Hey, used to be here... now I am again. And this is...
This is a thread that I and possibly my bro Kain will be posting reviews for flicks. We also like it very much when others join in and post their own thoughts. The More the Merrier. A Quick Rundown for you... I (we) grade on a 10 point scale with a possible top score of 5 (we count the 1/2's). One being your average J-Lo or Reese Witherspoon flick and 5 being downright awesome. Any questions post me. P.S. Hey Error-Trog! Missed you Buddy!

First Review for the New Thread. Here Goes...

V for Vendetta

Directed by: James McTeigue
Screenplay by: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski
Staring:
Hugo Weaving .... V
Natalie Portman .... Evey
Stephen Rea .... Finch
John Hurt .... Adam Sutler

The Rundown: In the near future, a freedom fighter known as V, in his first public display of rebelion, rescues a young woman (Evey) from corrupt police officers and she becomes his unlikely ally in his fight against the oppressive society of a totalitarian Britain.

The Good: Starting off with a bang (no pun intended) the film sets up a ride that it not to be missed. I can easily say that this film will be hard to top as my favorite flick of 06.

Acting: Playing the role of V, Weaving had his hands full with the task of playing a character whose face is never seen. Few actors could pull off doing a fantastic job with dialogue and gestures alone, but thankfully Hugo knows what's up, and pulls off a fantastic job. He manages to turn every word into a line of a long and heartbreaking poem. It's as early as you can get, but I hope for a Oscar nod on this one. Portman redeems herself after Episode III and gives a performance on par with her role in 'Leon'. I was very happy to fall in love with her again... Ahhhh. Plus add in excellent supporting roles by Rea and Hurt and you have a very good cast.

Visuals: From the effects to the cinematography, everything seemed in place and was a wonder to look at. Coming from a graffic novel, where anything is possible, it translated very well and never took me out of the experience.

Sound: The score was great and the effects were banging. There is nothing quite like explosions and classical music playing in harmony... reminds me of my childhood. Memories are tasty.

The Bad: Not much to report but, gotta find something...
Accent': Portman's comes and goes, but is only noticeable if you are paying real close attention. It never took away from the film.

The Ugly: So the original creator of the graffic novel, Alan Moore, took his name off the project after he read a draft of the script by the Wachowski bro's, he did this because they changed several things from the book including the setting to reflect more on the current issues of the political 'terrorists' of today that anyone who simply watches the Daily Show could pick out and make the relations, giving it a very (at least stateside) familiar and scary feel. I think this was a bold and interesting move and worked well as a catalyst to draw in a more emotional feel. But Moore hated it and ditched the project... too bad to, cause the movie kicked ass, so to Mr. Moore, You Lose... Good Day Sir.

V outta V
(v stands for 5, Derp)

God damn. It feels like I'm coming out of hibernation. Well, I'd better follow you lead here, Harry, and post a review.

V For Vendetta

Well, damn. I must admit that I was most impressed with this film, but not in the fanboy sense that a lot of others were impressed. I did not read the graphic novel and shall hardly mention it here, as I know little about it.

This film is so modern and yet so timeless that I couldn't help but want to cheer at certain points. The film's tackling of the subjects of government control, religious fundamentalism, group anxiety, and martyrdom was both fabulous and efficient. But most importantly, I must praise the film for being entertaining.

I was rooting for V midway through his “V-speech” at the beginning. And though I wanted more action throughout several sections of the movie, I was quenched when I reached the climax kill-scene (which, apparently, was absent from the graphic novel... too bad for them).

As far as the acting goes, this was BY FAR my favorite Natalie Portman performance. There was a scene after the head-shaving scene where she broke down and it was right there that she tore away any doubts that I might have had, previous to this film, about her acting abilities. Oh, and it was great to hear Agent Smith's voice without having to see Elrond's face. The guy oozes with charisma (in a creepy way), but it is his VOICE that is most appealing. And the cop... I loved this guy's performance. The side characters' performances not only kept the film afloat while our main characters were absent, they added a lot to the film itself.

The only acting job that I didn't enjoy was that of the usually great John “Alien” Hurt. A wee bit over the top, I say. Could have been a little bit more like Dubya and a little bit less like Adolf. Subtlety, man.

There also is a slight downside with the film's feeling of inevitability. I was never too surprised about anything that was going to happen. In fact, I pretty much knew where this was going from shot one. I think that that's too bad because if there was just a little bit more of something in this film it might have blown my mind.

