Recently Viewed Films - Reviewed

Seven?

Nah, that'd be too definitive.

Kaptain Kaviar wrote:Not really, I did the same thing with Star Trek. Both are very entertaining, but defy being rated as the overall quality doesn't match the shallow fun value.

Essentially it's somewhere between 6 and 8.

Bitch I invented that method.

Zombieland was fucking awesome. I loved it. Loads of decent gags hidden in it.

Also I hated 'The Hitchhiker's Guide...'. A shame because the book was great.

gdf wrote:

Kaptain Kaviar wrote:Not really, I did the same thing with Star Trek. Both are very entertaining, but defy being rated as the overall quality doesn't match the shallow fun value.

Essentially it's somewhere between 6 and 8.

Bitch I invented that method.

You forgot to patent it, sucker!

He didn't forget to patent his strong pimp hand.

Hellboy II: Golden Army

Not as visually impressive as the first yet being more heavily CGI reliant (like Pirates of The Caribbean 1 vs 2). The first film had a limited but entertaining substance to it which is absent here.
2/5... just.

2012

Laughably bad. Yeah, sure, the effects are fancy enough despite being obviously video game-ish, but the story is so appallingly rubbish, the characters so depressingly stereotypical that I can't help hate this piece of steaming shit.

3/10

Paranormal Activity

Genuinely frightening in places, and proves that the handheld approach is far from dead. Character development could've been a wee bit better though.

7/10

2012 - Not as woefully bad as The Day After Tomorrow, but that isn't really saying much. Fun enough family garbage though.

Breathless - A masterpiece of the French New Wave era. Alienation really does thump interpellation.

For fans of Dark City (which im writing a proper review f, so i'l let you guys know) and Blade Runner, watch Strange Days. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (K19, Point Break, Hurt Locker) and written by James Cameron (Terminator...) its a sci fi film which really transcends the norm. Set in 1999, its a little dated now, but its a great film, highly reccomended.

Because i cant be bothered to argue anymore

Falling Down- 8
Gladiator -10
Scream 2- 5
K19- 8
Ronin- 6
Le Grand Bleu- 7
The Roaring Twenties- 9
Giant- 8
Strange Days- 7
Dark City -8
Citizen Kane- 10
Birth of a Nation-9
Strangers on a Train-9
The Umbrellas du Cherboug - 6
Wall Street -7
Killing Zoe- 4
Alien-10
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari-9

Just ask if you want an opinion on them.

Is Citizen Kane really a ten? It's a decaying relic that hasn't aged well at all.

I cant believe you can give Metropolis a 10, yet object to me giving this one.

And are you looking at it in comparison to modern day film? i dont think that we should compare it to anything at all, when reviewing it, you have to do it on its own cinematic merit.

Metropolis is boring

Seany C wrote:Metropolis is boring

I wouldnt say boring, but its certainly no masterpiece, nor as influential as people claim.

I turned it off an hour in to it. So dull.

Every time that Metropolis is mentioned I always think people are talking about the 50's inspired anime and not the original, which I've never seen.

Now I'm listening to Ray Charles... anyone who's seen the anime will know why...

Metropolis astounded the tits off of me. Even if you don't like it too much, Dangly, its influence is one thing that can't be understated.

gdf wrote:Metropolis astounded the tits off of me. Even if you don't like it too much, Dangly, its influence is one thing that can't be understated.

Course it can!

What exactly are you taking as its influences? The almost complete ruining of German expressionist cinema? The set design, admittedly can be seen to be influenced in things such as Blade Runner, yet this kind of design was apparent in MANY german, or european films and theatre prior. In the nrrative work? Go watch the Cabinet of DR Caligari, or hell, even Nosferatu to see what i mean. In terms of narrative? Dr Caligari and even American films like The Big Parade, or The Cheat! did it better IMO, both before Metropolis. Performance, Metropolis isnt that stand out in the slightest. Genre? Georges Melies "Trip to the Moon" was around a decade prior and cetainly was a bigger influence.

I dont mean to be pedantic, im genuinely interested, what exactly do you think to be Metropolis' influences?

Everything.

Film, games, music, architecture. Throughout the entire film I saw, heard and felt reminders of literally hundreds of other works. I saw Nosferatu a couple of weeks later, and though I quite liked it, I didn't see a great deal of influence.

Iain, back me up on this.

No, im sorry i just dont see it.

Are you sure the reminders you see in architecture, music etc arent simply aspects of Expressionism? Metropolis is a wonderful example of expressionist cinema, but i dont think Metropolis introduced anything that wasnt already around. Look at Art! Edvard Munch is a good place to start for examples of expressionsim.

Metropolis is famed as being the film that birthed the science fiction genre, sent it kicking and screaming out into the world and challenged viewers with images the likes they had never seen before. The building of an entire city in miniature was not a task oft performed in that time and it led to Metropolis becoming one of Germany's most expensive productions of all time. The concept of the robot with or without the soul was with this film cemented as one of cinema's now most overused phenomenon. Star Wars, Batman and Blade Runner are just the tip of the iceberg of films that hark back to this classic masterpiece. And without Rotwangs laboratory, how would all future mad professors have looked?

I too saw Nosferatu recently and it pales compared to the narrative drive found in Metropolis. Whereas none of the characters in Nosferatu change much at all, the protagonists in Metropolis are forced to constantly challenge themselves as to what is right and what is wrong.

Are there more powerful scenes than the adults leaving the children behind in blind rage, their cause more important than their loved ones at the moment? How awe inspiring aren't many of the worker shots, the masses streaming, the machines being operated... this film basically invented the steam punk genre as well as inspired countless cinematographers.

Trip to the Moon is a forgotten relic, an experiment, a magic trick. It's usefulness died out a century ago.

And for one moment, try to stop categorizing films. "Almost ruined German expressionism". How can a film ruin a visual look? Fritz Lang can bloody well make his film look however he wants. He returned much to that style in M many years later. Metropolis is a different breed. A combination of german darkness and hollywood optimism.

Now, finally, why did I give this a 10 and Citizen Kane a 7? Simple. Metropolis had me at the edge of my seat, floored me with its early use of creative special effects and made me shed more than a single tear before the end. It struck a chord with me. It was beautiful.

Citizen Kane, however, bored me like no tomorrow. I'd never deny this film was a revolution without like, but for me it's value has faded greatly as it has been improved upon in every single department since. It's now just a shiny relic, which fits better in a museum than in a DVD player.

Metropolis is emotion crystalized. A feeling that cannot die. It's a conflict that is as relevant today as it was then. And with a stunning score, a beautiful actress and conflicting goals it is, without doubt, the best silent film of its era, one of the most influential films within science fiction and a triumph for Fritz Lang.

First film to of had a large model city and a robot, whoop-de-fuckin' doo.

Boring, just like 99% of sci fi.

I'm gonna list good sci fi right now:

Alien
Blade Runner
ummm, shit this is hard.

Okay, those are the only two I can think of right now.

Wait, Starship motherfuckin' Troopers!

Might be more but I can't recall any right now.

What about 2001? Wall E? Terminator 2? The Matrix? District 9? Twelve Monkeys? Stalker? Planet of the Apes? Brazil? The Truman Show?