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V For Vendetta
Action / English / 2006

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
It's been mentioned all over the place on here. Derek Vinyard brought it up in the Natalie Portman Vs Keira Knightley thread. Reminded me that I need to watch it again and REASSESS.

WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
It's just a great movie. It's paced well, it makes sense, the music's good, the visuals are consistent, the atmosphere is spot-on, and it all-together keeps me engaged in an important parable about government that totally speaks to me.

I HATE modern government, so it's cool to see a movie not only on the same page as that, but actively fighting against it.

Altogether, I have difficulty thinking of a better vigilante movie, especially considering vigilantism exists in direct contrast to government influence and vigilantism can have no more powerful a target than the government itself.

When I think of Taxi Driver as a vigilante movie, this is what I'm comparing it to.

I have gripes though, as I do for every movie.

Strikes against the movie for me include:

+ Eggs on Toast
+ Kissing
+ "There are no coincidences"
+ V’s illusion is both a stretch and tough to totally rationalize
+ "I fell in love" *GROANS*
+ Valory "loves" her totally unknown cell neighbor (what?)
+ Cheesy blood effects and inappropriately hilarious slow-mo screams
+ Bizarre over-emphasis on homosexuality (was that, like, Sutler's whole campaign: "Pray the Gay Away?")

Yeah, I'm weird. Anyway, props to a fun and memorable movie with a immeasurably important reminder that "people shouldn't be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people".

Besides which it's easily one of the best roles I've seen Hugo Weaving in and probably one of the best comic book adapted movies out there.




Final Verdict:
[Friggen' Awesome]
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Liar Liar
Comedy / English / 1997

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Ignoring the fact that I used a gif of it already on this very page, it was most recently brought to my attention with this recent post from Mojo Filter's Top 10 Jim Carrey Movies thread:

Originally Posted by gbgoodies
I hope that Liar Liar makes the list. It's easily my favorite Jim Carrey movie.
I've seen it before, but it's been years. REASSESSMENT TIME.

WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
On one hand, it's got Jim Carrey in it, but on the other hand, it's got Jim Carrey in it.

I've seen Liar Liar before, but now more than ever do I empathize with people who say they can't stand him. There are numerous scenes where plausibility just flies out the window and we're left to watch Carrey grunt and make faces and... I'll admit it gets hard to watch.

I've seen the basic plot of father-too-into-his-work before so many times that I'm kinda put out from the get go. The only bit of plotting in this movie that still feels fresh and exceptional is the arc that seeks to dissect the ethical nature of Carrey's character's work, that being the conflict of interest inherent to the job of lawyers.

When it all culminates in the "I HOLD MYSELF IN CONTEMPT!" moment, I'm really into it, but not mere seconds afterward do they try to undercut it with a joke that isn't even all that funny.

The compulsion to tell the truth rings dead similar to Carrey's later movie Yes Man, where he plays a character irrevocably compelled to agree to anything, and while both concepts get a few great moments (Liar Liar much more so than Yes Man), both stumble over their concepts is a couple ways. The plot and performance scarcely intersect and awkward moments abound.

I used to think that Liar Liar was my favorite Jim Carrey movie, but having seen it this time, I think my opinion has changed. I think this is Jim Carrey's funniest movie. It certainly got a few laughs out of me, and it features some of my favorite comedic moments out of any of his movies, but the setup doesn't appeal to me, everyone save Carrey and his character's secretary, Gretta (how come I remember Gretta's name, but not Carrey's?), is pretty lackluster, and the plotting makes unnecessary sacrifices for the sake of humor. It doesn't earn it's whimsical ending even if Carrey plays a pretty likable dad.

At least the cast was clearly having fun with it. There's obviously no attempt to hide what they're selling (the cover art is just Jim Carrey spread-eagled on a white background o_O) when the credits end with a blooper of one of the characters calling Carrey an over-actor. No one really cares, that's what we're here to see, but as I said I think he pushes my comfort level here so at this point I think my favorite Jim Carrey movie will have to be The Truman Show.

Which I also have to watch again.




Final Verdict:
[Meh...]





Adventures in Babysitting
Adventure Comedy / English / 1987

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
1980's Movie Help thread:
Originally Posted by cricket
Originally Posted by Omnizoa
That poster looks spectacular. I must watch this movie now.

WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
Is it 80s? Yes.
Does it live up to the title? Yes.
Does it live up to the poster? Almost...

I've never heard of this movie before and I'm baffled as to why. Why did I see Monster Squad before this? Why is that considered an underrated classic when this so much better (and came out the same year)?

