TheFilmDiscussion's stats
- Review count41
- Helpfulness votes50
- First reviewFebruary 7, 2012
- Last reviewJanuary 25, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
5
/
5
The ending to best superhero trilogy of all time doesn't disappoint
PostedSeptember 13, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
“The Dark Knight Rises” is nothing short of a masterful end to the greatest superhero saga ever put to film. Layered, thoughtful, intense, and completely satisfying, this is the end that we have all been waiting, and hoping, we would get after “The Dark Knight” blew us away in the summer of 2008.
The film takes place eight years after the events in “TDK”, giving us a cleaned up Gotham, and a reclusive and broken-down Bruce Wayne, who hasn’t touched the Bat-Suit since he took the heat for Harvey Dent’s crimes. But a new enemy threatens Gotham, a villain willing to blow it all away in order to “restore balance” – Bane, a smart villain that also matches Batman in strength, a fresh feeling for these films. We witness a Batman here who is more human than ever, more war-torn than ever, and who is more defeatable than ever. With Gotham on the brink of destruction, Bruce has to summon all that he has in order to stop a threat that is more personal to him than he has ever faced before. The Dark Knight has to rise.
While “TDKR” may lack the break-neck speed, violence, and ferocity of “The Dark Knight”, not to mention the greatest super-villain performance of all time in the late Heath Ledger, it makes up ground in its story telling and character development. Bruce, played to perfection by Christian Bale, is pushed to his absolute limits here, as is his great city, which up until this film has only been toyed with. Here, it is completely and devastatingly brought to its knees at the hands of Bane, played with a brutal sophistication by the great Tom Hardy, who, because of a restrictive mask on his character’s face, acts using his eyes in a fierce and passionate way. Anne Hathaway gives us a Cat-Woman who is not just pretty to look at, as in “Batman Returns”, but is smart, sassy, and in control. Alfred the butler, played with gusto by the great Michael Caine, certainly gives the film its emotional center. If he doesn’t make your eyes water up, nothing will. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cilian Murphy, and Marion Cotillard round out a cast that is nothing short of superb. And don’t forget about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose character, John Blake, is much more important than we first think. Just wait.
“The Dark Knight Rises” is the most epic superhero movie of all time, hands down, in every way possible. The film’s budget and mind-blowing visuals (very little CGI) match the intensely compelling story and the rich characters blow for blow.
As a capper to the greatest superhero saga of all time, and as a film on its own, “The Dark Knight Rises” soars above our expectations, and compels us to stand up and cheer for what one man can accomplish when he is pushed to his limits.
The Batman remains the ultimate superhero.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
It may not be "Premium", but it's still a "Rush"
PostedSeptember 13, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
JGL’s latest film doesn’t have him chasing vigilante superheroes or sneaking into peoples’ minds, but it is every bit as intense as those other blockbusters, and much more real. Premium Rush throws us into the breakneck world of NYC’s bike messengers, who work for peanuts to deliver mail to people who need it “five minutes ago”. The best of the best is Wilee (like the coyote), played by JGL, who doesn’t even have brakes on his bike because they’re “too dangerous”. When a message he is delivering turns out to be worth fifty large, more than just a crooked cop come out to get him. Cue the chase. And more chase. And…more chasing. The film is high-speed, high-intensity, and plays like a hit of adrenaline. The only problem is that it speeds so much that the speeding starts to become routine, and what seems like a set-up for a real-time countdown film quickly turns into a film that bounces back and forth in time as quickly as the bikers weave in and out of traffic. While it may be confused, it certainly casts great characters acted with frenetic fun, especially by JGL and Michael Shannon. It may not be premium, but it’s still quite a rush.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great actors
Cons too complex
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
"Killer Joe" is one of Friedkin and McConaughey's finest moments
PostedSeptember 12, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
William Friedkin’s (The Exorcist, The French Connection) latest film is a masterful blend of dark comedy, nail-biting suspense, and unflinchingly brutal violence and sex. Killer Joe stars Matthew McConaughey as a Texas officer of the law who moonlights as a contract killer. For a cool $25,000 he’ll kill anybody you ask him to, no questions asked. For Emile Hirsch and his messed-up, trailer-trash family (Thomas Haden Church, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon) that means killing his mother, so that his little sister Dottie can collect on the insurance policy, so that he can pay off a drug money debt before he gets whacked. Unfortunately for all involved, Joe only takes cash up front. Seems like they’re all screwed until Joe lays eyes on the virginal Dottie, and decides he’ll take her as a retainer until the money comes in. As if this story weren’t messed up enough already. As the plot twists and turns around the desolate small town landscape, the characters have changes of heart that put kinks in the original deal. It all leads to a final act that is so bizarre and outrageous it landed the film a hefty NC-17 rating. You may never eat a drumstick again. The film is expertly crafted by a talented director and an ensemble cast at the top of their game, not the least of which is McConaughey as the titular character, easily one of his finest, most daring roles, played with steely intensity. I’m hoping Oscar will knock on his door. For a bloody insane time with some good ol’ boys and girls, this “totally twisted deep-fried Texas redneck trailer park murder story” can’t be beat.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
