riczhang Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) I was going to hold this off until a bit later but since people have started already, I might as well start now.Same rules as before, list as many movies as you want. (Try to keep it 3 or less as that's probably how many reviews I can get through per person )Disclaimer (Totally not stolen from Creator ): I reserve the right to not review your films, and to review them in any order I want. Edited November 19, 2012 by riczhang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Eccentric Minds Of Belmond LanePsychonautsStories From Eden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohn Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 GodzillaRatchet & ClankChris Smith and the Island of Dinosaurs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Alfred Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 The AffairHindenburgCelia, A Slave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 The Eccentric Minds of Belmond Lane: Wes Anderson doesn’t disappoint in his latest dramedy. Being more Comedy than Drama, Eccentric minds may not be for everyone as its kooky and slightly strange nature can turn people off. For me, it is definitely one of the best of the year, expertly acted featuring a very brilliant ensemble cast. The entire movie is filled with a distinct Wes Anderson style that’s hard to miss and that for me is the reason why this movie is so great. I doubt any other director could’ve pulled this off quite like how Wes Anderson did. The plot is fiendishly entertaining and despite its weird twists such as the arranged marriage at the end of the movie you simply just go that’s bloody brilliant. I suppose it’s a sort of Wes thing that no matter how weird the plot is it works. Emma Watson is a particular star in this, and Paul Dano steals the show again. He did it by holding his own to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will be Blood and he does it again here. Owen Wilson and co. did good jobs at the acting; they did what they’re supposed to do. However, none of the rest of them were anything special. They made the movie work, but they didn’t make the movie better. Technical-wise, it’s just another Wes Anderson movie and nothing spectacular. I would however like to mention that I’m not sure Desplat’s style of composing really matches the essence of the movie and at times it felt a bit jarring. But despite its shortcomings, Eccentric Minds is still a great movie and hopefully will be thoroughly enjoyed by many. 9/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) Desplat composed Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr. Fox, so that's why I used him.Thanks for the good review! Edited November 11, 2012 by Spaghetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Desplat composed Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr. Fox, so that's why I used him.Yeah, and I that's probably why I didn't particularly like the score in either of them . I always think of Desplat as more of a drama/fantasy composer. And, that was probably the quickest like I've gotten after a post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Community Manager Water Bottle Posted November 11, 2012 Community Manager Share Posted November 11, 2012 Killer Husband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 LucidThe Dogs of BabelShiverin' Gulch, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Penny Press, Nonexistence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Godzilla: Godzilla is one of the many action movies we’ll get this year both good and bad, but I’m happy to say that this is one of the better ones. There are some inherent problems with the film such as the fact that Doctor Preloran seems to just appear out of thin air with no set-up as all. The acting by some of the B-Line cast is also quite wooden at times, and the dialogue is stiff. The film itself running at just a tad under 2 hours does often drag and while 2 hours doesn’t make for a long film by any chance Godzilla’s plot really didn’t have enough to it to justify its 114 minute running time. However, at 150 million dollars you can pretty much throw all of those complaints out the window as Godzilla sizes itself up to be a visually spectacular and intense thriller. The CGI done on Godzilla and the aliens are particularly beautiful, and the action sequences are well choreographed, well shot, and well executed. The tightness of the pacing during the fight sequences are particularly impressive, but contrasted with the slow part it does really make the drag a little more unbearable. The last thing I’ll mention and it’s nothing to do with the film at all is that despite being titled Godzilla this film really doesn’t focus on Godzilla all that much. But, that’s just a small trifle and the bottom line is that the movie is good and offers itself as a good choice for anyone looking for an action film particularly in relatively emptier marketplace of mid-March. 7/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverShark Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 SpellForce - Shadow of the Phoenix please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 The Red Pyramid, Claustrophobia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creator Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Dawn of OblivionThe Next Dimension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiccup Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Unbalanced 2 and Paradise Lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 Hindenburg: There’s really only one word to describe this movie, Ambitious. Bryan Singer may not have been my first choice for this film, but he does a commendable job. Pretentious, Ambitious, and Self-serving but in Hindenburg’s case it’s not a bad thing. The ensemble cast is great with Eddie Redmayne and Channing Tatum who seems to get better every single movie as the particular standouts. The cinematography is excellent and if you get the chance I would highly recommend seeing it in 15/70 IMAX as the feeling of seeing the airship in the air and ignited up in flames with a sort of demonic majesty is unbelievable. The score is also fitting and especially at the end it is poignant and representative of such a wonder that was the Hindenburg. The story itself is also quite emotional and the fact that the stories, 1 and 6 in particular, are loosely connected makes the stories even more impactful. However, the story because there are 6 stories, the running time is close to 3 hours, and they are all based around the same set of events makes the story by the time we get around to #4 quite bloated and the film drags on for the last bit. Overall, Bryan Singer and the cast has done well for such an ambitious film and no matter who you are its well worth it for the visuals or the intimate history lesson. 