S.C.G Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The Third Man A genuinely captivating film from start to finish, I admit that at first I didn't expect it to hold my attention but within the first few minutes I was drawn in; it's not the usual type of film that I would watch normally but after hearing nothing but good things about it I just 'had' to see it and now I'm glad to have experienced it because it's a quality piece of British cinema. 10/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) My full Coraline review for my class tomorrow. Needs a bit of tweaking (and is technically a shocking whole 18 words over) but this is the crux of it; Coraline defies expectations in numerous ways but one way in which it exceeded my own personal expectations is the high quality of the film as a whole. Films targeted towards children are usually reassuring; while there may be some emotional turmoil ultimately the brave-faced hero will overcome it. Coraline on the other hand is down right frightening and unsettling at times, to both several children who left our screening and the early 20 year olds who I saw the film with. This unsettling nature is one of the film’s numerous advantages and proves animation shouldn’t be considered a children’s medium. However the film does evoke the sense of exploration of the unknown and fear of lose that will take any audience back to their childhood. I was fortunate enough to see Coraline in 3D and being my first 3D cinema experience, not including the paper-glasses kind, it made the film even more of an enjoyable experience. Thankfully Selick uses the extra dimension to add depth to the image rather than relying on cheap ‘it’s coming at me!’ gimmicks. Although, when things do come at you they are used to great effect, even causing a few “wows” during my screening. While this adds to the enjoyment the standard 2D version by no means suffers because of it. Coraline draws your attention due to its captivating visuals and the way in which the film itself uses a visual dichotomy is one of the its highlights; while the real world appears drab and boring the ‘Other’ world which Coraline stumbles upon is filled with vibrant colour. The film does a great job of contrasting these two worlds and making the audience, and Coraline of course, long to be in the seemingly superior alternative world. While Coraline frequently dives down the rabbit hole in search of an escape from her perpetually preoccupied parents she soon discovers that the price to pay for her seeming better life is her eyes. Coraline quickly gets trapped in this alternative universe and her Other Mother soon scares not only Coraline but also everyone else in the cinema, culminating in a claustrophobic struggle for Coraline to escape. Selick does a great job of bringing the characters of Gaiman’s original graphic novel to life through the animation, story and actors chosen. The film features some remarkable performances from the often exuberant Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French while also proving Teri Hatcher can do more than fumble around in an annoying manner. Coraline features some delightfully quirky moments which add a real sense of charm to the film; from a garden that practically bursts into song, to a wry feline similar in tone to Kiki’s Delivery Service’s Jiji and Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s Salem, to a literal gravy train which left me wondering where to purchase one from. I could list all the little things that really made me fall in love with this film but ultimately I feel the best way for you to understand is to go watch the film yourself. If you want to see what Disney’s sinister sibling would produce then go see Coraline. May drop the Kiki's reference as I doubt many people would get it...we'll see. And also the 2D line needs a bit of work. And the visual dichotomy part. Plus may try and get a bit more alliteration in there. [/notes to self] But yeah. Go see it Edited May 4, 2009 by Ashley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chairdriver Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I'd go with a semi-colon in the first sentence instead. "Coraline defies expectations in numerous ways; one way in which it exceeded my own personal expectations is the high quality of the film as a whole" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I'd go with a semi-colon in the first sentence instead. "Coraline defies expectations in numerous ways; one way in which it exceeded my own personal expectations is the high quality of the film as a whole" That's a very good point. As it stands, it sounds a bit "pupil reciting" rather than confident reviewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The first hour might have been quite slow but it turned out to be some fantastic build up to the best hour + of cinema I have seen this year. Excellent and grim cinema. Nasty/10 The Third Man A genuinely captivating film from start to finish, I admit that at first I didn't expect it to hold my attention but within the first few minutes I was drawn in; it's not the usual type of film that I would watch normally but after hearing nothing but good things about it I just 'had' to see it and now I'm glad to have experienced it because it's a quality piece of British cinema. 10/10 Nice one. Really is a great film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I'd go with a semi-colon in the first sentence instead. "Coraline defies expectations in numerous ways; one way in which it exceeded my own personal expectations is the high quality of the film as a whole" That's a very good point. As it stands, it sounds a bit "pupil reciting" rather than confident reviewer. Cheers. As said, it needs a combing through tomorrow but thanks for pointing that out (although, "pupil reciting"? but I've gotten to the not-caring point. I need one B- from this semester to get a 2:1 and I've got a decent average across the board so far. I feel a general apathy toward uni in its final week) The first hour might have been quite slow but it turned out to be some fantastic build up to the best hour + of cinema I have seen this year. Excellent and grim cinema. Nasty/10 I keep picking that up and 'hmm'ing and then remembering how empty my wallet is. Will add it to the wonderful mental list though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The Third Man A genuinely captivating film from start to finish, I admit that at first I didn't expect it to hold my attention but within the first few minutes I was drawn in; it's not the usual type of film that I would watch normally but after hearing nothing but good things about it I just 'had' to see it and now I'm glad to have experienced it because it's a quality piece of British cinema. 