bookend's Film Review Thread - The Social Network, True Grit

[bookend57]

I've been catching up on my 2008 films...

Frost/Nixon [2008, Ron Howard]



A verbal boxing match between a former president trying to restore his legacy and an overseas talk show host, a playboy in England and Australia, but a failure in America. David Frost throws enough money at Richard Nixon to get him to agree to an interview. Frost then assembles a team of researchers to dig up everything they can, Frost has put everything he has into this, losing his Aussie show in the process. The interviews are phenomenal, Howard's direction is great, the shots of the characters' facial expressions were great and the poetic boxing match between Langella and Sheen in phenomenal, i won't expose the ending but there is a power shift on the last day of shooting. Howard's best film since {i]Apollo 13[/i], but i feel that the bulk of the praise deserves to go to writer Peter Morgan whose electrifying script makes the show.

The Verdict: A - 92%
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**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7

[bookend57]

The Wrestler [2008, Darren Aronofsky]



The story of a 50-year-old broken down professional wrestler who is down on his luck. He falls in love with a stripper, tries to reconcile a relationship with his estranged daughter while dealing with trying to make ends meat on low-grade professional wrestling salary and working at a grocery store on minimum wage. Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a life time and, even though her screen time was short lived, Evan Rachel Wood was phenomenal as Rourke's daughter. The film also portrays the backstage of the wrestling world, showing how the matches are all orchestrated. A different side of Aronofsky here, we are used to far-out visuals, but with The Wrestler we get a film more concerned with plot and character development. Aronofsky's finest work to date, is a rewarding film with a satisfying finish and rich drama throughout.

The Verdict: A - 94%
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**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7

[Buckrock101]

Good review, a great film there. 2nd best of 2008 for me, just behind Slumdog.
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[steelcurtain29]

[keysersoze3421]

That's one of the only films in theatres recently where I've really teared up significantly at the end.
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This guy wants to tell me we're living in a community? Don't make me laugh. I'm living in America, and in America you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business.

[bookend57]

[minutemancl]

[bookend57]

Burn After Reading [2008, Coen Brothers]



The typical complex and twisting storyline we have come to expect from the Coen brothers, Burn After Reading is the story of a few gym employees who come across a CD that has what they believe to be highly classified information on it. These two discover who the disc belongs to and attempt to blackmail the man to get some cash out of the deal. With just about every character being intertwined with one another somehow, Burn After Reading has an all-star cast working well together and the Coen Brothers' direction adds plenty of their signature dark humor and their clever script helps add a few thrills in there as well. With no glaring weaknesses, but also nothing that pops out at the audience, the film is a pedestrian entry into the brothers' film career.

The Verdict: B - 82%
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**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7

[Maxmw22]

You really don't think that Burn After Reading had any glaring weaknesses? I was enjoying the movie when it seems that the Cohen Brothers couldn't decide where to go so just ended it. I was fairly disappointed as I know the Cohen brother do good work, but the ending, which makes most movies, just seems forced. I think you are being generous with it being the Cohen Brothers . I would give it a solid C, not very good, not very bad, just meh.
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[bookend57]

[Maxmw22]

[AlferdPacker]

I would give Burn After Reading a solid A.

Hilarious Dark Comedy with some great and daring performances from the entire cast.

The film takes it's time setting up everything, but it certainly makes it worth it as the characters' idiocy snowballs.

The "Chair", the no-scoping, "You think it's a Schwinn!"...there are plenty of things that stood out in this movie.



Malkovich was pure Malkovich. Noone could have captured the rage, loudness, and agitation of Osbourne Cox like Malkovich.


Brad Pitt stole every single scene he was in (reminded me of Brad's smaller roles, such as True Romance, or to a bit larger degree...Twelve Monkeys)

Francis McDormand totally fit her role, as did Clooney.

These are the roles that Clooney needs to play more of, instead of that smarmy Oceans 11 shtick.

The dry wit of the CIA guys trying to figure out what the heck everyone is doing...

I laughed through the entire movie. It was the funniest Coen Brothers movie hands down. And I have seen Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou.

And the ending to Burn After Reading was perfect. I'm glad it didnt have a "Hollywood" ending, just like I'm glad that No Country For Old Men didnt have an ending where Anton and Llewelyn battle each other for five minutes, and the underdog Llewlyn kills him (like just about all action movies do)


However, if a viewer doesn't have a dark sense of humor, they might want to stay away. I was expecting a stupid comedy. Thankfully, it isnt.
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STD and Karma: ...
Rab: TBD
Hockey: Saw
Alf=Indiana Jones
B.Green=TBD
Jeezy = 24: Day 1
PatsWin=OldSchool
HighHopes= High School
CWood=Digimon
JetsQB=TBD
OHIO: Star Wars
DeadlyDolphinz: Rival
stallyns: Stargate SG-1

[bookend57]

I've been at home visiting my family the 10 days so i haven't put the time in too review a fim in a while, don't worry fellas, come Monday i'll be getting them up daily again.

Public Enemies [2009, Michael Mann]



I went to see this on Opening night with my cousin who had his Silver Screen debut as an extra in it, and yes he got is 2 seconds of face time, i was soo proud of him. Any who, the film is mainly about John Dillinger and the crimes he and his gang of fellow criminals, including Baby Face Nelson, commit in the early 1930s, bank robberies. It was a decent picture, nothign special, and its main flaws were the length, it was a half hour longer than it needed to be, the editing and transitions were pretty crappy, and the fact that it was a drama that didn't really make me go through the emotions a better drama film would. At the end i didn't really care what happened to Dillinger, Mann didn't make me want to care, maybe this was because i already knew Dillinger's fate, but coming down to it, Public Enemies was an undramatic drama. It does have, however, his action sequences when Dillinger and Co. are pulling their heists, which will please some, but it isn't enough for me.

The Verdict: C+ - 75%
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**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7

[bookend57]

2001: A Space Odyssey [1968, Stanley Kubrick]



Some hate it for its slow and dialogue-free beginning as well as its insane, acid trip finale, however, the story of a group of team of scientists that is sent to further investigate a four million-year-old monolith found on the moon after a previous team had done its investigation, however, on this trip the computer that controls the spaceship, the HAL 9000 (the perfect machine) makes the first mistake of its existence and learns of plans by the scientists to deactivate it. When this occurs HAL is not happen and systematically eliminates the entire crew rather swiftly, will the last remaining scientist, Dave, survive? A massive achievement in special effects and set design, Kubrick's masterpiece about the folly of man, how we have come so far to create so many great things but our ultimate undoing will come at the hands of our creations, is a ground-breaking film that uses poetic imagery to set the mood and intense visuals to create a thrilling climax. 2001: A Space Odyssey isn't for the average movie-goers, as those not motivated likely won't make it to the end of the film, but those who sit through it will be rewarded, and though it may not seem that way at first, upon further analysis one will realize what a masterpiece this film is.

The Verdict: A - 94%
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**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7

[bookend57]

Juno [2007, Jason Reitman]



My favorite comedy of recent memory, Juno is about a girl who is impregnated by her close friend Paulie Bleeker. The film is about her struggles dealing with the pregnancy and the relationships she has with Paulie, the adoptive parents of her future child, and her own family. What makes this film my favorite of this decade basically, is the clever and witty dialogue paired with a smart script from screenwriter Cody Diablo. I'm a big fan of J.K. Simmons as well, and he plays a great role in this film as Juno's father. Jason Reitman does a good job taking the acting and script and combining them into the best comedy of 2007.

The Verdict: A - 92%
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^packerbacker87^

**NEW**
The Social Network - 1/14
True Grit - 1/7