I found it quite boring. I'd loved the director's first film, Thank you for smoking, the wittiness of the dialogue, yet this one felt as if he'd had a good idea, packed most of it during the first half hour (which was very enjoyable) and then just kinda couldn't be arsed to finish up the film decently. The major part of the second half of the film is just very boring romcom situations, very predictable and quite flat. And it was typically the kind of role Clooney annoys me in.
I found it quite boring. I'd loved the director's first film, Thank you for smoking, the wittiness of the dialogue, yet this one felt as if he'd had a good idea, packed most of it during the first half hour (which was very enjoyable) and then just kinda couldn't be arsed to finish up the film decently. The major part of the second half of the film is just very boring romcom situations, very predictable and quite flat. And it was typically the kind of role Clooney annoys me in.
I had no real expectations for it so I found it to be a delightful suprise, but I agree with you that it could have been expanded more from that first hour.
Yeah my problem was that I probably went into it expecting too much. I don't know if you've seen Thank you for smoking (it's definitely worth a watch if you haven't), but the dialogue in there is sharp, intelligent and amusing and even though I'm not a fan of Juno, I was hoping that with this material, Jason Reitman would come up with a really clever film so the second part felt very flat. I didn't hate it by any means, and I wouldn't tell people to stay away of it, I know quite a few people have enjoyed it, but I was just very disappointed.
Yeah my problem was that I probably went into it expecting too much. I don't know if you've seen Thank you for smoking (it's definitely worth a watch if you haven't), but the dialogue in there is sharp, intelligent and amusing and even though I'm not a fan of Juno, I was hoping that with this material, Jason Reitman would come up with a really clever film so the second part felt very flat. I didn't hate it by any means, and I wouldn't tell people to stay away of it, I know quite a few people have enjoyed it, but I was just very disappointed.
Not a Yank, but I've seen it. Was pretty good. Some stunning scenery and imagery. None of the cast really convinced me though. Richard Parker looks amazing in CGI and in 3D. Probably the first film I've ever enjoyed in 3D.
Not a Yank, but I've seen it. Was pretty good. Some stunning scenery and imagery. None of the cast really convinced me though. Richard Parker looks amazing in CGI and in 3D. Probably the first film I've ever enjoyed in 3D.
It's got elements of Another Earth (Brit Marling starring and co-writing, pseudo sci-fi) and The Man From Earth (largely takes place in one room with a small group of eager listeners/believers/disbelievers) but it's much worse than both. It's a psuedo-intellectual thriller not done very well. Worse still was the absurd handshake (among many other absurd moments in the film):
I'm not sure why I even watched it all. Worse than the movie was this "interview" I came across with the co-star/writer and some weirdo.
It's got elements of Another Earth (Brit Marling starring and co-writing, pseudo sci-fi) and The Man From Earth (largely takes place in one room with a small group of eager listeners/believers/disbelievers) but it's much worse than both. It's a psuedo-intellectual thriller not done very well. Worse still was the absurd handshake (among many other absurd moments in the film):
I'm not sure why I even watched it all. Worse than the movie was this "interview" I came across with the co-star/writer and some weirdo.
Not suprised. I found Another Earth to be a bit too pseudo, bleak and almost like a very, very light version of Solyaris. Heck, I think I even enjoyed Soderbergh's version of Solaris more than AE.
The Lovers on the Bridge - A terrific, unconventional romance film...a wildly strange and uncompromisingly sincere potrayal of homeless people in love, mostly set on and around an old bridge in Paris (the Pont Neuf). Denis Lavant is a ledge, such a brave actor...him and Binoche were just marvelous in this and really put their hearts and souls into their performances, in an ideal world he would get an Oscar for his performance in Holy Motors. The film sort of ruined Carax's career a bit, which was a shame but enfant terrible as he may be he has definitely got some skillz and a deep passion for cinema, I'm glad he's back working and enjoying some success with Holy Motors.
The Hobbit - I should probably preface this with saying that I'm a huge LOTR fan, so I had fairly high expectations coming into this...and I desperately wanted it to match them. So, with that in mind, I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this.
Whilst it didn't quite reach the heights of any of the LOTR films (though to expect it to do so would probably be unrealistic) it had everything you (well, I) would want out of a LOTR style movie. Great scenary, great locations, great music, good action sequences, Good performances from the main characters and so on and so on.
