Beardface's stats
- Review count111
- Helpfulness votes16
- First reviewDecember 6, 2009
- Last reviewAugust 31, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.8
Overall rating
3
/
5
Strange and quirky movie.
PostedDecember 8, 2010
The Sad Flute Ninjas were awesome.
The leading lady way stunning to look and and funny to consider--making her even more intriguing to look at.
A story that seems to have been told many times before, done in a weird way.
Amazingly, this weirdness gave you a richer sense of probably way it was like to live in a slower time (you felt it in a way that you wouldn't have when done in better detailed period pieces). Sometimes this made the movie as a whole seem kind of slow, and even sometimes pointless. Sometimes it made what was done seem extraordinary.
Amazingly, this weirdness gave you a richer sense of probably way it was like to live in a slower time (you felt it in a way that you wouldn't have when done in better detailed period pieces). Sometimes this made the movie as a whole seem kind of slow, and even sometimes pointless. Sometimes it made what was done seem extraordinary.
Cool that while a few ninjas (for the purposes of the story) could dodge bullets, typically you got the since that only luck and war readiness, not super ninja powers, allowed this to happen. Ninjas were allowed to be killed, despite their obvious skill and numbers, by non ninjas with guns and explosives. There were a few supernatural ninja techniques that were used in the film--kind of clever use of legend and culture and ancient beliefs and CGI to tell a story.
Odd way to tell the story: 1) there was a sense that the movie should've ended before it did; 2) the chronological presentation of events was purposeful but almost taboo to storytelling; and 3) still shots didn't match up with what the narrative was describing.
It was entertaining, and if seen probably should be seen on a big screen, but try to make the lowest costing matinee time to which you can go. Perhaps you'll notice that I made little mention of the protagonist warrior, which should give you a since of how impressive he was. Even still, I kind of liked this flick.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Better than expected
PostedNovember 29, 2010
Visually remarkable, and some of the action sequences were absolutely outstanding. The music was okay--appropriate to the needs of the scene, but nothing memorable like Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin.
***Spoiler***A bit brutal toward the end; the happy ending that Disney films are know to provide is kind of forced, and that is after kids really have to embrace the fact that they just saw someone being murdered on film. Kids can probably take it in stride, but since I know some kids don't, parent should be mindful of this. Plus there is the underlying theme of questioning a parent's authority and motivations in order to live and to understand life for yourself. While this may be valuable at times and in some circumstances--and while I have my own issues whereby I might applaud such lessons--I still don't know how much I'd like the idea of my hypothetical children questioning my authority or my motivations for what I do when I discipline or restrict them, and I bet a lot of parents with real children would like that even less.
All in all, though, the film was fun, the villainess was quite wicked (although, disturbingly, in a real way--not the far fetched way of a magical evil witch, but more like an overbearing mother or mother-in-law or other mature to old female figure/authority who you are not inclined to treat with the level of malicious behavior you'd think she deserves), and even though Disney may have pushed the line a bit when they dealt with death and loss, they still maintain a level of discretion that allows for the experience not to be overwhelming.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
A good end to a well done series.
PostedNovember 23, 2010
Go watch this movie, especially if you've seen the other two films or have read the books. Well done story, and Noomi Rapace continues to put on a brilliant performance as Lisbeth Salander. Well done all around by the actors, writers, directors, and producers of this film.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Thank you Matt Damon
PostedNovember 23, 2010
I really appreciate these movies that clarify the meanings in and definitions associated with the issues and dilemmas of the day. Sadly the only people really fighting the corruption have themselves been portrayed, or exposed, as corrupt. Too bad the U.S. legal system has no motivations for the essential and supportive players to eliminate the idea of "cooperation" as it currently stands in the U.S. now. Too bad those in the cooperate system don't realize that one way or another change will come--without responsibility, such change will be painful and forced upon all of us, including them.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Insightful
PostedNovember 23, 2010
Sean Penn did such a great job in this movie, but it kind of sucked that he was in it. There are so many movies that have the capacity to help people see what is going on in the world of politics, and this is one of them. But Sean Penn is notoriously liberal, and conservatives, often instead of listening, will likely blow him and his projects off, and encourage others to do the same. What a shame (don't worry conservatives, liberals are just as guilty as you are in acting this way). I wonder if our enemies will see this film. I wonder it they will even care that some of the decisions to do the things that they are validly angry about often are coming from people who are powerful enough to make deadly decisions, but of whom will never be held to account. But maybe that is the point of this film and our "enemies"--no body is holding these people to any reasonable level of account, and yet somehow we keep calling ourselves a democracy (i.e. a government ruled by and accountable to the people). Maybe that's why so many of our enemies, and sometimes even our "friends", don't think of us as so innocent, or at least as such a shining example of "democracy".
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
-2points
0of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Outstanding
PostedNovember 23, 2010
It's getting harder and harder to say good words about great films because you realize that the films are so good they can speak for themselves. This is one such film. With so few props you get a great sense of action and adventure, drama and intensity of emotion, humor and silliness, isolation and loneliness, love and hopefulness. Such a shame this film has only a limited release, at least for now.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Well done film
PostedNovember 23, 2010
I don't quite have a handle of why I am not giving it 5 stars, but for some reason I don't want to do so. But let my internal conflict be testimony to how awesome this flick is. Russell Crowe is truly a military-spit-shiningly polished actor, and he doesn't fail to impress here. Maybe it was Elizabeth Banks--she wasn't bad, but I didn't see her as a worth-risking-everything-for type of woman in this movie. Maybe it was my insight in Russell Crowe's character's plan--I think the insight or revelations of his plan were a bit anemic. But, then again, I am struggling to find fault in this move--struggling! It was that good.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Harry Potter the movie is now all grown up!
PostedNovember 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this movie, in fact this is probably the best of the series.
Cons to the film:
1) Like most Harry Potter movies they are very detailed and long. Because the movie really has a book's sensibilities, a 5-10 minute intermission would be nice for several reasons. First, the movies pay careful attention to detail, and expect their audiences to do the same. Miss a couple of minutes (just 2) and you may have missed something you really wish you hadn't. Second, the movies are so rich in "movie" that a little break to process all the names and meanings and lessons, etc., would be nice--like a book, even if it's good, sometimes you just want to put it down for a little while. This may say more to the conditioning of my attention span; it all is a weak "con" argument as it still implies you are getting a whole lot of entertainment value out of the price of your ticket. I'd argue that concessions should be seat side (like they do for sporting events on the big screen) and even certain bathrooms reserved for HP viewers only (: )).
2) The movie is less suggestive and more direct in its approach to the violence and maliciousness of some of the characters. Also, the sexually is not so implied either. I'm not a parent, so my thoughts as to what I would do when really confronted with the dilemma of what is appropriate to kids would be off. But I would say that this isn't the movie with which you introduce your children to the Harry Potter series. I wouldn't suggest letting your kids 12 years and younger see this film before you do (either watch it first, or watch it with them so that you can discuss things).
My brother and my sister-in-law don't allow my nephews to see this film because of their religious convictions and because this film focuses on witchcraft. Harry Potter's vocabulary has been adopted by so many other films and tv shows that one wonders if the vocabulary is unique to the franchise or if it's authentic to Wicca and/or other forms of witchcraft. Parents should be mindful that kids will want to emulate and imitate their heroes; some kids may even want to copy the villains. All persons should consider that a religion isn't simply a "form of expression" or a "myth" to the persons who seriously practice them or those who would want you to believe in them.
My brother and my sister-in-law don't allow my nephews to see this film because of their religious convictions and because this film focuses on witchcraft. Harry Potter's vocabulary has been adopted by so many other films and tv shows that one wonders if the vocabulary is unique to the franchise or if it's authentic to Wicca and/or other forms of witchcraft. Parents should be mindful that kids will want to emulate and imitate their heroes; some kids may even want to copy the villains. All persons should consider that a religion isn't simply a "form of expression" or a "myth" to the persons who seriously practice them or those who would want you to believe in them.
Pros:
1) Improved, more serious action sequences.
2) Detail rich story and great continuation of character development (including insights to the motivations and characters deceased and/or not present).
3) No dumbing down of material to cater to kids for the sake of selling toys and merchandise. No filtering material in a way that seeks to appease parent groups. (Despite what I said in my con, I would say parents will and should have to take a more active role in censuring or exposing their kids to this material).
4)From the writing to the sound to the CGI to the acting to the directing to even the marketing, this was done well. No 3 D gimmicks to make the movie more appealing was required.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
A disappointment with cool stuff in it.
PostedNovember 20, 2010
It's hard to give it a 2 star rating, because some stuff was cool to watch, and the film maintains interest throughout. Plus if you bother to see this movie at all, you probably should see it in the theaters. So why won't I recommend it?
1) I saw the Matrix, I saw Cloverfield, I saw Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds, I saw all of the Aliens franchise, and I saw Will Smith's Independence Day. In all of those movies I enjoyed the props, creatures, and special effects; I can appreciate how producers and developers thereof could hate to see such innovations go to waste. Making a movie wherein you focus on their use again, with a very limited story to back it up, makes for an fun waste of time.
2) In addition to relying on visual and technological accomplishments that were at least fresher in other films (because to be honest, they were well done here), the commercials and trailers not only showed a lot of what I would see by the time I actually got to see the movie, but the commercials were MORE interesting than the film. This isn't an issue just of the commercials making the movie seem more interesting than the movie actually was. In the commercials, Brian Williams, Dan Rather, and a couple of other voices have cameos discussing what it may mean if we actually did encounter an alien species, what it may mean for our species to be on the wrong side of an occupation. This wasn't really discussed in the film. In fact, only a small group of people were ever seen in the film (at least after the first round up of "natural resources"). After months of promoting the movie the way that it did, I expected at least what was in the commercials to be what was in the film. The film, again, had so little depth.
3) I enjoy tv shows such as "24" (my favorite), "Dexter" (my second favorite), and "Scrubs" (not one of my favorites, but still pretty cool). And yet somehow I never really imagined a film that would combine the acting of the supporting characters in these series into one film (I am not just talking about the people who play these characters, but I am alluding to the acting ranges of these people). Nobody stood out in this film as remarkable or intriguing. There also can be a case that actors from film to tv may improve the tv show, but not so much that actors from tv shows may improve movies. The casting director could have done better by hiring no names--probably saving money, as none of the people would have established careers; probably improving audience interests, as people like me couldn't associate the actors with other acting projects (thus, not thinking how much better I liked the person in 24 or Dexter or Scrubs); probably finding the next action movie, or maybe general movie star (as a good performance in a decent to bad movie may make me look for that actor in other flicks, and even an ok performance here can let me see if that actor or actress develops his or her craft better elsewhere).
4) The movie becomes more and more interesting as it progresses and then stops when it seems like it is about to take legs and run. I am left wondering if this is the prologue to a video game or a tv series of which I wasn't aware. The movie bothers to show pictures of a continued story that seems far more creative and intriguing than the 90+minutes I just watched--and I just get picture stills? Clearly there is another movie that should come after this one, but now I am almost guaranteed not to get it. You mean after all of my criticism you actually achieved igniting my interests and cravings for more, and now I am likely not to even be able to pay to get those cravings satisfied--you @$##$###$%%^!!! (: ))
No, I do not recommend this movie.
Share:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Well done.
PostedNovember 19, 2010
Well worth the price of prime time admission. Scary to think how easy it could be to lose control of a train. Scary to think just how many jobs exists in America, or the world for that matter, wherein the people who really know, care, and understand what is going on are considered the most expendable.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
-2points
0of 2voted this as helpful.