12 Angry Men (1957)
Rating: 8.6/10
Personal Interest's Rating: 7.9/10
Rating: 8.6/10
Personal Interest's Rating: 7.9/10
What was the last movie you watched? III
Posts: 84
Joined:
May 2012
So you think it deserves a 10? I don think it is the masterpiece its touted to be.durden_77 wrote:VirginBlack wrote:The Dark Knight = 8 of 10
- Joker as good as the performance was, is one dimensional/one note. Only has one magic trick up his sleeve.
- Harvey's arc was rushed and his transformation unconvincing.
- Batman is shown as being too brutish, not as intelligent. Consider the scene with Joker in the interrogation room. Instead of taking the oportunity to showcase a clash between their ideology, Nolan has Batman just hit the Joker like a brute incapable of having a conversation. Wasted potential there.
- Fighting scenes specially the ones by the end of the movie are poorly shot and edited.
Last edited by VirginBlack on June 1st, 2012, 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yes it is. Yes. It. Is.anonymity wrote:Blade Runner: The Final Cut! Pure Awesome!
Surprised you went to see this.Snow White and the Huntsman-
-Vader
"VirginBlack"
I have only given out 3 10/10 reviews, and they belong to Inception, Dark Knight, and The prestige.So you think it deserves a 10? I don think it is the masterpiece its touted to be.
His performace was completley original, and played the ideal of "some men just want to watch the the world burn" perfectly. We lost sight of heath ledger being behind the makeup, instead we were taken back by the notion of someone truley evil.- Joker as good as the performance was, is one dimensional/one note. Only has one magic trick up his sleeve.
Thought his transformation was very convincing, and showcased how quickly Gotham's white knight could fall.Harvey's arc was rushed and his transformation unconvincing.
One of the best scenes in the entire film. Batman was acting simply on emotion, and in that emotion we see how evil Joker really is, as he gets hit repeatedly in the face and laughs it off while creating a game for Batman.- Batman is shown as being too brutish, not as intelligent. Consider the scene with Joker in the interrogation room. Instead of taking the oportunity to showcase a clash between their ideology, Nolan has Batman just hit the Joker like a brute incapable of having a conversation. Wasted potential there.
Some of the best action scenes in any movie. The overhead views, and the grand scale makes them quite unique and exciting.- Fighting scenes specially the ones by the end of the movie are poorly shot and edited.
BURIED
8/10
Prometheus - 7.5
Mind posting a spoiler free review?NHassell14 wrote:Prometheus - 7.5
-Vader
I could whip something up tomorrow evening, if you want? Slightly 'under the influence' at the moment, so wouldn't be much helpVader182 wrote:Mind posting a spoiler free review?NHassell14 wrote:Prometheus - 7.5
-Vader
Posts: 18329
Joined:
February 2011
PROMETHEUS (2012) (IMAX 3D)
9/10
(Spoiler free)
I'd like to begin with stating that because of the way I've set out my rating scale, I do not rate in decimals, and the final score would either have been an 8 or a 9, and I settled on the latter, which I'll explain why in more detail later. I'd also like to make a very important note, although this is only what I believe and can no way influence anyone directly, but those who are a relatively large fan of Ridley Scott's Alien will defintely enjoy this film more so than those who aren't typically into the original, nor have such interest in the unviserse which was born out of it. I could be wrong in my judgment there, but this is much more of a satisfying film for those intrigued in some of the questions we were left with from the events in Alien, although Prometheus leaves the audience with more questions than answers, and really left the ending open with the clear possibility of a sequel, something I think could work well, and defintely should happen given they have the correct approach to it all in order to round off the majority of events which really left me open to speculation. As the perfect constructive summary; Prometheus is a beautifully shot science-fiction epic with splendid performances all across aboard, accompanied by memorable set pieces unmatched by anything I've seen before in the genre, but sadly the viewer is left asking more questions than needed, possibly due to the reign left behind concerning the bland script we've seen many times before, an often cliché approach which can be a positive or a negative effect on the viewer. In my case, much of that worked, and the majority of it left me satisfied.
