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Russ-79
Reviews
Take This Waltz (2011)
Waltz Over To See This Film
This is a very good movie. Kudos to the director/writer for an adult look at desire within a comfortable marriage that's gone a little stale. My comments are not on the quality of the picture but on the technicals.
As someone whose vision is not as good as it once was, I appreciate seeing the details within the frame of a picture. In this day and age of high definition photography where grain is added and focus is is softened and placed out of focus. I long for films that have neither. I am so tired of having half the frame out of focus, having light over saturate a large part of the picture. I am tired of the directors of photography purposely using lenses that have such a slim depth of field that while a part of a person's face is somewhat in focus, the rest of it is blurry. This may sound like an extreme example but too often I've seen the end of a nose go OUT of focus while an actor's eyes are IN focus.
There is no excuse for this. What are film colleges teaching these days? Doesn't the audience deserve more? I wish people would stand up for what they want to see and force change. I've only heard a few desperate voices in the wilderness berate the infernal jerkiness of hand-held photography. I wish the developers of digital cameras would offer focus pullers auto-focus photography. Couldn't a focus puller keep his cursor on the spot where he wishes maximum focus and the camera adjust to keep that spot in perfect focus as the camera moves through a scene? Put the focus puller on remote duty at a video screen; think how much easier that would be for the crew.
While Sarah Polley did an excellent job writing an intelligent script I denounce her choice to over saturate images and change natural colors to a bizarre extent. These actors are beautiful people standing in beautiful settings; can't we see them in normal color and IN-focus? I hope other viewers who feel as I do voice their opinions on the technical issues of today's films. The movie reviewers on this website could and should be a powerful voice for improvement within our film industry. Let's stand up and make changes happen guys.
Russ^
Never Let Me Go (2010)
You Ought To See This Film
It is very gratifying to find a movie these days that is so well done. This movie has everything going for it, from a creative, intelligent novel, to an excellent screenplay to a sensitive director who expresses it so perfectly. The music, production design, timing and titles are meticulously done. Kudos to the creative production team and crew.
I won't say much about the plot except that it is set in what seems to be earth in a parallel universe or one possible version of contemporary society if certain scientific breakthroughs occurred in our health-care system. It is a what-if scenario but one that asks very potent questions and gives the viewer the time to consider them. It is a thinking person's movie. What health-care could become
It is paced slowly enough to give the viewer time to reflect, time for critical thought and time to use your imagination. Time to consider what choices society could make given certain medical breakthroughs
I really can't say enough about how well done this movie is and I highly recommend seeing this most engaging film.
Russ^
The Yards (2000)
Avoid the Blu-ray version of this film from Echo Bridge Entertainment
Speaking to the blu-ray transfer of this movie, this is one of the sorriest transfers I've seen. Echo Bridge Entertainment took the wide format of this movie and chopped 30% of it off entirely. I wonder why Miramax would allow them to butcher the movie like this. It's a disgrace. The movie was shot in 2.39:1 ratio but you won't see that much of the film since Echo Bridge Entertainment decided you don't need to see the entire film. They issued it in 1.78:1 ratio which is like redirecting the movie. Cheesy distribution companies like Echo Bride should be run out of the movie business entirely rather than be allowed to destroy an otherwise good film from a good cast. Read the review here by Blu-ray.com and see how the film was butchered by Echo Bridge. I say don't buy this one. Maybe it will be re-released by some other company in the future, someone who holds film more sacred. Unfortunately Echo Bridge is not such a company.
Melancholia (2011)
True to its name, Melancholia... is Depressing
I'm sorry to say there wasn't more than a kernel of an idea in the plot. Aside from a handful of momentarily beautiful cinematographic shots... the shaky, hand held camera work in this film wasn't steady for more than two seconds throughout two hours of this two hour and sixteen minute movie giving one a Dizzying feeling. Haven't we had enough of purposely over exaggerated shaking of hand-held photography in films? What's worse
the camera panned violently from actor to actor in a scene, showing nothing but blur between headshots where edits would ordinarily be. Dialog continued unabated while the camera panned searching for the actor speaking. For a first rate cast with some very notable actors, the end product is shameful. I've never been so glad to see the end of a movie and only wish I had walked out after the first twenty minutes when red flags started waving in my head. Save yourself a painful experience and give this film a wide berth. Russ^
Killer Weekend (2004)
Poorly Scanned to Blu-ray
I completely agree with the two previous postings as to the poor acting in this movie. My review however will deal with not the acting but the blu-ray transfer which I had the misfortune to buy and watch.
I attempted to lookup the film's aspect ratio on IMDb but they don't have it listed; apparently this movie is so bad that nobody bothered to enter the details. The reason I cite this is because during the scan to blu-ray the aspect ratio was bastardized. The result is that in most scenes the actor's heads are flattened and the result for me was a massive headache as my brain kept telling me that there was something very wrong with what I was watching. Of course if the heads are out of whack, everything else is as well, but for me, the shape of the human head is the most egregious. I also noticed that most of the images were out of focus so I wish I'd taken a pass on the blu-ray of this movie.
Forty Shades of Blue (2005)
I want to care about the characters, please!
I see a movie to be entertained, not to watch someone I don't care about screw up their life by making bad decisions and by alienating everyone in their lives, their family and friends. I love character driven movies, but give me characters that I care about and who are care-able about, not obnoxious, narcissistic people who I wouldn't want to be friends with in real life. The main character Laura, it too lethargic, indecisive, and uncertain. She seems mired in life and only by breaking free will she blossom, however twice she picks the wrong man to have an affair with, and the man she's had a baby with she's fallen out of love with. This is too depressing. After viewing this film, I'm sorry to say, I felt like I'd wasted two hours of my life. I'm sorry to give a bad review, but I felt like I should warn others who feel like I do. One more thing... is there any reason the characters can't be in focus at all times? Don't they make autofocus cameras in Hollywood?
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
The Ultimate Shaky Camera Movie
Hand held cameras give a sense of a documentary, or that of a home movie, however when carried to the excess, where every scene in a movie is shaken in the extreme, it gives one a headache and makes me nauseous. I've had my fill of the shaky-cam, I wish these films had warning labels as it would keep me away.
As far as the characters went, they didn't make you care about them. They were only talking heads, bobbling incessantly about nothing that we cared about. To go with my nausea, I was bored stiff. Then, as if sensing that the audience might be going to sleep the band at the wedding played music so loudly, I had to turn the track down.
So with unleveled sound, an extremely shaky camera, and characters no one cared about, I left the film one third of the way through. I'm sorry but this film rates a 0.
Kundun (1997)
A Story That Should Be Seen By All
In this day and age of strife and conflict, terrorism and unrest, a story like this of a man who stands before the world as a true pacifist and an idealist is refreshing. Martin Scorsese deserves compliments for taking the time to portray the true story of the life of the fourteenth Dali Lama, a life that began in the turmoil of twentieth century conflict and continues today to appeal to the world to right the wrongs imposed upon his native land and people. He serves as a beacon for those of us who wish for a time when all the people of the world will accept and respect each other regardless of custom, religion or national identity. This often overlooked religion could serve as a light for those who use their religion for hate and imposition upon others. I enjoyed the cinematography and music. This film shows how wrong the Oscars can be when they overlook a work as well presented as this.