Reviews

Ever get that feeling when you watch a movie that seems very unpopular and lesser known... expecting something average, but you get a lot more than what you bargained for... well, I'd say that feeling doesn't happen often. But this was definitely such an occasion when I was visited by this movie. Now I will probably pick me up a copy to add to my library, it's just that good. It's over the top, badassery of a film. One you want to look away, but can't. 8/10, but I'll grant it a special 9/10 due to its underrating. Definitely a good flick in the LEAST.

The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and The Avengers assemble... That's what I believe went over many viewers acknowledgement upon viewing and not wanting to revisit this one and many not appreciating this entry - as it did with me the first time I saw it. I also did not like it the first time, and felt like a chore to rewatch. But I was pleasantly surprised how good it was ... It's not one of the best, but it's not even close to being the worse of MCU.

But having just watched it during my second MCU marathon and having more knowledge of the MCU, I was pleasantly impressed and feel like I was watching this for the first time as I acknowledge things I didn't get the first time. The appropriate introduction to Nick Fury and Black Widow was beyond me before. And the villian is fun and believeable, the history we learn about Stark is actually more interesting and relevant to the MCU than anything that happens in Iron Man 3. The humor works, on top of that some very good action scenes make this quite a movie. I look at Iron Man 3 and it's by far the inferior sequel to this one. I highly recommend anyone who didn't enjoy it the first time, please, indulge a little more into the MCU and then revisit this underrated, overlooked gem!

I decided to buy me a copy of In Bruges. Not rent it, buy it. Mainly because it got high ratings and quite a bit of praise. And it deserves it. It's a very, very, VERY good film, no doubt.

From what I understand, this is Martin McDonagh's first full-length film. All I have to say is this... congratulations, man! It is truly a great film! Very nice direction, and the characters of Ray and Ken are excellently portrayed and acted by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. And every other characters on the sidelines are quite good as well, they make their appearance, their meaning and their resolution quite nicely. Hmmm... this is a sign of a good director/writer who knows how to tell a story! I hope to see more films by this guy, I really do. I'm a wannabe filmmaker myself, and it makes me happy to see a new director come along and make a good movie! Oh yeah, you won an Oscar for Best Short film back in '04, didn't you? I haven't seen your short, but that's an awesome achievement. Maybe you can win another Oscar someday. Although, maybe winning an Oscar isn't the greatest achievement for some people, but I think it's a nice honor. After all, your film "In Bruges" made it on IMDb's Top 250! Now that is something to really be proud of! And I certainly will keep the film in my DVD collection for a long time!

Bravo!

The movie is suspenseful, it's emotional, it's intriguing, it's a little funny, it's memorable, and it's watchable. Not only all that, but it's nicely well-told and it has some depth, though not perfect. Well done, Martin McDonagh! I hope that you will have a successful career, just don't lose your touch by all means!

8/10

The Dark Knight is one of the sheerest, most brilliant, original, provocative and masterful films that comes very rarely these days.

Firstly, let's get this out of the way: Heath Ledger is, of course, brilliant as The Joker, as we all assumed he would be from just watching the theatrical trailer. But what we didn't see in the trailer is The Joker's full glory of a villain, which is portrayed to perfection. And in fact, one of the best villains ever in the history of cinema, period. Up there with Darth Vader and Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Ledger, we will not forget you, R.I.P.

Now, let's get to the even better stuff...

For me, the characters of Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne/Batman was the even better slice of the cake. Batman for one, is bigger, better, badder, and darker than ever and we finally get to acknowledge and feel his character in deeper and more understandable ways than before. But Harvey Dent is the new hero of Gotham City. Crime is rising, and it appears that Harvey Dent is the only one who is able to save the city and stop the current highest threat; The Joker. The movie kept itself flowing with story and spectacular action sequences, very little if many flaws I could really notice, really.

Everything, I ever loved about movies, The Dark Knight, had pretty much all of it... and with a little bit more... from the originality of Pulp Fiction, to the iconic characters of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, story structure of Star Wars, action sequences like in Seven Samurai, epic like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and cinematic presentation of The Godfather films... The Dark Knight closely follows as one of those king names of cinema.