Prometheus is a visual feast of beautiful scale, something not even close to being present in the trailers we have already seen. From the very beginning, we're thurst into this wonderful experience of massive proportion, serving as one of the most memorable and satisfying film openings ever presented on screen. In some ways, the first five minutes of the film has the possibility of being my favourite part of the entire experience, but many moments throughout the film make me reflect on such a decision, and in ways makes me go back over the events of the film several times. Never before have I come out of a movie theatre with such a memory, only matched by that of The Dark Knight. Let me miss out the ramble of how memorable the majority of this film is, and how much of a thrilling experience is seved, and tell you that the first hour of Prometheus is completely direct, and it gets into the swing of things very quickly after the opening credits. It didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel similar to much we've seen before except for the actual structure of scenes. Following the one hour, everything changes, and we're sucked into this magical hour of pure horror, pure action, and just the right amount of suspense inbetween crucial moments to fuel our thirst for more, and when you get more, you'll never feel more satisfied.
I suppose beginning with good points such as the above paragraph is the right thing to do, but now for some of the negatives which could really put a downer on most audience members if, as I said above, you're not completely engaged in the universe Ridley has formed. This is my viewpoint, and I know for sure that many who are into the original Alien may well be very disappointed with Prometheus (of which I'll let you decide for yourself as to why). Firstly, the script has severe problems concerning pacing, and although above I stated the first hour didn't feel terribly rushed, the latter half of the film did feel a little rushed, and in places it felt like it was missing something. I do understand that this isn't necessarily the fault of the screenplay, and the promise of cut material appearing on a future home release would defintely fix those issues, but I can't help but blame the script for hurrying the scenes along, just to get to the next visual feast of bloody encounters or satisfying exposive action set pieces. One other problem concerning the script is the dialogue, and little seems improvised, unlike Alien where it felt very natural, sometimes dialogue sequences didn't fit quite right and cheesy dialogue often drew laughs which I didn't find positive at all given how serious this film presents itself to be. The biggest problem with the story is its lack of explanation regarding many new events presented in Prometheus. We aren't given full answers to everything which occurred in Alien, and of all the new information we're presented, we're left with a bundle of boggling questions rather than receiving answers. Without spoiling some of the more revealing aspect of the film, we learn what happened to the large ship encountered in Alien, and we learn more behind the “Space Jockey”, but again, we aren't given complete explanations qhich just begs for the sequel. As far as my opinion regarding the possible sequel is concerned, after seeing this, I feel like we are owed a sequel in order to fully appreaciate the happenings in Prometheus, never mind whatever was left unanswered from Alien. Some people will find that leaving this film with more questions than answers is deintely a negative thing, and some things just ask for a sequel which I think is a cheap cop out as many points could have well been explained or defintely hinted at in the film, but leaving the audience with a basket of intriguind, deep questions can be a rewarding end, and it has certainly left my mind wandering, and leaves much open for fan discussion, something I truly value.
With some of the more prominent negatives out of the way, I can move onto some of the amazingly positive things surrounding Prometheus. Going straight into it, the cast are perfect. What they are given are characters with specific themes and goals, or perhaps, characters with much to learn, characters with questions that are never answered, a front for the audience in some ways. The stealers of the show come in the form of Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba, two which amazing on screen presence which really made an impact on the audience so much that we really cared for them, regardless of what their intentions may well be. Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron do superb jobs of creating belivable characters, although I felt Theron came across as slightly forced, and at times rather unbelievable, although I do have my fair share of interesting concerns surrounding her character which could supply information regarding her appearance. Rapace showed emotional strength when dealing with a character of whom suffers such intense, grotesque ordeals, and the events leading up to the final moments are some of pure emotional turmoil and terror, something that leaves a lasting impact for definite. The dark horse of the show is Guy Pearce, of whom takes the role of such a secretive character (despire the viral videos you may have encountered) that his first appearance is one of shock, but of satisfaction, and what he was given was made more so intriguing by Pearce's performance, a performance of believable stature. Although cheesy lines are endured throughout, I couldn't help but care for the majority of the characters, especially the fate of Rapace's character Shaw, and Marshall-Green's character Holloway. There are moments which should, and defintely will, affect you emotionally.
