Reply to Topic
Since when do Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb scores matter? 
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.
5-time MoFo Award winner.
MovieMeditation’s Diary Reviews // “Come and meditate with me!”
→ in Movie Reviews
Meh, whatever...
My diary thread is pure fun and free form, sometimes it's just fun to throw out something stupid, other times I like it more clever and once in a while I like it when it's outrageous. it's just some words, don't know how you can turn from spongebob to being overly serious about something as pointless and nitpicky as that.
My diary thread is pure fun and free form, sometimes it's just fun to throw out something stupid, other times I like it more clever and once in a while I like it when it's outrageous. it's just some words, don't know how you can turn from spongebob to being overly serious about something as pointless and nitpicky as that.
__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
X
Favorite Movies
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
219 .......................... 251
__________________________
September 8th
—— 1938 ——
YOU
CAN'T
TAKE IT
WITH
YOU
—— comedy ——
"Maybe it'll stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use?
You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it?"
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I was honestly surprised by ‘You Can’t Take It with You’ and found it to be a fun and amusing time to be had. Many people don’t seem to like it and I do agree that the film is kind of dated and the drama and writing feels forced from time to time, especially when it reaches for sentimentality and silly remarks about important stuff, which ultimately feels fluffy in its delivery and approach.
The story was actually well enough written within its own set-up of slap-stick and silly jokes and the simplicity and straightforward approach was fine by me, particularly since the characters and their actions was what drove this movie forward in my opinion. It was their individual personalities and their multiple interactions that ultimately created this chaotic but comical outcome, which sets the tone and tempo for the entire film. The freehanded feel of the film made me sit back in my comfortable chair and chuckle at the completely crazy situation happening on screen. I can clearly see how this story has been adapted from a play and perhaps that is both its strength and weakness.
Maybe you can’t take it with you, but you can take it for what it is and choose to go along with it – at least that is what I did. My company with the cozy yet critically quirky characters from the Sycamore family was an amusing time, and even more so, when the Kirby clan showed up to create some serious contrast and stir things up even more than before. The story starts out rather simple, with the Kirby’s wanting to buy off the house of the Sycamore’s, but everything changes once a spark has been ignited between the son and daughter, respectively, of the two families. I enjoyed this film for what it was and whatever weight it doesn't have it doesn't want either. I guess you could say the same about this review, which may be a little lightweight and lackluster in comparison to other stuff I have done. But you have to remember; when compared to absolute greatness, the lesser stuff is still kind of good after all…
-
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
219 .......................... 251
__________________________
September 8th
—— 1938 ——
YOU
CAN'T
TAKE IT
WITH
YOU
—— comedy ——
"Maybe it'll stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use?
You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it?"
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I was honestly surprised by ‘You Can’t Take It with You’ and found it to be a fun and amusing time to be had. Many people don’t seem to like it and I do agree that the film is kind of dated and the drama and writing feels forced from time to time, especially when it reaches for sentimentality and silly remarks about important stuff, which ultimately feels fluffy in its delivery and approach.
The story was actually well enough written within its own set-up of slap-stick and silly jokes and the simplicity and straightforward approach was fine by me, particularly since the characters and their actions was what drove this movie forward in my opinion. It was their individual personalities and their multiple interactions that ultimately created this chaotic but comical outcome, which sets the tone and tempo for the entire film. The freehanded feel of the film made me sit back in my comfortable chair and chuckle at the completely crazy situation happening on screen. I can clearly see how this story has been adapted from a play and perhaps that is both its strength and weakness.
Maybe you can’t take it with you, but you can take it for what it is and choose to go along with it – at least that is what I did. My company with the cozy yet critically quirky characters from the Sycamore family was an amusing time, and even more so, when the Kirby clan showed up to create some serious contrast and stir things up even more than before. The story starts out rather simple, with the Kirby’s wanting to buy off the house of the Sycamore’s, but everything changes once a spark has been ignited between the son and daughter, respectively, of the two families. I enjoyed this film for what it was and whatever weight it doesn't have it doesn't want either. I guess you could say the same about this review, which may be a little lightweight and lackluster in comparison to other stuff I have done. But you have to remember; when compared to absolute greatness, the lesser stuff is still kind of good after all…
-
__________________________
__________________
/watching movies for mark f/
MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror
/watching movies for mark f/
MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
220 .......................... 252
__________________________
September 9th
—— 2003 ——
WRONG
TURN
—— horror ——
REWATCH
The wrong way...
done the right way...
Review from my horror list
This is a film that somehow succeeds in keeping this unpredicted kind of balance, which would otherwise seem almost impossible for any other film, when using the same theme and overall idea… This is also why the sequels that followed were absolutely dreadful and laughably pathetic to sit through; it simply couldn’t find that same kind of balance and style that the first one had. Because despite being a rather ridiculous idea – which would probably even make you laugh if you heard it – you would still be surprised at how frightening and exciting it can actually be. And of course, it is also a whole lot of fun at the same time. Furthermore, it isn’t a bad thing that Stan Winston blessed this film with his amazing work in practical effects, which only makes the film and its atmosphere appear all the more terrifying for it…
I don’t expect I have to tell you the premise of this film, since it is basically given away in the very title. There is a group of very unlucky people, who unfortunately take a wrong turn and end up being stranded in some kind of remote forest with no human life in sight… Well, at least up until the group runs into three grossly disfigured cannibalistic mountain men, who tries to kill them at all cost and take them to dinner… if you know what I mean. But jokes aside, this film is actually surprisingly well-made, very disturbing to witness, and also extremely intense to watch at times – even despite the rather noisy nature of one of the cannibals, which I guess is only fitting. But the thing is though, that these cannibals are never portrayed as being downright hilarious or pathetic characters, and they aren’t really supposed to be either.
However, I’m sure there are people who still won’t be able to take the film as serious as it should be. Because in reality the film carries a terrifyingly realistic approach, using a very dark and gloomy atmosphere throughout, which also contains some very nasty set pieces and unnerving practical make-up. Obviously it is still a film to have fun with, but you shouldn’t brush this film away purely for its concept and your first impression of it. Actually, this is a fine little hidden gem in the horror genre, which may not stand as strong as it once did with me, but it is still a fun and fearsome thrill ride!
Deformed cannibalistic rednecks may not sound that terrifying in its written words, but try to imagine being the one who was trapped in a large isolated forest with three inbred individuals, who uses inhuman approaches to catch you and eventually eat you like the brutal animals that they are – wouldn’t you be just a tiny bit afraid too? The tension in this film is quite good and the set pieces so amazingly detailed as well. Overall, it is just blast to watch!
+
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
220 .......................... 252
__________________________
September 9th
—— 2003 ——
WRONG
TURN
—— horror ——
REWATCH
The wrong way...
done the right way...
Review from my horror list
This is a film that somehow succeeds in keeping this unpredicted kind of balance, which would otherwise seem almost impossible for any other film, when using the same theme and overall idea… This is also why the sequels that followed were absolutely dreadful and laughably pathetic to sit through; it simply couldn’t find that same kind of balance and style that the first one had. Because despite being a rather ridiculous idea – which would probably even make you laugh if you heard it – you would still be surprised at how frightening and exciting it can actually be. And of course, it is also a whole lot of fun at the same time. Furthermore, it isn’t a bad thing that Stan Winston blessed this film with his amazing work in practical effects, which only makes the film and its atmosphere appear all the more terrifying for it…
I don’t expect I have to tell you the premise of this film, since it is basically given away in the very title. There is a group of very unlucky people, who unfortunately take a wrong turn and end up being stranded in some kind of remote forest with no human life in sight… Well, at least up until the group runs into three grossly disfigured cannibalistic mountain men, who tries to kill them at all cost and take them to dinner… if you know what I mean. But jokes aside, this film is actually surprisingly well-made, very disturbing to witness, and also extremely intense to watch at times – even despite the rather noisy nature of one of the cannibals, which I guess is only fitting. But the thing is though, that these cannibals are never portrayed as being downright hilarious or pathetic characters, and they aren’t really supposed to be either.
