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Post by shadowknight on Nov 18, 2013 0:14:35 GMT
Ok, in this thread I will be reviewing movies. The movies will come from many genres, and will consist of everything from classics to current block busters. This is a first for me, I have never actually attempted to write reviews so keep that in mind as you read this. Each review will contain spoilers, this is your warning, if you have not seen these movies do not read (unless you don't care, then feel free to continue).
*SPOILER WARNING* *SPOILER WARNING* *SPOILER WARNING*
again, you have been warned. I will try and keep the spoilers light, but there will still be some.
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Post by shadowknight on Nov 18, 2013 2:29:21 GMT
For my first review, I will take a look at a classic.
Title: Alien - Release date: June 22, 1979 - Rating: R - Director(s):Ridley Scott - Main cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt,Veronica Cartwright,Harry Dean Stanton,Ian Holm,Yaphet Kotto,Bolaji Badejo,Helen Horton,Eddie Powell - Genre:Sci-fi/Horror
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plot Summary: The story focused on a crew of seven working on board a "commercial deep space towing vessel" known as the Nostromo,bound for earth with 20,000,000 tons of mineral ore. The crew are awakened from cryo-sleep by the ships A.I., Known as Mother, to investigate a signal believed to be an s.o.s in a distant star-system; however, the signal is a actually a warning. One of the crew is attacked while searching the source of the signal and unknowingly brings a hostile creature on board. The Atmosphere: The movie has excellent atmosphere, it's dark, claustrophobic, and it really gives you the sense that there is no escape from the creature that is stalking the crew.The Acting: The acting is top notch. Each actor brings his/her character to life, giving each of them a distinct feel. The Music: The music is very good, it provides a subtle touch that lends itself well to the overall tone of the film. It provides gentle, slightly mysterious, tones while they are investigating the signal. These are later contrasted with the sharp intensity of the music of the movies climax.
The Effects: The effects are magnificent, a combination of scale models, props, and men in suits. They bring the environments to life and feel perfectly real and fit seamlessly into the world they have created. The Sound Effects: For the most part the sound effects are average, but the Alien's sounds are fairly unique. The Technology:The tech seems simple and efficient, design wise it shows its age when compared to modern Sci-fi, but fits well into the world the movie creates and doesn't seem too far beyond the realm of possibility.The Science: The science behind most of the technology isn't explained very well; however, for the few things that are explained, they keep it short and sweet, the explanation is believable.
The Monster: The Alien is called the "Perfect organism" and, in my opinion, lives up to that claim. It is a near perfect killer, its dark coloration allows it to camouflage perfectly in the darkness of the ship. The Alien methodically stalks the crew,using stealth and speed to pick them off one by one, it spares no one, feels no pity or remorse and only has a primitive fear of fire.
The Characters: The characters are fairly basic, little back story is given for them, but the actors portraying them make up for that with strong performances with the material given.
The Horror: The horror is a combination of long, drawn out kills, and a couple jump scares; however, unlike a lot of modern scares, these are built upon and strengthened by the atmosphere. The subtle things, such as the dripping of water, the clinking of chains, the quick flashes of the creature before it strikes all leave you with a slight twinge of paranoia, not knowing when or from where the creature will strike next. As the creature starts picking of crew members true colors of the crew are shown, ranging form cold indifference, hysterical pleas to evacuate, and burning desire for revenge. The kills and Gore: The kills vary from slow and drawn out on screen kills, to quick cut aways. Most of the kills are relatively clean, the gore count is low, only three deaths can be counted as gore.The Twist: The twist, while hinted at through the first half of the film, is shocking. It leaves you asking questions and sets up for an unexpected payoff.The Pacing: The movie is slow. It takes time to build tension, develop characters personalities, and takes its time. It picks up near the end, but still slow enough to fit with the rest of the film. Overall: Overall the movie is superb. It has strong acting, good writing, great atmosphere, a menacing threat, a decent twist, and near perfect practical effects. The slow pace of the film maybe a turn off to some, but if you are in the mood for a dark sci-fi horror flick, you can't get much better than the world created by Alien. My rating: 8.5 / 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This has been, A Knight at the movies!
