my favorites. Midnight Cowboy is also excellent.

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Review #15 - Conan The Barbarian:
(John Milius, 1982)

Conan The Barbarian is not a film with the greatest of acting or storytelling, it's a pure action flick (underneath the swords and magic exterior) and unsurprisingly Arnie does well in it. The film tries a valiant effort of appealing to mainstream audience through sheer entertainment value and die hard fans by creating a faithful adaption of "The Conan" stories and dabbling into specifics. It achieves its ambitious goal and has attained cult status which otherwise would've not emerged if one of these goals weren't in place (the faithful adaption part).

The story follows the one of a drawn-out revenger; Conan witnesses his family being killed as a child, grows up and gains power, then sets out to avenge the loss of his family. The quote in the opening scenes sets up the theme in a clear manner - Conan overcomes a great amount of suffering and becomes a fierce and heroic barbarian through the strength of his inner-being.

Following the original Conan stories, the film mixes Fantasy traits like magic and sorcery with the real world. Therefore, realism is actually being put forward in a fantasy film (as unusual as it may sound). Magical elements are prevalent but not overexposed and the settings are believable and could have realistically existed at point or another - weaponry, houses, lifestyle. The high production value is proudly represented by the great looking costumes and impressive sets, an immense effort on the art director's part to create a world that will immerse the viewer and for the most part, they succeed in enabling a form of escapism.

Special effects aren't in abundance here but they're passable and their short screen time prove insignificant in swaying my experience. A scene in particular where a woman transforms into a snake is eerily convincing and lacks the cheese of most 80s special effects.

Arnie doesn't possess the prowess of an actor like De Niro or Pacino, but his remarkable presence and physical specifications fit the barbarian character to a tee, so he makes it work. Other main characters (like Lopez and Bergman) are fine, nothing to write home about. Max Von Sydow's short appearance in the role of King Orsic was exceptional. Mako The Narrator holds the viewer in a compelling manner. The most impressive performance is (other than the protagonist) is James Earl Jones, as Thulsa Doom, he is hauntingly gripping.

The music is daunting and matches up with the story and elevates the film to a height that would've never been reached. The drumming produces a kinda caveman-feel and nails the primitive time in which the story is set. The softer soundings give Conan that much needed sense of nobility and lessens the grim tone. Top-notch cinematography and music are the biggest contributors to the film's greatness, grandeur is what they bring to the table and it's absolutely needed here. There are some beautiful scenes like the village raid and the fights which fondly reminded of the boss battles in the God of War and Castlevania games. A great fantasy epic.

I love Conan the Barbarian and agree the music is fantastic. In fact, my three all-time favorite original film scores are Ennio Morricone's Days of Heaven, Jerome Moross' The Big Country and Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian.

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I was disappointed by Conan the Barbarian when I saw it last, back in the 80's. I actually remember liking Conan the Destroyer more.

Review #16 - The Wrestler:
(Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

I was a huge fan of wrestling and even as an older individual, the sport is still dear to me and I respect it unlike most people, the notion of it being fake is only half-true - the match outcomes are pre-determined but the moves and bumps are indeed real and have caused many injuries. When The Wrestler came out I was looking forward to it, I was interested in the depiction of a wrestler's life and the inner-workings of the business but its bleak tone and almost hostile approach to the industry is off-putting. I came out with nothing but "wrestling will destroy lives, don't do it" and no matter how good the film is (on a technical level), I just can't forgive the ignorance and lack of research that went into the film.

The Wrestler doesn't revolve around what the title makes you believe, it's actually about Randy Robinson's life AFTER wrestling and how bad it becomes. All of Robinson's personal issues seem to stem from his love and dedication to wrestling, it's a bloated and cliche story of stripper love, a broken father-daughter relationship and drug addiction. It's like Robinson's career was just there to serve as a platform to all the sh*t, I can imagine the screenwriter (whoever he was) dotting down a heap of bad stuff that happens to Randy Robinson and listing his profession afterwards.

I'll quote Bret Hart (wrestler) here: The Wrestler is a "dark misinterpretation" and here's a guy who's brother died trying to perform a wrestling stunt, was victim of the Montreal screwjob (look it up) and suffered a stroke via a botched kick, a man who's truly been through it all. The Oscars got it right this time.

Review #17 - Buffalo '66:
(Vincent Gallo, 1998)

Buffalo '66 is Vincent Gallo's directorial debut and it's pretty impressive for what it is. Gallo seemed to have a clear (though unique) vision in his mind and aimed to achieve it; but it's normal for first-time directors to be radical and creative (before they're eventually swallowed up by hollywood and commercialised) and here is no exception, Vincent experiments and produces some interesting results with the camera.

As for the film itself, it starts off on a good note, a slew of humorous moments before complete bizarreness ensues; the scenes in the parent's house enforce my statement, watch with caution. Buffalo '66 gradually slows down and settles into the quirky drama genre, the smartly crafted personalities (Gallo's character especially) place it away from the norm of untypical indie titles and overall, add to the entertainment/enjoyment factor.

Vincent Gallo's performance didn't come off as sympathetic but still good from an objective standpoint, besides I don't think they were going for a particularly connective characterisation as the film's tone is clearly downbeat. Christina Ricca wasn't quite his equal but that can be accounted to lesser screen time as she was darn great for the time she was in there. Anjelica Huston plays a mother (duh) and does her typical shtick of authority flaunting.

Buffalo '66 defines unconventional filmmaking and story, and that's what adds to it the most. A risk well taken.