Technically, Prometheus is a huge leap into advanced approaches regarding its use of 3D, as well as the achievements in CGI and practical effects, promintely covering the amazing sets. The sets in Prometheus really are the backbone of some of the movie, especially visually, as well as in tone. As well as the plate of supreme acting, and a story arousing many intriguing questions (of which some will state as a clear flaw in writing, and some of it surely is), the film is held together with incredible landscapes and sets of huge scale and proportion, and serve as some of the most impressive sets I've ever seen presented on film. The use of 3D throughout, and this is no way an exageration from my personal experience, is the best use of 3D I've ever experienced. If you're not a fan of 3D like myself, and you're going to see Prometheus in 2D, I advise you to do no such thing. Since Avatar it seems that the film industry has been trying to improve its use of 3D, and since then no film has touched it (Avatar), until Prometheus. Visually, Prometheus is stunning, and thisn is only accompanied and helped along by the wondefulyl immersive and stunning 3D imagery, of which has great depth and colour, something most 3D films lack (especially 3D conversions, and because Prometheus was shot in 3D, it was clearly the right, and the only, choice Ridley could have made). At one point during the action set piece near the end of the film, raining debris often came across blurred and terribly out of focus which often strained the eyes, but this didn't last long, and we were back into comfortable territory. The effect of the 3D probably helped because I was in the perfect position, seated directly centre two rows from the rear of the auditiorium, and still being relatively far away from the screen compared the first few rows, the 3D had such a powerful trance and satisfaction behind it, it was defintely the best use of 3D I've ever seen, and may well have convinced me of the positives surrounding viewing film in 3D and how it is quickly changing the indsutry - perhaps for the better.
Touching on similar topics surrounding Prometheus' technical achievements, the scenes presented which were meant to have an overall grotesque atmosphere achieved just that. The use of practial sets and practical effects merged with CGI enhancements (and regarding the CGI, something I forgot to mention earlier, it is difficult to pick out what was often practically achieved and what was CGI, the CG was truly breathtaking at the best of times) were a complete delight, although the way Scott approahed one specific scene mirroring the chestburster sequence from Alien didn't have nearly the same lasting imapact, and that scene was rather disappointing, but was made up for by the atermath of happenings following that sequence, and the rest of the bloody violence wasn't over the top or distracting at all, and served as the foundation of how to execute such scenes well. Ridley went for shock value at the best of times, instead of slowly building tension and horror unlike Alien. With that, Prometheus feels, looks, and sounds nothing like Alien, and without spoiling anything, it doesn't resemble Alien in any way until the very end where we are left with one very interesting question. Prometheus takes on its own tone, its own feel, and although presented in the same universe, it feels so fresh and original despite the few cliché enduring moments (defintely down to problems with the story and the dailogue). In the music department, those who were disappointed with the soundtrack will defintely take a fresh look at things after viewing Prometheus. Often the background music isn't memorable, but throughout the last half hour, the soundtrack really ups its game, and during the heavy action sequence near the end of the film, the soundtrack is so memorable you won't be able to remove it from your memory. Ridley merges stunning visual themes with a haunting score, and when the score is viewed seperataly, it is in no way as satisfying as it is when spliced with the finished product.
Prometheus is a film that is very much its own, and being realistic, this won't become such a classic as that of its creator, Alien. Prometheus reached my expectations and satisfied me in more ways than one, and Ridley nailed it. The few problems which I found which most likely be more prominent for others, but as a fan of the universe, Prometheus wins in the majority of departments I knew it would win at. It is in need of another viewing in 3D, and honestly, 3D is the only way to view this epic adventure. I recommend for all, and I know that fans of Alien will espcially love some of the answers Prometheus presents, and will defintely want to discuss the massive range of questions of which have risen, obviously asking for a sequel - something I'd love to see.
The ending, by the way, is extremelly rewarding. That's all I'll say. You can put the rumours and the spoilers to rest, because so much happens in this film you won't expect. And with it, there is so much left to happen.[/quote]
9/10
(Spoiler free)
I'd like to begin with stating that because of the way I've set out my rating scale, I do not rate in decimals, and the final score would either have been an 8 or a 9, and I settled on the latter, which I'll explain why in more detail later. I'd also like to make a very important note, although this is only what I believe and can no way influence anyone directly, but those who are a relatively large fan of Ridley Scott's Alien will defintely enjoy this film more so than those who aren't typically into the original, nor have such interest in the unviserse which was born out of it. I could be wrong in my judgment there, but this is much more of a satisfying film for those intrigued in some of the questions we were left with from the events in Alien, although Prometheus leaves the audience with more questions than answers, and really left the ending open with the clear possibility of a sequel, something I think could work well, and defintely should happen given they have the correct approach to it all in order to round off the majority of events which really left me open to speculation. As the perfect constructive summary; Prometheus is a beautifully shot science-fiction epic with splendid performances all across aboard, accompanied by memorable set pieces unmatched by anything I've seen before in the genre, but sadly the viewer is left asking more questions than needed, possibly due to the reign left behind concerning the bland script we've seen many times before, an often cliché approach which can be a positive or a negative effect on the viewer. In my case, much of that worked, and the majority of it left me satisfied.
