DrSoup007's Review Thread

Everyone else has one so I want one too . I'm really not sure how this works but please let me know if I'm doing something wrong . This is basically where I'll put all my lengthier reviews for people to browse through it they really give a crap about what I say.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens directed by J. J. Abrams -

I figured it was time to comment on this movie, as a whole and why I dislike it as much as I do. Namely it's inability to be it's own idea, sure it's got new characters and a new setting but when you take a step back and look at it, it's essentially just A New Hope filled to the brim with references to the other Star Wars films. Nostalgia shouldn't be the reason you love a movie, because when all something does is remind you of things that you already liked, where does that leave the people who are unaware and don't understand this films countless call-backs to it's predecessors. I'm not saying you can't do that here and there, but practically the entire movie relied on peoples love of the original Star Wars films.

So let's say we ignore that, and just forget that those problems exist. How about the fact that all this stuff takes place over the span of one day, and the ridiculous idea that they somehow blew up an entire planet by placing a few explosives here and there. I saw this movie twice, and the atmosphere of seeing it opening night certainly swayed me to the side of enjoying the movie. But during my second watching all the problems I had with the first viewing only amplified and new issues came about. Coincidental plot-lines, pointless characters returning for no other reason than to make us feel nostalgic, and don't even get me started on the map storyline itself, which practically disappeared during the last half of the movie, and then received a forced conclusion just so we could have our good ol' buddy Luke Skywalker come back. Nothing ever felt justified or deserved to any of the characters.

And on that note, the new characters were not only obnoxious, but also inexplicably powerful, because with no prior training they took on a Sith lord, and won. And that aforementioned Sith lord was an incompetent ill-tempered pansey who's motives were nothing more than being a glorified fanboy. This movie was a poorly written fanfiction, that had some stunning visuals to accompany it, but a lacking originality that would've made it the good movie it deserved to be.

BB-8 was amazing by the way.

The Princess Bride directed by Rob Reiner -

Now before I go into great length about this film I would like to clarify that I liked it. It was a good movie, but a classic is not something I would call it. It has a following, and the majority of those I know love it, and I can't blame them. It has a certain attractive charm, but as someone who analyzes film now I can see so many flaws in this.

A majority of my problems are opinion based, those who can enjoy it look past the issues, but I can't, I'm unable. For one, Cary Elwes has never been good to me, I can enjoy Men in Tights in the vein of being a stupid movie, and Cary Elwes feeds into that by being a tad unbearable. I get no good emotions from him in this movie and he comes of very blank. Sure he has sarcastic dialogue and romantic lines but none of them were conveyed to me in a realistic way, it all felt the same.

The biggest problem I have is that there are many plot holes that probably could've been solved with a few more cuts, and I won't get into the specifics but how did Inigo and Fezzik now that "the Man in Black" had fallen for Buttercup, never had the correlation been revealed to the two of them. And not only that but Inigo was stabbed in the stomach and he suffered such a great ordeal of pain that he couldn't move for a solid two minutes, then later he's riding a horse with great ability. It's the little things that push this on the side of being awkward and mediocre.

Now again, to clarify, I like this movie. And I would watch it again, but I don't enjoy it to the caliber that 100% of the people I know do. So there's my opinion. Enjoy.

That's the problem with "analyzing" a movie. You can't enjoy an amazing movie like The Princess Bride just because it's a fun movie.

I can agree with that. This was one of the few time I decided to sit down and take a movie from childhood and look at it critically. There's a reason I don't do it often, cause sometimes they don't hold up. One of my oldest memories was watching Goonies at my grandparents way before I was old enough too. I'm scared to watch it again because I'm not sure how well the movie will stand against me now, as someone who critiques movies. There will always be the dumb movies I enjoy (2012 being a prime example), but more often than not I try to take film seriously, because people put a lot of effort into making something and I respect that.