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Post by CosmicBehemoth on Nov 18, 2013 2:39:37 GMT
A very good choice, one of my highly enjoyed films as well.
Good work taking the film apart and analyzing it from pretty much every angle, it is very thorough and informative. How do you compare it to the sequel, or (forgive me for the mentioning) the others in the franchise?
Also, any clue as to what you'll do next?
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Post by shadowknight on Nov 18, 2013 2:53:11 GMT
A very good choice, one of my highly enjoyed films as well. Good work taking the film apart and analyzing it from pretty much every angle, it is very thorough and informative. How do you compare it to the sequel, or (forgive me for the mentioning) the others in the franchise? Also, any clue as to what you'll do next? Thank you. I plan on doing the sequels some time in the future, as for immediately next Its probably going to be something random I pull off my dvd rack. I enjoy the intimidate sequel, and even Alien 3 had its high points, but none of them can compare to the original. As to how it compares...you cant really compare them, The first is Sci-fi/horror, the Second is Sci-fi action. Three is the closest its gotten to its horror roots, the rest of the franchises outings are in the action department.
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Post by Knukails on Nov 18, 2013 3:14:07 GMT
The review was good, i liked the breakdown.
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Post by GuardianAngel1911-Admin on Nov 18, 2013 15:10:39 GMT
Very nice review.
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Post by shadowknight on Nov 23, 2013 5:44:09 GMT
Ok, let me be clear, tonight's review is on what some might call a "chick flick". I have nothing against them so they are going to be part of this thread, I can not honestly call myself an unbiased reviewer if I refuse to do a specific set of movies due to some imagined gender line.
Title: Legally Blonde -
Release date: July 13, 2001 -
Rating: PG-13 -
Director(s): Robert Luketic -
Main cast:
Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis,Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter,Jessica Cauffiel,
Alanna Ubach, Oz Perkins,Linda Cardellini, Bruce Thomas,Meredith Scott Lynn, Raquel Welch, Samantha Lemole, Kelly Nyks,Ted Kairys,Michael B. Silver, Kimberly McCullough, Shannon O'Hurley, Greg Serano, Francesca P. Roberts, Lisa Arch, Natalie Barish, Cici Lau, Allyce Beasley, Kevin Cooney, Ted Rooney, David Moreland,Wayne Federman, James Read, Tane McClure, Niklaus Lange,Doug Spinuzza, Lisa K. Wyatt,Jason Christopher,Corinne Reilly ,Victoria Mahoney,Lacey Beeman,Melissa Anne Young,Brody Hutzler,Chaney Kley,John Cantwell,Ondrea De Vincentis,Terence Michael,Nectar Rose,Jodi Harris,Patricia Kimes,Sasha Barrese,Kelly Driscoll ,Elizabeth Matthews,Kennedy Stone,Moonie, Lily,Gary Ambrosia,Joan Blair,Ali Chen,Gary Castro Churchwel,Curt Clendenin,Joe Dolan ,Melanie H. Gassaway,Mark Heidelberger,Richard Hillman, Seth Adam Jones,John Kapelos ,Beverly Polcyn ,Scott Ryan Whinery,Dylan White,Jenna Z. Wilson -
Genre: Comedy/Romance
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Plot Summary: Elle Woods has a seemingly perfect life. She's the head of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Has her picture in the campus calendar, and a natural blonde. She dates the handsomest frat boy on campus and strongly desires to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But, there's just one thing stopping Warner from asking her hand in marriage: Elle is too blonde. Growing up rich might mean something in LA, but nothing to Warner's East-Coast blue blood family. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old girlfriend from his prep school, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. But law school is far from the comforts her past. Elle must work hard, to win her back her mans heart,to improve herself, and redeem the image of blondes everywhere.
