TheFilmDiscussion's stats
- Review count41
- Helpfulness votes50
- First reviewFebruary 7, 2012
- Last reviewJanuary 25, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
4
/
5
"An Unexpected Journey" is expected fun and adventure, "LOTR Lite"
PostedDecember 17, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is mostly what you’d expect it to be. If you’ve seen Peter Jackson’s “LOTR Trilogy” and have been keeping an eye on the TV spots and movie trailers, it’s just like that. Not much more. And not that that’s bad, the film is fantastic entertainment. However, it feels so much like a rehash of some of “LOTR”‘s most famous scenes that one could begin to think that the filmmakers, as they tried to stretch out a single book into three films, were running low on originality. Perhaps that’s why they decided to go with the High Frame Rate format, a gimmick even cheaper than 3D that displays the film at twice the frame rate of standard projection, resulting in a hyper-realistic, sped up look that feels like a daytime soap opera. It is anything but cinematic (see it in IMAX, instead!). However, HFR and 3D do indeed compliment each other, and there are certainly grand possibilities here for the advancement of cinema. Just don’t experiment with it on such important works as Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”. Save that for “Avatar 2″. But I digress. The film itself covers the first third of the book, and introduces us to a much younger Bilbo as he reluctantly joins Gandalf the Wizard and a company of Dwarves determined to reclaim their homeland from a wicked dragon. We won’t see that fight until the second movie, though, so this film fills its nearly three-hour running time with trolls, giant spiders, goblins, and orcs. While some parts stretch a bit, there is plenty of adventure, sweeping vistas, and fighting to please every fan boy (the film has already shot to #88 on IMDb.com’s Top 250, a sure sign of bloated fan boy love). The best scene by far, however, takes place deep in a cave, between Bilbo Baggins and a familiar face, Gollum. Their game of riddles to determine Bilbo’s fate is perfectly written and is so full of wit, charm, and suspense that it threatens to spill out of the screen. Andy Serkis’s masterful motion-capture performance outdoes anything he has ever done before. The man is sheer brilliance, and the day that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes that will be a great day indeed. He earns a spot as one of five Best Supporting Performances of 2012, in my book at least.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Surprisingly moving and witty, a winner of a film
PostedDecember 3, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
This powerful true story based on the life of Mark O’Brien hits all of the right notes and is full of heartwarming surprises. Adapted from bed-ridden O’Brien’s article about his experiences losing his virginity to a kind sex surrogate (and learning about the even greater pleasure of loving and being loved in return), “The Sessions” is witty and true, with performances that will certainly garner attention come Oscar time. Helen Hunt has a shot at a supporting nom as the caring sex surrogate, but it is John Hawkes’ dedicated role as Mark that is easily one of the best lead performances of the year. He is inspiring, and so is this moving film.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Great performances highlight this Oscar-bait period drama
PostedDecember 3, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
After the 16th President of the United States was somewhat lampooned earlier this year as he chopped off the heads of vampires, Steven Spielberg was finishing work on a more serious look at Honest Abe, aptly title “Lincoln”, and though it may lack the action of Vamp Abe it is certainly every bit as powerful in its portrayal of a torn nation, and the man who will stop at nothing to bring it back together. The intensity in the film is drawn from heated conversations about slavery and the Civil War, and this word-sparring is stuff for the ages as a whole host of famous faces get screen time to connive and throw insults across the House of Representatives floor. Tommy Lee Jones is stellar as a Republican whose verbose insults are like bolts of electricity jumping out of the screen. But of course it is Daniel Day-Lewis who offers up yet another transforming performance as the titular character. His mannerisms, voice, look, and style give us not just a character, but another person entirely. He channels the spirit of Lincoln in every form and fashion, and it’s scary-good to watch. He’ll be in a familiar place come time for the Best Actor nominations to be passed out.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
1
/
5
An end to "The Suckfest Saga", and I'm not referring to the vampires
PostedDecember 3, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Well, it’s over. For some it’s sad. No more shirtless Taylor Lautner (he strips all the way down to his skivvies in this one). No more cheesy-looking CGI that laughably tries to convince us that these vampires are kin to The Flash. No more horrid acting. No more horrid writing. Yes, gone forever is the cheap-shot money-maker that is “The Twilight Saga” soap opera. In the latest episode, which amounts to nothing more than an unenthusiastic excuse to showcase every person who was ever in these films and convince us that the “saga” was something bigger than it was (it’s not), we wave goodbye to all of these things one last time. Sometimes, what looks great in your head as you read it in a book just doesn’t work as well on the silver screen. This is a prime example. But sadly, no one really cares. This meritless movie franchise made money off of a brand, and that’s all. What a waste of a pop-culture phenomenon. Oh well, I hear they’re already rebooting it.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Cons bad acting, slow
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
1
/
5
A cheap attack on our wallets and our time.
PostedNovember 27, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
This pitiful remake is nothing more than a hurried excuse to make money off of an 80′s action brand that made its money off of the pretty faces that starred in it, by doing more of the same. Oh well, we’ve got Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, right? (both fine actors, by the way). But wait, hell with them, let’s have a greasy-looking, stoner-faced, mumbling Josh Peck as our war-torn hero. These “pretty faces” fill out the empty space where the rest of the story about a hostile North Korean attack on American soil should be. Wait, where’s the United States military? Hell with them, there’s some device that shut them all down, and these kids are our last hope! Yeah, right. If you can tie an anchor to every last one of your disbeliefs and drown them in the waters of horrible cinema, then maybe you can appreciate one or two of the well-orchestrated and intense action scenes that “Red Dawn 2.0″ has to offer. Maybe you can even grow attached to some of the characters. But hell with all that, and hell with an ending. That’s the reward for your investment. But hey, the studios probably made enough money for a sequel. So there’s that.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Cons bad acting, bad story, bad writing
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Wonderfully creative and endlessly inventive!
