Posts by redowl90

Zachary Thompson2 said:What on earth went wrong?😕 Jamie Foxx and Michael Mann are both credited on the poster. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that director handled the whole thing solo.

What are you talking about? It's Michael Mann, man.

Zachary Thompson2 said:I was hoping for something along the lines of Syriana, but without all that mindless, boring fluff. And, honestly, I wanted some actual action. 😁

As long as there's plenty of action, I'm happy. Can't complain about that.
Syriana is an excellent film, too.

See? The movie's been out in theaters for a week now, and it feels like you and I are the only ones who actually caught it. And here we were thinking it was basically the film of the year.
It’s a shame, really. ☕

By the way, this film has only pulled in about two thousand viewers at the box office over the last week. Another disappointment.

Meanwhile, Rush Hour 3 managed to draw in 43,000 people.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

I'm waiting for Indiana Jones as well, obviously, but I just wanted to point out that we’re actually in the minority when it comes to the "other" films. Then again, there's a completely different crowd out there: the folks who live for film festivals and gritty indie stuff. But we've already covered that. 🙂

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

Based on how you put that, it sounds like the movie shouldn't have even been made, which isn't quite right. It definitely needed to be filmed, especially since we're about to see a wave of anti-war movies. I'm not sure if you've seen Lions for Lambs, but I'd honestly recommend it.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

Did I catch that correctly? You've actually never seen an alien movie? I thought that would be impossible these days, but here we are... To be fair, I still haven't seen Blade Runner either. That's why this five-disc DVD set is so welcome. I can't wait for the weekend. 😍
AVP will probably be garbage to you, but to me, it's a masterpiece. I love that kind of movie: totally casual, no deep message, just pure action from start to finish, mindless fun, and hot women with guns... It's awesome! 👍

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

Wait for Anderson and his There Will Be Blood. Now that is a straight-up 10/10.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

I have to do the same thing and it drives me crazy. But hey, life sometimes writes tragic novels.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:1. Look, I’m waiting for Indiana Jones and all that too, but I’ll still go see this. Also, grammar check: it's "are just waiting," not "just waiting." 😁
2. Did you really need to sit through the whole movie to realize what you realized after it? We could do that forever.
3. AVP? Good grief, I didn't even know there was a movie, thought it was just a game. Sure, I'll go do my homework, watch all the Alien movies for the first time, then rewatch Predator, then finally get to AVP... see how that works? You end up learning about AVP on a thread about Haggis. As for Fincher—I think he’s the only director whose film made my top 10 list after the awards, so I’m definitely rooting for him.

Two quick off-topic points:
1. Why can't you quote a quote on this forum? Why doesn't it auto-quote instead of making me manually copy and paste the "/quote" stuff?
2. What day and time did you catch the screening? Was there actually a crowd there?

I saw the film on November 27th at 7:20 PM. There were people there—maybe thirty or so. At the Branimir Center. Why do you ask?

Amanda Nguyen5 said:- Susan Sarandon doesn't exactly shine, but she did her job decently. Plenty of actresses in her position would have completely botched it, so she played it relatively well (as much as possible).
- You didn't really need to mention the last scene, because even if it isn't huge, it's nice not to spoil the ending. Personally, I didn't find it pathetic at all. To me, it showed the only remaining way Jones could express his frustration and grief. He did it quietly, without all the heavy-handedness, drama, or sentimentality. It was beautiful, and I loved it (even though I also said it was totally predictable). Maybe it's just a Jones thing.

And maybe, since it reminded me a bit of Redford's move in The Last Castle, I'll just take a great role in an equally great movie.

Look, I forgot about the Academy for a second, but actors are definitely in, and the screenplay could easily snag a nomination too. The movie might as well, but I'm rooting for a Zodiac sweep.

At the end of the day, redowl90, it's still a very good film.

Let's face it, nobody here is actually going to watch this. 90% of the people visiting this site are just waiting for the next Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, or pirate flick. ☕

Amanda Nguyen5 said:- Susan Sarandon doesn't exactly shine, but she did her job decently. Plenty of actresses in her position would have completely botched it, so she played it relatively well (as much as possible).
- You didn't really need to mention the last scene, because even if it isn't huge, it's nice not to spoil the ending. Personally, I didn't find it pathetic at all. To me, it showed the only remaining way Jones could express his frustration and grief. He did it quietly, without all the heavy-handedness, drama, or sentimentality. It was beautiful, and I loved it (even though I also said it was totally predictable). Maybe it's just a Jones thing.

And maybe, since it reminded me a bit of Redford's move in The Last Castle, I'll just take a great role in an equally great movie.

Look, I forgot about the Academy for a second, but actors are definitely in, and the screenplay could easily snag a nomination too. The movie might as well, but I'm rooting for a Zodiac sweep.

