I've been downloading and watching a lot of movies lately so I decided to share my experiences watching them here. I plan to make monthly blog updates, as you can probably tell from the title. Hopefully, as I post more stuff, I can find like minded movie enthusiasts who have similar taste and share!
If you're looking for 'accurate' reviews, this may not be the best place. I am far from being a movie expert. I realize everyone has different tastes. The only thing I can guarantee is that I'll give a review based on how much I enjoyed watching the movie rather than how good of a movie most people would rate it. For example, Fight Club is a movie that I've watched based on the recommendations from TL and I thought it was overrated. I could tell it was a nice movie but I didn't enjoy it at all. I hope that makes sense.
I search for old movie recommendation threads on TL to look for good movies I've missed that were released in the past 15-20 years. I really enjoy watching movies but I'm pretty ignorant of good movies that a lot of people here take for granted. I blame this on:
1) my poor taste in movies during my teen years 2) too lazy to rent/download(slow) movies until recently. Now I can get movies at several MB/sec as opposed to several kb/sec +_+
So I expect some movies I'll mention here will get 'wtf you watched that movie for the first time this year?' responses.
Ratings 1 - recommend it to someone you secretly hate 2 - watch if extremely bored 3 - ok watch 4 - good, worth watching multiple times 5 - a favorite
*4-5 are pretty much the same to me. Their ratings probably vary based on the mood I was in.
I'll try to stay away from movies that are getting a lot of coverage/hype (eg. Inglourious Basterds).
Public Enemies I downloaded this knowing only that it was a gangster film. I was expecting good dialogue between Depp and Bale but neither one was particularly interesting Well... to be fair Depp's character > Bale's by far. The plot was boring and I couldn't seem to get attached to any of the characters. For some reason I expected more out of this film after watching the first 15-20 min of it. After watching it, I couldn't help but think 'that was it?' Not a bad film by any means. I have to say my rising expectations in the beginning of film affected me. 3/5
The Rounders Great movie. Why am I a sucker for Matt Damon movies (Bourne series, Departed, Good Will Hunting) lol. I loved this movie. I suck at poker but it doesn't really affect how much you enjoy the movie in case you're wondering. I guess basic knowledge wouldn't hurt to help enjoy the film. 4.5/5
Gamer A piece of shit. This is the kind of movie you have unreasonably high hopes for after watching the trailer while deep inside you know it just can't be good. After you actually watch it, you end up hitting yourself for being so stupid. The plot is blatantly sloppy, not to mention unrealistic. If you do watch this movie, don't expect any explanations concerning the plot because there aren't any. I originally thought maybe the low quality version I downloaded might bias my review but I'm pretty sure it's a shit movie regardless. I consider myself easily entertained when it comes to action movies, but this movie doesn't even have good action 1/5
The Life of David Gale I watched this movie based on a few recommendations I found on TL. I didn't know what it was about, just had above average expectations for it. Good movie! I like the pacing of the movie. What I like about this type of movie is that it keeps you interested and makes you pay attention starting from the 15 min mark or so. 4/5
The Ugly Truth I don't expect much from romance-comedy (who does? LOLOL). They're unoriginal on the most part, predictable, and cheesy. But to be honest, I kind of enjoyed this movie because of Leonidas's character. The main girl didn't have shit on Leonidas. The ending was painfully predictable but it wasn't drawn out so I won't penalize it too much 2.5/5
Lean on Me I have mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, I liked Morgan Freeman's performance but I wanted something more towards the second half of the movie. The antagonists (mayor, black parent, fire dept chief) of the movie were annoying and didn't add shit to the story. I also feel that story could have used more character development by concentrating on a narrower range of characters. 3/5
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Absolutely loved it. This is the type of movie that reminds me that downloading and watching a bunch of shit movies is worth it as long as I find a gem like this once in a while. I watched it not knowing it was the work of the same director of Snatch. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. This movie has it all: action, humor, wit. 5/5
Surrogates It wasn't a great movie but it was at least interesting. This is the quality I had hoped for Gamer. When I watch these 'in the future, what if...' type of movies, I really want to see the movie exploring that hypothetical world in depth. It's a pity the movie didn't really go into that stuff as much as I would have liked. The movie could've been better if they let Bruce Willis interact with the anti-surrogacy humans more so we could see some interesting arguments imo. 3/5
La Haine Gangs of New York Van Cassel Trainspotting The Aviator The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Summer Wars The Hangover Crank 2 Startrek - The Beginning Seven Pounds Platoon Religulous Motorcycle Diaries Soloist Last Holiday Zeitgeist Addendum
If any of the above movies are complete shit and not worth it, let me know o_O
I would have given surrogates 2/5, I thought the movie was bland, action wasn't so great especially for a Bruce Willis movie. But that's just me, although I thought the concept was awesome. I highly recommend watching Star Trek, I thought that was a great movie. Seven Pounds was alright, you can guess what happens right at the beginning of the movie.