However, I’m sure there are people who still won’t be able to take the film as serious as it should be. Because in reality the film carries a terrifyingly realistic approach, using a very dark and gloomy atmosphere throughout, which also contains some very nasty set pieces and unnerving practical make-up. Obviously it is still a film to have fun with, but you shouldn’t brush this film away purely for its concept and your first impression of it. Actually, this is a fine little hidden gem in the horror genre, which may not stand as strong as it once did with me, but it is still a fun and fearsome thrill ride!
Deformed cannibalistic rednecks may not sound that terrifying in its written words, but try to imagine being the one who was trapped in a large isolated forest with three inbred individuals, who uses inhuman approaches to catch you and eventually eat you like the brutal animals that they are – wouldn’t you be just a tiny bit afraid too? The tension in this film is quite good and the set pieces so amazingly detailed as well. Overall, it is just blast to watch!
+
__________________________
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Maybe you can’t take it with you, but you can take it for what it is and choose to go along with it
Oh, you're on a roll.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
219 .......................... 251
__________________________
September 8th
—— 1938 ——
YOU
CAN'T
TAKE IT
WITH
YOU
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
219 .......................... 251
__________________________
September 8th
—— 1938 ——
YOU
CAN'T
TAKE IT
WITH
YOU
It's been a long while since I've seen it, I seem to remember liking it. Most Hollywood comedies made at the time will seem light and sentimentally, especially as in the 1930s people needed escapism from the woes of the Great Economic Depression.
X
Favorite Movies
True, HK.
And yes, Citizen, that's the date I watched it - and that was for the 7th HoF indeed. Anyways, I know I'm behind as hell, but I figured the reviews are what matters, not the date, so I just continued reviewing the movies chronologically and hopefully I'll be done before 2017... and then I'll finally start the reviews for 2016.
And yes, Citizen, that's the date I watched it - and that was for the 7th HoF indeed. Anyways, I know I'm behind as hell, but I figured the reviews are what matters, not the date, so I just continued reviewing the movies chronologically and hopefully I'll be done before 2017... and then I'll finally start the reviews for 2016.
Last edited by MovieMeditation; 02-15-16 at 08:24 PM.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Anyways, I know I'm behind as hell
X
Favorite Movies
I find Wrong Turn to be a very underrated horror film. It made my top horror films list.
Can't say the same for the sequels though....what are they on now? Wrong Turn 5????
Can't say the same for the sequels though....what are they on now? Wrong Turn 5????
__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."
Suspect's Reviews
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."
Suspect's Reviews
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
I find Wrong Turn to be a very underrated horror film. It made my top horror films list.
Can't say the same for the sequels though....what are they on now? Wrong Turn 5????
Can't say the same for the sequels though....what are they on now? Wrong Turn 5????
Eh, they are actually on 6 now, which is "appearently" the last one. I made it to 4, which was surprisingly far and I couldn't take no more.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
56 .......................... 50
__________________________
__________________________
February 14th
A Few Good Men (1992)
-
I don’t think I have ever watched this though I know how well-known it is, mostly for that classic line which I think I have heard a thousand times… Anyways, this film was pretty good, nothing that amazing but it was acceptable. The writing was extremely great as expected by such a talented writer, and the directing was decent though I couldn’t really feel any “personal fingerprints” that made it his own. The story was, in my opinion, a little too much going from point A to point B, though I do see the point of climbing up the courtroom ladder and finally getting to the “main target” of their case. I love courtroom dramas, but this didn’t really rise to greatness until the last 30 minutes or so. But it is obvious why it became good, since those scenes was what you were waiting for the whole time through. The acting was good, especially from Nicholson but he is always great. The soundtrack I really didn’t like. It felt like something from a horror film, and intentional or not, it just didn’t work for me. Overall this movie is one of those that you watch, you kind of like, and that’s pretty much it… At least that is how I felt.
