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Act of Valor

Not sure if this is just gonna be a US movie or not, but I was able to see an advanced screening of it last night and all I can say is wow. Quick premise is they followed 8 Navy SEALs around for more than a year, studying them, and then decided to make a movie with them instead of some overpaid **** actors because they wanted the realism of them saying bye to their families before a mission and all that jazz. Going into to it, I thought it was going to be good, but not this good.

For guys who have never acted (I'm assuming) before, they did a damn good job. Granted, you could tell the acting wasn't A level, but they did better than Keeanu and Nic Cage ever have. Getting past that point, the only other complaint that could be made, is the way they filmed it. I heard one guy say the filming method was the only retracting point, but it made it feel so much more...real. If anyone complains about more than that, or even that, I'm sorry but there is no hope.

This is quite possibly the best movie I have ever seen. I'm still trying to digest it, but I think it is definitely top 5 at the worst. There are no previews before but the directors do give you a little info about what they did to film it. This may differ since it was an advanced screening but, it made it feel that much more real. 5 minutes into the movie you are already connected to the 8 SEALs more than I thought you would the entire movie. From there, it just doesn't stop. For two hours, the theater laughed maybe one time, I didn't see one cell phone light up, no side conversations, just silence. By the end of the movie I looked around, and every person in there had tears. The credits began to roll, nobody moved. 2 minutes or so into the credits, everyone just started clapping, and I hate when people clap in movies but this was so necessary.

10/10 go see it now.
 
Snoo said:
Being crazy doesn't make you a good actor. ;)

Never said he was a good actor. He's just enjoyable to watch be a lunatic. Kinda like watching a mentally retarded person but more sociably acceptable and less guilt.
 
That gets old mighty quick Kim. Yeah, him being nuts in Face/Off was epic.. but he just gets older, his roles get lamer, and his lunacy goes from kick ass to a whisper.
 
That's why I watch tiny clips of him doing his stupid stuff so I don't have to witness the annoying crappy stuff and thus, not as old quick and not exposing my self to all the rubbish. Honestly Snoo.
 
tomahawKSU said:
Act of Valor

Not sure if this is just gonna be a US movie or not, but I was able to see an advanced screening of it last night and all I can say is wow. Quick premise is they followed 8 Navy SEALs around for more than a year, studying them, and then decided to make a movie with them instead of some overpaid **** actors because they wanted the realism of them saying bye to their families before a mission and all that jazz. Going into to it, I thought it was going to be good, but not this good.

For guys who have never acted (I'm assuming) before, they did a damn good job. Granted, you could tell the acting wasn't A level, but they did better than Keeanu and Nic Cage ever have. Getting past that point, the only other complaint that could be made, is the way they filmed it. I heard one guy say the filming method was the only retracting point, but it made it feel so much more...real. If anyone complains about more than that, or even that, I'm sorry but there is no hope.

This is quite possibly the best movie I have ever seen. I'm still trying to digest it, but I think it is definitely top 5 at the worst. There are no previews before but the directors do give you a little info about what they did to film it. This may differ since it was an advanced screening but, it made it feel that much more real. 5 minutes into the movie you are already connected to the 8 SEALs more than I thought you would the entire movie. From there, it just doesn't stop. For two hours, the theater laughed maybe one time, I didn't see one cell phone light up, no side conversations, just silence. By the end of the movie I looked around, and every person in there had tears. The credits began to roll, nobody moved. 2 minutes or so into the credits, everyone just started clapping, and I hate when people clap in movies but this was so necessary.

10/10 go see it now.

Sounds like that's one just for the US screens, I don't think it would have the same, obviously intended, effect on a British audience.

Can't speak for other countries though.
 
^Lol, no, we're defo getting it too. Posters went up at the cinema I go to the other week. I've seen the trailer, it made me vom. It made my colleagues laugh at its awfulness.

Oh and Nic Cage is amazing because he is just plain nuts and it really doesn't get old. If you don't find him funny then you're, I dunno, missing something?

This needs to be posted to remind everyone of the comedy he brings us...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PJddmfesaA[/youtube]
 
The trailer seems to have been swapped for the one for the latest Call of Duty?

It's clearly not gone for any sort of realism so why use real soldiers? I would have thought they'd want to avoid glorifying what they spend their lives telling people is a vile job...

Sounds like the film version of that speech they do before the Shamu show - Americans all cheer and cry whilst everyone else looks awkwardly at their feet.
 
Ben said:
Sounds like the film version of that speech they do before the Shamu show - Americans all cheer and cry whilst everyone else looks awkwardly at their feet.