Hrmm.. I did watch Surrogates after watching the Gamer maybe that's why.
I need to keep the list going. I have a text file with a bunch of movies that I need to download but are hard to find on Korean sites, especially if they weren't a hit at the box office. Korean netizens are way too lenient when it comes to movie ratings imo. Pretty much 70%+ of all movies are considered 'good' so I have yet to find a reliable ratings system here. This is especially a problem for finding good Korean movies since I can't pull out a database of good Korean films anywhere.
I mean, Gamer was advertised to have 9.xx out of 10... -_-
This depends a lot on your movie preferences. Do you like a very well made but not highly original movie (indiana jones), a highly original mind-bending movie (being john malkovich), a superbly acted drama that's slow but draws you in, cool popcorn action (fightclub? 300/gladiator)?
I admire Roger Ebert's reviews, http://www.suntimes.com/ebert, the legendary living member of the Siskel and Ebert's two thumbs up. He tends to focus more on good craft, likes interesting dramas and originality, and tends to dislike movies that use special effects that don't complement the movie.
La Haine - haven't seen Gangs of New York - If you don't know anything about american history, skip it. You will not enjoy it. Van Cassel - haven't seen Trainspotting - Great movie if you like being depressed. Along the same lines as Requiem for a Dream. Written by a foul-mouthed Irishman, and the movie is a fairly faithful adaptation. The Aviator - Long movie about a guy peeing in bottles. Hughes was crazy before he was brilliant, does a decent job showing that. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Heartfelt character study, fun story, brilliant visuals. Summer Wars - haven't seen The Hangover - Funny, but I still found that the ending made the entire movie worthwhile, which made me feel slightly cheated. Standard buddy comedy of today. Crank 2 - Should change the name to Crank 2: Crankier. It's offensive, crass, vulgar, violent, and a great way to spend an hour and a half. Especially if you like cracked out action and one-liners, like an old McTiernan action movie. Star Trek - The Beginning - Make sure you get in the highest quality. Was definitely a theater experience. Loud, bright, CG'd to hell and back to create a detailed and exciting universe where an excellent story, somewhat faithful to the Star Trek cannon (despite JJ Abrams having never seen an episode of Trek) is a definite must. Seven Pounds - Crappy drama about a guy that fucked up, and then makes you spend 2 hours trying to figure out what's going on, only for the big reveal to be cheesy and a major let-down. Over-hyped Will Smith drama. Skip IMO. Platoon - I don't understand how you can not have already seen this movie. Explosions, death, and some political messages that are outdated but still somewhat relevant. Oliver Stone before he started jerking himself off on film. Religulous - Funny, humorous look at the religious, especially the political actions of these people, with Maher's snarky and observational humor thrown in, which creates a brilliant contrast of language and politics. Take it with the grain of salt it deserves. Motorcycle Diaries - Ridiculously awesome Spanish film that doesn't paint Guevara like the over-hyped socialist savior that millions of t-shirts would have him representing. He was killed for a reason people, and he would hate it to think you spent money on a shirt supporting his "cause". Soloist - Overly sappy drama starring two brilliant actors that somehow make it almost work. Last Holiday - Queen Latifah. Skip. Zeitgeist Addendum - haven't seen
I'll stop hi-jacking your thread now. I just don't want you wasting time on movies like Last Holiday. Seriously. If you're looking for good recommendations, PM me.
@meeple, it was called Snatch. Standard Guy Ritchie affair.
Crank 2 is a 4 when watched in a movie theatre, I think it's still ok at least when watched on PC. Hangover is good but it kinda depends on your mood.
edit: also I really like seeing a good post that actually has content in the blog section, thanks.
As far as recommendations go...if you haven't seen a lot of classics mentioned in the other 'movie' posts you should do so immediately..for some reason I can't think of recent movies that I like.
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was an amazing movie. If you liked it I highly recommend watching Snatch, which is really similar in style but better in all aspects.
On November 14 2009 18:28 Heen wrote: More to come!
Currently DL'd and not yet watched:
La Haine Gangs of New York Van Cassel Trainspotting The Aviator The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Summer Wars The Hangover Crank 2 Startrek - The Beginning Seven Pounds Platoon Religulous Motorcycle Diaries Soloist Last Holiday Zeitgeist Addendum
If any of the above movies are complete shit and not worth it, let me know o_O
trainspotting, girl who leapt through time. the rest are deletable
I have a similar rating system ... for "*4-5 are pretty much the same to me. Their ratings probably vary based on the mood I was in." ... I think it's best to think of 5 as a movie you'd put in your top 20 or top 50 (depending on how many movies you've seen). I actually keep a list of movies I've seen with ratings from 1-5 (1 being terrible and not worth watching even once, 2 being average but not worth watching again, 3 being slightly above average and maybe worth watching again, 4 being very good and worth watching again, and 5 being top 20 movie).
Heh and to continue the eternal struggle ... do you like Snatch or Lock Stock better =)?
Edit: Here are some of the movies I've rated a 4 on the 1-5 scale ... #-C:
25th hour 28 days later 3:10 to yuma 40 year old virgin almost famous american beauty apocalypse now atonement babel bad boys the bank job ben hur best in show black hawk down boondock saints casino children underground chocolat the city of lost children clerks clerks 2 cold mountain collateral con air the count of monte cristo the counterfeiters crouching tiger hidden dragon
Yeap Public Enemies kinda disappointed me ... I thought a movie with Depp and Bale in it would have been much cooler. It's not bad, but clearly not up to expectation (mine at least).
Movies I would recommend watching (in case you haven't watched it):
Snatch (Brad Pitt, Jason something - the transporter guy ... pretty funny, about illegal boxing in England, you gotta love the British accent, I absolutely do) The Negotiator (Sam Jackson, K. Spacey, I just watched it again last night, loved it). Con Air is pretty awesome, thought many of you might have watched it. Pulp Fiction is definitely a must-watch. Why? Because when you have John Travolta, Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson in one movie, it is.
That's it for now, gonna update it later because I gotta head out for dinner.
Gangs of New York - worth watching for Daniel Day-Lewis alone. Platoon is a must, especially when you figure out how they were making this film. Aviator is just OK, not too many memories about it though. Trainspotting is, of course, the best of whole list.
Could you give this movie a go. I just barely heard about it and haven't had a chance, nor will I, to give it a watch for at least a week. I just know Fincher and Jonze produced it which makes me happy in my pants.
I look at movies in the same light I see games. A masterpiece of a game has great storyline, voice acting, visuals, interface etc. but they don't all have to be top-notch to be enjoyable. That said, games like Baldur's Gate (? not sure which one, one was very highly rated iirc) just aren't my cup of tea just as Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind, 2001: A Space Odyssey are movies I can't appreciate fully even though they are highly acclaimed films.
My taste in movies is considered somewhat mainstream, I think. I haven't actively went out of my way to watch good movies. Rather, I've been fed a lot of highly advertised movies. To give you an idea, here are my take on some of the movies mentioned in the replies:
Being John Malcovich: interested but ended up being a wtf movie... didn't like 300: loved it even though the impression I got from TL 2 years ago on it was divided Gladiator: Thumbs up Snatch: 4.5 only because I watched Lock, Stock recently Negotiator: A good movie but perhaps I didn't appreciate it fully since I watched it when I was in middle school or something 3.5 ish Con Air: Again, I watched this when I was in 6th grade or something and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a feeling it'll be laughable if I were to watch it again though 3:10 to yuma: liked but was a 3 enjoyment factor to me. 40 yr old virgin: laughed my ass off watching this one. I'm a lighthearted guy with a simple sense of humor when it comes to the pure comedy genre. Then again watching these types of movies with your friend makes them funnier so I'll refrain from giving it a rating. I also enjoyed Superbad much. Is that bad? o_o
lac29, you posted so many lol.
I'll try to make a distinction between the 4-5 range if possible.
4 - good, would watch again 4.5 - very good but depends on taste (?) 5 - awesome movie I'd imagine everyone to like
Highly Rated movies (from IMDB) that I did not like (more accurately: thought overrated) whatever the reason:
Fight Club American Beauty The Pianist L.A Confidential Gran Torino Wrestler
The movies I enjoy the most are the types that feel complete. There are actually two types of complete.
Type 1: Saving Private Ryan LOTR Shawshank Redemption Schindler's List
Ok, so this is pretty much a list of movies with good acting, solid storyline, and fun characters. They're movies that aren't really unique but rather awesome because they're perfection. After you watch the movie, you can fall alseep feeling good because the movie left no holes so to speak. This is what separates a 4 movie from a 5, I suppose.
Type 2: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Memento City of God
Now these are the movies I'd like to call puzzle piece movies. They keep you focused because they generally go back and forth between scenes/timeline/many characters more often. The episodic nature of these films gives this puzzle piece sensation to each scene and near the end, they come together and hit you at once. Well, City of God is kind of different but I wouldn't quite put it on list 1.
I was planning to watch movies all day since I got all my work done and it's getting too cold to go out but what do you know... BLACKOUT in our dorms for the entire day
Lastly, movies I've heard good things about but having a hard time getting hold of:
Clerks The Bank Job Counterfeiters Taxi Driver Das Leben der Andersen
Eh... I have a lot more on my little txt file on my home computer but I can't seem to recall them.
i second memento. that movie was confusing as hell but you feel great if you figure it out before the movie ends loll. and sorry lac, but i thought atonement sucked.
*The Usual Suspects: if you haven't seen this movie, you're life isn't complete. Lagaan: it's a bollywood movie, but don't knock it til you've seen it. watched it in world lit back in high school..it's pretty long but quite entertaining. The Wind That Shakes the Barley: made me tear up a bit *Inside Man: another all time favorite Law Abiding Citizen: just saw it in theaters and was well worth the money
PLEASE stay away from crank 2 it has no meaning anymore is a buncha stupid shit really falls off the track from crank 1 which was a buncha stupid shit but good haha
This was a list I made maybe 2.5 years ago but in the small chance you haven't seen any of these go watch them!
CURRENT TOP 20 (in no particular order): 1) the shawshank redemption 2) schindler's list 3) life is beautiful 4) the princess bride 5) crash 6) when harry met sally 7) snatch 8) the matrix 9) black hawk down 10) american history x 11) requiem for a dream 12) the usual suspects 13) office space 14) cidade de deus 15) fight club 16) finding nemo 17) gladiator 18) saving private ryan 19) forrest gump 20) the incredibles
children of men - i need to kick one of my current top 20 out to make way for this great movie (either finding nemo or the incredibles will probably be kicked out) eternal sunshine of the spotless mind - needs to be in the top 20 somewhere
On November 14 2009 18:28 Heen wrote: More to come!
Currently DL'd and not yet watched:
La Haine Gangs of New York Van Cassel Trainspotting The Aviator The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Summer Wars The Hangover Crank 2 Startrek - The Beginning Seven Pounds Platoon Religulous Motorcycle Diaries Soloist Last Holiday Zeitgeist Addendum
If any of the above movies are complete shit and not worth it, let me know o_O
CRANK 2. Watch that one next, you won't be disappointed
Star Trek Despite all the positive reviews of this movie I've read on TL, I was skeptical because it was a Star Trek movie. I've never watched an episode of Star Trek and had no knowledge of any of the characters or plot except that it was set in space. The impression I got from Star Trek was that it had a loyal fanbase and was unwelcoming to newbs. So I was initially worried that I'd be lost and confused.
However, I was delighted to find myself enjoying the movie without any problems. It felt like the first time I watched LotR: Fellowship of the Ring; I watched it on a whim knowing only that it was some fantasy book. Anyway, the movie had good pacing and balance of humor, action, and story. I like how they took the time to cover the history of Kirk and Spock. Some of the characters and acting were lacking but that's to be expected of a sci-fi adventure film It's a pity I didn't have the chance to watch it in theatres. 4.5/5
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I got a really high quality version and I have to say, gg movie. Needless to say, the entire movie is animated extremely well (crisp and clear). For those of you who don't know, the movie's about a highschool girl who accidently gets the ability to time travel. I liked how the movie didn't just turn out to be a pretty anime with a fun concept for plot. It gets you into thinking about all the little decisions you make daily, kind of like the butterfly effect. The characters are more mature and realistic than your typical anime characters which is another plus. I didn't want bullshit characters if you know what I mean. The movie still keeps a 'bright happy happy sunshine everywhere' anime atmosphere without making the world and its characters too unbelievable. I didn't quite get the ending though. 4/5
Religulous Yes, I would consider myself an atheist but I only watched this film for entertainment purposes. I found the discussions and interviews hilarious especially when Maher's interviewee gives a blank stare (that reads: I see what you did there) whenever Maher makes a smartass comment. I don't know what a theist might think about this movie but I'd say Maher presented his case in a fair manner without being unnecessarily offensive. Yes, he did poke a lot fun obviously, but he was doing his best to be rational at the same time and most of the people he interviewed couldn't keep up. 4/5
Hotel Rwanda This movie reminded me of Schindler's List except with less tension. I didn't have any emotional response to the rebel forces rounding up everyone and threatening to kill them all. It does raise some questions about humanity but just focusing on the movie itself, I couldn't connect 3/5
Lastly, movies I've heard good things about but having a hard time getting hold of:
Clerks The Bank Job Counterfeiters Taxi Driver Das Leben der Andersen
Das Leben der Anderen (Lives of others) is a pretty good film about the DDR. Clerks is one of my favourite films: it's a low budget, black and white film about "life" basically. Real fun and deep(?).
I think I have a similar taste in movies as you Heen.
On November 15 2009 11:08 toastybunz wrote: *The Usual Suspects: if you haven't seen this movie, you're life isn't complete.
I second that. I am really picky about movies. I don't like most movies and here are some I enjoyed very much. There are a bunch of movies I thought were ok but I think these are a must watch.
The Usual Suspects Shawshank Redemption Lucky Number Slevin Donnie Darko The Matrix
EPT
![[image loading]](http://jonnyrosemont.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/public_enemies.jpg)
Well... to be fair Depp's character > Bale's by far. The plot was boring and I couldn't seem to get attached to any of the characters. For some reason I expected more out of this film after watching the first 15-20 min of it. After watching it, I couldn't help but think 'that was it?' Not a bad film by any means. I have to say my rising expectations in the beginning of film affected me.![[image loading]](http://www.traileraddict.com/content/miramax-films/rounders.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://tengossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/gameronesheet_a.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2006/Macgee/Web%20Project/david_gale_movie.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/images_7/UglyTruth_000.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://blogs.bet.com/entertainment/whattheflick/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/leanonme.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://stan.uio.no/blog/isne/Lock,_Stock_and_Two_Smoking_Barrels.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/07/02/surrogates-poster.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://pds11.egloos.com/pds/200905/16/42/f0055542_4a0e322949bfb.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://sgnewwave.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/girl-who-leapt-through-time.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://jeanaarter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/religulous1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://discsworldwide.com/hotel_rwanda.jpg)
