Justin's Review Thread

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Glad to see you've started to do this, Justin.

I can't say that reaction to Repo Men is a surprise. One of those, "I didn't need to see it to know that" films.



To be honest, it really wasn't something we wanted to see, either. We had planned on seeing How to Train Your Dragon, then sneaking into Greenberg. But the ticket prices are outrageous for 3-D after Avatar. So that quickly changed our minds.



Is Crazy Heart a C&W version of The Wrestler? I know very little about it, but that's what it sounded like to me. It's also the reason I thought it might with the two awards that The Wrestler should've won at last years Oscars. Best Actor and Best Original Song (for which, I think I'm right in saying, Springsteen wasn't even nominated for.)



It pretty much is, yes. I loved The Wrestler, and this one is decent, but it still doesn't come close in terms of quality.

Crazy Heart is enjoyable and reasonably satisfying, albeit forgettable.



Registered User
Justin's review the shaking!



I was quite excited by the prospect of The Green Zone upon hearing about it, however, after looking a the trailers and a couple of interviews from Greengrass upon its release over here, I decided that it sounded more like something I could wait to see on tv. Your review and rating seem to confirm this was the right thing to do.



I'd say that's about right. It's incredibly underwhelming and forgettable; but, like I said, some of the action sequences are very nice. That is assuming you can stomach the handheld aesthetic, which is unpopular (although I like it).



Revanche (Götz Spielmann,2008)




Quiet, but packs a very hard punch. Good acting all around and a well-told story concerning redemption and vengeance. Cinematography is definitely one of the shining aspects of the film, which is evident in the picturesque images. However, the film does fall into some clumsy symbolism, which at times might be too on-the-nose. But, ultimately the film does work, despite some other minor gripes that I had. Revanche is both existential and filled with hard-hitting scenes of guilt and remorse. It pays off for those willing to be patient.

My rating may go up after a few days, but we'll see.
Quiet and patient seem to imply it's some sort of demanding art snoozefest and I'd just like to point out to anyone interested that it's definitely not, on the contrary, it's a very engaging psychological drama with enough tension to cut it with a knife.



I was quite excited by the prospect of The Green Zone upon hearing about it, however, after looking a the trailers and a couple of interviews from Greengrass upon its release over here, I decided that it sounded more like something I could wait to see on tv. Your review and rating seem to confirm this was the right thing to do.

I've still yet to see this and was really amped, but I think i'm going to have to tone down on reading reviews now because every review I have read has put me right off...And I feel really guilty about that considering that the last Damon/Greengrass collaberation was the awesome Bourne Ultimatum.



...And I feel really guilty about that considering that the last Damon/Greengrass collaberation was the awesome Bourne Ultimatum.
You might enjoy this one more than you think then, Prestige, as I heard it described as 2 hours of following Matt Damon from behind... No, SC, not like that.



The Crazies (Breck Eisner,2010)




Well-shot and pretty fun (which was surprising). That immediately helps differentiate it from many modern horror films and remakes. It's goofy (most likely intentionally so), so that does add considerably to the fun-factor. Despite both the technical work and b-grade goofiness, it's still pretty bland. Not much here.



Mary and Max (Adam Elliot,2009)




Pretty good. Strong story and characters. The animation (clay) was incredibly well-detailed and thought through; nothing was left untouched. But, what hurts the film the most is the pacing. A few moments I found myself zoning out and losing interest. What also hurt it was the "on-the-noseness" of the narrator, though it worked through most of the film, it made me cringe a few times.

Overall, it's a film that should be seen for the animation, humor (very dark) and strong characters. It is flawed, but enjoyable, nonetheless.