All told I thought it was pretty fun and funny throughout the majority of it's runtime. It has that very... 80s charm to it. The conflicts that run the length of the story feel very nostalgic to me: running away from home, crushing on the babysitter, chop shops... oooh, it all brings me back... wait.

O_O *blink*

I like all four of the main characters here. The babysitter is introduced to us as boy-crazy right off the bat, but she gains dimension as she struggles to maintain her sanity as the night goes on. The little girl is a pleasing aversion of every little girl character stereotype I know of given her unusual fascination with Thor.



And the two pre/t/ween boys are unique in that one is noble to a fault give his crush on our babysitter and his buddy who screws his way into the trip only to stir up trouble, but still managing to justify his existence near the end (the restaurant scene was awesome).

I like that the first dark-skinned guy we see doesn't get killed off (I was legit expecting him to), but despite be introduced as a car thief he turns out to be one of the most likable side-characters throughout the movie, most of which are obviously impure, but sympathetic to our main characters in some way.

It was pretty fun seeing the ups and downs the movie takes. That said: strikes.

Strikes against this movie for me (as far as I can remember):
+ Hot Dogs
+ Chicken Soup
+ Some other mentioned food item
+ The poster image is not entirely recreated in the movie.
+ A handful of "homo" jokes (though none are terribly mean-spirited).
+ Main character #4's irrepressible sexual harassment.
+ The fact that I can only remember one character's name (Sarah).
+ Sarah inexplicably abandons the other 3 even though she probably knows better.
+ The other 3 inexplicably track Sarah down even though they shouldn't know better.
+ That the babysitter doesn't either stay with her initial boyfriend so that main character #3 can grow up to deal with disappointment, or leave it open as to whether she may actually develop a relationship with him. Nope. Instead the movie ends with her hooking up with that one guy who called her "the most beautiful woman in the world", danced with her (somehow), gave her 45 bucks, and a ride. He's in such a small fraction of the movie and was so transparently cheesy that I'd have rather she hooked up with Mr. Car Thief.

+ My biggest strike would obviously have to be the scene where Babysitter's semi-blind friend finds what she believes to be a cat. Exterminators show up to say they intend to kill it, she protests, and then they say that it's a giant sewer rat to which she screams, drops it, and runs away.



I came here for the 80s, movie, not the 50s.


Final Verdict:
[Pretty Good]




Locke
Drama / English / 2013

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Sexy Celebrity's Metalheads Song Tournament:
Originally Posted by Omnizoa
Ironically, of everybody's original lists, I think I liked Derek's best.
Omnizoa's EDM Song Tournament:
Originally Posted by CiCi
I think we have similar tastes Sexy, because it's quite often us two voting for one song, and Omni & Derek voting for the other one
wildboy's WHAT IS YOUR BEST MIND BOGGLING MOVIE??:
Originally Posted by Omnizoa
I've seen all of these, but the only one I really liked was The Butterfly Effect.
Originally Posted by Derek Vinyard
my favorite of them all Glad you like it
Well now just look at what you've done! You've forced my hand Derek!

I HAVE to watch your favorite movie!

I HAVE NO CHOICE!</foreshadowing>


WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
"D'you know in fact, I would like to take a ****ing shovel and dig you up out of the ****ing ground and make you watch me tonight. I would pull open your eyes and kick the mud and worms and shit out of your ****ing ears just for the duration of this journey. Because it's me driving. Me. Not you. And unlike you I will drive straight to the place where I should be. And I'll be there to take care of my... take care of my ****up."


Locke is a lot like the movie, Buried.

And considering how much I hated Buried, that's easily the worst thing I can say about this movie.

Both movies are an exercise in minimalism to the extreme where the central character is confined to a small space and the majority of drama unfolds through the exchange of phone calls.

However where Buried was a pointless, meaningless, stupid attempt to stuff Ryan Reynolds in a box, spit in his face, take a **** on his porch, and have sex on his casket over the course of an hour and a half, Locke takes an equal amount of time to make me care.



Locke is a nice guy. Even though we barely venture outside his car and never see him speak to anybody face to face, our impression of him is built not just on the sneaky exposition that holds him up as a hard worker at his job, but largely on how he interacts with people over the phone.

He's pleasant, he's calm, and he has every reason not to be.

He bails on the advent of the biggest job of his career to go attend the birth of a baby of a woman he had a one-night fling with. During his drive to the hospital he tries his best to break the news to his employer and wife, Katrina, while also attempting to maintain the peace amidst Bethan, the mother-to-be, and his co-worker, Donal, who he leaves the majority of his work.

Far less important than what actually happens in the movie is why anything happens in the movie. And why anything happens in the movie is simply that Locke is a brutally honest guy.

Say what you will about his "cheating" in the first place, this movie is his counter-argument. The point is he's trying to do the right thing. Even when he gets fired from his job, he still tries to keep the cement project on track. Even when his wife 'kicks him out', he never falters in his barely calm demeanor. Sure he freaks, and it's thanks to Tom Hardy's performance that I buy that any of this actually affects him despite the facade of a rational mediator, but it's never in response to people he's talking with. They freak out on him, and he just takes it all on the chin.

Why is he doing this? Because he doesn't want to be like his dad.


I CAN RELATE TO THAT DAMMIT.

He regularly rants at his dad who he pretends is in the backseat and through that, despite initially sounding like fairly transparent exposition, really best serves, more than any other dialog, to cement (no pun intended) Locke as a righteous character.

It's all out of guilt, not out of love for the other woman, he tells her this repeatedly, and I appreciate an absence of white lies for once. JUST BE HONEST! Reality hurts, sure, but it's better than deceit!

And this element seems prevalent throughout the movie, especially when he struggles to reconcile his wife who goes HARDCORE MONOGAMY SYNDROME.

I HATE Monogamy Syndrome, and for the first time ever, I feel like something I'm watching agrees with me. This movie could easily be presented as Locke's punishment for his indiscretions, but it comes across far more clearly as a tragedy. Locke's a noble character, and his intentions are nothing but for the best, and yet despite his plain efforts to articulate himself and make things right, he drives heedlessly into an assault of






gimme a minute







Wow, that was surreal. I don't think I've ever broken up AFTER watching a movie before.

...well, I guess you could say this movie hits kinda close to home for me.

****! This totally threw off my groove! COMEDY! Let's get some COMEDY in here!



Alright, let's just tally up all the strikes I can possibly think of against this movie.

Ummmm...

1.) Hot Dogs.

2.) Also, they totally mismarketed this movie as a thriller.


Thanks, The Telegraph. Locke's a thriller the same way Buried's a "masterclass in invention and surprise."

The minimalist setting in Buried helped to impose a degree of claustrophobia which does nothing for this movie other than make me bored with the same imagery (besides, if I wanted claustrophobia, I'd watch Crawl or Die).

What else...?

3.) I don't think we got any resolution on the cement pouring. That cement **** was way important dood, like seriously, did it work out? Did I miss a line? I think Locke just stopped taking Donal's calls.

4.) What was the purpose of the game he was missing out on? I get that it ties him to his children in some way, but the last call we get regarding it doesn't seem to emphasize anything that isn't already apparent. Besides, it's a lot of dialog involving players I don't know about playing a sport I don't care about on a TV I never see.

5.) The music could have been a bit stronger. It's largely absent throughout the movie and I would have appreciated it during certain... "scenes". Maybe they left it out because

6.) People on the phone are difficult to discern past a combination of low volume, audio filtering, and accents. I got the vast majority of what was said at least.

EEEEEEGGGGGHHHHH......

I can't think of anything else offhand. That's the problem with minimalism, there's only so much you can criticize.

Final Verdict:
[Friggen' Awesome]
*I was gonna give it a 4/5 when I started typing this, but I think it's only fair to give full marks to anything that engages me emotionally like this.


REWATCH UPDATE 5/22/2022:

Locke is one of the rare few movies I've not only given a 5 out of 5, but it is one of the even rarer movies where I gave it that score after a blind viewing, and it is one of the rarest of possible movies to make me cry. Only three other movies can attest to that; Ink, Titanic, and believe it or not, Bicentennial Man.

All three of these movies, however, during at least one scene dwell heavily on the theme of "loss over time", which is, honestly, probably my biggest weak spot when it comes to any story.

...

I'm going to have to take a moment because for whatever reason as I type this, I'm having a moment again.

...

It is very strange that during the movie, or even during the credits, I don't feel these emotions, but only once I've completely closed out of the window, loaded up this page and begun typing what I feel and why I'm feeling it does it really hit me. Again.

And for a good moment there I was genuinely convinced this movie hadn't got me again, ****.



What I was going to say was that Locke doesn't really have that theme going for it. Instead I think this movie really just hits me for personal reasons.

Like, I can't relate to marriage, I can't relate to a construction job, I can't relate to wanting to come home to sausages, and I can't relate to giving a single **** about any kind of sport at all...

But Locke's character hits home. He's brutally honest "to a fault", and he tries so hard to break bad news gently, but you can tell he's probably spent a good deal of his life being walked over.