I don't want to reveal too much more, so let's wrap it up...

Acting: 9, Directing: 9, Story/Writing: 8, Emotional Response: 10, Character Portrayal: 10, Achievement as a Sequel: 10, Cinematic Presentation: 9, Overall: 9.5 = 10.

Go see it! This is THE movie to see at the cinema!

I never in my life liked Westerns, in fact I almost despised the genre. But when I saw this movie for the first time, it was far different from any Western I have ever been familiar with. Although, I couldn't say that I had seen many Westerns before this one. But in fact, Once Upon a Time in the West is a lot more than just a Western. And in a way, I don't even call it a Western, it's a genre of it's own kind. But by now I've seen and respect more of the Western genre, from films like Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy: A Fistfull of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Man Who Sho Liberty Valance and a couple others. But Once Upon a Time in the West still stands out as the most artistic one of them all, and my most personal favorite.

I can't even begin to express how much I've come to ADORE this wonderful, beautiful and brilliant piece of film that I've come to know only as cinema ART. The perfect direction, the beautiful visuals, the haunting music, the genuine characters, the originality of the story and the history within it - it's not only a remarkable film, but it's a truly intimate and personal meditating experience. Once upon a time in the west - the more I watch it, the more I feel the power and history behind that phrase/title.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a truly epic and iconic piece of cinema that should not ever be overlooked, and must be a little more recognized of it's brilliance by movie audiences and fanatics of all kinds. I'd like to even note that you can find this movie at a very low price for as low as $5.00 - $7.00! An incredibly low price for such an incredible movie, by all means give it a buy and hold it as one of your favorites as well!

My Rating: 10/10

Fight Club is arguably one of the most groundbreaking films since... what? Pulp Fiction? No, it must be The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! Or maybe, Citizen Kane...? Or could it be... Casablanca??? Maybe all of the above!

Fight Club is scarcely a considerable masterpiece. In some instances, that statement can be extremely biased, but I actually thought the same way after my first viewing of Fight Club, but that was because I had a hard time understanding it. Maybe it is highly recommendable that you give this film a second, third or maybe even ten viewings. Because it is a little challenging for some people to wrap their brain around a film like this, it used to give me a head-ache after every time I watched it. What it is, is that you need to watch it with a psychological view - if you understand basic psychology. It is one complex little film which has a lot to say about itself. What this film does is take you on an amazing journey through a person's mind, this might even concern YOUR mind and it gives you two kinds of resolutions: "Where to go and when to take action - or; when to slow down and think it over."

That aside, Edward Norton (American History X) and Brad Pitt (Se7en) are both simply groundbreaking in this film, they are perhaps the Humphrey Bogart and James Stewart of our generation! And of course the direction, cinematography and editing are all fabulous. It is in fact one of the most iconic, amusing, entertaining, stylish, brutal and thought-provoking films of our time and arguably of all-time!

Give yourself a "check-up" on yourself and not only watch this film, but analyze it - in the right way!

The other noteworthy classics of our age includes Se7en, The Matrix, The Usual Suspects, The Dark Knight, American Beauty and The Lord of the Rings.

