Comment Archives: stories: Film
Re: “Film 2012: The Best & Worst”
The Watch was awesome, a pleasant (and actually humorous) film for Ben Stiller to star in. Oh and you forgot Dredd, which is better than the original, and pays a bigger homage to the comic series. The best action film I have seen in a long time.
Re: “Film 2012: The Best & Worst”
Safety Not Guaranteed -- you missed that one.
Re: “Gangster Squad shoots blanks”
You are incredibly wrong by reporting that the story claims to be BASED on a true story. It only claims to be INSPIRED by a true story. The rest of your review takes a nosedive after that fact.
Re: “Film 2012: The Best & Worst”
Thanks for including Searching for Sugar Man! That doc is GREAT!
Re: “Les Miserables hampered by Crowe's feat”
Crowe is ,"AN MITIGATED DISASTER," according to this movie watcher,however folks he is the opposite as Javert. This movie watcher claims a lot of nonsense in this review and the review comes off as harsh and phoney. Les Miserables is a success and Tom Hooper has done a great job withe Hugo's book and the musical. Critics are often wrong and this person is wrong.
Re: “Django Unchained tosses off shackles of conventional filmmaking”
Awesome! Despite blood and gore. But then again, slavery was rather bloody and gory.
Re: “Jack Reacher: Cruise in control”
You had me at vanity project :-) Shame on you for recommending this train wreck .
Re: “Rise of the Guardians: Animated all-stars falter”
Have to disagree with this review. The visuals were often stunning, the animation was so good that I swear it was mo-cap in spots (I'm a professional animator, so to animate this well is VERY difficult), there was some clever little add ins and tie ins, some of which can easily be overlooked if you don't know what you're looking for. You felt for the characters, even the villain at one point and when a story can do that, it's doing something right. The character designs were fresh, appealing and stylized. I really liked that each character came from a different part of the globe. Not every animated piece has to be some silly comedy that I usually roll my eyes at half-the time. It's okay for an animated flick to be serious sometimes. Really it is.
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
I'm one of the folks who experiences eye-strain with 3D movies, so I usually avoid them. But I wanted to see what HFR 3D looked like, so I took the kids to see that version. With the HFR 3D, I had none of the usual eye-strain or eye-strain-induced headache. I also found the breathless descriptions of the visual differences between 24fps and 48fps to be overblown. It looked smoother, especially during sweeping shots and the "helicoptering" scenes in the goblin caves, but it hardly looked like a soap opera.
I'm still not sure that I care much for 3D. Having to watch a movie through flat grey lenses is still a bit distracting. If they could manage 3D with more transparent curved plastic lenses, then HFR 3D would probably make it work for me.
Re: “Anna Karenina: From Russia with love”
Good review. I guess Vronsky was mis-cast, but then I figured Anna was really more in lust with him than love. Which of course undermines the whole love-triangle. The worst was the 'theatre' theme. It seemed intrusive, and gimmicky. As if the modern movie audience couldn't appreciate the story alone. Most damaging was the way it seemed to say that this was just a story, all the worlds a stage, we're just play acting. Which seems to be in complete contridiction to the story, and plight of our heroine.
Re: “Life of Pi worth examining”
In 2012 we have been previledged to be able to see two truly amazing high-concepts films: Cloud Atlas and Life of Pi. Both films deliver astounding images and concept that touch our humanity. Pi's journey is an incredible visual experience that will not be forgotten. His experience, and truly it is sad that this is not a true story, reaches depths rarely seen in Hollywood anymore.
You are right, the acting, especially for a new comer, was Oscar level, and that's just the Tiger! But Suraj Sharma acting was perfect. The entire movie was not only believable, and a spiritual experience. Even the floating island was made real and believable (FYI there are floating islands in the Atlantic made of Sargasso weed - some in history have reported islands just like this). You should not minimize the supporting actors either, Pi's mother and father were excellent as well.
While this was a slow paced movie, I never felt it was ever boring, it simply took the time to tell this amazing story as few stories are told these days. Because of it Director Lee has been added to my list of true top directors as a result of it.
I do hope the Pi is a financial success, since Hollywood needs to spend more time telling good stories, and less time find roles for Ben Afleck.
This was a 5 star movie, and one that really should be the Best Picture choice for the Oscars. Of course, it will never be, because Hollywood is about business and not art. But just as we chose to believe in Pi's tiger (instead of the other story told at the end), we can chose to believe that Hollywood (at least some) care about real stories and astounding art. Let's hope that at least Ang Lee gets the Oscar as best director.
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
I plan to see the film in both formats to make up my own mind about for 48fps. But it is a fact that disorientation sickness already affects a large population that see 3D movies. Not everyone's brain is wired the same.
I think I like the idea that this became 3 movies, and will have a 9 hour running time to watch them all. The same criticism was applied to Lord of the Rings too - it's too long - it could have been done in one movie. As we saw, you could not have shortened it, and in fact the 4 hour versions were better than the 3. Jackson pulled it off then, and I think he will here too. The universe he is presenting is richer than anything we have seen (short of Oz or Avatar), and I am looking forward to absorbing it all.
Let us only hope that Jackson makes enough form this one that he also commits to make JRR Tolkien's real prequel "The Children of Hurin"!
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
Saw it in 48fps 3D today and totally agree - it looks absolutely horrendous.
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
Actually Galadriel and Saruman are a part of the story of the Hobbit, although they don't actively appear in the book, their actions occur during the story and are relayed by Gandalf in both the Hobbit and LOTR, so it is not inappropriate that they are in the film. They will play a larger role when the White Council drive out the Nazgul king from Dol Guldur, which should be in film 2.
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
On TVs you have this feature for about 10 years. On modern 200 HZ TVs you could watch Blu Rays with 96 fps which even looks smoother than the Hobbits 48 fps.
I like the effekt and hope they will increase it to 96 fps in the future.
Re: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Frame of reference”
48fps is here to stay. The younger generation are absolutely lapping it up if the early word-of-mouth from HFR screenings is any indicator.
And the Avatar sequels will be even better suited to it.
Re: “Cloud Atlas: Time after time”
I am amazed by this review. I was in the "love-it" camp on Cloud Atlas. I love Tykwer's work (ALL OF IT! yes in CAPS), but this was a unique joy - a thoughtful, taking its time, supurb movie about a complex subject. Tom Hands as the gangster was too much fun, but it just proved all of the cast to be the true professionals they are. But it was also a movie about fate and destiny. Sonmi was more that just another V-like story, it is something that we will deal with as humans, just as we have dealt with it in the past (as Lincoln shows so well). So I wanted to thank you for the ONLY well written review of this movie I have found, and for being a reviewer that "gets" it.
Re: “Rise of the Guardians: Animated all-stars falter”
Reminds me of Terry Pratchett's "HogFather" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765458/
Re: “Lincoln parked”
Matt was wrong. It is the best Spielberg film I've seen. It did an amazing job of capturing the time, the events, what was at stake and the emotion of it all. Daniel Day phenomenal as usual. What a humble, intellectual giant Lincoln was facilitating the best possible outcome. The only thing I'm sensing from the negative reviews is an inability to get out of the 2012 comfort zone for a couple of hours. I'd love to see what movies the naysayers like. On second thought spare me.
Re: “Hyde Park on Hudson worthy of impeachment”
I aree with the character assassination comment. I started wondering who put up money for this movie, as sexual exploits are a favorite way for republicans to put down democarts.