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
56 .......................... 50
__________________________
__________________________
February 14th
A Few Good Men (1992)
-
I don’t think I have ever watched this though I know how well-known it is, mostly for that classic line which I think I have heard a thousand times… Anyways, this film was pretty good, nothing that amazing but it was acceptable. The writing was extremely great as expected by such a talented writer, and the directing was decent though I couldn’t really feel any “personal fingerprints” that made it his own. The story was, in my opinion, a little too much going from point A to point B, though I do see the point of climbing up the courtroom ladder and finally getting to the “main target” of their case. I love courtroom dramas, but this didn’t really rise to greatness until the last 30 minutes or so. But it is obvious why it became good, since those scenes was what you were waiting for the whole time through. The acting was good, especially from Nicholson but he is always great. The soundtrack I really didn’t like. It felt like something from a horror film, and intentional or not, it just didn’t work for me. Overall this movie is one of those that you watch, you kind of like, and that’s pretty much it… At least that is how I felt.
__________________________
X
Favorite Movies
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
88 .......................... 80
__________________________
March 14th
The Dark Knight (2008)*
"If you're good at something, never do it for free."
Movie Commentary with Swan & rauldc14
I really love this movie a whole lot, but somehow I feel like it is definitely debatable, even between me and myself, whether I should really throw this that perfect rating or maybe just take it down a notch. But if I have to be honest, for all of what the film is trying to do it succeeds extraordinarily well, and there are plenty of amazing aspects that have the potential to completely overshadow every single possible flaw of this film. It is a powerhouse tour de force of a film, slowly changing into complete madness and chaos – but without ever loosing its edge or its down-pulled control. The movie balances on a fine line between blockbuster and drama material, and it never turns into your typical overbloated blockbuster mess, which is what I really love about it.
Basically, it is a dramatic crime thriller disguised as a superhero blockbuster, and it is fantastic just how bravely Nolan executed his vision without ever thinking he had to make a certain kind of film to please the studio and/or audiences. If you really think about it, the amount of action this film has is truly at a minimum, and even the big climatic closing is not your typical overbloated and explosive computer generated mess that we are used to these days. It is something a lot closer to the core and spirit of the story and what it sets out to be. And there is really no need for me to praise the hell out of Heath Ledger here, because we all know just how damn great that performance is, but we shouldn’t forget that the character is actually well-written also – even considering the fact that the strong side of the Nolan brothers has never been with the scriptwriting and general dialogues; something that, to me, seems to have turned far worse over time…
For a film that supposedly revolves around the theme of “chaos”, it has a surprisingly high amount of control and focus to it, with a lot of attention paid to even the smallest of things. The amount of cringe-worthy dialogue is thankfully at a minimum and the script actually has plenty of great quotable lines that I have come to love over time…
FAVORITE SCENE // The Interrogation Scene
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
88 .......................... 80
__________________________
March 14th
The Dark Knight (2008)*
"If you're good at something, never do it for free."
Movie Commentary with Swan & rauldc14
I really love this movie a whole lot, but somehow I feel like it is definitely debatable, even between me and myself, whether I should really throw this that perfect rating or maybe just take it down a notch. But if I have to be honest, for all of what the film is trying to do it succeeds extraordinarily well, and there are plenty of amazing aspects that have the potential to completely overshadow every single possible flaw of this film. It is a powerhouse tour de force of a film, slowly changing into complete madness and chaos – but without ever loosing its edge or its down-pulled control. The movie balances on a fine line between blockbuster and drama material, and it never turns into your typical overbloated blockbuster mess, which is what I really love about it.