Prometheus is a visual feast of beautiful scale, something not even close to being present in the trailers we have already seen. From the very beginning, we're thurst into this wonderful experience of massive proportion, serving as one of the most memorable and satisfying film openings ever presented on screen. In some ways, the first five minutes of the film has the possibility of being my favourite part of the entire experience, but many moments throughout the film make me reflect on such a decision, and in ways makes me go back over the events of the film several times. Never before have I come out of a movie theatre with such a memory, only matched by that of The Dark Knight. Let me miss out the ramble of how memorable the majority of this film is, and how much of a thrilling experience is seved, and tell you that the first hour of Prometheus is completely direct, and it gets into the swing of things very quickly after the opening credits. It didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel similar to much we've seen before except for the actual structure of scenes. Following the one hour, everything changes, and we're sucked into this magical hour of pure horror, pure action, and just the right amount of suspense inbetween crucial moments to fuel our thirst for more, and when you get more, you'll never feel more satisfied.
I suppose beginning with good points such as the above paragraph is the right thing to do, but now for some of the negatives which could really put a downer on most audience members if, as I said above, you're not completely engaged in the universe Ridley has formed. This is my viewpoint, and I know for sure that many who are into the original Alien may well be very disappointed with Prometheus (of which I'll let you decide for yourself as to why). Firstly, the script has severe problems concerning pacing, and although above I stated the first hour didn't feel terribly rushed, the latter half of the film did feel a little rushed, and in places it felt like it was missing something. I do understand that this isn't necessarily the fault of the screenplay, and the promise of cut material appearing on a future home release would defintely fix those issues, but I can't help but blame the script for hurrying the scenes along, just to get to the next visual feast of bloody encounters or satisfying exposive action set pieces. One other problem concerning the script is the dialogue, and little seems improvised, unlike Alien where it felt very natural, sometimes dialogue sequences didn't fit quite right and cheesy dialogue often drew laughs which I didn't find positive at all given how serious this film presents itself to be. The biggest problem with the story is its lack of explanation regarding many new events presented in Prometheus. We aren't given full answers to everything which occurred in Alien, and of all the new information we're presented, we're left with a bundle of boggling questions rather than receiving answers. Without spoiling some of the more revealing aspect of the film, we learn what happened to the large ship encountered in Alien, and we learn more behind the “Space Jockey”, but again, we aren't given complete explanations qhich just begs for the sequel. As far as my opinion regarding the possible sequel is concerned, after seeing this, I feel like we are owed a sequel in order to fully appreaciate the happenings in Prometheus, never mind whatever was left unanswered from Alien. Some people will find that leaving this film with more questions than answers is deintely a negative thing, and some things just ask for a sequel which I think is a cheap cop out as many points could have well been explained or defintely hinted at in the film, but leaving the audience with a basket of intriguind, deep questions can be a rewarding end, and it has certainly left my mind wandering, and leaves much open for fan discussion, something I truly value.
With some of the more prominent negatives out of the way, I can move onto some of the amazingly positive things surrounding Prometheus. Going straight into it, the cast are perfect. What they are given are characters with specific themes and goals, or perhaps, characters with much to learn, characters with questions that are never answered, a front for the audience in some ways. The stealers of the show come in the form of Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba, two which amazing on screen presence which really made an impact on the audience so much that we really cared for them, regardless of what their intentions may well be. Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron do superb jobs of creating belivable characters, although I felt Theron came across as slightly forced, and at times rather unbelievable, although I do have my fair share of interesting concerns surrounding her character which could supply information regarding her appearance. Rapace showed emotional strength when dealing with a character of whom suffers such intense, grotesque ordeals, and the events leading up to the final moments are some of pure emotional turmoil and terror, something that leaves a lasting impact for definite. The dark horse of the show is Guy Pearce, of whom takes the role of such a secretive character (despire the viral videos you may have encountered) that his first appearance is one of shock, but of satisfaction, and what he was given was made more so intriguing by Pearce's performance, a performance of believable stature. Although cheesy lines are endured throughout, I couldn't help but care for the majority of the characters, especially the fate of Rapace's character Shaw, and Marshall-Green's character Holloway. There are moments which should, and defintely will, affect you emotionally.
