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Posted: |
Oct 21, 2012 - 9:25 AM
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By: |
TominAtl
(Member)
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ARGO -
I totally agree with Sirusjr with his previous post. Everything about this film works, on all levels, even with Aflecks performance. The look and feel of the the time period is spot on, hell they even use the 70's Warner Bro's logo when the credits roll and the film has obvious spots and scratches. e the performances and even more so, the script are all excellent. The pacing is pitch perfect and the tension is palpable, even during the humorous Hollywood moments, which would perhaps be seen by outsiders as absurd if it weren't that accurate. This is a film based on true events and people and even though you probably already know the outcome, it is still nerve racking becaues the film is so well done you get a sense of "you are there" realism. My favorite performance though has to be with Alan Arkin as an tough talking aging but still respected film producer who takes a gamble to work with US Govt/Afleck, along with John Goodmans character playing a well respected effects/make up guru. The Hollywood scenes with Goodman and Arkin are fantastic and Arkin gets his moment when vying to buy up the rights to the script of Argo which is in turnaround. It's a priceless moment that may earn him an awards nomination. And last but not least is Desplats script which has a beautiful theme unlaying it throughout.
Best film I've seen so far.
9/10
Sinister
Scariest film of this year so far and probably most disturbing too. While the plot of a mysterious film footage being found and weird things start to happen is certainly nothing new, what is unsettling are what the actual 8mm footages show, that is, those of entirely families being murdered in gruesome ways. In fact I turned my eyes when they were shown as it looked too much of what a snuff film could have looked. Yes, its all Hollywood and was used to great effect, but I didn't care to watch anyway. That said, the other parts of the film scared the bejesus out of me about 4 times and left me unsettled. However, the grand reveal, the climax, let me down as I just had a hard time swallowing it. Thus I can't say its one of the scariest films I've ever seen. But the first 90% of it...is a doozy.
8 out 10
Thin Ice
I really like Greg Kinnear as he has shown himself so capable of being a really good actor and he does it again in this little seen slow burning suspense thriller. Set in Wisconsin Kinnear plays an insurance salesman who is constantly on the look for that great sale. He sets his eyes on a baffled looking elderly farmer, Alan Arkin(again, who is fabulous here) in getting a policy set when low and behold, Kinnear stumbles upon a what is in all likely an expensive and rare violin. Thus a chain of events are set off that are funny, suspensful and surprising. The dialogue and dialect is very remniscent of FARGO but sounds more authentic and natural. A really nifty film and if you watch it, stay with it because the beginning is very beguiling in its languishing pace. But it slowly picks up and by the time its over, you're gonna go a double take. Nifty film.
8/10
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Posted: |
Oct 21, 2012 - 4:44 PM
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By: |
Sirusjr
(Member)
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Sinister (2012) - 10/10
I’ve always appreciated horror more for insane imagery than anything else, whether it is gore or scary images of demons or the occult. Though the gore phenomenon has been done to death, it seems to have lost some steam. Last year’s “Insidious” was a delectable horror film that provided a demented glimpse into a world most films only hint at existing. If you enjoyed “Insidious”, you are in for a real treat with “Sinister.” “Sinister” is a horror fan’s dream, combining the popular true-crime angle with some paranormal to create a tale that feels realistic enough that it might just give you nightmares.
I went into the film not knowing a thing about the plot. I think it works much better that way. Ethan Hawke gives a great performance in the lead role and always reacts naturally to things as they happen. The child actors do a phenomenal job as well and are very believable throughout. Christopher Young’s score is highly effective in the film, though most viewers probably won’t notice it. The score helps increase the tension at key moments through a dark, moody approach combining percussion and synthesizers.
The ending is likely to divide viewers. Some of my friends thought it was in poor taste but I found it to be quite refreshing. “Sinister” is the perfect horror film to watch in theaters with Halloween approaching, and a must-see for all horror fans. It provides a number of quality jump-scares, powerful images, and a tale that will stick with you long after the lights come on.
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P.S. There was one scene at the beginning of the film that made me want to punch the writers. One of the kids is listening to music on headphones and it is loud enough that the dad can hear it while he walks by. The dad says to him "you'll ruin your hearing" but most likely the kid was just wearing cheap headphones that have a lot of leakage to them (like entry iPod ear buds).
NOTE: In response to the previous review of Sinister, regarding the tapes:
I didn't think they were particularly gruesome. The film pans away when they are about to get too crazy. I was actually disappointed that they didn't show the last set of kills he discovered much, though that would probably have been the one to make me queasy.
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Posted: |
Oct 24, 2012 - 7:45 AM
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By: |
mastadge
(Member)
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The Tall Man (2012) dir. Pascal Laugier -- I really wanted to like this -- I respect Laugier's earlier films quite a bit. And this does get off to a decent start: Laugier's good at creating a creepy, unsettling atmosphere. But the final, wannabe subversive ending is just too idiotic for words, and undermines everything else in the film.