All in all, I recommend this film to everyone. Even my right-wing girlfriend at the time liked V For Vendetta. So you should, too.

4.5 out of 5.

Well there ya go potential readers. The first of hopefully many reviews to follow. If you stick around, Great. If not, well, we didn't like you anyways, you are the butt sects. Good bye 4 now

You know what I wish? I wish that more good asian films were widely available over here.

The States are sadly lacking when it comes to these, with only asia's biggest flicks (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hero; House of Flying Daggers) or fight flicks (Ong Bak) reaching these shores en masse. These are also heavily advertised, making it seem as if asians can only swing samurai swords, bounce around supported by wires, and kick high.

With the success of Memoirs of a Geisha (although I thought that this film was horribly boring), and the Best Director Oscar set into the hands of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon director, Ang Lee, perhaps this tiresome tide will turn.

Perhaps instead of remaking asia's fine cinema (The Grudge, The Ring), we will start getting some of their films to enjoy. Check out Infernal Affairs, A Bittersweet Life, or A Better Tomorrow (a fantastic action flick done by John Woo before he met Hollywood's censors).

And speaking of Ong Bak, if liked that one, there are a few more films done by that director and Tony Jaa was even in one that is now my favorite fight movie of all time, Ton Yum Goong. Unbelievable fight scenes. It'll be coming stateside one day, but the point is, we shouldn't have to wait years for these shows.

And that's one more thing on Kain's Wishlist.

i fear most of their charm is to subtle for american audiences...

there's no money in it...the few they have brought over makes me grateful for fox searchlight, but until it's on video and a store chooses to carry foreign films, there won't be many...our movie gallery has a significan amount, last night we watched kibakichi 2, it's fun for a monster movie and my husband was mesmerised by their lighting effects...the fight scenes were good too.

I work at an independant video store, we carry a bunch of foreign and indy flicks. It just all depends on where you go. I used to work for a Movie Gallery... bunch-a shitheads. Good rule-o-thumb, stay away from corporate stores whenever possible.

Yeah, it sucks, but most of the time you can get a hold of these movies online somewhere, like E-day.

It'd be cool if more movies came this way though, because then the subtitles wopuld have some better translations.

"Hey, Shuya. You got a crush on everyone now?"

It's funny that some of the things I was talking about have actually happened since then. While certainly, Dragon Dynasty has been a busy company, the sheer number of good ol' asian flicks that they've released in the last year has been admirable. You can now go to your local Wal*Mart and pick up Hard Boiled for pretty cheap (not to mention you can get on Bluray with the fun videogame Stranglehold).

Also worth mentioning is that Ton Um Goong came out in theaters over here as The Protector and Infernal Affairs got remade into The Departed, winning fucking Oscars! Wow.

As far as film goes, 2008 looks to be bad-fucking-ass!

We've got Rambo 4, Indy 4, The Dark Knight, the next Bond film, a Van Damme movie or two on dvd, as well as a Dolph flick or two, and more! I'm pretty damn excited!

Oh, Mr. Stallone. What is it? Nostalgic? It certainly felt so in Rocky Balboa. But damn, man. This was quite a task you undertook to make Rambo awesome again. And did you prevail?

Hell fuckin' yes, you did.

Rambo is one of the best action films I have ever seen and hands down the best war movie I've ever seen. Guns, bombs, explosions.... and BIG-ASS GUNS!


Action anymore is gritty and serious business, and this film delivers on that front in spades. I will miss the old days of awesome action fun, but Sly goes out of his way to make us hate the baddies in this one, ensuring that we still enjoy the wholesale destruction to be witnessed towards the later end of the film.

And Sly himself... well, he's in pretty damn good shape for any age, let alone 61. And the way that he runs around the jungle is pretty cool to see. Plus, he's just big and angry. Rambo has never been more bad-ass.

If I were to try and describe this film simply, it would be that they took the Rambo of the second and third installment (the super-soldier as opposed to the crazy 'Nam Vet of the first film) and placed him in the very real world of First Blood.

My only problem with the film was that it was too short. Only about an hour and a half. But since it kicked my ass from start to finish (while still calling to attention the brutal reality of Burma), I enjoyed every second.

Good job Sly, here's to Cobra 2 (come on!). 5 out of 5.