Basically, it is a dramatic crime thriller disguised as a superhero blockbuster, and it is fantastic just how bravely Nolan executed his vision without ever thinking he had to make a certain kind of film to please the studio and/or audiences. If you really think about it, the amount of action this film has is truly at a minimum, and even the big climatic closing is not your typical overbloated and explosive computer generated mess that we are used to these days. It is something a lot closer to the core and spirit of the story and what it sets out to be. And there is really no need for me to praise the hell out of Heath Ledger here, because we all know just how damn great that performance is, but we shouldn’t forget that the character is actually well-written also – even considering the fact that the strong side of the Nolan brothers has never been with the scriptwriting and general dialogues; something that, to me, seems to have turned far worse over time…
For a film that supposedly revolves around the theme of “chaos”, it has a surprisingly high amount of control and focus to it, with a lot of attention paid to even the smallest of things. The amount of cringe-worthy dialogue is thankfully at a minimum and the script actually has plenty of great quotable lines that I have come to love over time…
FAVORITE SCENE // The Interrogation Scene
__________________________
Nolan is one of my fave contemporary directors anyway. Quite easy-going yet powerful. We could even call him the modern Kubrick. Interstellar reminds me of 2001. They're both masters of creating atmospheres.
X
Favorite Movies
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
221 .......................... 253
__________________________
September 10th
—— 2011 ——
T A K E__S H E L T E R
—— drama ——
REWATCH
There is a storm coming like nothing you've ever seen,
and not a one of you is prepared for it...
This review contains spoilers
I always appreciate and admire films that attempt to visualize spiritual or nonphysical objects and present them in an either metaphorical or literal understanding, which then forms a wider and vivid image or just a small fragmented idea in the mind of the audience, ultimately helping them understand said object. Sometimes the film will force you to think a certain way, other times it leaves things open for the audience to answer. But no matter which way these things are depicted, it is always an interesting experience of cinematic experimentation. ‘Take Shelter’, as directed by Jeff Nichols, tackles the terrifying realities of paranoid schizophrenia, which we are never seriously able to see from a subjective standpoint unless we actually suffer from it ourselves. I have seen plenty of people in cinema undertake the subject of sickness, both mental and physical, which leads to some interesting individual approaches from countless different directors. There are some who take on the sickness in an informative and factual way, while others prefer the more freeform fictionalized approach...
In many ways, ‘Take Shelter’ balances between both of these approaches, which may be the reason for the elevated feel of realism despite its slightly surreal nature. The film largely focuses on an everyday ordinary family, who struggle to survive because of some fairly common financial problems, which have started to become more prominent due to their daughters progressive hearing problems. This extremely earthbound evolution and depiction of the family and their misfortunes obviously encourages the audience to care, while also adding some much needed weight to the plot, thereby easing our very understanding of Curtis’ continuous progression of sickness. All of the hallucinations and haunting visions appear a lot more real to us, which is further enforced by the way of which this dreamlike element is being worked into the plot – slowly blurring the lines between reality and vision, slowly dragging us deeper into the mental state of Curtis, slowly finding out what kind of character Curtis actually is and what he is slowly but surely evolving into.
‘Take Shelter’ is a fantastic film, which never fails to haunt your mind with its distressing and anxious imagery in which the depiction of dreams and visions puts you in the place of the main character and what he is dealing with. Combined with Michael Shannon’s unsettling performance of carefully measured mannerisms and a gradually collapsing mentality, we are unwillingly invited into this terrifying state of mind, where we are shown what brings him to certain decisions and why he follows through with them. We might not fully understand those decisions, but Shannon’s performance makes us relate and sympathize with him as well as his surroundings. The ending is absolutely frightening yet fatally fitting for the film and the story it wants to tell, embodying a form of acceptance, while realizing, understanding and ultimately overcoming the oncoming complications in life. We quietly observe Curtis and his family within their caring comfort and coming closure, we see his daughter finally discovering and recognizing “the storm” in Curtis and we notice his wife giving him a slight but significant glance in his direction. In the end, we may just be a random spectator looking from a distance, but just like the family, we know it, we feel it and we acknowledge it.
+
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
221 .......................... 253
__________________________
September 10th
—— 2011 ——
T A K E__S H E L T E R
—— drama ——
REWATCH
There is a storm coming like nothing you've ever seen,
and not a one of you is prepared for it...
