mightychurch.com

This is a thread for movies you’ve seen lately :)

I watched The Dark Knight on DVD last night, and despite very positive reviews I thought it was overrated - maybe something was lost in the transition to the small screen, or I needed to see the prev movies or something, but it just didn’t seem to have much soul.  3 stars.

What have you seen lately?

I gotta say this movie is the best in the Batman movie series.

Batman and Robin is pretty rubish. If Batman and Robin got 5/10. This movie deserves 9/10.

The Dark Knight is certainly a fantastic movie, but one you need to see on the big screen for the full effect.

Other movies:

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (advanced screening about friendship in nazi germany) - 7/10
Champions (Chinese martial arts / sports movie) - 6.5/10
Butterfly Lovers (Chinese action movie about a girl who pretends to be a boy soldier) - 6.5/10
Watchmen - 4/10.  Waste of time.

You can clearly see which ones are the chick flicks and which are not…

Well we finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire the other day - and what an interesting experience that turned out to be. It certainly isn’t a tourist promo for India - and I doubt that many movie patrons would be jumping on the next plane to Mumbai to check in at the Hotel Garbage Dump of Life. But it is an emotional tour de force that compels you to look at the ‘ugly’ side of life that can be found in every country - not just the black hole of Calcutta. Indeed, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ openly exhibits the fruits of man’s sinfulness for all of us to see ( as if we needed convincing about it’s existence and influence on mankind’s base nature anyway. )

So that said, yes it is an ‘ugly’ and disturbing film to view. And yes, the scenes are disturbingly real - and made me wince several times at the depravity and acts of sinful man.  Yet the really disturbing thing was knowing that these acts of ‘violence’ are still taking place today - all around the world - and both children and adults are the victims. What a difference Christ’s love in action could make in all these lives.

Technically, of course Slumdog Millionaire isn’t a ‘Hollywood’ extravaganza - indeed I believe that it was never originally destined for such a wide audience on the big screen. Just another Bollywood tale of sadness amongst the squalor of life - and a moment of ‘redemption’ and ‘happiness’ - providing escape ( for the audience ) from the daily grind of their lives - and ending with a joyous Bollywood cast singing and dancing alongside the closing credits. But something happened along the way - a few folk saw this minor foreign movie ( albeit one with a well established director like Danny Boyle ) - and instead of a small limited arthouse audience and then straight-to-DVD, some peoples’ consciences were pricked ...... and now the whole world is being challenged -  not by “Who wants to be a Millionaire ?” - but rather “what can you do about the world around you - in your own corner of the globe ?”

This film is a very keen motivator for Christians ( individually and as a congregation ) to get out there and make a difference - and start connecting with the real world. What an eye opener this film is.

removed - luke :P

Ken,

I am worried about you. You really seem to be in a dark place - or on drugs ;)

If you missed out on seeing Slumdog Millionaire at the movies, then you may be interested to know that it is being released on DVD on Friday 1 May - for about $30 - and EZYDVD will also be carrying a limited edition DVD and CD soundtrack package for about $35.

The DVD special features are :

* Audio Commentary by director Danny Boyle and actor Dev Patel
* Audio Commentary by writer Simon Beaufoy and producer Christian Colson
* Deleted Scenes
* “Slumdog Dreams” - Danny Boyle and the making of Slumdog Millionaire
* “Jai Ho” Remix - Slumdog Cutdown

G’day Kevin   Yes SM was certainly an entertaining film, BUT i’M SURE IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DISTASTEFUL TO GENTLELER PEOPLE LIKE OUR MODERATER.
  What I found sad was how it made “Australia” look so second rate. Both made about the same time and had the same idea , ie an extravaganza promoting their respective countries of origin. The same gimmicks eg violence, horror, corny love story ( though I thought the SM story refreshingly real) but no car chases thank goodness. SM was just so tecnically better. The editing, sound, photography,story line and of course the acting were seamlessly blended into a cinematic experience.

doug leverett - 04 April 2009 07:10 AM

G’day Kevin   Yes SM was certainly an entertaining film, BUT i’M SURE IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DISTASTEFUL TO GENTLELER PEOPLE LIKE OUR MODERATER.
  What I found sad was how it made “Australia” look so second rate. Both made about the same time and had the same idea , ie an extravaganza promoting their respective countries of origin. The same gimmicks eg violence, horror, corny love story ( though I thought the SM story refreshingly real) but no car chases thank goodness. SM was just so tecnically better. The editing, sound, photography,story line and of course the acting were seamlessly blended into a cinematic experience.

