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

[bookend57]

Class is in session...



Index

#

28 Days Later [2003, Boyle] - 86%
40-Year-Old Virgin, The [2005, Apatow] - 88%
(500) Days of Summer [2009, Webb] - 90%
2001: A Space Odyssey [1968, Kubrick] - 94%

A

A Clockwork Orange [1971, Kubrick] - 92%
Adventureland [2009, Mottola] - 90%
Alien [1979, Scott] - 94%
Aliens [1986, Cameron] - 95%
American Gangster [2007, Scott] - 86%
American Psycho [2000, Harron] - 79%
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The [2007, Dominik] - 83%
Avatar [2009, Cameron] - 90%

B

Batman Begins [2005, Nolan] - 85%
Beerfest [2006, Chandrasekhar] - 61%
Big Lebowski, The [1998, Coen] - 89%
Blazing Saddles [1974, Brooks] - 90%
Borat [2006, Charles] - 91%
Bruno [2009, Charles] - 64%
Burn After Reading [2008, Coen] - 82%

C

Caddyshack [1980, Ramis] - 86%
Clerks [1994, Smith] - 85%
Cloverfield [2008, Reeves] - 82%
Crazies, The [2010, Eisner] - 77%

D

Dark Knight, The [2008, Nolan] - 93%
Departed, The [2006, Scorsese] - 91%
Descent, The [2006, Marshall] - 84%
District 9 [2009, Blomkamp] - 90%
Dog Soldiers [2002, Marshall] - 82%
Drag Me To Hell [2009, Raimi] - 87%
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [1964, Kubrick] - 97%

E

Evil Dead II [1987, Raimi] - 92%
Extract [2009, Judge] - 70%

F

Fanboys [2009, Newman] - 58%
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [1998, Gilliam] - 75%
Fight Club [1999, Fincher] - 93%
Forgetting Sarah Marshall [2008, Stoller] - 82%
Frost/Nixon [2008, Howard] - 92%
Full Metal Jacket [1987, Kubrick] - 93%
Funny People [2009, Apatow] - 83%


G

Get Him to the Greek [2010, Stoller] - 80%
Get Smart [2008, Segal] - 70%
Good Night, and Good Luck [2005, Clooney] - 95%
Gran Torino [2008, Eastwood] - 83%

H

Halloween [1978, Carpenter] - 93%
Hangover, The [2009, Phillips] - 82%
Hellboy [2004, Del Toro] - 82%
Host, The [2007, Bong] - 87%
Hot Fuzz [2007, Wright] - 88%
Hurt Locker, The [2009, Bigelow] - 92%

I

I Love You, Man [2009, Hamburg] - 83%
In Bruges [2008, McDonagh] - 84%
Inception [2010, Nolan] - 93%
Incredible Hulk, The [2008, Leterrier] - 76%
Inglourious Basterds [2009, Tarantino] - 93%
Iron Man [2008, Favreau] - 86%

J

Juno [2007, Reitman] - 92%

K

Knocked Up [2007, Apatow] - 85%
Knowing [2009, Proyas] - 57%

L

Last House on The Left, The [2009, Iliadis] - 68%
Little Miss Sunshine [2006, Dayton and Faris] - 92%

M

Monty Python and the Holy Grail [1975, Gilliam] - 91%

N

Night of The Living Dead [1968, Romero] - 94%
No Country For Old Men [2007, Coen Brothers] - 98%
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror [1922, Murnau] - 96%

P

Pineapple Express [2008, Green] - 78%
Public Enemies [2009, Mann] - 75%
Pulp Fiction [1994, Tarantino] - 94%

R

Race To Witch Mountain [2009, Fickman] - 54%
[REC] [2007, Balaguero] - 87%
Reservoir Dogs [1992, Tarantino] - 91%
Robin Hood [2010, Scott] - 69%
Role Models [2008, Wain] - 76%

S

Savages, The [2007, Jenkins] - 87%
Semi-Pro [2008, Alterman] - 59%
Shaun of the Dead [2004, Wright] - 87%
Sideways [2004, Payne] - 95%
Slither [2006, Gunn] - 81%
Social Network, The [2010, Fincher] - 95%
Star Trek [2009, Abrams] - 90%
Superbad [2007, Mottola] - 86%

T

Taken [2009, Morel] - 77%
Terminator Salvation [2009, McG] - 64%
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The [1974, Hooper] - 89%
There Will Be Blood [2007, Anderson] - 94%
Transformers [2007, Bay] - 72%
Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen [2009, Bay] - 45%
Tremors [1989, Underwood] - 80%
True Grit [2010 Coens] - 93%

U

Up [2009, Docter] - 92%

W

Wrestler, The [2008, Aronofsky] - 94%

Y

Year One [2009, Ramis] - 49%

Z

Zach and Miri Make a Porno [2008, Smith] - 73%
Zombieland [2009, Fleischer] - 85%

bookend's Grading Scale

A = 100-92
A- = 91-88
B+ = 87-84
B = 83-80
B- = 79-76
C+ = 75-72
C = 71-69
C- = 68-65
D+ = 64-61
D = 60-55
D- = 54-50
F = <50

sit back and enjoy....


_________________


My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[bookend57]

Cloverfield [2008, Matt Reeves]



Essentially The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla, Cloverfield is a monster flick shot through the point of view of a handheld camcorder, similar to that of The Blair Witch Project, I don’t think it is fair to judge this film solely on how it was shot, this style isn’t for everybody, but you cannot allow this to cloud your perception of the film. In Cloverfield as a group of friends are throwing a going away party for Rob (Michael Stahl-Davis) a monster inexplicably attacks Manhattan, the terrified citizens living in a post-911 New York take to the streets and are confronted by a giant monster that is destroying their city. The movie is about this group of friends attempt to escape Manhattan with their lives, while Rob tries to save his love-interest Beth (Odette Yustman). Hud (T.J. Miller) is the camera man throughout the entire ordeal filming to “show people how it all went down”. An interesting aspect to consider is that unlike Godzilla or most other monster movies this monster actually has an excuse for destroying a metropolitan area, and you don’t learn this in the movie but rather in the special features of the DVD, the monster is a newly-born infant….whatever the hell it is, which explains away its almost frantic movements and actions, its alone, scared, and searching for its mother, its acting just as you would expect an infant to act (which is also a cliffhanger for a sequel). The group of friends have to deal with the tragic lose of their home and loved ones as they try to escape the city with their lives and despite the style of the film Reeves does a good job with getting the audience in touch and acclimated with the characters, even Hud whom you rarely see. The acting was very well done by a “lesser-known” cast, especially Stahl-Davis, his performance was excellent and the camera work was well done with Reeves not adding in any extra music except what Hud picks but on the camcorder’s microphone. Producer J.J. Abrams did a very good job of coming up with an original monster as well, not like anything ever seen before in monster flicks. Throughout the entire movie the camcorder will short out and flash back to clips of a day where Rob and Beth went to Connie Island and the dialogue of the clip often ironically coincides with something that is happening in the movie, a very clever move by Reeves.

All in all, Cloverfield is a solid movie with god special effects while maintaining its home-video style, packed with suspense, scares, and action around every corner it has the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. Cloverfield is a movie that needs multiple viewing form one to fully appreciate it, on viewing isn’t going to cut it, and if you’ve only seen it once you were probably disappointed with it, but it has gotten better and better each time I have watched it.

The Verdict: B - 82%
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My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[bookend57]

Alien [1979, Ridley Scott]



Arguably one of the greatest science-fiction film ever created, Alien is a modern classic that blends horror and science fiction perfectly while maintaining an ominous yet almost poetic setting. One of Ridley Scotts’ greatest achievements , Alien is the story of a spaceship crew on their way home when they receive a transmission they believe to be a S.O.S., which turns out to be a warning message and not an S.O.S., while the search and rescue crew is searching this planet/moon they have landed one of the crew discovers alien eggs, one of them “hatching” and the creature inside lurching out and attaching itself to his face. This is what causes things to get ugly. As most of you know, this is how the aliens are born, breed in the stomachs of unsuspecting victims and upon the crews return to their ship the creature is born out this man’s chest and the crew soon finds themselves trying to make it back to Earth before the alien kills them all. The plot is filled with twists and turns including the crew turning on one another as well as dealing with a robot. Sigourney Weaver makes her Ripley debut in this epic film that includes ground-breaking set designs and special effects and a phenomenal contrast of the horror of the alien and the desolation of space, "In space, no one can hear you scream".

Alien is the first of its kind and is used as the model for science-fiction films. Ridley Scott delivered us what is now considered an American sci-fi classic and helped spawn five other feature-films.

The Verdict: A - 94%
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My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[The Gnat]

I only saw Cloverfield once in theaters, but I loved it and I've bought it so it is probably time to watch it again. It tries to do something different where it doesn't need to fill in the whole story, as compared to most monster/horror films, and for that reason I assume some people don't like it. I think it did a good job though of making it more natural for as completely absurd a premise as it might be it ends up showing up as much more normal and natural which draws the audience in as compared to the hooks that you generally see to draw the audience in.
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Gnat's Movie Reviews

[BirdsFan06050]

I wouldn't call Alien the greatest sci-fi of all-time, not even close, but I would say that it blends both horror and science-fiction to create a thrilling and entertaining movie. And I agree, it's one of Scott's finest achievements although I personally believe Blade Runner is his best.
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[bookend57]

[BirdsFan06050]

[bookend57]

[bookend57]

Pineapple Express [2008, David Gordon Green]



Pineapple Express is the story of Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) and Saul (James Franco) on the run from drug dealers because they witnessed the boss drug dealer kill off his competition. The dealers soon find out that it was indeed Denton who fled the scene not all too gracefully and they send hit men chasing them all over the city.

At first glance one would assume that Pineapple Express is just another Judd Apatow (producer)/Seth Rogen raunchy comedy filled with profanity, however, Pineapple Express is anything but. The film perfectly blends the comedic buddy-buddy dialogue with high-octane action, Pineapple Express is a one-of-a-kind movie and may quite possibly be one of Apatow’s finest works, and although not quite on par with Knocked Up and Superbad , Pineapple Express is more unique than both of the formers. James Franco plays the role of stoner-laid back drug dealer very well and really stole the show with his performance, and should be added to more of Apatow’s films, Seth Rogen once again, plays his role very well and David Gordon Green uses great camera angles in a lot of his shots.

Although the film does blend comedy and action very well, it doesn’t portray either of them alone all that great, what I mean is, its not overly funny, and its not too action-packed, it would have been better had there been a few more laughs and not just one-liners and crude jokes, and it did seem to drag on a little bit in the middle of the film, but overall Pineapple Express was a quality comedy filled with pieces of several genres so that anybody can enjoy it.

The Verdict: B- - 78%
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My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[billzz]

Nice job man. Your review thread blows mine out of the water. Your review's are actually interesting to read!
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[bookend57]

[bookend57]

i wanted to add that i will take requests for reviews, if anyone would like to get my opinion on a certain film, i'd be happy to share that information with you.
_________________


My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[bookend57]

Semi-Pro [2008, Kent Alterman]



The story of the Flint Tropics, fictional ABA team, rising from mediocrity in an attempt to become an NBA franchise, however they fall just short, despite Jackie Moon's (Will Ferrell), the owner-player, attempts to save his franchise. The film did portray the wacky environment of the ABA and the "wilder" side of professional basketball, witness the birth of...the Alley-oop.

Semi-Pro is yet another Will Ferrell sports film, and he yet again plays an ego-maniac with low intelligence, i'm really glad he tried something new and exciting, it was entertaining in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby but after years of the same act, it has gotten very old and dry, and as much as i wanted to like Semi-Pro, being a big basketball fan, it just wasn't very good, no actor stood out and took the show and i was not impressed with Woody Harrelson at all as his role as the broken-down player on his last string, bland, very bland. Although it had its share of laughs, albeit in a cheap fashion, Semi-Pro failed to be one of Ferrell's better performances, which is saying a lot. And i am saying all of this as the "proud" owner of Semi-Pro on DVD.

The Verdict: D - 59%
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My Film Review Thread
^packerbacker87^

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

[HeySteelers]

How dare you insult the great Will Ferrell. He never gets old.

I thought semi-pro was hilarious.

I'm digging your reviews though. I find them all interesting to read. Keep them coming.
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[bookend57]