"Branded" has lofty ideals, but no force to leave a mark
PostedSeptember 11, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
This latest independent, low-budget mind-trip has lofty ideals, but without a single driving force to make them worth anything. Branded is set in a world very much like our own, a world ruled by brands and the companies who market them. To assume that this film is further from the truth than it is closer would be ignorant, in my own humble opinion. So, we’ve established that the world is our own. Enter the main characters, a man and woman, in love, who see the world for what it is and take advantage of it until the world chews them up and spits them out. Up until this point in the film, the storytelling lacks anything that compels us to root for any of the characters, and presents us with weird scenes, flashbacks, and a monotone narration that seems out of place, at best. Once our male hero is banished and is enlightened in the middle of a field by a star cow in the sky that tells him to perform an ancient sacrificial ritual (yeah, that’s right), he heads back to find his girl and change the world. While we’re never led to believe that he didn’t know how the world works, his new-found enlightenment has now allowed him to literally see how marketing is urging and pulling us this way and that, as he is the sole witness to a world where people are controlled by monstrous personifications of marketing which grow from their backs (yeah, that’s right). It’s this last act that finally goes somewhere and gives us reason to root for our heroes, and yet I felt it was more unnecessary than the rest of the film. The creation of these marketing “monsters” seems nothing more than a cool pipe-dream designed to show us what our world is doing to us. But it’s never explained! Why, I ask! Where do they come from? What do they want? Who is the sky cow? I can suspend my disbelief for a film that rewards me for it, that takes me to a world that makes sense in spite of its oddities. This one just let me down, and would have served its message better if it took time to set a few things straight or simply play it straight, with no sky cow. I dunno, maybe I’m just no fun.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Cons too complex, slow
No, I do not recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
'V/H/S' brings terror to frightening new levels
PostedSeptember 4, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Adam Wingard, Ti West, David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and the YouTube sensation Radio Silence have all come together to create "V/H/S", which simultaneously resurrects the anthology film with gusto, places itself among the scariest of scary movies, and makes the found footage genre more legit than it has ever been.
Set in the narrative framework of a group of villainous hoodlums with a v/h/s camcorder, we follow them into a house during a "job" to steal a precious v/h/s tape for a mysterious third party. When they arrive, however, they are met with a dead body and stacks upon stacks of unlabeled v/h/s tapes. As they put the tapes into the player to discover which one they're supposed to grab, we watch in horror as the sick stories play out in front of us. We witness five v/h/s stories, each directed by a different master of modern horror, before the outside story begins to unravel into something as twisted as what's on the demented tapes.
The stories range from a cautionary tale for predatory men, to a modern take on the "trapped-in-the-woods" slasher. We witness a second honeymoon gone horribly bad, an ingenious use of Skype, and a take on the haunted house genre that will not be bested for a long time. And I won't even tell you what happens in the house where the criminals are looking for the tape...
This is terrifying filmmaking, original and ingeniously twisted. Watching the film feels like experiencing a living, breathing nightmare. Cold sweats, confusion, shock, nausea - it all comes with this territory.
Combining the low-budget style of found footage with the low-budget look of shooting on v/h/s tape gives these filmmakers the opportunities to offer big scares, scares that don't give themselves up with CGI cheapness or flashy editing. No, "V/H/S" is down and dirty reality horror that digs so far under your skin it threatens to burst out the other side.
The filmmakers wisely choose to leave many details out, dropping us into stories that have long-since hit the ground running, giving us only enough exposition-laced dialogue to let us form our own conclusions, and often the films are left partially unresolved. Exactly like you'd expect found footage to be. It's bold and risky, and some will find it confusing, but it couldn't be more perfect.
If you're looking for something new to be scared of, pop in "V/H/S".