This review contains spoilers
I always appreciate and admire films that attempt to visualize spiritual or nonphysical objects and present them in an either metaphorical or literal understanding, which then forms a wider and vivid image or just a small fragmented idea in the mind of the audience, ultimately helping them understand said object. Sometimes the film will force you to think a certain way, other times it leaves things open for the audience to answer. But no matter which way these things are depicted, it is always an interesting experience of cinematic experimentation. ‘Take Shelter’, as directed by Jeff Nichols, tackles the terrifying realities of paranoid schizophrenia, which we are never seriously able to see from a subjective standpoint unless we actually suffer from it ourselves. I have seen plenty of people in cinema undertake the subject of sickness, both mental and physical, which leads to some interesting individual approaches from countless different directors. There are some who take on the sickness in an informative and factual way, while others prefer the more freeform fictionalized approach...
In many ways, ‘Take Shelter’ balances between both of these approaches, which may be the reason for the elevated feel of realism despite its slightly surreal nature. The film largely focuses on an everyday ordinary family, who struggle to survive because of some fairly common financial problems, which have started to become more prominent due to their daughters progressive hearing problems. This extremely earthbound evolution and depiction of the family and their misfortunes obviously encourages the audience to care, while also adding some much needed weight to the plot, thereby easing our very understanding of Curtis’ continuous progression of sickness. All of the hallucinations and haunting visions appear a lot more real to us, which is further enforced by the way of which this dreamlike element is being worked into the plot – slowly blurring the lines between reality and vision, slowly dragging us deeper into the mental state of Curtis, slowly finding out what kind of character Curtis actually is and what he is slowly but surely evolving into.
‘Take Shelter’ is a fantastic film, which never fails to haunt your mind with its distressing and anxious imagery in which the depiction of dreams and visions puts you in the place of the main character and what he is dealing with. Combined with Michael Shannon’s unsettling performance of carefully measured mannerisms and a gradually collapsing mentality, we are unwillingly invited into this terrifying state of mind, where we are shown what brings him to certain decisions and why he follows through with them. We might not fully understand those decisions, but Shannon’s performance makes us relate and sympathize with him as well as his surroundings. The ending is absolutely frightening yet fatally fitting for the film and the story it wants to tell, embodying a form of acceptance, while realizing, understanding and ultimately overcoming the oncoming complications in life. We quietly observe Curtis and his family within their caring comfort and coming closure, we see his daughter finally discovering and recognizing “the storm” in Curtis and we notice his wife giving him a slight but significant glance in his direction. In the end, we may just be a random spectator looking from a distance, but just like the family, we know it, we feel it and we acknowledge it.
+
__________________________
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
222 .......................... 254
__________________________
September 11th
—— 2003 ——
DAREDEVIL
—— garbage ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
REWATCH
‘Daredevil’ dares to be drastically different,
but this is not meant in a good way at all...
Mark Steven Johnson, the director of this film, might just go to hell for this horrendous piece of pieced together crap crammed into only a single little roll of film. And yes, I did watch the director’s cut as well, which is also the one currently being reviewed at the moment and that wasn’t many margins above the already atrocious original cut that I originally sat and suffered my way through. Honestly, I can’t recall much about the differences between the two cuts, correspondingly, but I know for damn sure that this devil didn’t even come a paper cut above cult classic status or just some form of general greatness. It is simply just a bad film…
I have to be honest with you, ‘Daredevil’ did involve me and my mind and left me full of ever-growing emotion almost to a level of superior sadness. But why, you may ask, well because I have never felt so extremely embarrassed about something, as I did on behalf of every single soul involved with this fatal feature of filmic feces, which somehow managed to maneuver past my prospects of an already extremely low kind. Back when cinema wasn’t a cemented part of my backbone and I was pretty much blind to really bad cinema – as well as educationally bareboned – in terms of movielike knowledge; I surprisingly didn’t hate this movie. Well, I didn’t mind it, you could say, but even for my moderate enjoyment of it, something was just not quite right. It was almost exactly like Daredevil’s accident – even though I was once blind, I now see everything clearer than ever – though I don’t need any rain for that… This movie will never be saved even for a rainy day, since this is certainly the last time I will ever willingly visually lash my own eyes for such vomiting creations of cinema.