At the end of the day, redowl90, it's still a very good film.

Personally, I felt that whole thing was pretty unnecessary, since we had already figured everything out before that scene even played out.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:- Susan Sarandon doesn't exactly shine, but she did her job decently. Plenty of actresses in her position would have completely botched it, so she played it relatively well (as much as possible).
- You didn't really need to mention the last scene, because even if it isn't huge, it's nice not to spoil the ending. Personally, I didn't find it pathetic at all. To me, it showed the only remaining way Jones could express his frustration and grief. He did it quietly, without all the heavy-handedness, drama, or sentimentality. It was beautiful, and I loved it (even though I also said it was totally predictable). Maybe it's just a Jones thing.

And maybe, since it reminded me a bit of Redford's move in The Last Castle, I'll just take a great role in an equally great movie.

Look, I forgot about the Academy for a second, but actors are definitely in, and the screenplay could easily snag a nomination too. The movie might as well, but I'm rooting for a Zodiac sweep.

At the end of the day, redowl90, it's still a very good film.

From your keyboard straight into the Academy's ears, but honestly, I feel like AVP 2 might get a Movie of the Year nod before Fincher ever gets anything for directing.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:A new flick just hit our theaters from two-time Oscar winner Paul Haggis.

The three leads are all Oscar winners too, which is a pretty solid hint that this movie is going to be good.
Plus, it’s a drama. Given how often AMC Theatres puts dramas on the schedule, we can actually hold out hope for a decent one. I mean, when you have a crew this talented, you really ought to expect something special.
Though, honestly, it didn't have to be this way.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank, a Vietnam veteran whose two sons followed in his footsteps. One is already dead, and the other deserted his military base without permission. Hank doesn't act scared, but you can feel that "certain" vibe coming off him, and he sets out to find his son. Once he realizes his boy is dead, the search for the son ends and the hunt for the killer begins.
In a lot of ways, this reminded me of the brilliant "Zodiac," even though they don't share much besides the theme of "hunting a killer"—except here, it isn't really about that at all. It's more of a "search for oneself," or as Jones so beautifully put it: "Only after we conquer ourselves can we face others."

This could have easily been just another entry in the endless string of anti-Iraq projects. It could have been another cookie-cutter "find a killer" flick or a typical American story worn thin by repetition.
Haggis skillfully avoided all those traps.
The acting ensemble delivers a massive, heavy-hitting performance. It was great seeing Jones and Sarandon on screen together; I haven't seen them paired up since "The Client." Charlize Theron plays a cop helping Jones out, but she's also helping the whole group—and helping him find himself.
Jones gives one of the best performances I've seen on screen lately, and it actually gets better the less he talks and moves. I remember Theron as this gorgeous blonde girl (I still haven't seen "Monster"), and at first glance, I didn't even recognize her. She's "aged" a bit, "lost" some of that youthful charm, and became truly excellent—nothing like your typical, stereotypical investigator. I have to admit, the most thankless role goes to Sarandon. She’s in very little of the film and mostly just has to mourn or cry, or at least show up looking totally depressed (aside from a few minutes of normal conversation with Jones at the start). But I'd say she handles it perfectly, and thanks to her, the movie avoids getting too sappy.
The film doesn't suffer from filler, rushed pacing, bad acting, awkward music, or lousy dialogue. Everything is exactly where it needs to be. Unlike "Zodiac," which I mentioned earlier, it doesn't struggle with details (even though those served a different purpose there), but it was still interesting to spot—if you were paying attention—a picture of a smiling Bush hanging on the wall during that intense dramatic conversation between Theron and Jones in her office.

I absolutely have to mention that about ten minutes before the end, there's this scene at the confession table. It’s just a series of close-ups without any dialogue, but it’s executed so simply and skillfully that it leaves you speechless—even more than shots that are technically much more difficult in other movies.

This is probably the best drama I've seen at AMC Theatres so far (unless you count "Zodiac," which isn't strictly a drama), and it's definitely one of the best films of the year, right up there with "Zodiac."

I have to say, the ending really got to me. I actually shed a few tears—tears that felt way more earned than the ones I expected from "Damnation," which didn't move me at all. Even though the final scene is predictable, the way the story unfolds combined with the score, including the Puerto Rican influence through Jones, makes it one of the most impactful endings I've seen in recent memory.

Objectively: 9.5/10
Subjectively: 10/10

A must-watch!

And I should add, Ebert is usually high quality, even if he occasionally misses the mark. He rarely opens my eyes because he tends to write about generalities and draws parallels that I could probably draw myself (most of them, anyway). But I always love reading him because you can tell he takes his job seriously. However, this is the only review where he pointed out everything I would have said, and where I agree with him 100%. It's a strange feeling.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...4/-1/REVIEWS01

Personally, I have to admit that the final scene—that last shot of the upside-down American flag—actually made me feel nauseous, and it dropped my rating from a five down to a four. I felt Haggis had already successfully delivered his message in a very simple, direct way earlier on. I don't see the point in that final scene or the heavy-handedness of basically shouting, "What the hell are Americans doing at the end of the world and dying for?!" right in our faces.