I know that you're new here, so you don't know any of us very well yet, but I'm not like a lot of the people here because I don't "critique" or "study" movies. I'm just an average person who loves watching movies and being entertained by them. I'm not looking for the movies with deep messages. That's why most of my favorite movies are upbeat movies with happy endings. I don't care if there are minor plotholes, or if the CGI is bad, or even if the acting isn't the greatest. If the movie has a good story and it entertains me, that's what's important to me.

The Princess Bride has everything that I love in a movie. Action, adventure, romance, comedy, the greatest swordfight ever filmed, and a happy ending.

Don't let me rain on your parade. The Princess Bride is a good movie. I do like it. I just decided to look at it from a analytical perspective for a change. I could honestly watch it right now, and I'd invite people over to join me. In the end I think the movie has its issues (what movie doesn't) but it has a good heart and I'll never deny it that.

Not trying to screw with you, but you analyze movies and Lego Movie is in your top 10?

1. I was trying to add some levity to my top 10

2. The Lego Movie is beautiful, why you gotta go hating.

I'm not hating just not really in love with that film. Levity could've been added with an incredible comedy and I don't think Lego Movie is that great.

I can understand why, it's not for everyone. I just latched on to it after being such a hater of the concept before it came out, and I did a full 180 after I saw it. I now own the movie and have seen it several times. It's got a lot to offer, great story and themes, good humor, beautiful animation. The film was so unexpectedly good that it just shot its way up there in my favorites. I'll be honest, I didn't realize the favorites list was a ranking when I first joined, so now I'm constantly trying to figure out where the numbers are, and it's always changing. If it makes you feel worse, if The Lego Movie wasnt in that spot Clueless would be next up.

I felt the same way about The Lego Movie before I saw it, and I ended up loving it. Here's a link to my review of it:

http://www.movieforums.com/community...53#post1200953

Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron -

I finally got this movie on Blu-ray and I'm irked by the fact that I haven't had time to watch it, because Children of Men is one of the greatest pieces of cinematic brilliance ever created. So many different pieces fit together to make this masterpiece that hasn't received the public attention it deserves. I've watched it twice now and so far it remains the best movie I have ever seen.

The story of Children of Men is really compelling, and something that was explored in just the right ways. You get the idea, women can't have children any more, and it doesn't force that down on you. But uses it that concept to build into the world we have, there isn't any backstory, no explanation for why it is this way, it just is. And the story it tells of Theo and Kee is undoubtedly captivating. I've yet to read the book (and I plan on reading it soon) but I believe the direction the film took was a direct narrative and more of a commentary on individual character than society as a whole. The films pacing is tight and constantly moving, giving exposition when needed and driving the story towards the inevitable and vague conclusion. The acting in the movie is good, Clive Owen plays his character as well as it calls for, being an every-man thrust into the middle of chaos, doing the best he can to try and fix things. Michael Caine, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Clare Ashitey all do a great job of playing to writing and portraying struggling characters in a desperate world.

I got into a serious debate with someone over cinematography at one point. And he said some things that I've come to agree with, and that's that the one take shot style has it's place in cinema. It can be used beautifully and for a purpose, and it can also be a gimmick. Great films such as Birdman and Gravity both use it stylistically rather than as a pull for audiences. Other movies like Victoria use it as something to try and get people to come and see it. Not to say it can't be used that way, but it certainly makes it better for a movie when it uses that style for a reason. Now don't get me wrong, the classic cinematic shot composition has it's place that I will always respect, it's how it's always been done and there are certain directors who use it well and to their advantage. But what Cuaron does is using that style to help build the movies gritty realism, and so many elements support that. Emmanuel Lubezki's gorgeous cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking, because it sucks you in, you feel like you can never take your eyes off of the screen. Something is always happening and those long takes reinforce that point.

