Superb Scenes With Seanc

I enjoy reading your reviews! Your pretty good at it. I am a little disappointed to see Broken City got such a low rating. Not because I have seen it, but because I want to. I will still watch it of course, I just don't expect as much as I did. Also I loved City of God I thought it was amazing!

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You are no Vader. You are just a child in a mask.

Thanks teeter, I don't feel pretty good at it but I enjoy it and I accept the compliment. City Of God was one of those films that had been on my watchlist for over a year because I had heard so much about it. Once I watched it I wondered what took me so long, great movie.

2009 Director: Duncan Jones

Sam (Rockwell) works for the company that is responsible for producing most of the world's energy. Sounds like a great gig but there is a catch. He work on the moon, what's worse is he is stationed there for the duration of a three year contract with no interaction except for GERTY (Spacey) the computer that aids him in his work. Sam knows three years is too long, he desperately misses his wife and daughter. He has begun to have delusions, he tells GERTY he is worried because he has begun talking to himself. Things turn real bad when he takes a trip on a rover to fix a piece of machinery that has broken down. Sam crashes the rover and it is at this point that things start to become fuzzy not only for Sam but for the viewer.

Everything Moon is it owes to Rockwell. He is always a more than capable actor but outdoes himself in this role. The character he is playing goes through many extreme emotional states during the course of this film. Rockwell not only displays these emotions effectively but he keeps what could be an extreme character grounded enough that we continue to identify with him throughout the entire film. Spacey has a unique voice, one that doesn't always work to his advantage. It works perfectly here, the emoticons on GERTY are quite effective as well. Non-human characters are not an easy thing to pull off in film, but GERTY not only works it adds to the emotion of the film. If Moon has an issue it is in visuals. This was probably a low budget movie so I won't harp on it. I will say that everything inside the station is fine, everything outside the station less than fine.

Moon is a very effective character study. Grounded sci-fi is rare and Moon is better than most that have tried. Even the twists feel less jarring than they do in most movies. A must watch for any film fan.

I felt the same about Moon. Very impressive film.

And we actually ended up with identical ratings, a 4 in my review as well. Moon review

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Director: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin

Undefeated is a documentary that follows a single season of a high school team in Memphis Tennessee, the Manassas Tigers. The film follows the whole team but really focuses in on four people, the coach and three players. One of the first things the coach says to the camera is, "football doesn't build character, football reveals character". This line may seem corny, but as we go on the journey with this team, and specifically these three players, we get an understanding of how true this line is.

All three of these kids come from difficult situations with more than their share of obstacles to overcome. As we watch their stories unfold in this short period of their life we feel like we get to know these players. We grow to care for them, we rejoice with them when they succeed and our heart breaks with them when their situations get the better of them. Their stories are the emotional crux of the film. To read their stories in a review would not do them justice, their stories need to be experienced within the film. It is a journey worth taking.

No less emotional is the story of the coach of this team. On the surface he may seem like one of a thousand coaches in this country, I can only hope this is the case. As the film unfolds and he shares more of his journey our respect for him grows and grows. Football is important to him, but way more important is the way he connects with the young men he coaches. he understands how important it is for young men to have an adult male to care for them, to connect with them, and to kick them in the butt when they need it. This coach seems to be a truly humble man with a true heart for the young men he coaches.

Undefeated is a great, emotional watch. Not only one of the best documentaries I have seen in a long time but one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen

Larry Gopnik is having a good old fashioned mid-life crisis. He is a physics professor, and it is safe to say his job is not all he wants it to be. His students seem disinterested and the one that is engaged is trying to bribe him for grades. His teenage children are self involved, imagine that, so he is getting little fulfillment on that front. His wife wants a get, a divorce to us non-jews, and to top that off he had no idea anything was wrong plus she wants to marry his friend. All this seems like drama ripe for entertainment in the hands of the Coens. In my opinion there is little entertainment to be had.

Where I think A Serious Man goes wrong is in it's character development. Besides our protagonist every other character in this film is severely under developed. In fact next to Larry I would say the next most developed character is Clive Park. He is the before mentioned student that tries to bribe Larry for a grade. The two scenes that Larry and Clive have together are the best in the film. This is unfortunate because they are very short, and Clive's situation amounts to little more than a plot device to be used later on in the story arc. Larry's whole family is ripe for drama and terribly underused, but the most egregious example of this his brother Arthur, played by Richard Kind. I was excited to see Kind in this film, however like most of the characters he is in little of the film and we don't get to know him. He has one crucial moment towards the end of the film, but of course nothing much comes of it and we are left wondering what he had to do with anything at all.

What A Serious Man does right, is let us get to know the character of Larry. He is a very quiet unassuming man, yet those around him treat him as if he is the source of all their discomfort and misery. Larry never loses his cool in any of his personal interactions but simply always looks bewildered at whatever situation he is being confronted with. We are waiting for him to explode with emotion, but he never does. There are a couple of times when yet another character has told him to calm down that I wanted to explode for him. Larry is a really good character, unfortunately there is just not enough going on with the characters around him to truly engage us the way we need to be.

I love the Coens, I love almost every film they have done. One of the things that I like best about their films is the characters they create. Even their most seldom used characters always feel like part of the world they are creating. They have nuance, they give us reason to laugh with them, cheer them on, or root against them. That is why this effort is so disappointing to me. A Serious Man is practically unrecognizable as a Coen brother film.

I would really like to see Undefeated sometime, and your extremely positive review just enhanced that. Like you I'm also a big fan of the Coens but A Serious Man just really did not appeal to me at all. I may get round to it one day but certainly not in a rush to see it.

Undefeated is streaming on netflix if you have it. Well worth your time.

