Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[PaulB]

The Woman: That being said, about halfway through, the movie picks up and ends with a very lively last 20 minutes (including an explanation as to the family's bizarre reactions to what their father is doing.) But half-a-movie is still half-a movie, so that's what I'm rating it as. That being said, I know the book is going to be much better than the movie.

2.5/5

Well said and absolutely agree. Was a bit disappointed in this one. Not that it was a bad movie just a bit meh. And like you say the book is much better.

[Dan Hocker]

I hate to state the obvious, but I'm not sure you could expect too much more out of a straight to dvd movie. I can't remember the last time I saw a good movie that went right to dvd.

[srboone]

Actually, some direct-to-video movies are pretty good, they just don't find an audience. A lot of movies that ordinarily would just go DTV, play in one or two theaters for a week and then go to video. So they avoid the DTV label--and let's face it, a lot of what makes it to theaters is utter shite! I had hopes for the movie, not too high, and for the most part, my hopes were met. I'm not upset I bought the movie.

[srboone]

With today's independent film companies, a lot of what would be DTV movies, go to theaters, get anywhere from $1-$1M, and are no longer DTV movies. Teeth made a small amount and then went to video; Grace made an even smaller amt and then went to video; Now Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter was in theater for 3 days; Gory Gory Hallelujah was in theaters for 63 days and made $12,604; all these were pretty good, but should have been DTV movies.

[Dan Hocker]

Yea I know what you're saying, it's just in my personal experience DTV / DDVD movies that I have seen are almost all typically sub par compared to the much bigger budget movie theater movies. I'm sure there are good one's out there, and I can think of some animated movie tie-ins / adaptions that are perfect examples (Animatrix and pretty much anything that DC comics has been putting out lately to name a few), I'm just saying that the stereo type (with good cause) is that direct to dvd movies are generally really sub par, because most of them are.

[goathunter]

I saw The Woman in Black tonight. Most excellent, with great performances by Daniel Radcliffe and Ciaran Hinds. I've never read the novel, so I don't really know how it compares, but overall, well worth the viewing. 4.5/5

Hunter

[Randy D. Rubin]

Apollo 18 is the worst movie I have seen this year--bar none.

[srboone]

Don't worry, you still have 11 months to go. You find a worse one yet!

[Hedda Gabler]

Okay, I went and saw THe Woman in Black today. Although I've stayed away from too much information, I have gotten the overall gist that this movie is not getting good reviews.

I would give it a B-. The scares weren't anything more than things jumping out at you at just the right moments. But, the overall atmosphere of the movie was fantastic. Beautifully dark and chilling sets with the most elaborately creepy set pieces. The scenery, where the house is located, the village connected to it, just gorgeous. I love that it was British based, and I loved the time period.

The overall story isn't that compelling or new. Daniel Radcliffe didn't do a lot of talking in the movie really. Mostly we watched him react to things, and he did alright. There is a couple very eery moments with children, and those moments I found scarier than the jump-out-and-grab-you scares. The way it ends is interesting.

It was okay. Not horrible, but not one of the better genre movies. But, I found myself watching the background for really interesting antiques and queer objects. I actually yawned during a particularly hoped-for tense scene. I would have loved to have gone through that old house and looked in every room, every trunk, every closet. That's the part I loved about the movie. So, yes, I still give it a B-.

[theenormityofitall]

I watched Scalps again LMAO. I would defintely recommend it for a completely ridiculous 80's slasher-type film.
8/10 for the sheer audacity of someone actually making it.

[srboone]

The Commitments: A working class fast-talker in Dublin, Ireland puts together a soul/R&B cover band that rises fast and burns out even faster--full of great music; an energetic cast of unknowns (including a wonderfully eccentic performance by Colm Meaney); an exquisitley witty script; and directed by Alan Parker--who has a terrific eye for working class flavor. Fun and funny from the get go, you can't help but like this one. Sidenote: The actor playing the fast-talking Jimmy Rabbit was originally cast as the lead singer, but director Parker was at a wedding where a drunk 16 year-old joined the band on stage (univited, of course) and started singing. Parker immediately recast the role.

4.5/5

[TerryE]

I love The Commitments, but haven't seen it for years. They were a great young cast, and I think the only one I've seen very much since was the chubby, girl singer. She was in Pulp Fiction (one of the girls partying with Eric Stoltz, not the one "with all the shit in her face"). And this movie only had one scene that got to showcase Parker's brilliant directing of violence. I don't think he's famous for it (unlike Paul Verhoeven) but when Parker uses violence in his movies, it is very realistic and very brutal, and very affecting.

[srboone]

Just got back 7 hours of home movies that my mother's father shot in the 1940s that I had transferred to DVD. Hadn't seen any of them before, but I spent a couple hours going through the first two DVDs. Found a stunning video of my grandmother (the one who gave me my love of reading) in her wedding dress and some video of my great grandparents who came over from Hungary at the turn of the century. No sound of course, but I had them put a soundtrack of various songs from the time period over the video.

I'm going to resist giving it a rating; bt needless to say, theses are the best movies I've seen in a very long time.

[srboone]

Safe House: A cookie-cutter CIA corruption/double espionage story that has two exceptionally strong central performances; Denzel Washington excels at playing dark characters who realize they are in too deep to turn back and Renyolds is a proven action star with solid acting chops (when he doesn't let himself get in the way). The action is shot using a shaky handi-cam with quick-cut editing that unfortunatly makes the action incomprehensible and the script is weak to say the least. Still, an action sequence on the rootops of Lamba Township in South Africa is exciting and flows rather well. Overall, a forgettable actioner that would have done better to make itself a character study (ala Training Day.)

2/5

[Randy D. Rubin]

As independent films go, 'Chrystal' with Billy Bob Thornton and Lisa Blount was an interesting extremely low-budget flick set in the Ozark Mountains. On a One to Ten, I'd go a solid Seven.