Polter-Cow
Joined May 2001
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Polter-Cow's rating
I'm not going to tell you that *Sin City* is brilliant and the best movie of the year and visually stunning and unlike anything you've ever seen, because I'm sure you've heard it all before. I'm going to tell you why you should see it.
You should see it if you're a fan of the noir genre. This is quite possibly the noirest movie I have ever seen, and this includes actual noir like *Sunset Boulevard* and *The Big Sleep*. It is positively drenched in noir, from the black-and-white look to the hard-boiled characters, stories, and dialogue. I will give one word of warning here: the movie will feel "off" to you in the first ten minutes since it's highly stylized. But you'll get used to it.
You should see it if you're a fan of comics. Because this will let you see how it might look if you literally transferred a graphic novel from the page to the screen, which is essentially what Robert Rodriguez did. As you watch, you can practically see the panels on paper.
You should see it if you love voiceovers. Because there are a hell of a lot of them, so much so that it often feels as if you're being told a story by the characters. This is, of course, a noir convention.
You should see it if you like Carla Gugino's breasts.
You should see it if you love movies. The way that they can transport you to another world, and for two hours or so, they can so completely engross you that nothing in your own life even seems to exist, all that matters is what's transpiring on the screen.
You should see it if you enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence. This movie is not for children. Do not take your five-year-old sister, for God's sake. But if you can appreciate guns, arrows, grenades, swords, clubs, and ninja swastikas, then you're golden.
You should see it if you can't tell the difference between a hero and an antihero, and maybe you think there's no real distinction.
You should see it if you liked how in *Pulp Fiction*, three self-contained stories ending up being connected.
You should see it if you can handle gore, ranging from missing limbs to...more missing limbs.
You should see it if you want to see Alexis Bledel show a little range.
You should see it if you want to see something different. Not only visually, but stylistically as well, down to the narrative.
You should see it if you want to see a really good movie. Look, maybe I wasn't physically wowed by it, and I'm not feeling all giddy. But you know when every aspect of a movie, from the acting to the writing to the directing to the everything you can possibly think of, is just so spot-on you can't think of anything to complain about? That's *Sin City*. It's extremely solid, and possibly revolutionary. Go see it.
You should see it if you're a fan of the noir genre. This is quite possibly the noirest movie I have ever seen, and this includes actual noir like *Sunset Boulevard* and *The Big Sleep*. It is positively drenched in noir, from the black-and-white look to the hard-boiled characters, stories, and dialogue. I will give one word of warning here: the movie will feel "off" to you in the first ten minutes since it's highly stylized. But you'll get used to it.
You should see it if you're a fan of comics. Because this will let you see how it might look if you literally transferred a graphic novel from the page to the screen, which is essentially what Robert Rodriguez did. As you watch, you can practically see the panels on paper.
You should see it if you love voiceovers. Because there are a hell of a lot of them, so much so that it often feels as if you're being told a story by the characters. This is, of course, a noir convention.
You should see it if you like Carla Gugino's breasts.
You should see it if you love movies. The way that they can transport you to another world, and for two hours or so, they can so completely engross you that nothing in your own life even seems to exist, all that matters is what's transpiring on the screen.
You should see it if you enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence. This movie is not for children. Do not take your five-year-old sister, for God's sake. But if you can appreciate guns, arrows, grenades, swords, clubs, and ninja swastikas, then you're golden.
You should see it if you can't tell the difference between a hero and an antihero, and maybe you think there's no real distinction.
You should see it if you liked how in *Pulp Fiction*, three self-contained stories ending up being connected.
You should see it if you can handle gore, ranging from missing limbs to...more missing limbs.
You should see it if you want to see Alexis Bledel show a little range.
You should see it if you want to see something different. Not only visually, but stylistically as well, down to the narrative.