The one motivation that he doesn't tell anyone is his personal hatred for his dad. He desperately wants to show him up in his own mind, even though he's dead, and there's no one to compare them but himself. He loathes that he was ever genetically related to him and it hangs like a shadow over his head; the threat that he could be a failure by the same standard he judged his father.

He wants to be a good person, unlike the bad person his dad was, so upon learning that he royally ****ed up, he stomps the breaks as hard as he can to put it right. But that jeopardizes his job. And it jeopardizes his family. And so, still trying to prove a point to himself, he tries as hard as he can not to abandon his family or his job in addition to the girl he's trying not to abandon.

The point I'm getting at is that Locke suffers for doing what he thinks is the morally right thing to do, which more often than not is a conflict not often explored in movies. There's good guys versus bad guys, tragic deaths of heroes and all that, but in this case Locke's biggest enemy is his himself, we're watching him wrestle with the consequences of choices he made, and he's aware these are consequences for the choices he made, and he hates himself for that. It's very humanizing and relatable.



OVERALL, stepping back a moment, and once again attempting to assess this movie objectively; engaging though it is, this movie is very not visually stimulating. It's a lot of panning from one corner of the car to the next, a lot of superimposed traffic shots, a lot of out-of-focus street lights. This would be a terrible watch if the narrative didn't pull me in. The music also isn't terribly strong though it is appropriately present and absent where it feels it ought to be.

Part of the appeal for a movie like this, for me at least, is seeing the character break down over time, I like that kind of psychological torture (I'm a sick ****). But we never really see him snap and instead the movie ends sort of anti-climatically with the news that the baby was born... and that he'll keep driving. Appropriate, but this is conveyed less by what feels like an organic climax to the movie and instead by a swelling score and sudden and unusual increase in out-of-the-car shots.

Part of the difficulty for the sort of character's development is also the fact that he's trying to play it cool, that he's looking for a "practical way forward", but chips in the facade don't really appear so clearly as you might hope. The first big reveal of the movie is simply learning that he cheated on his wife months ago and they're giving birth, the second big reveal is that he's going to her out of spite for his dead dad.

The scenes in which he curses out his dad in the rearview mirror serve both to realistically establish his motivations, but also to exposit on his background, that certain things have happened to him and he's been carrying that pain for his entire life.

I think these scenes are enlightening, but the third time it happens I'm having a little bit of a harder time buying it. We've now seen him shift back and forth between calm and professional Locke to "I want to dig you out of the ****ing ground and make you listen" enough times that it just feels a bit weird to once again hear him launch into third round of swearing at the backseat.

Finally, unlike the above movies I mention (excepting Bicentennial Man which I haven't seen in FOREVER), it's pretty difficult to say I "enjoyed" watching this movie. I consider it a good movie in terms of accomplishing what it set out to do, and evoking the feelings it was supposed to evoke, ****, it's got me to cry twice now, so it's clearly working. BUT, it's not quite the experience I normally appreciate.

In Ink there's the music, there's the aesthetic, there are the themes, there's even brief humor, the dynamic between characters in interesting, and it successfully tugs on my heartstrings multiple times thoughout it's length. Titanic is a bit different; I'm not so sold on the romantic aspect of the movie, but I'm sympathetic enough to the characters, and I'm able to put myself in the movie to live through the ship sinking vicariously, and it's an exciting and horrifying experience.

Locke doesn't really have any of that, it's really just a picture into the isolated torment of one guy and his detached conversations through the phone in his car. Movie's not really exciting, it's not fun, it's not pleasant to look at, it's not intellectually stimulating like a drama like 12 Angry Men might be... It's just kind of there, and my emotional experience is more of a Fridge Logic moment, than a direct feeling the movie is impressing on me.

Still, I have difficulty not rating this well, but I will be docking my score.


Final Verdict:
[Very Good]
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This is the best review I've ever seen !!!

So Glad you like it Omni!!
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Originally Posted by Cole416
Ooh ooh ooh do me! According to your lists, you haven't seen mine
Which lists are you lookin' at? The Movie Forums list? Those haven't been updated.

I did watch American Psycho, it was the first one I mentioned in this thread.

Originally Posted by Thursday Next
Pretty sure Omnizoa has reviewed American Psycho and didn't like it.
I was ambivalent towards it. Somewhat more like than dislike.

Originally Posted by Mr Minio
You better not review mine.

Werckmeister Harmonies? Well, now I have to look that up now don't I?



