2011 - 3.1/5
Plot: C+
Script: B
Voice Over Acting: C+
Done well.
Animation: B
Not Disney Pixar that's for sure, but it was still very good.
Overall: B
POSSIBLE REVIEW PENDING
*My personal opinions* on any movie that I have watched.
March 29, 2011
March 17, 2011
North Country
2005 - 2.3/5
Plot: C+
Based on a true story.
Script: C
It was okay.
Acting: B+
Good cast, so the portrayal of each character was well done.
Overall: C+
Worth the watch once (although this was my second viewing, but I didn't have a choice).
Plot: C+
Based on a true story.
Script: C
It was okay.
Acting: B+
Good cast, so the portrayal of each character was well done.
Overall: C+
Worth the watch once (although this was my second viewing, but I didn't have a choice).
March 10, 2011
The Social Network
2010 - 2.8/5
I just realized that this is the third movie in a row that I’ve seen that has been based on a true story!
The only reason I saw this movie was because I’ve heard several good things about it, and because it had a few Oscar nominations; otherwise, I never really cared for the Facebook story.
Plot: B-
I didn’t find it overly engaging; it seemed as if the heart thumping music/score was added only to make it seems more suspenseful than it really was. This movie is based on the book/true story of Mark Zuckerberg and how Facebook came to be.
I liked how the story was in past tense being explained through the 2 lawsuits against MZ; it had a good flow between past and present; it moved at a good pace, but some parts did seems to drag a bit.
Script: B+
Had witty dialogue and it was very quick paced (must have been 100 words a minute!). I do think it deserved the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Academy Award.
I just realized that this is the third movie in a row that I’ve seen that has been based on a true story!
The only reason I saw this movie was because I’ve heard several good things about it, and because it had a few Oscar nominations; otherwise, I never really cared for the Facebook story.
Plot: B-
I didn’t find it overly engaging; it seemed as if the heart thumping music/score was added only to make it seems more suspenseful than it really was. This movie is based on the book/true story of Mark Zuckerberg and how Facebook came to be.
I liked how the story was in past tense being explained through the 2 lawsuits against MZ; it had a good flow between past and present; it moved at a good pace, but some parts did seems to drag a bit.
Script: B+
Had witty dialogue and it was very quick paced (must have been 100 words a minute!). I do think it deserved the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Academy Award.
My favourite conversation: ***SPOILER ALERT***
Gage: Mr. Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention?
Mark Zuckerberg: [stares out the window] No.
Gage: Do you think I deserve it?
Mark Zuckerberg: [looks at Gage] What?
Gage: Do you think I deserve your full attention?
Mark Zuckerberg: I had to swear an oath before we began this deposition, and I don't want to perjure myself, so I have a legal obligation to say no.
Gage: Okay - no. You don't think I deserve your attention.
Mark Zuckerberg: I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have the right to give it a try - but there's no requirement that I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention - you have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.
[pauses]
Mark Zuckerberg: Did I adequately answer your condescending question?
Acting: B+
Jesse Eisenberg: it was a serious role and he did a good job. There was a LOT of dialogue and he was spot on (who knows how many takes it really took!).
Andrew Garfield: I think I liked this character (Eduardo Saverin) the most, and I thought AG was a great supporting actor! This role seemed natural to him – it didn’t seem as if he was acting.
Justin Timberlake: I thought he would be the weakest link, but he actually did a good job, defiantly better than his role in Alpha Dog (2007)! His character appeared half way into the movie, and I wasn’t too sure what to expect from JT, but I think he pulled it off.
Overall: B
I think it was well directed and it was put together very well. It did have bad lighting at times, but that never took away from what was on screen.
As much as I want to say that I would have enjoyed a documentary with the actual people involved being interviewed, I think the movie did a good job presenting the story, but it did seem as if the story had been fabricated.
Gage: Mr. Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention?
Mark Zuckerberg: [stares out the window] No.
Gage: Do you think I deserve it?
Mark Zuckerberg: [looks at Gage] What?
