Hey Sexy, just so ya know im watching 14 Blades & after that, ill get into Three Kingdoms. Three Kingdoms is supposedly based on the real life struggle in feudal China (before it became an official country) back in the 3rd century AD.
Article ITT I attempt to review every movie I've seen.
- Thread starter Sexy Beast
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Man, I haven't heard of either of those. When you finish em up, let us know how you liked them.
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Ok guys, here is what is going on in my life:
1. I've cancelled Netflix DVD, it was getting expensive...like $30 a month to Netflix is just too much. Of course this kills most recommendations, so sorry about that.
2. I've finally found a grad school that will take me and I'm starting in the fall semester. So I honestly have no idea what that will mean for this thread or for my ability to actually watch movies.
3. I've been in a weird funk recently and haven't been reviewing movies. This will change, I'm like bi-polar when it comes to movie reviews...apologies to anyone who is actually bi-polar.
1. I've cancelled Netflix DVD, it was getting expensive...like $30 a month to Netflix is just too much. Of course this kills most recommendations, so sorry about that.
2. I've finally found a grad school that will take me and I'm starting in the fall semester. So I honestly have no idea what that will mean for this thread or for my ability to actually watch movies.
3. I've been in a weird funk recently and haven't been reviewing movies. This will change, I'm like bi-polar when it comes to movie reviews...apologies to anyone who is actually bi-polar.
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Title: Liberty Stands Still
Year: 2002
Country of Origin: US
Director: Kari Skogland
Plot: A VP for a fire arms company is held hostage by a sniper with a beef...of and our protagonist's name is Liberty Wallace, get it? Her name is Liberty and she can't move because of a sniper...it's brilliant.
Review: This movie has one major problem, it also has a lot of smaller problems, but on major one. It features a protagonist that doesn't move at all. I'm not kidding, in the first like 10 minutes of the movie our protagonist hand cuffs herself to a bench (or whatever) and stays attached to that the whole time. Which of course leads to the question: what do you do to keep the film interesting? Well add a couple of sub-plots and try to squeeze in an action scene or two. Actually, screw this, lets cut to the chase. This film is just not very good.
[5/10]
No offense Sexy, but I think from the very start of this thread til now, I may have paid for what 2-3 movies (if that). I havent had a Netflix membership in over a couple of years as well. I just have my ways of watching movies...
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Yeah, I know what you mean. There are just some films that are hard to get without a Netlfix DVD subscription.
Honestly, not really. First Class was decent enough, but I haven't put a whole lot of stock in the X-Men movies for a while now. I know that Singer is back...but he's been kind of iffy since he left the franchise behind. Like who here remember Valkyrie or Jack the Giant Bomb? Though it has Michael Fassbender in it which has usually been enough to get me out to theaters.
I'm way more hyped for Godzilla, a lot of the early reactions have been good. Unfortunately there is still a review embargo up for some reason.
Name me a few movies that are supposedly "hard to get" & I will find them & watch them, even if its a drama movie (which I cant stand those, but want to help save ya some $$). Btw why are you having to pay $30 a month for Netflix? Are you doing some kind of special deal because of your taste in movies?
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Yeah lots of ways to watch movies free. Even the hard to find ones 
But I quit my Netflix awhile ago do to the upcharge on the physical rental and just the streaming selection being slow with rotating of more obscure flicks...
Also yeah can't wait for Godzilla. Anything to make me forget the last one I saw... THE HORROR!
But I quit my Netflix awhile ago do to the upcharge on the physical rental and just the streaming selection being slow with rotating of more obscure flicks...Also yeah can't wait for Godzilla. Anything to make me forget the last one I saw... THE HORROR!
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I guess "hard to get" wasn't really the point that I wanted to start off with. What I really want to say is that I have always had the philosophy that if I could afford media then I might as well pay for it either by buying a physical copy or going with services like Netflix. The $30 things sort of snuck up on me, I got my mom a Roku for Christmas so she suddenly had access to my Netflix account and so does my brother so I needed upgrade my steaming plan just to watch something. That and I was getting a good amount of DVDs at one time. Anyway whatever.
As for the other ways to get movies, I don't really want to get into a conversation of piracy on this site. I'll just say I've been on the internet for like most of my life and I've picked up a few a accounts to a few sites over the years.
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Anyway, lets move passed this stuff and get back to reviewing films.
Title: Blue Ruin
Year: 2013
Country of Origin: US
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Plot: After the man responsible for the death of his parents is released from prison; Dwight, a homeless drifter, plots his revenge.
Review: This film was Kickstarted and I can honestly say that this might be the best thing I've seen come out of Kickstarter. This is a slow burning revenge thriller that features some solid film making and an amazing performance from Macon Blair...whose pretty much an unknown, but probably wont be for long after this film. I feel that I need to emphasize that this is a slow burner, so expect some slow pacing and also a minimalistic style. This film isn't flashy, as far as revenge films go it feels like it is the polar opposite of something like Law Abiding Citizen. So with that in mind, you should probably check this one out, especially if you're into revenge movies.
[8/10]
Title: Blue Ruin
Year: 2013
Country of Origin: US
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Plot: After the man responsible for the death of his parents is released from prison; Dwight, a homeless drifter, plots his revenge.