The Babymakers (2012) dir. Jay Chandrasekhar -- Never really been a fan of the Broken Lizard stuff, and though I'd heard something good about this somewhere, it turns out that it's neither funny nor sexy and is really just a chore to get through. Extremely skippable.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) dir. Rupert Sanders -- Little could I have imagined that of the two Snow White movies this year, this would be the lesser film. But it's so self-important without the substance to back that up, and despite all I hear about how Stewart is a fine actress who's just slumming in Twilight, I saw no evidence of any acting ability here, let alone enough to carry this movie. A major disappointment.
A Cat in Paris (Une vie de chat) (2010) dir. Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol -- An often delightful but occasionally silly French animated film that's maybe 15 minutes too long. Still, if you, like me, are always on the lookout for good animation that isn't Disney, Pixar, or Studio Ghibli, this is worth checking out.
The Lady (2011) dir. Luc Besson -- Fine acting from Thewliss and Yeoh but I'm not sure Besson was the right director for this material. A good film but it was trying very hard to be a great one and didn't quite manage it.
Kill List (2011) dir. Ben Wheatley -- Wow. An impressively uncouth film. Each act slips without warning into a new genre. Wheatley's style combined with the often improvised script makes for a very tense, very off-kilter experience of a film. It'll be a love it or hate it affair for most, I'm sure, but I really liked it.
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I borrowed a couple of DVD's from my local library. Lockout. I thought this would be a good mindless action film, but it's a wee bit too mindless & it has a made-for-TV vibe 3/10. The Cabin In The Woods. I loved this, very H.P. Lovecraft & quite bloodthirsty when it kicked off. Normally in these films, the gang of students involved is such an unlikeable lot that you don't really care what happends to them (the re-make of House Of Wax), but this was an interesting bunch 8/10.
I've ordered Prometheus, with low expectations.
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I've been away for a long time, and now I'm back. It's difficult for me to believe that this thread has been here for over nine years!
Mr. Ware, you have done the impossible!
Mr. Ware...Michael...are you here?
Are you still here, Mr. Ware?
I was one of the very first ones to respond to this thread, back on June 13, 2003.
Today is November 4, 2012.
Unbelievable.
I just watched ARGO.
10 points.
Tomorrow, CLOUD ATLAS.
I'll be back.
It's clear that you're not going away anytime soon.
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I saw Prometheus last night (between Strickly & Match Of The Day, UK readers will know what I mean), I found it dull, flat & boring, I almost nodded off halfway through. I can't think of anything good to say about it. The thing is. I had low expectations, so what did the people who saw it at the cinema think, with all that publicity about what a masterpiece it was, there must have been a lot of glum faces leaving the cinema. 2/10
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so what did the people who saw it at the cinema think
My brother and I left the theater satisfied and feeling it was fantastic, enough so that we saw it again the following week, and have since watched it on Blu-Ray also. Easily one of my most favorite movies of the year. Most people I know in real life enjoyed it just fine as well, but that's not surprising because the Internet movie crowd has never been representative of the general movie-going public anyway.
I love the work of Ridley Scott and so I was excited for it... I didn't have HIGH expectations but I wanted to like it... and I didn't.
Everyone was just so damn stupid and kept doing stupid things that it felt like a BAD horror movie and as for it being smart SCI-FI, it raised questions that I felt were good but there wasn't NEARLY enough talk to make the ideas worth wild... I didn't want or needed answers but I wanted to NOT ask every 10 mins, WTF?!
I also HATED!!! David in this film and solely for this reason... HE IS HUMAN! He and others talk about him lacking this that and the other but EVERY GOD DAMN SCENE he feels emotions and over all is just a petty little bitch that it was annoying... or was it just me? It felt like every scene he was CLEARLY feeling or reacting with an emotion to something.
Loved the visuals and enjoyed the score and bought it solely for the AMAZING 3 hour documentary on 4 Disc BluRay.
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Posted: Nov 4, 2012 - 4:33 AM
By: Christopher Kinsinger (Member)
I've been away for a long time, and now I'm back. It's difficult for me to believe that this thread has been here for over nine years!
Mr. Ware, you have done the impossible!
Mr. Ware...Michael...are you here?
Are you still here, Mr. Ware?
I was one of the very first ones to respond to this thread, back on June 13, 2003.
Today is November 4, 2012.
Unbelievable.
I just watched ARGO.
10 points.
Tomorrow, CLOUD ATLAS.
I'll be back.
It's clear that you're not going away anytime soon.
Hah this is fairly amazing to me that it's held up this long.
The best part is that everyone shares their thoughts and no one gets in fights in this thread.
Everyone is invited to this party!
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"CAPOTE" - 13 