Children of Men has great writing, brilliant cinematography, a discussion worthy idea that it builds perfectly. I believe this is a prime example of quality filmmaking, show how many pieces it take to make a movie right. Visuals, story, writing, acting, directing, score, all combining to make what I hope time will call a masterpiece. I clapped, I sat in my house alone, and clapped when the credits rolled. I've never done that since.

I'm not gonna send this for Review Approval seeing as each review shorter than the requirement, but here's my 2 cents on the entire Ip Man Trilogy.

Ip Man directed by Wilson Yip -

I saw Ip Man ages ago, probably earlier than I should've, I was around 11. With Ip Man 3 being released soon, (I'm actually going out of my way to see it in theaters) I wanted to go back and watch both of it's predecessors. I started with the first Ip Man tonight, and I pulled my dad aside to watch it with me. He's a huge fan so I know he'd want to experience the magic again. A good foreign movie (or any movie for that matter) should be understandable by any audience, no matter what language or country you're from. Ip Man is nothing short of perfect when it comes to how amazingly it handles it's story and concepts, juggling several different plots, all with one overarching character, and that character is fantastic in every way. Master Ip himself (played by the lovable Donnie Yen) is so grounded that you can't help but feel for him and his problems, all that coupled with a heartwarming performance makes the eventual struggle and violence all the more compelling. Don't even get me started on the action, which is absolutely stunning, and while defying of all physics is still entertaining in practically every way. The choreography is brilliantly executed and breathtaking, never giving you a moment to breath until the fight itself is over. I'd go so far as to say that Ip Man is the foreign version of Rocky, and honestly, it's better than Rocky might ever be. It tugs at your heart strings, captivates you with it's violence, and tells a story that you can't help but be entranced by. I'm looking forward to watching it's sequels, definitely check this out when you have the time.

Ip Man 2 directed by Wilson Yip -

So many different elements culminate into making Ip Man such a solid and entertaining series. Ip Man himself never feels over powered, and his opponents are never incompetent. It's all a fair fight, and the story they choose to go with in this installment heavily uses that theme. They do it well of capturing all the different styles of Kung Fu, and making each one feel new and interesting, and then bringing in Western Boxing only adds to that. Ip Man's character and skill evolves as he fights, and the choreography enhances that to highest degree. The biggest and only complaint is how disconnected the plot was, the movie felt fast, and every story point it wanted to hit, it hit almost immediately. Certainly story lines the film delved into seemed to disappear, and that pulled away from the films much needed emotional moments. When I spoke earlier about Ip Man 1 I stated that it felt almost like the martial arts version of Rocky and in some ways it was better. Ip Man 2 continues to prove my point, as it combines elements from Rocky IV and Rocky III, and goes its own route with those ideas. This is almost as good as the first movie, and the few things that hold it down could probably be ignored with rewatches. My excitement is only growing for Ip Man 3.

Ip Man 3 directed by Wilson Yip -

As it stands, Ip Man is one of the most solid franchises ever made, without a single bad movie. Ip Man 3 has problems, iffy pacing, a confusing plot, and it's a tad on the melodramatic side. But it has some undoubtedly interesting ideas that it does a great job of handling. The fight sequences are nothing short of brilliant, and as the series went on Wilson Yip became more skilled at directing those fights, and Ip Man 3 has some of the best fights yet. The mixture of heart pounding sound design, breathtaking choreography, and a suspenseful soundtrack, all create the perfect atmosphere that prior Ip Man films all did so well. Donnie Yen gives his best performance, bringing some serious emotion in his character, taking it one step further than before. He does it well and it's a great combination of action star/dramatic actor. One of my personal favorite things about Ip Man is that each film has a message that pairs itself with the action. It pains me to say that what I loved so dearly in this franchise, is severely lacking in this new installment. And while that certainly doesn't ruin the movie in anyway, I do miss it. Hopefully as time goes on this trilogy will get its recognition, whether it's through word of mouth or in BuzzFeed's "Top 10 Foreign Movies You've Never Heard Of", there'll be day when everyone will know the name of Ip Man.