captainsolo said:

Notorious

The Criterion DVD is the best way to see the film, as it was struck from the nitrate OCN, IP and a fine grain master. It has more fine detail than the MGM disc or Blu-ray with great 1.0 mono. My favorite classic era DVD mastering period.

Really? I was about to order the BD for this, but I stopped once I read this. Judging by your comments, I'm better off getting the Criterion DVD. So, the BD was taken from an inferior source? It really strikes me as awful whenever a BD has less detail than a DVD release. Out of curiosity, have you compared both directly?

In any case, I decided to go on a Danny Boyle Triple Feature:

28 Days Later

The movie still honestly holds up to me. I enjoyed it. It's certainly a stark contrast to Romero's films. The fast moving "zombies" are menacing without being over the top. The scenes in a deserted London are especially frightening. You really get a good sense of isolation and desperation. All the actors did admirable jobs in their respective roles, in my opinion. Unlike others, I have absolutely no problem with the social commentary once they reached the military base; it simply enriches the movie.

Truly, a pinnacle in horror. The visual style is intriguing and unfortunate at the same time. This is a movie that barely benefitted from the BD.

9 out of 10 balls.

Trainspotting

This was the first time I'd seen the movie. It was fantastic to be honest. I got a very A Clockwork Orange-vibe from it; I suppose that was intentional, considering the visual references at the club. Ewan McGregor's performance was excellent: just the right amount of repulsiveness and sympatheticness. All the supporting actors were excellent too. The mix of comedy and tragedy is really effective here; the dark humor was razor sharp. To be absolutely honest though, I failed to truly empathize with any of the characters, even Renton. It was interesting watching their story, but, in no way, did it reach to me emotionally. For a director's second film, it certainly is astounding. I'd be interested in them adapting the sequel; if capably made, it could be great.

The Japanese BD is the best, as it's uncut.

9.5 out of 10 balls.

Shallow Grave

This one caught me by surprise. I never saw it before and never heard anything about it. Out of the three movies I watched, this is my favorite. It explores the classic theme of money's corrupting effect, yet it manages to feel undeniably fresh and at times shocking. The movie is stylistic and active but never to a point of being obnoxious. There were few characters, a fact that I relished since I could really have the time to understand each one of them. All of them had devilishly dark sides, yet were completely believable. The dark humor here worked better, for me, than the humor in Trainspotting. This is the most spectacular directorial debut I can remember since Citizen Kane. After the film ended, I had Andy Williams stuck in my head for days. If you've got the chance watch this movie.

The Criterion BD's picture looks great: vivid with good contrast. I understand this was shot under relatively low budget circumstances, so it doesn't look quite as professional as contemporary big budget productions.

10 out of 10 balls.

I did a Marc Webb double header-

(500) Days of Summer 9/10

The Amazing Spiderman 9/10

Saw this, loved it. I mean like I really, really loved it. This is from someone who also really, really loved the Raimi films. This one is just really good. It's really a shame that most people will look at this movie with been there, done that glasses on (speaking of glasses, the 3-D was pretty cool, but not amazing). Which is unfortunate because, I was able to put that aside and take it for what it was, and this is really a spectacular piece.

Also loved The Amazing Spider-Man.  Andrew Garfield is perfect as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is infinitely more interesting (and capable - she actually gets out of a potentially deadly situation on her own!  Gasp!) than Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane.  Garfield and Stone have great chemistry together, too, which really sells the love story.

I didn't mind the Lizard's flat face - that was what he looked like in his original appearance anyway, if I remember correctly.

I did think the whole "mystery" behind Peter's parents was a pretty lame way to try to make this iteration of Spider-Man different from the last, which was unnecessary as it was already different enough to begin with.  Gone is the cheese of the Raimi films (minus the thing with the cranes at the end, that was a little much), and the cardboard characters that came along with it.  (Though Aunt May is criminally underused this go-round.)

I also loved Spidey's fights and web-slinging.  Much more believable and, in my opinion, Spider-Man-like than previous attempts.

And the best part?  This Spider-Man could easily be rolled into the current Marvel cinematic universe, assuming Sony, Marvel, and Disney can make some sort of deal.

8.5/10, easy.  (For comparison, the only one of the first trilogy that comes close is the second one, which I'd give a 7/10).

ChainsawAsh said:

Also loved The Amazing Spider-Man.  Andrew Garfield is perfect as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is infinitely more interesting (and capable - she actually gets out of a potentially deadly situation on her own!  Gasp!) than Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane.  Garfield and Stone have great chemistry together, too, which really sells the love story.

I didn't mind the Lizard's flat face - that was what he looked like in his original appearance anyway, if I remember correctly.

I did think the whole "mystery" behind Peter's parents was a pretty lame way to try to make this iteration of Spider-Man different from the last, which was unnecessary as it was already different enough to begin with.  Gone is the cheese of the Raimi films (minus the thing with the cranes at the end, that was a little much), and the cardboard characters that came along with it.  (Though Aunt May is criminally underused this go-round.)

I also loved Spidey's fights and web-slinging.  Much more believable and, in my opinion, Spider-Man-like than previous attempts.

And the best part?  This Spider-Man could easily be rolled into the current Marvel cinematic universe, assuming Sony, Marvel, and Disney can make some sort of deal.

8.5/10, easy.  (For comparison, the only one of the first trilogy that comes close is the second one, which I'd give a 7/10).

Totally agree on all points.

Amazing Spider-man

I thought Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were perfect. The story was kinda meh. The origin story took way too long and wasn't even as good as the original one. He never even caught uncle Ben's killer. The revelation to use his powers for good was downplayed and never were the words "With great power comes great responsibility" uttered. The lizard was kind of cool and all, the web slinging and action I think was the best of all of the movies. I wish they just threw us into Peter's life as spider-man. I mean we all already know the origin.

But if I look at the film as a whole without my fandom clouding my judgement it is a pretty good movie. I'd say it deserves 7/10.

(But if given the choice I'd watch Sam Raimi's Spider-man.)

bkev said:

 

ChainsawAsh said:

(minus the thing with the cranes at the end, that was a little much)

Really? I think it's moments like that that separate Spidey from most superheroes. It really showcases his vulnerability, compared to many other superheroes - both Marvel and DC don't have too many characters like that with mainstream fame that I'm aware of. It's not the high-school stuff that separates him, it's the fact that the every man - not just the supporting cast - might need to step in and help him every so often.

I have to say that as a character Spider-Man is actually kind of weak. Think about how many times he's wanted to give up the costume compared to most other heroes. What makes him different? Someone else always comes in to be the voice of reason or give him that epiphany he needs. It's a weakness that makes him more... human, something I've always liked about Spider-Man.

I enjoyed the movie except for the music choices in the high school scenes, which is extreme nitpicking. 8/10. You might even say it was... Amazing. *rimshot*

 

Oh boy that was the only scene in which I really felt insulted. I agree that the dynamic of the people helping is great but it could have been applied so much better. It just felt sooo forced to me.

Oh, and I agree with you on the music thing.