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Batman Begins (2005)

80%

Grade: B+

If id've been told before my viewing that this film had a forty-five minute back story, and that it would take a full hour before we see ... More

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	Votes +72 +77 / -5 thumb up thumb down Batman Begins (2005) Genre: Action & Adventure 80% Posted on 12/13/11 08:41 PM Grade: B+ If id've been told before my viewing that this film had a forty-five minute back story, and that it would take a full hour before we see batman in full costume, I would've felt the desire to lower my expectations before seeing the film; But then, I would've been underestimating Chrisopher Nolan's storytelling abilities, and his ability to tie ideas that seem disconnected in to a greater arc. The visuals and set pieces alone in the first 45 minutes of the story are enough to captivate, nevermind the development of Batman's origins. But in this forty-five minutes we also see the emergence of the films antagonist; Ra'z al Gul(liam neeson), leader of the mysterious League of Shadows. Initialy he plays mentor to Bruce Wayne, but as we see both the philosophy of Batman emerge, and the division in philosophy expand between Batman and Ra'z, the situation turns volatile. Unlike the Joker in The Dark Knight, The League of Shadows, and more specifically, Ra'z Al Gul, is evil with a purpose, evil with a percieved sense of hisorical duty, to "do what must be done" for the "overall good" of man. Their idea's may be warped, but so is any form of radicalized movement which leads to murder. The sense of doing right is what makes the villain frightnening in this film, the antithesis of what makes The Joker so scary. For Ra'z, out of death comes rebirth, and eventually order-- for The Joker, out of death comes only more death, and eventually chaos. Also similar between the two films villains (ra'z & Joker), is that they easily manipulate Gothams current crime syndicate, infiltrate them both to such degrees that they end up betraying them and moving on to "higher motives". They use the base of crime as a launchpad for their own sick and twisted visions/games; in this way both of Nolan's Batman films work as a commentary on various natures of evil, and the varying angles at which we face it. In Batman begins, it's the league of shadows using Falconi and Scarecrow. In The Dark Knight, its Joker using the entire organized mafia. We know where the caped crusader stands in this philosophical dillema, and we never doubt that what he will do is the right thing. Yet the film does a good job at balancing what we know, with what the people of gotham think; already doubt's of Batman's character arise, and the cops set out to find him. The images near the end of Batman flying through the air, while the hallucinating citizens look up and see a terrifying vision him, is symbolic of their tendancy to mispercieve his motives, and is foreshadowing of the eventual turning against him by the public in the sequal. Batman has always been the darkest super-hero, and my personal favorite growing up. These films(BB & TDK) are like a flip-side to Burton's versions. They work on a slightly more sophistocated level as well, yet they don't have the outright humor and irony and satire that Burton's had. I prefer Nolan's version, but admire Burton's as well. read my review for "The Dark Knight" from last year, posted in my review section 44 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: MMB on 3/06/10 at 08:49 PM Excellent review. This was probably the best thing that could have happened to the series since Tim Burton 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 08:58 PM yup, and they're making a third one too! 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 3/10/10 at 10:13 AM Where do you think they'll go with the third one? 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 3/10/10 at 10:13 AM I don't really mind so long as Rachel Weisz isn't playing Catwoman - can't stand her Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:43 PM As far as villians, it seems set for The Riddler & Catwoman. People have made observations in The Dark Knight referencing both characters (Catwoman being pretty obvious, The Riddler coming from the characters name Mister Reese--rumored to stand for the word 'mysteries,' suggesting Riddler) Seems quite possible, figuring as how references to both The Joker & Two Face were made in Batman Begins. The Joker, being the obvious reference at the end of the film, but at the dinner party involvin Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/10/10 at 12:30 PM hmmm, too hard to say. As we get more info about it, we'll get a clearer idea i guess. The big question is wether or not the joker will be in it, and if so, who will play him. 3 Replies \| Report Abuse filmmaniac123 on 3/10/10 at 01:55 PM oh there's definitely no Joker Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/10/10 at 03:22 PM really? do you know that definitively, or do you think it would just be a big mistake to add him in. Report Abuse Spinstar Holomeme on 3/25/10 at 06:21 AM I got the impression from the news that he got so deep into his character that he could never completely pull himself back out, became unhinged at the disparation of that delima and died to escape the Joker still feeding on his soul. Report Abuse cjsmovies on 3/06/10 at 08:56 PM Excellent review. I really didn't like what Burton did with Batman, and think that Nolan has made Batman the best superhero franchise of all time, with just two films. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 08:58 PM agreed about it being the best franchise, and I don't love burtons version either, but i still enjoyed them. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:45 PM Burton's characters always seemed on the surface, never really engrossing the audience. It just felt like you were watching a movie, never really engaged with the world. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/02/10 at 02:58 PM I still enjoyed Burtons. I give both of his Batman's a B, or 70% Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/06/10 at 10:10 PM excellent review my friend. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 11:21 PM thanks bud. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Serious Lee on 3/06/10 at 10:56 PM It's not a "bat" review- it's a good review. lol...i agree with a lot u'r saying. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 3/07/10 at 01:46 AM good Review TheArshMan. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 12:56 PM thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Saetre on 3/07/10 at 05:02 AM I agree, it's a great movie.Great revie btw. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/07/10 at 05:31 AM Great review Arsh. Thumbs up. Love the Batman franchise 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 3/07/10 at 07:23 AM Great review. Batman is my all-time favorite comic and both these movies did it justice. I know there are those that might not agree because of Ledger's performance, but I think this is every bit as good as The Dark Knight. Loved them both..... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 12:57 PM Thanks, i liked the sequal a bit more, but this is fantastic. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylon M. on 3/07/10 at 08:41 AM Terrific review. Good movie also. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 03:24 PM Thanks Dylon. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:05 PM Nice. I liked that concept of a bad guy with seemingly good intentions. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 04:08 PM right, but only in his own mind, we know he's a sick Ba$t@ard! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:13 PM haha yeah, not to mention Liam Neeson was the best choice to play that role. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 04:20 PM yes, i think so too. And he's not over-used, he's in just enough scenes. Like the Joker in TDK. unlike in Burton's versions, where the villains literally highjack the film. Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:22 PM wow, couldnt have said it better myself. Report Abuse Cory B. on 3/07/10 at 07:55 PM Great review. I loved every minute of this movie. Nolan was the one who finally got Batman right. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/08/10 at 05:50 PM Nice review! I had to love this movie! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Brian R. on 3/15/10 at 09:37 PM good review! I knew going in about the backstory and thought "Oh jeeze..its Spiderman with a friggin cowl"....but those 45 minutes flew by and then i wished the camera showed more of the suit...i remember seeing it while he was walking down the Arkham hallways and thinking "wow, that just looks uncomfortable"...the new suit is infinately better. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/16/10 at 02:02 AM yea the new suit is nuts. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Spinstar Holomeme on 3/25/10 at 06:12 AM Well put.This is such a richly textured twinning of storyline with deep backgrounded character streaming that I'm certain I could watch many times and still be seeing it for the first time. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:46 PM Great review. I'm curious, did you see this movie after The Dark Knight? Or is it just coincidental that this review comes after the sequel? Enjoyed it, none the less. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/27/10 at 02:21 AM lol, no, its just that the dark knight came out when I started to write my first couple reviews. About a month ago I went back and rewatched Batman Begins and reviewed it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse usayeed h on 4/02/10 at 08:04 AM You know what dude, I felt that the 45 minute origin storytelling bit was what made the film so amazing. It added weight and heart to the film, and if that was taken away, we'd still have a good film, just not great. I completely agree with you, check my Batman Begins and The Dark Knight reviews out too if you can! Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/02/10 at 02:59 PM Thanks, ill get to them sometime. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Frank the Demonic Bunny on 6/14/10 at 07:48 AM Solid review, might I mention that personally I felt this film focused more on the action (just a bit) than the second one, which is why I found the second better (difference in score: 95 for begins, 98 for dark knight) I haven't seen burton's yet, but I love his work, so I hope for the best. And it has been confirmed by multiple sources that lead back to nolan and the producers of the dark knight that the joker will not return, just saying. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Frank the Demonic Bunny on 6/14/10 at 07:49 AM sorry, I meant to say the action over the psychology, not just the action. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse tgibfo on 6/21/10 at 12:35 PM Nice observation of how Nolan makes the super-villains truly "super" by having them subjugate and overpower the crime bosses already in place. It's one of the great ways he creates a believable world and not just a "superhero" movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 6/22/10 at 05:32 AM fantastic review.....i liked the way you dissected the psychology of both the villains...!!! thumbs up... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylan Smith on 11/28/10 at 10:00 AM Good review sir. It's a fantastic and turly dark comic book film masterpiece that really works. It's one of the best films of 05 in my opinion. Good job. BTW, if you have the time, check out my review of this film. Thanks, come back and see me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SteveTellsItHowHeSeesIt on 5/13/11 at 03:03 PM Brilliant review. This film is alot better then The Dark Knight imo. More substance much more creative, Ledger was the best thing about TDK 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +20 +21 / -1 thumb up thumb down Beauty and The Beast (La Belle et la bête) (1946) Genre: Drama 90% Posted on 5/13/11 09:50 AM Grade: A Jean Cocteau: poet, painter, fantasy surrealist filmmaker. This 1946 film, Cocteau's take on Jean Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's Fairy tale, is gothic, languid, and lyrical, as unlike the Disney version as you could imagine. In this version, Belle (Josette Day)has a pair of wicked sisters, and they are depicted as unrelentingly vindictive and jealous. The treat Belle like a servant, and its only the presence of her father, a business man who is having some money problems, and is about to come in to a big windfall, that keeps her sane. On his way to get his winnings he gets lost; this inevitably leads to him getting lost in the forest, where he chances upon The Beasts dark castle. Belle's courter is her younger brother's friend Avenant (played by legendary Jean Marais, who was Cocteau's lover), and is another of the films villains; he works a plot to sign away his soon-to-be father-in-law's windfall. Henry Alekan's Cinematography is wonderfully lit and at times in outdoor scenes so bright that it feels like they are in a forest utopia of sorts. This takes on a dual brilliance once you add in the fact that The Beast holds supernatural powers/possessions, whereby he can change the nature of his surroundings, among other things. The Beasts castle is gothic/surrealist perfection, and the magic within the house is a play on The Beasts twisted yet curiously inviting nature. I was at first surprised at how I thought Cocteau stripped off some of the flash you would expect from this story, but soon I began to realize the philosophical essence of what this fable evokes. Cocteau doesn't use living caricatures' to create people out of objects, as in Disney's version. This feels much more like a haunted house, controlled by The Beast; The Arms stick out of walls, holding candles in place, and they open doors ominously as Belle nears them. In one of many bravura camera shots, Belle seems to glide down the hallway, which is plane grey and just sublime to behold, as The Arms slowly go by. Cocteau was inspired by painters he grew up loving, and watching this film, the painterly nature of images was just about the first thing that caught my eye. Actor Jean Marais, who plays Avenant, also plays The Beast, and its in these scenes, as The Beast, that his acting brilliance shines. He and Jossete Day have scenes of sensual and freudian torment and seduction, and while today it may seem schematic, here it feels elemental. The film plays to Georges Auric's magical and gothic score, and it fits the film well. I was very drawn in by this story, and while I don't think its better or worse than the Disney version, that may be because they are entirely opposite takes. Its like comparing Burton's Batman to Nolan's. 25 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/12/10 at 03:24 PM excellent review, I haven't seen this in a long time... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 05:16 PM thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody on 3/12/10 at 03:32 PM This review makes me want to watch it! I've always liked the storyline, so seeing it in a more mature, artistic light would be probably be nice. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 02:35 PM i think so too, cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 3/12/10 at 03:51 PM Well done. I have never seen this. I'll have to look it up...... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 05:16 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Joe H. on 3/12/10 at 05:24 PM Great review! I've only seen the Disney cartoon, so I'll have to check it out. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 06:06 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse cjsmovies on 3/12/10 at 06:23 PM Excellent review. I think the animated one is better. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:31 AM cool, thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/12/10 at 10:40 PM Wow i didnt know there was a live action version. Great review. Sounds good. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 3/12/10 at 11:41 PM it's a terrible movie but great Review TheArshMan. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:30 AM lol, really, theres so much to like about this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/12/10 at 11:45 PM I love reading your reviews on classics. Give me some good suggestions to watch the movie I have not seen, Thanks 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/16/10 at 09:42 PM You could check out my Lists page, and see the films i've put on my All-time Favourites list. Those are some of the many classics out there. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/17/10 at 10:06 AM Thank You. I have checked that out and will get some soon 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Christopher on 3/13/10 at 04:06 AM I think I'll stick with the Disney one but fantastic review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:32 AM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dan M. on 3/13/10 at 11:39 AM Great review...I watched tons of black&white movies, as a kid - but I forgot their names and story...thanks for reminding me of one of them... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 09:25 PM cool, no prob! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/13/10 at 10:17 PM Wow - great review! This looks interesting! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Awesome Barnhart on 3/14/10 at 06:00 PM Great review, Thumbs up! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Amardeep i. on 3/22/10 at 09:47 PM Nice! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SteveTellsItHowHeSeesIt on 5/13/11 at 03:01 PM Great review. Gotta see this 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dave J on 5/18/11 at 01:51 PM Recorded it, but haven't seen it yet! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +29 +31 / -2 thumb up thumb down Burn After Reading (2008) Genre: Drama 90% Posted on 1/26/11 05:55 PM Grade: A- I could just throw this movie in for a good laugh and intriguing acting any time; it's simply a very, very easy film to enjoy, and the Coen's hit almost every comedic note perfectly, sometimes with deadly accuracy. This film is about deteriorating and blossoming relationships taking place amidst the chaos of blackmail, murder, cosmetic surgery, infidelity, divorce, and internet dating; all of this is aligned with some information on a CD belonging to and ex-CIA agent (Malkovich), which may or may not have some compromising information on it. The people mixed up in this tangle are smart, conniving, dim-witted, idiotic, desperate, free-wheeling, greedy, and everything in-between. The star-studded cast comprises of George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, and Richard Jenkins. Nothing that the characters do is perfectly logical, but it's logical enough to be played in a straight enough way that adds to the legitimacy of the stupidity of the events occurring, without overtly falsifying them; its works a fine line between legitimacy and absurdity, for the most part very well. Once the CIA realizes that this CD is missing, they wonder why everyone is making such a big deal out of it, and so they set their spies on various of the above listed characters, while the above listed characters do or try to do the things listed in paragraph one. In the end, some scores have been settled and some information buried, for better or worse, and everything goes on....its the conversations themselves, like the ones between the CIA upper management, is hilarious and strikingly logical in its summation of the events taking place. More than the simple sounding film I have made Burn After Reading seem to be, it is nuanced, well-written, hilarious, shocking, improbable, and very modern. The plot dips and dives and head in weird directions that are somehow handled logically and with great humour, due to the cynical and screwball nature of the films dialogue, tone, and situations; unlike most screwballs of the past however, that poked fun at the social mores of generations past, the Coen's have updated that in to a very modern context with often insightful dialogue about this day and age . The film utilizes modern symptoms to capitalize on all the depths that the characters stereotypes can evoke. I hope our respect for this film will increase with time. The casting is superb, as is the directing and writing, and even the score and the cinematography better than average. The editing is superbly expedient, leaving very few slow moments in the 96 minutes. I already have this listed on my Favourite films of the decade list; as well as my Favourite films of 2008 list at number ten, where I recently bumped The Visitor off my top 10 for it. I don't want to explain the story to you any further, which in this case, I think, makes perfect sense. 42 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: James B. on 5/29/10 at 07:38 PM Great Review! Great movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:06 AM thank you. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 5/29/10 at 08:54 PM I agree with all your points. Good review.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:06 AM cool, thanks a lot bob! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse TheMovieGrader.com on 5/29/10 at 08:57 PM Great review, man. Between this and The Visitor for a top 10, that would be an excruciatingly tough call for me! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:07 AM Yeah. I was forced to leave a lot of very good films out of my top 10 in 2008. Thanks TMG. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 5/29/10 at 10:06 PM Awesome review arsh - good work man! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:07 AM Thanks Scifiman. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Captain Dills on 5/29/10 at 11:45 PM Extremely polarizing film. I still don't know what to think of it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:08 AM Sure, I guess you are somewhat right, it is a polorizing film in some ways. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 5/30/10 at 02:07 AM Great review, I thought Brad Pitt as Chad the gym instructor was great, played perfectly. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:09 AM For sure, he was very funny as well. Thanks Jay. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 5/30/10 at 02:52 AM Great review. On the DVD extras you can see the actors enjoying themselves as they act and this comes across in the film. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:10 AM Cool, I'll check that out sometime, I have it on DVD but haven't seen the extras yet. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse STUCKINLALALALAND on 5/30/10 at 03:06 AM i have not seen it yet but great review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:10 AM Thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Irukandji on 5/30/10 at 08:54 AM Very very awesome review Arsh.Mabey ill see this one.Not sure yet.Doesn't seem like a movie ill really like. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:11 AM It surely isnt for everyone, thanks buddy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 5/30/10 at 09:49 AM Great review man. I agree with your points here. Thumbs up 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks halimali, glad you agree. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Kyle W. on 5/30/10 at 10:21 AM I would take the visitor over this anyday. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:12 AM Jenkins would take both....maybe because he's in both...lol. Yea thats cool, everyones preferences are different, right? 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 5/30/10 at 12:48 PM Excellent review, I might check it out. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 10:51 AM thanks man, check it out. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse AndysFilms on 5/30/10 at 11:47 PM Nice review ArshMan! Love this movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 10:52 AM Thanks, I loved it too. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse sam48 m. on 5/31/10 at 01:17 AM great review..bumped The Visitor? Hmmm 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM heh. Yeah. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse apmje on 5/31/10 at 05:42 AM Nice review. I loved this film. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 5/31/10 at 02:53 PM awsome review Arshman!This film reminded me of Fargo just not as great 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM Yea, it is kind of like Fargo in some ways. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 6/01/10 at 03:44 AM Yes this was good movie...sharp and witty and nice review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse american psycho on 6/01/10 at 05:58 AM nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Slushy on 6/01/10 at 11:02 AM good review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks Slushy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Amardeep i. on 6/02/10 at 02:57 PM Nice review, A decent movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/08/10 at 11:26 PM Great review man, I may see this one one day 0 Replies \| Report Abuse wxdeadpoolmwam on 2/07/11 at 03:15 PM Great review. However,this film is one of my very least favorites of the Coen Bros. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +21 +21 / -0 thumb up thumb down Rio Bravo (1959) Genre: Western 100% Posted on 12/09/10 04:06 PM Grade: A+ The Greatest Films Rio Bravo is a Howard Hawks Western. As far as archetypal Westerns go, this film is pretty damn great. John Wayne plays Sheriff John t. Chance of a small western town, as he and his 3 deputies attempt to stave off a posse of bandits working for a rich rancher for six days as they hold the rancher's murderer brother in jail; the bandits would like him released. Chance intends to turn the murderer over to the marshal, who supposedly will arrive in six days. Walter Brennan plays a cripple whose job it is to guard the cell. He does a good job of bringing a little straight humour to a sometimes overly dry film as far as dialogue (the formality is sometimes overbearing). Then there is Dean Martin who plays Dude, an extremely talented sharpshooter officer, except he has a serious vice in his alcoholism; the film basically follows Dean's character in his moral and mental struggle between upholding the law while keeping a job or falling back into alcoholic binges. Dean's character Dude is attempting to keep it together during this particularly dangerous time. Angie Dickinson is the Sheriff's love interest, who doubles as an aid to him in some tight spots with the bandits as well. The love story is mildly interesting, and perhaps a bit risqué for a Western and it's better than most Western love stories. Thankfully though, it never gets in the way of the main plot, and invites a bit of Western style relationship humour. The film is very deliberately paced, sometimes a bit too slow, but the pace does evoke the long haul of the six days, as they wait for the murderer's brother to arrive, and then stave him and his posse off repeatedly. A handful of tense encounters between both sides, both using dialogue and with gun slinging, add excitement to the film. As the days wear on, a young gunslinger by the name of Colorado (Ricky Nelson) catches the eye of Chance, who feels he could use his skills to fight the bandits. Part of the plot involves the increasing trust between Chance and Colorado, and the building of their mutual respect. As the sheriff and his men speak of Colorado: John T. Chance: [Referring to Colorado] it's nice to see a smart kid for a change. Stumpy: Yeah, he ain't like the usual kid with a gun. Dude: Wonder if he's as good as Wheeler said? John T. Chance: I'd say he is. John T. Chance: I'd say he's so good, he doesn't feel he has to prove it. Colorado is an interesting part to the film, and pretty much represents the antithesis of Dean Martin's character, even if they both have similar qualities. The film has a number of great sequences, including one in a bar when Chance and Dude are looking for a hiding bandit, and enter the bar looking for him. The final shootout is pretty wild and entertaining as well; its funny how all the main players show up during the climax; contrived yes, but the way they are depicted in these situations is what makes it memorable, despite any notion of implausibility. My knowledge of Westerns is over time becoming more and more, and this is one of the better ones I have seen. With a cast like this and a Director of Hawks stature, I knew this was one I had to cross off my invisible must-see list; I was more than satisfied. 21 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 4/26/10 at 05:54 PM I haven't seen this one in a long time, great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks man! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse piratefan60 on 4/26/10 at 06:55 PM Great review. check mine out sometime 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks man, I did. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse inactive user on 4/26/10 at 09:53 PM John Wayne westerns are borderline B-movie too me with their cheesiness (except "The Searchers"), but that's why I like them. This included. Great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Ya I sort of think that too, but this is one of the better ones. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 4/26/10 at 10:27 PM Very nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thank you. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 4/26/10 at 11:41 PM nice Review TheArshMan good job. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 4/27/10 at 02:03 PM Great review Arsh, my dad forced me to watch loads of John Wayne movies growing up, I tried to fight it but can't help it, the Duke is the man.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:22 PM lol, funny stuff, thanks Jay, I think you belong to a generation of people forced to watch John Wayne films. It aint so bad, lol. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dave J on 4/28/10 at 12:15 PM Good review Arshman for I'd give this one a 1/2 a notch more - this film was the basis for the 1976 film "Assault From Precinct 13" directed by John Carpenter!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/29/10 at 09:59 AM Thanks Dave. Ah yes, now I see the similarity between the two, now that you mention it. cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse A. Khan on 5/26/10 at 02:28 PM I have often mused that when done correctly, the Western is one of the most fun genres, but unfortunately, it's usually done with a methodical, boring style (see: any Randolph Scott movie). Not so with this one, and one can see why it's one of Quentin Tarantino's all time favorite movies. Howard Hawks is part of the pantheon of greatest filmmakers ever, and this is a textbook example of why. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 09:58 PM ill watch this movie! excellent review Arshman! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse John McClane on 12/24/10 at 03:12 AM true classic dude, it deserves full 100 anytime. Brings memories. Spot on review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 12/24/10 at 11:15 AM Thanks for reading, glad you liked the film, it seems to get way to much hate from people around here. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse John McClane on 12/24/10 at 11:32 AM dude, some people dont know the real meaning of classics and most of them are too young and never came across movies like these and to some these movies looks cheesy and poor compared to nowadays ones. it shouldnt be compared, thats the trick. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Paul on 8/09/11 at 04:04 PM I watched this in my film class and just fell in love with it, such an amazing western! great review!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse jackdaddy on 8/22/12 at 07:42 PM great review, the film has such brilliant chemistry. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +16 +17 / -1 thumb up thumb down Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (Bicycle Thieves) (1948) Genre: Drama 100% Posted on 12/09/10 04:06 PM Grade: A+ The Greatest Films Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Theif (or Bicycle Theives), is widely regarded as a masterpiece, and as i watched the film, every minute that went by i came to better understand just why that is. Filmed in the neo-realist syle of filmmaking,suprisingly the film manages to be quite sentimental at times, but never in spite of the realist aspects, rather these moments compliment the realism in unexpected and devestatingly emotional ways. The film is about a man with a wife and young son, living in poverty, and struggling to make ends meet. When luck strikes and a job opens up, a requirment is that he have a bicycle to secure the position; and a bicycle he does get, and that's where his problems begin. The film is a series of obstacles taking place over two days, which begins when the protagonist's bike is stolen. The rest of the film is about his search for the bicycle, but more so its about his search for adequacy, in the eyes of his son, but especially within himself. The film evokes the social conditions and attitues of a time and a place, and in that sense the film works well as a time-capsule, and add to that the realist tendencies of the camerawork, and we as viewers aren't left feeling manipulated; rather we are left pondering why men do the things they do, both to themselves, and each other. We also ask why the world is the way it is, and why in many cases we set ourselves up to fail. Its also quite easy to make modern connections beween this past society and current social conditions we face today, which also lends to the timeless feeling of the film. How the film manages to be both an evocation of a time and place as well as remaining thematically timeless is one of its major strengths. The cinematography is quite plain, and also plainly brilliant. How such simple images evoke such beauty is one of the films real powers. The film makes us ask serious questions, such as what is truly important, why we cannot move forward together as opposed to seperately, and hints at mental conditions that trap us in our own feelings, while being unable to register external truths. The son of the protagonist has numerous powerful scenes, perhaps the most powerful of which happens after his father smacks him in the face after he makes his father feel stupid. What happens after this is truly masterful. This is a heartwrenching film, from a neo-realist master. 9 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: MMB on 3/03/10 at 12:53 PM You truely hit upon a classic here. Saw this in film school and it is an excellent film.Nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/03/10 at 12:59 PM Ya saw it last night for the first time! it is awesome. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/03/10 at 01:16 PM great review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/03/10 at 06:19 PM Very nice work - this sounds like my kind of movie! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/04/10 at 06:02 PM very nice! never even heard of this little gem. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Serious Lee on 3/05/10 at 01:40 AM I've never seen this. Good review of it. This review reminded me of a similar film in the 70's that I remembered seeing. A little boy from difficult circumstances, finds a stray dog, keeps it, and forms a strong bond with his new pet. One day, the pet runs away. The story fills in with all kinds of lessons and hearwrenching sadness of him without the dog. Then sometime later, discovers the dog when walking, and now the dog is a service pet for a blind man. The dog recognizes him, wagging his tai 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/05/10 at 01:47 AM Thanks. hmmm, that story rings a bell, but that is a very universal type of story. I could just be thinking of a similar story. Sounts familiar though. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 12/04/10 at 10:05 PM I have still been looking for this film, cant find it anywhere. Great Review Arshman! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Double.Dubs on 7/01/12 at 10:41 PM Brilliant piece of neorealism; it wasn't quite for me but your review is excellent nonetheless. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +17 +20 / -3 thumb up thumb down The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Genre: Comedy 80% Posted on 9/15/10 01:42 PM Grade: B+ Wes Anderson made the satirific Rushmore, and this film, while not as funny or insightful, is still worthy for Wes. Anderson's taste for the comic may be skewed away from the status quo, but his and owen wilson's singular gift for portraying outcasts that seem somewhat normal makes his films worth visiting. The episodic structure of the film (complete with prologue, chapters, and epilogue) is narrated by none other that Alec Baldwin, and his straight way of relaying the strange narrative is at times highly amusing. The film perhaps relies too heavily at times on Baldwin's exposition in order to reveal the past actions and present motivations of the Tenenbaums, instead of simply showing us the Tenenbaums. Another problem I have with the film is overbearing polarity of the characters, whom i understand are characterized as such to legitimize the extreme dysfunctionality of the Tenenbaum family, but which also at times seems too forceful and contrived to be taken totally serious. The success of this film lies in the small details; key moments that reside between the unfolding of the main plot, as well as the directorial bravura of Anderson himself, whose visuals and composition match the offbeat dialogue and characters to a tee. The films also maintains interest by giving us family situations that at first seem not so abnormal, but then take turns of weirdness and irony which evoke the true outcast nature of the Tenenbaum family. Anderson's success comes not from merely setting up these situations, but by making them seem (somewhat) natural to the characters personalities; things never seem too grounded in reality however, since the tone of the film is never to take itself too seriously as a character study, instead seperating the Tenenbaums from the world around them in order to focus in on the family's extreme isolation from normalcy and the status quo. The acting all around is top notch, with Gene Hackman doing for this film what Bill Murray did for Rushmore, although Royal is never as hopeless or depressed as Murray was in Rushmore, although he is just as cunning and thoughtless of other peoples opinions and emotions. I dont love this movie but i do respect its originality and vision, and i think it succeeds much more than it fails. 7 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/01/10 at 04:37 PM Nice review my friend. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/01/10 at 05:31 PM thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse MMB on 3/01/10 at 09:19 PM Good review. Movie had great talent but was a huge snorefest to me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Saetre on 3/02/10 at 05:09 AM Nice review, I love Wes Anderson. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 9/15/10 at 02:18 PM Great review Arsh, this is a great off the wall style movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 10/28/10 at 02:11 AM good review Arshman! this movie was alot of fun! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Alex l. on 11/05/10 at 04:45 PM Great Review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +18 +19 / -1 thumb up thumb down Animal Kingdom (2010) Genre: Art House & International 80% Posted on 8/19/10 11:32 AM Grade: B+ Animal Kingdom takes place in the suburbs of Melbourne in Australia. Crime seems to be on the rise. Someone is always on the lookout and criminals are just waiting for either glory or death, hoping only to avoid the heartache of reaching your mental breaking point when the law has you on the run. In an average house a naive, shy and reserved boy named Josh Cody (James Frecheville) waits for an ambulance to arrive and pick up his dead mother who has overdosed on heroin. Josh is like a deer in the headlights. With nothing steady to hold onto he calls his estranged grandmother .It?s time to go live with her, and her pack of criminal sons (one of whom is a drug dealer). It?s time for Josh to enter this rough, cold, survivalist animal kingdom. Jackie Weaver plays the over-loving and yet twistingly cold matriarch, Janine ?Smurf? Cody. Her love for her sons doesn?t extend further than knowing they will come home to her at the end of the day, but she lets that love be known as often as she can. Weaver is brilliant at suggesting a thought, letting us feel that there is some thought going on behind her eyes that no light can penetrate. It?s pretty chilling, all the more because she can also exude at times a great warmth and loving spirit. Her mere presence begins to exude a kind of controlling and yet reassuring power. The brothers? crew is headed up by oldest brother ?Pope? Cody (Andrew Mendhelsohn) and his best friend Barry Brown (Joe Edgerton). The brother and Pope are on alert because they hear on the street the cops are coming down on them, and it seems more and more apparent every minute that this is true. Pope?s extreme singularity of vision and his fixation on a purpose or goal are balanced by Barry?s level headedness and willingness to enterprise in more modern and original ways. Pope?s younger brother Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) deals drugs and is pretty wired and tense about the slightest things. Much like Josh, the Cody?s youngest son Darren (Luke Ford) is not so desensitized to the horror of his actions, and as tough choices about his role in this kingdom come to the fore, he has to deal with both his actions and his consequences while his conscious lies heavy on his soul. Josh, it is obvious, isn?t really cut out for this criminal life. It simply obvious from the very first second we see him. But it?s like being in a place and knowing it?s dangerous, but staying because somehow, paradoxically, it feels like the right place to be. We all have had that in our lives to one degree or another, but there are certainly different degrees of it. The only thing he has really is his girlfriend, and it seems like that is what is likely keeping him going. As the police begin to bring the heat down on the Cody?s, we see how the actions of some people can have a ripple effect on those not even partaking in this animalistic kingdom. The scenes with the family interaction and the crew all conversing set a good atmosphere for the subsequent unravelling and tribulations that they all go through, both together and separately. Some characters we care for more than others, but Michod?s script does a good job at allowing us to find something in each character that we can identify with, and use it find the emotion as their situations reach the breaking points. The film is slow in parts but it never gets boring, and seems naturally to find the right way to twist the story in surprising ways. Weaver?s portrayal of the mother and Mendhelsohn as Pope in particular are very strong in this movie, and both do a good job as what are I guess the most important (character wise) antagonists in the story, if you discount the obvious antagonists, the police. Guy Pierce shows up in the films second half as a seemingly experienced officer. As the walls close in around the family and the police squeeze tighter (what begin as stakeouts at the Cody residence soon escalates in to back and forth blows between the Cody?s and the Cops) Josh must decide what life he wants to live, and if he wants to live to see his next birthday. The great thing is that everyone has their own distinct problem within this scenario. Everyone is seeing things differently, reacting differently. For the film this complexity of motive and emotion is great, but it has drastic consequences for the characters in the film, tragic consequences. For Josh, our protagonist, the consequences are constantly ignored, but he increasingly finds it more and more difficult to ignore them. The camera isn?t doing anything to fancy, mainly pointing and shooting, reaction shots when necessary and a couple short time encapsulating montages. The camera moves most when it needs to track some of the more mobile action/fight scenes. The editing impressed me, certain key moments being rightly bypassed to infer our understanding. The breaks in action seemed real and needed in order to lead to the next revelation and/or problem. Most importantly the film wasn?t obvious, I wasn?t constantly walking toward obvious answers, and even when I was the film did it in an interesting way and took it up another notch. So far this is one of the years best films I have seen, although as of now I?ve only seen about six films from 2010. 37 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Bhavin V. on 8/19/10 at 11:34 AM Great review..I'm looking forward to this one 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:36 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Professional Opinion on 8/19/10 at 11:37 AM great review, nice to see guy pearce on screen. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:36 PM He's a good actor, a little underwhelming in this film, though he's not center stage either. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 8/19/10 at 01:27 PM This sounds like my cup of tea. Great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:37 PM Nice, thanks Matt. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Nine Oh Two on 8/19/10 at 01:32 PM I'm so jealous you got to see this already. I have no idea when it's coming out in my area, but so far this has been a great year for movies that deal with crime. A Prophet, The Square, and now Animal Kingdom. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:38 PM Ha. It's only playing at one theatre in the city I live. I haven't seen A Prophet but I've heard good things. I'll check out The Square, I haven't heard of it till now. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jack L. on 8/19/10 at 02:34 PM great review This film looks great, I'll definitely be seeing this! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM Its pretty wicked, thanks for reading/commenting Jack. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse grouchyeditor.com on 8/19/10 at 04:25 PM This has been getting pretty good reviews. Thanks for adding yours. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM No prob, hah. Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/19/10 at 04:32 PM Great review, this is high on my must watch list 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM Thanks guy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jhon E. on 8/19/10 at 04:46 PM im angry!!! Im Australian and I was one day short of seeing this film!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:40 PM Lol, no worries, in fact it not so bad to feel angry before seeing this film, its pretty violent. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Parker M. on 8/19/10 at 08:04 PM Great review. I am going to toronto to see this soon. and only 6 films, wow man, im all for admiring the oldies, but check some new ones out, like a prophet and the runaways. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 08:22 PM Thanks. Yeah, I'm sure I'll see those sometime. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Silver Screen Stalker on 8/20/10 at 08:30 AM Great Review Arshman.......I am looking forward to seeing this one for sure. If you enjoyed this movie there is an Australian tv show called Underbelly that has similar subject matter (cops vs crime). Seasons 1 & 2 were set in Melbourne, and the 3rd season is set in Sydney.......all based on true events. Worth watching if you liked Animal Kingdom :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 10:54 AM Thanks dude. I don't really watch too much TV, except for a couple things here and there. And I'm not sure if I'd have access to that show in Canada. I'll check it out though, thanks for mentioning it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jen R. on 8/20/10 at 12:39 PM awesome review ;) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 05:15 PM Thanks Jen :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 8/20/10 at 05:28 PM I want to see it, heard alot about it but haven't gotten around to see it. Very good review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 11:57 PM Thanks man, its worth checking out. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 8/21/10 at 08:56 AM I will definitely be seeing this. Excellent review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/22/10 at 11:56 AM Cool, thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse wxdeadpoolmwam on 8/23/10 at 06:39 PM I've got to see this. Awesome review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/24/10 at 01:08 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse meinink2y on 8/26/10 at 07:09 PM Great review. I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it comes to my theater. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:57 PM Yeah its worth it man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 10:05 PM ive heard so many great thing about this movie, so i have to check this movie out. Excellent Review Arshman! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Same here its mostly all positive thoughts on this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Lord Naseby on 9/09/10 at 02:54 PM Great review! I've heard good stuff about this one. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse sam48 m. on 9/11/10 at 12:30 PM great review Arsh! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Thanks buddy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Alex l. on 11/05/10 at 04:45 PM Great Review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +4 +6 / -2 thumb up thumb down The Cider House Rules (1999) Genre: Drama 50% Posted on 8/09/10 04:42 PM Grade: C This film is based on a novel by John Irving, and was adapted by him as well. The Cider House Rules is too long, too shallow, and fittingly, it?s well regarded by the Academy. They nominated this film for best picture ? over Eyes Wide Shut! And Being John Malkovich! And Lasse Hallstrom got a Best Director nomination ? over Stanley Kubrick! And Paul Thomas Anderson! The story is interesting enough on the surface, but nothing strikes hard. Everything pretty much takes place in the 1940?s during the war. It?s about a kind hearted teenage orphan named Homer Wells (Toby Maguire), who has a weak heart and so was allowed to skip the war. The film details his ordeal dealing with female patients needing abortions; a moral dilemma which is weakly handled throughout the film and wrapped up in an open ended but false feeling way. For Homer its only a sporadically interesting life at an orphanage, where he helps his mentor and father figure Dr. Wilber Larch (Michael Caine) deliver illegal abortions for needy pregnant women that have nowhere else to go. Born, raised, and taught the physician trade by Dr. Larch, Homer longs for a life away from the doctor?s operating room and the duties Dr. Larch is slowly but surely bestowing on him. This runs contrary to Dr. Larch?s wishes, and as we see him fall ill we know because of the dialogue and periodic voiceover by Caine that he wishes for Homer to carry on his legacy at the orphanage. Caine delivers a wonderful and emotional performance here as a man struggling with his profession (and ether drug he uses on his patients). However, the script doesn?t give much to work with for most of the other actors, and a lot of the overall message is left up to bare bones montages to collect various character checkpoints. When actors Paul Rudd and Charlize Theron show up as a couple for an abortion, Homer creates a bond with the couple and ends up leaving with them to Rudd?s fathers apple farm, where Homer starts learning the simpler, more carefree aspects of life, like picking apples and falling in love. When Rudd?s character goes off to war, Homer and Candy (Theron) hook up; this is supposed to seem deliberate and authentic, but is instead obvious and rather bland. The best part is clearly Charlize lying naked on the bed. Their relationship stems from a desire for something new, and strong mutual need. Charlize Theron is pretty great in her role. But it?s all so obvious. I knew exactly what was going to happen in this film. I knew who was going to die, who was going to cause what problem for who and why, before any of it went down. The scenes on the apple cider farm are probably the least predictable. Here we meet the Rose family, a black family who work with Homer on the apples and cider. The family is dysfunctional in a pretty disgusting way, and problems arise here at the farm that brings Homer?s past life back to the present. The nature of ?rules? and how they are at the mercy of perception, comes out in this part of the plot, and works as mildly interesting opposing image to life at the orphanage. This part of the plot also does a better job than any explaining what the film may want to say about abortion. Delroy Lindo and Erykah Badu give great performances as a father and daughter, but the dynamics and feelings surrounding the whole relationship aren?t explored and so here we also feel short-changed by the story. The questions of a doctors ethics and dealing with the nature of abortion are not what I would deem ?properly focused on? in this film. Nor are the matters arising from the family dynamics in the orphanage and at the cider house given anything more than the sheen of emotion (characters who will devotedly pitch one emotion through the duration of the film until they either disappear from the script or they die). Questions about what shapes our morality and our decisions, and what framework that leaves one with to govern morality moving forward, are not given enough focus but are supposed to be a major part of the story. The real meaty questions are never really asked in this film, it sidesteps them and then goes back to the start, as if no one feels any different or nothing has changed. The orphan kids are all portrayed as a group and the few that are singled out by the script are given a simple emotion to work with. Even a teenage Kieran Culkin is an orphan in this film, and he is just like the rest of the orphans, except a few years older. The film plods along as well. It?s too slow, too messy in its message, and way too glossy. At its core are serious themes about abortion and the true essence of freedom and morality, but the film holds the ideas at an arm?s length. Sure the film has big name actors, but that won?t do. So I say skip this one. The film is too confused about its own position, its own meaning, for us to be bothered with separating all the tangles. There too much in this film, and yet it doesn?t add up to much at all. 12 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Jack L. on 8/03/10 at 04:31 PM great review I have this film but for some reason have always avoided watching it, it just sounds pretty mediocre. I'll skip this film then seeing as I have way more interesting films to watch at the moment! thanks for the warning Arshman!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 04:50 PM Thanks Jack. I like What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, which is a film from the same director. Thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/03/10 at 06:13 PM Good review, I havent seen this one and by the looks of your review I probably will never check this out... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:01 PM Thanks, not a thing you want to sit through. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dudemeister on 8/04/10 at 05:33 AM good review, this did look like a meh to me 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:01 PM Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse STUCKINLALALALAND on 8/04/10 at 09:23 AM ill give it a miss 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:02 PM cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Trazet on 8/07/10 at 01:24 PM It was a good, but flawed film. It has some subjects that people don't like to talk about. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/07/10 at 02:59 PM The subject is touchy with people, but I am not one of them. In fact there is not a film I wouldn't watch simply because of it's subject matter. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 10:02 PM Excellent review Arshman! I have no real interest watching this movie, so ill skip it! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse AlexDeLargeisHere on 9/13/10 at 03:55 AM I must say this film did touch me on a profound level. I found it was more about 'being of use' and how humans are of instrumental value as opposed to intrinsic value. But I can understand this film does have flaws. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +4 +21 / -17 thumb up thumb down Inception (2010) Genre: Drama 60% Posted on 7/31/10 04:37 PM Grade: C+ I should tell you, I was looking forward to this one. Memento and those Batman films put my standards for Christopher Nolan pretty high. But I?m fair minded, and I can keep my expectations in check. Inception is one big and loud epic, blending dreams and reality in the world of corporate espionage using dream infiltration. How did the world get like this suddenly? Who created this wild technology, these gadgets they hook up to share these dreamscapes? Where the heck is the potentially way more interesting prequel to Inception? How is this stuff really learned? All we get in the film are many simple one-liners and broad philosphies that are so obviously picked and chosen from to suit the heist aspect of the plot. We don?t see meditative practices, but men freaking out or trying to hold it together while dreams shift and/or collapse everywhere. Shouldn?t it take a little more Zen to master the playground of a dream? I think so. Inception is all mechanical, it doesn?t bath in its own sci-fi glory but tries to hold it all together while rushing for the finish line; it simply uses existing ideas about the nature of dreams and manipulates them to tell a couple of fairly ordinary relationship dramas disguised a major dream heists. The first twenty minutes is in this dream where we are being barraged with dialogue that is espousing the details of this entire world we?ve been dumped in. We get stuff about the different ?levels? of dreams (ah like the alpha, beta, theta, delta for action flicks), dreams within dreams etc. We learn that dying in a dream means you wake up in reality (OH MY GOD! That?s genius!). There?s a bunch of stuff that that will remind you of The Matrix, only that the matrix is now a dream; for instance, the fact that when you are sleeping and your body is being hit by things or you?re flying through the air, you feel that sensation in the dream as well. In an amazing visual sequence we see Levitt and a ?projection? (which is a part of the subconscious of the person dreaming) fighting in mid air, because in reality they are flying through the air in their sleep; dream time is super-slow, so the mid air sensation lasts much longer and leads to gravity defying dreaming for a minimum twenty minute stretch of the runtime. So the cast is pretty top notch. Ellen Page is there with all of this emotional investment to help Cobb and company which I can?t quite pinpoint. Leonardo DiCaprio is Cobb. Cobb works for unnamed corporations, but is now on the run because some shit went down in his past so the law is after him. The story is non-linear and stuff is filled in as the dream world goes back and forth with reality and/or we get into deeper layers of dreams. Marion Cotillard is Mal, Cobb?s deceased wife. Cobb seems normal enough at first, but there is some emotional scarring there that is brought up repeatedly as he visits and/or runs in to Mal in his dream or another?s (since she is a projection in his subconscious). As Cobb is on the run now he cannot visit his two young children, which is something that is made to seem important to Cobb in the film, though I?m not sure how successful Nolan is in evoking that need to reunite with them. Cotillard does a good job with what time she has on screen. Is Mal a femme fatale? Well if she is, she is unlike any that cinema has shown us before, especially considering the multiple contexts she is used in. This plot between Mal and Cobb seems the most interesting to me, but it sits on the back burner for much of the show, as we are witness to the longest most pumped up heist I think I?ve ever seen. I never really bought into the corporate espionage aspect of it in the first place, and the amount of time put in to it in order to get to the conclusion seems rather strange. We got this corporate head that is dying and his son (played by Cillian Murphy) is the target of the ?Inception? (which is implanting a thought in someone?s mind, in this case to sabotage their corporate interests). The man who has hired Cobb and his team is called Saito (Ken Watanabe) a previous target of Cobb?s who may hold the key to Cobb?s salvation; but only if he can help Saito out first with this big mindfuck of a dream job. The film is way too unbalanced, a bit too self-important and way too bloated because of it. The script is dealing with some heady material that if this world was real, would be very deep and complex in actuality; so there?s a lot of saying that things have been done and/or accomplished without actually explaining how these tasks were completed, in order to service the plot. What does Nolan want us to think is important? If all this time and effort is being devoted to planting a deceitful thought, why doesn?t he go full out into the details and chuck away all the emotional mumbo jumbo. Or on the flip side, if you want to make a film about marital problems and the psychological issues both caused and cured by this dream technology, then focus on it fully, and with some amount of subtlety. Don?t mix them together and make both lesser for doing so. In juggling all these plots Nolan is mixing oil and water, but can?t devote enough attention to the cleanup. I was expecting some kind of payoff regarding the corporate espionage that was focused on for so long, but instead the film decides that the relationships, which were mainly neglected, were actually the most important thing all along. We must give Nolan credit for holding it all together and making it look pretty slick. But Memento was brilliant. The Batman films were great, especially The Dark Knight. Inception has all the ambition of those, but it doesn?t bring it all home the same way. There?s hardly a laugh to be had either. Everything ties together well enough, but its complexity isn?t what I dislike. It?s the execution. I dug the music; it was pretty epic and brought some awe to the proceedings. But I?d be lying if I said I loved this film, or even really liked it. I really, really like the subject of dreams and reality in cinema, and think they can be mind-bending subjects that can make for great cinema. But with the technology in Inception interfacing with the dreams so simplistically, and the simplistic human motivations both inside and outside the dreams, I have a hard time fitting the paradigm that the dream world creates in our reality with the one depicted in the film. Because of this the story loses much credibility for me, and some of the ?details? I found to be silly as well. It?s too mechanical and not lucid enough either. Remember, this is just my opinion, so please don?t go off on me for saying how I felt about this film. I?ve noticed around the internet that this film in particular has some rabid defenders who almost seem blinded by their love of it, which I think is sad and hilarious. Like, I read people threatening to kill other people and shit because some critic said he hated it (I think it was Armond White, haha). It seems the default response to a negative review is to say the critic ?didn?t get it?, which is a ridiculous thing to say since films come both more intricate and more interpretive than this. Anyways, a decent film, highly original, but not as well done as it could have been. 109 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Jack L. on 7/27/10 at 11:59 AM excellent review Arshman I'm not a fan of Nolan, so i'm not expecting to be amazed by this film, i'll probably see it though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:26 PM whoa sorry for the multiple messages man. Thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 7/27/10 at 12:03 PM Nice Review....I found some of the action unnecessary (especially the snow sequence). I also don't understand why Nolan tried to make this a blockbuster, instead of taking a leaf out of David Lynch's book and REALLY understanding dreams. And of course, the almost non-existent emotional aspect, which nearly every one of his films lacks. Still enjoyed it for what it was, though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:27 PM I dunno, I was prett emotionally invested in his other films, at least when compared to this one. Thanks Bhavin. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dev92 on 7/27/10 at 12:14 PM I loved Inception but there are many flaws in the film. If you just try and forget about them (which is so difficult to do) then the film is pretty good. I thought the cast lifted this film from being stupid to being believable. Great review, really enjoyed reading it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:28 PM Thanks dev, glad you liked it, it didn't dislike it or anything, just disappointed. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse JR movie lover on 7/27/10 at 12:15 PM Have you seen what Armond White likes and dis likes. I don't care if he hates inception he is a troll. Good Review though 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:29 PM Why doesn everyone hate on critics who disagree with them. I like Armond White, if only for the fact that he has to put up with idiots that respond moronically to his critiques. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse RevolutionReviews on 7/27/10 at 01:08 PM Everyone hates on Armond White because he purposely opposes popular opinion on every chance he gets. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:49 PM So? You are acting like he has some opportunity to do something which you haven't. Report Abuse The Stunner on 8/08/10 at 12:39 PM he is a well known critic and i seriously doubt he does that on purpose just because it's fun. Report Abuse Dave J on 7/27/10 at 12:22 PM All I can say is that you explain yourself well and overall a good review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:32 PM Thank you Dave. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse IFR Reviews on 7/27/10 at 12:30 PM good review,cant wait to see it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:33 PM Thanks. I let my anticipation die down a bit before I went to see it, and the line-ups, haha. I hate going to a sold out theatre and then having to see something you didn't much want to see. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Slushy on 7/27/10 at 12:59 PM Can't fault you for a poor review... well done analysis. I agree, people should be allowed to have an opinion without being blasted for it. That said, your defense of Armond White is misplaced. Like the poster above said, Armond is a troll. He writes reviews simply to be opposite of what the majority thinks. Or, maybe he just has really really bad movie taste. As for Inception... gonna have to disagree with you again on a movie... but nothing new there :) The movie loses credibility becau 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:40 PM Thanks Slushy. I'm not saying I agree with Armond all the time, I definitely do not. I just dont think he is nearly as bad as the people who attack him for expressing his opinion. I disagree, he writes reviews based on how he feels, which is apparent if you read his reviews, which I often do. He's no Rosenbaum or McCarthy, but he knows how he feels and doesn't care to be influenced by corporate influenced mass-entertainment that has the backing of mindless filmgoers who usually dont stop to thin 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:17 PM yeah........RT's messed up and both of our post's were cut off midway. Whatever, stupid RT. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/28/10 at 03:01 AM Excellent review, though I disagree, you provide great defense and counterpoints on your opinion. Though I have to disagree with you there about Armond White, sometimes reading his reviews I wonder if he even watched the film. He's just a critic who tries to be an outsider purposely to get attention. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Parker M. on 7/27/10 at 01:14 PM i kind of agree. i really liked it tho, i gave it an 80. i don't disagree with your points, but the film has this vitality to it, taut smarts, and its ability to blend action within is such a breath of fresh air for films nowadays. though i agree the emotional core was lacklustre and the dark knight is better. but this is one prodigious movie. good review, nice to hear the other side for once instead of ostentatious 100%'s. lol 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:43 PM Its no Matrix, thats for sure. Thats cool, I respect your opinion, glad you agree with me on some points. I agree, TDK is still my favourite Nolan film, followed not too distantly by Memento. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Blitzkrieg on 7/27/10 at 01:16 PM I really liked your review. You wrote some things that were going on in my mind too after watching Inception, negative things. But I thought it is worthy of a much better rating because of the cast, originality and creativity. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:46 PM I disgree with you on the creativity part. Many of the ideas in this film are not very original ideas, they just seem to be original. The only original aspect is the dreamstealing aspect for real world profit interests (similar to Biff going back in time in BTTF2 to steal the Almanac and become a modern day corporate Mogul, except that Back to the Future was way, way funnier). The music was my favourite part of the film, the ideas didn't cut it for me. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:47 PM Thanks for reading man, glad you can identify with some of my thoughts on the film. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Blitzkrieg on 7/27/10 at 01:54 PM Stealing ideas from dreams, or planting ideas into a dream, into subconscious is pretty original and creative to me. But you can't seriously expect that some ideas weren't partly in some other films, a few of them. The Matrix, BTTF as you said, Dark City especially...Untouched idea is unlikely to be found in Hollywood I believe. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:00 PM Sure, but all of those films were better than Inception. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 02:16 PM Actually I liked it more because Nolan did put so much into this film. There is way more to it than just the dream technology, and the relationship, but it still fits together perfectly. Not too much melodrama with the dead wife, not too much technical babbling, not a lot of moralizing about what these guys do, and not just an endless barrage of brainless action sequences. The amount of themes and plot that Nolan stuffs into this movie is quite impressive. Your review starts out a bit weak. Why 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:32 PM What is all the "way more" you speak of? You say there's not too much this and not too much that; well that equals not too much of anything? The film doesn't add up to enough, and just looks really big and important. I just can't agree with the majority on this one. I dunno what you mean by weak, I guess becuause I needed to say those things? hmmm. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 06:37 PM The second half of your review is more rational. What I meant by weak was that picking apart a fantasy or sci fi movie that way is not a real criticism. You can say the Matrix is stupid because they don't explain how the computers built it or why they use humans for energy instead of inventing something more efficient. You can't see all that stuff in 2 hours. You're right. It's fair enough to say that it doesn't add up to anything. But in my opinion it does. I'm glad Nolan didn't pander t 7 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 06:56 PM The Matrix has way, way more depth than Inception, and is way more fleshed out. Its actually told in a way that made me care about the characters somewhat. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 07:25 PM My posts got cut off. I'm glad Nolan didn't pander to the lowest common denominator by forming yet another standard Hollywood narrative. Instead he layers theme upon theme and plot within plot, and challenges the audience to question their own perception of cinema and even reality itself. This is all presented in the language of action movies, and packaged nicely in the plot of a simple heist flick. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 07:27 PM In other words, what's not to love? Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:14 PM It challenges the audience to question thier own perception of cinema and reality? Wow, we really had different experiences with this film. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 07:23 AM Yeah. Kind of like everyone thought Shutter Island was so brilliant. Meanwhile, I saw nothing but one stupid red herring after another to hide the "surprise ending", and no story to speak of. Some people get nothing out of 2001 or Mullholland Drive, so it's just perception. That's what Nolan is saying about films... you project your own experiences/imagination into the film to fill in the blanks, just like those characters do in their dreams. I perceived a barrage of references and ideas th Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 09:44 AM I perceived a barrage of references and ideas that were neatly presented, while you perceived a mishmash of plots that stumbled over each other. How is this possible if we both saw the same movie? Nolan's metaphor for this is DiCaprio projecting his own wife into the dreams. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:37 AM I understood the film perfectly, you seem to be projecting these ideas rather than explaining how the film evokes them or shows them.But to each his own. Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/28/10 at 04:12 AM i agree with u Ninja......rationale of the technology wud have been tedious 4 the audience....!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 07:26 AM Sure, the first rule of sci fi is you have to assume and accept that it will be unrealistic. Otherwise no sci fi movie makes any sense. 8 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:37 AM haha, yeah but some sci-fi films avoid pit falls, while others like Inception keep on inviting them. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/29/10 at 07:31 AM No sci fi film avoids pit falls. You can invent your own for Star Wars or 2001 or LOTR. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:57 AM Don't be comparing Inception to 2001. LOTR is more of a fantasy which sidesteps most inherant pit falls. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:57 AM Whereas Inception takes place in "the real world" Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/30/10 at 08:15 AM A world where people can enter dreams is not the real world. Maybe Vancouver, but not the rest of the world. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/30/10 at 08:17 AM Since we have computers, space shuttles and space stations, isn't 2001 also in the real world? Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 08:01 PM Ok you are misinterpreting what I am saying. The Lord of the Rings (not 2001) doesn't even take place on planet Earth, its entire existence is based on different rules. 2001 and Inception both are similar in that they depict our own SPECIES at a time in our distant (or not too distant) linear future. When comparing 2001 and Inception, Inception stumbles way more, and in way more obvious ways. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 8/03/10 at 08:11 AM Oh well. If you just couldn't buy the whole concept, what can you do? I can't figure out any way that Shutter Island makes sense (nor can anyone else for that matter), but I can kind of see what people liked about it. So I know how you feel. Report Abuse Robert S. on 7/27/10 at 02:20 PM I can understand where you're coming from and do appreciate your ability to explain yourself, but there were a handful of points with which I disagree. I enjoyed the film a lot, but I feel the vast majority of my appreciation came after the film, and would probably be enhanced by another viewing. With all the theories out there trying to explain what the story was really about, I found myself remembering aspects of the film that show some real genius, especially if that's where the film was real 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:34 PM Yeah I know what you mean about thinking about it, mulling it over and contemplating. I slept on it before I wrote this in the morning. Another viewing would just be going through the mechanincs of this films once again. Perhaps I'll see it again, I dont know, but my opinion will hardly change, because I get what the film is all about, thats not my problem with it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Robert S. on 7/29/10 at 12:27 AM dang, my entire argument disappeared. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/27/10 at 03:23 PM i can very well imagine that this movie isnt as good as it seems to be people get blinded so easily here in vienna it comes out in only a week so lets wait... 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:02 PM Cool Danetto, thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 7/30/10 at 10:35 AM yeah, it happened with pulp fiction too, and now it's considered a masterpiece, so dunno about that... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/30/10 at 03:35 PM ?? what do u mean? 5 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/04/10 at 10:10 AM People getting blinded easily, that's what happened with pulp fiction. I seriously doubt whether each and everyone who's raving about it actually has a clear insight into the movie.. Sorry I suddenly took on pulp fiction, but when you said "blinded", this was the first thought that came to my mind. Report Abuse Danetto on 8/04/10 at 12:15 PM what? who was against pulp fiction? what the fuck are u talking about, bhavin? Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/05/10 at 09:11 AM I'm just saying that in my opinion, Pulp fiction (or The Dark Knight or numerous other movies) was another movie that gathered too much praise, particularly because a large part of its audience was "blinded". This happens all the time with movies that are focused more on young adults. Report Abuse Danetto on 8/05/10 at 10:45 AM what are u talking about? pulp fiction focused on young adults? lol or did u just want to say that you didnt like it? WHAT? Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/06/10 at 08:59 AM oh, forget it, just saying this is not the first film to have blinded people.. about pulp fiction, i was just ranting Report Abuse Pseudonym on 7/27/10 at 03:54 PM The "Inception" review I've been waiting for. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:02 PM Nice, thanks Pseudonym. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse xwadewilsonx on 7/27/10 at 04:38 PM It's ok. I respect your opinion. There are a lot of Nolan lovers that will get really wild when you rag on any of his films. I can't even tell you how bad I got it for disliking The Dark Knight haha. Great review man! Thumbs up! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:03 PM Lol I find that ridiculous of people. I'm the biggest Stanley Kubrick fan, but I'm not going to love Lolita just because I think he is a master of cinema art. Thanks for seeing some rationale. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HNIC on 7/27/10 at 07:13 PM You are controversial! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:14 PM Thats Fucking right. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:15 PM lol, I don't give a shit about controversy, I don't watch Nancy Fucking Grace I watch movies. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HNIC on 7/28/10 at 07:08 AM "I'm so happy because today I found my friends, they're in my head!" Kurt Cobain. That's what this movie reminded me of. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/28/10 at 04:17 AM everyone is free to post their opinion....that's what u did.....but i considered the fact that being a science-fiction some things are kept for discretion at ur own level....take ur own conclusions....... u didn't quite appreciate the good things : the cinematography, minimal use of visual effects for grandeur scenes. Originality has to be given ts due....!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:40 AM Hmmm, you seem to be saying that this film makes us make our own conclusions; but it doesn't. The film knows exactly what its about and at the end it finishes its story; interpretation of this film is minimal. The cinematography was ok I guess, nowhere near as good as The Dark Knight. The Visual effects were better in TDK as well, much better. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/29/10 at 04:36 AM i was saying about using of actual sets rather than CGI......u must not compare this movie with TDK just because the director is same.....TDK is an adaptaion cum script by Goyer/Nolan.... As far as interpretations are to be considered i still believe that numerous conclusions can b made....the end says al about it....may b u need to watch it again... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/29/10 at 04:39 AM Give credit to the directors vision on a complete new take.....!!! For a Sci-fi movie...discretion is necessary...and if u ain't able to make that then i can understand y u've written this review...!! Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:55 AM Yeah, I don't know how "discreet" this film is about anything. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse piratefan60 on 7/28/10 at 07:37 PM I respect your opinion. Sorry, you didn't enjoy this movie as much as I did. I liked it because it's different. It's not a lame remake of a classic movie that someone set out to destory. That's all you seem to see nowadays. Christopher Nolan hasn't disappointed me yet. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 07:47 PM Thanks for not going AWOL because I'm not a huge Inception fan. I know what you mean about all the tired remakes, and in that sense this is a bit refreshing for me as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a big Christopher Nolan fan. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 7/29/10 at 10:55 AM Nice review....though I personally enjoyed this movie...so I gave quite high rating....there might be some flaws in the story but overall its was still entertaining. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:22 PM Thanks Debjyoti. I'll admit it can be entertaining at times. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 7/29/10 at 11:40 AM In my opinion, your spot on in this review. I like the film overall, but I didn't blow me out of the water or anything. I couldn't watch it again if I tried. Spectacular review, thumbs up. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:24 PM Thanks Johnny. I wouldn't be able to sit through this one again either, maybe if I saw it a long time from nowl 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Seamus H. on 7/29/10 at 03:19 PM Phenominal review! Also discussion about Armond White! Phenominal Movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:24 PM haha, thanks Seamus. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matthew P on 7/29/10 at 07:06 PM I totally respect your opinion. While I liked this one much more, I was somewhat dissapointed. (Was it the fact that TDK was so much better?!) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:25 PM Thanks Matt, glad you can see my POV. TDK was better for sure, but I don't know if was 'because' of TDK, ahah. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Matthew P on 7/29/10 at 07:37 PM LOL. For me it was "this looks more epic than TDK" now its that and of the sorta messy but original plot. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/29/10 at 09:39 PM You make some excellent points, but I still love the film. Awesome job 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:42 AM Thanks CACB. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse manish r. on 7/30/10 at 03:49 AM i liked this movie and i think this is the greatest and most complete grand scale movie ever made. i think Nolan properly balanced b/w what to reveal and what to skip,i don't think we really need to know in detail about the technology and how it's work. i think this is the first time i have to disagree on your opinion,but it's a good review and gives a different view of movie.thumbs up 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Really? The greatest and most complete? I thought Avatar was a better film "scale" wise. Thanks for reading and commenting Manish. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse UKnowImRight on 7/30/10 at 06:14 PM Awasome! thumbs up! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse cade14 on 7/30/10 at 07:27 PM although i largely disagree with you, your review is very detailed and well thought out, and i like it :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Thanks cade. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Lord Naseby on 8/01/10 at 06:38 PM I dunno. I liked it a lot more than you did I suppose. great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 08:03 PM Fair enough, thanks Naseby. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Emerald1234S on 8/05/10 at 02:47 PM Interesting review, I think the point of the film was to show how dangerous a planted idea can be, particulary in Mal's case. Esspecially in modern society, an idea planted in one's head can have devestating consequences, except here it's done through advertising and/or propaganda. The whole corporate thing was merely a Macguffin, not intended to be important at all, just there as a reason to start the action. I must say I thought the narrative style was quite interesting, four narratives th 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/05/10 at 05:07 PM But its not done through ads and propoganda, its only shown by way of corporate espionage and a contained story. The wider social functions of the real world and all the edges of society are not bothered with. I have no direct problem with that, but the film can't be an action film and then play by the rules of something else, and it does a weak job blending the two naturally. And boy does the action take up a lot of time. Just my take though, thanks for reading Emerald. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 8/06/10 at 05:30 PM i fell in love with this film, and i respect your opinion great review ArshMan! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:15 PM That's cool, it is becoming a favourite of many. Thanks Chris. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse The Stunner on 8/09/10 at 03:58 AM i don't really mind at all that there are things unexplained. i wanted that actually, because i more and more increasingly get the feeling that this movie is incredibly simple-minded and there are no characters and deep themes, only a cute (although gimmicky) story. not really different from any other hollywood blockbuster safe for some technical smartness. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:17 PM Yeah, it really depends for me weather or not an explanation of things will work or not, and in what way(s) it may or may not work. The film is actually not that complex. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse PBDKCDSF on 8/20/10 at 04:24 PM Inception is surely in my top 100 but your review is great and your opinion must be respect... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:18 PM Thats cool Francisco, thanks for reading and the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ZOOLANDERBEAST on 9/23/10 at 09:11 AM I'm not one of those idiots think what I say is right and everyone who disagress is wrong butthere are some misunderstandings in your review. There's a lot of evidenceb oth overt and subtle suggesting the significance of Cobb and his wife. Also the details of the technology itself is not supposed to matter have you not heard of suspended disbelief? And it seems like you cannot accept the fact that Inception is perfectly logical on it's own terms you said you think it should be a straight drama o 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:55 AM Just because the film is logical has nothing to do with whether I liked it or not. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:56 AM I have heard of suspended disbelief, but that is irrelevant. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:57 AM I never said the film is illogical. Report Abuse ZOOLANDERBEAST on 9/23/10 at 09:13 AM Also fuck Armond White he doesn;t state his opinion s mcuh as he does state proven fallacies liek Toy Story3 is all about product placement WTF? lol 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:58 AM Whatever, this shit argument is pointless. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse MMB on 11/29/10 at 01:13 PM Well written. I am still very much looking forward to the experience when it is released on blu-ray. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Double.Dubs on 7/01/12 at 10:42 PM I agree completely; I found this film to be mechanical, sterile, and unbalanced as well. Great opinion and review. Nice! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Joshua on 7/26/12 at 01:30 PM Very good review, though I have to disagree. This is certainly one of my favorite films, but I respect your opinion, and your review is very well written. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +13 +14 / -1 thumb up thumb down The Great Escape (1963) Genre: Drama 60% Posted on 7/31/10 04:08 PM Grade: C+ The Great Escape accounts a true story, of the attempted escaping of allied prisoners in a German Stalag during WWII. The film begins with lengthy scene introducing a host of well known actors (playing mostly British and American soldiers) arriving at the Stalag as POW?s. Kommandant von Luger has collected all of these trouble making escape artists to keep them all under a single watch, with a ?heavy? soldier presence to make escape difficult. Steve McQueen is a cocky American POW with a talent for escaping, and a bigger talent for getting caught; this repeatedly results in ?The Cooler?, for a few days or maybe twenty. Attenborough is the lead British POW, leading a large squadron of POWs in a massive and multi-faceted escape plan involving long term escape methods like forged identification and learning some German. There are a lot of characters and sub-plots to keep up with, some of which get more screen time, others just one or two major moments. The most touching and memorable for me is obviously the relationship between ?the forger? (Donald Pleasence) and ?The Scrounger?(James Garner), which starts out as a purely formal relationship about stealing things to help the POW?s, but turns into a great tale of true friendship. For background info on all the other little characters (James Coburn as the Manufacturer, etc.) check out IMDB or the films page on RT. I thought Garner was probably the best part of the film, not McQueen or Attenborough. His scenes definitely provided the most interest for me, and the least redundancy. His scenes with the nervous Nazi soldier were funny and interesting to watch, and Nazi soldier is very well acted and cast. Elmer Bernstein?s music kept me more into the film than anything else. From the first moment of the film to the last, it was the one thing that never annoyed, and the sound of the music fits even the more humorous scenes just as well as the straight action ones. But alas, the film was way too long, especially the last hour save the final 10 minutes. Big stretches could have been conveyed in a much tighter and more coherent way. I get that director John Sturges wants to instil some depth into the story, but come on; learn how to edit. Some of the action would?ve benefited from a bit of glossing over, instead of all of this repetition which begins to get a little overbearing, and boring for the eyes. The escape felt literally like it would never end, and I started to want it to. Overall the film is only sporadically interesting. It is engaging when we see and feel the natural ingenuity of the script, and the multiple escape tactics used to complete the daunting task of escape. But too much oftern is instead the boring filler that comprises much of the film and is made to look important. It may be my fault, but I didn?t find a lot of the characters to be very interesting. The characters were funny, a little cynical, kind of over the top sometimes. But everything felt so rigid. Billy Wilder?s Stalag 17 is a much better film I think, even if it?s not a great one either. 27 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Lord Naseby on 7/31/10 at 12:41 PM I expected you to like this one more. good review though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:15 PM meh. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jack L. on 7/31/10 at 12:45 PM Great review as usual Arshman I liked this a lot although I do agree the excessive length brought it down a bit. It's way better than Stalag 17 in my opinion!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Thanks Jack, gotta disagree though I think Wilder showed a much better skill for dealing with similar subject matter, but to each his own! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/31/10 at 12:55 PM I've heard good things about this. O might check it out 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Cool, I O'pe you do! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse The.Watcher on 7/31/10 at 01:09 PM Haven't seen this one - from your review I'm not really itching to, either. Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Thanks The Watcher. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Wissmongler on 7/31/10 at 04:48 PM long but interesting..HA might give it a shot 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:17 PM You might just like it a lot. I should've mentioned a lot of people seem to really love this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/31/10 at 05:19 PM i heard a lot of good stuff about it obviously its not taht good after all... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:18 PM hehe, I don't know some people will obviously like it more than others so I wouldn't say its 'obvious'. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/31/10 at 10:55 PM Good review though I liked it more 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:18 PM Thanks, yeah this is quite a popular film I know. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 8/01/10 at 12:44 AM Great Review... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 8/01/10 at 12:44 AM But still I liked it more.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:19 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse manish r. on 8/01/10 at 09:22 AM I agree,i also gave it 70%,it was entertaining but didn't seemed to be a masterpiece,the conditions of prisoners in nazi camp seemed to be quite unreal. i prefer the bridge on river kwai instead of this. good review thumbs up. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:19 PM I need to see Kwai still (ouch). Thanks Manish. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse xwadewilsonx on 8/01/10 at 12:05 PM Hmm. This seems decent. Great review! THUMBS UP! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 12:27 AM Its decent I guess. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 8/01/10 at 04:13 PM I didn't like this very much at all, it did have a few good scenes. Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 12:27 AM My thoughts as well, thanks for reading Johnny. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Heather G. on 8/03/10 at 01:50 PM great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 03:10 PM Thanks Heather. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 8/10/10 at 08:38 PM great review ArshMan! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 8/19/10 at 06:03 AM This is something of a Bank Holiday movie tradition in the UK. Gets shown every year. English football fans sing/hum the tune during matches along with a lone trumpet player. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse

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	Votes +72 +77 / -5 thumb up thumb down Batman Begins (2005) Genre: Action & Adventure 80% Posted on 12/13/11 08:41 PM Grade: B+ If id've been told before my viewing that this film had a forty-five minute back story, and that it would take a full hour before we see batman in full costume, I would've felt the desire to lower my expectations before seeing the film; But then, I would've been underestimating Chrisopher Nolan's storytelling abilities, and his ability to tie ideas that seem disconnected in to a greater arc. The visuals and set pieces alone in the first 45 minutes of the story are enough to captivate, nevermind the development of Batman's origins. But in this forty-five minutes we also see the emergence of the films antagonist; Ra'z al Gul(liam neeson), leader of the mysterious League of Shadows. Initialy he plays mentor to Bruce Wayne, but as we see both the philosophy of Batman emerge, and the division in philosophy expand between Batman and Ra'z, the situation turns volatile. Unlike the Joker in The Dark Knight, The League of Shadows, and more specifically, Ra'z Al Gul, is evil with a purpose, evil with a percieved sense of hisorical duty, to "do what must be done" for the "overall good" of man. Their idea's may be warped, but so is any form of radicalized movement which leads to murder. The sense of doing right is what makes the villain frightnening in this film, the antithesis of what makes The Joker so scary. For Ra'z, out of death comes rebirth, and eventually order-- for The Joker, out of death comes only more death, and eventually chaos. Also similar between the two films villains (ra'z & Joker), is that they easily manipulate Gothams current crime syndicate, infiltrate them both to such degrees that they end up betraying them and moving on to "higher motives". They use the base of crime as a launchpad for their own sick and twisted visions/games; in this way both of Nolan's Batman films work as a commentary on various natures of evil, and the varying angles at which we face it. In Batman begins, it's the league of shadows using Falconi and Scarecrow. In The Dark Knight, its Joker using the entire organized mafia. We know where the caped crusader stands in this philosophical dillema, and we never doubt that what he will do is the right thing. Yet the film does a good job at balancing what we know, with what the people of gotham think; already doubt's of Batman's character arise, and the cops set out to find him. The images near the end of Batman flying through the air, while the hallucinating citizens look up and see a terrifying vision him, is symbolic of their tendancy to mispercieve his motives, and is foreshadowing of the eventual turning against him by the public in the sequal. Batman has always been the darkest super-hero, and my personal favorite growing up. These films(BB & TDK) are like a flip-side to Burton's versions. They work on a slightly more sophistocated level as well, yet they don't have the outright humor and irony and satire that Burton's had. I prefer Nolan's version, but admire Burton's as well. read my review for "The Dark Knight" from last year, posted in my review section 44 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: MMB on 3/06/10 at 08:49 PM Excellent review. This was probably the best thing that could have happened to the series since Tim Burton 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 08:58 PM yup, and they're making a third one too! 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 3/10/10 at 10:13 AM Where do you think they'll go with the third one? 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 3/10/10 at 10:13 AM I don't really mind so long as Rachel Weisz isn't playing Catwoman - can't stand her Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:43 PM As far as villians, it seems set for The Riddler & Catwoman. People have made observations in The Dark Knight referencing both characters (Catwoman being pretty obvious, The Riddler coming from the characters name Mister Reese--rumored to stand for the word 'mysteries,' suggesting Riddler) Seems quite possible, figuring as how references to both The Joker & Two Face were made in Batman Begins. The Joker, being the obvious reference at the end of the film, but at the dinner party involvin Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/10/10 at 12:30 PM hmmm, too hard to say. As we get more info about it, we'll get a clearer idea i guess. The big question is wether or not the joker will be in it, and if so, who will play him. 3 Replies \| Report Abuse filmmaniac123 on 3/10/10 at 01:55 PM oh there's definitely no Joker Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/10/10 at 03:22 PM really? do you know that definitively, or do you think it would just be a big mistake to add him in. Report Abuse Spinstar Holomeme on 3/25/10 at 06:21 AM I got the impression from the news that he got so deep into his character that he could never completely pull himself back out, became unhinged at the disparation of that delima and died to escape the Joker still feeding on his soul. Report Abuse cjsmovies on 3/06/10 at 08:56 PM Excellent review. I really didn't like what Burton did with Batman, and think that Nolan has made Batman the best superhero franchise of all time, with just two films. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 08:58 PM agreed about it being the best franchise, and I don't love burtons version either, but i still enjoyed them. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:45 PM Burton's characters always seemed on the surface, never really engrossing the audience. It just felt like you were watching a movie, never really engaged with the world. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/02/10 at 02:58 PM I still enjoyed Burtons. I give both of his Batman's a B, or 70% Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/06/10 at 10:10 PM excellent review my friend. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/06/10 at 11:21 PM thanks bud. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Serious Lee on 3/06/10 at 10:56 PM It's not a "bat" review- it's a good review. lol...i agree with a lot u'r saying. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 3/07/10 at 01:46 AM good Review TheArshMan. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 12:56 PM thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Saetre on 3/07/10 at 05:02 AM I agree, it's a great movie.Great revie btw. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/07/10 at 05:31 AM Great review Arsh. Thumbs up. Love the Batman franchise 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 3/07/10 at 07:23 AM Great review. Batman is my all-time favorite comic and both these movies did it justice. I know there are those that might not agree because of Ledger's performance, but I think this is every bit as good as The Dark Knight. Loved them both..... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 12:57 PM Thanks, i liked the sequal a bit more, but this is fantastic. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylon M. on 3/07/10 at 08:41 AM Terrific review. Good movie also. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 03:24 PM Thanks Dylon. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:05 PM Nice. I liked that concept of a bad guy with seemingly good intentions. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 04:08 PM right, but only in his own mind, we know he's a sick Ba$t@ard! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:13 PM haha yeah, not to mention Liam Neeson was the best choice to play that role. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/07/10 at 04:20 PM yes, i think so too. And he's not over-used, he's in just enough scenes. Like the Joker in TDK. unlike in Burton's versions, where the villains literally highjack the film. Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/07/10 at 05:22 PM wow, couldnt have said it better myself. Report Abuse Cory B. on 3/07/10 at 07:55 PM Great review. I loved every minute of this movie. Nolan was the one who finally got Batman right. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/08/10 at 05:50 PM Nice review! I had to love this movie! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Brian R. on 3/15/10 at 09:37 PM good review! I knew going in about the backstory and thought "Oh jeeze..its Spiderman with a friggin cowl"....but those 45 minutes flew by and then i wished the camera showed more of the suit...i remember seeing it while he was walking down the Arkham hallways and thinking "wow, that just looks uncomfortable"...the new suit is infinately better. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/16/10 at 02:02 AM yea the new suit is nuts. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Spinstar Holomeme on 3/25/10 at 06:12 AM Well put.This is such a richly textured twinning of storyline with deep backgrounded character streaming that I'm certain I could watch many times and still be seeing it for the first time. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Nicholas on 3/26/10 at 10:46 PM Great review. I'm curious, did you see this movie after The Dark Knight? Or is it just coincidental that this review comes after the sequel? Enjoyed it, none the less. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/27/10 at 02:21 AM lol, no, its just that the dark knight came out when I started to write my first couple reviews. About a month ago I went back and rewatched Batman Begins and reviewed it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse usayeed h on 4/02/10 at 08:04 AM You know what dude, I felt that the 45 minute origin storytelling bit was what made the film so amazing. It added weight and heart to the film, and if that was taken away, we'd still have a good film, just not great. I completely agree with you, check my Batman Begins and The Dark Knight reviews out too if you can! Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/02/10 at 02:59 PM Thanks, ill get to them sometime. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Frank the Demonic Bunny on 6/14/10 at 07:48 AM Solid review, might I mention that personally I felt this film focused more on the action (just a bit) than the second one, which is why I found the second better (difference in score: 95 for begins, 98 for dark knight) I haven't seen burton's yet, but I love his work, so I hope for the best. And it has been confirmed by multiple sources that lead back to nolan and the producers of the dark knight that the joker will not return, just saying. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Frank the Demonic Bunny on 6/14/10 at 07:49 AM sorry, I meant to say the action over the psychology, not just the action. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse tgibfo on 6/21/10 at 12:35 PM Nice observation of how Nolan makes the super-villains truly "super" by having them subjugate and overpower the crime bosses already in place. It's one of the great ways he creates a believable world and not just a "superhero" movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 6/22/10 at 05:32 AM fantastic review.....i liked the way you dissected the psychology of both the villains...!!! thumbs up... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylan Smith on 11/28/10 at 10:00 AM Good review sir. It's a fantastic and turly dark comic book film masterpiece that really works. It's one of the best films of 05 in my opinion. Good job. BTW, if you have the time, check out my review of this film. Thanks, come back and see me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SteveTellsItHowHeSeesIt on 5/13/11 at 03:03 PM Brilliant review. This film is alot better then The Dark Knight imo. More substance much more creative, Ledger was the best thing about TDK 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +20 +21 / -1 thumb up thumb down Beauty and The Beast (La Belle et la bête) (1946) Genre: Drama 90% Posted on 5/13/11 09:50 AM Grade: A Jean Cocteau: poet, painter, fantasy surrealist filmmaker. This 1946 film, Cocteau's take on Jean Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's Fairy tale, is gothic, languid, and lyrical, as unlike the Disney version as you could imagine. In this version, Belle (Josette Day)has a pair of wicked sisters, and they are depicted as unrelentingly vindictive and jealous. The treat Belle like a servant, and its only the presence of her father, a business man who is having some money problems, and is about to come in to a big windfall, that keeps her sane. On his way to get his winnings he gets lost; this inevitably leads to him getting lost in the forest, where he chances upon The Beasts dark castle. Belle's courter is her younger brother's friend Avenant (played by legendary Jean Marais, who was Cocteau's lover), and is another of the films villains; he works a plot to sign away his soon-to-be father-in-law's windfall. Henry Alekan's Cinematography is wonderfully lit and at times in outdoor scenes so bright that it feels like they are in a forest utopia of sorts. This takes on a dual brilliance once you add in the fact that The Beast holds supernatural powers/possessions, whereby he can change the nature of his surroundings, among other things. The Beasts castle is gothic/surrealist perfection, and the magic within the house is a play on The Beasts twisted yet curiously inviting nature. I was at first surprised at how I thought Cocteau stripped off some of the flash you would expect from this story, but soon I began to realize the philosophical essence of what this fable evokes. Cocteau doesn't use living caricatures' to create people out of objects, as in Disney's version. This feels much more like a haunted house, controlled by The Beast; The Arms stick out of walls, holding candles in place, and they open doors ominously as Belle nears them. In one of many bravura camera shots, Belle seems to glide down the hallway, which is plane grey and just sublime to behold, as The Arms slowly go by. Cocteau was inspired by painters he grew up loving, and watching this film, the painterly nature of images was just about the first thing that caught my eye. Actor Jean Marais, who plays Avenant, also plays The Beast, and its in these scenes, as The Beast, that his acting brilliance shines. He and Jossete Day have scenes of sensual and freudian torment and seduction, and while today it may seem schematic, here it feels elemental. The film plays to Georges Auric's magical and gothic score, and it fits the film well. I was very drawn in by this story, and while I don't think its better or worse than the Disney version, that may be because they are entirely opposite takes. Its like comparing Burton's Batman to Nolan's. 25 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/12/10 at 03:24 PM excellent review, I haven't seen this in a long time... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 05:16 PM thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody on 3/12/10 at 03:32 PM This review makes me want to watch it! I've always liked the storyline, so seeing it in a more mature, artistic light would be probably be nice. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 02:35 PM i think so too, cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 3/12/10 at 03:51 PM Well done. I have never seen this. I'll have to look it up...... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 05:16 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Joe H. on 3/12/10 at 05:24 PM Great review! I've only seen the Disney cartoon, so I'll have to check it out. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/12/10 at 06:06 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse cjsmovies on 3/12/10 at 06:23 PM Excellent review. I think the animated one is better. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:31 AM cool, thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/12/10 at 10:40 PM Wow i didnt know there was a live action version. Great review. Sounds good. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 3/12/10 at 11:41 PM it's a terrible movie but great Review TheArshMan. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:30 AM lol, really, theres so much to like about this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/12/10 at 11:45 PM I love reading your reviews on classics. Give me some good suggestions to watch the movie I have not seen, Thanks 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/16/10 at 09:42 PM You could check out my Lists page, and see the films i've put on my All-time Favourites list. Those are some of the many classics out there. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 3/17/10 at 10:06 AM Thank You. I have checked that out and will get some soon 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Christopher on 3/13/10 at 04:06 AM I think I'll stick with the Disney one but fantastic review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 10:32 AM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dan M. on 3/13/10 at 11:39 AM Great review...I watched tons of black&white movies, as a kid - but I forgot their names and story...thanks for reminding me of one of them... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/13/10 at 09:25 PM cool, no prob! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/13/10 at 10:17 PM Wow - great review! This looks interesting! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Awesome Barnhart on 3/14/10 at 06:00 PM Great review, Thumbs up! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Amardeep i. on 3/22/10 at 09:47 PM Nice! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SteveTellsItHowHeSeesIt on 5/13/11 at 03:01 PM Great review. Gotta see this 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dave J on 5/18/11 at 01:51 PM Recorded it, but haven't seen it yet! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +29 +31 / -2 thumb up thumb down Burn After Reading (2008) Genre: Drama 90% Posted on 1/26/11 05:55 PM Grade: A- I could just throw this movie in for a good laugh and intriguing acting any time; it's simply a very, very easy film to enjoy, and the Coen's hit almost every comedic note perfectly, sometimes with deadly accuracy. This film is about deteriorating and blossoming relationships taking place amidst the chaos of blackmail, murder, cosmetic surgery, infidelity, divorce, and internet dating; all of this is aligned with some information on a CD belonging to and ex-CIA agent (Malkovich), which may or may not have some compromising information on it. The people mixed up in this tangle are smart, conniving, dim-witted, idiotic, desperate, free-wheeling, greedy, and everything in-between. The star-studded cast comprises of George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, and Richard Jenkins. Nothing that the characters do is perfectly logical, but it's logical enough to be played in a straight enough way that adds to the legitimacy of the stupidity of the events occurring, without overtly falsifying them; its works a fine line between legitimacy and absurdity, for the most part very well. Once the CIA realizes that this CD is missing, they wonder why everyone is making such a big deal out of it, and so they set their spies on various of the above listed characters, while the above listed characters do or try to do the things listed in paragraph one. In the end, some scores have been settled and some information buried, for better or worse, and everything goes on....its the conversations themselves, like the ones between the CIA upper management, is hilarious and strikingly logical in its summation of the events taking place. More than the simple sounding film I have made Burn After Reading seem to be, it is nuanced, well-written, hilarious, shocking, improbable, and very modern. The plot dips and dives and head in weird directions that are somehow handled logically and with great humour, due to the cynical and screwball nature of the films dialogue, tone, and situations; unlike most screwballs of the past however, that poked fun at the social mores of generations past, the Coen's have updated that in to a very modern context with often insightful dialogue about this day and age . The film utilizes modern symptoms to capitalize on all the depths that the characters stereotypes can evoke. I hope our respect for this film will increase with time. The casting is superb, as is the directing and writing, and even the score and the cinematography better than average. The editing is superbly expedient, leaving very few slow moments in the 96 minutes. I already have this listed on my Favourite films of the decade list; as well as my Favourite films of 2008 list at number ten, where I recently bumped The Visitor off my top 10 for it. I don't want to explain the story to you any further, which in this case, I think, makes perfect sense. 42 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: James B. on 5/29/10 at 07:38 PM Great Review! Great movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:06 AM thank you. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 5/29/10 at 08:54 PM I agree with all your points. Good review.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:06 AM cool, thanks a lot bob! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse TheMovieGrader.com on 5/29/10 at 08:57 PM Great review, man. Between this and The Visitor for a top 10, that would be an excruciatingly tough call for me! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:07 AM Yeah. I was forced to leave a lot of very good films out of my top 10 in 2008. Thanks TMG. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 5/29/10 at 10:06 PM Awesome review arsh - good work man! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:07 AM Thanks Scifiman. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Captain Dills on 5/29/10 at 11:45 PM Extremely polarizing film. I still don't know what to think of it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:08 AM Sure, I guess you are somewhat right, it is a polorizing film in some ways. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 5/30/10 at 02:07 AM Great review, I thought Brad Pitt as Chad the gym instructor was great, played perfectly. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:09 AM For sure, he was very funny as well. Thanks Jay. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 5/30/10 at 02:52 AM Great review. On the DVD extras you can see the actors enjoying themselves as they act and this comes across in the film. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:10 AM Cool, I'll check that out sometime, I have it on DVD but haven't seen the extras yet. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse STUCKINLALALALAND on 5/30/10 at 03:06 AM i have not seen it yet but great review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:10 AM Thanks 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Irukandji on 5/30/10 at 08:54 AM Very very awesome review Arsh.Mabey ill see this one.Not sure yet.Doesn't seem like a movie ill really like. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:11 AM It surely isnt for everyone, thanks buddy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 5/30/10 at 09:49 AM Great review man. I agree with your points here. Thumbs up 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks halimali, glad you agree. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Kyle W. on 5/30/10 at 10:21 AM I would take the visitor over this anyday. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/30/10 at 11:12 AM Jenkins would take both....maybe because he's in both...lol. Yea thats cool, everyones preferences are different, right? 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 5/30/10 at 12:48 PM Excellent review, I might check it out. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 10:51 AM thanks man, check it out. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse AndysFilms on 5/30/10 at 11:47 PM Nice review ArshMan! Love this movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 10:52 AM Thanks, I loved it too. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse sam48 m. on 5/31/10 at 01:17 AM great review..bumped The Visitor? Hmmm 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM heh. Yeah. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse apmje on 5/31/10 at 05:42 AM Nice review. I loved this film. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 5/31/10 at 02:53 PM awsome review Arshman!This film reminded me of Fargo just not as great 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM Yea, it is kind of like Fargo in some ways. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 5/31/10 at 03:24 PM thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 6/01/10 at 03:44 AM Yes this was good movie...sharp and witty and nice review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse american psycho on 6/01/10 at 05:58 AM nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Slushy on 6/01/10 at 11:02 AM good review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 6/01/10 at 11:11 AM Thanks Slushy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Amardeep i. on 6/02/10 at 02:57 PM Nice review, A decent movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/08/10 at 11:26 PM Great review man, I may see this one one day 0 Replies \| Report Abuse wxdeadpoolmwam on 2/07/11 at 03:15 PM Great review. However,this film is one of my very least favorites of the Coen Bros. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +21 +21 / -0 thumb up thumb down Rio Bravo (1959) Genre: Western 100% Posted on 12/09/10 04:06 PM Grade: A+ The Greatest Films Rio Bravo is a Howard Hawks Western. As far as archetypal Westerns go, this film is pretty damn great. John Wayne plays Sheriff John t. Chance of a small western town, as he and his 3 deputies attempt to stave off a posse of bandits working for a rich rancher for six days as they hold the rancher's murderer brother in jail; the bandits would like him released. Chance intends to turn the murderer over to the marshal, who supposedly will arrive in six days. Walter Brennan plays a cripple whose job it is to guard the cell. He does a good job of bringing a little straight humour to a sometimes overly dry film as far as dialogue (the formality is sometimes overbearing). Then there is Dean Martin who plays Dude, an extremely talented sharpshooter officer, except he has a serious vice in his alcoholism; the film basically follows Dean's character in his moral and mental struggle between upholding the law while keeping a job or falling back into alcoholic binges. Dean's character Dude is attempting to keep it together during this particularly dangerous time. Angie Dickinson is the Sheriff's love interest, who doubles as an aid to him in some tight spots with the bandits as well. The love story is mildly interesting, and perhaps a bit risqué for a Western and it's better than most Western love stories. Thankfully though, it never gets in the way of the main plot, and invites a bit of Western style relationship humour. The film is very deliberately paced, sometimes a bit too slow, but the pace does evoke the long haul of the six days, as they wait for the murderer's brother to arrive, and then stave him and his posse off repeatedly. A handful of tense encounters between both sides, both using dialogue and with gun slinging, add excitement to the film. As the days wear on, a young gunslinger by the name of Colorado (Ricky Nelson) catches the eye of Chance, who feels he could use his skills to fight the bandits. Part of the plot involves the increasing trust between Chance and Colorado, and the building of their mutual respect. As the sheriff and his men speak of Colorado: John T. Chance: [Referring to Colorado] it's nice to see a smart kid for a change. Stumpy: Yeah, he ain't like the usual kid with a gun. Dude: Wonder if he's as good as Wheeler said? John T. Chance: I'd say he is. John T. Chance: I'd say he's so good, he doesn't feel he has to prove it. Colorado is an interesting part to the film, and pretty much represents the antithesis of Dean Martin's character, even if they both have similar qualities. The film has a number of great sequences, including one in a bar when Chance and Dude are looking for a hiding bandit, and enter the bar looking for him. The final shootout is pretty wild and entertaining as well; its funny how all the main players show up during the climax; contrived yes, but the way they are depicted in these situations is what makes it memorable, despite any notion of implausibility. My knowledge of Westerns is over time becoming more and more, and this is one of the better ones I have seen. With a cast like this and a Director of Hawks stature, I knew this was one I had to cross off my invisible must-see list; I was more than satisfied. 21 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 4/26/10 at 05:54 PM I haven't seen this one in a long time, great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks man! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse piratefan60 on 4/26/10 at 06:55 PM Great review. check mine out sometime 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks man, I did. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse inactive user on 4/26/10 at 09:53 PM John Wayne westerns are borderline B-movie too me with their cheesiness (except "The Searchers"), but that's why I like them. This included. Great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Ya I sort of think that too, but this is one of the better ones. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 4/26/10 at 10:27 PM Very nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thank you. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse christos v. on 4/26/10 at 11:41 PM nice Review TheArshMan good job. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:20 PM Thanks. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 4/27/10 at 02:03 PM Great review Arsh, my dad forced me to watch loads of John Wayne movies growing up, I tried to fight it but can't help it, the Duke is the man.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/27/10 at 03:22 PM lol, funny stuff, thanks Jay, I think you belong to a generation of people forced to watch John Wayne films. It aint so bad, lol. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dave J on 4/28/10 at 12:15 PM Good review Arshman for I'd give this one a 1/2 a notch more - this film was the basis for the 1976 film "Assault From Precinct 13" directed by John Carpenter!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 4/29/10 at 09:59 AM Thanks Dave. Ah yes, now I see the similarity between the two, now that you mention it. cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse A. Khan on 5/26/10 at 02:28 PM I have often mused that when done correctly, the Western is one of the most fun genres, but unfortunately, it's usually done with a methodical, boring style (see: any Randolph Scott movie). Not so with this one, and one can see why it's one of Quentin Tarantino's all time favorite movies. Howard Hawks is part of the pantheon of greatest filmmakers ever, and this is a textbook example of why. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 09:58 PM ill watch this movie! excellent review Arshman! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse John McClane on 12/24/10 at 03:12 AM true classic dude, it deserves full 100 anytime. Brings memories. Spot on review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 12/24/10 at 11:15 AM Thanks for reading, glad you liked the film, it seems to get way to much hate from people around here. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse John McClane on 12/24/10 at 11:32 AM dude, some people dont know the real meaning of classics and most of them are too young and never came across movies like these and to some these movies looks cheesy and poor compared to nowadays ones. it shouldnt be compared, thats the trick. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Paul on 8/09/11 at 04:04 PM I watched this in my film class and just fell in love with it, such an amazing western! great review!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse jackdaddy on 8/22/12 at 07:42 PM great review, the film has such brilliant chemistry. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +16 +17 / -1 thumb up thumb down Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (Bicycle Thieves) (1948) Genre: Drama 100% Posted on 12/09/10 04:06 PM Grade: A+ The Greatest Films Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Theif (or Bicycle Theives), is widely regarded as a masterpiece, and as i watched the film, every minute that went by i came to better understand just why that is. Filmed in the neo-realist syle of filmmaking,suprisingly the film manages to be quite sentimental at times, but never in spite of the realist aspects, rather these moments compliment the realism in unexpected and devestatingly emotional ways. The film is about a man with a wife and young son, living in poverty, and struggling to make ends meet. When luck strikes and a job opens up, a requirment is that he have a bicycle to secure the position; and a bicycle he does get, and that's where his problems begin. The film is a series of obstacles taking place over two days, which begins when the protagonist's bike is stolen. The rest of the film is about his search for the bicycle, but more so its about his search for adequacy, in the eyes of his son, but especially within himself. The film evokes the social conditions and attitues of a time and a place, and in that sense the film works well as a time-capsule, and add to that the realist tendencies of the camerawork, and we as viewers aren't left feeling manipulated; rather we are left pondering why men do the things they do, both to themselves, and each other. We also ask why the world is the way it is, and why in many cases we set ourselves up to fail. Its also quite easy to make modern connections beween this past society and current social conditions we face today, which also lends to the timeless feeling of the film. How the film manages to be both an evocation of a time and place as well as remaining thematically timeless is one of its major strengths. The cinematography is quite plain, and also plainly brilliant. How such simple images evoke such beauty is one of the films real powers. The film makes us ask serious questions, such as what is truly important, why we cannot move forward together as opposed to seperately, and hints at mental conditions that trap us in our own feelings, while being unable to register external truths. The son of the protagonist has numerous powerful scenes, perhaps the most powerful of which happens after his father smacks him in the face after he makes his father feel stupid. What happens after this is truly masterful. This is a heartwrenching film, from a neo-realist master. 9 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: MMB on 3/03/10 at 12:53 PM You truely hit upon a classic here. Saw this in film school and it is an excellent film.Nice review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/03/10 at 12:59 PM Ya saw it last night for the first time! it is awesome. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/03/10 at 01:16 PM great review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse SciFiMan on 3/03/10 at 06:19 PM Very nice work - this sounds like my kind of movie! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse RJ Smoove on 3/04/10 at 06:02 PM very nice! never even heard of this little gem. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Serious Lee on 3/05/10 at 01:40 AM I've never seen this. Good review of it. This review reminded me of a similar film in the 70's that I remembered seeing. A little boy from difficult circumstances, finds a stray dog, keeps it, and forms a strong bond with his new pet. One day, the pet runs away. The story fills in with all kinds of lessons and hearwrenching sadness of him without the dog. Then sometime later, discovers the dog when walking, and now the dog is a service pet for a blind man. The dog recognizes him, wagging his tai 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/05/10 at 01:47 AM Thanks. hmmm, that story rings a bell, but that is a very universal type of story. I could just be thinking of a similar story. Sounts familiar though. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 12/04/10 at 10:05 PM I have still been looking for this film, cant find it anywhere. Great Review Arshman! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Double.Dubs on 7/01/12 at 10:41 PM Brilliant piece of neorealism; it wasn't quite for me but your review is excellent nonetheless. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +17 +20 / -3 thumb up thumb down The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Genre: Comedy 80% Posted on 9/15/10 01:42 PM Grade: B+ Wes Anderson made the satirific Rushmore, and this film, while not as funny or insightful, is still worthy for Wes. Anderson's taste for the comic may be skewed away from the status quo, but his and owen wilson's singular gift for portraying outcasts that seem somewhat normal makes his films worth visiting. The episodic structure of the film (complete with prologue, chapters, and epilogue) is narrated by none other that Alec Baldwin, and his straight way of relaying the strange narrative is at times highly amusing. The film perhaps relies too heavily at times on Baldwin's exposition in order to reveal the past actions and present motivations of the Tenenbaums, instead of simply showing us the Tenenbaums. Another problem I have with the film is overbearing polarity of the characters, whom i understand are characterized as such to legitimize the extreme dysfunctionality of the Tenenbaum family, but which also at times seems too forceful and contrived to be taken totally serious. The success of this film lies in the small details; key moments that reside between the unfolding of the main plot, as well as the directorial bravura of Anderson himself, whose visuals and composition match the offbeat dialogue and characters to a tee. The films also maintains interest by giving us family situations that at first seem not so abnormal, but then take turns of weirdness and irony which evoke the true outcast nature of the Tenenbaum family. Anderson's success comes not from merely setting up these situations, but by making them seem (somewhat) natural to the characters personalities; things never seem too grounded in reality however, since the tone of the film is never to take itself too seriously as a character study, instead seperating the Tenenbaums from the world around them in order to focus in on the family's extreme isolation from normalcy and the status quo. The acting all around is top notch, with Gene Hackman doing for this film what Bill Murray did for Rushmore, although Royal is never as hopeless or depressed as Murray was in Rushmore, although he is just as cunning and thoughtless of other peoples opinions and emotions. I dont love this movie but i do respect its originality and vision, and i think it succeeds much more than it fails. 7 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 3/01/10 at 04:37 PM Nice review my friend. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 3/01/10 at 05:31 PM thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse MMB on 3/01/10 at 09:19 PM Good review. Movie had great talent but was a huge snorefest to me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Saetre on 3/02/10 at 05:09 AM Nice review, I love Wes Anderson. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jaythegoodfella on 9/15/10 at 02:18 PM Great review Arsh, this is a great off the wall style movie. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 10/28/10 at 02:11 AM good review Arshman! this movie was alot of fun! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Alex l. on 11/05/10 at 04:45 PM Great Review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +18 +19 / -1 thumb up thumb down Animal Kingdom (2010) Genre: Art House & International 80% Posted on 8/19/10 11:32 AM Grade: B+ Animal Kingdom takes place in the suburbs of Melbourne in Australia. Crime seems to be on the rise. Someone is always on the lookout and criminals are just waiting for either glory or death, hoping only to avoid the heartache of reaching your mental breaking point when the law has you on the run. In an average house a naive, shy and reserved boy named Josh Cody (James Frecheville) waits for an ambulance to arrive and pick up his dead mother who has overdosed on heroin. Josh is like a deer in the headlights. With nothing steady to hold onto he calls his estranged grandmother .It?s time to go live with her, and her pack of criminal sons (one of whom is a drug dealer). It?s time for Josh to enter this rough, cold, survivalist animal kingdom. Jackie Weaver plays the over-loving and yet twistingly cold matriarch, Janine ?Smurf? Cody. Her love for her sons doesn?t extend further than knowing they will come home to her at the end of the day, but she lets that love be known as often as she can. Weaver is brilliant at suggesting a thought, letting us feel that there is some thought going on behind her eyes that no light can penetrate. It?s pretty chilling, all the more because she can also exude at times a great warmth and loving spirit. Her mere presence begins to exude a kind of controlling and yet reassuring power. The brothers? crew is headed up by oldest brother ?Pope? Cody (Andrew Mendhelsohn) and his best friend Barry Brown (Joe Edgerton). The brother and Pope are on alert because they hear on the street the cops are coming down on them, and it seems more and more apparent every minute that this is true. Pope?s extreme singularity of vision and his fixation on a purpose or goal are balanced by Barry?s level headedness and willingness to enterprise in more modern and original ways. Pope?s younger brother Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) deals drugs and is pretty wired and tense about the slightest things. Much like Josh, the Cody?s youngest son Darren (Luke Ford) is not so desensitized to the horror of his actions, and as tough choices about his role in this kingdom come to the fore, he has to deal with both his actions and his consequences while his conscious lies heavy on his soul. Josh, it is obvious, isn?t really cut out for this criminal life. It simply obvious from the very first second we see him. But it?s like being in a place and knowing it?s dangerous, but staying because somehow, paradoxically, it feels like the right place to be. We all have had that in our lives to one degree or another, but there are certainly different degrees of it. The only thing he has really is his girlfriend, and it seems like that is what is likely keeping him going. As the police begin to bring the heat down on the Cody?s, we see how the actions of some people can have a ripple effect on those not even partaking in this animalistic kingdom. The scenes with the family interaction and the crew all conversing set a good atmosphere for the subsequent unravelling and tribulations that they all go through, both together and separately. Some characters we care for more than others, but Michod?s script does a good job at allowing us to find something in each character that we can identify with, and use it find the emotion as their situations reach the breaking points. The film is slow in parts but it never gets boring, and seems naturally to find the right way to twist the story in surprising ways. Weaver?s portrayal of the mother and Mendhelsohn as Pope in particular are very strong in this movie, and both do a good job as what are I guess the most important (character wise) antagonists in the story, if you discount the obvious antagonists, the police. Guy Pierce shows up in the films second half as a seemingly experienced officer. As the walls close in around the family and the police squeeze tighter (what begin as stakeouts at the Cody residence soon escalates in to back and forth blows between the Cody?s and the Cops) Josh must decide what life he wants to live, and if he wants to live to see his next birthday. The great thing is that everyone has their own distinct problem within this scenario. Everyone is seeing things differently, reacting differently. For the film this complexity of motive and emotion is great, but it has drastic consequences for the characters in the film, tragic consequences. For Josh, our protagonist, the consequences are constantly ignored, but he increasingly finds it more and more difficult to ignore them. The camera isn?t doing anything to fancy, mainly pointing and shooting, reaction shots when necessary and a couple short time encapsulating montages. The camera moves most when it needs to track some of the more mobile action/fight scenes. The editing impressed me, certain key moments being rightly bypassed to infer our understanding. The breaks in action seemed real and needed in order to lead to the next revelation and/or problem. Most importantly the film wasn?t obvious, I wasn?t constantly walking toward obvious answers, and even when I was the film did it in an interesting way and took it up another notch. So far this is one of the years best films I have seen, although as of now I?ve only seen about six films from 2010. 37 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Bhavin V. on 8/19/10 at 11:34 AM Great review..I'm looking forward to this one 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:36 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Professional Opinion on 8/19/10 at 11:37 AM great review, nice to see guy pearce on screen. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:36 PM He's a good actor, a little underwhelming in this film, though he's not center stage either. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 8/19/10 at 01:27 PM This sounds like my cup of tea. Great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:37 PM Nice, thanks Matt. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Nine Oh Two on 8/19/10 at 01:32 PM I'm so jealous you got to see this already. I have no idea when it's coming out in my area, but so far this has been a great year for movies that deal with crime. A Prophet, The Square, and now Animal Kingdom. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:38 PM Ha. It's only playing at one theatre in the city I live. I haven't seen A Prophet but I've heard good things. I'll check out The Square, I haven't heard of it till now. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jack L. on 8/19/10 at 02:34 PM great review This film looks great, I'll definitely be seeing this! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM Its pretty wicked, thanks for reading/commenting Jack. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse grouchyeditor.com on 8/19/10 at 04:25 PM This has been getting pretty good reviews. Thanks for adding yours. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM No prob, hah. Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/19/10 at 04:32 PM Great review, this is high on my must watch list 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:39 PM Thanks guy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jhon E. on 8/19/10 at 04:46 PM im angry!!! Im Australian and I was one day short of seeing this film!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 07:40 PM Lol, no worries, in fact it not so bad to feel angry before seeing this film, its pretty violent. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Parker M. on 8/19/10 at 08:04 PM Great review. I am going to toronto to see this soon. and only 6 films, wow man, im all for admiring the oldies, but check some new ones out, like a prophet and the runaways. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/19/10 at 08:22 PM Thanks. Yeah, I'm sure I'll see those sometime. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Silver Screen Stalker on 8/20/10 at 08:30 AM Great Review Arshman.......I am looking forward to seeing this one for sure. If you enjoyed this movie there is an Australian tv show called Underbelly that has similar subject matter (cops vs crime). Seasons 1 & 2 were set in Melbourne, and the 3rd season is set in Sydney.......all based on true events. Worth watching if you liked Animal Kingdom :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 10:54 AM Thanks dude. I don't really watch too much TV, except for a couple things here and there. And I'm not sure if I'd have access to that show in Canada. I'll check it out though, thanks for mentioning it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jen R. on 8/20/10 at 12:39 PM awesome review ;) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 05:15 PM Thanks Jen :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 8/20/10 at 05:28 PM I want to see it, heard alot about it but haven't gotten around to see it. Very good review 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/20/10 at 11:57 PM Thanks man, its worth checking out. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 8/21/10 at 08:56 AM I will definitely be seeing this. Excellent review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/22/10 at 11:56 AM Cool, thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse wxdeadpoolmwam on 8/23/10 at 06:39 PM I've got to see this. Awesome review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/24/10 at 01:08 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse meinink2y on 8/26/10 at 07:09 PM Great review. I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it comes to my theater. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:57 PM Yeah its worth it man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 10:05 PM ive heard so many great thing about this movie, so i have to check this movie out. Excellent Review Arshman! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Same here its mostly all positive thoughts on this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Lord Naseby on 9/09/10 at 02:54 PM Great review! I've heard good stuff about this one. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse sam48 m. on 9/11/10 at 12:30 PM great review Arsh! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 9/11/10 at 03:58 PM Thanks buddy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Alex l. on 11/05/10 at 04:45 PM Great Review! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +4 +6 / -2 thumb up thumb down The Cider House Rules (1999) Genre: Drama 50% Posted on 8/09/10 04:42 PM Grade: C This film is based on a novel by John Irving, and was adapted by him as well. The Cider House Rules is too long, too shallow, and fittingly, it?s well regarded by the Academy. They nominated this film for best picture ? over Eyes Wide Shut! And Being John Malkovich! And Lasse Hallstrom got a Best Director nomination ? over Stanley Kubrick! And Paul Thomas Anderson! The story is interesting enough on the surface, but nothing strikes hard. Everything pretty much takes place in the 1940?s during the war. It?s about a kind hearted teenage orphan named Homer Wells (Toby Maguire), who has a weak heart and so was allowed to skip the war. The film details his ordeal dealing with female patients needing abortions; a moral dilemma which is weakly handled throughout the film and wrapped up in an open ended but false feeling way. For Homer its only a sporadically interesting life at an orphanage, where he helps his mentor and father figure Dr. Wilber Larch (Michael Caine) deliver illegal abortions for needy pregnant women that have nowhere else to go. Born, raised, and taught the physician trade by Dr. Larch, Homer longs for a life away from the doctor?s operating room and the duties Dr. Larch is slowly but surely bestowing on him. This runs contrary to Dr. Larch?s wishes, and as we see him fall ill we know because of the dialogue and periodic voiceover by Caine that he wishes for Homer to carry on his legacy at the orphanage. Caine delivers a wonderful and emotional performance here as a man struggling with his profession (and ether drug he uses on his patients). However, the script doesn?t give much to work with for most of the other actors, and a lot of the overall message is left up to bare bones montages to collect various character checkpoints. When actors Paul Rudd and Charlize Theron show up as a couple for an abortion, Homer creates a bond with the couple and ends up leaving with them to Rudd?s fathers apple farm, where Homer starts learning the simpler, more carefree aspects of life, like picking apples and falling in love. When Rudd?s character goes off to war, Homer and Candy (Theron) hook up; this is supposed to seem deliberate and authentic, but is instead obvious and rather bland. The best part is clearly Charlize lying naked on the bed. Their relationship stems from a desire for something new, and strong mutual need. Charlize Theron is pretty great in her role. But it?s all so obvious. I knew exactly what was going to happen in this film. I knew who was going to die, who was going to cause what problem for who and why, before any of it went down. The scenes on the apple cider farm are probably the least predictable. Here we meet the Rose family, a black family who work with Homer on the apples and cider. The family is dysfunctional in a pretty disgusting way, and problems arise here at the farm that brings Homer?s past life back to the present. The nature of ?rules? and how they are at the mercy of perception, comes out in this part of the plot, and works as mildly interesting opposing image to life at the orphanage. This part of the plot also does a better job than any explaining what the film may want to say about abortion. Delroy Lindo and Erykah Badu give great performances as a father and daughter, but the dynamics and feelings surrounding the whole relationship aren?t explored and so here we also feel short-changed by the story. The questions of a doctors ethics and dealing with the nature of abortion are not what I would deem ?properly focused on? in this film. Nor are the matters arising from the family dynamics in the orphanage and at the cider house given anything more than the sheen of emotion (characters who will devotedly pitch one emotion through the duration of the film until they either disappear from the script or they die). Questions about what shapes our morality and our decisions, and what framework that leaves one with to govern morality moving forward, are not given enough focus but are supposed to be a major part of the story. The real meaty questions are never really asked in this film, it sidesteps them and then goes back to the start, as if no one feels any different or nothing has changed. The orphan kids are all portrayed as a group and the few that are singled out by the script are given a simple emotion to work with. Even a teenage Kieran Culkin is an orphan in this film, and he is just like the rest of the orphans, except a few years older. The film plods along as well. It?s too slow, too messy in its message, and way too glossy. At its core are serious themes about abortion and the true essence of freedom and morality, but the film holds the ideas at an arm?s length. Sure the film has big name actors, but that won?t do. So I say skip this one. The film is too confused about its own position, its own meaning, for us to be bothered with separating all the tangles. There too much in this film, and yet it doesn?t add up to much at all. 12 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Jack L. on 8/03/10 at 04:31 PM great review I have this film but for some reason have always avoided watching it, it just sounds pretty mediocre. I'll skip this film then seeing as I have way more interesting films to watch at the moment! thanks for the warning Arshman!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 04:50 PM Thanks Jack. I like What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, which is a film from the same director. Thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/03/10 at 06:13 PM Good review, I havent seen this one and by the looks of your review I probably will never check this out... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:01 PM Thanks, not a thing you want to sit through. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dudemeister on 8/04/10 at 05:33 AM good review, this did look like a meh to me 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:01 PM Thanks dude. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse STUCKINLALALALAND on 8/04/10 at 09:23 AM ill give it a miss 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/04/10 at 05:02 PM cool. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Trazet on 8/07/10 at 01:24 PM It was a good, but flawed film. It has some subjects that people don't like to talk about. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/07/10 at 02:59 PM The subject is touchy with people, but I am not one of them. In fact there is not a film I wouldn't watch simply because of it's subject matter. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 9/06/10 at 10:02 PM Excellent review Arshman! I have no real interest watching this movie, so ill skip it! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse AlexDeLargeisHere on 9/13/10 at 03:55 AM I must say this film did touch me on a profound level. I found it was more about 'being of use' and how humans are of instrumental value as opposed to intrinsic value. But I can understand this film does have flaws. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +4 +21 / -17 thumb up thumb down Inception (2010) Genre: Drama 60% Posted on 7/31/10 04:37 PM Grade: C+ I should tell you, I was looking forward to this one. Memento and those Batman films put my standards for Christopher Nolan pretty high. But I?m fair minded, and I can keep my expectations in check. Inception is one big and loud epic, blending dreams and reality in the world of corporate espionage using dream infiltration. How did the world get like this suddenly? Who created this wild technology, these gadgets they hook up to share these dreamscapes? Where the heck is the potentially way more interesting prequel to Inception? How is this stuff really learned? All we get in the film are many simple one-liners and broad philosphies that are so obviously picked and chosen from to suit the heist aspect of the plot. We don?t see meditative practices, but men freaking out or trying to hold it together while dreams shift and/or collapse everywhere. Shouldn?t it take a little more Zen to master the playground of a dream? I think so. Inception is all mechanical, it doesn?t bath in its own sci-fi glory but tries to hold it all together while rushing for the finish line; it simply uses existing ideas about the nature of dreams and manipulates them to tell a couple of fairly ordinary relationship dramas disguised a major dream heists. The first twenty minutes is in this dream where we are being barraged with dialogue that is espousing the details of this entire world we?ve been dumped in. We get stuff about the different ?levels? of dreams (ah like the alpha, beta, theta, delta for action flicks), dreams within dreams etc. We learn that dying in a dream means you wake up in reality (OH MY GOD! That?s genius!). There?s a bunch of stuff that that will remind you of The Matrix, only that the matrix is now a dream; for instance, the fact that when you are sleeping and your body is being hit by things or you?re flying through the air, you feel that sensation in the dream as well. In an amazing visual sequence we see Levitt and a ?projection? (which is a part of the subconscious of the person dreaming) fighting in mid air, because in reality they are flying through the air in their sleep; dream time is super-slow, so the mid air sensation lasts much longer and leads to gravity defying dreaming for a minimum twenty minute stretch of the runtime. So the cast is pretty top notch. Ellen Page is there with all of this emotional investment to help Cobb and company which I can?t quite pinpoint. Leonardo DiCaprio is Cobb. Cobb works for unnamed corporations, but is now on the run because some shit went down in his past so the law is after him. The story is non-linear and stuff is filled in as the dream world goes back and forth with reality and/or we get into deeper layers of dreams. Marion Cotillard is Mal, Cobb?s deceased wife. Cobb seems normal enough at first, but there is some emotional scarring there that is brought up repeatedly as he visits and/or runs in to Mal in his dream or another?s (since she is a projection in his subconscious). As Cobb is on the run now he cannot visit his two young children, which is something that is made to seem important to Cobb in the film, though I?m not sure how successful Nolan is in evoking that need to reunite with them. Cotillard does a good job with what time she has on screen. Is Mal a femme fatale? Well if she is, she is unlike any that cinema has shown us before, especially considering the multiple contexts she is used in. This plot between Mal and Cobb seems the most interesting to me, but it sits on the back burner for much of the show, as we are witness to the longest most pumped up heist I think I?ve ever seen. I never really bought into the corporate espionage aspect of it in the first place, and the amount of time put in to it in order to get to the conclusion seems rather strange. We got this corporate head that is dying and his son (played by Cillian Murphy) is the target of the ?Inception? (which is implanting a thought in someone?s mind, in this case to sabotage their corporate interests). The man who has hired Cobb and his team is called Saito (Ken Watanabe) a previous target of Cobb?s who may hold the key to Cobb?s salvation; but only if he can help Saito out first with this big mindfuck of a dream job. The film is way too unbalanced, a bit too self-important and way too bloated because of it. The script is dealing with some heady material that if this world was real, would be very deep and complex in actuality; so there?s a lot of saying that things have been done and/or accomplished without actually explaining how these tasks were completed, in order to service the plot. What does Nolan want us to think is important? If all this time and effort is being devoted to planting a deceitful thought, why doesn?t he go full out into the details and chuck away all the emotional mumbo jumbo. Or on the flip side, if you want to make a film about marital problems and the psychological issues both caused and cured by this dream technology, then focus on it fully, and with some amount of subtlety. Don?t mix them together and make both lesser for doing so. In juggling all these plots Nolan is mixing oil and water, but can?t devote enough attention to the cleanup. I was expecting some kind of payoff regarding the corporate espionage that was focused on for so long, but instead the film decides that the relationships, which were mainly neglected, were actually the most important thing all along. We must give Nolan credit for holding it all together and making it look pretty slick. But Memento was brilliant. The Batman films were great, especially The Dark Knight. Inception has all the ambition of those, but it doesn?t bring it all home the same way. There?s hardly a laugh to be had either. Everything ties together well enough, but its complexity isn?t what I dislike. It?s the execution. I dug the music; it was pretty epic and brought some awe to the proceedings. But I?d be lying if I said I loved this film, or even really liked it. I really, really like the subject of dreams and reality in cinema, and think they can be mind-bending subjects that can make for great cinema. But with the technology in Inception interfacing with the dreams so simplistically, and the simplistic human motivations both inside and outside the dreams, I have a hard time fitting the paradigm that the dream world creates in our reality with the one depicted in the film. Because of this the story loses much credibility for me, and some of the ?details? I found to be silly as well. It?s too mechanical and not lucid enough either. Remember, this is just my opinion, so please don?t go off on me for saying how I felt about this film. I?ve noticed around the internet that this film in particular has some rabid defenders who almost seem blinded by their love of it, which I think is sad and hilarious. Like, I read people threatening to kill other people and shit because some critic said he hated it (I think it was Armond White, haha). It seems the default response to a negative review is to say the critic ?didn?t get it?, which is a ridiculous thing to say since films come both more intricate and more interpretive than this. Anyways, a decent film, highly original, but not as well done as it could have been. 109 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Jack L. on 7/27/10 at 11:59 AM excellent review Arshman I'm not a fan of Nolan, so i'm not expecting to be amazed by this film, i'll probably see it though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:26 PM whoa sorry for the multiple messages man. Thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 7/27/10 at 12:03 PM Nice Review....I found some of the action unnecessary (especially the snow sequence). I also don't understand why Nolan tried to make this a blockbuster, instead of taking a leaf out of David Lynch's book and REALLY understanding dreams. And of course, the almost non-existent emotional aspect, which nearly every one of his films lacks. Still enjoyed it for what it was, though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:27 PM I dunno, I was prett emotionally invested in his other films, at least when compared to this one. Thanks Bhavin. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dev92 on 7/27/10 at 12:14 PM I loved Inception but there are many flaws in the film. If you just try and forget about them (which is so difficult to do) then the film is pretty good. I thought the cast lifted this film from being stupid to being believable. Great review, really enjoyed reading it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:28 PM Thanks dev, glad you liked it, it didn't dislike it or anything, just disappointed. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse JR movie lover on 7/27/10 at 12:15 PM Have you seen what Armond White likes and dis likes. I don't care if he hates inception he is a troll. Good Review though 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 12:29 PM Why doesn everyone hate on critics who disagree with them. I like Armond White, if only for the fact that he has to put up with idiots that respond moronically to his critiques. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse RevolutionReviews on 7/27/10 at 01:08 PM Everyone hates on Armond White because he purposely opposes popular opinion on every chance he gets. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:49 PM So? You are acting like he has some opportunity to do something which you haven't. Report Abuse The Stunner on 8/08/10 at 12:39 PM he is a well known critic and i seriously doubt he does that on purpose just because it's fun. Report Abuse Dave J on 7/27/10 at 12:22 PM All I can say is that you explain yourself well and overall a good review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:32 PM Thank you Dave. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse IFR Reviews on 7/27/10 at 12:30 PM good review,cant wait to see it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:33 PM Thanks. I let my anticipation die down a bit before I went to see it, and the line-ups, haha. I hate going to a sold out theatre and then having to see something you didn't much want to see. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Slushy on 7/27/10 at 12:59 PM Can't fault you for a poor review... well done analysis. I agree, people should be allowed to have an opinion without being blasted for it. That said, your defense of Armond White is misplaced. Like the poster above said, Armond is a troll. He writes reviews simply to be opposite of what the majority thinks. Or, maybe he just has really really bad movie taste. As for Inception... gonna have to disagree with you again on a movie... but nothing new there :) The movie loses credibility becau 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:40 PM Thanks Slushy. I'm not saying I agree with Armond all the time, I definitely do not. I just dont think he is nearly as bad as the people who attack him for expressing his opinion. I disagree, he writes reviews based on how he feels, which is apparent if you read his reviews, which I often do. He's no Rosenbaum or McCarthy, but he knows how he feels and doesn't care to be influenced by corporate influenced mass-entertainment that has the backing of mindless filmgoers who usually dont stop to thin 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:17 PM yeah........RT's messed up and both of our post's were cut off midway. Whatever, stupid RT. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/28/10 at 03:01 AM Excellent review, though I disagree, you provide great defense and counterpoints on your opinion. Though I have to disagree with you there about Armond White, sometimes reading his reviews I wonder if he even watched the film. He's just a critic who tries to be an outsider purposely to get attention. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Parker M. on 7/27/10 at 01:14 PM i kind of agree. i really liked it tho, i gave it an 80. i don't disagree with your points, but the film has this vitality to it, taut smarts, and its ability to blend action within is such a breath of fresh air for films nowadays. though i agree the emotional core was lacklustre and the dark knight is better. but this is one prodigious movie. good review, nice to hear the other side for once instead of ostentatious 100%'s. lol 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:43 PM Its no Matrix, thats for sure. Thats cool, I respect your opinion, glad you agree with me on some points. I agree, TDK is still my favourite Nolan film, followed not too distantly by Memento. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Blitzkrieg on 7/27/10 at 01:16 PM I really liked your review. You wrote some things that were going on in my mind too after watching Inception, negative things. But I thought it is worthy of a much better rating because of the cast, originality and creativity. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:46 PM I disgree with you on the creativity part. Many of the ideas in this film are not very original ideas, they just seem to be original. The only original aspect is the dreamstealing aspect for real world profit interests (similar to Biff going back in time in BTTF2 to steal the Almanac and become a modern day corporate Mogul, except that Back to the Future was way, way funnier). The music was my favourite part of the film, the ideas didn't cut it for me. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 01:47 PM Thanks for reading man, glad you can identify with some of my thoughts on the film. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Blitzkrieg on 7/27/10 at 01:54 PM Stealing ideas from dreams, or planting ideas into a dream, into subconscious is pretty original and creative to me. But you can't seriously expect that some ideas weren't partly in some other films, a few of them. The Matrix, BTTF as you said, Dark City especially...Untouched idea is unlikely to be found in Hollywood I believe. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:00 PM Sure, but all of those films were better than Inception. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 02:16 PM Actually I liked it more because Nolan did put so much into this film. There is way more to it than just the dream technology, and the relationship, but it still fits together perfectly. Not too much melodrama with the dead wife, not too much technical babbling, not a lot of moralizing about what these guys do, and not just an endless barrage of brainless action sequences. The amount of themes and plot that Nolan stuffs into this movie is quite impressive. Your review starts out a bit weak. Why 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:32 PM What is all the "way more" you speak of? You say there's not too much this and not too much that; well that equals not too much of anything? The film doesn't add up to enough, and just looks really big and important. I just can't agree with the majority on this one. I dunno what you mean by weak, I guess becuause I needed to say those things? hmmm. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 06:37 PM The second half of your review is more rational. What I meant by weak was that picking apart a fantasy or sci fi movie that way is not a real criticism. You can say the Matrix is stupid because they don't explain how the computers built it or why they use humans for energy instead of inventing something more efficient. You can't see all that stuff in 2 hours. You're right. It's fair enough to say that it doesn't add up to anything. But in my opinion it does. I'm glad Nolan didn't pander t 7 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 06:56 PM The Matrix has way, way more depth than Inception, and is way more fleshed out. Its actually told in a way that made me care about the characters somewhat. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 07:25 PM My posts got cut off. I'm glad Nolan didn't pander to the lowest common denominator by forming yet another standard Hollywood narrative. Instead he layers theme upon theme and plot within plot, and challenges the audience to question their own perception of cinema and even reality itself. This is all presented in the language of action movies, and packaged nicely in the plot of a simple heist flick. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/27/10 at 07:27 PM In other words, what's not to love? Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:14 PM It challenges the audience to question thier own perception of cinema and reality? Wow, we really had different experiences with this film. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 07:23 AM Yeah. Kind of like everyone thought Shutter Island was so brilliant. Meanwhile, I saw nothing but one stupid red herring after another to hide the "surprise ending", and no story to speak of. Some people get nothing out of 2001 or Mullholland Drive, so it's just perception. That's what Nolan is saying about films... you project your own experiences/imagination into the film to fill in the blanks, just like those characters do in their dreams. I perceived a barrage of references and ideas th Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 09:44 AM I perceived a barrage of references and ideas that were neatly presented, while you perceived a mishmash of plots that stumbled over each other. How is this possible if we both saw the same movie? Nolan's metaphor for this is DiCaprio projecting his own wife into the dreams. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:37 AM I understood the film perfectly, you seem to be projecting these ideas rather than explaining how the film evokes them or shows them.But to each his own. Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/28/10 at 04:12 AM i agree with u Ninja......rationale of the technology wud have been tedious 4 the audience....!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/28/10 at 07:26 AM Sure, the first rule of sci fi is you have to assume and accept that it will be unrealistic. Otherwise no sci fi movie makes any sense. 8 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:37 AM haha, yeah but some sci-fi films avoid pit falls, while others like Inception keep on inviting them. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/29/10 at 07:31 AM No sci fi film avoids pit falls. You can invent your own for Star Wars or 2001 or LOTR. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:57 AM Don't be comparing Inception to 2001. LOTR is more of a fantasy which sidesteps most inherant pit falls. Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:57 AM Whereas Inception takes place in "the real world" Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/30/10 at 08:15 AM A world where people can enter dreams is not the real world. Maybe Vancouver, but not the rest of the world. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 7/30/10 at 08:17 AM Since we have computers, space shuttles and space stations, isn't 2001 also in the real world? Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 08:01 PM Ok you are misinterpreting what I am saying. The Lord of the Rings (not 2001) doesn't even take place on planet Earth, its entire existence is based on different rules. 2001 and Inception both are similar in that they depict our own SPECIES at a time in our distant (or not too distant) linear future. When comparing 2001 and Inception, Inception stumbles way more, and in way more obvious ways. Report Abuse Film Ninja on 8/03/10 at 08:11 AM Oh well. If you just couldn't buy the whole concept, what can you do? I can't figure out any way that Shutter Island makes sense (nor can anyone else for that matter), but I can kind of see what people liked about it. So I know how you feel. Report Abuse Robert S. on 7/27/10 at 02:20 PM I can understand where you're coming from and do appreciate your ability to explain yourself, but there were a handful of points with which I disagree. I enjoyed the film a lot, but I feel the vast majority of my appreciation came after the film, and would probably be enhanced by another viewing. With all the theories out there trying to explain what the story was really about, I found myself remembering aspects of the film that show some real genius, especially if that's where the film was real 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 02:34 PM Yeah I know what you mean about thinking about it, mulling it over and contemplating. I slept on it before I wrote this in the morning. Another viewing would just be going through the mechanincs of this films once again. Perhaps I'll see it again, I dont know, but my opinion will hardly change, because I get what the film is all about, thats not my problem with it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Robert S. on 7/29/10 at 12:27 AM dang, my entire argument disappeared. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/27/10 at 03:23 PM i can very well imagine that this movie isnt as good as it seems to be people get blinded so easily here in vienna it comes out in only a week so lets wait... 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:02 PM Cool Danetto, thanks for reading. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 7/30/10 at 10:35 AM yeah, it happened with pulp fiction too, and now it's considered a masterpiece, so dunno about that... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/30/10 at 03:35 PM ?? what do u mean? 5 Replies \| Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/04/10 at 10:10 AM People getting blinded easily, that's what happened with pulp fiction. I seriously doubt whether each and everyone who's raving about it actually has a clear insight into the movie.. Sorry I suddenly took on pulp fiction, but when you said "blinded", this was the first thought that came to my mind. Report Abuse Danetto on 8/04/10 at 12:15 PM what? who was against pulp fiction? what the fuck are u talking about, bhavin? Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/05/10 at 09:11 AM I'm just saying that in my opinion, Pulp fiction (or The Dark Knight or numerous other movies) was another movie that gathered too much praise, particularly because a large part of its audience was "blinded". This happens all the time with movies that are focused more on young adults. Report Abuse Danetto on 8/05/10 at 10:45 AM what are u talking about? pulp fiction focused on young adults? lol or did u just want to say that you didnt like it? WHAT? Report Abuse Bhavin V. on 8/06/10 at 08:59 AM oh, forget it, just saying this is not the first film to have blinded people.. about pulp fiction, i was just ranting Report Abuse Pseudonym on 7/27/10 at 03:54 PM The "Inception" review I've been waiting for. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:02 PM Nice, thanks Pseudonym. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse xwadewilsonx on 7/27/10 at 04:38 PM It's ok. I respect your opinion. There are a lot of Nolan lovers that will get really wild when you rag on any of his films. I can't even tell you how bad I got it for disliking The Dark Knight haha. Great review man! Thumbs up! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 07:03 PM Lol I find that ridiculous of people. I'm the biggest Stanley Kubrick fan, but I'm not going to love Lolita just because I think he is a master of cinema art. Thanks for seeing some rationale. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HNIC on 7/27/10 at 07:13 PM You are controversial! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:14 PM Thats Fucking right. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/27/10 at 09:15 PM lol, I don't give a shit about controversy, I don't watch Nancy Fucking Grace I watch movies. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HNIC on 7/28/10 at 07:08 AM "I'm so happy because today I found my friends, they're in my head!" Kurt Cobain. That's what this movie reminded me of. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/28/10 at 04:17 AM everyone is free to post their opinion....that's what u did.....but i considered the fact that being a science-fiction some things are kept for discretion at ur own level....take ur own conclusions....... u didn't quite appreciate the good things : the cinematography, minimal use of visual effects for grandeur scenes. Originality has to be given ts due....!!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 10:40 AM Hmmm, you seem to be saying that this film makes us make our own conclusions; but it doesn't. The film knows exactly what its about and at the end it finishes its story; interpretation of this film is minimal. The cinematography was ok I guess, nowhere near as good as The Dark Knight. The Visual effects were better in TDK as well, much better. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/29/10 at 04:36 AM i was saying about using of actual sets rather than CGI......u must not compare this movie with TDK just because the director is same.....TDK is an adaptaion cum script by Goyer/Nolan.... As far as interpretations are to be considered i still believe that numerous conclusions can b made....the end says al about it....may b u need to watch it again... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse vek-kaps The maVericK on 7/29/10 at 04:39 AM Give credit to the directors vision on a complete new take.....!!! For a Sci-fi movie...discretion is necessary...and if u ain't able to make that then i can understand y u've written this review...!! Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 10:55 AM Yeah, I don't know how "discreet" this film is about anything. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse piratefan60 on 7/28/10 at 07:37 PM I respect your opinion. Sorry, you didn't enjoy this movie as much as I did. I liked it because it's different. It's not a lame remake of a classic movie that someone set out to destory. That's all you seem to see nowadays. Christopher Nolan hasn't disappointed me yet. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/28/10 at 07:47 PM Thanks for not going AWOL because I'm not a huge Inception fan. I know what you mean about all the tired remakes, and in that sense this is a bit refreshing for me as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a big Christopher Nolan fan. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 7/29/10 at 10:55 AM Nice review....though I personally enjoyed this movie...so I gave quite high rating....there might be some flaws in the story but overall its was still entertaining. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:22 PM Thanks Debjyoti. I'll admit it can be entertaining at times. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 7/29/10 at 11:40 AM In my opinion, your spot on in this review. I like the film overall, but I didn't blow me out of the water or anything. I couldn't watch it again if I tried. Spectacular review, thumbs up. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:24 PM Thanks Johnny. I wouldn't be able to sit through this one again either, maybe if I saw it a long time from nowl 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Seamus H. on 7/29/10 at 03:19 PM Phenominal review! Also discussion about Armond White! Phenominal Movie! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:24 PM haha, thanks Seamus. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matthew P on 7/29/10 at 07:06 PM I totally respect your opinion. While I liked this one much more, I was somewhat dissapointed. (Was it the fact that TDK was so much better?!) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 7/29/10 at 07:25 PM Thanks Matt, glad you can see my POV. TDK was better for sure, but I don't know if was 'because' of TDK, ahah. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Matthew P on 7/29/10 at 07:37 PM LOL. For me it was "this looks more epic than TDK" now its that and of the sorta messy but original plot. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/29/10 at 09:39 PM You make some excellent points, but I still love the film. Awesome job 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:42 AM Thanks CACB. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse manish r. on 7/30/10 at 03:49 AM i liked this movie and i think this is the greatest and most complete grand scale movie ever made. i think Nolan properly balanced b/w what to reveal and what to skip,i don't think we really need to know in detail about the technology and how it's work. i think this is the first time i have to disagree on your opinion,but it's a good review and gives a different view of movie.thumbs up 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Really? The greatest and most complete? I thought Avatar was a better film "scale" wise. Thanks for reading and commenting Manish. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse UKnowImRight on 7/30/10 at 06:14 PM Awasome! thumbs up! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse cade14 on 7/30/10 at 07:27 PM although i largely disagree with you, your review is very detailed and well thought out, and i like it :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 10:43 AM Thanks cade. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Lord Naseby on 8/01/10 at 06:38 PM I dunno. I liked it a lot more than you did I suppose. great review. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 08:03 PM Fair enough, thanks Naseby. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Emerald1234S on 8/05/10 at 02:47 PM Interesting review, I think the point of the film was to show how dangerous a planted idea can be, particulary in Mal's case. Esspecially in modern society, an idea planted in one's head can have devestating consequences, except here it's done through advertising and/or propaganda. The whole corporate thing was merely a Macguffin, not intended to be important at all, just there as a reason to start the action. I must say I thought the narrative style was quite interesting, four narratives th 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/05/10 at 05:07 PM But its not done through ads and propoganda, its only shown by way of corporate espionage and a contained story. The wider social functions of the real world and all the edges of society are not bothered with. I have no direct problem with that, but the film can't be an action film and then play by the rules of something else, and it does a weak job blending the two naturally. And boy does the action take up a lot of time. Just my take though, thanks for reading Emerald. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 8/06/10 at 05:30 PM i fell in love with this film, and i respect your opinion great review ArshMan! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:15 PM That's cool, it is becoming a favourite of many. Thanks Chris. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse The Stunner on 8/09/10 at 03:58 AM i don't really mind at all that there are things unexplained. i wanted that actually, because i more and more increasingly get the feeling that this movie is incredibly simple-minded and there are no characters and deep themes, only a cute (although gimmicky) story. not really different from any other hollywood blockbuster safe for some technical smartness. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:17 PM Yeah, it really depends for me weather or not an explanation of things will work or not, and in what way(s) it may or may not work. The film is actually not that complex. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse PBDKCDSF on 8/20/10 at 04:24 PM Inception is surely in my top 100 but your review is great and your opinion must be respect... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/21/10 at 04:18 PM Thats cool Francisco, thanks for reading and the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ZOOLANDERBEAST on 9/23/10 at 09:11 AM I'm not one of those idiots think what I say is right and everyone who disagress is wrong butthere are some misunderstandings in your review. There's a lot of evidenceb oth overt and subtle suggesting the significance of Cobb and his wife. Also the details of the technology itself is not supposed to matter have you not heard of suspended disbelief? And it seems like you cannot accept the fact that Inception is perfectly logical on it's own terms you said you think it should be a straight drama o 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:55 AM Just because the film is logical has nothing to do with whether I liked it or not. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:56 AM I have heard of suspended disbelief, but that is irrelevant. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:57 AM I never said the film is illogical. Report Abuse ZOOLANDERBEAST on 9/23/10 at 09:13 AM Also fuck Armond White he doesn;t state his opinion s mcuh as he does state proven fallacies liek Toy Story3 is all about product placement WTF? lol 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 10/22/10 at 11:58 AM Whatever, this shit argument is pointless. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse MMB on 11/29/10 at 01:13 PM Well written. I am still very much looking forward to the experience when it is released on blu-ray. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Double.Dubs on 7/01/12 at 10:42 PM I agree completely; I found this film to be mechanical, sterile, and unbalanced as well. Great opinion and review. Nice! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Joshua on 7/26/12 at 01:30 PM Very good review, though I have to disagree. This is certainly one of my favorite films, but I respect your opinion, and your review is very well written. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
	Votes +13 +14 / -1 thumb up thumb down The Great Escape (1963) Genre: Drama 60% Posted on 7/31/10 04:08 PM Grade: C+ The Great Escape accounts a true story, of the attempted escaping of allied prisoners in a German Stalag during WWII. The film begins with lengthy scene introducing a host of well known actors (playing mostly British and American soldiers) arriving at the Stalag as POW?s. Kommandant von Luger has collected all of these trouble making escape artists to keep them all under a single watch, with a ?heavy? soldier presence to make escape difficult. Steve McQueen is a cocky American POW with a talent for escaping, and a bigger talent for getting caught; this repeatedly results in ?The Cooler?, for a few days or maybe twenty. Attenborough is the lead British POW, leading a large squadron of POWs in a massive and multi-faceted escape plan involving long term escape methods like forged identification and learning some German. There are a lot of characters and sub-plots to keep up with, some of which get more screen time, others just one or two major moments. The most touching and memorable for me is obviously the relationship between ?the forger? (Donald Pleasence) and ?The Scrounger?(James Garner), which starts out as a purely formal relationship about stealing things to help the POW?s, but turns into a great tale of true friendship. For background info on all the other little characters (James Coburn as the Manufacturer, etc.) check out IMDB or the films page on RT. I thought Garner was probably the best part of the film, not McQueen or Attenborough. His scenes definitely provided the most interest for me, and the least redundancy. His scenes with the nervous Nazi soldier were funny and interesting to watch, and Nazi soldier is very well acted and cast. Elmer Bernstein?s music kept me more into the film than anything else. From the first moment of the film to the last, it was the one thing that never annoyed, and the sound of the music fits even the more humorous scenes just as well as the straight action ones. But alas, the film was way too long, especially the last hour save the final 10 minutes. Big stretches could have been conveyed in a much tighter and more coherent way. I get that director John Sturges wants to instil some depth into the story, but come on; learn how to edit. Some of the action would?ve benefited from a bit of glossing over, instead of all of this repetition which begins to get a little overbearing, and boring for the eyes. The escape felt literally like it would never end, and I started to want it to. Overall the film is only sporadically interesting. It is engaging when we see and feel the natural ingenuity of the script, and the multiple escape tactics used to complete the daunting task of escape. But too much oftern is instead the boring filler that comprises much of the film and is made to look important. It may be my fault, but I didn?t find a lot of the characters to be very interesting. The characters were funny, a little cynical, kind of over the top sometimes. But everything felt so rigid. Billy Wilder?s Stalag 17 is a much better film I think, even if it?s not a great one either. 27 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Lord Naseby on 7/31/10 at 12:41 PM I expected you to like this one more. good review though. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:15 PM meh. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jack L. on 7/31/10 at 12:45 PM Great review as usual Arshman I liked this a lot although I do agree the excessive length brought it down a bit. It's way better than Stalag 17 in my opinion!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Thanks Jack, gotta disagree though I think Wilder showed a much better skill for dealing with similar subject matter, but to each his own! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/31/10 at 12:55 PM I've heard good things about this. O might check it out 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Cool, I O'pe you do! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse The.Watcher on 7/31/10 at 01:09 PM Haven't seen this one - from your review I'm not really itching to, either. Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:16 PM Thanks The Watcher. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Wissmongler on 7/31/10 at 04:48 PM long but interesting..HA might give it a shot 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:17 PM You might just like it a lot. I should've mentioned a lot of people seem to really love this film. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Danetto on 7/31/10 at 05:19 PM i heard a lot of good stuff about it obviously its not taht good after all... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:18 PM hehe, I don't know some people will obviously like it more than others so I wouldn't say its 'obvious'. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/31/10 at 10:55 PM Good review though I liked it more 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:18 PM Thanks, yeah this is quite a popular film I know. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 8/01/10 at 12:44 AM Great Review... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Debjyoti G. on 8/01/10 at 12:44 AM But still I liked it more.... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:19 PM Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse manish r. on 8/01/10 at 09:22 AM I agree,i also gave it 70%,it was entertaining but didn't seemed to be a masterpiece,the conditions of prisoners in nazi camp seemed to be quite unreal. i prefer the bridge on river kwai instead of this. good review thumbs up. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/01/10 at 01:19 PM I need to see Kwai still (ouch). Thanks Manish. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse xwadewilsonx on 8/01/10 at 12:05 PM Hmm. This seems decent. Great review! THUMBS UP! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 12:27 AM Its decent I guess. Thanks man. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse HERESSSSSSJOHNNY on 8/01/10 at 04:13 PM I didn't like this very much at all, it did have a few good scenes. Great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 12:27 AM My thoughts as well, thanks for reading Johnny. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Heather G. on 8/03/10 at 01:50 PM great review! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse TheArshMan on 8/03/10 at 03:10 PM Thanks Heather. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse ChrisCinephile on 8/10/10 at 08:38 PM great review ArshMan! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Matt the Hat on 8/19/10 at 06:03 AM This is something of a Bank Holiday movie tradition in the UK. Gets shown every year. English football fans sing/hum the tune during matches along with a lone trumpet player. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse

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Batman Begins (2005)

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Batman Begins (2005)

Beauty and The Beast (La Belle et la bête) (1946)

Burn After Reading (2008)

Rio Bravo (1959)

Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (Bicycle Thieves) (1948)

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Animal Kingdom (2010)

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Inception (2010)

The Great Escape (1963)

Showing 1 - 10 of 107 Reviews