Back during the year of 2001-2003, I was 10-12 years old. I've known about The Lord of the Rings, I've seen them advertised on television and so on, but I never gave any interest in them. Nor was I at all interested in films to begin with. I was never really a bright person back then either, I actually would pick on The Lord of the Rings for no particular reason - yet, even though I had never seen the films, I was very inconsiderate and immature. Of course, as years passed, I grew up a little. By 2005, after viewing Peter Jackson's epic King Kong, which surpassed anything I have ever seen in my very short movie-going experience. I got a lot more interested in films - King Kong amazed me, not just visually but emotionally... so I wanted to see more films like it. But throughout 2006, I never knew what films were good and what films were bad. All the films I saw throughout that year were all the bad ones. They were never satisfying. I was in desperate need of suggestions. Finally I discovered IMDb's Top 250 list - as voted by IMDb users, which guided me to seeing better films. The Top 250 was the answer to my prayer. So finally, I decided to rid myself of being a child and finally check out Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. Starting with Fellowship and Towers - renting them at a rental store. The Fellowship of the Ring was amazing, I discovered a heart inside of me that I never knew I had. The Two Towers gave me thrills and chills that I've only ever experienced watching Jackson's King Kong. But... when I finally watched The Return of the King, it throw me on my neck! You are talking about a nuclear explosion going off inside me. I was absolutely blown away by The Return of the King! It was perfect in every way possible! It had such a cinematic and brilliant story + conclusion to such a wonderful trilogy! This was "perfection" that I have never seen before! I immediately wanted to get these amazing films in my DVD collection, so I did. Throughout 2007 I would watch these films almost all the time, sometimes even twice to three times a month. Then came Feb 11, 2008 - my 17th birthday. By then I have seen and favor over 100 films on the Top 250. I felt like I've grown up a lot as a person and as a movie-fanatic, watching the films that everyone else watches. From how much I loved The Lord of the Rings, I decided to purchase the Special Extended Trilogy box set using my birthday money. And I felt, well... ashamed. Ashamed of what a fool I was! The extended cuts are seriously a much larger improvement than those theatrical cuts! Particularly in terms of story, depth, and characters! I could not believe all that time when I was watching the theatrical cuts, I actually didn't realize how much back-story they actually lacked! Even to this very day I'll watch the theatrical cuts for comparison, and yet I still find myself preferring the extended cuts, by far! My highest recommendation: watch the extended cuts! Not once, but two or three times!

I may not personally agree with the majority of the Top 250, but I must admit to the IMDb users, for they do have a very good taste in films nonetheless! However, of all the films I've seen and favor, including all those household classics (Rear Window, Casablanca, Star Wars, and so many more), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy yet remains in my top favorite of all-time, especially The Return of the King.

If you haven't seen these films yet, and I mean see them in the way that I did... you must stop at nothing to at least give them a try, whether it's your first or your tenth! Don't even think anything of it, just watch them! Watch them and follow the story in the way a film and story should be followed. These films continue to impress me and touch my heart every time I watch them. These films are very valuable to watch from time to time. For a plus, watch them with family! The films have deep moral messages about friendship, trust, courage, bravery and the processes of growing up and maturing. I'm so proud that I rid myself of all my immaturity and gave these films a try, only now do I feel like I've truly matured as a person. I'm far from that childish kid that I used to be.

Just put it, these films will probably be the best example of "Home Entertainment" you will ever have in your DVD collection.

Btw, I never read the books - as I'm not much of a reader, and there really is no need to, unless of course you want to. But it's not required, just watch the films!

Thank you, and I hope The Lord of the Rings will find a place in your heart and in your DVD collection, as they did with mine.

I saw this at the cinema with family, and what a fun ride it was! But, it only lasted as long as I sat in the cinema. Because when you're at the cinema, that's all you want to do is have fun. But as soon as I walked out of the cinema, I thought it was a pretty mediocre film. When I got home and glared at all the great films I have in my DVD library - the classics I love so much, I came to thought that Indy 4 was practically atrocious by then. Because for me, rating a film is all about leveling between the best films and the worst films of all-time - in most cases, the films you've seen anyhow, whether of late or solely by solid memory. And this was not even a mile from being a classic.

Indy 4 is a great ride at the cinema, great fun and nice to laugh with family. But there is really nothing serious, impressive, special or classical about it, at least not much. All I can truly comment on is the beginning half of the movie, which is fairly decent, but for the rest of the film it seems to take itself a little too silly and goes a little overboard filling itself with poor (but entertaining in the cinema) action/adventure sequences and highly over-used CGI. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against CGI in movies, CGI can be very nessecary, like in The Lord of the Rings, etc. But when it is used THIS much like in Crystal Skull, it just comes a little bit far-fetched! A return of a great action hero it is indeed, but in the end, it's kinda disappointing that he's not the hero we remembered him as... But all in all, it wasn't terrible, at least compared to the REALLY terrible films that I've seen in my days.

Although, I think it is definitely the lowest in the franchise... 6/10