Posts by quietdriver3

Jose Chase2 said:Really? I mean, they basically have everything 🙏 🙏

man, the internet is just such a crazy thing, isn't it? 🙏

redskipper95 said:So, what’s the verdict on this new superhero guy?

To be honest? The only part that really works for me is that whole Amen wordplay thing.

I guess because of that, I’d probably take the story in a totally different direction altogether. Having a title like that... I don't know, maybe it's already half the battle won, you could just keep building everything around that one little joke.

I don't know, maybe this feels more like a topic for a comic book strip, or just a way to get things moving a bit on that PDF.

Morgan Ortiz91 said:"Hey, stop including me!" 😁

queen! 🤣 🙏

A total masterpiece. 😍 I honestly loved every single frame. Even "Hotel Chevalier" was such a pleasant little surprise. I didn't think they'd actually release it. Man, it’s crazy what a master can do with just two actors and a few feet of celluloid.

DJ Anderson—the king of slow motion.

And this whole thing just reminds me why I love movies so much. 😍 It kind of makes me want to start filming stuff myself now. 😢 😁

Anyway, I'll probably write something more specific once my thoughts settle down. Everything is still pretty fresh in my head, I guess... things are still simmering.

granitehound19 said:I spent some time digging around online to fact-check a few details from the movie, and it turns out the history actually lines up with the film quite closely. The way Jesse James—who was a notorious outlaw and gunslinger back then—actually ended up losing his life is just straight-up bizarre. Now, whether every single tiny detail was portrayed literally according to the historical record, I can't say for sure; probably not, but regardless, the story itself is incredibly gripping and serves as a real lesson...
As for Casey Affleck's performance, it was nothing short of brilliant. Everyone seems to think Javier Bardem is the frontrunner to take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but if you ask me, that trophy belongs to Casey. Don't get me wrong, Bardem did a solid job, but I honestly feel his role was far less complex than what Affleck had to tackle. It feels like Bardem might have landed the part largely because he fits the physical profile so perfectly; and by that, I mean his look is rugged and almost unsettlingly harsh, which definitely helps sell the image of a manic killer or a psychopath. His character didn't really demand a wide spectrum of emotional range either. He isn't sad, he isn't worried, he isn't in love, he isn't obsessed, and he isn't afraid... he’s just this stone-faced maniac with a terrifying visage...
On the flip side, Casey had a much more demanding path to walk, cycling through so many different psychological states and stages throughout the film—moving from obsession to love, to pure terror, to pride... I could see all those shifting emotions etched into his facial expressions and even in the way he moved, and that’s exactly why his performance resonated with me so much more deeply than Bardem's...

I also have to mention that the score was composed by Nick Cave, who even makes a brief appearance on screen, and he absolutely nailed it. I particularly loved how the music weaves through the entire film, especially during those segments where the narrator comes in...

Rating:
9/10 👍

Whoa... 🙏 Now, I didn't know that. 😲 You just added this one to my "must-watch" list.
It's nice that someone else (besides me 😍 ) finally realized that Cave is just built for a role in a western—even if it's just a cameo.

northerncrane4 said:It would have been better if she just stepped down and made a film where that actually worked. 😎

Look, I’ll admit—the film is significant. But after watching it, I swore off ever being forced to sit through a Spielberg movie again, even if they tried to coerce me with bayonets. 😁 😛

Yeah, I definitely remember you making that vow... 🤣 So, did you hold up?

Because it'd be such a shame, really. In just a few months, we're looking at a massive new Indiana Jones movie coming out, and you might miss it all because of some impulsive promise you made. 😁 😛

northerncrane4 said:But those aliens? Even Senna M. wouldn't be ashamed of them.

I mean, if we're talking about design, it's kind of a miss. They don't really look like evolved robots to me; they look more like evolved supermodels, I guess.

I think you mentioned somewhere that the movie grossed you out early on because of that stripping scene. I was actually paying attention to that part, and honestly, maybe it was better that he stopped it—it just didn't feel right for the movie... I don't know... it would have been too cliché if she had just stripped 🤷

Steven, I love you man... 😍

So, I just watched it again. It’s still great, honestly. But I can't help thinking it would have been—like, freaking genius—with the best ending ever if it had just stopped right at that part with the blue villa. Just trapped under the Ferris wheel, drifting through that endless blue ocean space. And without a narrator. Just one long, slow camera pull-back until that ship becomes nothing more than a tiny, glowing star.

As it stands, it definitely feels about 20 minutes too long. That epilogue just felt kind of stretched out, I guess.

Oh, and fear is still the best character ever written... 🙏 They really should do a spin-off where fear takes the lead role. 😁

I mean, maybe this won't be any less sacred than the Bible, I guess. Perhaps our old man will finally show us all how you actually make those pseudo-amateur quasi-documentaries.

It’s been twenty years since we last saw George Romero drop a new flick in his "Dead" series, and now, just two years later, he’s already hitting us with a second one—which makes five total if you're counting.

"Night of the Living Dead" is the latest from that ultra cool old legend out of Pittsburgh, and it basically feels like he's breathing new life into the whole franchise. I guess the story takes place during the era of "Night of the Living Dead," following some college students who are filming an amateur movie somewhere in the woods—probably near Pittsburgh, most likely—when they suddenly get caught in the middle of this unknown epidemic that turns the dead into zombies.

Maybe all those AJ legends and Cleveland types can step aside for a second, because a real gritty little indie badass is coming to show everyone how a documentary-style horror film should actually look.

