Debate Movies

August 5th 2010 13:58

Hello all,

Just taking a rain check with Inception while I get to a proper computer.

Travelling has its up & downs most definitely!

Hope you are well.

Cheers,
DM.

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9: A Review

June 7th 2010 02:46

Been fueling my movie obsessions/hobby with offers from Quickflix lately. Signed up for a 14 day trial but that quickly expired and so far so good delivery times are quick and the best thing is I don’t have to scour the DVD store for movies (especially not in this rain!). The only let down is the range I guess but there’s heaps of OK movies to catch up on. Like “9”…

I thought that it was directed by Tim Burton but only when the credits rolled that I realized that Tim Burton was just one of the producers. It still has streaks of Tim in the movie but not as dark as his other movies. It’s a little out of this world but believable at the same time.

Being an animation (seems like I’ve been watching heaps of animations lately

), I suppose its only fair when reviewing it to consciously be comparing it to other animations. The trailers on the DVD promoted “Transformers: The Movie” (1986), “Ponyo”, and a whole host of Japanese animations. Pretty much anyone can tell the difference between a Japanese animation and a Hollywood-based one nowadays; they can be almost split into two genres of their own.

I guess it’s the cultures as well, adult animations have always been around in Japan but in Western countries, its only the comic book enthusiasts who will want to watch an animation; the general population citing animations as not a ‘real movie’; but that trend, I believe, is certainly bucking.

I admit that if it weren’t for Tim Burton; I would have passed on watching “9”. I didn’t have any expectations when watching the movie except to see where 3D animations have come and where they are improving on, etc.

The story starts off with a character called 9 jumping to life into a life-deprived world. He meets 2 which then gets kidnapped and in the process of retrieving 2 bumps into all the other characters, the complete 1 to 9 of them.

They have distinct personalities and you can’t help but think that the concept of the story has been very well thought out of. For me, it was sort of “Alice In Wonderland” meets “Harry Potter” meets “A Bug’s Life”.

The story is definitely a good one but I think a lot of shortcuts have been made story wise and art wise. A lot of the story is just too ‘convenient’. For me the movie seemed like a prototype for something bigger; something the production team would want to explore further before making it a bigger blockbuster of some sort. Or they’re just as happy extending a short-story to a full length film; which coincidentally what “9” is! (Director Shane Acker started "9" off as a short movie when he was still in ULCA).

No doubt the movie was made by absolute perfectionists; every single character is flawlessly flawed and the whole landscape of where it takes place is well thought out. Again, big chunks of the story and how these 9 characters came about were left out but if things like that don’t annoy you, it’s a great movie to experience.

Watch “9” if you want to be tugged at the heartstrings by a very convincing Elijah Wood (he plays 9) and for an hour of a preview of what future animations have the potential to be.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

DM

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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: A Review

May 1st 2010 08:09

Having seen the books boom in popularity and seemingly every ad in bookstores and cinemas featuring some form of Steig Larsson, I decided to give this movie a go.

It’s hard stuff and as the movie develops, more hard stuff hits you and character development takes place. The story revolves around Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander which through a series of events get to know each other. In a way the classic boy-meets-girl story still echoes throughout the film but the methods of execution are totally modern and bordering perverse, in want of a better word.

All I knew before the movie was that it was a whodunit story but if you’re expecting the classic whodunits, you will be in for a shock, well at least I was. Dark sides of humanity arise amidst the bureaucracy and assumed cleanliness of modern Sweden and quickly explains why the characters are who they are.

The story brings us to Swedish countryside and more drama unfolds.

Its an interesting enough story to keep you engaged and clearly lacks the ‘exagerrated-ness’ of Hollywood movies.

Watch it for the occasional break from Hollywood movies and you’ll find yourself remembering the story and the characters in it for a long time to come.

4 out of 5 stars.

DM

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Inglourious Basterds: A Review

April 23rd 2010 05:29

Having written professionally as a movie reviewer, I find that my view of movies usually differ from that of my friends. I look out for the cinematography, the realism of the backdrops, the mood of the soundtrack, the emotions in the colours and usually, the references embedded in the movie

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Ponyo: A Review

April 5th 2010 06:20

Thanks to the folks at Treeet (www.treeet.com.au) for giving me Ponyo’s DVD to review. The DVD itself arrived two days after I ordered online (Sydney Metropolitan area) so I guess if you are worried about waiting around for anything from them, don’t be, most if not all of my interactions with them have been positive if not surprisingly efficient for an online store. Guess they want to be around for some time! Thanks Treeet

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Sherlock Holmes: A Review

February 23rd 2010 12:24

Again, reviews of this movie has been good before I watched it (seems to be a recurring pattern here) and in modern times it has been said that movies don't have a 'break-in' time of a few weekends, they have ONE weekend. With the advent of Twitter and IMs; there is no reason for a good (or bad) review to NOT spread like fire.

Anyway, "Sherlock Holmes" stars two very good actors, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law plus being directed by Guy Ritchie; and it shows

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2012: A Review

December 29th 2009 00:44

No doubt “2012” was very much talked about. The media ran with the Mayan calendar thing and it certainly got my friends talking about the end of the world and its possibilities

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Gran Torino: A Review

December 7th 2009 00:12

“Gran Torino” is one of those movies a single parent 45-year old cultured and seen much of life kinda Caucasian woman would recommend. It’s filled with real-life ‘challenges’ of racism and cultural integrity coupled with a look into what sort of dangers can lurk in minority families. Of course it is dramatized and of course it will be exaggerated, it is after all, a movie

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Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen: A Review

October 8th 2009 08:23

So, Transformers 2! Finally straggled my way into the mechanical world of the Autobots and the Decepticons to see the drama unfold. I was late also in watching the first one having to force a friend to watch it the second time for him, with me; not that he minded

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The Ugly Truth: A Review

August 31st 2009 02:19

I caught “The Ugly Truth” a couple of weeks ago and I remembered thinking to myself distinctly as the movie progressed that this must be a romantic comedy written for men.

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August 2010

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May 2010

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