Modern Moviegoer

This review was a pleasure to read, especially the...

2008-08-08T17:59:00.000-04:00

This review was a pleasure to read, especially the opening. However, where is your final grade, like the one you outlined in your intro?
And also, doesn't it serve more people to review something like step brothers as opposed to this? I'm sure it was a great movie, but I know i'm not one of the fifty people in America that plans on seeing this.

eagerly awaiting pineapple express review

Maybe step brothers? Maybe? how could that movie b...

2008-08-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

Maybe step brothers? Maybe? how could that movie be bad it has the two funniest guys in hollywood. Pineapple Express should be great too.

Wow I gotta see this already

2008-08-04T14:21:00.000-04:00

Wow I gotta see this already

JennaG: Did you forget you are writing on a movie ...

2008-07-31T10:05:00.000-04:00

JennaG: Did you forget you are writing on a movie blog site? We want you to comment on the movie, not the normal and inherent ways in which people perceive the world around them. I’m not saying everything you wrote about is not almost completely true, but this is not “psychology of the human brain 101”. Yes, people have assumptions, and we use these thoughts to make categorical references in our brains which in turn affect the way we perceive the movies we watch. The people who make movies are smart enough to know this and so they use these qualities of the brain along with a “constructed environment” to sway our opinions subconsciously before, during, and after we watch. This is true for everything in life, from your gym to your church. Good to know… but can we talk about the movie now? I find it frustrating that Mickey has posted an in depth look at the structure and format of a movie, and you have commented by posting a cynical opinion on life. If a movie “reflects society,” it can still be worthy of praise from many standpoints. And if a movie tells an “honest” story, who is to say this is real honesty, or the truth you (the watcher) are seeking. Either way, a movie is praiseworthy due to the creativity, and entertainment to the viewer. No one can completely “remove self” from there viewing experience, not you, me or Mickey. Judging from the first half of your comment, you understand this, so why do you insist that we try?

you see the trailer for the new Harry Potter? Rel...

2008-07-30T08:24:00.000-04:00

you see the trailer for the new Harry Potter? Released last night online....thoughts?

Anonymous - why cant an actor who creates such unc...

2008-07-24T16:12:00.000-04:00

Anonymous - why cant an actor who creates such uncomfortable feelings for the audience be oscar worthy? Ledger created a figure of pure evil. (I liked the point about Heath Ledger not being present in this movie, Mickey). I walked away from this film not even seeing the Joker as a person, but more as a figure of evil, insanity and sociopathy. While not the conventional oscar role, the catagory remains best (supporting) actor. Ledger, in the full sense of the word, truely was a phenominal actor in the film. Not only did he play the character extremely well by causing the feeling that no human could play this part, but he also created his own Joker. Whether this can be attributed to Ledger or Nolan we cannot tell, but this Joker was unlike and we'd seen before. The tongue thing really added to the feeling that the Joker is more a creature then human.

I do, however, agree with the lackluster performance by Bale. This might be due to the fact that Batman isn't really a challenging role, and the script did not really allow for him to show his brilliant acting skills (The Machinist & American Psycho). His perforance was clearly forgettable, partly due to Ledger's performance.

-Spoiler Alert-I also agree that this was well wri...

2008-07-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

-Spoiler Alert-

I also agree that this was well written and pretty accurate in my opinion. I just wanted to mention my disappointment in the lack of development of two-face. He was only a, for lack of a better word, semi-villain. I did like there unique back story for how he got scarred. (Different from the previous batman movie involving two-face.) I like how A.E. does two-face and I suppose if developed more, could have stolen the show from Heath.

Regardless, one of the things I enjoyed about the movie was that I didn't quite get what I expected. There were not many things that I could predict 5 minutes before they happened. I enjoyed it's lack of predictability and not being a carbon copy of so many superhero movies.

While that was the most well written and enjoyable...

2008-07-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

While that was the most well written and enjoyable review to read, I must disagree. Maybe a lot is lost in the non-IMAX theatres, but for me, this boiled down to one thing.....another Batman movie. Yes the Joker is a unique and exciting criminal...but Oscar worthy? Hardly. Definitely an epic performance, and one that will forever live in Batman lore....but lets have some perspective. Oscar performances give more than a chilling and memorable performance. But is this one of the top 5 male performances of the year? For my money, I hope not. In addition, an oscar worthy performance is usually surrounded by solid acting. JOker interacts with A.E. and Batman....while A.E. gives his usually solid performance.... Bale does anything but. His gravely voice and stupid Batman comments are unenjoyable. The batmobile, for all its technology has a display screen out of the early 1990s. In addition , no Batman movie should be longer than 2hr 15min. Period. M.G. is not pretty. Glad she died.....

more to come as I see your response and other posters...

Great review. I saw the film in a regular theater,...

2008-07-23T11:29:00.000-04:00

Great review. I saw the film in a regular theater, though now I am contemplating watching it again in IMAX. Heath was unbelievable, and I would be delighted to see him win the Oscar. Question: where did the joker get those scars? We hear 3 different stories as the movie progresses and I was hoping to find out the truth, but I guess whatever answer I am looking for couldn't have lived up to my expectations. So I guess it is better left up in the air. The movie was spectacular, and exciting the entire way through, however, I was disappointed with some aspects, some which you have covered. First of all, I wish that two face had a bigger role. It is terrible to think that a new, tremendous batman series is in progress, and the character of two face has been born and died within a half hour. My second complaint can be summed up in 1 question: Don’t superheroes save people? Sorry to ruin it for the people reading this, but Batman lets everyone in the movie die with the exception of that little girl at the end. And who gives a shit about her. I guess I’m a sucker for the old and original superhero format. I am reluctant to accept this change over to a ‘darker’ film, but still, great movie, and great review.

i tried to read your movie review for "wanted". un...