I have to return some videotapes.
Your opinion really bothers me, but it's refreshing to see your style of reviewing. Your reviews remind me of SC's a lot just style-wise. Only ratings I agree with are Mean Girls and A Clockwork Orange.



it's refreshing to see your style of reviewing. Your reviews remind me of SC's a lot just style-wise.
Just off-the-cuff, what I'm feelin'. But to be fair, again, I don't really consider any of these terribly thorough reviews. Most of my actual reviews are in my Anime thread where I get pretty long-winded.

Originally Posted by Cole416
Your opinion really bothers me,
I assume you're referring to American Psycho at the very least.

Let me put that movie into perspective for you with an example:

I didn't need to see Patrick make poses in a mirror during sex to know what kind of character he is.



I already know that's who he is. I also already know he's the kind of person who can go ON and ON about music he likes because I've already seen it before. During Paul's death scene which also served the dual purpose of setting up Paul's death.

There is no similar purpose to this scene because nothing significant happens during it that warrants it's length (unless you count eroticism, but I don't).

My only other attempt to extract meaning or purpose for this particular scene (as well as many scenes like it) is to assume it's trying to be comedic.

Admittedly Bale flexing for himself in a mirror is almost a caricature of narcissism, but I only find it somewhat amusing. I'm not laughing at it.

If I was supposed to be laughing at it, I think the scenario undercuts it's own joke.

After that LONG LONG LONG sequence of Patrick talking up the girl, bringing her to the apartment, chatting her up, talking endlessly about music, casually insisting that they strip and **** each other, the only thing I feel like I got out of it was a vague sense of amusement from this image:



I don't think it was worth the time.



I have to return some videotapes.
Just off-the-cuff, what I'm feelin'. But to be fair, again, I don't really consider any of these terribly thorough reviews. Most of my actual reviews are in my Anime thread where I get pretty long-winded.


I assume you're referring to American Psycho at the very least.

Let me put that movie into perspective for you with an example:

I didn't need to see Patrick make poses in a mirror during sex to know what kind of character he is.



I already know that's who he is. I also already know he's the kind of person who can go ON and ON about music he likes because I've already seen it before. During Paul's death scene which also served the dual purpose of setting up Paul's death.

There is no similar purpose to this scene because nothing significant happens during it that warrants it's length (unless you count eroticism, but I don't).

My only other attempt to extract meaning or purpose for this particular scene (as well as many scenes like it) is to assume it's trying to be comedic.

Admittedly Bale flexing for himself in a mirror is almost a caricature of narcissism, but I only find it somewhat amusing. I'm not laughing at it.

If I was supposed to be laughing at it, I think the scenario undercuts it's own joke.

After that LONG LONG LONG sequence of Patrick talking up the girl, bringing her to the apartment, chatting her up, talking endlessly about music, casually insisting that they strip and **** each other, the only thing I feel like I got out of it was a vague sense of amusement from this image:



I don't think it was worth the time.
American Psycho is not a perfect movie. I did actually laugh out loud at that part, and didn't feel like it was out of place or worthless. It's a pretty memorable scene and one of the first that comes to mind to people when I ask if they had seen it.

The movie didn't mean nothing. It leaves the viewer up for interpretation on what really happened. You shouldn't like the characters. Thats the message the film is trying to get out there. All those yuppies think they have such great lives with their money, clothes, haircuts, friends, even business cards. They all blab about nonsense and it doesn't seem like anyone gives a rats ass about each others' personal lives. They just use each other to boost their egos. They don't even know each others' name! That's why I think he did actually kill Paul and that everyone is basically the same up there. He even said, "Halberstram goes to the same barber... same job... but i have a slightly better haircut." No one cares about each others' identity. They probably did think Bateman was with them partying when Paul was murdered by him, but they just don't care enough to actually know their acquaintances.

Taxi Driver too...

He's a wannabe because hes a vet who most likely has PTSD. You might not even think vigilantism is necessary, but you're not him. He saw a girl (prostitute) trying to get away from an abusive pimp and decided that something was needed to be done.

I thought the relationship with Cybill helped emphasize how out of touch Travis is with reality. He can't connect to people like he wants to, and longed for a relationship with someone. I don't see how him badmouthing Albert Brooks is a huge red flag, and she probably thought he was cute for approaching her like that.

As for the attempted assassination of the Presidential Candidate, I sort of agree. I thought it helped with the development of Travis. It showed he was unstable and could explode (and did with the pimp at the end). Maybe it's because he didn't think the Senator did a good job of doing anything w/ his advice about the scum. I thought it was still a pretty good scene in the film.

"Nicest and most genial pimps" - still a pimp. Scum to him is what he does, not how he acts about it.

Honestly, I think you just need to remember he's a Vietnam war vet and that definitely made him, for a lack of a better word, crazy. He's not gonna do rational things that you or I would do in that situation.