The film did actually play alot like Fellowship
Start in The Shire, set out, get into some scrapes, end up in Rivendell, set out again, struggle through some mountains, end up in a cave/mine, fight your way out, and then end on another fight
...still, it worked for the most part, so why complain? The only real complaints I do have is that it took a while to get going (to be expected with a LOTR film I suppose), some of the dwarf characters are irritating and the whole dwarves scene at Bilbo's house took bloody ages and was sa bit of overkill, some of the scenes were clearly shot with 3D in mind (which therefore might reflect poorly in 2D, though I'd obviously have to see it in 2D to be sure of that) and it is of course a bit on the long side, though again, it's to be expected I suppose!
Finally, have to say I really like Martin Freeman as an actor... most probably because of Sherlock, but yeah, I enjoyed him very much in this.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Pretty good, surprisingly. The trailer is shit.
It had a lot more depth than your average adults-playing-high-school-kids film I suppose. Acting was good too, Hermione's american accent wasn't even that distracting.
One odd thing was that at times there is something off about the way it moves from scene to scene. A bit disjointed. Apparently the director is the author of the book its based on, so that might explain that. Another annoying thing was that despite there being a few side characters we are supposed to laugh at for coming off with some cheesy pretentious shite, the main characters then proceed to do the same thing, saying shite like "I feel infinite". But other than that, good stuff, good ending.
The Hobbit - I should probably preface this with saying that I'm a huge LOTR fan, so I had fairly high expectations coming into this...and I desperately wanted it to match them. So, with that in mind, I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this.
Whilst it didn't quite reach the heights of any of the LOTR films (though to expect it to do so would probably be unrealistic) it had everything you (well, I) would want out of a LOTR style movie. Great scenary, great locations, great music, good action sequences, Good performances from the main characters and so on and so on.
The film did actually play alot like Fellowship
Start in The Shire, set out, get into some scrapes, end up in Rivendell, set out again, struggle through some mountains, end up in a cave/mine, fight your way out, and then end on another fight
...still, it worked for the most part, so why complain? The only real complaints I do have is that it took a while to get going (to be expected with a LOTR film I suppose), some of the dwarf characters are irritating and the whole dwarves scene at Bilbo's house took bloody ages and was sa bit of overkill, some of the scenes were clearly shot with 3D in mind (which therefore might reflect poorly in 2D, though I'd obviously have to see it in 2D to be sure of that) and it is of course a bit on the long side, though again, it's to be expected I suppose!
Finally, have to say I really like Martin Freeman as an actor... most probably because of Sherlock, but yeah, I enjoyed him very much in this.
Just saw this and agree with pretty much everything. Just like to add that I think it'd be even better without the high frame rate. It looked really weird at the start and then as the movie went on its like they learned how to use it better and wasn't as noticeable. Everything looks fine except the small movements, like when bilbo is putting down a plate or moving the pen, it just seems weird and sped up. Anyways, apart from that, I loved it. Like you said, starts slow but then after they leave rivendell it's just amazing.
Just saw this and agree with pretty much everything. Just like to add that I think it'd be even better without the high frame rate. It looked really weird at the start and then as the movie went on its like they learned how to use it better and wasn't as noticeable. Everything looks fine except the small movements, like when bilbo is putting down a plate or moving the pen, it just seems weird and sped up. Anyways, apart from that, I loved it. Like you said, starts slow but then after they leave rivendell it's just amazing.
The Hobbit - I should probably preface this with saying that I'm a huge LOTR fan, so I had fairly high expectations coming into this...and I desperately wanted it to match them. So, with that in mind, I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this.
Whilst it didn't quite reach the heights of any of the LOTR films (though to expect it to do so would probably be unrealistic) it had everything you (well, I) would want out of a LOTR style movie. Great scenary, great locations, great music, good action sequences, Good performances from the main characters and so on and so on.
The film did actually play alot like Fellowship
Start in The Shire, set out, get into some scrapes, end up in Rivendell, set out again, struggle through some mountains, end up in a cave/mine, fight your way out, and then end on another fight
...still, it worked for the most part, so why complain? The only real complaints I do have is that it took a while to get going (to be expected with a LOTR film I suppose), some of the dwarf characters are irritating and the whole dwarves scene at Bilbo's house took bloody ages and was sa bit of overkill, some of the scenes were clearly shot with 3D in mind (which therefore might reflect poorly in 2D, though I'd obviously have to see it in 2D to be sure of that) and it is of course a bit on the long side, though again, it's to be expected I suppose!