Review: This film was Kickstarted and I can honestly say that this might be the best thing I've seen come out of Kickstarter. This is a slow burning revenge thriller that features some solid film making and an amazing performance from Macon Blair...whose pretty much an unknown, but probably wont be for long after this film. I feel that I need to emphasize that this is a slow burner, so expect some slow pacing and also a minimalistic style. This film isn't flashy, as far as revenge films go it feels like it is the polar opposite of something like Law Abiding Citizen. So with that in mind, you should probably check this one out, especially if you're into revenge movies.
[8/10]
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Are you excited for the new Planet of the Apes movie coming out?
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I kind of have mixed feelings about it. I liked the original, but there are some signs that might not be all that great. The original creative team abandon the project and it looks like it's been through a ton of writers. On the positive side of things, it looks like Scott Z. Burns penned at least one of the script iterations (no idea if it was the final draft) and Matt Reeves has had a pretty decent track record as director.
So it could go either way at this point.
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Title: Phone Booth
Year: 2003
Country of Origin: US
Director: Joel Schumacher
Plot: Stu, an all around awful person, is trapped in a phone booth by a sniper who...wait this all sort of sounds familiar...
Review: Hey, do you know what gets the blood pumping? That's right ensuring that the protagonist stays in the same position for almost the entirety of the film. I haven't seen this type of premise work yet, even if it's done by a somewhat competent film maker like with Buried. The issue is that there is only so much you can do to propel the narrative forward before it begin to feel stale. The best thing I can say about this film is that it' marginally better than Liberty Stands Still, but that's not saying all that much.
[6/10]
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Title: Resident Evil: Afterlife
Year: 2010
Country of Origin: Canada & Germany
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Plot: After retconning the events of the last film, Alice holds up with a group of survivors in a prison...boredom ensues.
Review: Who's watching these films? No seriously, who? As I said previously, the Resident Evil series has always been a weird guilty pleasure of mine and...yes I did see Afterlife in theaters, but this thing grossed almost $300 million on a $60 million budget. These films are stupidly profitable, so who is watching them?
Well the breakdown for the box office returns are as follows:
Domestic: $60,128,566
Japan: $55,120,606
China: $21,640,678
Russia: $19,729,290
Germany: $16,119,840
So, the bulk of the gross comes from the global market, which isn't really all that surprising. I am just wondering why there is such a large appetite for sub-par action schlock? It is possible that there is not so much an appetite for sub-par action schlock, but an appetite for Milla Jovovich...but that goes right out the window, because Anderson's The Three Musketeers failed to come close to Resident Evil numbers, and Jovovich was featured heavily in the advertising. So either people really like sub-par action schlock...or possibly the Resident Evil video game series, which the film series largely ignores. I guess, I'll never know why.
Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, this film blows hard chunks and you would do well to avoid this film as if it were the plague.
[3/10]
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Title: The Three Musketeers
Year: 2011
Country of Origin: Canada, Germany, UK, and US
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Plot: The three musketeers (and D'Artagnan) fight to stop Cardinal Richelieu and the Duke of Buckingham from doing something or another.
Review: Now I'm sure when Alexandre Dumas originally wrote the The Three Musketeers he envisioned cheaply done CGI and a bunch of noise...or didn't, I don't know all that much about Dumas nor have I read The Three Musketeers. So there is a possibility that this just might be the most faithful adaptation of Dumas' classic. Anyway, if you're looking for sub-par acting, impossible action, and shoddy CGI all mixed with an odd steam punk veneer...then this might be the movie for you. Everyone else should steer clear of this one. If you still want a modern adaptation of The Three Musketeers, check out the 1993 version, which isn't great, but it's at least entertaining.
[4/10]
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Lol, thanks
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Title: Let the Fire Burn
Year: 2013
Country of Origin: US
Director: Jason Osder
Plot: This documentary charts the escalating tensions between the Philadelphia police department and black liberation organization called MOVE during the 1970s and 80s.
Review: This is a fascinating film and presents events that I had never even heard about. The title of the film refers to the 1985 police raid where the police, fearful of of a fortification that was built on the roof of the MOVE HQ, dropped a bomb from a helicopter...the resulting explosion spark a fire that would eventually consume a whole neighborhood.
Most of the film is told through archival footage, predominantly footage of the resulting hearings investigating the police raid of '85. It's a well presented film and does a fine job handling the subject matter. If you have any interest in...well...I really don't know...but you should still check this film out.
[8.5/10]
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A pillar Review
Title: 14 Blades
Year: 2010
Country of Origin: China
Director: Daniel Lee
Plot: A kung fu thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and centered on a secret service agent (Donnie Yen) in the emperor's court who is betrayed and then hunted by his colleagues.
Review: I actually accidently came upon this movie while looking for some action movies on Youtube one day at my previous job.
This was a really good movie that had an interesting mix of Indiana Jones feel along w/ Crounching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to it. The script writers did a great job of explaining the whole idea behind the 14 blades, which did help the movie along. The subtitles do go a little fast in the beginning, but you're able to understand what's happening for the most part. There are a few silly scenes, but understandable being a kung fu film. If you're looking for a decent martial art film w/ some good acting, then feel free to look this one up.
[7/10]