Note to those who haven’t yet seen “Slumdog Millionaire” : SPOILER ALERT

Hi Doug, A few things in response come to mind :

(1) I’m sure I never used the word ‘entertaining’ in my comments - it just wasn’t that sort of film/storyline. ( I would however use the word for films like “Mamma Mia” etc.)  The only ‘entertaining’ bit was the “Jai Ho” Bollywood dance scene over the end credits.

(2) I think you do a disservice to Luke who I’ve found to have a broad range of interests and a lot of compassion/justice perspectives. Indeed I look forward to hearing his review if/when he gets to see it.

(3) I found “Australia” second rate on so many levels. A collection of “pretty” images strung together with flawed dialogue does not necessarily make for a pretty picture.

(4) I cannot agree that both films “had the same idea , ie an extravaganza promoting their respective countries of origin”. Whilst ‘Australia’ WAS part of a deliberate 2 part advertising campaign ( movie and tourism advertising on TV/magazines etc ) to promote our wide brown land,  ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was the OPPOSITE of a tourist campaign - unless you believe that folk are lining up by the planeload to get down and dirty amongst the filth of the black hole of peoples’ lives in the dark parts of India. Sure, there were cute shots of The Taj Mahal etc - but mostly I felt that the film was displaying the evilness of aspects of life in India ( or indeed any place where ‘sin’ reigns in peoples’ lives and hearts. )  I cannot remember the last time I squirmed watching a movie, so that scene of removing eyes for profits’ sake was definitely not a Kodak tourist moment for me.

(5) For me, “Australia” was one big sellout by Baz Luhrman who seemed to want to push his political agenda - perhaps as part of the cost of receiving federal monies ( reportedly worth several millions) for the advertisment filming.

I also strongly object to his misuse and twisting of historical facts to pursue his PC approach to history. Whilst some have responded with ‘it’s only a film - not a documentary’, my rejoinder to them is ‘why then seek to portray “Australia” as being factual’ - note especially the (  speculative ) words about the so-called ‘stolen generation’ at the very start of the movie. And let’s not mention the erroneous Japanese invasion on Australian soil. Historical accuracy - what’s that ? So please, Mr Luhrman, don’t use it for PC propaganda.

(6) I note that the DVD of “Australia” that is now available does NOT have any extra features - which is a pity, as the only point of interest for me would be seeing the alternative endings that were made. Especially the original ending where Hugh Jackman’s character dies at the end ( war really does that to people, you know.  ) But apparently, test audience screenings wanted a happy ending - so Baz Luhrman chanmged ;his’ vision to accommodate the masses. ( So much for directorial integrity - more like one almighty sellout to the almighty dollar. Give me instead those directors who can hold their heads high unsullied by compromise for mere monies’ sake. )

(7) SM is most deserving of the many technical awards it has achieved throughout the world.

(8) If anyone is keen to buy the “Australia” ( no features ) DVD at a discount price, then Borders have it on sale for $24.99 until tomorrow ( Sunday ).

Cheers, Kevin

My wife is interested in Easy Virtue, after reading a review in War Cry. It seems to be one of those limited release films and we guess it won’t come to Bathurst. It’s a remake of a Noel Coward film. Anyone seen it?

Don’t understand the dislike towards Australia.  Thought it was generally well done though slightly too long and soppy, although the stolen generation tilt was quite acceptable to me, historically it did happen even before WWII and that tilt didn’t seem forced.  And a Japanese person could be excused hating it…but other than that, why?

The Australia DVD is on sale for $24.99/$25 in quite a few places ... Coles, JB @ quick glance.