Gage: Do you think I deserve your full attention?
Mark Zuckerberg: I had to swear an oath before we began this deposition, and I don't want to perjure myself, so I have a legal obligation to say no.
Gage: Okay - no. You don't think I deserve your attention.
Mark Zuckerberg: I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have the right to give it a try - but there's no requirement that I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention - you have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.
[pauses]
Mark Zuckerberg: Did I adequately answer your condescending question?
Acting: B+
Jesse Eisenberg: it was a serious role and he did a good job. There was a LOT of dialogue and he was spot on (who knows how many takes it really took!).
Andrew Garfield: I think I liked this character (Eduardo Saverin) the most, and I thought AG was a great supporting actor! This role seemed natural to him – it didn’t seem as if he was acting.
Justin Timberlake: I thought he would be the weakest link, but he actually did a good job, defiantly better than his role in Alpha Dog (2007)! His character appeared half way into the movie, and I wasn’t too sure what to expect from JT, but I think he pulled it off.
Overall: B
I think it was well directed and it was put together very well. It did have bad lighting at times, but that never took away from what was on screen.
As much as I want to say that I would have enjoyed a documentary with the actual people involved being interviewed, I think the movie did a good job presenting the story, but it did seem as if the story had been fabricated.
March 7, 2011
Persepolis
2007 - 4.3/5
Plot: A
An autobiographical movie of Marjane Satrapi’s life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Script: B
The screenplay was adapted from the book of the same name: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I didn’t think the dialogue was outstanding, but I enjoyed it.
Here are some quotes I like:
Marjane: I remember I led a peaceful, uneventful life as a little girl. I loved fries with ketchup, Bruce Lee was my hero, I wore Adidas sneakers and had two obsessions: Shaving my legs one day and being the last prophet of the galaxy
Hustler: Jicheal Mackson.
Marjane: Bullshit! Life isn't absurd! Some people give their lives for freedom. You think my uncle died for fun? Egotistical prick.
Mr. Satrapi: Never forget who you are and where you’re from.
Marjane: It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the *trill* of the fight.
Animation: A
The artwork was based on the graphic novel; I thought it was simple and original. The majority of the time (99%) it was in black and white.
Overall: A-
Aside from the butchering of Iranian names, I thought it was an accurate portrayal of *her life* in (and outside of) Iran in the 1970s and 1980s.
The movie was pretty much right out of the book, but a little less detailed.
My only dislike about the movie was that it should have been in Farsi with English subtitles rather than French with English subtitles (…at least an option for it).
Speaking of subtitles… I’ve seen the movie both in French w.e.s. and English w.e.s. – I would prefer to watch it in French only because I didn’t think the English subtitles were as well done as French.
If you don’t get a chance to see the movie, defiantly read the graphic novel!
Plot: A
An autobiographical movie of Marjane Satrapi’s life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Script: B
The screenplay was adapted from the book of the same name: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I didn’t think the dialogue was outstanding, but I enjoyed it.
Here are some quotes I like:
Marjane: I remember I led a peaceful, uneventful life as a little girl. I loved fries with ketchup, Bruce Lee was my hero, I wore Adidas sneakers and had two obsessions: Shaving my legs one day and being the last prophet of the galaxy
Hustler: Jicheal Mackson.
Marjane: Bullshit! Life isn't absurd! Some people give their lives for freedom. You think my uncle died for fun? Egotistical prick.
Mr. Satrapi: Never forget who you are and where you’re from.
Marjane: It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the *trill* of the fight.
Animation: A
The artwork was based on the graphic novel; I thought it was simple and original. The majority of the time (99%) it was in black and white.
Overall: A-
Aside from the butchering of Iranian names, I thought it was an accurate portrayal of *her life* in (and outside of) Iran in the 1970s and 1980s.
The movie was pretty much right out of the book, but a little less detailed.
My only dislike about the movie was that it should have been in Farsi with English subtitles rather than French with English subtitles (…at least an option for it).