8/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 Killer Husband: Workmanlike and perhaps a little bit too much like television for the big screen doesn’t make Killer Husband a bad movie at all. It just goes to show that there’s no doubt who’s directing the film; Tom Hooper. Killer Husband is most definitely by the book especially the plot around the plane tickets and the romantic getaway, but it does so in a way that seems refreshing and new. The acting in it is excellent and I’m quite sad that Michelle Williams didn’t get more screentime as she just shined in the film. John Karanski did a great job as Rick the husband because even in the end we kinda want to hate him for killing his wife and his best friend but we can’t. His righteous anger in the last scene with the bats is particularly effective. Dwelling on the technical aspects of the film, it’s simply a just yet another Tom Hooper production, plenty of fish-eye lenses, a television feel, and lots of handheld camera work. Only one point of notice to the director, don’t you feel that by an hour into the movie that the audience gets tired of the off centre shots and the Dutch angles? 8/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) Dogs of Babel: I confess to not having yet seen Terrence Malick’s new movie, but Dogs of Babel is definitely one of the strangest movies of the year. Tragic and emotional, it makes for a great movie. I am surprised that the man who directed the Dan Brown books could have pulled off such a movie, but then I remembered that he also directed the masterful “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13.” Elizabeth Banks is excellent here, but it really is the main star Jason Isaacs who carries the brunt of the movie (along with that cute dog) and he does it decently well. I’m fairly certain that should he be replaced with an actor of more prowess that the movie would be more impactful, but regardless he did a pretty good job as Iverson. I can’t quite shake off the Lucius Malfoy persona off of his character which is a bit of shame. The story itself can be summed up in one word; weird. The story just has the strangest premise and direction I’ve seen in some time, with the dog and learning a language. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing, being original that is, but sometimes movies take it a little bit too far. This may be one of them. Also, parts of the movie such as the dog, Lorelai’s, larynx being taken out could’ve been cut out and only implied as that was just a scene that IMO was too gruesome to watch since this is a drama and not a horror movie. The ending however I think is the strongest part of the movie as it gives a slightly anti-climactic (Paul already knew that his wife was pregnant and he didn’t draw the line between the child and the lack of references the child got in coroner’s/police report) ending which is perfectly fitting in my view. Dogs of Babel is about a human story and by giving it an ending that isn’t too big for its size may be a let-down for some, but for me it’s perfectly fine. The ending is emotional, with the scene of Lorelai and Paul walking into the house together particularly nice. The technical are really nothing to write home about, but then again what modern day drama really has technical that are like that? The bottom line is that the technical are find the way they are, they make the movie work, and that’s that. 9/10 Edited November 18, 2012 by riczhang 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) Penny Press: Well Ron Howard’s certainly has had a productive year, 2 movies, and they’re released just a month and a half apart. I can only imagine how busy he’s been promoting both movies. Penny Press is a simple story but remarkably well made. Joel Courtney is quite good as Darren and the 2 parents played by Amy Adams and Matt Damon don’t disappoint either. Where it succeeds is that it tells a story that perhaps you’ve already heard before at least the first part that is. It begins with the depression and I don’t think that there is any family in this world that escaped unscathed. The particularly accurate depiction of the stock crash and the subsequent economic disaster caused by a lack of credit really connected with me and probably will with the viewers as well simply because we’ve all heard our personal family stories about the crash. The ending is definitely a bit odd I think. I kind of imagined that it’d be something a little more dramatic and less emotionally satisfying in the traditional sense. I thought that perhaps he’d actually go to war and then die before his stories became famous worldwide and immortalised in the print. Overall it is a good movie. 8/10 Edited November 12, 2012 by riczhang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 SpellForce – Shadow of the Pheonix: Tells a story, and tells it well. This SpellForce is no different from the previous two. Told a bit by the book, but that’s okay because the brilliant visuals compensate for the shortcomings of this film. The technical aspects of the film are great, but the acting is just decent. 7.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
