MovieMeditation�s Diary Reviews // �Come and meditate with me!�

Why so serious?

04-05-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

The Dark Knight (2008)*
For a film that supposedly revolves around the theme of �chaos�, it has a surprisingly high amount of control and focus to it, with a lot of attention paid to even the smallest of things. The amount of cringe-worthy dialogue is thankfully at a minimum and the script actually has plenty of great quotable lines that I have come to love over time�

FAVORITE SCENE // The Interrogation Scene

I watched Dark Knight twice. The first time I didn't really appreciate it but I was more into romcoms and teen movies at the time (embarrassing, I know, but I was 17 so don't judge haha). I watched it again a few years later, I think before Dark Knight Rises came out and that time I really loved it... I hope Nolan starts making great movies again.

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

I Origins (2014)

And don�t get me wrong, I like good character development and a story that is set up right, but to me it simply went on too long with a story too thin to handle an hour or so of �surface love�. I wished they had cooked it down to 20-30 more intense and focused minutes, and then used the rest to keep on diving deeper into all the theories and such. In the end it just feels like only a small percentage of the story has been dealt with, and that is a shame. But overall an enjoyable and very interesting film.

A friend of mine recommended this, saying it's really good, and reading the synopsis I thought it would be more on the science side than spiritual and mystical stuff. Maybe I was expecting too much but I thought this movie tried a bit too hard and the love story was too long... at first I thought I was watching a romance drama. Anyway overall it was quite enjoyable and interesting but it was quite disappointing cause it had potential to be great.

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

March 16th

Interstellar (2014)*

�Interstellar� is an ambitious film with great and interesting ideas but it is simply executed so badly that, on every other level than entertainment, it fails. So if I had to rate it on that kind of level, I would give it a very low grade, but thankfully, on a second watch, I was able to see past all that and just enjoy it for the overall entertainment value, good visuals and a great soundtrack � and that made me like it a whole lot more, and if I continue to view this as pure entertainment I probably won�t mind watching it again some day.

FAVORITE SCENE // Spinning Endurance Scene & Journey and Fall to 5th Dimension Scene

This is another one of those films that tries too hard and is sooooo overrated, but if you can look past its weaknesses it's really entertaining and the visuals are great. I just wish they cut about 45 minutes of it before releasing it. Some parts were pointless and didn't deserve to be in the film, but for me the last part of the movie was interesting and I liked the plot twist.

Your review of Winter Sleep kind of makes me want to finish it... I think I've said this before but I gave up after 1.5 hours. It just didn't manage to capture my attention and get me to care about those characters... unlike Leviathan for example which was also quite long but I was hooked.

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by NatashaR

[left]I watched Dark Knight twice. The first time I didn't really appreciate it but I was more into romcoms and teen movies at the time (embarrassing, I know, but I was 17 so don't judge haha). I watched it again a few years later, I think before Dark Knight Rises came out and that time I really loved it... I hope Nolan starts making great movies again.

I'm 48, and I'm still into rom-coms and teen movies. What's wrong with that?

NatashaR

Why so serious?

04-05-15

Nothing wrong with it... I still like some of them but I had no appreciation for other types of movies and didn't really know what I was missing out on. My idea of a great movie was A Cinderella Story... I used to have really terrible taste in movies when I was younger haha

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by gbgoodies

I'm 48, and I'm still into rom-coms and teen movies. What's wrong with that?

I think women will always have a soft spot for rom-coms and stuff of that genre, just like men will always have a soft spot for crazy popcorn action flicks, even if they aren't great movies per say.

That's just how it is!

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by NatashaR

Is A Cinderella Story the movie with Chad Michael Murray? I haven't seen that one, but I'd be willing to give it a try.

I love rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally, While You Were Sleeping, The Lake House, etc.

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

I think women will always have a soft spot for rom-coms and stuff of that genre, just like men will always have a soft spot for crazy popcorn action flicks, even if they aren't great movies per say.