I love The Wrestler and how it depicts the ordinary live after success and how his time is past and he cannot jump in and do what he once loved. Now he is wrestling with his personal problems instead and I love the gritty feel of it.

But then again, I'm far from a wrestling fan so I wouldn't know about whatever is true or not in that department. But still I don't see the movie as a movie about wrestling, really...

Review #18 - Inherent Vice:
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)

An adaption of the book by Thomas Pynchon. Inherent Vice is yet another win for director Paul Thomas Anderson, it's packed to the brim with wackiness. A mix of the neo-noir, crime, drama and comedy genres, the events that occur are hard to make of but thinking should come afterwards, enjoy it for what it is (at that very moment). The authentic 70s look and vibe is just that, it doesn't feel imitated like many of today's films, PTA aimed to be nostalgic and Inherent Vice definitely reminded of funky flicks from a bygone era (The Long Goodbye for one).

One of the genres I mentioned was a comedy and that may seem out of place but the film is (unintentionally?) a hilarity ride. Doc Sportello is our mysterious protagonist and his mind is our cinema screen, full of hallucinations and other trippy images make for an interesting and effective character study. Inherent Vice leans over to being more character-driven than plot-driven. The supporting characters were out of their depth compared to the main, all are equally iniquitous so they come off as "weird for the sake of weird". PTA's drug world is crafted with a good sense of creativity and stepping without caution, you may find yourself immersed into it more than you'd want.

PTA's script is an account on deceit with cunning comicality and shaky thrills. It's never boring and constantly off-the-wall fun, the cinematography is stylish and it's great to see PTA's way in execution (which doesn't borrow too much from other famed directors like his previous films).

Joaquin Phoenix is quite sensational as the protagonist and adds another great performance to a fast growing list. Phoenix is faithful to his character's frequently drugged out state and delivers. Brolin had the role of a fun gimmicky character. Owen Wilson was as good as he'd ever get, Reese Witherspoon was naturally classy and Katherine Waterston added coherence to a fuzzy story with her straight-forward act. Second best by a wide margin.

All in all, Inherent Vice is a fun, wacky nostalgia ride. Fanatics of yesteryear cinema will appreciate it as a cool throwback with a fine underlay of humor.

I'm not a wrestling fan now, but I was back in the days of Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher. Anyway, I absolutely loved The Wrestler. I related to the character of Randy on some levels, and I thought the acting was terrific.

I want to see Inherent Vice, but my optimism is guarded.

I don't even like seeing Vincemt Gallo's face so I haven't seen Buffalo 66.

I remember really liking Buffalo '66, though I've not seen it since it came out and only once or twice then.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Review #19 - Nightcrawler:
(Dan Gilroy, 2014)

Nightcrawler happened to be one of my most anticipated films of 2014, claimed by reviewers to feature THE Jake Gyllenhaal performance and as with all significant hype, comes disappointment, that’s to be expected but even without all the ravings and praises, Nightcrawler still isn’t that good of a film.

I mean it’s okay but hardly anything great like critics will have you believe, Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is the focal point of the film’s praises but the problem I had with it and what stopped it from reaching the level of greatness presented in similar films like The King of Comedy was its clear-cut obviousness, Louis Bloom’s constant thousand yard stares, eye-ball pops and diatribes aren’t subtle. The latter is unbelievable for someone who supposedly doesn’t have any prior formal education, hearing Louis Bloom rant on about workmanship, goals and business made me feel like I was watching some biopic about a wise rich guy. The nazely voice didn’t help matters either, the faults are both in the written and execution aspect of the dialogue. There’s way too many speeches for a film that prides itself on producing a defining performance, I can think of at least five Jake Gyllenhaal performances which are better (Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, The Good Girl, Enemy and Donnie Darko)

The side characters are mostly underdeveloped, Rick (Louis Bloom’s partner) and Nina (News Reporter) are the only ones we have competent insight on. I didn’t find either particularly interesting, Rick’s stupidity was used as a platform for Louis’ diatribes and Nina was okay, admittedly her fetish for violence grew tiresome after awhile. The ending gave me black comedy feels, maybe this will end up like American Psycho and become a comedy overtime (somehow).

Nightcrawler’s concept is packed with potential up to the high heavens but an unsubtle main performance, superficial/uninteresting characters and rambling dialogue make for lacklustre execution and a huge disappointment overall.

What'd you give it Mark?

Wow say whaaat?

You say it may go on to be a comedy like American Psycho, well, Nightcrawler is exactly that. It's a dark satirical comedy and partly a character study on a mentally disturbed person - exactly like American Psycho. They are very much alike in some ways...

And you criticizing the dialogue I just can't understand at all. It's one of the best most inventive and originally written screenplays of last year. It's so much fun, so dark and so intriguing. Everybody has opinions but all of what you point out to be bad or mediocre I just cannot understand.

That's the first bad review I've seen of that movie. I'm very curious to see it.

I'm looking forward to seeing Nightcrawler because it seems a really dialogue heavy film, with a few deep characters and an atmosphere. Seeing it linked to American Psycho isn't appealing at all, so I hope I don't see it that way.

I watched one of the Conan movies when I was a kid, but I don't remember which one. I completely disagree with your take on The Wrestler. Inherent Vice and Nightcrawler are two of my most anticipated movies. Buffalo '66 was just okay for me. Ricci's adorableness couldn't quite offset the obnoxiousness of Vincent Gallo.