You should see it if you want to see a really good movie. Look, maybe I wasn't physically wowed by it, and I'm not feeling all giddy. But you know when every aspect of a movie, from the acting to the writing to the directing to the everything you can possibly think of, is just so spot-on you can't think of anything to complain about? That's *Sin City*. It's extremely solid, and possibly revolutionary. Go see it.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow = ((Star Wars + Raiders of the Lost Ark) * The Iron Giant) / The Shadow
It's so freaking fun. Clearly, the visual style is a big draw, and it doesn't disappoint in that aspect. Your brain's all, "That's real, but wait, I know it's fake, but maybe it's real, it can't be real, right?" Everything is so well integrated, you completely forget it's all actors in front of a blue screen. And the muted colors in the beginning are so lush. There are very few points where anything looked obviously fake. It's very impressive.
But there's not only the retro-futuristic visual style, there's the style of the movie itself, an old-school adventure story with an archetypal hero and heroine. Jude Law is great, and Gwyneth Paltrow has the look down, but she acts like the most annoying backseat adventurer ever: "Joe, look out! What are you doing? You can't do that! We're going to die! What's that? Are you listening to me?" And she's obsessed with "getting the story" and "making sure her camera isn't trampled by giant robots," but not in an adorable Chloe Sullivan way. I'll accept it as part of the trope of 40s backseat heroines. And anyway, the camera ends up being a pretty entertaining running gag. Angelina Jolie is quite obviously enjoying the hell out of herself, and who wouldn't, when you get to wear an eyepatch?
Critics who are complaining about the story can bite me. Sure, the story's pretty ridiculous, but it's very well paced, and the action sequences are incredibly well choreographed and shot, the kind where you end up moving in your seat from side to side to avoid the planes. Kerry Conran's made a movie that gleefully embraces the adventure movie tropes of yore while not being afraid to subvert them for a laugh or two. It's not here to deliver any preachy messages or explore the human condition. It takes you on a ride where even halfway through the movie, it manages to give you the kind of thrill where the audience collectively laughs and spontaneously bursts into applause. I freaking *love* when that happens. That's why you go to the movies, man. I really felt like saying, "This makes me feel like a kid again," except I'm too young to make that sort of statement.
Make sure to look out for a couple of George Lucas references, a timely *THX-1138* reference (at least, I assume it was one) and a scene that looks almost identical to a scene in *Attack of the Clones,* the one movie Kerry Conran's seen since he started working on this film.
Go see *Sky Captain,* peoples. It's the most fun I've had in a theater in a long time.
It's so freaking fun. Clearly, the visual style is a big draw, and it doesn't disappoint in that aspect. Your brain's all, "That's real, but wait, I know it's fake, but maybe it's real, it can't be real, right?" Everything is so well integrated, you completely forget it's all actors in front of a blue screen. And the muted colors in the beginning are so lush. There are very few points where anything looked obviously fake. It's very impressive.
But there's not only the retro-futuristic visual style, there's the style of the movie itself, an old-school adventure story with an archetypal hero and heroine. Jude Law is great, and Gwyneth Paltrow has the look down, but she acts like the most annoying backseat adventurer ever: "Joe, look out! What are you doing? You can't do that! We're going to die! What's that? Are you listening to me?" And she's obsessed with "getting the story" and "making sure her camera isn't trampled by giant robots," but not in an adorable Chloe Sullivan way. I'll accept it as part of the trope of 40s backseat heroines. And anyway, the camera ends up being a pretty entertaining running gag. Angelina Jolie is quite obviously enjoying the hell out of herself, and who wouldn't, when you get to wear an eyepatch?
Critics who are complaining about the story can bite me. Sure, the story's pretty ridiculous, but it's very well paced, and the action sequences are incredibly well choreographed and shot, the kind where you end up moving in your seat from side to side to avoid the planes. Kerry Conran's made a movie that gleefully embraces the adventure movie tropes of yore while not being afraid to subvert them for a laugh or two. It's not here to deliver any preachy messages or explore the human condition. It takes you on a ride where even halfway through the movie, it manages to give you the kind of thrill where the audience collectively laughs and spontaneously bursts into applause. I freaking *love* when that happens. That's why you go to the movies, man. I really felt like saying, "This makes me feel like a kid again," except I'm too young to make that sort of statement.