This is what nightmares are made of.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Getting to know our President, from his own words
PostedAugust 29, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
That I cannot recall a serious documentary film made about a president who was still in office at the time of the film’s release, at least not a film with a wide theatrical release (can we count the propaganda laden Fahrenheit 9/11?), speaks volumes about this film’s importance. That no president that I have ever studied in school has been shrouded in so much mystery and controversy speaks volumes about the legitimacy of a documentary investigating who he is and what he has come from. 2016: Obama’s America explores the history and influences of our current president Barack Obama, from as much an objective standpoint as I think one could take without simply saying nothing. While lacking the flashiness and polish of a Michael Moore film, director Dinesh D’Souza wisely goes straight for the facts, tossing aside all the propaganda, assumptions, theories and pretty motion graphics of more famous documentarians. How can I say “fact”? How do I know? Because much of the film explores the writings and quotes and interviews from Obama himself. It’s straight from the horse’s mouth. Much of it is alarming, I don’t know how it could be seen any other way by anyone who loves this country. Much of it also puts away petty arguments about things that don’t really matter when it’s all said and done. D’Souza affirms that Obama was born in Hawaii, which I’m sure will anger some people. But there are bigger issues at stake in this film, which is about our very real state of affairs here in the United States of America. While it does naturally take a partisan stance, it is as objective as documentaries get, and should be seen by all. And if box office numbers mean anything, it is being seen by quite a few (it posted Top Ten numbers for this past weekend, and only projects to grow to more and more theaters). The film’s tag-line, “Love him or hate him, you don’t know him” could very well be the complete review for this film.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+5points
7of 9voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
More blood and jokes, less brooding seriousness make "2" way better than the original!
PostedAugust 29, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
While the first outing amounted to nothing more than a boring line-up of famous action stars, the sequel is that rare species that is better, far better, than the original. Returning much of the same cast as the original, tossing in a few new names, and nabbing Simon West (Con-Air) to direct are all part of this fun upgrade. Not to mention a script that takes itself far less seriously than the first film, and action scenes that are more thrilling, more intense, better choreographed, and far more bloody and violent. This is the ultimate guy movie. Before you go, let me just list the names who appear in this film. Like the first film, the names alone are enough to get you to drop cash for the ticket, but in The Expendables 2 it’s everything else that makes you very glad you did. Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, and Nan Yu. Is there a plot? Yeah, I guess so, but it’s not important. What’s important is that they are looking to cast Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Wesley Snipes, John Travolta, and Nicolas Cage in The Expendables 3. Excited yet?
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, bad acting (in a good way), ultra-violent
Cons story?
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
Excellent actors save this poorly directed miss
PostedAugust 29, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Any other actors in the lead role would have likely killed this film. Not nearly as charming or whimsical or comedic as the trailers would have you believe, Hope Springs is an all-too-safe examination of what marriage can look like after many, many, many years of being together. The direction is the culprit here, as scenes and dialogue that needed to linger…didn’t, and scenes that were unnecessarily cliche fluff went far too long. The story and characters therefore feel unbelievable at times, and situations arise without seemingly any conflict, or far too much. It’s all stop-starty, an annoying roller coaster ride toying with my emotions even though I know how it’s going to end, mostly. Opportunities to dig deeper were sorely missed, especially with such talents as Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep on board. Like I said before, they both do a fantastic job, especially Jones. I just wish they could have been given a chance to do more.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Oscar-caliber performances from first-time actors make "Beasts" amazing
PostedAugust 29, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
A film by a first time director, starring first time actors, shot on a shoestring budget – and it will almost undoubtedly get an Oscar nod for Best Picture come next January. Beasts of the Southern Wild is not so much a plot-structured tale, nor is it necessarily about “beasts” as we’d think, but instead it is an intense look at a father and daughter, and their complex relationship as they struggle to survive in the south Louisiana community known as The Bathtub. As waters rise and their peaceful existence is threatened, little Hushpuppy must learn courage and strength enough for both her and her ailing father, Wink. While it may be over-hyped as a whole, the performances from the daughter and father characters couldn’t be hyped enough. Quvenzhane Wallis as the girl (only 5 years old at the time of filming) and Dwight Henry as her father are both so dynamite they threaten to blow up the screen with raw power and emotion. If ever it would be a crime to not give someone an Oscar nomination, it would be with these two first time actors. They’re “the man”. (See the film, you’ll get it).
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Moonrise Kingdom is bold and whimsical greatness
PostedAugust 29, 2012
TheFilmDiscussion
from Oklahoma City, OK
Age:18 to 24
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Wes Anderson’s latest cinematic treat is about two misfit kids who decide to run away together. They’re 12, after all, and they know what’s best and besides the boy is the knock-off version of an Eagle Scout and the girl has her magical binoculars. They’re in love and nothing else matters. With the whole town searching for them in the New England wilderness and a record-breaking storm approaching, the two young lovebirds cover some pretty mature and touchy ground for their age, and a scene on the beach between the two is a sure mark of the actors’ maturity, for it will make most people think twice about what they’re watching. But director Anderson doesn’t flinch in this scene, just as he doesn’t through the whole film. He boldly paints a beautifully constructed (his cinematic framing is unparalleled) portrait of life as a youngster, and all of the awkward moments and feelings that entails. It’s a quirky, heart-felt, emotional stroll through our memories, with rich, lively characters that only Wes Anderson could bring to the screen.
-Thomas Bond, TheFilmDiscussion.com
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.