Meatwadsprite's Slow Review Thread

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The Wrestler (1 view)



The Wrestler is the biggest surprise of 2008 for me. Darren Aronofsky's is a director I just pushed aside after Requiem of a Dream and Pi - two movies that look cool with no real investment in any emotion. His latest film though , packs a serious punch and defies his previous work.

This is the only movie I've seen Rourke in aside from Sin City and he's definitely going to catch a lot of attention with this performance. You are quickly thrown into the ring with Randy the Ram (Mickey Rourke) , watching his moves and motivations. When a furiously brutal match knocks the wrestling veteran into retirement , you start to see what's underneath his joy of fighting. It's a very well written script that turns Aronofsky on his head , by being a character study.

One things this director has done right in the past is what you actually see. It captures the actual wrestling better than anything , a very gritty and violent scene even when it's staged. It also uses an angle that follows him from behind a lot , which works pretty well. Makeup effects have really shone this year and there are plenty of gruesome parts that owe the department a favor.

The more I think about The Wrestler , the better I realize it is. Everything that happens ties in so well with each other , not a single piece of the movie seems out of place or without purpose. It all leads up to a gut wrenching , eye opening conclusion that truly defines Ram and what this movie was about. I only have this problem with the movie - it doesn't have any stand alone amazing scenes. They only work as a whole.

A true sleeper hit , one of the best of the year.

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The Matrix Reloaded (many viewings)



It's pondering engulfs the majority of the dialogue and it's story takes you through very limited motions , but it packs such an original visual style it deserves to be remembered.

Life is entirely linear , all events that happen are a chain of consequences. No wait , there is such a thing of the freedom of choice. Actually choice is an illusion , everything that has happened to you has crafted your choice. The Matrix Reloaded bounces these ideas back and forth the whole time - while leading up to amazing set piece action scenes.

Everything is on track in this movie except it's very weak script and goofy lead performances. I can't blame Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss for their invisible motivations and throw away chattering , but neither of them change facial expressions any more than 2 times in this movie. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) on the other hand is a very well written character and played amazingly - he goes from an untouchable wise man to a vulnerable , betrayed human being.

Visually this movie is a masterpiece. A green tint surrounds everything , gigantic skyscrapers that all look the same , black leather , trench coats , sunglasses , and jaw dropping fight scenes - make it almost impossible to look away. There's also a very memorable score underneath it all , not to mention Rage Against the Machine for the credits. I usually define how good a score is by how many different songs from it I can remember , and I can hum about seven in this.

It may not be as cliched as the original , but even with all these amazing layers covering it - Reloaded boils down to it's terribly weak story.




Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
OK, good. Now, you have given a pretty weak sequel to a film a fair-to-middling rating (so do I), but that should perhaps make you reconsider all the lower films you've mentioned earlier. Peter Jackson's King Kong has this flick thrashed in every single regard. (Well, at least, I think an objective review would agree!)
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OK, good. Now, you have given a pretty weak sequel to a film a fair-to-middling rating (so do I), but that should perhaps make you reconsider all the lower films you've mentioned earlier. Peter Jackson's King Kong has this flick thrashed in every single regard. (Well, at least, I think an objective review would agree!)
I still stick with my
on King Kong. The Matrix Reloaded is much better , because it has scenes that I can just watch on their own - unlike King Kong which doesn't really have anything really cool except Kong's romp through New York at the end.

It also has it beat on the basis of each entire film , I don't want to give King Kong more credit just because it's so bloated - when it's core story may have even less to say than Matrix Reloaded. I see each of these movies as pure flash and Reloaded is a much more flashy.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Sorry, meaty, but this is just too perfect.

"The Thrasher" shows up at 1:40 here, in probably my fave scene in any movie. Great everything. Relax and enjoy (I hope). I'm just pissed that nobody can format the flippin' movie properly!




I really can not stand Jaws at all. Everything seems messed up to me , the acting seems over-acted , and everything else bores me to tears. I'll sum up my argument by showing you a scene that I love as much as you love Jaws. (which you might also find bland)




Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
OK, I give Reservoir Dogs a
. It's a solid movie all the way through. I just don't believe that you even watched my scene, and I also don't believe you if/when you say that you've watched Jaws anytime recently. It's very easy for me. Jaws is hilarious. It's hilarious based on the script, the acting and the visuals. Jaws is exciting and suspenseful for the exact same reasons. And here's the kicker for me: Jaws is a very realistic film which shows the way humans, of all different kinds, react to a crisis. The people in Jaws are far more human than those in Reservoir Dogs and almost ANY other movie, for that matter. If you cannot see that, I fear that you may turn into a comic book character too, but it's OK. I've already heard from many youngins how they love Jurassic Park much more than Jaws even though those characters in JP are equally comic book. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss undoubtedly give my Top Ensemble Performances in film history, and I could add a few more from the cast too, but I'm shutting up because I'm hijacking your Jaws-free zone. Sorry.



