Author Topic: Tom's Random Reviews  (Read 858234 times)

Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #645 on: May 08, 2010, 03:48:49 PM »


Title: The Day After Tomorrow
Year: 2004
Director: Roland Emmerich
Rating: 12
Length: 124 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: Danish, English, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
Dennis Quaid
Jake Gyllenhaal
Emmy Rossum
Dash Mihok
Jay O. Sanders

Plot:
When global warming triggers a new Ice Age, tornadoes flatten Los Angeles, a tidal wave engulfs New York City and the entire Northern Hemisphere begins to freeze solid. Now, climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a small band of survivors must ride out the growing superstorm and stay alive.

Awards:
BAFTA2004WonAchievement In Special Visual EffectsKaren E. Goulekas, Neil Corbould, Greg Strause, Remo Balcells
BMI Film & TV Music Awards2005WonBMI Film Music AwardHarald Kloser
MTV Movie Awards2005WonBest Action Sequence
MTV Movie Awards2005NominatedBreakthrough Female PerformanceEmmy Rossum
Saturn2004NominatedBest Science Fiction Film
Saturn2004NominatedBest Special EffectsKaren Goulekas, Neil Corbould, Greg Strause, Remo Balcells
Teen Choice Awards2004NominatedChoice Movie - Drama/Action Adventure
Visual Effects Society Awards2005WonBest Single Visual Effect of the YearKaren E. Goulekas, Mike Chambers, Christopher Horvath, Matthew E. Butler (For the tidal wave)
Visual Effects Society Awards2005NominatedOutstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion PictureKaren E. Goulekas, Mike Chambers, Greg Strause, Remo Balcells


Extras:
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Game
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:
What a shitty movie. I had avoided this one because I had the feeling that I would not enjoy it. But years of avoiding it I thought I'd give it a chance. I wasn't expecting a good story, but at least great special effects. I got no story with uninteresting characters and got cheap looking effects. All the effects were very obvious CGI shots. I am expecting them to look more realistic in such a high budget movie. I am now disappointed with myself that I couldn't stay away from the movie. And this is from someone who very much enjoys Independence Day.

Rating:
« Last Edit: May 08, 2010, 04:08:13 PM by Tom »



Najemikon

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #646 on: May 08, 2010, 03:53:55 PM »
Tom, you shouldn't be disappointed for wanting to see this. I actually quite enjoyed it, but accepting it for what it was (predictable junk). Independence Day is another matter entirely. It isn't a 'great' film. Possibly not even a 'good' film, but it's incredibly good entertainment and very watchable. There is a world of difference between the two.

I have, however, no wish whatsoever to see 2012. In fact, Achim trashed that recently... I wonder what he thought of this or ID4?

Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #647 on: May 08, 2010, 07:52:53 PM »


Title: Independence Day
Year: 1996
Director: Roland Emmerich
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 147 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 3, Commentary: Dolby Digital 3
Subtitles: Commentary, English, German

Stars:
Will Smith
Bill Pullman
Jeff Goldblum
Mary McDonnell
Judd Hirsch

Plot:
July, 2nd. Some aliens come in a huge ship. They place their UFOs all over the world and blow everything apart. July, 3rd. We try to strike back and fail miserably. July, 4th. We give them a cold and blow them apart.

Awards:
Academy Award1996NominatedBest SoundChris Carpenter, Bill W. Benton, Bob Beemer, Jeff Wexler
Academy Award1996WonBest Visual EffectsVolker Engel, Douglas Hans Smith, Clay Pinney, Joe Viskocil
AFI1996Nominated100 Years... 100 Thrills (2001)
Amanda-prisen1997WonBeste utenlandske spillefilmRoland Emmerich
BAFTA1996NominatedAchievement In Special Visual EffectsTricia Ashford, Volker Engel, Clay Pinney, Douglas Hans Smith, Joe Viskocil
BAFTA1996NominatedSoundBob Beemer, Bill W. Benton, Chris Carpenter, Sandy Gendler, Val Kuklowsky, Jeff Wexler
BMI Film & TV Music Awards1997WonBMI Film Music AwardDavid A. Arnold
Cinema Audio Society Awards1997NominatedOutstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature FilmChris Carpenter, Bob Beemer, Bill W. Benton, Jeff Wexler
Golden Raspberry Awards1996NominatedWorst Written Film Grossing Over $100 MillionDean Devlin and Roland Emmerich
Grammy Awards1997WonBest Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for TelevisionDavid A. Arnold (For "Independence Day")
Hugo Award1997NominatedDramatic Presentation
MTV Movie Awards1997NominatedBest Action Sequence
MTV Movie Awards1997NominatedBest Breakthrough PerformanceVivica A. Fox
MTV Movie Awards1997WonBest KissWill Smith and Vivica A. Fox
MTV Movie Awards1997NominatedBest Male PerformanceWill Smith
MTV Movie Awards1997NominatedBest Movie
Satellite Awards1997WonBest Film EditingDavid Brenner
Satellite Awards1997WonBest Visual EffectsVolker Engel, Douglas Hans Smith
Saturn1996NominatedBest ActorJeff Goldblum
Saturn1996NominatedBest ActorWill Smith
Saturn1996NominatedBest CostumesJoseph Porro
Saturn1996WonBest DirectorRoland Emmerich
Saturn1996NominatedBest MusicDavid A. Arnold
Saturn1996WonBest Science Fiction Film
Saturn1996WonBest Special EffectsVolker Engel, Clay Pinney, Douglas Hans Smith, Joe Viskocil
Saturn1996NominatedBest Supporting ActorBrent Spiner
Saturn1996NominatedBest Supporting ActressVivica Fox
Saturn1996NominatedBest WritingDean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Saturn1996NominatedBest Younger ActorJames Duval
Young Artist Awards1997NominatedBest Performance in a Feature Film – Actor Age Ten or UnderRoss Bagley


Extras:
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Kinofassung (139 min)
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:
After watching the horrendous "The Day After Tomorrow" I had the urge to watch Independence Day again. I still enjoyed it very much. Yes, the characters are clichèd. Yes, the story gets a little too patriotic. But it still 100 times much more fun than the other movie. The characters, even if they are stereotypes, are a joy to watch. I especially like the interactions between Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch. The effects are holding up quite well. Probably because they relied more on models than on CGI. The latter which usually gets outdated much faster.
I just looked at the cast list and a name sprung out to me: Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) as Major Mitchell. I can't believe that I didn't notice it!

Rating:



Offline DJ Doena

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #648 on: May 08, 2010, 09:17:17 PM »
I just looked at the cast list and a name sprung out to me: Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) as Major Mitchell. I can't believe that I didn't notice it!

He's the guy who gives the president the mike before he gives his speech. And the guy who says to the son that his father (Randy Quaid) was a brave man.
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Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #649 on: May 08, 2010, 10:03:17 PM »
I just looked at the cast list and a name sprung out to me: Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) as Major Mitchell. I can't believe that I didn't notice it!

He's the guy who gives the president the mike before he gives his speech. And the guy who says to the son that his father (Randy Quaid) was a brave man.

Yes, I gathered as much. I just cannot believe it that I didn't recognize him. I probably would have, if I had known he was in the movie and I would have looked out for him.



Offline Achim

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #650 on: May 09, 2010, 07:11:00 AM »
I have, however, no wish whatsoever to see 2012. In fact, Achim trashed that recently... I wonder what he thought of this or ID4?
I enjoy ID4 for what it is, just like you. It, predictably, has it's cheesy moments but in overall is well made and engaging for the most part.

The Day After Tomorrow is just boring all the way through. My eyes hurt afterwards, that I much the film made me ::)

Offline Dragonfire

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #651 on: May 09, 2010, 07:18:07 AM »
I didn't care for 2012. I've seen worse..but it wasn't that great.  Just a redo of some of the other movies with the world being destroyed in a different way.

Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #652 on: May 26, 2010, 12:04:05 AM »


Title: Dil Bole Hadippa!
Year: 2009
Director: Anurag Singh
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 141 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shahid Kapoor
Rani Mukherjee
Anupam Kher
Dalip Tahil
Rakhi Sawant

Plot:
Slender, barely 5'2'', assisting a dance troupe, Veera Kaur's dream is to represent the 9-time losing Indian Tigers cricket team. The team, led by Choudhary Vikramjeet Singh, have never won the Aman Cup against their rivals, Pakistan Champs, led by Pathan Liqayat Ali Khan. She dons the guise of a turbaned Sikh, complete with beard and mustache, and calls herself Veer Pratap Singh. In this way she manage to convince the new, rather arrogant and brash Team Captain, Rohan Singh, a British County Cricket all-rounder, and the son of Vikramjeet, to include her in this team. Things all appear to be going well until accusations are leveled against her for attempting to sexually molest Rohan's leggy girlfriend - none other than Miss Chandigarh 2008, Soniya Saluja - which may well blow her cover, and prevent her from ever playing for any Indian Cricket team

Awards:
Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:
The story isn't anything new. A woman wants to play a male-dominated sport, so she disguises herself as a man to be able to play.
I didn't expect much but if it's a movie with Rani Mukherji in it, I am sure to check it out. Even though I like Rani, and she has proven herself to be a great actress (see "Black"), I had doubts that she could pull of this role believably. But I really enjoyed her portrayal of the male Veer. They made the choice to play it for fun, and it works.
And again I enjoyed a movie set in Punjab, like previously "Veer-Zaara". Though it means even more dance numbers than an average Bollywood movie, I enjoy those more than most of the "modern" dance numbers of movies set in Mumbai.



Rating:



Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #653 on: May 29, 2010, 01:32:38 AM »
I recently watched "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" again. That movie really put me again into the mood of watching some Bollywood movies, and even order some new ones. Besides enjoying the story of this movie, I was enjoying the songs (in my opinion quite catchy) and the dance choreographies very much. I even bought the soundtrack now.

Here the songs from the movie. I wonder if I am the only one here who can get some enjoyment out of these:

Some background: Surinder is visiting his old teacher on the day his teacher's daughter is supposed to get married. Surinder falls in love with her. After a bus accident the groom dies and the bride's father (the teacher) has a heart attack. As he is dying, he has one final wish, that his daughter marries Surinder, so that he can die peacefully knowing his daughter (Taani) is in good hands. Surinder and Taani grant him this wish. Surinder now tries to cheer up his new bride. As she loves to dance, she takes part in a dance school. Surinder disguises himself as "Raj" and becomes her dance partner. As I said in my review, this has a little superhero movie feel to it. Surinder is the mild-mannered and shy person, who becomes the hip "Raj".


This first clip is early on in the marriage and shows Surinder's feelings for Taani



This clip is the so-called "item number". A lot of Bollywood movies have those. It usually is a song unconnected to the story and has usually an "item girl", a famous actress or singer, doing the dancing. In this movie it is a day dream by Taani. The song is a tribute to five decades of Bollywood movie history. Each part pays tribute to one decade (1940s-1980s) and each part has another famous Bollywood actress dancing. Among these Kajol (40s segment), Preity Zinta (70s segment) and Rani Mukherji (80s segment), names you will often find in my reviews.



This one is showing "Raj" and Taani practicing for the big dance tournament



The next clip is "Raj" showing Taani a good time



In this short clip Taani comes to the realization that she also has feelings for Surinder and that she won't leave him for "Raj"



This is the finale, in which Taani learns that Surinder and Raj are one and the same and she comes to recognize what Surinder has done for her
« Last Edit: May 29, 2010, 01:42:21 AM by Tom »



Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #654 on: May 30, 2010, 11:15:44 PM »


Title: Baazigar
Year: 1993
Director: Abbas-Mustan
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 180 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Shah Rukh Khan
Kajol
Siddharth
Shilpa Shetty
Dalip Tahil
Johnny Lever

Plot:
Wealthy widower Madan Chopra has two young and marriageable aged daughters, Priya and Seema. Madan would like Priya to marry Vicky Malhotra, his business associate, to which she reluctantly agrees. Seema attends college and is seduced by Ajay Sharma and aspires to marry him secretly. But when they go to register the marriage Ajay mysteriously kills Seema by throwing her off a multi-storied building. A grief-stricken Priya is unable to forget this incident and what she does not know is that Vicky is not what he claims to be.

Awards:
Filmfare Awards1994WonBest Actor AwardShahrukh Khan
Filmfare Awards1994WonBest Male Playback AwardKumar Sanu
Filmfare Awards1994NominatedBest Movie Award
Filmfare Awards1994WonBest Music Director AwardAnu Malik
Filmfare Awards1994NominatedBest Supporting Actress AwardShilpa Shetty


Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Music Videos
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
This was the first big role of Shah Rukh Khan. And also the first of many movies for the screen couple Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. This movie caused a controversy when it was first released: SRK's character unexpectantly and brutally kills one of the love interests.
Overall I enjoyed this movie even though it has weaknesses. I have a little hard time watching older Bollywood movies because the production quality is not that great. This movie is from 1993, which is one of the oldest Bollywood movies I have seen so far.
Only the last ten years or so the production quality got much better as international interest in Bollywood movies increased and also Hollywood movies had a bigger audience in India and therefore Bollywood movies have had real competition and were forced to improve.

Rating:



samuelrichardscott

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #655 on: May 31, 2010, 01:36:16 AM »
Tom, I see you quite like your Bollywood movies. Can you give me some recommendations for having enjoyed Home Delivery and My Wife's Murder both released by Eros? I also have seen a few others in that sort of movie budget/cast/quality range I also enjoyed and I have Preet Na Jane Reet in my to watch pile.

Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #656 on: May 31, 2010, 07:43:47 PM »
Finally! Someone who shows interest in Bollywood movies besides myself  :)
Until now it seemed I was writing my Bollywood reviews just for myself.

I don't know any of the three you have mentioned, so I cannot base my recommendations on those.

I will try to give some recommendations based on different aspects:

Ghajini
I can recommend this one also to those vary of Bollywood. I think it is really accessable to western audiences.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
The mother of the modern Bollywood rom-coms.

Black
A great Bollywood movie without the typical singing and dancing.

Veer-Zaara
One of my favorite romance movies.

Lakshya
A war drama. Interesting to see how well they fit songs into this one. It has one of my favorite Bollywood soundtracks and great choreography.


There are many others I can recommend (some of which I already watched multiple times). Here is a list of all Bollywood movies I have rated so far. The ones I have written a review for are linked. Do not wonder that there are some non-Hindi movies listed. I have also marked movies having Indian directors and partially Indian cast as Bollywood movies in my collection.

TitleRating
Aaja Nachle (2007)
Anjaam (1994)
Baabul (2006)
Baazigar (1993)
Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008)
Baghban (2003)
Black (2005)
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
Bunty aur Babli (2005)
Chalte Chalte (2003)
Chori Chori (2001)
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002)
Dhoom (2004)
Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009)
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006)
Fanaa (2006)
Fire (1996)
U, Me aur Hum (2008)
Ghajini (2007)
God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)
Hum Tum (2004)
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Jab We Met (2007)
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Fight Club: Members Only (2006)
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)
Koi... mil gaya (2003)
Krrish (2006)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
Kuch Naa Kaho (2003)
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007)
Lakshya (2004)
Main Hoon Na (2004)
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003)
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000)
Mission Kashmir (2001)
Mohabbatein (2000)
Mr. India (1987)
Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002)
Nina's Heavenly Delights (2006)
One 2 Ka 4 (2001)
Paheli (2005)
Saathiya (2006)
Saawariya (2007)
Salaam Namaste (2005)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)
Taare Zameen Par (2007)
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008)
Umrao Jaan (2006)
Veer-Zaara (2004)
Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005)
Yaadein... (2001)



Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #657 on: May 31, 2010, 08:14:05 PM »
I guess you depend on English language releases. I have the luck, that there is distributor (Rapid Eyes Movies) here in Germany, who releases a lot of Bollywood movies in good quality. With the British Eros releases I have mixed experiences.

I will try to compile a list of movies, which I can recommend, and have a decent UK release.

For now the above list shortened to UK releases I own:
TitleRating
Baabul (2006)
Black (2005)
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
Chori Chori (2001)
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Fire (1996)
Ghajini (2007)
God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)
Mission Kashmir (2001)
Nina's Heavenly Delights (2006)
Paheli (2005)
Saawariya (2007)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
« Last Edit: May 31, 2010, 08:16:20 PM by Tom »



Offline Tom

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #658 on: May 31, 2010, 11:09:16 PM »
Here a few available UK releases:


Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Decent price at Marketplace. Two disc release with a bunch of extras.

Lakshya
Seems to be a decent release, though not quite cheap.

Fanaa
Very good price at Marketplace.

Kal Ho Naa Ho
Decent price at Marketplace.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Good price at Marketplace.

Taare Zameen Par
Very good regular price. It says that it is a 3-disc release.

Black
Very good price at Marketplace.

Ghajini
Good price at Marketplace

Jab We Met
Available regularly. Good price at Marketplace.



samuelrichardscott

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Re: Tom's Random Reviews
« Reply #659 on: May 31, 2010, 11:58:14 PM »
Thanks. I ordered Black and Fanaa. :thumbup: