Van_Dammer Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 (edited) The Bird People In China A salaryman is sent by his boss to find a quantity of jade. Accompanied by a yakuza and some explorers, they come across a tribe in deepest China. Â The Bird People In China is a somewhat strange and unconventional film. Directed by Takashi Miike, in some respects, it's different to what I've come to expect from him. There's no gore or excessive violence. This film is about mystery and definitely remains intriguing throughout. Â It's mainly character-driven and, like Miike's other films, The Bird People In China is very well-directed and artistic. My only real gripes with it are the pacing and that it seems uneventful... Â Nonetheless, I liked it and I'd say it's worth checking out, although it's nothing spectacular. Â Hotel Rwanda Based on a true-life events from 1994, Hotel Rwanda is about a hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina, who gave shelter to over a thousand refugees during a time of conflict. Â This is a highly involving and moving film. Hotel Rwanda is powerful and truly makes you care due to the character development and emotive dialogue. Obviously, the subject matter itself is of an extremely shocking nature, but the performances are essential in dramatising the events. The acting is great, especially by Don Cheadle, who plays the hotel manager. Â I think Hotel Rwands is very good film, but I'm still not sure if it's worthy of the immense praise that it's received... Edited July 2, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgmilne Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 The three most recent films i've seen are  X-Men 3, which I thought was good. Without ruining it for those who haven't seen it, I was shocked by how small a part one of the characters had, though that wasn't neccessarily a bad thing. A good film overall, but I can't believe I missed a post-credits scene. What happened?  The Night of the Hunter, which is considered a classic but in my opinion isn't. It starts off really well with the building up of how creepy the character played by Robert Mitchum was and how he planned to get the money, but the last half hour (which has been the killer of so many potentially great films) was poor. All of a sudden the two kids end up with an old woman who's looking after other kids and suddenly after about an hour of build up, it's turns on its head completly. Mitchum's character was also dealt with FAR too easily. He was a far more effective villain in the original Cape Fear  United 93. A great film. By no means a film that you get the boys over to watch but one I feel you have to see at least once. Assuming it's for the most part a genuine reconstruction, it was amazing to see how ill prepared the US was for something like this and how they initially didn't take it seriously. It was interesting for me to see as well because I happened to be flying to New York while all this was going on and I can now put a name to the bastard responsible for directing our flight to the back of beyond in St. Johns Newfoundland.  Also, without a doubt the ending had great impact (no pun intended). It's horrible to think that's how anyone died.   Has anyone seen Thank You For Not Smoking? It gets 8.1 on imdb which is usually a sign of quality (though Night of the Hunter got 8.2 which kinda defeats my arguement). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DJM Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 FearlessA good movie, but not great in the end. Maybe I expected too much. On the positive side - the fight scenes are great (as you would expect), Jet Li puts in a solid performance, and the story is pretty interesting. On the negative side - outside of Jet Li alot of the cast put in average (acting) performances, the second half of the movie moves at a snails pace (with alot of the "Jet Li finds inner peace" stuff dull and some of it sadly feeling pointless and seeming to lead nowhere), and the movie has a weak script with weak dialogue. Maybe with a better director the film could have been a memorable end to "epic martial arts movies" for Jet Li, but as it is Fearless is film with some great action and a passable story linking the scenes together. Nowhere near Hero or Fist of Legend, and not even in the same league as Unleashed.Stay AliveNot much to say really - a just about watchable movie, but ultimately very average on the whole. It is very slow, not alot happens throughout the film to interest the viewer(the last 20-minutes aren't bad, but with a runtime of 75 or so minutes there is no reason for the other 55 minutes to be so dull), it is deviod of gore, anything scary or anything shocking, and has very basic acting. Going into the film I (for some reason) thought the plot sounding somewhat interesting, but the end product is a lifeless and forgettable film and in the end felt pointless. The 3.4 rating on IMDB is about right! The PromiseI have this on my "to watch" list. Worth watching in the near future, or one to put near the bottom of the (large) pile?Has anyone seen Thank You For Not Smoking? It gets 8.1 on imdb which is usually a sign of quality (though Night of the Hunter got 8.2 which kinda defeats my arguement).Saw a preview of it a few weeks ago. A good film, with some very good performances, some witty dialogue, and some funny moments also. Katie Holmes and Cameron Bright(as usual) are pretty poor, and alot of the characters are under-developed, but otherwise it is a good film worth watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:::Saturn::: Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 I watched Lost In Translation the other night. There's a scene at the end were he whispers something to her, is it on purpose that you can't hear a damn thing of what he's saying to her.Is one of those movies, were you can make your own ending... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 (edited) The PromiseI have this on my "to watch" list. Worth watching in the near future, or one to put near the bottom of the (large) pile?Put it near the bottom. Like I said, The Promise is a painfully average film. Edited July 2, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Seven Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 I watched Lost In Translation the other night. There's a scene at the end were he whispers something to her, is it on purpose that you can't hear a damn thing of what he's saying to her.Is one of those movies, were you can make your own ending...It's deliberate that you don't hear it. It's ambiguous. Not to mention pretentious, shit and lazy, just like the entire abortion of a film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingersplash Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Recently watched Boondock Saints, Big Trouble In Little China and X-MenGonna watch X-Men 2 when the wife gets home.Boondock Saints was very enjoyable, very poetic movie in my view, although the main characters were killers, they were doing the right thing in a way.Big Trouble In Little China - not as good as i remembered, maybe Kirk Russell acting like a 10th rate John Wayne had something to do with it, but still an enjoyable romp.X-Men 1.5 - finally watched this last night for the first time, despite having it on DVD for about 2 years. I enjoyed it a lot, i played it with the extended scenes, which didnt really do much for the movie.The plot wasnt much, but it was the first of the 3 movies and i guess just like Fantastic Four its only a setup movie for sequels, but it was good.Just looked at the X-Men 2 booklet, and the women who plays ''Rogue'' - is that the same girl who played her in the first one, Anna Paquin? cos shes seriously tasty looking, whereas in the first film wasnt anything special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herne's Son Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 The Promise is very average, shame as it promised so much in the hype for the film.  Devils Rejects  Loved it, really hardcore and sometimes very disturbing but a real throw back to 70's video nasty era. It also has an amazing soundtrack.  Samurai 7  This new 7 dvd manga show is fantastic, as you may have gathered its a remake of the classic Seven Samurai but set in the future with robotic bandits. Just watched part 3 and I love it, good characters, good action and a great sense of pacing, recommended to all Manga fans and well.........everyone else as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 (edited) Misery After a near-fatal car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). After revealing that she's his biggest fan, Annie keeps holds him captive in her house. Â The story, which is based on a Stephen King novel, is very good. Primarily, it's about just two people and the gradual building of their characters. Accordingly, Misery slowly escalates in terms of suspense and tension. Everything comes across perfectly because of the excellent performances by Caan and Bates. Â The only major negative, in my opinion, is that the film looks fairly cheap. Misery was actually made in 1990, but it looks much older... Â Overall, though, this movie is pretty impressive. It's absolutely worth checking out if you're a fan of thrillers. Edited July 2, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam G Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 (edited) Mercury Rising. Not the best film ever but still pretty good, plus Bruce Willis is in it! Edited July 3, 2006 by Adam Gard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 (edited) V For Vendetta Set in a not-too-distant future, A freedom fighter, known as V (Hugo Weaving), uses terrorist tactics to seek vengeance on the oppressive government in a dystopian Britain. After he rescues her, Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), becomes involved in his affairs. Â V For Vendetta truly succeeds because it has an interesting story and is shrewdly executed. Dealing with a few controversial political themes and social issues, it has illicited a pretty strong reaction from different groups already. I think some peope need to lighten up. Â As the story unfolds, the development of V's character is great. Hugo Weaving perfectly portrays him as an intelligent and articulate, yet ruthless and rebellious individual. Evey, from what I understand, is notably different from the original comic book series. Regardless, Natalie Portman's performance, accent aside, is exceptional as she conveys a range of emotions effectively. Â Visually, V For Vendetta is superbly stylish. It's expertly directed and filmed, especially in terms of the action. Somehow, it all seems natural and, as a result, there's an array of memorable scenes, which are accompanied by a fantastic score. Â This film isn't without its flaws, though. However, I'm willing to forgive them as V For Vendetta is as cool as fuck, completely entertaining, different and remarkably well-made. Unless I'm forgetting something outstanding, I'd say that it's the best film of 2006 so far. Edited July 3, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cum Doctor Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Over The Hedge  As expected, this was a hell of a lot of fun. Most of the gags are 'laugh out loud' funny, which is a big bonus. Highlight has to be the first time the turtle crosses over though. A pure treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted July 4, 2006 Paid Members Share Posted July 4, 2006 Big Trouble In Little China - not as good as i remembered, maybe Kirk Russell acting like a 10th rate John Wayne had something to do with it, but still an enjoyable romp.how dare you call BTILC anything less than outstanding...twat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylesclash05 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Watched Just Friends last nite I found it quite an entertaining little comedy. Must watch History of Violence tonight. Anyone seen it? It any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ShortOrderCook Posted July 4, 2006 Paid Members Share Posted July 4, 2006 Must watch History of Violence tonight. Anyone seen it? It any good?It's absolutely awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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