As a massive fan of both the Coen Brothers and Michael Stuhlbarg, I really want to see A Serious Man, I just hope I enjoy it more than you :P

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I hope so. There are things to like, his character in particular. Let me know what you think.

Moon is probably my favorite film with Sam Rockwell as lead.
I also didn't like A Serious Man,it just seemed pointless.

^agreed and agreed

Director: Michael Haneke

The story of a small village in Germany right before World War I. The White Ribbon is an emotional experience but not of the feel good sort. This film does not really have a central character, and only two characters that we can root for. While most movies with bleak story lines try to move our emotions from dark to light, Haneke takes the opposite approach. While the mood is never light, it still manages to become harsher and darker as the story progresses.

Someone seems to be targeting the citizens of this small village. A handful of them are brutally injured at separate times and with no witnesses. As the search towards finding the culprit takes place we get to know many of the folks in the village. The teacher in the village is the one character that we can have a positive response to and he is also the narrator of the story. So we learn what is happening as he does. The women and children in this story are more seen than heard and that is the way that the men of the village want it. We see the harsh treatment of them throughout the film and it is hard not to have a visceral response to the abuse they are subjected to.

This film thrives under Haneke's hand. Everything that is great about it is owed to him. The pace is slow and steady, so the viewers response grows with the film. Each shot is beautifully framed, the black and white setting is brilliant for this story. The dialogue is sharp and ambiguous. This is the type of film that I will not be in a hurry to revisit. However I am glad I did once and it will stick with me for a long time.

Director: Chan-wook Park

Oldboy at its most basic is a revenge story, this film is however much more complex than that. It is a barrage on the viewers senses. Visually stunning as well as emotionally visceral. On the surface the narrative is very straightforward, but little is as it seems throughout the entire film up till the last few minutes. Not for the weak of heart Oldboy has some of the most violent sequences that I have witnessed.

Oldboy does many things extremely well. From the opening sequence we are treated to a score that adds much to the film. Having a great score but knowing how to properly use it so as to not allow it to overwhelm the film is not an easy task. Park does it perfectly in Oldboy. Park also uses the split screen masterfully in this movie. This is another device that I have seen used to the detriment of a movie, not so here. Park is an artist with the camera. One sequence in particular stands out for me. The main character comes to a location that is familiar to him and important to a memory that he is trying to recall. As he recalls this memory he chases the memory of his younger self through the sequence. It is beautifully shot, we never lose our sense of time or place as can easily happen in such a scene.

The visuals and score are not the only positives in Oldboy. The narrative is gripping and tense. Our protagonist is on a mission of revenge for what has been done to him. We are along for the journey every step of the way. We feel every emotion that he is feeling as his story progresses. We feel his fear, torment, and hatred. Like all good revenge stories as he begins to reek his havoc we wonder at what cost it is coming. Are his motives pure, and even of they are is it worth the price it is costing his soul. Oldboy handles these themes masterfully.

I have two issues with this film. The first is I was never completely on board with the character of Mi-do. It is not a spoiler to say that we learn very early on that she has had a very similar experience to the protagonist. Despite this fact we are given she always seems to be much more aware than he is. He spends the film unraveling a mystery, she appears to understand most of what is happening but is just relying on him for protection from it. My second issue is the ending. While much is revealed in the last third and there are some very well done intense scenes, the last five minutes lacks the punch that a film like this needs.

Oldboy is an amazingly directed film that is well worth your time. While you may not wish to revisit this world, you will be happy that you took the journey.

Really nice review man. Out of interest is that your first viewing, or a rewatch? Just I was quite stunned by it and rated it about the same when I reviewed it a while back, but it was just my first viewing and I'm curious how it will hold up on repeat viewings.

Oh and I love that poster you went with. Not seen that one before.

Yeah I thought the poster was cool as well. My first viewing. I will probably watch it again but might be a couple of years. Wanted to see it before the Spike Lee version comes out this year.

Just in my review I mentioned that I was unsure how it would hold up on repeat viewings, because so much of the film's power came from the incredible level of intrigue and the shocking twists. So with that removed I was curious if there was enough left there to still enjoy.

While I've got fears about it being a mess I am intrigued by the US remake, though I'm struggling to imagine a US production going into such dark territory. Although it's got more chance now that it's not a Spielberg/Will Smith project

I have no fear Spike will make the movie he wants. Were Spielberg and Smith really attached or is that sarcasm?

Oh no believe it or not I'm being 100% factual there. The two were attached to the project on and off for a couple of years. It apparently fell apart over problems securing the rights. Really, really hard for me to picture the film that would have resulted.

Director: Rian Johnson

So your watching a movie and it is very character and dialogue driven. Then you suddenly realize that your favorite character in the film hasn't said a word. I would say chances are your not enjoying the film all that much. I sought out The Brothers Bloom after loving Johnson's Looper last year, and liking Brick quite well after that. Hopefully The Brothers Bloom will be a little remembered blip on the directors resume as his career continues. It is the story of two orphaned brothers who at an early age develop a knack for the con.

In my opinion a good con movie is hard to pull off. First of all you have to make the audience connect with characters who are doing deplorable things because that is who your story has to center around. I think Johnson does this well enough. Secondly the con needs to be written so the audience understands it, but it fools them. It also must be believable enough that the target would be fooled as well. This is my biggest issue with The Brothers Bloom. The major con is so dull in fact that I had little interest in any twist that would come. Johnson also falls into the annoying habit of twisting the twist. When a director does this too often I don't feel pleasantly fooled anymore, I feel annoyed with the direction the story has taken.

The Brothers Bloom does again show off Johnson's ability to build an entertaining world. The characters are entertaining, each with a distinct style. I enjoy Johnson's use of score and music where necessary. Johnson is a stylish filmmaker and that is on full display here. Overall this film just falls short in its story arc, and at the end of the day that is the most important part of a con film.