Van_Dammer Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 (edited) The BirdsHundreds of birds begin to attack after Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) pursues a man to a small town. The plot may appear to be quite thin, but The Birds is actually more intricate than one would immediately assume. There are a few different elements to the story, which are mainly created through the relationship formed between Melanie, her love interest and his family.The beauty of this film is that everything builds gradually. Unlike most modern slasher flicks, in which a group of generic teenagers die to little effect, it takes the time to make you care about the characters in one way or another. Similarly, the birds become increasingly violent. The way that they're used as legitimate threat truly reflects how brilliant Alfred Hitchcock was at his craft.I suppose the only major negative with The Birds is that it seems very dated. However, that's pretty much to be expected and doesn't warrant a remake or anything.Psycho (1960)Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is trusted with a large amount of money, but decides to run away with it. Upon her journey away from the city, she checks into the Bates hotel, run by Norman and his mother.Psycho is one the best films that I've ever seen. At its core, it's a dark and twisted story, which is perfectly complimented by the wonderfully creepy and suspenseful direction, terrific soundtrack and array unforgettable moments. As superb as Hitchcock's other films are, this is his true masterpiece.Psycho was actually nominated for four Oscars, but didn't win any, which is a travesty. Now, films of this nature/genre aren't even acknowledged at the Oscars as it's become the most pretentious, stuck-up awards ceremony of the year. They need to realize that drama is not the be all and end all of the movie industry. Anyway, it's amazing just how well Psycho stands up today. I cannot name a single film of about the same age that is still this entertaining. So, there is absolutely no reason for you to watch the remake instead. Edited August 19, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBAndy Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I adore Psycho, we had to study it for Film Studies on my college course and went practically frame by frame through the film after watching it through a couple of times. Watching it frame by frame was an enlightening experience. I've never seen another film like it where so much care and attention to detail were taken with each and every shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Definitely. The Academy can stick it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DJM Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 A Scanner DarklyThe film has an interesting idea and plot, and a pretty unique look (that looks more like a cartoon than a live-action film), but it is not a particularly good movie. Starting with the cast & acting - Keanu Reeves has about as much charisma as a plank of wood and some of his dialogue in the film is delivered in such a monotone voice as he seems to be trying to send the viewer to sleep, whilst Woody Harrelson, the apparent comedic relief, is more annoying than funny. Robert Downey Jr. is good throughout though and the only person I felt put any real effort into their part. The film itself is linear with a predictable final twist, and for me the film felt ultimately pointless. Nice to look at but dull to listen to and not a film that I think is worth rushing out to see at the cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBAndy Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Chasing Amy on BBC2 in 5 minutes. Top class film. If nobody's seen it, watch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Seven Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Snakes On A Plane It was a lot of fun. Great opening ten minutes, which was so eighties. The middle lagged a bit but it all picked up in the last twenty minutes. It's a dumb fun movie. It knows it's bad but it didn't veer into irritating self-parody. The acting ranged from fine to horrendous, but hey it's that type of movie. Sam's big line was out of place but fun. Only two things bothered me: Click to Show/Hide 1: The Asian kickboxer guy on the plane. You're expecting him to either be a bad guy or kick some ass. Instead he does...well nothing. 2: Eddie Kim, the most 1980's villain I've seen in years, wears a white suit while killing a guy, then beats the shit out of some guy whilst showing off how ripped to shreds he is. You're thinking there's going to be one hell of a cheesy showdown with him and Sam but... nothing. Not even a shot of him getting arrested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingersplash Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 McMahon - Documentary part of the DVDsome very interesting bits of info learned from the 2 hour documentary, must view for all wrestling fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Foale Posted August 19, 2006 Paid Members Share Posted August 19, 2006 Talking of Psycho, has anyone here seen the remake with Vince Vaughn? It's the biggest piece of shit ever, all the scenes are EXACTLY the same as the original and they even kept the same effects from the original, I don't see the point in that film at all, you might aswell just watch the original as it is much more creepier. Vince does OK in it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 (edited) The Eight DayIn some respects, this 1996 French drama is rather unique. It follows a sales advisor, Harry (Daniel Auteuil), whose job has become unbearingly mundane. Separated from his wife and an absentee father, his life simply lacks meaning. One day, on the way home from work, he encounters Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a runway with Down sydrome.Georges is a marvellous character. He's incredibly kind and good-hearted, so a few light and, often, comedic moments come from him. Primarily, though, this film evokes a great degree of sadness. It's quite remarkable how flawlessly it shifts between the two levels of this story via the pairing of Harry and Georges. Plus, it's never patronising, just honest. Overall, the result is a genuinely heartbreaking, beautiful and emotional film about humanity. In my opinion, it's better than most similar Hollywood efforts.The Eight Day is also good in regards to technical aspects. The cinematography is decent, the direction is quite innovative at times and there are a range of great shots. The two leads also deliver very impressive performances and give us two unforgettable characters.Watch this film. Edited August 19, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBAndy Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Talking of Psycho, has anyone here seen the remake with Vince Vaughn? It's the biggest piece of shit ever, all the scenes are EXACTLY the same as the original and they even kept the same effects from the original, I don't see the point in that film at all, you might aswell just watch the original as it is much more creepier. Vince does OK in it though.This is a shocking statment, but I actually liked the Psycho remake. I saw it before the original which of course is a million times better but the remake has a certain charm to it. I think it's because everyone else hates it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam G Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Recently I have watched:Memento. Pretty good but I wasnt particularly wowed by it.Ong Bak. A nice little movie, but not really my cup of tea.Fight Club. Great movie.Kill Bill Vol 1. Second time I've watched this, the first time I thought it was stupid but I liked it alot this time.Battle Royale. Enjoyed it, is the second one any good?And with help from Van_Dammer, OldBoy. Awesome movie, how anyone could come up with such an idea is beyond me.And I have Tom Yum Goong, True Romance and Kill Bill Vol 2 waiting to be watched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted August 20, 2006 Paid Members Share Posted August 20, 2006 I watched Japanese horror Pulse last night. It had a good creepy atmosphere, and some freaky-ass bits in it but unfortunately was let down by the plot being extremely confusing and a ton of plot holes. And not plot holes in the cool Ringu way of "fill in the gaps yourself" but in a "we can't be fucked to write a plot" way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy "The King" Phatu Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I saw City of God for the first time last night. It's a great film. One of the classics. But I just feel that there should have been a bit more character development, because at times I felt a bit apathetic about all of the killing.Before that I watched Transporter which is probably one of the worst films I've seen for a long time. Shit plot, shit characters, shit acting and mediocre effects and fighting. Terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_Dammer Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 (edited) Battle Royale. Enjoyed it, is the second one any good?Battle Royale is one of my favourite films ever, but the sequel is, apparently, horrible....True Romance and Kill Bill Vol 2 waiting to be watched.True Romance has a Tarantino-penned script and it is all that you'd expect from him in terms of dialogue and violence. I liked it. Kill Bill Vol. 2 is of a more gradual pace than the first, but, in my opinion, is better than Vol. 1 in some respects. Edited August 20, 2006 by Van_Dammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cum Doctor Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Enjoyed Battle Royale, and absolutely despised the sequel.I watched Stephen King's IT again last night. I totally forgot how corny some of the acting is in this movie, but that's one of the reasons why I liked the movie so much in the first place. Pennywise remains one of my favourite horror movie guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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