That's just how it is!

That explains the rom-coms, but how do you explain the soft spot for teen movies like The Breakfast Club, Tex, The Karate Kid (the original, not the remake), Whatever It Takes, Just One of the Guys, etc., and even some bad teen movies like Up the Academy and Zapped!?

mark f

Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.

04-05-15

Except for Whatever It Takes, nostalgia?

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NatashaR

Why so serious?

04-05-15

Originally Posted by gbgoodies

Is A Cinderella Story the movie with Chad Michael Murray? I haven't seen that one, but I'd be willing to give it a try.

Yeah, that's the one... he's such a cutie, I used to watch One Tree Hill because of him

but then I discovered Step Up and Channing Tatum lol

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by gbgoodies

I guess it's a mix of nostalgia (as mark mentioned) and the fact that teen movies centers around a period in time you can't really "do" or be a part of anymore, especially not to the extent of what are usually portrayed in said movies.

Overall it's pretty much your typical escapism though, I would think, when it comes to movies that aren't exactly amazing filmmaking on every level.

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gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by mark f

Except for Whatever It Takes, nostalgia?

Yeah, I'm not sure how Whatever It Takes got on my list of teen movies, but there's something about that movie that I like. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that it's not James Franco because I don't really like him.

gbgoodies

You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

04-05-15

Originally Posted by NatashaR

Yeah, that's the one... he's such a cutie, I used to watch One Tree Hill because of him

but then I discovered Step Up and Channing Tatum lol

I never watched One Tree Hill, but I liked Chad Michael Murray in Dawson's Creek.

I never really saw the appeal of Channing Tatum. He's okay, but there are better looking guys out there.

Farah khan

Msg

BANNED

04-07-15

nice great effort

neiba

The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible

04-08-15

Damn, got a lot to read to catch up with this thread but great work MM!

Added Night Stalker to my watchlist!

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-09-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS BIGGEST FILM DIARY UPDATE YET
total movie count ........... current day count
108 .......................... 98
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March 24th

Spirited Away (2001)*

"Once you do something, you never forget.
Even if you can't remember..."

I wouldn�t exactly call myself a huge fan of Mayazaki, but I will say that I have a great respect for what he does, and some of his films I really love and admire. �Spirited Away� is by far his most popular film, and to some it is also his best. If I remember correctly this was actually my first Mayazaki film, and I also give it a pretty high score even though I actually didn�t love it that much. But I did it because I thought I may be missing something with only one watch, and perhaps I had to get used to the style of his films to truly appreciate them. But now with a second watch I can comfortably say exactly how I feel about it.

It sucks. It sucks big time. Well, I guess I can�t really fool you when you have already seen my final rating for it. So the truth is, I definitely like the film and I can clearly see myself enjoying it again with future viewings. Still I wouldn�t call it the best film made by this director, neither would I say that it is a masterpiece or close to being one. I think it is overall a pretty entertaining film, though maybe a bit too long, and when it comes to the visuals and the soundtrack the film does an amazing job, actually. But what bothers me with many Mayazaki films, and with this one as well, is that his works often suffer from the rare-known phenomenon of �magical and mystical animation overload�. I must say that I admire how much this man must carry around in his head when it comes to sheer fantasy and creativeness, but he does tend to stuff his movies too full of it all. It feels as if his vision is all over the place, and you cannot find heads or tail in this rather beautiful, though still chaotic mess. That is also why I prefer Mayazaki when he deals with a simpler story and let his characters and ideas unfold freely, instead of being tumbled down by a new one every 5 seconds.

Still I can�t deny that it is a well-done film, and it is hard to wholeheartedly hate on this movie, even if there is aspects I certainly dislike. People are welcome to tell me why this movie is so freaking fantastic, except for the fact that it is inventive and beautiful. I find the story and themes messy and clouded, and some of the characters flat and uninteresting. But in the end I did have fun with this film, and as I said, I would gladly watch it again some day�

FAVORITE SCENE // The Town Turns Magical & The Hungry Monster Escape
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March 25th

Notorious (1946)

"Just pretend you're a janitor. Janitors are never terrified."