The Atmosphere: This movie nails its atmosphere. It's light and bright for the California settings, giving the Harvard locations a more dull and somber feel to them.
The Acting: The acting is vary well done, with the cast putting an unmistakable energy into their performance. The Actors are spot on with their line delivery and put great performances into their already colorful characters.
The Music: The music is effective, though a bit average. Peppy themes for the California setting, More somber tones for the School, and a mix of other things that help set the mood of the scenes in between.
The Characters: The characters are a colorful and distinct, they are greatly aided by the energy the cast puts into them. The contrasting personalities of the lead and main antagonist leads to some seriously fun moments as you watch their relationship take shape over the course of the movie.
The Comedy: The comedy is very strong for the most part, and while there are a few site gags and jokes that don't work, those do not take away from the ones that really work. The comedy can be subtle, you get your laugh from the characters and their reactions, rather than the joke itself at times. The comedy is solid and will leave you with genuine laughs
The Romance: The "actual" romance seem to be set up ok. Its starts off slow and, though you can practical tell from the first meeting that they'll be together it doesn't throw it in your face and feels genuine.
The Twist:I'm not sure if it counts as an actual twist but it does seem to come from nowhere and definitely throws a temporary wrench into the main characters life..
The Pacing: The pacing is fairly good. It doesn't feel like it drags or goes to fast.
Overall: The overall feel of the movie is good, it is paced well and the acting is solid. The comedy is strong and leaves you felling satisfied, as far as romances go its not the worst one you can see and is built up over the course of the movie. The music is decent and adds to the overall pleasant atmosphere. The main characters are all generally likable in their own way, yea even the "bad guys" who turn out not so bad, and the twist, while still seeming out of left field, serves its purpose and provides a way for the Main character to make a strong return. Now, I'm sure that there are things in this move that I missed, some comedy that to me fell flat and what not, but that may be due to me being a guy; however, I can still appreciate this move and, despite being a guy, I found myself genuinely laughing at most of the humor. So if you are in the mood for a light feelgood comedy with some hints of romance, I definitively recommend giving this movie a watch.
My rating: 8/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This has been, A Knight at the movies!
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Post by GuardianAngel1911-Admin on Nov 23, 2013 5:46:46 GMT
I honestly never really payed much attention to the Legally Blonde movies..
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Post by CosmicBehemoth on Nov 23, 2013 5:50:38 GMT
I did watch this one a couple of times.
Throughout, the film felt a little bit...I dunno how to quite say it. It felt a little plodding. The humor was pretty good in parts and it did have a passable payoff, but it never really ever wowed me personally. Interesting choice though, I see that you are keeping things in a broad selection. I'm interested to see what's next from you.
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Post by shadowknight on Nov 23, 2013 5:57:21 GMT
I honestly never really payed much attention to the Legally Blonde movies.. Normally I wouldn't have either, but when you grow up with a younger sister sometimes there is no avoiding movies like this. Anyway, I can say that the first two are good, thought I here the spin off movies aren't that great, and I may get to the second one one day. Oh, and I'm also going to try and do a review every Friday night.
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Post by shadowknight on Nov 23, 2013 6:00:32 GMT
I did watch this one a couple of times. Throughout, the film felt a little bit...I dunno how to quite say it. It felt a little plodding. The humor was pretty good in parts and it did have a passable payoff, but it never really ever wowed me personally. Interesting choice though, I see that you are keeping things in a broad selection. I'm interested to see what's next from you. And that's ok, we all have different tastes and what I see in movies will not always reflect what others see. All of these will be through my point of view and you are free to praise or criticize as you see fit. As to the selection, we have damn near a thousand movies piled up on the shelves, so I shouldn't run out anytime soon.