Speaking of subtitles… I’ve seen the movie both in French w.e.s. and English w.e.s. – I would prefer to watch it in French only because I didn’t think the English subtitles were as well done as French.
If you don’t get a chance to see the movie, defiantly read the graphic novel!
March 5, 2011
127 Hours
2010 - 2.7/5
Considering this movie is based on true events, the concept of ‘spoilers’ is no longer valid.
Plot: B
Aron Ralston (James Franco) decides to go on a hike in an isolated canyon in Utah without telling anyone exactly where he’s going. While exploring, a boulder falls on his arm, which ends up trapping him. With little hope of being rescued, he resorts to extreme measures to free himself.
The “127 hours” of the title refers to the time of his uninterrupted experience, beginning with when he woke up that first morning in his truck until he passed out from the morphine in the hospital after being rescued, not just the time trapped by the boulder (Goofs section, IMDB).
Script: C
There was nothing about the script that made it amazing. It was able to hold up with the plot, but it never went beyond that.
Acting: B+
A cast was non-existent – this movie was all things Aron; everything and anything said or shown was about him. There was a lot of character build-up, which really didn’t add up to anything; overall, it came off kind of dull.
I think that Franco did a wonderful job as Aron, but he didn’t have much to work with (the script more than anything).
Cinematography: B+
Overall: B
Boyle did a good job creating tension, but it wasn’t as gripping as I expected.
This movie was entertaining, but at the same time, I think I enjoyed the Dateline NBC episode a tad bit more!
Although I thought it was a good movie, it wasn’t great – it was a bit of a let down.
Something I read online that was worth noting (which I agree with):
Sometimes, when a film does phenomenally well – like Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – the success somehow attaches to the directors next film, regardless of the critical reception, and our objectivity becomes distorted. It’s as though we see their next film with predetermined praise. I think that's what audiences the world over are doing with this film.
Considering this movie is based on true events, the concept of ‘spoilers’ is no longer valid.
Plot: B
Aron Ralston (James Franco) decides to go on a hike in an isolated canyon in Utah without telling anyone exactly where he’s going. While exploring, a boulder falls on his arm, which ends up trapping him. With little hope of being rescued, he resorts to extreme measures to free himself.
The “127 hours” of the title refers to the time of his uninterrupted experience, beginning with when he woke up that first morning in his truck until he passed out from the morphine in the hospital after being rescued, not just the time trapped by the boulder (Goofs section, IMDB).
Script: C
There was nothing about the script that made it amazing. It was able to hold up with the plot, but it never went beyond that.
Acting: B+
A cast was non-existent – this movie was all things Aron; everything and anything said or shown was about him. There was a lot of character build-up, which really didn’t add up to anything; overall, it came off kind of dull.
I think that Franco did a wonderful job as Aron, but he didn’t have much to work with (the script more than anything).
Cinematography: B+
Good camera-work and awesome shots/angles.
It did have good songs; the sound effects were good too.
The cut screens were okay at the beginning; I’m glad they didn’t continue throughout the entire movie.
Because the flashbacks and hallucinations were the only way to get out of the canyon setting once Aron got stuck, they became excessive. I do think they were done well, but they were somewhat irrelevant.
It did have good songs; the sound effects were good too.
The cut screens were okay at the beginning; I’m glad they didn’t continue throughout the entire movie.
Because the flashbacks and hallucinations were the only way to get out of the canyon setting once Aron got stuck, they became excessive. I do think they were done well, but they were somewhat irrelevant.
Overall: B
Boyle did a good job creating tension, but it wasn’t as gripping as I expected.
This movie was entertaining, but at the same time, I think I enjoyed the Dateline NBC episode a tad bit more!
Although I thought it was a good movie, it wasn’t great – it was a bit of a let down.
Something I read online that was worth noting (which I agree with):
Sometimes, when a film does phenomenally well – like Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – the success somehow attaches to the directors next film, regardless of the critical reception, and our objectivity becomes distorted. It’s as though we see their next film with predetermined praise. I think that's what audiences the world over are doing with this film.
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