Anyways, I must apologize for letting my far reaching rant range way too long into this review, but with disasters like ‘Daredevil’ it just needs to be done. Anyways, I promise I’m done with the generalized rant… so with that said, let’s get to the specified rant! But even with that statement, I doubt the details will be as dominating as they probably should be, but then again, if only the movie had been more memorable it wouldn’t have been a problem. Anyways, here we go… Many people mock the performances in this movie, particularly Affleck’s outing inside the obscure reddish outfit with the minor pointy peaks, but in all honesty the acting isn’t the main problem here, it is the characters and the writing. It is hard to work with a character who is already crippled from the start (no pun intended), which of course make the actors fumble in the dark or just be downright confused of what to do. I mean, not even Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis could comfortably and convincingly deliver those cheap, cheesy, sugarcoated sentences being bounced around in between Elektra and Daredevil – it is simply an impossible task to accomplish.
If you thought the dialogue challenged your intellect and the romantic interactions angered your inner emotions, just wait until you see how it goes when a fight scene gets to lead said elements directly down the drain. When Elektra and Murdock have their first fighting duel, it happens at a playground… playing out like some sort of romantic dominance… happening because Elektra won’t say what her name is. What follows is one of the most cringe-worthy fight scenes I have ever witnessed, which becomes even worse once they start talking to each other throughout. The fighting movements within this cringe-worthy hand-to-hand combat sequence comes off even more stiff than the disastrous dialogue and atrocious acting combined, looking like a clumsy choreographed fight scene from ‘The Matrix’ being dumbed down by the director and duplicated by someone suffering from SBS sickness. Actually, most of the fighting throughout either suffers from poor and pathetic choreography or obvious and outdated wirework. Even the CGI is awful as well as overused and nothing really works here to be honest.
The story is just a mess, with no proper middle or end, and it struggles to cover way too much ground for its own good, while pretty much surpassing or at least aligning itself with the modern day cinematic universes and ham-fisted follow-up foreshadowings. Just try and read a full plot synopsis online and tell me that doesn’t sound way more complicated than it should have been. If I had to pick out one saving grace, not counting the small insignificant moments or individual scenes that I moderately enjoyed, then it is most definitely Colin Farrell as Bullseye. He seems to be just about the only person who actually “got it” and embraced the campy feel of the film as well as the caricatured nature within the characters. To sum it all up, this was a cringy, clumsy, campy and corny catastrophe of a comic book adaption, which succeeds in only one thing and that is complete failure… of course, if you can even call that a success... a stinking pile of poorly written and sloppy directed crap with a strong scent of bad acting or just bad characters with no one but Colin Farrell hitting the bulls eye here. The rest of the film was so bad it made me blind to the fact that it may be even worse than I actually rated it…
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
222 .......................... 254
__________________________
September 11th
—— 2003 ——
DAREDEVIL
—— garbage ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
REWATCH
‘Daredevil’ dares to be drastically different,
but this is not meant in a good way at all...
Mark Steven Johnson, the director of this film, might just go to hell for this horrendous piece of pieced together crap crammed into only a single little roll of film. And yes, I did watch the director’s cut as well, which is also the one currently being reviewed at the moment and that wasn’t many margins above the already atrocious original cut that I originally sat and suffered my way through. Honestly, I can’t recall much about the differences between the two cuts, correspondingly, but I know for damn sure that this devil didn’t even come a paper cut above cult classic status or just some form of general greatness. It is simply just a bad film…
I have to be honest with you, ‘Daredevil’ did involve me and my mind and left me full of ever-growing emotion almost to a level of superior sadness. But why, you may ask, well because I have never felt so extremely embarrassed about something, as I did on behalf of every single soul involved with this fatal feature of filmic feces, which somehow managed to maneuver past my prospects of an already extremely low kind. Back when cinema wasn’t a cemented part of my backbone and I was pretty much blind to really bad cinema – as well as educationally bareboned – in terms of movielike knowledge; I surprisingly didn’t hate this movie. Well, I didn’t mind it, you could say, but even for my moderate enjoyment of it, something was just not quite right. It was almost exactly like Daredevil’s accident – even though I was once blind, I now see everything clearer than ever – though I don’t need any rain for that… This movie will never be saved even for a rainy day, since this is certainly the last time I will ever willingly visually lash my own eyes for such vomiting creations of cinema.