Finally, have to say I really like Martin Freeman as an actor... most probably because of Sherlock, but yeah, I enjoyed him very much in this.
I read the book ages ago (like, when I was in high school), and deliberatley haven't read it in preperation for this so I wouldn't be comparing the film to the book constantly... but basically, the film ends when
Bilbo has the ring, and they've made it out of the Misty Mountains/Orc cave.
They then have a fight scene with a group of Orcs (which includes character who is additional to the books if I remember correctly.. or at least more fleshed out) and are rescued by the giant Eagles and thats basically where the film ends.
Poetically surreal film concerning conflicts in the lands of Kurdish Iran. Follows the travails of rural teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, attempting to scrounge a living selling basic education in conflict torn villages. Very stark and depressing, and especially surreal. Very beautiful film though. Samira Makhmalbaf, like her father, is a fantastic film maker bringing the whole neorealistic schtick to really profound artistic levels. So much of Iranian cinema is shaped this way and is in my opinion some of the best stuff going on in film for the past 20 to 30 years. I know A Seperation just won the last Oscar for best foreign film, but that kind of simple-but-profound social realism cinema has been going on for yonks in Iran, fought tooth and nail all the way by their repressive governments. Almost seems like a miracle all the fantastic movies coming out of this country.
Poetically surreal film concerning conflicts in the lands of Kurdish Iran. Follows the travails of rural teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, attempting to scrounge a living selling basic education in conflict torn villages. Very stark and depressing, and especially surreal. Very beautiful film though. Samira Makhmalbaf, like her father, is a fantastic film maker bringing the whole neorealistic schtick to really profound artistic levels. So much of Iranian cinema is shaped this way and is in my opinion some of the best stuff going on in film for the past 20 to 30 years. I know A Seperation just won the last Oscar for best foreign film, but that kind of simple-but-profound social realism cinema has been going on for yonks in Iran, fought tooth and nail all the way by their repressive governments. Almost seems like a miracle all the fantastic movies coming out of this country.
I remember her dad being in Kiarostami's Close-Up. That's probably the best Iranian film I've seen so far, I've only seen about five though I think. A Taste of Cherry which was alright but uneccesarily meta, Children of Heaven which was decent but a bit too cutesy at times and the short The House Is Black. I liked A Separation but it wasn't this really, really amazing drama I had hoped it would be. Any other must see films?
Not to speak in Mockney's stead, but it's just a very boring film. The directing is okay, the way they use the space (it's mostly set in his car) is pretty interesting, and Pattinson isn't bad in it (though nowhere near as good as raving critics would lead you to believe, just cause he isn't flying between trees glowing in the dark doesn't make it an oscar worthy effort). But the story and the script are incredibly heavy going and don't seem to lead anywhere. It's just scene after scene of pompous dialogue trying to make you believe something deep and important is going on on the screen.
To sum it up, in one word, it's just really boring.
I remember her dad being in Kiarostami's Close-Up. That's probably the best Iranian film I've seen so far, I've only seen about five though I think. A Taste of Cherry which was alright but uneccesarily meta, Children of Heaven which was decent but a bit too cutesy at times and the short The House Is Black. I liked A Separation but it wasn't this really, really amazing drama I had hoped it would be. Any other must see films?
Children of Heaven and a couple of others do fit in that a-little-too-cutesy category, I agree. Too bad those are the best known ones in the west.
As for Kiarostami, I like all of his stuff, especially Close Up. Certified Copy was his first outside Iran made in Europe. I really enjoyed it and his last one, I can't remember the name, he made I think in Japan and it's supposed to be great.
There's About Elly by the same geezer as A Seperation. Great film. I liked it better than A Seperation.
Two films by Samira Makhmalbaf, The Apple and Blackboards are excellent.
My fav, and probably my favorite film of all time is The Silence by Samira's father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf. I'd like to hear your opinion of that one. Check that one out. I like his other movies as well, except Saalam Cinema.
Have also liked all the Jafar Pahani movies, especially The Mirror.
These are off the top of my head. I'd have to check my collection to come up with others.