Hitchcock � the man, the myth, the legend. Given all this praise he is probably best known as The Master of Suspense and that he definitely is. But of course there is so much more to him, as a director, as a storyteller, and as a visual presenter and inventor. He is undoubtedly one of my favorite directors of all time, and this movie is certainly also one of his greats. I wasn�t blown away as it happened with many of his other more popular features, but this is a nice and solid entry in the filmography of Mr. Hitchcock.

Actually, I think this film may grow on me the more times I watch it, because I feel like my mood and mindset wasn�t quite moving in the same pace as the film itself. It took me a while to get into the atmosphere and approach at first, and then it took me a little bit more to understand and get my head around where the story was going. But once I finally got there I must say that it was a really enjoyable ride. There are many classic Hitchcock moments in this film, and yet it is very different from his other films I think. It is a bit more lighthearted in some way, and obviously we haven�t got any murder mystery on our hands, or any specific false accusations, as we know them from the director�s infamous approach to these types of stories. Still, this is a solid film from a more than solid director, and I think it will definitely only get better the more times I revisit it. All hail the �Cock!

FAVORITE SCENE // The Tension at the Party
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March 26th

The Absent One // Fasandr�berne (2014)

"If you talk, you're dead."

Honestly, I don�t feel like doing a major review of this film since it is a Danish movie, and not particularly one that I would recommend greatly to everyone around this forum either. It is the sequel to the successful first entry in the film series, called �The Keeper of Lost Causes�, and it is about detective Carl M�rck and his work in department Q. Everything is based on a book series of the same name, and while the books were never that successful they are definitely now, after the films have become huge successes in Denmark.

I really wasn�t a fan of the first one, and didn�t really like much about it except that it looked great visually for a Danish film. The sequel is much better than the first film, but still I don�t really care much for this franchise. I understand why it is popular though, since it centers on crimes, lost cases, murder and overall grittiness, which is something everyone loves to watch. The first one was very straightforward and executed by the textbook, but this does feel a little more daring and edgy than the first. Still I don�t think the plot is very good, which is probably why the books weren�t that popular before being adapted � they simply don�t have anything unique to them, really. But again, this entry does look great; it sounds great and has some decent performances. I have never been the biggest of fan of films from my own country though, and while we do bring out some greatness a rare time or two, overall Danish cinema is just quite stiff and amateurish in my opinion�

FAVORITE SCENE // Many scenes between the two main characters...
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March 27th

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

"Is this the gentleman who crashed through Victor Maitland's window?
Who disabled an unmarked unit with a banana?"

I do believe that I have watched this film growing up, during my childhood, and if that isn�t the case then I have most definitely watched a few of those classic scenes from the film, like the banana in the exhaust. Anyways, I do consider this may first �real watch� of the film, since I didn�t really remember that much and it felt mostly like a new film to me when watching it. I know all about the classic cult status that this film has accomplished throughout the years, and it isn�t that hard to see why � it is funny and entertaining, full of decent action and inventive gags, and with a groovy 80s atmosphere that you just cannot come near in today�s cinema � especially not with that full-blown 80s synthesized soundtrack, which has gotten major recognition and praise ever since it rolled across the screen in this film.

After saying all that, I must admit that because I didn�t watch this back when it was hot and famous, it looses that sentimental and nostalgic value that I can see it having with other people. Don�t get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed it and it was a fun ride, but to me there really wasn�t anything that special or unique about it and I didn�t see it moving past your typical 80s fun. That is not at all a bad thing; it just means that I found it entertaining and not much more. I could see myself watching it again with great pleasure, but it will never be anything that a fun and good time, which is all it pretty much aims for, really, so it isn�t like I try to drag it through the dirt for something that it never intended to be. It succeeds with being what it is, and I definitely like the movie for that reason� Dun-Dun-Dun-DaDun-DaDun-DunDun!