Anyways, I must apologize for letting my far reaching rant range way too long into this review, but with disasters like ‘Daredevil’ it just needs to be done. Anyways, I promise I’m done with the generalized rant… so with that said, let’s get to the specified rant! But even with that statement, I doubt the details will be as dominating as they probably should be, but then again, if only the movie had been more memorable it wouldn’t have been a problem. Anyways, here we go… Many people mock the performances in this movie, particularly Affleck’s outing inside the obscure reddish outfit with the minor pointy peaks, but in all honesty the acting isn’t the main problem here, it is the characters and the writing. It is hard to work with a character who is already crippled from the start (no pun intended), which of course make the actors fumble in the dark or just be downright confused of what to do. I mean, not even Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis could comfortably and convincingly deliver those cheap, cheesy, sugarcoated sentences being bounced around in between Elektra and Daredevil – it is simply an impossible task to accomplish.
If you thought the dialogue challenged your intellect and the romantic interactions angered your inner emotions, just wait until you see how it goes when a fight scene gets to lead said elements directly down the drain. When Elektra and Murdock have their first fighting duel, it happens at a playground… playing out like some sort of romantic dominance… happening because Elektra won’t say what her name is. What follows is one of the most cringe-worthy fight scenes I have ever witnessed, which becomes even worse once they start talking to each other throughout. The fighting movements within this cringe-worthy hand-to-hand combat sequence comes off even more stiff than the disastrous dialogue and atrocious acting combined, looking like a clumsy choreographed fight scene from ‘The Matrix’ being dumbed down by the director and duplicated by someone suffering from SBS sickness. Actually, most of the fighting throughout either suffers from poor and pathetic choreography or obvious and outdated wirework. Even the CGI is awful as well as overused and nothing really works here to be honest.
The story is just a mess, with no proper middle or end, and it struggles to cover way too much ground for its own good, while pretty much surpassing or at least aligning itself with the modern day cinematic universes and ham-fisted follow-up foreshadowings. Just try and read a full plot synopsis online and tell me that doesn’t sound way more complicated than it should have been. If I had to pick out one saving grace, not counting the small insignificant moments or individual scenes that I moderately enjoyed, then it is most definitely Colin Farrell as Bullseye. He seems to be just about the only person who actually “got it” and embraced the campy feel of the film as well as the caricatured nature within the characters. To sum it all up, this was a cringy, clumsy, campy and corny catastrophe of a comic book adaption, which succeeds in only one thing and that is complete failure… of course, if you can even call that a success... a stinking pile of poorly written and sloppy directed crap with a strong scent of bad acting or just bad characters with no one but Colin Farrell hitting the bulls eye here. The rest of the film was so bad it made me blind to the fact that it may be even worse than I actually rated it…
__________________________
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
It's been a long time since I saw Daredevil, and I agree that it's not a good movie, but I don't remember it being that bad.
I'm pretty sure that this was the first movie that I ever saw Colin Farrell in, and I thought he was great as Bullseye. I also liked Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin, (a lot better than Vincent D'Onofrio in the new Daredevil series). And if I remember correctly, the kid who played Matt as a kid was pretty good too, so it has some redeeming qualities.
I'm pretty sure that this was the first movie that I ever saw Colin Farrell in, and I thought he was great as Bullseye. I also liked Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin, (a lot better than Vincent D'Onofrio in the new Daredevil series). And if I remember correctly, the kid who played Matt as a kid was pretty good too, so it has some redeeming qualities.
X
Favorite Movies
X