The movie hits theaters on February 15th (though I guess we'll have to see if it ever makes its way over here), and here is the trailer plus a little intro from Romero himself 😍 :

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=25823794

*I mean, honestly, reaching retirement age and deciding to start your own indie production house, rocking massive ashtrays, smoking a pack a day, and just making zombie movies... the guy really redefined what it means to "age with style." 😍

redowl90 said:I hope you noticed that while I was defending Bay, I intentionally left Armageddon and Pearl Harbor out of it, since those two are completely different beasts compared to the rest of his filmography. I didn't mention Bad Boys 2 either, mostly because I haven't actually seen it.

To be fair, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor really are bad movies. I’m not running away from that truth for a second: from the disastrous casting to plots that are either totally unrealistic (Armageddon) or just plain distorted (Pearl Harbor), everything about them is a mess.

On the flip side, I think Hrid actually has one of the best plots in the action genre. It isn't mindless; it actually makes sense. The villain isn't some over-the-top caricature like you see in most action flicks, which I appreciated. Plus, I missed out on an incredible score by Hans Zimmer.

The Island has a really engaging story and, at least for me, a great ending. I was genuinely surprised by how good it was, and honestly, it might just be the best film Bay has ever directed (aside from Hrid, obviously). 🙂

I’m not sure what everyone else thinks of those titles (though I'm fairly certain quietdriver3 doesn't even take these genres seriously), but personally, I find Transformers and Bad Boys to be great cinematic fun.

Dice, I honestly never thought anyone would call me out on this. 😲

Look, if we're talking about my personal all-time favorites, Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably at the top, so... I guess you could say my horizons are pretty wide open when it comes to movies like these. Maybe they're even wider than that.

But that doesn't really change the fact that Mr. Bay makes movies without any real passion. It feels like heavy mechanics. Just no sense of wonder. It's crap.

And don't even get me started on how he handles action scenes—I can never actually tell what's happening during them, so all those effects and the effort he puts in... it's kind of pointless. He might be a good choreographer, maybe, but unfortunately, it just doesn't show.

Kate Torres said:Man, I’m actually about to sit down and watch some Michael Bay just to see how much I can stomach. I honestly can’t remember the last time I sat through such a total blockbuster disaster. Not that I’m looking for any excuses 😁

EDIT: Which one of his movies is the absolute worst to start with?

There aren't really any rules... I guess it's kind of like Zen; "Whichever Michael Bay movie you pick, you've already picked the worst one."

First, let me just move you guys over here... 😁

... and then we can get back to this whole review thing. Honestly, I think Michael Bay is a terrible director. Like, I’d probably put Boll higher on an imaginary list of bad directors than him. I don't think anyone directs movies as irritatingly as MB does—if you can even call what he does "directing" in the first place. I guess I haven't seen one of his films yet that didn't eventually just drive me absolutely insane.

Ebert's take on "Armageddon" pretty much sums up his entire career: "Take any 60 seconds of this movie and you've got a trailer." Yeah, that's basically Michael Bay for you.

For anyone wondering what Murray actually said at the very end of the movie (shout out to modern technology for making this possible):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MV7Sym8bIQ

🙂

Watched Dark Star yesterday. First time seeing it. And on the big screen, too. The sound was a little rough, I guess, but the movie and everything else about it is just: 😍 😍 😍

wanderinghawk17 said:If I were in charge of funding, here's how I'd do it:

The Department of the Interior would just match whatever a movie actually made at the box office...

So, hey, go ahead and make some unwatchable garbage then...

I mean, if that's the logic, we don't even need the Department of the Interior, right? I could probably get that same deal from any local bank.

And honestly, that kind of profit in the arts sounds great; maybe everyone should just dump their stocks and go pursue art instead. 😁

wearytinker8 said:So, isn't that exactly what we're looking for? I mean, maybe. Or I guess that's really the whole point, right?

Nah.

wearytinker8 said:Maybe our film industry just needs to collapse entirely... you know, like a phoenix rising from the ashes or something. Just let the whole thing fall apart so it can rebuild itself into something actually better and more polished. I guess that's one way to look at it.

It’s kind of like how Enron... I don't know, maybe it's just my way of looking at things, but it's like how they managed to grow into this much larger, even more dominant company. I guess.

wearytinker8 said:What would you guys think if they actually put some cool people on the committee that decides which movies get funding? I mean, maybe... just an idea.

Yeah.

wearytinker8 said:I mean, yeah. I guess if there had actually been a decent script from some real film buff floating around over these last 15 years, things might have actually moved forward by now. Maybe.

Yeah, I mean, our film industry is such a perfect example of how we reward talent... or whatever. It’s funny, really. If it weren't for the fact that there just isn't any talent to go around, things might be different, I guess. Maybe. 🙄

wearytinker8 said:I'm just gonna say it again: you don't actually need millions of dollars to make a decent movie. I mean, honestly, it’s more about having a solid idea and just being persistent, I guess. Maybe that's all it really takes.

I love it.

wearytinker8 said:I mean, if you look at some of those classic American indie hits—things like The Blair Witch Project, Pi, or Open Water—their total budgets were like, maybe a quarter of what the thief's budget was. I guess that just kind of proves the point, doesn't it?

So, uh, maybe we could talk about some stuff from outside the States now? I guess.

I mean, expecting the Department of the Interior to churn out massive commercial blockbusters is just unrealistic—that gap is probably better left for someone else to fill.
And honestly, the whole thing with "critically acclaimed" films is kind of a joke because there are enough festivals floating around the world that even a total disaster can snag some award, which lets people like Serafin justify winning whatever random little trophy comes their way. So, I guess the Department is basically pre-insured against any level of failure, and things will likely stay exactly as they are.

Anyway, my answer is "yes, but in a completely different way."

Come on, guys, get on this thread... otherwise, I might just have to let Victor Salva loose on you all. 😈