Technically, Prometheus is a huge leap into advanced approaches regarding its use of 3D, as well as the achievements in CGI and practical effects, promintely covering the amazing sets. The sets in Prometheus really are the backbone of some of the movie, especially visually, as well as in tone. As well as the plate of supreme acting, and a story arousing many intriguing questions (of which some will state as a clear flaw in writing, and some of it surely is), the film is held together with incredible landscapes and sets of huge scale and proportion, and serve as some of the most impressive sets I've ever seen presented on film. The use of 3D throughout, and this is no way an exageration from my personal experience, is the best use of 3D I've ever experienced. If you're not a fan of 3D like myself, and you're going to see Prometheus in 2D, I advise you to do no such thing. Since Avatar it seems that the film industry has been trying to improve its use of 3D, and since then no film has touched it (Avatar), until Prometheus. Visually, Prometheus is stunning, and thisn is only accompanied and helped along by the wondefulyl immersive and stunning 3D imagery, of which has great depth and colour, something most 3D films lack (especially 3D conversions, and because Prometheus was shot in 3D, it was clearly the right, and the only, choice Ridley could have made). At one point during the action set piece near the end of the film, raining debris often came across blurred and terribly out of focus which often strained the eyes, but this didn't last long, and we were back into comfortable territory. The effect of the 3D probably helped because I was in the perfect position, seated directly centre two rows from the rear of the auditiorium, and still being relatively far away from the screen compared the first few rows, the 3D had such a powerful trance and satisfaction behind it, it was defintely the best use of 3D I've ever seen, and may well have convinced me of the positives surrounding viewing film in 3D and how it is quickly changing the indsutry - perhaps for the better.
Touching on similar topics surrounding Prometheus' technical achievements, the scenes presented which were meant to have an overall grotesque atmosphere achieved just that. The use of practial sets and practical effects merged with CGI enhancements (and regarding the CGI, something I forgot to mention earlier, it is difficult to pick out what was often practically achieved and what was CGI, the CG was truly breathtaking at the best of times) were a complete delight, although the way Scott approahed one specific scene mirroring the chestburster sequence from Alien didn't have nearly the same lasting imapact, and that scene was rather disappointing, but was made up for by the atermath of happenings following that sequence, and the rest of the bloody violence wasn't over the top or distracting at all, and served as the foundation of how to execute such scenes well. Ridley went for shock value at the best of times, instead of slowly building tension and horror unlike Alien. With that, Prometheus feels, looks, and sounds nothing like Alien, and without spoiling anything, it doesn't resemble Alien in any way until the very end where we are left with one very interesting question. Prometheus takes on its own tone, its own feel, and although presented in the same universe, it feels so fresh and original despite the few cliché enduring moments (defintely down to problems with the story and the dailogue). In the music department, those who were disappointed with the soundtrack will defintely take a fresh look at things after viewing Prometheus. Often the background music isn't memorable, but throughout the last half hour, the soundtrack really ups its game, and during the heavy action sequence near the end of the film, the soundtrack is so memorable you won't be able to remove it from your memory. Ridley merges stunning visual themes with a haunting score, and when the score is viewed seperataly, it is in no way as satisfying as it is when spliced with the finished product.
Prometheus is a film that is very much its own, and being realistic, this won't become such a classic as that of its creator, Alien. Prometheus reached my expectations and satisfied me in more ways than one, and Ridley nailed it. The few problems which I found which most likely be more prominent for others, but as a fan of the universe, Prometheus wins in the majority of departments I knew it would win at. It is in need of another viewing in 3D, and honestly, 3D is the only way to view this epic adventure. I recommend for all, and I know that fans of Alien will espcially love some of the answers Prometheus presents, and will defintely want to discuss the massive range of questions of which have risen, obviously asking for a sequel - something I'd love to see.
The ending, by the way, is extremelly rewarding. That's all I'll say. You can put the rumours and the spoilers to rest, because so much happens in this film you won't expect. And with it, there is so much left to happen.[/quote]