Your starting to make it sound like it's not subjective. I can't say I remember a whole bunch about the acting in Jaws (aside from the clip you posted) , because it just dragged on and on - it became overbearing. Either way , I certainly don't think the movie has any deep human truth in it.

Reservoir Dogs on the other hand may not have the most realistic characters of all time , but it does have the most well motivated characters - with some of my favorite performances of all time. It also turns every single scene into a masterpiece in their own right. I love the dialogue , I love how a lot of it takes place in one building , I love the music , the use of flashback story telling is used as such key points - it's hard for me to argue it isn't one of the best movies ever. Tim Roth's triple layered performance as well , there is so much characteristic detail in these scenes.

But , we should settle this like real men. You go out and rent Reservoir Dogs and I go rent Jaws , and we can both give them another chance.



While I like both films a lot, Jaws will always be a masterpiece. Reservoir Dogs, as much as I love it, is contrived and self-consciously cool -- what Tarantino does best, basically.



Welcome to the human race...
Reservoir Dogs on the other hand may not have the most realistic characters of all time , but it does have the most well motivated characters - with some of my favorite performances of all time.
I'd be interested to hear how you define "well-motivated". The characters in Jaws are also well-motivated. Much of the conflict for the first half the film comes from Chief Brody and Amity's mayor - the former wishes nothing more than to protect the lives of the island's residents and visitors alike, whereas the latter is more concerned with the island's touring trade, which is hitting a peak around the time that the film takes place. Hooper also falls into the former category. Quint's motivations are less to do with the safety of others and more to do with money (he charges an exorbitant amount to deal with the shark) and the bloody-minded thrill of the hunt (as evidenced by some of his more crazed actions during the climax of the film, such as destroying the radio to prevent help coming, thus increasing the risk of the shark hunt and therefore the probably excitement he gets from such an intense experience).

It also turns every single scene into a masterpiece in their own right. I love the dialogue , I love how a lot of it takes place in one building , I love the music , the use of flashback story telling is used as such key points - it's hard for me to argue it isn't one of the best movies ever. Tim Roth's triple layered performance as well , there is so much characteristic detail in these scenes.
I feel like I could say a lot of the same things about Jaws - and the fact that much of the film also takes place in a single location (on board Quint's boat, as opposed to Dogs's warehouse). Robert Shaw gives what I believe is a triple-layered performance - he can be funny, menacing, strangely introspective and a bit crazy at times.
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Explain this comment about the First Matrix being cliched? Did you see it when it came out, or after you had seen all the stuff that copied it, like Shrek.

Also - Green tint, Leather coats, Rage Against the Machine... This stuff was all in the first film. All of it. The first Matrix is a million times better then either of the sequels, IMO. Still not a five star flick, though, don't get me wrong. I thought it was an interesting take on the Gnostic religion, though. I just want to know where you say the "cliched" concept of Bullet time before it was in The Matrix...

But wait! I like a lot about The Matrix Reloaded, as well. I do agree that it's narrative is weak, though.
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Explain this comment about the First Matrix being cliched? Did you see it when it came out, or after you had seen all the stuff that copied it, like Shriek.

Also - Green tint, Leather coats, Rage Against the Machine... This stuff was all in the first film. All of it. The first Matrix is a million times better then either of the sequels, IMO. Still not a five star flick, though, don't get me wrong. I thought it was an interesting take on the Gnostic religion, though. I just want to know where you say the "cliched" concept of Bullet time before it was in The Matrix...

But wait! I like a lot about The Matrix Reloaded, as well. I do agree that it's narrative is weak, though.
Sedai is right. You probably needed to see The Matrix when it first came out and if you saw any of the sequels first that would probably ruin your viewing of it. The first Matrix was a very original story and had great special effects for its time. This movie was made 10 years ago, so you need to take that into consideration. So many movies mocked the music and fight scenes like Scary Movie. Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
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I liked Reloaded Better than the foist/fist/first Matron. Like the story (or rather, the thematic twists) better, like the fx and visual continuity better (including the scene Meatword used to illustrate his post). That said, I kind of hate the sunglasses and clothing in all three matrix movies. At least it has a consistent presentation but those guys look like wieners and, I hope they die.



You're a Genius all the time
I think all three Matrix flicks get way too much flak because really I don't see how you could argue that any of them aren't above average sci-fiers. They may look like wieners, sure, but I can't pull of sunglasses, either, so I can relate.