Other movies:

Ip Man (Chinese film like Australia with its strong anti-Japanese sentiment) - 9/10.  Better than Australia and even Slumdog because I love my action, and this had so many wing chun fight scenes, and there was no soppiness in sight.  There was not even a HINT of romance haha.
How To Lose Friends & Alienate People - 6.5/10.  Reasonable stuff from Simon Pegg but not his best.  Slight nudity warning here.
Seven Pounds - 5/10.  So cliche it cracked me up.  Then I thought “dear oh dear Will Smith you’ve really taken a massive backward pace in your career”.

Dunno if anyone else caught it, but George Gittoes’ third documentary (after Soundtrack to War and Rampage) was on SBS tonight. It’s called The Miscreants and it was fantastic - deeply confronting, yet compassionate, honest, funny, brutal, unconventional & incredibly brave as usual, as he basically wandered into the tribal areas of Pakistan where the Taliban are very active and made a documentary, which in part was about him making two ‘Taliwood’ dramas which the Taliban are trying to stamp out. It was about much more than though - particularly the violence in their society, the medieval brutality of the Taliban, and the complexity of the Pakistani situation.

The guy’s a national treasure, check it out on DVD when it’s released if you can, and check out Soundtrack to War and Rampage which I both highly recommend too if you ever get a chance.

I must be the only person who hasn’t seen Australia.
And that despite a horse we used to own being in it.

Personally I think it sounds aweful.

Owen Atkins - 08 April 2009 06:30 AM

I must be the only person who hasn’t seen Australia.
And that despite a horse we used to own being in it.

Personally I think it sounds aweful.

It is neither awe-ful (awesome?), nor awful. It’s OK. Wonderful scenery, just disappointing when you think of what it could have been. If Baz ever learns about subtelty, he might make a great movie, but as it is, he tried to make a gigantic blockbuster by throwing in every possible plot contrivance and combine all the thoughts that had ever flitted through his mind. If it was a little less far reaching it might have hit its target.
It has performed one very useful purpose however; a lot of Aussies are now aware that the Japanese did attack Darwin. There were a couple of factual errors which detracted from the lesson (but were necessary to add yet another thread to the tangled storyline). Previously I’m sure that more people here knew about the attack on Pearl Harbour than Darwin (even though more people actually died in the attack on Darwin). According to my dad (whose birthday was on the day of the attack) he can remember at his birthday party people were talking about it, but it was played down at the time (to not alarm the populace) and no-one realised the extent of the devastation. Until this movie, most people didn’t!

unless you believe that folk are lining up by the planeload to get down and dirty amongst the filth of the black hole of peoples’ lives in the dark parts of India. Sure, there were cute shots of The Taj Mahal etc - but mostly I felt that the film was displaying the evilness of aspects of life in India ( or indeed any place where ‘sin’ reigns in peoples’ lives and hearts. )  I cannot remember the last time I squirmed watching a movie, so that scene of removing eyes for profits’ sake was definitely not a Kodak tourist moment for me.

KEVIN At the risk of your vast repository of cyber bullets, I go where angels——. I disagree with the above point of view.
IMO the good and the bad are part of God’s creation, just like power and submission, order and chaos, positive and negative, love and hate etc.  THese were created and evolved so that God’s earth can work in balance.
  We Christians must learn to live with both the the good and the bad. Not to make emotive decisions to eradicate the bad, but first understand the bad, understand the ugly. Their but for the grace of God go I———-
      The “good life” , whatever God has planned, is explained in 2 Peter 3:13 ” But we wait for what God has promised:new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home”

Hi Doug,

I’m not really sure what you are disagreeing with. However, after re-reading your words, am I right in thinking that what you are suggesting is that ( as Darth Vader said to his son ) “we embrace the dark side Luke” ?

As to my “vast repository of cyber bullets” - all I can say is KAPOW - oops I seem to have run out of ammunition ;)    ........  and time - must dash.

