Topic: Michael's random reviews

[Dr. Hasslein]

Well I guess I'm not a crazy collector. I just think it's just a waste of money, especially if it's just the tin and no extra content.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well I guess I'm not a crazy collector. I just think it's just a waste of money, especially if it's just the tin and no extra content.

Heretic!

[Rogmeister]

I actually only have a couple of tins myself.  I have that one of the Ultimate Superman Collection...it has something like 10-12 discs in it...or is it 15?  I can't recall.  I also have a tin for the first season of the TV western series Wagon Train.  They're also doing a tin for the second season of that series.  I will probably get that eventually but am waiting for the price to come down a bit first.

[Dr. Hasslein]

I have the Ultimate Superman Collection. I like it but it takes like five minutes to get a DVD out due to all the packaging inside. That tin could withstand a nuclear blast! 

[Dr. Hasslein]

Well I guess I'm not a crazy collector. I just think it's just a waste of money, especially if it's just the tin and no extra content.

Heretic!

Watch it Lassie, I'll be running this place in 12 months 

[Critter]

And you call yourself a collector? For shame! How can one resist seeing a lovely handsome DVD tin sitting on the shelf?
 

I actually only have one tin myself, that an a tin box set of a TV series. Although I do wish I had more.

[Jimmy]

Well I guess I'm not a crazy collector.

Don't worry, I consider myself a big collector and I won't do a special to get a dvd because it came in a metal box or with a little toy or a non-sense case (like the Planet of the Apes monkey head). I want the movie and the extra contents not the container (I even throw the slipcase in the garbage).

I watch movies not dvd case or movie credit (as many do on the dvdp forum)

[Dr. Hasslein]

And you call yourself a collector? For shame! How can one resist seeing a lovely handsome DVD tin sitting on the shelf?
 

I actually only have one tin myself, that an a tin box set of a TV series. Although I do wish I had more.

And how many DVDs do you own Sophie?

[Dr. Hasslein]

Well I guess I'm not a crazy collector.

Don't worry, I consider myself a big collector and I won't do a special to get a dvd because it came in a metal box or with a little toy or a non-sense case (like the Planet of the Apes monkey head). I want the movie and the extra contents not the container (I even throw the slipcase in the garbage).

I watch movies not dvd case or movie credit (as many do on the dvdp forum)

I actually have the Planet of the Apes monkey head. That was the one time I really spent the money on a limited edition. Plus I'm a massive fan of the movies.

[Critter]

And how many DVDs do you own Sophie?

Oh I have a feeble little pile somewhere. 


Also, we are actually supposed to watch the movies? Man, so many wasted years of just staring at the pretty cases.

[Dr. Hasslein]

And how many DVDs do you own Sophie?

Oh I have a feeble little pile somewhere. 

You got that right! 

[Najemikon]

What a hype, what a nothing of a movie.
This could have been really great, people maneuvering through the subconsciousness and there encountering the strangest dangers ever.
Instead Nolan directed a "Mission: Impossible in Dreamland" with a complete lack of "Dreamland". Instead of using fantasy supported by CGI he completely reduced to CGI. The whole concept for this film screams: "Place your ideas here!", possibly someone even did this, but obviously Nolan forgot to use those.
Sad, after the Batman movies I expected much more.
Even the main cast is remaining totally flat, DiCaprio is playing the same role as in "Blood Diamond" even though he has proven in "The Departed" and "Shutter Island" that he's absolutely capable of presenting us the haunted, hunted and lost individual. Maybe he should stick with Scott and Scorsese, because they obviously get the best from him. Nolan didn't, maybe because he didn't demand it. Strange how the director that made Heath Ledger immortal can be satisfied with the extremely average performance of DiCaprio in this movie.

Movies trying to capture the realms of fantasy should be left to Tarsem Singh or Gilliam, hell, even Burton would have made a better movie out of this concept. Nolan obviously was overstrained here.

Granted Gilliam et al make better movies about dreams, but that wasn't what Nolan was trying to do. This was an action movie about death and politics, not a fantasy and if you went in wanting that you would be disappointed. Yes, you're right, Gilliam et al make marvellous fantasy films. This isn't one though.

I thought it was marvellous and I'm looking forward to it again. It's one of the modern great action movies, DiCaprio works very hard and brilliantly so, and it is so much better than The Matrix because it's clear from frame 1 that Nolan understands this world perfectly to deliver a very confident heist movie with a twist.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

This was an action movie about death and politics, not a fantasy

Are you sure you don't mix this with "Body of Lies"?
But even if not (even though I don't recall any deaths and politics was very hard to find either), they should have chosen a completely different setup then. Why sending people into dreamland if you wouldn't want to use at least a bit of fantasy?
But what really finished this movie for me was the extremely annoying "If you die in dreamland you get out ... oooops, this would have made the story significantly shorter, so you only get out if the screenwriter lets you, or you really die, or we just let your brain get toasted".
I hate such major plausibility leaks

[Najemikon]

Politics as in machinations of human nature, not elected officials. You know, the "one last job then I'm out" moral dilemmas of a thief and the politics of thievery. The film is about grief, hence death. And I know a few Internet jokes have picked on the "you die in dreamland, you get out", but it's not that simple. I need to see it again, but it was accounted for.

Part of what is now counting against the film is the analysing. Nolan did an interview for Film 2010 and my respect for him has only increased. He smirked at the theories and admitted surprise because it's deceptively simple. Asked if he understands the story fully, he replied yes, of course. He said he couldn't expect anyone else to take it seriously if he didn't. He developed the script over ten years, so he said, he'd better know by now!

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Coach Carter  

Summary:
Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), a successful sporting goods store owner, accepts the job of basketball coach for his old high school in a poor area of Richmond, CA, where he was a champion athlete. As much dismayed by the poor attitudes of his players as well as their dismal play performance, Carter sets about to change both. He immediately imposes a strict regime typified in written contracts that include stipulations for respectful behavior, a dress code and good grades as requisites to being allowed to participate. The initial resistance from the boys is soon dispelled as the team under Carter's tutelage becomes a undefeated competitor in the games. However, when the overconfident team's behavior begins to stray and Carter learns that too many players are doing poorly in class, he takes immediate action. To the outrage of the team, the school and the community, Carter cancels all team activities and locks the gym until the team shows acceptable academic improvement...

My Thoughts:
Yet another movie on how discipline and a positive role-model (in combination with a replacement father) can solve all problems. I guess there has to be one for every sport.

This is a quite entertaining sports movie on Highschool-Basketball, not more, not less.
The story as such is well known and highly predictable, nevertheless it has some twitches that keep you interested.
The few occasions on which this flick begins to shine is when Coach Carter is meeting the disaffected faculty and tries to motivate them again.

A nice movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

My Rating: (out of possible 5)