FAVORITE SCENE // The Banana Exhaust & The Wrongful Arrest (Window Scene)
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March 28th

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000)

Lost in Paradise

So how do you follow-up and beat out one of the best documentaries ever created? The short answer is, you don�t. The longer but still fairly short answer is, that you take a lunatic hillbilly and make him appear absolute mad and then you reveal all kinds of fun facts and new aspects to the case, and when the general audience is on the verge of getting bored, you quickly cut to the previously mentioned hillbilly, now dancing and jumping around like a moron and yelling death treats to a made-up fiery graveyard, hypothetically believed to contain the three convicted individuals also known as �The Memphis Three�. Doesn�t that just sounds amazing to you as well? It does to me I can tell you.

If I can just be serious for a short moment though, this crime was a terrible and tragic event, which lead to the deaths of three little boys, who weren�t just killed but also brutalized and mutilated beyond any form of acceptance. Three teenage boys were then convicted and we followed their trial during the first documentary, which did a great job at present the evidence and view points in such a way, that the audience were led to believe exactly what they wanted to. And this led to people from all over the world to realize that these three boys may not actually be guilty of this crime, and they want to get them out of there before it is too late, since one of them is on the verge of being sentenced to death by injection. And that is exactly what this follow-up is all about. We have a documentary that not only discusses its previous state of outcome and the possible future one, but also deals with the huge impact of the first HBO documentary.

I love how this one discusses past, present and future, as well as new and civil opinions and those of the previous film; going all the way from families to friends, on both sides of course. But since so many refused to return for the second film to do interviews, this documentary is mainly focusing on the people who believe in the innocence of �The Memphis Three�, and, so they have a contrast, it also focuses on that one person who agreed to return to this second film: the stepfather of one of the boys. And yes, this is the hillbilly lunatic I�m talking about. Must of the time though, it does work great, and I can�t really say they try too much to twist his words and appearance although it does happen. But when the camera just lingers on his supposed insanity it isn�t hard to see why he would be an easy target � the man seem to be absolutely crazy. You can say what you want about choosing this focal point, but although it sometimes is a bit too comedic and far out for its own good, I must admit it generally works to great effect, and it takes an interesting departure from being a true copycat of the first one. I do miss the courtroom drama though, but unfortunately HBO weren�t allowed to film there anymore�

To put it short here at the end, this is a great follow-up with a lot of new aspects though it does turn a bit too comedic and �staged� at times, which the first one so elegantly avoided by simply presenting all the facts and supposed evidence in its purest form, and let the actual story and tragedy speak for itself. If you have watched the first one I will definitely say that you should go for the second one as well.
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March 30th

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)

Paradise Expired

I am totally aware of the fact that I break the fine line that I have created here, and jump a bit ahead in time. But it just so happens that I watched a film in between these two sequels, which is the quite so lighthearted and rather inappropriate animated film, �Penguins of Madagascar�. I would rather not discuss said film in between these two documentaries, which are so depressing and unsettling that it just feels wrong. So yeah, here are my thoughts on the third and final entry in the �Paradise Lost�-trilogy.

As you just saw and hopefully read, I wrote a big and detailed review of the second film, but this one really doesn�t need that much of an explanation or anything. Basically you could compare the amount of thought that I need to put into this, to the amount of material that the directors had on their hands for this third entry. Not only does this third film come along more than 10 years after the second, but also it is essentially made only because of what enormous things suddenly happens to �The Memphis Three� and the overall story of which they followed during the first two. If you, by chance, are completely blind to this case then I can tell you, that the three convicted men, who are now in their mid 30s and have been sitting in jail for almost 20 years, are finally released because of lacking evidence. I understand the sort of �need� they must feel to go ahead and create a fitting and conclusive finale to a case that they themselves helped shine a light on, and eventually got the three men freed. But that being said, there isn�t nearly enough material for a third documentary about this case.

Most of this film is basically just one big summary of what happened during the first and second films. And just so they can leave their audience with something to think about, they end with a big question about today�s society, awkwardly trying to create relevance and meaning with this documentary. Not that the subject and case itself doesn�t have meaning or relevance, but the documentary in itself is just a poor attempt at trying to create a two hour documentary out of 10 minute material. If you watch the third film first you will probably love it, and if you wait a long time between 1-2 and 3, then you will most likely enjoy it as well. But seeing it for what it is, a final chapter in a trilogy that already had two very detailed and thorough films behind it, it just doesn�t hold up.
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March 29th

Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

"Nicolas, cage them!"

And now you are probably wondering, after such a long time with trusty and worthy reviews from what seemed to be a wise and rightful movie-brain, why do I give a film like this, such a high score? Well, I really don�t know... This movie simply hit me right in the right spot, and it was just my kind of silly and over-bloated insanity, because this movie is certainly crazy, if you actually sit down and think about it � which you shouldn�t though. But if I had to explain it, it feels like it starts on its highest point and then just continues to stay there throughout. Everything this film does is delivered at an extremely high tempo, whether it is the animation or the jokes.

Some will say that the movie is all over the place, which isn�t that far from the truth. But why it succeeds is because it totally knows how messy and crazy it is, and it simply plays along with it all like it doesn�t even care whether you like it or not. And of course, the jokes are spot-on and honestly more aimed at grownups than at children; especially the infamous celebrity-name-jokes spread throughout. Look it up or watch the film, then you will know what I�m talking about (or just look at the quote I posted above)... Anyways, this is a batsh*t crazy film with everything you could ask for and all of which you really didn�t ask for at all. Fun visuals, great jokes, decent soundtrack and a messy story that is only held together by characters and the jokes they deliver. Does it matter though? Absolutely not, because this film is awesome, and I don�t care about what the critics or haters say!

FAVORITE SCENE // It isn't as much scenes as it is jokes...
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March 31th

The Shining (1980)*

"I'm not gonna hurt ya, I'm just gonna bash your brains in!"

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work no ppay makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a duull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull booy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack aaa dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jackjk a dull boy all work and no play makes jaack a dul boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

Final Verdict: REDRUM.

FAVORITE SCENE // Hotel Three Wheeler Trips & Bar Scene & *insert whatever scene here*

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Last edited by MovieMeditation; 04-09-15 at 07:04 PM.

Optimus

"""" Hulk Smashhhh."""

04-09-15

Out of your last bunch I've only seen Beverly Hills cop - which I'd rate a little higher than you. It's a fun 80's movie with the humour of Eddie Murphy at his best. I actually wanted to include it in my top 100 favourites but it slipped my mind.

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MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-09-15

Originally Posted by Optimus

You better go ahead with The Shining asap! Have you watched any Kubrick?

And yeah as I said, the movie was a lot of fun, but just not more than that and therefore I think 3/5 is a fair rating. But I can totally understand all the love that it gets!

NatashaR

Why so serious?

04-09-15

I like your description of The Shining

you should have also inserted REDRUM somewhere

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

04-09-15

Originally Posted by NatashaR

I like your description of The Shining

you should have also inserted REDRUM somewhere

Very true. Done.

cricket

Msg

Registered User

04-09-15

I didn't even realize the Paradise Lost series were separate movies, as I watched the whole thing on cable in one sitting. It's a fascinating and haunting story, and the Metallica soundtrack was terrific. I remember it starting to drag, which seems to be reflected in your ratings.

Agree with you on Notorious and The Shining.

I liked Spirited Away less than you, but I struggle with fantasy.

Beverly Hills Cop is a big favorite of mine.

Captain Spaulding