2008-07-23T00:51:00.000-04:00

i tried to read your movie review for "wanted". unfortunately, it was so enormously frustrating that i was unable to get through the entirety of the post.

it's funny, how you mention movies are a form of entertainment. who doesn't like spending eleven dollars on some mind numbing manipulation of their thoughts?

it's amusing, the reviews Wanted has gotten considering how relatable the movie is, to the present. super hero movies are often derived from biblical text, and biblical theme is hugely evident in Wanted. honest movies don't get good reviews, because the mind is manipulated and socialized to not see the honesty. movies create illusion that results in the denial of what is real.

the process of movie watching is calculated. everything is relevant, from the previews, to the order of the previews and their relation to the movie. popular movies reflect on society, and a lot of the times, those movies aren't worthy of the praise they get.

when one removes self from the movie watching process, and watches merely for the literal meaning of the language being spewed from the screen, it's quite frightening how destructive and manipulative movies can be.

a movie theatre is a constructed enviornment...the seats are comfortable...the concession stands provide comforting snacks..and the tranquil silence of the theatre is quite pleasing. this constructed euphoric atmosphere manipulates the viewers power to perceive the literal, and leaves the viewers mind vulnerable and trained.

but lo! it's entertainment! is it not?

language is a powerful weapon. movies are a powerful execution of that weapon. perhaps one might go as far as to say movies are [potential] weapons of mass destruction. how does one get a message out to a mass amount of people? there are many ways, but movies...are quite a way to do it.

big brother isn't fictional. we can deny it, or do something about it.

i hope you are well

jennaG.

i tried to read your movie review for "wanted". un...

2008-07-23T00:50:00.000-04:00

I am in complete agreement. Excellent film, for a...

2008-07-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

I am in complete agreement. Excellent film, for all those reasons. IMAX totally brought it to life. The Joker (a character on his own, and so separate from Heath) made me laugh, cry, want to scream and hide.

nice review!

This isn't the future, this is the end. If YouTube...

2008-07-18T16:22:00.000-04:00

This isn't the future, this is the end. If YouTube can be made into a profitable venture for anyone, you'll have assholes like the Chocolate Rain guy and the Britney Spears crier making money. This will encourage more stupid and pointless entertainment and will result in the democratization and dismantling of art.

just a thought... dont you think you should make y...

2008-07-15T09:16:00.000-04:00

just a thought... dont you think you should make your reviews slightly less scathing and perhaps more relative to what the movie was trying to accomplish? This movie was meant as a thrilling action packed story with not much plot or dialogue. In fact, it arguably borrows from movies like the Matrix intentionally. The goal of all movies isn't to make a masterpiece, its to make money. and thats what this movie is about

Also something to note, the amount of gore (i.e. b...

2008-07-02T11:51:00.000-04:00

Also something to note, the amount of gore (i.e. brains splattering at the expense of bullets) was surprising. Not sure if they were going for shock value but it seemed somewhat over the top.

I know Jolie was perfect for the role, but if you're going to cast (and pay) such a good actress why not make the part a little interesting instead of one that anyone who can read a cue card can pull off.

I know you liked the main character's (can't remember his name) performance, but I remember feeling annoyed by him throughout the movie. His endless quirky comments while being tortured just didn't do it for me and were aggravating.

My last rant, didn't the time between the first chase scene and his first kill seem somewhat rushed and underplayed? I would have liked to see more of the psychological aspect of his transformation into an assassin other then watching him get the living shit kicked out of him for 5 minutes of film and then all of the sudden he's the best assassin in the world. What made the matrix so great and separated it from just another special effects movie was watching Neo's transition and developement. In Wanted it seemed more like the writers and director saw it as a burden getting in the way of the rest of the movie, just stuck in there because they had to explain it.

Actually one more..... what happened to the guy that main character (Wesley????) killed by accident. The fact that the main character killed another member of the fraternity is ignored. No reprimands from any of the other members or guilt???????????? come on... he had obviously developed some relationship with this guy but once hes dead he immediately moves on

Hey there! Big Fan. Long time reader, first time c...

2008-06-26T12:05:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Big Fan. Long time reader, first time commenter. So, I read your post and I could not agree more with the fact that Wall-E is going to be # 1 at the box office. At this point any Pixar movie, short of one that includes 2 hours of robots having sexy doggy style, is going to be #1 during its first weekend. Wanted is a film that I do want to see because I believe it will be entertaining, but it lacks the hype and marketing campaign of say a "Dark Knight". It would take a movie with giant build-up such as Dark Knight to take out a Pixar movie in its first weekend, then again neither movie would want to compete against one another.

I like your system cousin. I have a question thoug...

2008-06-18T05:15:00.000-04:00

I like your system cousin. I have a question though. I notice you have various levels of "good" (let's just use that for ease) that are well thought out and detailed. But where is the negative comments? I mean, some movies are questionably not worth the time, effort, and money that went into them, see Gigli. Some movies simply don't work out when finished, see Battlefield: Earth. So, is it possible that a "Bad" label might be introduced?

Interesting delineations- but you ignore a certain...

2008-06-17T17:31:00.000-04:00

Interesting delineations- but you ignore a certain category of movie at which you would never be caught- the classic chick flick- which often is missing almost all your required elements- but still completely satisfies with a neat ending- tied with a pretty bow - that not only does the girl get the guy- but she gets the dress too!