Haha omg </3 When I was there they asked if there was anybody in the services in the audience, and people stoof up and got applauded <///3 SUCH awkwardness hahaha XD
 
Watched a few more documentaries.

Death on a Factory Farm- If ANYTHING could ever make me want to be a vegetarian, this was probably it. Although, I do realized being a vegetarian would hurt my health and do no good to the animals dying on factory farms, so obviously I decided against it. Originally I thought it would be an hour and a half of grotesque footage, but it actually wasn't. The first bit of the film is the guy going undercover in the farm, trying to capture film and photos of the pigs being abused, but in particular, an inhumane method of euthanasia where they tie the hogs to a forklift with a chain and hang them. It showed things like baby pigs being thrown into buckets from a distance of six or seven feet, being smashed on guard rails, pigs cannibalizing each other, etc, and then finally they did hangings and he was able to capture it. The rest of the film was the trial against the farm owners, which was extremely interesting and a pretty tough case for both parties. Sadly, only one got a charge of $250, which really annoyed me considering their farm is still in operation today.

Overall, very good documentary. 8/10

How to Die in Oregon- Yes, another assisted suicide documentary which followed up my viewing of a Dr. Death documentary. This one, however, was about the state of Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal if you've received a six month diagnosis. The opening was intense, with an older man being prepped to die and drinking the drugs, which was upsetting but also sort of relieving seeing him talk his way to unconsciousness, telling everyone how peaceful and awesome it was. It had a few short stories about people who were considering the use of Sentinol or liquid barbituates, but the main stories were about a woman in her 50s with severe liver cancer, and a woman who had lost her husband from brain cancer and was trying to pass the i-1000 bill in Washington. The woman, Cody, with liver cancer, has a very interesting outlook on the whole situation, almost positive in a way, but we see her break down a few times and although she lived past her 6 month diagnosis, it shows her going downhill and eventually taking the pills that would end her life. One thing that really bothered me was a man with prostate cancer who received a letter from the insurance company saying they would not pay for treatment, but would pay for the drugs to kill him. They revised it once he went public, but he still died anyway.

Either way, great documentary. 9/10
 
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

From the very start it felt all too Pan's Labyrinth-y, although it had a wonderful story line and solid acting, I thought it could have been slightly better executed, the CGI was very fake, and the scares were minimal. I found myself watching Pan's Labyrinth as a horror film... And a mediocre one at that. It was a shame, because I did enjoy some of Del Toro's other films... I much preferred The Devil's Backbone, it kept me guessing, this was obvious as soon as the main characters were introduced. The whole film just lacked a little if you ask me.

Rating:
5.5/10
 
^It wasn't actually directed by Del Toro, it was directed by Troy Nixey. It was 'presented' by Del Toro, and if you take into account that Hostel was 'presented' by Tarantino, it gives you an idea of how much he actually had to do with anything about the film.

I agree though, I found it very creepy and awesome to begin with (love haunted house movies) but then the CGI kind of ruined it? And when they spoke </3 Had they been puppets a la Pan's Labyrinth or just remained shadows I think the overall effect of the film would've greatly intensified.

There's quite a lot of films that are mistaken as Del Toro thinking about it. The Orphanage is a particular annoyance. I know the marketers for these films do it on purpose, but just one mention of a name synonymous with a certain style of filmmaking and people are convinced that it's their film. I suppose it sells tickets and gets bums on seats, but I think it's unfair to mislead an audience like that.
 
The **** is with you in watching all these things about how to kill people?

Assisted suicide has always been a huge topic of interest with me, as with any sort of end of life matters, so that's probably the only explanation I have as to why I watch them so much :p .
 
I thought he'd had something to do with writing it, not directing it... In all honesty, it started so well, and let itself down
 
Knocking on Heaven's door

All in German but got Subtitles so I knew what was going on. Very funny, weird storyline but very good.
Basically, for the people who don't know, it's about 2 german terminally ill people who have days to live trying to get to see the sea with no money. It's rated 12 but I think it should be at least 15 due to a few scenes.
 
nadroJ said:
Ben said:
Sounds like the film version of that speech they do before the Shamu show - Americans all cheer and cry whilst everyone else looks awkwardly at their feet.

Haha omg </3 When I was there they asked if there was anybody in the services in the audience, and people stoof up and got applauded <///3 SUCH awkwardness hahaha XD

How on earth is that awkward?
 
Agree. So many of my friends are WAY overly sensitive with patriotism and armed forces and all of that overrated BS.
 
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