10/10 Fancy that! I've just pinched it from teh tubes today. Been watching A Fistful of Dollars, A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, as a sort of encore for my Clint Eastwood stint. The films get progressively longer, and after seeing Wolverine at the cinema they are refreshingly content as movies - that is to say, these films are in no hurry to tell you waht's going on, or to remind you of a character's name or try and affront you with some deep meaning - these are good westerns; films that rake in the grains of morality and don't pretend there's anything magic about the beans that grow from them. I mean, westerns just boil Men down to their basest forms, treading the line between man and animal. While "the man with no name" actually had a different name in each movie, and while Back to the Future ruined teh ending of the first one for me, there was still enough atmosphere and trademark-lines to ensure the trilogy lived up to its legendary status. I mean, the intro credits? The signature theme tunes? yeah. Awesome. Watched Schindler's List (and got confused, as always, between Neeson and Fiennes) and was almost brought to tears on a couple of occasions. Now I've got The Third Man, Apocalypse Now, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, O Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Big Nothing and The Man Who Wasn't There to watch As you can tell, a bit of Linklater and Coens. Then I'm revisiting Lynch and Kubrik, then checking out the Clooney movies. THEN... I dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxigen_Waste Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Holy shit, this thread has turned awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I've yet to watch Schindler's List the whole way through. I keep meaning to, I mean, I have it on DVD. Will do one day. I also need to see Apocalypse Now. I bought it for 99p on VHS when I was reading Heart Of Darkness, but decided I hated VHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaggis Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Camp Rock A poor mans High School Musical. The Uberbitch was hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and the only good thing about it was Demi Lovato. Amazingly cliche, some abysmal acting, and some shitty numbers. There were a couple of moments where it seemed like it might rise above the mediocre, but then it just sank again. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Camp Rock A poor mans High School Musical. 4 Jesus Fuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxigen_Waste Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 A poor mans High School Musical. Jesus... I didn't know there were such levels of poverty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Jesus... I didn't know there were such levels of poverty! Trust Haggis to find it. Love you really!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Black Sheep Terrible, but in an intentional way. I found it quite fun to watch in a "Oh my god, that's so shit" sort of way. Definately a film to watch with friends. 7/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaggis Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Trust Haggis to find it. Love you really!! Sssshhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chairdriver Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Princess Mononoke Stunning. 8/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyson Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 The 6th Day A combination of lol and wtf sum it up. No real memorable Arnie quotes to keep it going but surprisingly enough an enjoyable enough storyline to keep my interest. 6.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Now I've got The Third Man, Apocalypse Now, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, O Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Big Nothing and The Man Who Wasn't There to watch As you can tell, a bit of Linklater and Coens. Then I'm revisiting Lynch and Kubrik, then checking out the Clooney movies. THEN... I dunno. Don't get me wrong, I like Big Nothing but I don't see how it fits in any of those. Perhaps it's part of the 'You Dunno' category? Just watched She's the Man it was alright. A few funny moments and few cringe moments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 (edited) Camp Rock A poor mans High School Musical. The Uberbitch was hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and the only good thing about it was Demi Lovato. Amazingly cliche, some abysmal acting, and some shitty numbers. There were a couple of moments where it seemed like it might rise above the mediocre, but then it just sank again. 4 It's amazingly shit. Rubbish acting, shit storyline and you just wanted to punch half the characters they were that annoying, haha. I wanted to punch the Jonas Brothers. Urban Legends: Final Cut Mediocre horror movie, wasn't that bad but it's been done before many times, nothing new. I loved the security woman in it. "FREEZE! YOU CRAZY LONELY MOTHER FU**ER!" lmfao. 5/10 Edited May 5, 2009 by Animal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Don't get me wrong, I like Big Nothing but I don't see how it fits in any of those. Perhaps it's part of the 'You Dunno' category? Just watched She's the Man it was alright. A few funny moments and few cringe moments. haha - yeah it doesn't fit in at all :P I should've distinguished it - got it for a ladyfriend who wants to watch it with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Camp Rock must be painful to watch if Haggis and Dazz hate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 One imagines a missing stanza penned by Dante. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Hmm. Possibly. *doesn't know what else to add, so leaves* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 One imagines a missing stanza penned by Dante. Maybe he realised even Hell has standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomJcg Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I'd imagine at the end of hell it would be the jonas brothers, rather than brutus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts