SLAM! Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 AUGUST REVIEWS Sylvarius This film is a true must-see for any fan of animation and any fan of great films in general. 9.5/10 He-Man III: The Horrors of Hordak An above-average blockbuster (because of the third film's willingness to raise the stakes for the predecessor soon to come), but a standard blockbuster nonetheless. 7.5/10 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 SLAM! REVIEWS: SEPTEMBER ISSUE SPOTLIGHT Spoiler BAMBI: LIFE IN THE WOODS dir. Ang Lee Visceral, cerebral, sensual, pressing, compelling, endearing, engrossing--these are all words which describe this film. It is a visual masterwork and a stunningly faithful adaptation. Ang Lee took great care in curating his vision for this project. All of the voice performances are fitting, nuanced, and proficient--Aidan Turner, Rachel Weisz, and Daniel Craig are all particularly excellent. There's not really much else to say about this film other than that they nailed it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) September Reviews Train 38 An engrossing thriller that takes its audience for a ride--but, perhaps, one which has been experienced before. 7/10 Broadway Selects: School of Rock The live recording boasts some great performances, but it's all too easy to understand how much better the source material is. 5.75/10 Texans Hate Zombies A hyper-violent zombie film which will forever live on as a guilty pleasure tainted by formulaic tendencies. I would perhaps have appreciated this more had I chosen the path of discouraging the presence of insincerity within cinematic narration. 6.5/10 24 Hours A masterclass in acting, direction, and screenwriting. Hooks you in and keeps you guessing the entire way through. 10/10 Bambi: A Life in the Woods Visceral, cerebral, sensual, pressing, compelling, endearing, engrossing--these are all words which describe this film. 10/10 Dolphins Nothing which hasn't been seen before--no matter how adorable the dolphins are. 6/10 Psychonauts An exceptionally animated film which struggles to overcome the narrative kinks which are derived from the video game source material. 8/10 Edited March 28, 2019 by Slambros 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Score for Psychonauts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 1 minute ago, Spaghetti said: Score for Psychonauts? Thanks! I knew I was forgetting something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 should we expect october tonight? sorry i'm nervous haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 1 minute ago, Blankments said: should we expect october tonight? sorry i'm nervous haha Well. I only have four to read. None of them are sequels. I don't have anything else to do for the rest of the night. It'd get me closer to putting out my own Top 25. So, yes! Do expect it tonight! (Though it might be kind of late.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 SLAM! REVIEWS: OCTOBER ISSUE SPOTLIGHT Spoiler A WOMAN IN THE CROWD dir. Jeff Nichols I can't say I've seen a film quite like A Woman in the Crowd. Many different emotions are running through its system. It's funny, heartwrenching, tragic, and relatable, and uplifting all at once. Jeff Nichols was the perfect choice to direct this film. All of the actors are very well cast. I really enjoyed this all the way through. I have some minor gripes with the ending (which I won't spoil, as I encourage you to see this film yourself), but I understand that the whole story is built around the ending, and it's not the worst ending. I'm not mincing words here: this film is worth seeing in theaters. I'm sure you'll have a good time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 OCTOBER REVIEWS The Picture of Dorian Grey [This film doesn't have a synopsis, does it? Well, I'll give a fellow new player the benefit of the doubt, and, to help it do well at the box office, I'll give it a decent score. It sounds like it'd be a good film. But it won't be eligible for my Top 25.] 7/10 This Is Not A Game A rather unfocused action thriller. 5.5/10 Fantasia: The Next Dimension It works well as an anthology of short films and a celebration of the animation medium, but, to me, it doesn't scream "Fantasia" to me. 8/10 A Woman in the Crowd It's funny, heartwrenching, tragic, and relatable, and uplifting all at once. 9.5/10 The Trick-or-Treater The filmmakers can't prove that the premise was worth working with in the first place. 4.5/10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorschach Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, Slambros said: Fantasia: The Next Dimension It works well as an anthology of short films and a celebration of the animation medium, but, to me, it doesn't scream "Fantasia" to me. 8/10 Fair enough! If I had more time, I definitely would've gone back to expand on each of the shorts. Speaking of, do you have any favorites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 1 minute ago, Rorschach said: Fair enough! If I had more time, I definitely would've gone back to expand on each of the shorts. Speaking of, do you have any favorites? Personally, I liked the one about the bluebirds. I thought the song was a nice pairing for it. Even if the text blurb was shorter for it, I'd say that was probably my favorite. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 November is coming tonight. I'm in the middle of the second Pillars of Eternity at this time. I have already read American Dragon 3 and Homebound. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 35 minutes ago, Slambros said: November is coming tonight. I'm in the middle of the second Pillars of Eternity at this time. I have already read American Dragon 3 and Homebound. Will December be this weekend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 2 hours ago, cookie said: Will December be this weekend? November will be later tonight and December (alongside the Top 25) will be tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Slambros said: November will be later tonight and December (alongside the Top 25) will be tomorrow. Is the plan still that you'll read TSW1 or have you already done so? There's a lot of things Part II doesn't really set aside time to re-explain (I mean if you want I can recap for you and answer any questions if needed) so I'm curious what your approach will be. Edited March 29, 2019 by cookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 26 minutes ago, cookie said: Is the plan still that you'll read TSW1 or have you already done so? There's a lot of things Part II doesn't really set aside time to re-explain (I mean if you want I can recap for you and answer any questions if needed) so I'm curious what your approach will be. I'm going to read both of them back-to-back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Slambros said: I'm going to read both of them back-to-back. ...you sure you’ll get to this tomorrow? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 16 minutes ago, Slambros said: I'm going to read both of them back-to-back. Speaking as someone who just made it 6 pages through Scavvies 1 and needed to take a break, I think you might be a tad optimistic on finishing December tomorrow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 And before you ask cookie, it’s much more digestible than I was expecting BUT I’ve got a light headache and intense reading wasn’t helping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 SLAM! REVIEWS: NOVEMBER ISSUE SPOTLIGHT Spoiler AMERICAN DRAGON: FLASH POINT dir. Yimou Zhang This is a very fitting end to a dexterous series of films. I was smiling ear to ear watching this third outing. It's been a pleasure to get to know Jake and Lao Shi and Rose and all of the characters that populate this world. The acting continues to be applicable to the needs of the film. There is one performance in particular that sticks with me, though, and that is Jackie Chan's final turn as Lao Shi. The loving mentor was one of many things that facilitated the beating heart of the film, and Jackie Chan embeds the character with a sincerity similar to that of Gandalf. I'd say Chan is ripe for an Oscar nomination. Yimou Zhang is a dedicated director; his experience with action sequences transfers especially well to the brisk, fluid action scenes. It has childish tendencies, but overall, I'd definitely recommend this film to moviegoers of all ages. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