That closing moment, while completely foreseeable from the start, feels like total nonsense. But I suppose it was designed to cater to the Academy voters. I’m anticipating a guaranteed screenplay nomination and likely a lead actor nod as well. They should also consider Charlize, who is excellent. Her kid is great too, especially in those two scenes, particularly the one with Tommy where he tells him the story of David and Goliath. Susan Sarandon is predictably pathetic, just like she always is (ugh!).

To wrap things up: Paul Haggis should stick to writing screenplays rather than directing them. When he just writes for someone else to direct, the results are extraordinary (like Letters from Iwo Jima), but when he takes the director's chair himself, it unfortunately settles for being merely "very good" (like Crash or the lost valley).

Rating: 4/5

I was expecting a non-stop adrenaline rush, but honestly, the movie turned out to be really high quality.

Definitely worth a watch! 👍

www.amazon.com

☕

Keith Kelly3 said:Are the extras on that fourth disc actually the same as if you bought the movie separately? Like, is there any difference in the bonus features?

I honestly have no idea.

Keith Kelly3 said:I've got a question for anyone who knows: what's the better move—buying each of the three movies in its own individual set, or grabbing this specific edition you got (the three films plus that fourth disc with the extras)? Also, do those extras actually have American subtitles? I know the standard release doesn't...

Either way, grabbing the collection is the move. It looks much cleaner and takes up way less shelf space. 😁

As for the lack of subtitles on the extras... well, that's just how the cookie crumbles. Doesn't bother me one bit.

Nathan Myers28 said:The first two films are pretty intense—lots of gore—but Terminator 3 is a whole different story; you barely see any blood spray even once during the entire movie.

So, is the movie only good if it's gory? Jurassic Park was never meant to be a slasher, and it isn't. None of the films are. The whole point of these movies isn't how much blood you can splash on the screen.

It’s the true story of John Merrick, born with severe physical deformities, who is exploited by a circus owner just to turn a profit. A surgeon (Hopkins) steps in to "save" him, and we gradually realize that Merrick is actually a deeply human individual—intelligent, witty, and ultimately more grounded than most of us.

A beautiful film. It’s probably the most "accessible" Lynch movie ever made, right up there with The Straight Story.

I honestly expected this thread to be all about movies from my favorite decade—the 50s—but instead... 😢

ruggedfalcon28 said:The fourth one is happening—timing is just a question mark. I've heard two different script rumors. Remember that fat guy in the sandwich shop from the first movie who steals a bunch of dinosaur embryos, only to have them eaten by a tiny dinosaur later? The box was buried in the mud. Well, word is someone finds that box and uses those embryos to create human-dinosaur hybrids to work as high-priced mercenaries. (Honestly, that sounds more like Alien Resurrection)

The other theory is that the dinosaurs somehow dug their way out of the ground in South America (ask God how) and are now breeding and threatening humanity. Consequently, the government decides to wipe them out using some prehistoric disease.

If this actually turns out to be the plot for Jurassic Park 4, I’m ready to call it a masterpiece right now.

Richard Wilson4 said:Honestly, just skip it. Just like you'd ignore Terminator 3 or The Matrix Revolutions...
Don't let them ruin the good memories for you. 😍

Terminator 3 is actually a masterpiece. ☕
It's packed with spectacular action, eye-popping special effects, and Arnold Schwarzenegger fighting his own identity.

A masterpiece. 🙏

Keith Kelly3 said:So where did you snag that trilogy set with the bonus disc? All I've seen in stores are the single discs or they're sold separately...

I picked mine up about two years ago back when that specific edition was still around. You can't find it in the US anymore.

The first one is a masterpiece.
The second part - pretty good third
The third installment—a total masterpiece of trash cinema.

I have the complete trilogy at home. It looks fantastic, and there's a fourth bonus disc packed with a ton of interesting extras.

The first two seasons will be hitting the US soon. 🙂

Arthur Garcia59 said:By the way, I’m still sticking to my guns that "Titanic" is a masterpiece.

Are you implying someone actually disagrees?

Anthony Kim18 said:Flash Gordon😂

Anyone know of any movies set in the future that actually talk about 2007 or anything earlier?

Demolition Man!
A movie made back in 1994 that predicted Arnold Schwarzenegger would become the President of the USA! He didn't make it to the presidency, just served as Governor, but that's beside the point. The real question is: back when they were filming Demolition Man, who could have actually taken a prediction like that seriously?

Nathan Myers28 said:Friday the 13th: Jason X 🤣

🙏