Movies I Love....But For Different Reasons Than I Thought

This was a film that I had quite high expectations for as I had heard such good things about it everywhere. And those expectations were met but very differently than I thought.

First of all this movie, despite having a strong fantasy element to it, is NOT for kids. The trailers would have you believe it's 2 hours of magic and wonder that is for children but some of it is quite bloody, disgusting and downright shocking so I very much hope a child never sees this film.

The story is a very unique one, espceially in a time where movies storylines and plots are lacking in originality. Pan's tells a wonderful story both within' the 'real' world and in the fantasy world that the little girl creates (from what I understand). Even though the two worlds are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of story telling from one another they run parallel, allowing you to almost choose which one you want to concentrate on more.

I felt sort of annoyed at parts throughout when there's wasn't as much of the fantasy element as I had hoped for but then I realised that more of it would probably have ruined the film as a whole. The few and far between fantasy moments are very special that way, you appreciate just how amazing they are.

This film has vamped up my respect for foreign films even more. I look forward to watching this film many times over and appreciating it all the more. Appreciation it thouroughly deserves.

Full Review Here

Are you watching closely?

This film was very, VERY brilliant, both in it's enjoyment and it's content. Kept me glued to the screen for the most part, rarely letting up from the intruige.

First of all the acting is brilliant. Christian Bale (and I'm not being biased here) is the highlight of the movie. His mysterious nature mixed with his cheekiness is just splendid to watch. Hugh Jackman, although giving a good performance, just seemed second rate to Bale. Michael Caine is his usual, watchable self and there was a surprisingly well played performance by one David Bowie. The cast is fantastic and really work well together, one of the high points of the movie.

The storyline in it's entirety is fun, exciting and intriguing all at once. But a problem I had with the film is the characters just seemed to SAY what they have done rather than actually show you. And what was said by the other critics about there not being a fully justifiable reason for these men doings these things is a quite correct observation. One thing I thought they got spot on was the twist. I definetly didn't see it coming even after sitting trying to work out what it was throughout the movie what the twist might be and it totally shocked me.

Christopher Nolan slightly dissapoints me here, not because of the film was not good in anyway it's just it's hard to beat such masterpieces as Memento and Batman Begins. The script is well written but it is made better by the characters. If you're not shocked by the ending then I will be VERY shocked. This is a rare gem in modern cinema.

Full Review Here

I finally get to see this film which is referred to everywhere I look as "a masterpiece" and "a classic." But is it really? Absolutely and more.

Alfred Hitchcock is always referred to has a "master of suspense" and here I can see why. Never have I seen such a suspenseful and chilling film. From the opening credits to the meeting of Mr Norman Bates (played either really badly or extremely well by Anthony Perkins), some if it truly does send a shiver down your spine.

I loved the way Hitchcock made the film about one character for nearly half the film, then totally flipped it around (as a result of the memorable shower scene) to be about a totally new character. Very well done indeed.

Everything in this movie from it's suspense and chilling atmosphere to it's great acting and very well done ending this movie ultimately (in my eyes) is a masterpiece. Maybe not a total classic to me yet but give it time.

Full Review

This has got to be one of THE weirdest films I have ever seen. From minute one we are thrown into a world of humour, chaos, surrealty and downright weirdness; but I absolutely loved it.

Terry Gilliam is without a doubt THE weirdest director of all time. I wonder where the hell he gets his ideas from. It's as if he wakes up from a dream, writes everything that he dreamt about down and then turns that into a movie.

Jonathan Pryce I have limited knowledge of his work but from here I can see he is a good actor, not a great one but still good. There are some very cool cameos from the likes of Bob Hoskins as a governmental heating engineeer and Robert De Niro as a freelance, rebel hewating engineer; it's all very very weird.

The storyline at points does actually seem straightforward but when you just get settled into the 'norm' you are pulled back out and are shown something completely crazy...but brilliant.

This film is a masterpiece of creativity; made up of crazy dreamlike scenes mixed with great characters and a very weird storyline. You simply must see this film as soon as possible. I promise you will never see anything like it.

When I saw this movie for the first time I hated it. I thought it was boring and incredibly slow paced. But as I watched it a 2nd, 3rd and even 4th time I began to see just how good it was. Sameul L.Jackson as always has tons of on-screen presence even though he isn't the main character. It has a strong supporting cast including, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro. This movie is a timeless classic AND it get's better every time you see it, which is rare.