Have a blessed Easter, cheers Kevin

I recently saw Gran Torino and I thought it was a most excellent movie. Without spoiling the plot, I found the way Clint Eastwood’s character became closer to his neightbours then his own family a very profound statement. His family took him for granted, and was patronising towards him, where his neightbours appreciated his company, simply because they took time to get to know each other, despite the racism of Eastwood’s character.

We saw “Inkheart” yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Brendan Fraser again delivers a strong performance in a tale that is full of mystery, action and adventure. It’s rated PG ( mild violence and scary scenes) and was also much enjoyed by my 83 year old mother-in-law.  In this fantasy adventure based on Cornelia Funke’s book, a young girl and her father cause fictional characters to leap into reality. But a formerly book-bound baddie ( Lord Of The Rings’ Andy Serkis ) takes the dad hostage, and it’s up to the junior heroine—and some fictional help—to rescue her father. Bibliophiles will absolutely adore all the allusions and images from classic books brought to life.

“Inkheart” is a most stimulating and refreshing movie - guaranteed to get your pulse racing and allow you to leave the cinema feeling that you’ve had a memorable cinematic and emotional experience !

Owen Atkins - 08 April 2009 06:30 AM

I must be the only person who hasn’t seen Australia.
And that despite a horse we used to own being in it.

Hey Owen,

Your horse is a much better actor than Nicole Kidman - which is why your beast won the Mane Supporting Award ;)

Dragonball Evolution - 1/10.  Please don’t see ... it has permamently scarred my childhood memories of the comic book series.

We have just returned from seeing “Star Trek” as the Cinebuzz Mystery preview movie. It ‘s a winner. Great action, incredible sets, intense acting, occasional laughs and non-stop enjoyment ! The script was well developed and will appeal to all Trekkie fans and the special effects are simply “out of this world”.

This prequel to the TV series storyline fills in a number of blanks. And special thanks to Greater Union for our free tickets ;)    We gave it 10/10 - and will definitely see it again when it starts on May 7.

Madagascar 2 - 7/10, good light-hearted fun.

Burn After Reading - 6/10, very different to your average movie but not necessarily in a bad way like In Bruges.

Valykrie - 6/10, good but samey.

Kevin, sounds like J.J. Abrams did a good job with the new Star Trek movie! I haven’t seen any of ‘em, but I imagine it must be a tough job with the fan base you need to cater to!

Arthur, I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about Burn After Reading and have it lying around here, will have to check it out.

I liked “In Bruges” - an interesting movie.

Saw it on DVD the same weekend as the latest Bond movie “Quantum of Solice”.

Both were about violence, and set in scenic locations;  but whereas one was simple and absorbed you into the plot with an interesting climax;  the other was expensive, complex and incomprehensible - I couldn’t work out who was on whose side or what have you.  I don’t think I was meant to be able to work it out. 

I saw Slumdog Millionaire recently too - at the sun outdoor cinemas in Broome (oldest in the world apparently) - entertaining and well scripted - I’ve heard it called “poverty porn” but puts India on the cinematic map, and there will be more I am sure.

Haven’t seen “Australia”.  Probably won’t ever.  Just one of those pop movies - like the Da Vinci Code - so badly reviewed and so historically inaccurate and full of bias - that I can’t be bothered wasting unrecoverable hours of my life on it.

I like all Coen Brothers movies mostly because of the slightly quirky characters - “Burn after Reading” had those same qualities.  Good fun.

Here’s a bargain movie opportunity if you’re near a Greater Union or Birch, Carroll & Coyle cinema :

Looking for some last minute school holiday entertainment ? Well we’ve got the answer for you !
This weekend, take your family to the movies to see either Race to Witch Mountain, Inkheart, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Pink Panther 2 or Dragonball and your tickets will be $7 each. This price includes the booking fee !

It’s an offer that movie lovers might like to take advantage of. It’s only for this weekend - but you can see any of these 5 “FAMILY FRIENDLY” movies for just $7 - including booking fee ! If you’re not already a Cine Buzz member you can join ( it’s free ) by going to this site :

http://www.greaterunion.com.au/interact/newsletters_generic.asp?id=246

Feel free to use that link ... whatever you do though, don’t waste it on Dragonball