Make sure to look out for a couple of George Lucas references, a timely *THX-1138* reference (at least, I assume it was one) and a scene that looks almost identical to a scene in *Attack of the Clones,* the one movie Kerry Conran's seen since he started working on this film.
Go see *Sky Captain,* peoples. It's the most fun I've had in a theater in a long time.
*Spider-Man* rocked. There's my two-word review. Details to follow.
I saw *X-Men*, and I thought pretty highly of *that* comic book movie too. I was familiar with it only through the animated series, and the same thing held for *Spider-Man*. How would this compare?
I've decided I can't really make that comparison, because one movie is about a group of superheroes and one is about one particular superhero. Yeah, I'm copping out. Well, they're different approaches...and well, I'm not going to get into that, because I'm not comparing the two movies, I'm reviewing the one.
Oh, where to begin?
So we were all wary about Tobey Maguire. Cause, like, Tobey Maguire? As Spider-Man? Suuuure.
Dude. He kicked web. He gets put through all kinds of emotions in this movie, and if you don't believe me, apparently even the critics are praising his performance.
The thing with Spider-Man is that he's not Spider-Man, he's Peter Parker, the nerdy high school kid that everyone picked on. I don't think I realized how much I had in common with Spidey until I saw this movie.
Kirsten Dunst with red hair. Kirsten Dunst with any hair. I have no complaints. At least David Koepp (yon screenwriter) gave MJ a decent amount of character. And she called Peter "tiger"! (I was all about the yelping at things like that.)
Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn...well, the guy looks creepy enough. I wasn't so much a fan of the way they handled the split-personality thing with Norman and the Green Goblin. It didn't translate so well to film. Plus, he sounds like Wario. He was a fair villain, and he was a good choice for the first film because of the way they integrated his son Harry into the MJ romance, but I can't wait for the other, more fun villains.
Doc Oc and the Lizard in the sequel!
I want to see Venom! God, I want to see Venom...there, the split-personality thing might come off better...maybe. And Mysterio! Mysterio rules. Chameleon! Maybe not. Scorpion! Rhino! All the other ones!
The origin story takes quite a while; Raimi doesn't rush it too much. (The movie's amazingly well paced. Never a dull moment.) And, well, it's just something else to see it on the big screen. It packs so much power. I don't know how many of you are familiar with it, so I won't go into too much detail, but...really. I can't imagine having to live with that.
The Peter-MJ romance is so damn cute. Koepp writes him an amazingly sweetly beautiful declaration of love. And they of course dance around how much they love each other, and when she finally tells him...
*sigh* Yeah.
Ooh, upside-down kiss! I wouldn't mind upside-down kissing Kirsten Dunst. Of course, I wouldn't mind right-side up kissing her, either.
I wasn't sure whether the CGI webslinger was going to work or not, but it *really* did. It looked like what it would look like if someone actually moved like him. Oh, the webslinging was awesome. God, it was cool. There was some fun cinematography. Nothing really phenomenal, but still great.
Danny Elfman does a great job with the music. Very superhero-y.
What else, what else...corny one-liners! My favorite:
"You're the one whose out, Gobby. Out of your *mind*!"
Really, they look fine in comic books, but when you actually *say* them...hee hee hee.
The movie has a more comic book feel to it than *X-Men*. The opening and closing narrations sound exactly like ones you'd find in an issue. Also, Raimi sometimes overdoes the voiceovers or flashes or the whatever you call it when you fade an image in on half the screen.
But the way he does the Spider Sense is pretty damn slick, though.
Oh! I have to mention J. Jonah Jameson, because he looks *exactly* like he's drawn, and he's hilarious.
I'm informed that they do play the original Spidey theme at the end, so stick around.
All in all, Sam Raimi and David Koepp have delivered one *hell* of a movie, complete with all the angst of being a teenage superhero. Romance. Secret identities. Fighting. Explosions. Upside-down kissing. Webslinging. New York pride. Dr. Pepper.
I can't *wait* for the next one.
I saw *X-Men*, and I thought pretty highly of *that* comic book movie too. I was familiar with it only through the animated series, and the same thing held for *Spider-Man*. How would this compare?
I've decided I can't really make that comparison, because one movie is about a group of superheroes and one is about one particular superhero. Yeah, I'm copping out. Well, they're different approaches...and well, I'm not going to get into that, because I'm not comparing the two movies, I'm reviewing the one.
Oh, where to begin?
So we were all wary about Tobey Maguire. Cause, like, Tobey Maguire? As Spider-Man? Suuuure.
Dude. He kicked web. He gets put through all kinds of emotions in this movie, and if you don't believe me, apparently even the critics are praising his performance.
The thing with Spider-Man is that he's not Spider-Man, he's Peter Parker, the nerdy high school kid that everyone picked on. I don't think I realized how much I had in common with Spidey until I saw this movie.
Kirsten Dunst with red hair. Kirsten Dunst with any hair. I have no complaints. At least David Koepp (yon screenwriter) gave MJ a decent amount of character. And she called Peter "tiger"! (I was all about the yelping at things like that.)
Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn...well, the guy looks creepy enough. I wasn't so much a fan of the way they handled the split-personality thing with Norman and the Green Goblin. It didn't translate so well to film. Plus, he sounds like Wario. He was a fair villain, and he was a good choice for the first film because of the way they integrated his son Harry into the MJ romance, but I can't wait for the other, more fun villains.
Doc Oc and the Lizard in the sequel!
I want to see Venom! God, I want to see Venom...there, the split-personality thing might come off better...maybe. And Mysterio! Mysterio rules. Chameleon! Maybe not. Scorpion! Rhino! All the other ones!
The origin story takes quite a while; Raimi doesn't rush it too much. (The movie's amazingly well paced. Never a dull moment.) And, well, it's just something else to see it on the big screen. It packs so much power. I don't know how many of you are familiar with it, so I won't go into too much detail, but...really. I can't imagine having to live with that.
The Peter-MJ romance is so damn cute. Koepp writes him an amazingly sweetly beautiful declaration of love. And they of course dance around how much they love each other, and when she finally tells him...
*sigh* Yeah.
Ooh, upside-down kiss! I wouldn't mind upside-down kissing Kirsten Dunst. Of course, I wouldn't mind right-side up kissing her, either.
I wasn't sure whether the CGI webslinger was going to work or not, but it *really* did. It looked like what it would look like if someone actually moved like him. Oh, the webslinging was awesome. God, it was cool. There was some fun cinematography. Nothing really phenomenal, but still great.
Danny Elfman does a great job with the music. Very superhero-y.
What else, what else...corny one-liners! My favorite:
"You're the one whose out, Gobby. Out of your *mind*!"
Really, they look fine in comic books, but when you actually *say* them...hee hee hee.
The movie has a more comic book feel to it than *X-Men*. The opening and closing narrations sound exactly like ones you'd find in an issue. Also, Raimi sometimes overdoes the voiceovers or flashes or the whatever you call it when you fade an image in on half the screen.
But the way he does the Spider Sense is pretty damn slick, though.
Oh! I have to mention J. Jonah Jameson, because he looks *exactly* like he's drawn, and he's hilarious.
I'm informed that they do play the original Spidey theme at the end, so stick around.
All in all, Sam Raimi and David Koepp have delivered one *hell* of a movie, complete with all the angst of being a teenage superhero. Romance. Secret identities. Fighting. Explosions. Upside-down kissing. Webslinging. New York pride. Dr. Pepper.
I can't *wait* for the next one.