What a fantastically original film. It is the most unqiue display of writing and direction since Donnie Darko. The characters are very complex, giving the film a much needed intelligence. Joseph Gordon Leviit is fantastic here and surprised me as I haven't seen him in much else. The rest of the cast is perfect and they work fantastically with Levitt. The story needs to be paid attention to, as does the dialogue. The movie may need more than one watch to fully be understood. The story is both complex and interesting, meaning that even if you don't entirely get it you won't mind as it is so intriguing. Overall this was the highlight of the year for me, movie wise, and it is a must for all cult and indie fans.

An absolutely pheneominal film, near perfect in every way. Shyamalan has just blown The Sixth Sense right out of the water, the latter is great too but this is far superior in many ways.

This film I feel is his most under-appreciated and over-looked film. Bruce Willis is just great here, doing what he does best. And there are no words to describe how good of a performance Jackson gave, he was just outstanding. I would even go as far to say this is his best performance.

M.Night Shyamalan is vastly becoming one of my favourite filmakers, despite his lack of credits. This film is the pinacle of his work in my eyes, you simply HAVE to see it. Some of the shots Shyamalan gets here are unbelievable, he really makes the far-fetched ideas he comes up with believable with the environment he creates.

The only small, and I stress the word 'small', gripe I have with this movie is it sometimes a little slow. But this does let you really gte to understand the story when moments of silence occur. I was also glad to see a violent seen in this movie, as Shyamalan has never done in any others.

Overall a phenominal film, definelty the directors best. The film is creepy, original and is the very definition of quality filmaking.

*Number 57 in my Top 100 list*

While I don't think this film is quite as good as it is said to be, I still thought it was a fantastic film. And even if I don't agree with the high rating that it has, I can see how a person would rate it that high.

Filled with fantastic cinematography, this film is amazing to look at. The contrast between the violent nature of the film and the gorgeous Brazillian backdrop shows just how well opposites can work incredibly well together.

The violence in this film although not completely sick is very uncomfortable to watch; I was open mouthed at some of the scenes. One scene in particular where a small boy is forced to choose whether he wants to be shot in the hand or the foot is one of the most powerful scenes to date.

The cast, although quite unknown, keep the film realistic and believeable while still keeping the entertainment and shock factors. This film has been called "the Brazillian Goodfellas" whcih is a very bold statement to make. And in some ways the film resembles Goodfellas; like the flashback method or the overbearing but very necessary narration. But in terms of content and the way the film actually feels they are totally different. To say that statement is to say that every country should have their own version of Goodfellas. Which leads to the question for me, "What is the British Goodfellas?"

Powerful, shocking, drowned in amazing cinematography but a little uncomfortable to watch. An extremely great film but a little overrated none the less.

"Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk" The words of tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor played by the brillaint Aaron Eckhart. This movie was extremely entertaining froms tart to finish; definitely one of my top films of 2006. It is extremely sarcastic which suits it down to a tee. Although it may be one of the most immoral films in history you can see it's point. It doesn't at all make me want to smoke as it, after all, is only a movie.

Aaron Eckhart gives a fantastic performance as a character that you can't not agree with. And although deep down you know it is wrong, you feel as though you should agree with him. He just almost convinces you that what he is doing is right, even if he doesn't complete believe it is right himself. The only irritating thing was the extremely bad acting from Katie Holmes; she was the only thing about Batman Begins that I hated and it's the same with this film.

The film is witty, sarcastic and very entertaining; it almost makes you wish you were this immoral.

I finally get to watch this film all the way through and I'm glad I did. The film is compelling, funny, shcoking and strangely heart-warming.

Jack Nicholson gives yet another amazing performance and he is quickly rising up the ranks as one of my favourite actors. His performance here is funny yet powerful, loveable yet unsettling, a hard amount of things to balance out; and Nicholson does it with ease. We see something extreemely rare here, all the supporting cast are fantastic. Usually you get at least one 'bad apple' but here the supprting cast is flawless. As for the head nurse, played brilliantly by Louise Fletcher, she is truly evil. Why the hell wouldn't she let them watch the game? I was shouting in anger at her when watching.

I have never really seen a movie where they really focus the whole thing on a mental institution, and it is a touchy subject to make a film out of. But luckily they handle the subject with a big of caution and class, which is not easy considering.

The film has it's flaws e.g. it is quite slow paced. But if you can learn to ignore that you will have a funny, exciting, happy, sad and shocking time. Thumbs up!