PostedNovember 15, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Disney’s latest animated adventure is a wild ride that nerds and boring people alike will find irresistibly fun! But “Wreck-It Ralph” is ultimately for the gamers, who will likely have more fun chuckling at all of the clever in-jokes and cameo appearances by famous video game characters. Beneath it all is a plot-structure older than Atari, but it’s the shiny box the story comes in that makes it so desirable. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, a video game villain who longs to be loved and appreciated, desiring more for himself than his angry job description dictates He game jumps (Gasp! What will his home game do without him?) in search of a way to become a hero, and in doing so meets new friends and risks his life (if you die outside your home game, you die for good) to give them a better one. Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, and Jack McBrayer also offer their voices to this high-energy sugar rush that gives life to impossible characters and situations in an exhilarating way that no one has done since Pixar dunked us deep into the waters of Australia.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
The very best of "has it all" movies
PostedNovember 12, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
“Cloud Atlas” is jaw-droppingly, awe-inspiringly, eye-poppingly stunning in every way. I could leave it at that, for no review, article, essay or book could do a description of this movie justice (except, of course, for David Mitchell’s original novel upon which the film is based. But even then, only maybe). What directors Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski have accomplished here is a film that is felt deeply, a film that is an experience through everything that makes us human, the good and the bad. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant, and many more play multiple roles across many ages of time. Their characters’ actions cause ripples in the pond of endless existence. A curious birthmark, a common theme, and an unstoppable force of masterful pacing are all that seem to connect their stories at first glance. But the magic the filmmakers have accomplished occurs on deeper levels, within us, the audience. “Cloud Atlas” adds to you. It becomes a part of you. Let the film wash over you and inspire you to greatness. Who knows how your actions of today could affect someone generations from now. This film boldly visualizes that notion in an Oscar-worthy tale that is among the year’s best. See it! Because if ever a film could boast that it “has it all”, it is “Cloud Atlas”.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
"Skyfall" proudly drops among the greatest Bond films
PostedNovember 9, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Daniel Craig has now starred in the two greatest James Bond movies ever made (let the criticism begin), and although he also starred in the worst (“Quantum of Solace”), it wasn’t all his fault and can be forgiven. But enough comparing, because “Skyfall” needs no comparison, and would embarrass its competitors anyway. Sam Mendes has delivered a riveting thrill machine of a movie, with a rich character at its heart – James Bond. That’s right, the cold, calculating killer reveals even more of his soft side as we delve deep into his past. The emotional feeling we get from the famed agent is entirely due to Craig’s acting, who has brought more to the psychological side of Bond than the rest of the players combined. Sure, his films may lack some of the quirk and humor of the earlier offerings, but the character is still finding himself (six years ago he didn’t even know what drink to order). And trust me, there is plenty of humor, and a dash of quirk, in this fantastic entry. “Skyfall” gives us a compelling story that we can actually wrap our heads around, as it is nearly as simple as revenge. We get a wildly sinister villain from Javier Bardem (who reminds me of Ledger’s turn as Joker, and Bardem is equally Oscar-worthy), a multi-dimensional M from Judi Dench, the introduction of Q and Money Penny, as well as some throwbacks towards the films of old. Directed by Oscar-winner Mendes and filmed with a master’s touch by Roger Deakins, this is a Bond film that redefines Bond films (after “Casino Royale” rejuvenated them in 2006) and offers up something for everyone. Two amazingly choreographed (and photographed) action scenes and Adele’s soul-stirring theme song, with the accompanying and superb opening credits, are the icing on the cake. So I suppose the 23rd time’s the charm. “Skyfall” drops strongly in first place as the best of Bond.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Denzel soars at "crashin' n' burnin'" in 'Flight'
PostedNovember 5, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Denzel gives a high-flying (pun intended) performance as Whip Whitaker, a commercial pilot who may have a drinking problem, but he’ll certainly be the last to know. Directed with restraint by tech-whiz Robert Zemeckis in his first live-action effort in more than a decade, “Flight” is a gut-wrenching film with its power grounded in its lead performance by Mr. Washington. He too acts with a restraint unseen in his Oscar-winning work as a bad cop in “Training Day”, instead opting to bare his soul with his eyes. Man, those are some heavy, storied eyes. And they should be. From the film’s riveting opening crash sequence (Zemeckis’ time to shine) to its gripping court-room ending, we take a saddening journey through Whip’s life as it spirals out of control faster than a full-pitched plane in a nosedive. At times a tad preachy, but ultimately satisfying, you can go ahead and reserve a seat for Denzel on a direct flight to the Oscars. And it would be a cryin’ shame to not mention John Goodman’s knockout turn as a drug dealer. Wow he’s brilliantly funny!
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Argo is solid, exciting storytelling
PostedOctober 30, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Ben Affleck’s third film as a director, “Argo”, about the 1980 Iranian hostage crisis and the fake film created as a ruse to facilitate the rescue of six Americans, is undoubtedly his finest and most sure-handed offering. It’s smooth story-telling that’s gripping and balanced, offering up thrills and laughs aplenty. That he has been once again blessed with a slew of extremely talented actors is just an elegant spice on top of this superb cinematic treat. It’s a Hollywood winner that is stylistic and suspenseful in ways that so much of the boring box-office sure-bets grossly lack. Even if it lacks some of the intense bite of his “Gone Baby Gone”, it’s still Best Picture nom quality for sure, and a Best Director for Affleck, as well as a handful of other guaranteed nominations. And if I’m not mistaken, nothing seems destined to stop it from actually winning in all of these categories.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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