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Post by shadowknight on Dec 2, 2013 5:25:25 GMT
Tonight's review, as a favor to my sister, is....Title: Pitch Perfect- Release date: 5 October 2012 - Rating: PG-13 - Director(s): Jason Moore - Main cast: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson ,Anna Camp, Skylar Astin - Genre: Comedy/ Music /Romance--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plot Summary:The Barden Bellas are an all-girls a'cappella singing group thriving on female pop songs and their looks. After last year's disastrous finals, they are forced to regroup. Among the new recruits is a freshman named Beca, an independent aspiring DJ with no interest in the life of a college student;however, after she meets Jesse, a member of a rival all-male a'cappella group, Beca has new purpose and takes it upon herself to help the Bellas find their new look and sound to get them back into the competition.
The Atmosphere: It was hard for me to place my finger on the specific type of atmosphere this movie presented, that's when I realized that , like the characters, it was a blend of several; however, it didn't feel bad, if anything it was inviting. Even in the dramatic scenes you felt comfortable.
The Acting: The acting in this was fairly good, and even a tad cheese (but in a good way). None of the performances fell flat and the actors delivered their lines on point.The Music: The music was fun and energetic and possibly the best part of the movie, the a'cappella is a refreshing change of pace from the more traditional scoring that most movies have. The instrumental music during the non-singing portions is fine, though it is easily forgettable, it does its job in filling in silent moments. The Characters: The characters are a mixed bag who are somehow unique and generic all at the same time. You have the quiet one who learns to be expressive, the control freak who learns to let others take the lead, the heavy set one who is overflowing with confidence, the loner who learns to trust and eventually love. These are all unique and yet they are character traits that have been seen hundreds of times in cinema. Regardless of this, the cast brought out the best in their characters. They had good chemistry and it never felt forced when they were interacting with each other.The Comedy: The comedy was ..... not the strong point of the film, now don't get me wrong, it definitely has some funny moments; however, there weren't any "laugh my arse off" moments. I snickered here and there at some of the humor and the rest at least got a smile out of me. Cute I guess is the word I would use when describing it. The Romance: The romance was cheesy for the first half; however, they did some things that caught my attention. The lead and her romantic interest start off as friends.....sort of, they have a natural charm between the characters and how they grow close does seem plausible in a real world context. They do have the, almost cliched, break up scene; except its not truly a break up. As the lines of dialogue state, they were never actually together which adds a twist to the old plot line. Add to that that they didn't have the boy forgive the girl, even when she actively sought him out and apologized. I actually felt that this added to the dynamics of their relationship, an element of real life that is often forgot in movies is that you wont always be forgiven and have to live with your mistakes, at least for a time, and when he actually accepts her apology it feels genuine. This could only be pulled off by a combination of good writing, good chemistry, and strong performances from both of them. The Twist: Similar to my last review, I don't know if the movie has an "actual" twist. What it does have is a moment where the main actress decides to give up, to pack it in and go home; however, through some wise words she tentatively returns and is stronger in her resolve for it. The Pacing: The movie has a strange pace to it. It seems to fluctuate between wanting to rush and wanting to drag. It never truly picks one or the other, managing to find a sort of semi-balance between the two extremes. Overall: Overall... now as some of you may know I ....... was hesitant about watching this move. Despite this I went into it with an open mind, what I got was more then I expected and yet exactly what I expected. The music style was a treat and the actors are a enjoyable to watch, making the characters more than they should be. The comedy is serviceable and the romance ,albeit kind of cheesy, was handled very well. The "twist" was predictable and felt like something I had seen many times before, but again, it was handled well enough. So, below, my over all score is..... My rating: 7.7/ 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This has been, A Knight at the movies!
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Post by MugiwaraBlair on Dec 2, 2013 7:04:26 GMT
Looks like shit to tbh. And none of them seems like like a loner or a quiet one, they all look like generic dumb bitches.
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Post by Mister Teal-Rule Abider on Dec 2, 2013 7:25:07 GMT
the three on the right should wear skirts, and the two on the left should wear anvils
good review though, much like my television ones
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Post by Lady Ruliya on Dec 2, 2013 9:18:46 GMT
Looks like Mugi is more a fan of Mean Girls xD
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